William Manchester And The Medieval Mind - 1254 Words

William Manchester divides the period of time from A.D. 400 to roughly the 1600s into three parts in A World Lit Only By Fire. The first part, entitled â€Å"The Medieval Mind,† is how the standards of living and the overall wellbeing of the people living in that time were and how education was virtually nonexistent. The book then shifts to the second section, entitled â€Å"The Shattering,† this section describes the intellectual movements and activities, such as the Protestant Reformation, that ended up destroying the Medieval Mindset and replacing it with a mindset that questions everything about authority. The third and final section of Manchester’s novel is entitled, â€Å"One Man Alone.† This section focuses on Magellan and the three year voyage of†¦show more content†¦The Church was beginning to replace imperial Rome when Rome fell in A.D. 476 and shortly after in A.D. 493 the Franks were the first people as a nation to accept Christ and be baptized. As the Church gained traction, one of the key concepts that they wanted to expunge was the influence of pagan religions. St. Augustine wrote The City of God about the actions of the Roman people on the very topic that the people because of their sins had gotten themselves into their own mess. Another way that the Church helped to expunge pagan influences was to build churches and cathedrals on pagan temples. They also came up with religious feasts to replace pagan feasts that would be going on at the same time. Another problem that had arisen for the Holy See was the struggle with royalty. An example, is when Gregory VII excommunicated Emperor Henry IV and he was only absolved by spending three days and nights prostrate outside the papal castle. A great wound to the Vatican that was self-inflicted was when Pope Clement V moved the papacy to France where it remained for nearly sixty years before Pope Gregory XI returned it to Rome. This altercation led to a problem, for the next near ly forty years, there were two Vicars of Christ, one in Rome and an antipope in France. As earlier stated mostly all of the people at this time were illiterate so they never really knew what was going on since they were unable to read or write. There was also no concept of

The Indian Experience Of India - 1057 Words

Indian Experience India is the second largest populous country in the world with a diverse population and culture. It is one of the oldest civilizations dating back 4,500 years. The population is made up of numerous different ethnicities and religions. The culture was heavily influenced by different civilizations that once occupied India; food is no exception. Indian cuisine is known for its diverse and wide ranging assortment of dishes as well as its extensive variety of herbs and especially spices (Live Science, 2015). The knowledge of this is what inspired my Cultural Experience choice. As an experience in cultural diversity, I chose to go to an Indian Restaurant and then shop at an Indian grocery store. I spent two hours at†¦show more content†¦We arrived shortly after 1pm, so the restaurant did not have many patrons. There were only two other tables occupied at the time. One was a large Indian family seated at a long row of tables down the center of the restaurant and the other was a table of Caucasian women in the booth behind ours. Our server, the same man who seated us, brought us water and directed us toward the buffet. The first thing I noticed when approaching the buffet was the smell. There were so many different spices and food smells lingering in the air it was unbelievably appetizing. The buffet was rather extensive, with about 20 different dish options to choose from including naan and dessert. I did not hesitate. I took a little bit of everything until my plate was full. I then proceeded to cover the plate with several pieces of garlic naan. The food was simply delicious. It ranged from every level of spiciness without being so spicy that it killed the taste. My favorite dishes were a spiced zucchini dish and the Aloo Mater which is a potato and green pea dish with a perfect blend of Indian spices. Also, the naan was extraordinary; soft and crispy with slivered green onion and pureed garlic spread on top. We also ordered chai which was delicious an d had the right amount of warmth and caffeine for the afternoon. It complimented the Kheer (an Indian style rice pudding) perfectly. The food was an overall amazing experience. Some of the best food I have everShow MoreRelatedLouis Vuitton in India1463 Words   |  6 Pagesthreats for Luxury goods in India. Is there a product- market fit for luxury goods in India, in particular, given that India is still a low- income economy overall? A. Opportunities 1-The first mover advantage amongst the luxury goods segment. Also the historic business association with the LV brand create a strong brand recall in this segment. 2-The emergence of of high net worth consumers which is the 2nd fastest growing in the world. 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Child Slavery Free Essays

In the 21st century we have millions of people living with the constant uncertainty of waking up tomorrow. They are not dying of old age – their life has Just begun, they are not living with cancer – their life expectancy Is much shorter, but they are amongst the 27 million men, women and children Involved In the impoverished slave trade. As an ambassador for anti-slavery, I Emma Smith, do not need to argue the wrongfulness of slavery for, as stated by Frederick Douglass In 1 852, â€Å"there Is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven who does not know that slavery is wrong†. We will write a custom essay sample on Child Slavery or any similar topic only for you Order Now On numerous occasions I have witnessed the horror firsthand. I have watched as the statistics continue to exponentially increase. And I have inevitably visited the graves of those who have paved the ultimate price. It is for this reason that I demand change for the better, change for the future and change for the victims who’s pleads go unheard. How in the day of modern technology, can we as a society, have allowed the continuation of these horrific acts of slavery to progress from centuries ago? As you should know, the International Labor Organization formally defined forced Barbour, or slavery, at the forced labor convention In 1930. This definition Is still relevant today and dictates that forced labor Is considered â€Å"all work or service which Is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily. † However, for far too long violations against your human rights doctrine have occurred and consequently, these discrepancies in the system are having detrimental effects. Of the population of slaves in the world today a large percentage is comprised of young innocent children. Can you imagine your child being ripped away from your arms and disposed of to the highest bidder, like sheep in the market? It might sound cruel, it might sound careless, it might sound corrupt but this is the reality for many defined by their cultural attitude and lack of political interference in the cocoa industry. â€Å"While the term slavery has a variety of historical contexts, slavery in the cocoa industry involves the same core human rights violations as other forms of slavery throughout the world† and consumers are oblivious. In developed countries we acknowledge that chocolate homebodies happiness, gratification and luxury but for those children enslaved on the Ivory Coast, yet to taste a morsel of chocolate, its symbolism is quite the opposite. At present, 900 million kilograms of chocolate is consumed each year of which 40 percent is believed to have been contaminated with slavery. A young boy named Amanda was lucky enough to have escaped the exploitation in Africa and pronounces that â€Å"when people eat chocolate, they eat my flesh. Child slavery is the secret ingredient in chocolate however this must stop, this must cease and the inexcusable tactics have to come to an end. The cocoa industry has benefited from the use of forced labor since the early 1 9th century. However, a re-examination of past preventative measures along with a coherent framework for future success will enable a productive start to ceasing all child slavery. You, as the united Nations, have the potential to Intervene as violat ions of your doctrines have occurred for centuries. So why has nothing yet been established? My organization and a collaboration of others plead for intervention. We demand a review of the existing conventions on Furthermore we ask of you to force political involvement in affected countries and with this include resources and funds to ensure that the industry is no longer commercially viable. Finally, the extremity of this situation should involve the disallowing of imports and exports of cocoa which have been tampered by this horrific slavery. In order to cease the production of money through the blood, sweat and tears of all those suffering in bondage, labor camps and disease-ridden chains, the commitment of the United Nations has become imperative. The slavery industry s growing however, this is one industry which must not benefit from growth. You have heard the statistics and you have heard the facts but now is the time for change. No longer can countries, such as Africa, continue to economically exploit the vulnerable and companies must not resort to the use of child slave labor in order to keep prices competitive. I have called for change and I can now only hope that this will be achieved. How to cite Child Slavery, Papers

The Writing Style of the Last Leaf free essay sample

He is good at portraying minor characters. The sense of humor is the biggest characteristic of his short stories. He tends to make the end beyond all expectations, and he focus on the minor characters’ living condition. The Last Leaf is one of his most famous short stories, and it best reflects his unique writing style. It is a story about living. It tells an impressive story among three poor and unsuccessful artists. It is a story about living. Old Behrman uses his life to save Johnsy’s life by drawing the last leaf of the ivy in a rain stormy night. During the first ten years after O’Henry’s death, there rose a surge about O’Henry study in America, and his prestige reached the peak. He is called â€Å"the new father of America literature†. Now O’Henry still attracts scholars home and aboard. Liu Wencui’s â€Å"A Study of O’Henry’s Writing Methods in his Short Story ‘The Gift of Magi’† explores O’Henry’s peculiar writing methods used in â€Å"The Gift of Magi† by addressing the distinctive title which combines metaphorical meaning, the living language with proper wording and the reasonable and surprising ending. We will write a custom essay sample on The Writing Style of the Last Leaf or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Liu Wencui, 2001) Then Wen Jiexia contrasts and compares O’Henry with Maupassant in â€Å"A Comparative Study between Maupassant and O’Henry in Short Story Layout†. Both O’Henry and Maupassant are skillful at short story writing and famous for their ingenious and exquisite layouts. Each of them has characteristic and style in plot, ending and narration. By doing so, Wen Jiexia shows the ingenious writing skills of O’Henry which comes from everyday life experiences. O’Henry writes ordinary scenes of life, but he can extract vivid and unique plots from common scenes. O’Henry tells his stories in an ordinary objective tone, with insertions of subjective comments, while Maupassant is objective, real and natural. O’Henry criticizes the social reality by displaying the macroscopic appearance with microscopic reflection. (Wen jiexia, 2002) Moreover, in â€Å"Narrative Analysis of O’Henry’s Writing Technique† Zhang Wenhua explains the theme on human virtues in O’Henry’s works with the binary opposition in the structural theory. The writer comments on the modes of the opening and ending with the theory of narrative modes. The typical surprising ending in O’Henry’s works is analyzed with the technique of defamiliarization. By doing so, Zhang Wenhua presents the unique characteristics of O’Henry’s works with regard to the narrative analysis. (Zhang Wenhua, 2007) O’Henry’s unique writing styles—vivid plots, frequent coincidences, humorous language, unexpected ending and which moveding theme impress readers deeply. In this thesis, the author try to account for O’Henry’s writing style reflected in The Last Leaf. By discussing the language, structure and characterization portrayal, this thesis shows the concise and lifesome language, the ingenious arrangement and lively characters of this short story of O’Henry. II. Language Features. O’Henry’s language has distinctive features: humor, simplicity, unique design, proper choice of words. In The Last Leaf, O’Henry chooses exact, laconic, vivid words and various sentences to describe the background and scene of this short story, to make a psychological portrayal of the characters to be vivid and charming. By doing this, O’Henry wants to make the readers enter the story,story; assumeing that readers share a prior knowledge of the incidents of the story with narrator. We can see these features clearly in his masterpiece The Last Leaf. A. The Accurate Choice of words At the beginning paragraph of The Last Leaf, O’Henry uses accurate words to make the readers know the environment where the story is happening. O’Henry uses â€Å"colony†, just one word, to let the readers realize that people who live there are poor and unsuccessful in their career. This also forms a strong contrast with the end of the story: people live in that place can have masterpiece as well. William Shakespeare has a wisdom, â€Å"Brevity is the soul of wit†, that is to use the least words to express a great amount of information, to use short and common but complex words, to leave out the redundant and vague words. In the sentence, â€Å"Then she swaggered into Johnsy’s room with her drawing board, whistling jazz. †, â€Å"swaggered† is more concise and to the point than â€Å"walk in a self-satisfactory†. And this behavior shows that Sue would not let Johnsy worry. B. The Rhetorical Devices To make the story more vivid and attractive, O’Henry uses a series of rhetorical devices. In November a cold, unseen stranger whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the colony, touching one here and there with his icy gingers. Over on the east side this ravager strode boldly, striking his victims by scores, but his feet trod slowly through the maze of the narrow and moss-grown ‘places’. (O’ Henry: 15) O’Henry uses personification in these sentences, and the parts with lineation in the sentences compare exactly and lively. Pneumonia is a ruthless and cruel devil, who deprives of the life of the weak. â€Å"†¦, said Johnsy, closing her eyes and lying white and still as a fallen statue. † In this sentence, O’Henry uses simile. â€Å"a fallen statue† reflects Johnsy’s desperation for her recovery. And O’Henry choices The Last Leaf as the title of this short story to symbolize the end of Behrman’s life as well as to symbolize the regeneration of Johnsy. Thus the title highlights the theme of this short story. All in all, proper wording greatly increases O’Henry’s power of expression. C. The Variety of Sentences From the perspective of rhetoric,sentences not only call for correction in grammar, but also require change in the form, which will help to achieve the diversification of the forms of expression and enhance the effect of expression. To fit the language characteristics of the characters in the work, there are more simple sentences than complex sentences, more phrase than long sentences in The Last Leaf. But to enhance the effect of the expression, the author still manages to achieve the diversity of sentences by arranging sentences with different forms and sentences of varying lengths reasonably and cleverly. Take the second paragraph of this story for example: â€Å"so the artists soon came prowling to quaint old Greenwich Village hunting for north windows and eighteenth-century gables and Dutch attics and low rents. Then it becomes a colony. † These sentences are more vivid and smooth and have a sense of rhythm in reading. But if there are all simple sentences, the story may become tedious. In addition, in the sentence â€Å"What was there to count? † the author uses rhetorical interrogative as emphasis to avoid speaking in a dull, flat style. By doing this, O’Henry not only highlights the following parts of the story, but also arouses interests of the readers. This story has four dialogues, in which the phrases are too numerous to mention. It mainly performs as the elliptical sentence: â€Å"Paint? ——bosh! † â€Å"Twelve eleven. † â€Å"Five what, dear? † â€Å"Leaves, on the ivy vine. † These sentences, short and powerful, highlighting key information, simplifying the expression procedures, enhancing the language effects, are shortcut of language communication. Meanwhile, the story has inserted a number of long sentences, including both natural and simple loose sentences, and some periodic sentences which are end-loaded, playing a role of emphasizing. â€Å"As Sue was sketching a pair of elegant riding trousers and a monocle on the figure of the hero, an Idaho cowboy, she heard a low sound, repeated several times. † This long sentence is a periodic sentence. O’Henry places the main part of the sentence at the end, to stress this part and to attract readers to read on. Another example is a passage in which Johnsy says: â€Å"Tell me as soon as you have finished because 1 want to see the last one fall, I’m tired of waiting. I’m tired of thinking. I want to turn loose my hold on everything and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor tired leaves. † The first sentence is loose sentence, with a clause to show reasons; the last sentence is also a loose sentence. â€Å"Down†, â€Å"just like leaves† these added modifiers vividly describe Johnsy’s despair. O’Henry inserts short sentences in long sentences skillfully to make the story rhythmic, and full of appeal. Distinctive â€Å"O. Henry technique† is able to touch the hearts of the readers largely because of its unique art of language. O’Henry uses easy understanding, lifesome and concise language to portray characters and develops layouts. It can be said that language is the tool of the â€Å"O. Henry technique† and plays an important role. Structure Features Clever stylistic rules and layout can make the fiction achieve unexpected artistic effect. The fiction has its own unique structure features, and the most basic elements are the background, characters, events and outcomes. O’Henry lets these elements intersperse and completes each other to serve the main plot. In The Last Leaf, O. Henry uses apparent and shade clues: Johnsy’s hopelessness of life is the apparent clue, and Behrman in wet and windy night painting that piece of leaf on the wall is the shade clue. The use of two clues constitute plot blank to make the reader recreate the story plots, and the end of the story has a surprising and unexpected effect. We can see these features clearly in his masterpiece The Last Leaf. A. O’ Henry’s ending The ending is O. Henry’s champion, which shows that O. Henry is the master of artistic skills. The ending holds primary importance in the â€Å"O. Henry technique†, and has become a symbol and a mark. When people mention O. Henry’s stories, their first thought may be the unexpected ending. It can be said that â€Å"O. Henry ending† has become a salient literary phenomenon in the world’s literature and has swept across the literary world. Ancient and modern literary masters all think the ending is important and most of them stress on the function of the ending. Chekhov says whoever invents the new ending, opens up a new era. O. Henry’s ending has a finishing touch function on story, and capable of making the whole works suddenly fly out into the highest level of art. Throughout O’Henry’s works, the attractive plots like mountain spring water, whether it meets stone block, or in the flat, ups and downs, it can all flow freely, surging ahead. When the readers are brought by this spring to the destination, the spring turns rapidly in different direction, changing to a sudden turning, giving the readers an unexpected end. Faced with this unexpected outcome, the readers tend to be puzzled. But after the shock, the readers can immediately realize what has happened and find that this unexpected ending is real and reasonable. The Last Leaf is a typical work and can be serve as a good illustration. At the beginning, when the doctor said Johnsy only has 10% possibility to recover, the readers cannot help hating the disease, while showing sympathy for the poor girl. Later, the readers’ attention may turn to the pieces of falling leaves outside the window. They are holding the hope for Johnsy to live. The readers as well as Johnsy know that the last leaf will be falling, but they all hope it will not fall. But they are surprised by the result. The next morning it is still swaying in the wind, bringing Johnsy hope and giving readers comfort. The dialogue of the last paragraph pushes the story to a climax and the unknown Behrman leaves his first and last famous work. But the pneumonia deprives him of his life. So the readers are happy for Johnsy, and at the same time surprised that why the last leaf stays so long in the wind and cannot help feeling sorry for losing such a great and caring artist. The ending of the story is unexpected yet rational. The author does not give a positive description of the scene of Behrman drawing the ivy leaf with life, only relays through Sue’s mouth at the end of the story. As the mystery is unveiled, the story achieves its climax, but the climax is the end of the story at the same time. The story stops suddenly. The author always tells the story in a flat tone, neither the ups and downs nor twists and turns, and the plots advance slowly and are rational. But the end lets readers wonder. In the above discussion, readers do not see any clues of the old artist painting the last leaf to save Johnsy, but the ending reveals a miracle of life. The potential artistic charm of the work shines out miraculously. The artistic charm of O’Henry ending is just like this. Rereading the whole short story, the old Behrman is the protagonist of the story, the spirit of the whole short story. B. Plot Blank The skill O’Henry uses when he designs his unexpected ending is structure overlapping of apparent and shadow clues. The light clue hides the dark clue, and in progress of the plot some details have always been hidden, and the most important secret is conserved, and this is the use of â€Å"plot blank†. The â€Å"plot blank† is in the process of the continuous plots, purposely skips and it does not show a link and goes into the third event straightly from the first one. The skipping of this plot is the â€Å"plot blank†. The plots of short story are showing materials selected strictly by the author through eliminating the false and retaining the true, deserting the dross and remaining the essence. They shoulder the important mission of expressing the themes and conveying the writer’s emotion, showing the personality and psychology of the characters. Therefore the narrators of the short stories are always careful in plot selection and typical refining, they also apply the most expressive characters act as the plot and make trade-offs. The discarded plots can be unnecessary or insignificant part of the story. But he value situation is to deliberately give up the plots which are closely related to the theme, make plot blank and leave room for the readers to stir up imagination, giving the readers re-creation pleasure and aesthetic enjoyment. O’Henry uses â€Å"plot blank† skillfully in The Last Leaf. He avoids talking anything about Behrman, and only shows that Behrman is an unsuccessful artist in the eyes of other people. This makes a tremendous contrast with the artist who paints a leaf that can be confused as real one in the following part of the short story. Is this artist really as bad as others say? The readers can judge it. The action that Behrman paints the leaf should be the key plot of the work, but the author eliminates the process that old Behrman climbs a ladder to light a hope for the Johnsy in the cold rainy night. Only at the end of the story Sue simply reveals the fact, Behrman died because he painted the vine leaf, making people suddenly realize the fact and at the same time it gets a huge shock on the soul. In the former part of the story, the readers does not see any clues that the old painter would save Johnsy , but at the end of the story it reveals a miracle of life, thus the internal artistic feature of the work shines out miraculously. From the view of receptive esthetics, the readers needs to finish the creation and addition of the plot. When the readers look back the story carefully, it is easy to imagine that in the rainstorm the old painter is dragging his faltering footsteps, strenuously climbing up the ladder and the rain wets his clothes and blurs his eyes, but he paints firmly. Because he knows that this is not an ordinary leaf and this is Johnsy’s only hope of life. He is helping Johnsy as well as realizing his artistic dream. Thus the surface plots of the story gradually are weakened while the internal circumstances are highlighted. The convergence of the surface events turns to the rational development of psychological feelings. The reasonable explanation of the whole work not merely relies on external circumstances, but on the emotional circumstances. Ingenious conception and clever structure is O’Henry’s distinctive features. In The Last Leaf, O’Henry uses two clues of the apparent and shadow alternately, forming â€Å"plot blank† to make the end of the story unexpected. The structure feature is the most dazzling jewel of the â€Å"O. Henry technique†. VI. Conclusion Short stories are wonderful flowers in the garden of the world literature, and O’Henry is one of the most successful gardeners. He has had a vast influence on an entire generation of writers attempting to see the society clearly and write the unexpected ending smartly. He puts his artist’s eyes and ears on the sights and sounds of the American society, and he takes ordinary events and incidents from everyday life, but he designs the plots skillfully. O’Henry is a productive writer and he is known by the world for his â€Å"O’Henry technique†. The Last Leaf tells a moving story which is familiar to lots of readers. And this short story has many similarities with O’Henry’s other stories but it has its special aspects. The present thesis has studied O’Henry’s writing style shown in The Last Leaf. The first part of this thesis probes this short story’s language feature, which is exact, vivid, easy-understanding and changeable. Language is a weapon of O’Henry, useful and helpful to his creation. Chapter two has discussed the structure of The Last Leaf: â€Å"plot blank† and unexpected ending. O’Henry uses â€Å"plot blank† smartly, leaving out some key information, resulting in an unexpected ending. This makes the story attractive, and gives the readers a room to imagine. O’Henry has been one of the most popular and widely read American short story writers and people are familiar with his creations. O’Henry’s stories are storehouse of human wisdom closely related not only to his own time and people but also those of the whole world. In conclusion, O’Henry is a rare creative artist with a unique vision.

Free Essays on “A Modest Proposal“

Interpretation of â€Å"A Modest Proposal† â€Å"A Modest Proposal† was a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift depicting the horrific conditions of Ireland and the lives of the Irish people in 1729. The author portrays and attacks the cruel and unjust oppression of Ireland by its oppressor, the mighty English and ridicules the Irish people at the same time. However, Swift's opposition is indirectly presented. Jonathan Swift is able to do so by using the persona, irony, and wit in order to expose the remarkable corruption and degradation of the Irish people, and at the same time present them with practicable solutions to their unscrupulous and pathetic lives. The author uses a satire to accomplish his objective not only because he is able to conceal his true identity but also because it is the most effective way to awake the people of Ireland into seeing their own depravity. Swift creates a fictional persona because by hiding his true identity he is able to convince the readers of the significance of Ireland's problem and allow them to see truth and reality. The persona is a concerned Irishman who is very intelligent, sound, and serious. He appears to be a brute and a monster for proposing something evil and immoral very calmly as if it is normal to consume the flesh of another human being. What makes his proposal to be even more depraved is that he proposes to eat the babies. The persona declares, â€Å"and at exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them, in a such a manner as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding and partly to the clothing of many thousands† (2467). The persona justifies his proposal with numerous reasons. Besides the prevention of voluntary abortions and infanticide, it will also prevent the loss of money for maintenance of children and the abuse of women and child... Free Essays on â€Å"A Modest Proposalâ€Å" Free Essays on â€Å"A Modest Proposalâ€Å" Interpretation of â€Å"A Modest Proposal† â€Å"A Modest Proposal† was a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift depicting the horrific conditions of Ireland and the lives of the Irish people in 1729. The author portrays and attacks the cruel and unjust oppression of Ireland by its oppressor, the mighty English and ridicules the Irish people at the same time. However, Swift's opposition is indirectly presented. Jonathan Swift is able to do so by using the persona, irony, and wit in order to expose the remarkable corruption and degradation of the Irish people, and at the same time present them with practicable solutions to their unscrupulous and pathetic lives. The author uses a satire to accomplish his objective not only because he is able to conceal his true identity but also because it is the most effective way to awake the people of Ireland into seeing their own depravity. Swift creates a fictional persona because by hiding his true identity he is able to convince the readers of the significance of Ireland's problem and allow them to see truth and reality. The persona is a concerned Irishman who is very intelligent, sound, and serious. He appears to be a brute and a monster for proposing something evil and immoral very calmly as if it is normal to consume the flesh of another human being. What makes his proposal to be even more depraved is that he proposes to eat the babies. The persona declares, â€Å"and at exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them, in a such a manner as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding and partly to the clothing of many thousands† (2467). The persona justifies his proposal with numerous reasons. Besides the prevention of voluntary abortions and infanticide, it will also prevent the loss of money for maintenance of children and the abuse of women and child...

Far from Empire - German Colonial History and its Memorials

Far from Empire - German Colonial History and its Memorials Europe’s long and sinister colonial history can still be experienced in many places. Forced-upon European heritage, such as languages or the ominous right to militarily intervene, are found all over the globe. The different colonial narratives of the British Empire, the Spanish Navy or Portuguese traders are well known and often still glorified as a grand national past. Outside of Germany, the country’s colonial history is not referred to often within Germany it is a rather sore topic. Being overshadowed by the two World Wars, it is up to recent historical studies to fully bring it into the light. Even if – in terms of gaining territory, compared to its rivals - Germany’s colonial endeavors weren’t exactly successful, German colonial forces are guilty of terrible crimes against peoples indigenous to their colonies. As are so many European histories of the 17th,18th, 19th and 20th century, the German one is not short of gruesome acts committed in the name of forging a global empire. German East Africa and German-Samoa Even though Germans were part of the European Colonial Expansion right from the beginning, the engagement of Germany as a formal colonial power started its endeavors rather late. One reason was that the foundation of the German Empire in 1871, before that there was no â€Å"Germany† that could, as a nation, colonize anyone. Maybe that is another reason for the pressing necessity to acquire colonies, which seems to have been felt by German officials. From 1884 on, Germany quickly incorporated African colonies such as Togo, Cameroon, Namibia and Tanzania (some under different names) into the Empire. A few Pacific Islands and a Chinese colony followed. The German colonial officers aimed at being very efficient colonizers, which resulted in very ruthless and brutal behavior towards the natives. This, of course, sparked rebellions and uprisings, which the oppressors, in turn, brutally put down. In German South-West Africa (Namibia), the German leaders attempted to segregate all inhabitants by a German upper class and an African working class – following an ideology of deep biologist racism. This kind of segregation was not limited to German colonies. All of European colonialism shows this attribute. But, one can say that German forces were the most efficient as the examples of Namibia and, a Generation later, the occupation of Eastern Europe show. German colonialism was driven by heavy armed conflicts, some of which are rightfully called genocide (e.g. the so-called Herero Wars, which lasted from ca. 1904 until 1907), as German attacks and the following famines were responsible for the death of an estimated 80% of all Herero. The German colonies in the â€Å"South Sea† also fell victim to colonial violence. German battalions were even part of ending the Boxer Rebellion in China. The first period of German colonialism ended after World War I when its protectorates were taken from the Reich, as it was unfit to be a colonial power. But the Third Reich brought a second period of course. A surge of colonial memorials throughout the 1920s, ’30s, and 40s prepared the public for a dawning new colonial age. One, that quickly ended with the victory of the Allied Forces in 1945. Memories and Memorials - Germany’s Colonial Past is Surfacing The last few years of public debate and discourse have made it clear: Germany’s colonial past can no longer be ignored and has to be duly addressed. Local initiatives successfully fought for the recognition of colonial crimes (e.g. through having the designations of streets changed, that bore the name of colonial leaders) and historians emphasized how history and collective memory itself is often a construct rather than an organically grown development. The self-definition of a society or community is created through delimitation on the one hand and the construction of a common past through notions of unifying grandeur, such as military victories, on the other. The composition of the latter is supported by memorials, memorabilia, as well as historic artifacts. In the case of German colonial history, these items are vastly overshadowed the Third Reich and are often only viewed in its context. Recent history and the present show that there is still a long way to go when it comes to processing Germany’s colonial history. Many streets still carry the names of colonial commanders guilty of war crimes, and many memorials still show German colonialism in an exotic, rather romantic light.

Compare and Contrast the customs of Mexican Americans and Puerto Term Paper

Compare and Contrast the customs of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans - Term Paper Example There are as many Puerto Ricans living in the United States than those living in the small island that has a population of four million (CountryWatch, 2011). Puerto Rico became property of the United States back in 1898 after the United States won the Spaniard-American war. A common trait between both ethnicities is that they are typically bilingual (English / Spanish). The Spanish spoken by Puerto Ricans is a bit different than the Spanish spoken by Mexican Americans in terms of words and accent. The parents of Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans teach their kids Spanish at home and Spanish is often spoken in their households. Both races are sports fanatics. In boxing there is a big rivalry between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. The Oscar De la Hoya vs. Tito Trinidad bout at the time was the biggest revenue generating non heavyweight pay per view bout in the history of boxing. Oscar De La Hoya is the most successful Mexican American fighter in the history of boxing. Baseball is the national pastime of Puerto Ricans, while many Mexican Americans prefer to play soccer. The tourism and travel tendencies of the two groups are different as Puerto Ricans often travel back and forth from the mainland US to the island of Puerto Rico. Sometimes Mexican Americans due to immigration issues of their parents do not travel as much back and forth. When they travel Puerto Ricans do not have to worry about foreign exchange considerations since Puerto Rico shares the same currency with the United States. Both ethnic groups believe a lot in the value of being a good host to their guests. Offering food and drinks to guests is a mutual custom of both groups of Latinos. The traditional foods of each Latino group are very different. Mexican Americans often eat a diet associated with floor tortillas, corn, refried beans, and rice, and chilies, spices, vegetables, beef, and cheese (CultureGrams, 2011). In Puerto Rico the most common meal is