The Life and Legend of David Davy Crockett

The Life and Legend of David Davy Crockett David Davy Crockett, known as the King of the Wild Frontier, was an American frontiersman and politician. He was famous as a hunter and outdoorsman. Later, he served in the U.S. Congress before heading west to Texas to fight as a defender at the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, where it is believed he was slain with his comrades by the Mexican army. Crockett remains a well-known figure, particularly in Texas. Crockett was a larger-than-life, American folk hero figure even in his own lifetime, and it can be hard to separate facts from legends when discussing his life. Crockett’s Early Life Crockett was born on August 17, 1786, in Tennessee, then a frontier territory. He ran away from home at the age of 13 and made a living doing odd jobs for settlers and wagon drivers. He returned home at the age of 15. He was an honest and hardworking young man. Of his own free will, he decided to work for six months to pay off one of his father’s debts. In his twenties, he enlisted in the Army in time to fight in Alabama in the Creek War. He distinguished himself as a scout and hunter, providing food for his regiment. Crockett Enters Politics After his service in the War of 1812, Crockett had a variety of low-level political jobs such as Assemblyman in the Tennessee legislature and town commissioner. He soon developed a knack for public service. Although he was poorly educated, he possessed a razor-sharp wit and a gift for public speaking. His rough, homespun manner endeared him to many. His bond with the common people of the West was genuine and they respected him. In 1827, he won a seat in Congress representing Tennessee and running as a supporter of the immensely popular Andrew Jackson. Crockett and Jackson Fall Out Crockett was at first a die-hard supporter of fellow westerner Andrew Jackson, but political intrigues with other Jackson supporters, among them James Polk, eventually derailed their friendship and association. Crockett lost his seat in Congress in 1831 when Jackson endorsed his opponent. In 1833, he won his seat back, this time running as an anti-Jacksonian. Crocketts fame continued to grow. His folksy speeches were very popular and he released an autobiography about young love, bear hunting, and honest politics. A play called The Lion of the West, with a character clearly based on Crockett was popular at the time and was a big hit. Exit from Congress Crockett had the charm and charisma to make a potential presidential candidate, and the Whig party, which was Jackson’s opposition, had their eye on him. In 1835, however, he lost his seat in Congress to Adam Huntsman, who ran as a supporter of Jackson. Crockett knew he was down but not out, but he still wanted to get out of Washington for a while. In late 1835, Crockett made his way to Texas. The Road to San Antonio The Texas Revolution had just broken out with the first shots fired at the Battle of Gonzales, and Crockett discovered that the people had a great passion and sympathy for Texas. Flocks of men and families were making their way to Texas to fight with the possibility of getting land if the revolution was successful. Many believed Crockett was going there to fight for Texas. He was too good a politician to deny it. If he fought in Texas, his political career would benefit. He heard that the action was centered around San Antonio, so he headed there. Crockett at the Alamo Crockett arrived in Texas in early 1836 with a group of volunteers mostly from Tennessee who had made him their de facto leader. The Tennesseans with their long rifles were most welcome reinforcements at the poorly-defended fort. Morale at the Alamo surged, as the men were delighted to have such a famous man among them. Ever the skilled politician, Crockett even helped defuse tension between Jim Bowie, leader of the volunteers, and William Travis, commander of the enlisted men and ranking officer at the Alamo. Did Crockett Die at the Alamo? Crockett was at the Alamo on the morning of March 6, 1836, when the Mexican president and General Santa Anna ordered the Mexican army to attack. The Mexicans had overwhelming numbers and in 90 minutes they had overrun the Alamo, killing all inside. There is some controversy over Crocketts death. It is certain that a handful of rebels were taken alive and later executed by order of Santa Anna. Some historical sources suggest Crockett was one of them. Other sources say he fell in battle. Whatever the case, Crockett and about 200 men inside the Alamo fought bravely until the end. The Legacy of Davy Crockett: Davy Crockett was an important politician and an extremely skilled hunter and outdoorsman, but his lasting glory came with his death at the Battle of the Alamo. His martyrdom for the cause of Texas independence gave the rebel movement momentum when it needed it the most. The story of his heroic death, fighting for freedom against insurmountable odds, made its way east and inspired Texans as well as men from the United States to come and continue the fight. The fact that such a famous man gave his life for Texas was great publicity for the Texans cause. Crockett is a great Texan hero. The town of Crockett, Texas, is named after him, as is Crockett County in Tennessee and Fort Crockett on Galveston Island. There are many schools, parks, and landmarks named for him as well. The character of Crockett has appeared in countless films and TV shows. He was famously played by John Wayne in the 1960 movie, The Alamo and again in the 2004 retread of The Alamo portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton. Source: Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: New York: Anchor Books, 2004.the Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence.

Reinhard Heydrich, Nazi Who Planned the Holocaust

Reinhard Heydrich, Nazi Who Planned the Holocaust Reinhard Heydrich was the high-ranking Nazi official in charge of planning Hitlers Final Solution, which established the framework for the extermination of six million Jews in Europe. His role in the genocide earned him the title of Reich Protector, but to the outside world he became known as Hitlers Hangman. Czech assassins trained by British intelligence agents attacked Heydrich in 1942 and he died from his wounds. However, his ambitious plans for genocide had already been put into action. Fast Facts: Reinhard Heydrich Full Name: Reinhard Tristan Eugen HeydrichBorn: March 7, 1904, in Halle, GermanyDied: June 4, 1942, in Prague, Czech RepublicParents: Richard Bruno Heycrich and Elisabeth Anna Maria Amalia KrantzSpouse: Lina von OstenKnown For: Mastermind behind Hitlers Final Solution. Convened the January 1942 Wannsee Conference that coordinated plans for mass murder. Early Life Heydrich was born in 1904 in Halle, Saxony (in present day Germany), a town known for its university and strong cultural heritage. His father sang opera and worked at a music conservatory. Heydrich grew up playing the violin and developed a deep appreciation of chamber music, an odd contrast to the villainous brutality for which he would become known. Too young to serve in World War I, Heydrich was commissioned as a German naval officer in the 1920s. His career was scandalously ended when a military court found him guilty of dishonorable behavior toward a young woman in 1931. Discharged into civilian life at a time of massive unemployment in Germany, Heydrich used family connections to seek a job with the Nazi Party. Though Heydrich had been skeptical of the Nazi movement, looking down on Adolph Hitler and his followers as little more than street thugs, he sought an interview with Heinrich Himmler. Heydrich inflated his experience in the German military, leading Himmler to believe he had been an intelligence officer. Himmler, who had never served in the military, was impressed by Heydrich and hired him. Heydrich was tasked with the creation of the Nazis intelligence service. His operation, run at first from a small office with one typewriter, would ultimately grow into a vast enterprise. Rise in the Nazi Hierarchy Heydrich rose quickly in the Nazi ranks. At one point, an old rumor about his family background- that he had Jewish ancestors- surfaced and threatened to end his career. He convinced Hitler and Himmler the rumors about a supposed Jewish grandparent were false. When the Nazis took control of Germany in early 1933, Himmler and Heydrich were put in charge of arresting those who opposed them. A pattern developed of detaining so many political enemies that prisons couldnt hold them. An abandoned munitions plant at Dachau, in Bavaria, was converted to a concentration camp to house them. The mass imprisonment of political enemies was not a secret. In July 1933 a reporter for The New York Times was given a tour of Dachau, which the Nazi administrators referred to as an educational camp for about 2,000 political opponents. Prisoners worked brutally long hours at Dachau, and were released when they were deemed demoralized and accepting of Nazi ideology. The camp system was considered successful, and Heydrich expanded it and opened other concentration camps. In 1934, Himmler and Heydrich began making moves to eliminate Ernst Rohm, the head of the Nazi stormtroopers, who was viewed as a threat to Hitlers power. Heydrich became one of the leaders of a bloody purge, which became known as The Night of the Long Knives. Rohm was murdered, and scores of other Nazis, perhaps as many as 200, were killed. Following the purge, Himmler made Heydrich the head of a centralized police force that combined the Nazi Gestapo with the police detective forces. Throughout the late 1930s Heydrich ruled a vast police network with spies and informers strategically placed throughout German society. Ultimately, every police officer in Germany became part of Heydrichs organization. Organized Persecution As the persecution of Jews in Germany accelerated during the 1930s, Heydrich assumed a major role in organized antisemitism. In November 1938 he was involved in Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, in which his Gestapo and SS arrested 30,000 Jewish men and interned them in concentration camps. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Heydrich was instrumental in rounding up Polish Jews. His police units would enter a town after the military and order the local Jewish population to assemble. In typical actions, the Jews would be marched out of town, forced to line up beside recently dug ditches, and shot dead. The bodies were thrown into the ditches and bulldozed over. The gruesome procedure was repeated in town after town across Poland. In June 1941, Heydrichs evil planning was put to devastating use when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. He assigned specialized troops- the Einsatzgruppen- the specific task of killing Jews and Soviet officials. Heydrich believed that Soviet Jews were the backbone of the communist state, and he sought the murder of any and all Jews in Russia. Herman Goering, operating as Hitlers second in command, assigned Heydrich the task of formulating a plan to deal with all European Jews. With forced deportation off the table, Heydrich concocted ambitious plans for mass murder. Wannsee Conference On January 20, 1942, Heydrich convened a conference of high-ranking Nazi officials at a luxurious villa along Lake Wannsee, a resort in the Berlin suburbs. The purpose of the gathering was for Heydrich to detail his plan for various components of the Nazi state to work together to accomplish the Final Solution, the elimination of all Jews in Europe. Hitler had authorized the project, and attendees were informed of that by Heydrich. There has been debate over the years about the importance of the Wannsee Conference. Mass killings of Jews had already begun, and some concentration camps were already being used as death factories by the beginning of 1942. The conference was not necessary to begin the Final Solution, but it is believed that Heydrich wanted to ensure that both Nazi leaders and key people in the civil government understood their role in the Final Solution and would participate as ordered. The pace of killing accelerated in early 1942, and it seems Heydrich, at the Wannsee Conference, had succeeded in removing any impediments to his plans for mass murder. Hitler saluting coffin of Reinhard Heydrich. Getty Images   Assassination and Reprisals In the spring of 1942, Heydrich was feeling powerful. He was becoming known as the Reich Protector. To the outside press he was termed Hitlers Hangman. After setting up his headquarters in Prague, Czechoslovakia, he oversaw the pacification of the Czech population with typically brutal tactics. Heydrichs arrogance was his downfall. He took to riding about in an open touring car without a military escort. The Czech resistance noted this habit, and in May 1942 resistance commandos trained by the British secret service parachuted into Czechoslovakia. The team of assassins attacked Heydrichs car as he traveled to the airport outside Prague on May 27, 1942. They succeeded in rolling hand grenades under the vehicle as it passed. Heydrich was severely wounded with fragments of the grenades in his spine and died on June 4, 1942. Heydrichs death became international news. The Nazi leadership in Berlin reacted by staging a massive funeral attended by Hitler and other Nazi leaders. The Nazis retaliated by attacking Czech civilians. In the village of Lidice, which was located near the ambush site, all the men and boys were killed. The village itself was leveled with explosives, and the Nazis removed the name of the village from future maps. Newspapers in the outside world documented the reprisal killings of civilians, which the Nazis helped publicize. Hundreds of civilians were murdered in the revenge attacks, which may have dissuaded Allied intelligence services from assassination attempts on other high-ranking Nazis. Reinhard Heydrich was dead, but he provided the world with a grim legacy. His plans for the Final Solution were carried out. The outcome of World War II prevented his ultimate goal, the elimination of all European Jews, but more than six million Jews would eventually be killed in the Nazi death camps. Sources: Brigham, Daniel T. Heydrich Is Dead; Czech Toll At 178. New York Times, 5 June 1942, page 1.Reinhard Heydrich. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 20, Gale, 2004, pp. 176-178. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Reshef, Yehuda, and Michael Berenbaum. Heydrich, Reinhard Tristan °. Encyclopaedia Judaica, edited by Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, 2nd ed., vol. 9, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, pp. 84-85. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Wannsee Conference. Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction, edited by John Merriman and Jay Winter, vol. 5, Charles Scribners Sons, 2006, pp. 2670-2671. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Religions of the Pacific Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Religions of the Pacific - Research Paper Example Indonesia is greatly influenced by India and has been for the previous 2 two thousand years. India is a nation of Islamic faith and has influenced such believes among the Indonesian population. However, the remaining countries have maintained international isolation in terms of religion. Their beliefs have been greatly influenced by their indigenous culture and the small communities seem to have developed their own specific rituals through out the years. The pacific area is a typical modern example of primal religions; however, a lot of criticism has been put on the amount of intrusion being instigated by the European nations. This interference from Europe has continued to increase throughout the sixteenth century right until the twenty first. The interference has led to the adoption of European cultural beliefs and lifestyle among the locals of the pacific regions. There has been a lot of biasness in the past when reporters wrote about the religious beliefs of people in the pacific. Recently however research has become more neutral and researchers are starting to use opinions of the natives in their surveys. Current research involves the analysis of indigenous beliefs and the impact European culture and religion has had on the people’s lifestyle. It also tries to compare the difference between modern times in the pacific and the way of the life in the ancient times. The three most popular religious beliefs in the pacific include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. This paper will analyze these religions in detail and try to compare and contrast the difference between each of them. Firstly, the paper will analyze Hinduism which is a popular religion among the residents of the pacific region. This religion in the pacific comes under the influence of the Indian subcontinent. The religion is comprised of Shaivism, Srauta and Vaishnavism which are the main traditions followed, there are however numerous other smaller traditions (Flood, n.p). Hinduism is regulated by several laws within the religion which determine the lifestyle members are expected to live. The laws are centered on daily morality and include respecting social norms, dharma and karma (Flood, n.p). The religion is based on intellect and is a combination of philosophical theories. Unlike most religions, it is not based on a strict preset standard of rules. The religion does not have one single founder and was created numerous diverse ideologies. It is traced back to the historical Vedic religion of Iron Age India; hence, the general consensus is that Hinduism is the longest existing religion. The religion is estimated to have a following of approximately 1 billion followers which is the third largest congregation after Islam and Christianity. The religion is broadly classified into into four categories which are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shundras (Flood, n.p). The Brahims are the priests and the heads and teachers in the church. The Kshatriyas are the noblem en and fighters (in war situations and protection of the land). The Vaishayas are the businessmen and the Shudras are the working class (Flood, n.p). Hinduism beliefs are a combination of many small traditions hence it is difficult classify it as a solitary religion. It believes in freedom of worship and belief and visualizes the world as a single family with one purpose. This means the religion accepts all views because labeling any religion false would symbolize a separation in identity hence oppose the primary belief that the world is one family (Flood, n.p). The religion is henotheistic, hence accepts the existence of other Gods and each individual has the right to choose the one which he/she believes in and worships. The

How Efficient Are The Oral Anticoagulants Over Warfarin Assignment

How Efficient Are The Oral Anticoagulants Over Warfarin - Assignment Example On the other hand, the action new oral anticoagulants in the body; dabigatran, in this case, can be reversed using hemodialysis. This method works to remove dabigatran from the body in 3 hours hence it can be used to treat dabigatran toxicity. Dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban are eliminated from the body through the renal system. Before their administration, clinicians are advised to diagnose and ascertain the patient's creatinine clearance using the Cockcroft-Gault formula. This will help in determining the dosage requirement for various patients. In warfarin administration, there is no agreed mechanism of administering the dosages to patients. The drug has been in use for 60 years yet clinicians do not have a clear basis for determining the right amount of the drug to be administered to patients. Various factors that inhibit the function of warfarin have been identified and they vary from patient to patient. This makes it difficult for clinicians to ascertain the correct dosag e for various patients. This is one of the reasons that make warfarin less effective and more dangerous compared to the new oral anticoagulants. All the above arguments present evidence against the use of warfarin. It limitations has made it ineffective for clinical use but despite this, it is still used by clinicians all over the world since there is no established cure for the conditions it treats. New oral anticoagulants, on the other hand, have been found to have lesser flaws and are more effective in treating patients with nonvalvular AF.

Why I want To Be President Essay Example for Free

Why I want To Be President Essay Hola! â€Å"Why did the chicken cross the road?† Well, according to George W. Bush, the President of the United States, a proper answer could be. â€Å"We dont really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or it is against us. There is no middle ground here.† However, I am not George Bush, and this speech is about me running for president of the Foreign Language Honour Society. But what about language? Let us consider our own language, English, which is considered by many to be one of the hardest languages in the world to learn or speak. I read an interesting quote about the English language that goes: â€Å"Lets face it: English is a terrible language. There is no egg in the eggplant, no ham in the hamburger and neither pine nor apple in the pineapple. English muffins were not invented in England, French fries were not invented in France. We sometimes take English for granted. But if we examine its paradoxes we find that Quicksand takes you down slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. If writers write, how come fingers dont fing. If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldnt the plural of phone booth be phone beeth. If the teacher taught, why didnt the preacher praught. If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what the heck does a humanitarian eat!? Why do people recite at a play, yet play at a recital? Park on driveways and drive on parkways. You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language where a house can burn up as it burns down and in which you fill in a form by filling it out. And a bell is only heard once it goes! English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which of course isnt a race at all). That is why when the stars are out they are visible, but when the lights are out they are invisible. And why it is that when I windup my watch it starts but when I wind up this story it ends?† But back to the real reason for this speech. Why I want to be president? Because I think I would be a good one! Of course, everyone would say that, wouldn’t they? But I really mean it.   Every elected official wants to make a difference, and though, not all of them do, they all want to. Yet, I know I can make a difference in this Society, a difference that will not only improve things but make being a member of this Society something to be really proud of. Language is an art and the more languages a person knows then the broader their abilities to communicate with others. Communication is the key to any problem or any situation so when true communication is achieved, then the world can only improve from the classroom to the world of nations. This always reminds me of a quote I once read by a former politican. â€Å"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldnt change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldnt change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.† No matter how small a group is, they can always make a difference and as the president of this Society, I know that I can help this Society make a big difference in our school and in our own lives.

William Goldings Lord of the Flies :: English Literature

Golding 's Lord of the Flies Golding implements his use of language and choice of words to make this a disturbing part of the novel. We can see this on many occasions throughout the passage. And what makes this passage so important is the boys attitudes changing and developing on a number of issues and taboos. In the beginning part of this passage the reader can see that the hunters have just tried to kill their first pig and at the same time overcoming the taboo in question, which is, whether it's right to kill an animal for food. The reader can see that Ralph is full "Of fright and apprehension" and most importantly "Pride" when he hit the boar with his spear and we notice that "He sunned himself in their new respect and felt that hunting was good after all". Later on we see another example of disturbing language as "The circle moved in and around. Robert squealed in mock terror, then real pain." And as Ralph had a "Sudden thick excitement", he grabbed Eric's spear and "Jabbed at Robert with it". As Jack has Robert pinned down in the circle the reader is told that Jack is "Brandishing a knife," with this added to the background cheering of "Kill him! Kill him!" the boys have overcome another Taboo; not one of is it right to kill animals but one of is it right to injure other people for the sake of the game. Another disturbing part of the passage is the language and imagery involved in "Make a ring!" Here we can imagine a giant set of claws engulfing Robert ready to kill leaving him no escape. And as Robert "Squealed in mock terror, then in real pain" we see that the boys playing the game can easily get carried away without them knowing just how much damage their causing. As "The butt end of the spear fell on his back", and the rest of the boys started to "Hold him!" Ralph grew a "Sudden thick excitement", and jabbed Robert with "Eric's spear". With the ritual chant of "Kill him! Kill him!" Jack soon finds himself holding Robert "By the hair" whilst "Brandishing a knife" this part of the passage is also very important because we can even see that Ralph, who was "Fighting to get near" and finding "The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering". Was normally one of the boys who would be least likely to participate in one of these savage "games". It is in these games were the boys get carried away and Ralph feels a

Tips on Writing Statement of Purpose for Graduate School

Tips on Writing Statement of Purpose and Personal Statement Essays for Graduate School and Fellowship Applications Examine samples written by other students. The Undergraduate Research Programs office on the 4th floor of Sweet Hall has a binder with sample statements of purpose for a wide variety of fields. You cannot take the binder out of the office, but there are comfortable chairs and you can read through the binder there. One thing you will notice: every student has a different history, different strengths and weaknesses, so there is no one way to write this type of essay. Arrange for individual editorial consultation.After you have absorbed the tips suggested here and you have developed some kind of draft, send an email to Renee Courey at [email  protected] edu with a Word attachment of your draft (with your name on it) along with days and times that you’re available, and either she or another associate will set up an appointment. Avoid doing this at the last minute. T he schedule may be booked, and very often essays need to be re-conceived or there are other major revisions. So, when you make an appointment, allow for plenty of time for follow-up meetings. You can also set up an appointment at the Stanford Writing Center – check with SWC on how to do this.Personal statements and statements of purpose are perhaps the most important parts of applications. There is little you can do to change your GPA or your curriculum vitae (the academic version of a resume), but these statements can be written in many different ways, emphasizing different aspects of your interests, goals, personality, and style. They present the unique qualities that make you the candidate that a committee wants to select, and a good statement of purpose can also affect those professors who will write letters of recommendation for you.Consequently, you need to pay particular attention to their composition. Admissions and approval committees have been known to accept candid ates with uneven academic records or reject otherwise excellent candidates on the basis of these statements. Essays for law school and medical school applications have their own unique characteristics. While many of the tips outlined here are useful for these essays, the demands of graduate school and fellowship essays are different. Law school and medical school essays are closer to the type of essay you wrote for undergraduate admissions.Admissions committees are not that interested in how much you know about law or medicine, since they don’t expect you to know very much, and research, while important to write about, is not as crucial as for graduate programs. For law, you are expected to demonstrate that you can reason and write, and that you have some kind of intellectual capacity and drive and a sense of human connections, and that you are motivated to become a lawyer. For medicine, you are expected to recount any experience with medicine (such as shadowing doctors), tha t you have compassion, in addition to demonstrating that you can reason and write.Again, the tips here are primarily directed at graduate school and fellowship essays, and if you are interested in these professional schools you can extrapolate from these suggestions – and consult with the appropriate staff at UAP. Read the description of the essay carefully, and make sure that you answer the question in the way that it is worded. Pay attention to the word length indicated in the instruction and do not exceed it. These essays are usually very short, and you need to be concise and strategic about which interests or goals you decide to highlight.Do not try to â€Å"fudge† the prompt: answer the question as stated (although most will simply say something like â€Å"Write a short statement of purpose†). Some fellowship applications may require a personal statement that addresses concerns of the fellowship. For example, the Udall asks for an essay responding to Sen. U dall's speeches and writings concerning the environment, the Soros seeks a personal account of what it means to be a New American and how the Constitution and Bill of Rights affect your life, and the Truman asks a series of interlocking questions.Such essays call upon all your critical capacities to present an analysis, opinion or personal reflection, and they are similar to other essays you have written in college. Statements of purpose are required of all fellowship and graduate school applications. These essays require you to describe clearly your interests, your proposed intellectual projects leading towards major research or dissertation, as well as your plans for the future. They are the committee's introduction to you as a scholar and potential colleague.A statement of purpose or interest is very different than the personal essay you wrote for undergraduate applications. It is NOT a general biographical sketch, nor is it primarily a personal reflection upon your decisions to enter a field, nor does it focus on your extracurricular activities (unless those activities pertain to your scholarly interests). You will not be asked something like â€Å"View a photograph and describe it. † Being a scholar, researcher or teacher will demand your best communication skills, so your essay should reassure the committee that you can communicate effectively and with a deep understanding of your field.You should write in a personable manner but this is somewhat different than writing a personal essay for undergraduate admissions. Keep in mind that you are writing to a particular audience, usually of faculty in your field (unlike your undergraduate admissions essay, which was directed to a general admissions committee). In other words, if you are applying for a chemistry PhD program, you will be addressing fellow chemists, for history, fellow historians, etc. If you are applying to an interdisciplinary program (e. g. History of Consciousness at Santa Cruz), your audience is a diverse group of scholars (literature, history, philosophy, etc. ) all united by a similar concern. If you are applying to a fellowship, your audience is liable to be more general or interdisciplinary. Be prepared to produce many drafts. These essays are among the most difficult pieces of writing you may do related to graduate school (other than your dissertation and your first job letter) because you must make so many strategic decisions on how to present yourself in such a short amount of space.Allow yourself a lot of time for drafts, and do not get frustrated because of the many times you will need to rewrite. Making multiple revisions is an inevitable part of the process. Show your drafts to faculty members, particularly those writing letters of recommendation, fellow students, and others. Accept criticisms with as little defensiveness as possible. On occasion you will get conflicting opinions on the presentation of your ideas and you will have to decide which dire ction to take.If you have a leading faculty mentor, you may defer to his or her opinion over others. The â€Å"trick† of this essay is to transform supplication into conversation, to change begging into exchange. Readers want to get a feeling of your intellect, and in a successful essay they will want to continue the discussion you’ve initiated, which they can only do if they admit you into their program. They will want you to be a part of their community of scholars because you have something to offer. They ask: â€Å"Would I be interested in talking to this student about her research over lunch? Concentrate on demonstrating what you know about your field and what you hope to accomplish in graduate school and even beyond. Is there a particular area of the field that you find interesting? What do you hope to contribute to the field? Avoid digressions. Demonstrate your knowledge of the field by making appropriate references to leading scholars, major writers, and curre nt debates or concerns, employing appropriate technical terminology. Avoid jargon that you believe is fashionable in order to appear flashy: most committees can tell superficial use of buzz words.You usually do not need to explain concepts in depth, since admission committees are usually already familiar with the field (although brief explanations for a more general reader may be necessary for fellowship applications). If you do write about an aspect of the field that may be somewhat unusual or controversial, your ability to briefly explain technical or theoretical aspects is a crucial component of how your essay is judged. You are not simply offering a summary of a field, so your ability to present your own arguments demonstrates how creatively you engage the entire field.Make concrete references to the program you are applying to and to the faculty you would like to study with. However, make sure these references are sufficiently broad so that you do not sound as if you want to st udy with just one person or have an excessively narrow interest in the field. You may not realize it, but that one person you want to study with may be on sabbatical for two years. Very often, the question is not whether or not you are capable, but whether or not you are a good â€Å"fit. So, don’t make your interest with the program so narrow as to allow any excuse for an awkward fit. Investigate the program – review their web site, talk to graduate students, visit in person, if you can – to discover its focus, how graduate students are involved in research, its â€Å"politics† vis-a-vis the field. Do not inadvertently position yourself on one or other side of a controversy within the department or field. Often, the discussion of the particular program is at the very end of the essay (which allows you to simply place the appropriate paragraph for each school).This is a regular convention of this genre, everyone expects it, and you do not need to worry b ecause you too write your essay this way. However, you can write it differently: references to a particular program can be woven into the body of the text, as well. This is far more difficult – and requires an original essay for each school – but it can be very effective. While you should discuss the particular area of your field from which you may develop a dissertation topic, do not present an overly detailed proposal of your anticipated dissertation.Most young scholars do not have their dissertation topics determined yet, and admission committees anticipate that. Many committees will regard a detailed description of a dissertation topic with suspicion, even deciding that a young scholar who has so determined his or her topic without advanced work is not open-minded enough to other influences in the field. One of the pleasures faculty have is in molding their graduate students. If you seem to have a closed mind, they may find this unappealing. However, if you do have areas of interest, you should explain them – just refrain from writing a detailed proposal.You are fashioning a â€Å"fictional† version of yourself. While your account is always based on truth, you have a great deal of freedom in constructing the image of who you are. You decide what goes in and what does not, and in what order. The notion that you are writing fiction can allow you some distance; the idea that this is â€Å"fiction† can free you up to be more creative and less uncomfortable that you are â€Å"baring your soul. † However you construct yourself, never lie. Not only is lying wrong, but lies are usually easily detected and self-defeating.Construct coherence. No matter how different your intellectual or other relevant experiences may be, seek out some way to bring everything together as a coherent whole. This is tricky and difficult – but everything can be described as part of one sort of process or development or another; there are a lways underlying connections. Trying to determine these questions is an excellent topic for brainstorming with other people who can see you more clearly because they have more distance. Techniques for writing drafts.There are many ways to open your essay, many choices on the order in which to present your involvement in the field, many different aspects of your academic career to highlight. However, many people get hung up on producing an exciting opening. In your initial drafting process, experiment with presenting yourself and highlighting your interests in many different ways before settling on which approach is most compelling. One technique is to write separate, independent paragraphs or groups of sentences describing different aspects of your work (such as your research projects) or experiences without worrying about how they connect or flow.At least in this way you can begin to articulate the important elements of your essay and you have material to work with. You can experim ent by avoiding any opening and writing the body of your essay; or you can experiment with trying to write one short paragraph that concisely says everything. Be playful in your experiments before you settle on one approach. Openings. Openings tend to get people hung up. Everyone wants to make a good, first impression. But, often, once someone sets upon an opening, it tends to shape the rhetorical flow of the rest of the essay, even distorting the essay.One suggestion is NOT to have an opening but simply to start – avoid the high-stake gambit altogether. An opening that uses an anecdote about your interest in the field is very popular. It can be very effective, and it’s a common way that people can express their interests. But it’s so popular that it may come across as trite, unless it is a very powerful, appropriate anecdote, and it must be short. (Often, people need to write an anecdote in order to get themselves going, and when the anecdote is done, take a lo ok at what happens next: that may, in fact, be your opening. Opening with a personal narrative (e. g. , how I became passionate about this subject) can be effective, but, again, this approach is very popular and even overdone (â€Å"When I was six I was hit on the head at the playground, and ever since then I’ve wanted to be a neuroscientist†). If you do use personal narrative, make it very brief and to the point. Don’t spend half your essay relating a story. Another popular approach is to present a chronology of your development. While a chronological account may be tempting – and may be necessary for you to do at an early stage of writing – it is a fairly ow-level rhetorical mode. Another possibility is to open with at the most sophisticated level of your development, such as the advanced research or honors thesis you are currently completing, and then describe how you got to that point in the field. Often, an analysis of some aspect of your rese arch interest or of your own development can provide you with a way to discuss your overall development. Present your interests according to an underlying theme, framing idea or argument that then draws from the history of your involvement to illustrate your idea.No matter how different your activities may be, you can draw a coherent picture of your development. At first you may not think that climbing Mount Everest connects readily to a doctorate in mechanical engineering or medieval studies – but if presented the right way, it could. Don’t reject any experience out of hand. And don’t leave out things which you think are obvious. For example, your honors thesis or research may show up on your c/v, but you give the meaning or â€Å"spin† to that reality in your essay.Do not present a complete list of courses in the field you have taken or an undifferentiated, comprehensive description of your interest. You will need to make strategic decisions on how you present your interest, deciding what is primary, secondary, etc. , and making such decisions may be difficult, even painful. You will have a transcript in your application, so you don’t need lists that don’t â€Å"spin† explanations. Address any anomalies in your transcript. If you have any lapses, unusual low grades, withdrawals or anything else that seems strange, explain them in as non-defensive a way as possible.For example, the fact that the first two years of college you were a mediocre student until you discovered your intellectual passion or you withdrew from classes one quarter because of illness or family problems. If you spent time in jail or joined a guerrilla army, you need to figure out how to explain your history. In many respects, you do not need to explain everything – and some things may be none of an admissions committee’s business – but you do need to say something. If you do not explain the situation, your readers will i nvent explanations for themselves – and their fantasies will probably be far worse than the reality.Avoid excessive, unreasonable enthusiasm. Extreme effusion backfires. For example, statements such as â€Å"I love 19th century British literature so much that I feel that I live in the 19th century† or â€Å"I AM Nietzsche† or â€Å"I live and breathe sea urchins† suggest possible psychosis, not reasonable enthusiasm. For the most part, exclamation points should be avoided. Check your writing style for unconscious attempts at forced sincerity or authenticity. This is a form of â€Å"begging† and it’s tough to spot, since you often don’t see if for yourself.For example, check to see if your adjectives are excessive (â€Å"I took an amazing/astounding/awesome class†). Often, no adjective is fine or a more restrained one has a better effect. Review â€Å"triples† or â€Å"doubles† to see if they are indeed necessary a nd reveal important information. For example, if the flow of rhetoric has you saying â€Å"I am dedicated, hard working, and committed,† you should note that dedicated and committed are almost identical and the repetition has the effect of undermining your sincerity. The reader gets a subliminal message flashing of â€Å"Baloney! Don’t follow rhetorical flow; follow the logic of your underlying coherence. Be conscious of inflammatory or biased language. You may hold strong opinions about the field or be motivated by particular causes. Do not mask your opinions, but be aware of presenting yourself in a tactful, judicious fashion. You can express various views in such a way as to present yourself as having an opinion yet remaining open-minded. You want to avoid coming across as an extremist or as a crank that cannot enter a dialogue with others. No jokes.Humor and sarcasm depend upon a shared field of reference – and you have no idea if you and your readers have such a mutual understanding. Most of the time, self-deprecating humor comes across as simply deprecating yourself, and sarcasm can easily be misunderstood. One student who spent ten years working as a writer for situation comedies refrained from using humor: if she refrained – and she knows the business – you can too. This doesn’t mean that you should be leaden or dull, but avoid jokes or smirks or a wise-guy tone. Do not write what you think the committee wants to read.Be yourself. Often, applicants believe they should write according to some image of proper â€Å"academic† seriousness or style. Your personal style and passion should shine through the essay. Although this is a formal essay and you should avoid slang or overly casual constructions, its tone should be engaging, even personable (though not personal). Poofread the essay, roofpread the essay, prufreed the essay. Have your friends proofread it. While this is not a grammar test, excessive typos and other mechanical errors indicate poor work habits and do not make a good impression.Most admissions committees allow one typo (such as â€Å"to† for â€Å"too†), but when the typos start adding up you’re sending a bad message. After all this advice and warning, keep in mind that this is actually an exciting process. Perhaps for the first time in years you are attempting to present a coherent intellectual portrait of yourself. In the process you may actually gain a clearer vision of your interests and goals – and feel even more confident that graduate study is the direction you want to go. Contact the URP office for editorial review.We will be glad to review your essay at any stage of the process. As you can tell, this is more than a narrowly defined writing process, so we may ask you questions about your interests, your academic career, and other pursuits to see if additional experiences should be included. We’re not trying to be nosey, but st udents often leave out aspects of themselves that they think are obvious or not important when in fact they are very valuable. Adapted from original text by Hilton Obenzinger  © Copyright 2005 Stanford University.

Sociology Families

Soci 1002 Presentation Is this really true, are afro-Caribbean families dysfunctional. In addressing this point, I will examine the sociology theorist Michael Garfield smith. Smith believed that European family’s norms and values are important in one way or another to the assimilation process and plays a major role in the afro- Caribbean families. He argued that the plantation destroyed African culture and he saw the plantation as the basis on which the Caribbean family structure was formed.Smith had no doubt that the experience of previous generations on plantation has no doubt influenced the way in which subsequent generations were socialized, but he argues that over time families adjust to the present social conditions. European family norms was based mainly the nuclear family, but for afro-caribbean families there are several other types of families. These other types of afro- Caribbean families should be viewed as dysfunctional because it is not of what the European famil y norms consist of. The other types of afro-caribbean family structures are: The matrifocal family- The emergence and functioning of African slave  families was adverse to the objectives of the plantation. Family units of the slaves were very often  broken up  and males were often sold to other plantations far away while the mother and her child  were left to survive as a  unit. On the other hand, there are other factors, however, which contributed to matrifocality in the contemporary Caribbean. These include migration, imprisonment of males, crime, and male marginalization. On  the issue of male marginalization; the male on the plantation could not own property and had no family rights.Hence the marginalization of the male in the Afro-Caribbean family started on the plantation and was further influenced by the aforementioned factors in the  modern era. * The visiting union- This is a frequent occurrence in the Caribbean it is domestic unit of a woman and her children. Here the mother and her children live apart of the father but may be visited but may be visited by a mann which the mother shares a relationship with. * The common law unit- Similar to the nuclear family, however it is an ongoing bond that without legal marriage. Here the spouses are committed to each other sexually and raise children in a stable relationship.

Ralf Waldo Emerson essays

Ralf Waldo Emerson essays Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of greatest writers of the 19th century, and being a Transcendentalist, he was a firm believer in nature and using ones instincts rather than reason. His point of view is one that could help our society today. Emerson once said, The reward of a thing well done is to have done it. I feel he is trying to say that best thing about doing something well, is the fact that you did it. A lot of times today people choose not to do something because it is bothersome to them. If they would just see how great it is once they have accomplished it, it wouldnt be so difficult to begin. Many people are not in very good shape. They know they should go out and run or exercise in some way to take better care of themselves, but they dont do anything about it because exercise is difficult. Although after completing a good workout they feel great. Emersons quote could be an inspiration for many to accomplish things they continue to put off. Another of Emersons quotes, which coincides with the first is, Hitch your wagon to a star. In this statement, he is saying to aim high, or try to do the best you possibly can. When someone sets a goal for himself or herself, they should try to surpass their highest expectations, and no just barely complete it. Students would do better in school, and workers would achieve more in their jobs. Like other writers of his time, Emerson wrote to inspire people. The transcendentalists believed in inspiration and ecstasy, among many others. Not too many people have heard this type of viewpoint, but it would motive them to do better in life. Just by getting up and doing something that has been put off and having high hopes for it, someone could be more confident and do more in life. ...

Is homework on school holidays necessary

Is homework on school holidays necessary Should school homework deprive families of the quality time and prevent young people from being what they are on school holidays? Is Homework on School Holidays Necessary? The primary purpose of homework is to build or improve study skills, self-control and discipline, and responsible behavior among students. Therefore, extending the learning environment outside school setting is necessary. There is no doubt that basis for homework is realistic, informed, and with a noble in intention that would surely benefit students. However, extending the learning environment from classroom to each student’s home with no clearly defined boundaries may result in some unwanted effects. These include reduced family time, social isolation, stress, health problems, reduced motivation, and loss of interest in learning due to long hours spent on daily homework and those that consumed their school holidays. This school-home partnership for students’ development  must, therefore, draw a line between educational and personal needs. The reasons are regardless of life benefits, education is not the only thing that matters to people and as government, religion, economics, and other rule-governed social institutions, schools have limited influence on people. Schools should realize the fact that students, as members of the most important institution in our society can â€Å"Say No To School† or #DigaNoAEscolaPq on matters affecting the quality of their lives. HIGH SCHOOL IS A MUST-DO Homework in Reality School homework is generally students’ out of the  class task that normally requires research, problem-solving, reading, or writing. It is normally prepared and completed after class hours and submitted on next class meeting. The purpose (initially) is to help students learn or acquire some more information about the subject matter. Another purpose of homework is to keep students busy while away from home. A study conducted in 2007 found 45% of grade 3-12 in the United States is spending one hour while 6% spend 3 hours a night on their homework. On average, young and older students spend about 7 hours of a week. In contrast, the 2014 Stanford University research team found that high school students spend an average of 3.1 hours of homework per night. More than 50% of these students experienced greater stress, suffered health problems, and spend less time with their family, friends, and not enjoying their hobbies. Overall, spending more than 2 hours of homework is counterproductive, stressful, health hazard, and negatively affects students’ personal and social life. The call #DigaNoAEscolaPq or â€Å"Say No To School† by a disgusted Brazilian student exposed the enduring school practice of assigning students homework that they need to work on during school holidays. The student actually missed all the fun and excitement because she spent almost half of her two months summer vacation doing homework. This kind of cruel and distressful homework can easily affect young people who by nature are outgoing creatures. They already spent so much time in school, thus being with their family and friends during the holiday are so important to them. There is nothing wrong with homework as it can help develop students’ knowledge, skills, and behavior. The real problem actually is the misuse of the learning tool that until now has a weak link to achievement, but scientifically proven counterproductive when abused, depriving families of the quality  time, and preventing young people from being what they are on school holidays.

Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea influence by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Essay

Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea influence by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre - Essay Example The Caribbean fashioned Rhys's sensibility and she remained nostalgic for the emotional vigor of its black people. But the conflict between its beauty and its cruel history became internalized within her own self destructive personality. In the 1960's Rhys gained international recognition with the publication of her most admired novel, Wide Sargasso Sea. The novel had its origins early in life. As a young girl when Rhys read Charlotte Bront's Jane Eyre, she began to imagine the Caribbean upbringing of the character Rochester's infamous Creole wife, Bertha Mason. The result is one of literature's most famous prequels, an aesthetic experiment in modernist techniques and a powerful example of feminist rewriting Wide Sargasso Sea gives voice to a peripheral character and transforms her tragic demise into a kind of victorious heroine. But this is un-typical of the feminist writers of the by-gone era where literature writing and reading by women was quite to the contrary where heroines were depicted in a more positive light. Feminist writing has had a long development. Nineteenth-century English women writers sought and created the sense of literary community by reading one another's books (Shattock p.8). They studied clo sely books written by their own gender and developed a sense of comfortable familiarity with the women who wrote them. There were very intelligent women reading other intelligent women who were also perceptive critics of each other's work and conveyed their views sometimes in personal correspondence and other times in published reviews. Those reading the books felt they knew the authors. There was a sense of community with women readers of fiction and the emergence of female heroines as role models. Even so, there was a certain fascination in searching for the women behind the books since very few people knew them personally and the professional writers did not live in the public domain. They were not university members and did not visit social clubs and societies, gave no lectures, their association with politics were minimal, travel opportunities were limited and their personal lives were the subject of gossip mainly derived from the work they produced. In the nineteenth century a lthough their contribution to journalism was increasing, they conducted the work from home. The twentieth century female writer was much more emancipated, free to characterize her heroines in any way she chose. They portrayal of male characters had no restrictions. Rhys does not hesitate to depict her protagonist and her husband in extreme ways. Returning to the theme of dominance and dependence, ruling and being ruled, Rhys narrates the relationship between a self-assured European man and a powerless woman. The character of Antoinette Bertha Cosway, a West Indian, provides a vehicle for Rhys to examine the conflicting cultures. Her black playmate called her a "white nigger" during her childhood. She marries Edward Rochester a domineering Englishman and follows him to his native country. In the same way Bertha in Charlotte Bront's Jane Eyre ends up confined in the attic of a her husband's country house Antoinette too finds herself in similar circumstances. Many reviewers have examined the "feminine" and "masculine" aspects of Jane Eyre. The novel has been found to evoke 'charm' and 'power' (Boumelha p.2). Some consider its strengths