America: the Melting Pot? Essay

The Melting Pot? For as far back as history books go there have been stories about people moving from one place to another. Immigration is defined as the movement of people from one country to another for the sole purpose of a stable residence. The United States of America has always been known as the melting pot of the world. Now our country is being faced with people trying to come here illegally and it is creating an argument between legal citizens. Do we allow these people to come here and make their reams real like our ancestors did, or do we take every measure we can to keep them out? While doing research I found that there are many people who are very against illegal immigration. They believe that the people who wish to become citizens need to go through a very vigorous process to gain citizenship. After the attacks on our country, and the ongoing war, many citizens are on their guard. It is very hard to feel safe in such an imperfect world. Many people are scared of what will come and even more terrified that if it happened once that it will happen again. Since many people re so afraid, they want homeland security to be increased along the countries boarders, better background checks on workers, and harsher punishments for the employers who hire the illegal aliens when they know that the workers do not have the proper paper work and are not legal citizens. On the other side of the argument, some Americans feel that it is wrong to punish these people who are Just trying to improve their lives, and the lives of their families. They believe that America was based on a dream, the same dream that our ancestors had when they came here looking for a better future, Just as the people that are llegally trying to get into the country want to do. This does not mean that these people support how the immigrants are trying to get around the system, Just that they should be given a better chance at gaining their citizenship. They want the government to help the immigrants who cannot afford to go about gaining their citizenship legally. This then opens up another argument of who will end up paying for their citizenship, and why should natural born citizens have to pay for others to come into our country, take what few Job opportunities there are left and in the long run, over-populate the country. When choosing a new country to live in, people travel to many places to find the perfect fit. Many countries are not as open and accepting to immigrants as the US is, so that is where they decide to make a new home. While many immigrants look upon the U. S. to make their dreams come true, there are many people who try to come here illegally. These illegal immigrants are often called â€Å"aliens†; they also share the same hopes and dreams of coming to America for a new life, but cross the border without the proper permission. Many reasons they have difficulty crossing the or cannot afford it. They are determined to get here to create a better life for themselves, which then creates a problem for America. The Department of Homeland Security estimated in December 2003 and that 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens resided in the U. S. and 700,000 new illegal aliens enter and stay each year. Many Americans fear that since there is such a great amount of people coming into our country that they will take Jobs and cost our citizens more money. Apologist try to make it seem like illegal immigration is a victimless crime, however others find that that this is a serious problem that causes substantial harm to American citizens. Public funds are being greatly drained because of illegal immigration. The quality of education, health care and other services for Americans are undermined by the needs of endless numbers of poor, unskilled illegal entrants. Another great fear of many citizens is that the presence furnishes of an opportunity for terrorism. With these immigrants sneaking in, being unnoticed it makes it difficult for our government to know whom posses a threat to our society. Most illegal immigrants only come here to improve their lifestyle and to get work. However, it is feared that if terrorists see how easy it is to come in to America nnoticed, that they will do the same and that only means bad things for the safety of our countrys citizens. Some people think that the government should give all illegal immigrants legal status to bring them out of the shadows. Others then fear if we show openness and such accommodation to people who have illegally crossed our boarder that it will send the wrong message to the rest of the world that we condone illegal immigration. This then creates an even bigger problem that America will be forced to face forever. Some citizens feel that it is hard for them to create an opinion on this issue when it has not directly affected them. I am one of those. I have never had any difficulty getting housing, or a Job because of illegal immigrants. The area that I am from does not have any issues with employers hiring people with forged papers, or any of the sorts. However, after doing all of the research I find myself torn between both sides of the argument. I do not believe that people from other countries should be allowed to cross our border, without our government’s knowledge. It is for the safety of the American people that officials know who is in our country and who may pose a threat. Also, it seems as though handing out free passes to those who have already come ere illegally is a way to try and make the situation go away, and that is never a good solution. One cannot blame people for trying to escape a bad life. America prides itself on the freedom it gives its’ people. Our fore fathers created this country on a belief that if a person does not agree with the government of his or her country that they should be able to leave that country to live in a place where they can believe what they want to believe, and become anything they want to become. A lot of early immigrants came to this country with hardly any money to spare they came on a hope and a wish hat coming here would create a better life for them, their children, and their children’s children.

Sumo Wrestling

Sumo wrestling is one of the oldest forms of martial arts in Japan, and it is still a major sport that is popular with both men and women there. In ancient times, sumo contests were held only in the courtyards of Shinto shrines as a religious ritual performed for the gods to encourage them to grant a good harvest. Ritual is, therefore, an important part of the sport. Before each match, contestants sprinkle salt on the ring and rinse their mouths in a ritual purification. Nowadays, sumo wrestling contests are held in gymnasiums, Convention centers and Stadiums. At first glance, sumo wrestling seems to be a strange sport with big, fat wrestlers wearing diaper-like aprons, shoving each other inside a tiny ring. Contrary to its appearance, sumo wrestling is a sport that requires not only strength, but also speed and agility, which heavy-set people usually do not possess. The wrestlers try to push each other out of the ring or down on the floor. Before actual physical contact, the wrestlers will stare at each other for minutes to break the concentration of the Opponent. The fight usually lasts for only a few seconds but sometimes it can go on for two to three minutes. The objective of a sumo bout, however, is not to injure the Opponent, but to simply eject the other man from the arena, or cause some part of the body other than his feet – or even a fingertip – to touch the floor. In fact, if some blood spots the floor of the ring during a match, the bout has to stop until every trace of blood has been meticulouslv removed. The size of the wrestler is also important. The heavier the wrestler, the lower his center of gravity, and thus the harder to toss him out of the ring. In order to put on weight and build up body mass, sumo wrestlers eat a large amount of food including a high-protein stew, and they go to bed right after eating. The heaviest sumo wrestler on record was 225 kilograms. Despite their large size and heavy weight, sumo wrestlers are well-trained athletes. They live in special sumo stables, following extremely strict rules and besides having their physical workouts, they have to complete other necessary chores. The wrestlers practise a lifestyle that is completely dedicated to the sport. To them, sumo is not only a sport; it is a whole way of life. This positive dedication has encouraged the Japanese to adopt them as role modeis. Hierarchy is a central aspect of sumo wrestling. Rankings depend on winning records. A sumo wrestler's ranking depends solely on the number of matches he wins during official tournaments. The more matches a wrestler wins, the quicker he can move up the rankings. Once a wrestler moves up to the top rank, he is not supposed to lose at all. He is expected to retire if he is unable to maintain his winning record. In fact, if a grand champion's losses outnumber his wins during the course of these tournaments, he will fall from the top ranks and will be expected to retire like the rest. Today's professional sumo wrestling has its roots in the Edo period. The wrestlers during this period were mainly samurais who needed an alternative form of income. Even the wrestling ring can be traced back to the 16th Century Edo period. In earlier times, the fighting space was simply the area given to the wrestlers by spectators. In the 16th Century, an important warlord named Oda Nobunaga introduced the ring in a tournament he organized. It is a platform 4. 5 meters in diameter and 16. 26 Square meters in area made of clay mixed with sand set on top of rice straw bales. Despite sumo wrestling's archaic rituals and traditions, the sport continues to draw new fans and growing international interest. Hundreds of sumo wrestlers of various nationalities compete to earn comfortable livelihoods, participating in ma tches not only in Japan, but in Europe, North America and Britain. Grand Champions attain celebrity Status and enjoy the intense adoration of dedicated fans. Present day sumo wrestlers consist of anybody who is interested in the sport and professional wrestlers come from all walks of life. Nevertheless, as a sport, sumo is not without controversy. It has been criticised as discriminatory since participants are limited to men only. There is a rule which prevents women from being sumo wrestlers and another which prohibits them from entering the wrestling ring altogether. These barriers exist because the Japanese believe women's presence in the ring will violate its purity. Sumo wrestling, being a religion-originated sport in which traditions are strictly observed, is unlikely to undergo drastic changes in the near future. It will probably be a long time before one can see a female sumo wrestler.

Motherhood in Sula

Toni Morrison’s Sula revolves around the relationship of her two main characters, Sula and Nel. The childhood friends grow apart with age. Although it is indicated that their friendship is the most important relationship they participate in, they eventually betray each other and lead dishonest lives. Throughout the novel, we see their constantly deteriorating relationship as a result of absence of a family life. Sula is a novel about the influence family may have on the make up of someone’s personality.In particular, the novel examines the effect parents can have on their children and the conscious effort the main characters make to be unlike their mothers. Nel’s maternal grandmother was a prostitute in New Orleans and so her daughter Helene (Nel’s mother) does everything in her power to lead a life that opposes the path her mother took. She holds everyone to the highest standard, sees everyone as the best they can be, and expects everyone else to see her the same way. Those who fall short of these expectations are subject to judgment, in her mind.Helene plays a significant role in the early parts of the novel—she is an important figure in Medallion, described as â€Å"an impressive woman,† who â€Å"won all social battles with presence. † (18) In this first description of Helene, Morrison quickly falls into an epic catalogue, repeating the first words of each short part of a long sentence again and again (â€Å"Helene who†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). This repetition allows the reader to understand the influence Helene has on the town; we see why she is respected. Unlike her mother in everyway, she is well known for the good she has done.She has an esteemed presence. Morrison emphasizes the details of her success to highlight how different she has made her life from her mother’s. There is an episode in the early parts of the novel, however, that keeps everything we learn about Helene in perspective. She is a well-resp ected woman within the Bottom, but on the train trip she takes with Nel, we see that her religious and respectful nature does not protect her from racism. When treated with disrespect by a racist train conductor, Helene smiles â€Å"like a street pup. (21) Her attempt to appease the train conductor confirms his superiority and spurs a sense of anger in the black soldiers that observe the event. This occurrence on the train establishes a sense of place for Morrison’s readers. We see Helene in a new light. She is respected and loved in her town, but to those who do not know her, she is simply a black middle class woman—one of a demographic that in 1920 (and to this day) receives the least respect. After Morrison provides a full understanding of Helene, we meet the woman who has inadvertently shaped her life and clearly, Nel’s mother wants nothing more than to return to the Bottom.Helene plays a minor role in the novel as a whole (she quickly disappears after the beginning). In understanding her character, though, a more complete understanding of Nel can be accomplished. Just like her mother, Nel wishes to be nothing like her mother. Many times during her childhood, we see her attempts to differentiate herself from her mother. Perhaps it is a simple case of the grass is always greener, but Nel’s perception of Sula’s home is indicative of her attempts to become different. Nel loves the unkempt nature of the house.She loves the noise and the people and even the lack of attention that Eva gives to Sula. Although she will grow to live a life that is full of order, as a child, she looks for opportunities to remove herself from that world. Sula is a quintessential example of this escape. She realizes this desire to be different upon her return from the trip. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s child; she develops a sense of â€Å"me-ness,† and likens her mother’s true personality to â€Å"custard pudding,â₠¬  feeble and afraid to challenge societal structure. 29; 28) Most important of all the changes the train trip provides, though, is Nel’s newfound â€Å"strength to cultivate a friend in spite of her mother. † (29) This strength opens the door for Sula to change her life. Nel and Sula’s relationship is a complex one, which allows for the novel to become incredibly in depth and driven by interesting characters. Sula’s relationships with her mother and grandmother are opposite of Nel’s relationship with her mother. This is, perhaps, why their personalities differ so much once they reach adulthood. Both become their mothers.Her mother and grandmother, who obviously favor her brother, essentially ignore Sula. Hannah, her mother, is a very sexual woman who enjoys the company of many men in town to the disapproval of Sula. Because of her mother’s actions, Sula views her with an indifferent and callous sense of hostility. Still, Sula reacts in a n egative way when hears her mother say, â€Å"‘I just don’t like her’† in reference to her daughter. (57) The difference between loving someone and liking someone is made clear here. It develops the idea of a mother’s ambivalent love.When a child is aggravating, it can be frustrating to love them. But for Hannah, she simply does not like the person Sula is becoming. This realization, for Sula, removes her from her childhood. She sees the idea of love in a new light—it can be an overwhelming feeling that commands responsibility and irritation. With this comment, we see Sula as an adult for the first time, exposed to the negative side of human emotion for the first time. Sula’s relationship with her mother comes to a harrowing climax when Hannah is set on flames and Sula stands and watches.She is not shocked, we later learn, but intrigued. This says much about Sula as a person, but it also is interesting concerning her dynamic with her mo ther. She acts as her mother would have in this situation; she is cold and disconnected, and cares little about the person in need. Sula’s reaction to the fire is strikingly similar to the way her mother brought her up. Perhaps all of the disregard Hannah showed towards Sula came back in her death. Sula, with no feeling of love or like for her mother, simply watched her die.Hannah’s words about Sula before she died, that she did not like her, freed Sula, in a way. Because Hannah did not like Sula, Sula felt no need to love Hannah. The connection was lost. Interestingly, at her mother’s death, we see Sula become comparable to her mother for the first time. Sula eventually becomes more and more like her mother, with no emotional connections to anyone. Almost with no regard for the person she cares for most in the world, she sleeps with Nel’s husband. She doesn’t know the real name of the person she participates in her only romantic relationship with. Disconnected and completely unemotional, Sula as the adult she becomes is first seen at her mother’s death. Nel and Sula, much like many people in the world, are defined by their mothers. Any attempt they made throughout the novel to push themselves further from what their mothers were proved futile. Helene’s over-bearing motherhood and incredible need for order resulted in Nel acting out slightly in adolescence but eventually becoming as stable and constant and respectable as her mother.Hannah’s lack of attention towards Sula and constant promiscuity led to Sula acting in the same way, with no love toward the people who cared most about her. Their mothers differ on an incredible number of features and perhaps this is one reason why Nel and Sula’s relationship goes from sister-like to betrayal and hatred. Morrison makes it clear in this novel that we are what our mothers make us, whether we make a conscious effort to do so, like Nel, or if we are so affec ted by the ways in which they act that we simply have no choice but to fall into their past routines, like Sula.

Internation study-proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Internation study-proposal - Essay Example Globalization leads to increased government lending by developed nations and hence the country is able to start and complete economic projects. Access to funds improves various government aspects such as education, healthcare and social services. Globalization reduces poverty since people are employed and have access to better education. Expansion of some companies to developed nations brings resources necessary to develop new industries and in the end local industries grow more. On the other hand, globalization also has negative effects to developing nations. According to Brown and Lauder, globalization limits the expansion of industries in developing nations (Brown and Hugh 14). Globalization leads to unfair competition that brings down local companies in developing nations. Fallen companies in turn leads to an imbalance between exports and imports and hence such countries develop at a slower rate. Globalization leads to export of knowledge such that the developing nations have no skilled labor for their industries (Kose 208). The salaries in developing nations are low as compared to developed nations. Since globalization allows for movement of labor, most people tend to leave the undeveloped countries and go to developed nations to seek for employment. This hampers industrial and economic growth of many developing

Research Paper - AJP Taylor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Research Paper - AJP Taylor - Essay Example It will also try to analyze briefly his career as a lecturer, historian, and columnist. c. Works of Taylor- This paragraph looks into the major historical contributions of Taylor Which starts from The Italian Problems in European Diplomacy 1847-49 and goes through some controversial works like The Troublemakers and The Origins of Second World War. I do not try to mention all the works of Taylor because it will consume so many pages, only some of the works will be mentioned. d. Taylor’s TV Career – This paragraph will try to analyze Taylor as famous figure in television and radio. The analysis starts from his beginning on the BBC show, The News. His career as a TV person will be analyzed because it added much to his fame, and on many occasions it made him a controversial figure. This paragraph will analyze what was Taylor’s approach to history. This is very important in the sense that this approach has distinguished Taylor from other historians. It will look into his believes, or rather prejudices about history and history makers. His way of popularizing history, looking at history from strange angles and his observation of great personalities also is included. b. Origins of Second World War- This paragraph will discuss his most controversial work, The Origins of Second World War. What was Taylor’s controversial argument in the book and how he tried to ‘white wash’ Hitler. d. Taylor as a controversial figure – This paragraph tries to look into the controversies (both private and public) that he created throughout his life. It starts with his three marriages. It discusses various contradictions that he made during his public life. His unholy and sycophantic relation with Lord Beaverbrook and his selfishness of befriending politicians will also be analyzed. His changing attitudes towards communism will be brought towards the end of the paragraph. This chapter is the real flesh of the research paper.

Mktg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Mktg - Essay Example When the correct market for Pradaxa has been identified, the product would be easily sold. In case, the company is attracting few people who are in dire need of Pradaxa, it is important to search for a remedy by focusing on large and correct market segments. In addition, it is good to have a clear understanding of the target market who in this case are patients with atrial fibrillation. The more the market is understood, there is high possibility of developing trust in customers who purchase the product. In addition, it is important to identify the age of your market so as to avoid targeting wrong age (Moehlman 46). For instance, Pradaxa product would target people aged sixty and above because most people of this age in U.S suffer from atrial fibrillation. The company should make an assessment to establish if the customers are satisfied with the product, if not, then the company should attempt to find a solution to their needs by improving on its product. Another important aspect of target market is that the company needs to look at the available competition. By doing this, Pradaxa product should be supplied to under-served markets. It is prudent to assess the strength and weakness of your competitors and try to find mechanism that can be different from them. Pradaxa has for long time faced competition from Warfarin. There is need to utilize opportunities such new uses in surgery patients and eliminate threats such as bad publicity dealing with side effects so as to compete favorable with Warfarin and attract more

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

History - Essay Example The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed a vote of the people to determine if slavery would be allowed or not. This causes Kansas to become a battle ground with violence over pro-slavery and anti-slavery views. The Topeka Constitution was created by the legitimate government in Kansas, but the initial government that gained power by fraud continued to remain in power. Dred Scott v. Sandford, a Supreme Court ruling in 1857 ruled that slaves that lived in free territories were still slaves. It further stated Congress did not have the right to exclude slavery from the free territories. In 1860 Lincoln won the election as the first Republican president. The events listed above were a few of the arguments about slavery and slavery in the free territories. If the United States had not expanded its borders the question of slavery might have stayed a free North and slave South longer than it did. However both the North and South felt their way of life was being overrun by the opposite position. It so on became an issue of the whole country had to have slavery or be free. The only other option was for the South to leave the Union. That did not work well either. Bibliography Stevens, J. (2007). Abraham Lincoln's Understanding of the Nature of the Union: Secession, Slavery and the Philosophical Cause.

The Capital Punishment Sentencing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

The Capital Punishment Sentencing - Case Study Example Sanity evaluation will also be performed in order to assess and check the past history of Mr. Fryer. A possible reevaluation of other factors including assessing the risk of re-offending will also be analyzed. This evaluation will be done in order to contemplate upon the idea of whether if the offender is not punished, will he be able to repeat any offense or not. Mitigating and aggravating circumstances and factors play the critical role in deciding about whether capital punishment should be awarded to an offender or not. Jurors will have to take into account these factors in determining the sentence of capital punishment. Jury often has to take into consideration the balancing act between the aggravating and mitigating factors when deciding about capital murder cases. It is, however, critical to note that both the mitigating and aggravating factors need to be considered exclusively in capital punishment cases. (Rogers, 1997) Aggravating factors are generally the factors which are duly supported by the evidence and point towards circumstances which can help the jury to make the harshest decision. Mitigating factors, however, points towards circumstances which are particular to defendant’s character and can also outline the circumstances under which the crime took place. Mitigating factors can force the jury to decide upon lesser punishment considering the fact that mitigating factors may help the defendant. In this case, considering the overall mental and psychological condition of Mr. Fryer, his mitigating factors may weigh more with respect to his committing of murder. It is also critical to note that each jury member may view both the factors differently. However, from the point of view of forensic psychology, the mitigating factors especially may play important role in shaping the overall opinion because Mr. Fryer was clearly going through a medical condition which required his extensive policing and  support.

Extradition within the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Extradition within the United Kingdom - Essay Example To extradite means to return a criminal suspect into his country of origin or in a country in which he is to face trial. Suspects have the right to waive extradition in that they may choose to wilfully go back to the country in which the charges are pending. In certain circumstances the country in which the suspect has fled to may opt not to extradite the individual if they feel that the warranty for prosecution is not valid enough. (UK Parliament, 2000) Since extradition is governed by international laws, then most countries have entered into treaties to determine how suspects may be treated. Some countries may opt not to extradite persons that have been charged with serious crimes. In other circumstances, some countries may be specific about the extradition of persons who have committed serious crimes. In other scenarios, certain countries may have very complicated procedures for extradition and this may eventually lead to legal hurdles for the country conducting the trial. Certain countries such as Canada may not allow extradition if it is found that the suspect is likely to face the death penalty. Usually between the United Kingdom and other states contain information about extraditable offenses, conditions to waive extradition, conditions of entry into the country and what could lead to termination of extradition. In the United Kingdom (or a... In other words, it also called the outgoing extradition. However, since the United Kingdom is a member of the European Community, then it must comply with rules and regulations that have been written down by this body. One such instrument is the European Arrest Warrant or the EAW. The latter scheme is a common extradition law that is supposed to apply to all member states of the EC. However, the latter is not an exclusive document that is supposed to be treated independently. Instead, countries are expected to enact national legislations through the use of the EAW. In fact, very few countries within the EU have enacted the EAW. (UK Parliament, 2003) There are varying ways in which countries have implemented the EAW; however, most of the common features include decisions on who is to carry out the extradition and what duration of time is necessary for the entire process. Usually, most countries in the EU expect that extradition should be conducted by a court of law rather than a particular individual such as a government minister. Additionally, countries require that extradition be done in a period that is less than sixty days. Summary of the Conditions for extradition in the UK The details of this act shall be examined below but before getting into the intricacies, it is imperative to look into some of the overall themes involved. In other words there are some minimum requirements that govern the process of extradition in the region. First of all, for extradition to the United Kingdom, the country under consideration must have entered into a treaty or a convention with the country involved. Besides this, the crime under consideration must be one that is covered by

Characteristic of a Research Problem Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Characteristic of a Problem - Research Paper Example After clearly identifying a research problem, it must be translated into a research hypothesis stating a relationship between variables in a number of populations. Therefore, the assignment tend to reflect on the connection of the research problem, the research hypothesis, along with the existing variables (Tacq, 1997). A research problem happens to be the initial step, while, at the same time, the most significant requirement within the research problem. It acts as the basis of a research study, therefore, through ideal formulation, an appropriate study tends to be bound to take place. In order for a researcher in solving a problem, he or she must understand what the problem is, thereby comprehending what one is attempting to do. A research problem, along with the manner in which the researcher formulates it ascertains every step followed when undertaking a research study. Formulating the problem happens to be input into the study while the output turns out to be the quality of research report’s content. As a result, a research problem is in most cases accompanied by a research question. A research question is responsible for the identification of the phenomenon undergoing study (Jeffrey & George, 2000). When defining a research problem, it is essential to bear in mind that is must be specific instead of general. In stances whereby a problem is specific, as well as focused, it turns out to be more answerable compared to if it is general. As a matter of fact, there is a perception that a well formulated research problem happens to be half solved. Therefore, research formulation appears to be like the identification of a destination before embarking of the journey; in the lack of a destination, it is not possible to make out a route, let along the shortest one. Similarly, lack of distinctive research problems, it is impossible to have a clear, economical plan since the research problem happens to be the foundation of the research problem; with the type, along with the design of the building being dependent on its foundation. The majority of research in humanities tend to revolve around the four P's; they comprise of People, Problems, Programs, as well as Phenomena. There are a number o f considerations to contemplate when choosing a research problem that comprise of interest, ethical issues, magnitude, availability of data, measurement of concepts, relevance and level of expertise. However, studies indicate that, on top of these factors, the sociological paradigm, time factor, the researcher’s values, unit of the chosen analysis, the researcher’s methodology and the level of reactivity inherent in a method considered suitable for gathering data should also be put into consideration (Tacq, 1997). There are a number of characteristic that should be put into consideration concerning a research problem, they include (Lynn & Ronald, 2010): a) Idea: Every research problem statement starts with the introduction of the idea the researcher in interested in studying. For instance, if the researcher is studying the impact of parenting technique on the self esteem of children, there is a need to read everything concerning parenting techniques, as well as what is already known concerning the impacts different techniques have on self-esteem. Clarify why the idea is significant; give details concerning the importance of children's self-esteem for the creation of prosocial society, along with the parenting techniques that are a primary element in the creation of self-esteem. In this case, the problem statement might be: "The aim of this research is to explore which of four parenting techniques has a connection with positive children’

The Struggle Of Oil In America Essay Example for Free

The Struggle Of Oil In America Essay Introduction Since its discovery 150 years ago, petroleum oil has become lifeline of the world, the functional equivalent of blood in the human body. The mechanism driving the entire transportation system from automobiles, airplanes, railways, ships to space rockets is based on utilization of energy of petroleum oil. Petroleum products are also extensively used in a number of infrastructure industries that form the core of industrial processes and basis of existence of modern world. However, the petroleum resources of world are very limited and they cannot endlessly meet human demands. Various estimates have put the total extractable oil stock to exist for another 50-75 years if world continues to consume them at present rate. After that the cost of extraction of remaining petroleum products would become much more than the benefits obtained them and world would require new resources of energy to exist. These concerns have already spawned intense research in alternative technologies to meet the future energy needs in the face of an impending petroleum crisis. United States of America is world’s leading consumer of petroleum products accounting for approximately 25 % of total consumption of petroleum oil world over. In 2003, world’s consumption of petroleum oil stood at around 80 million barrels per day, out of which US’s share was close to 20 million barrel (Hirsch, Bezdek, Wending, 2005). To meet these huge petroleum demands US depends crucially on oil imports that is well above 50 % today and continuing to rise upward. This overwhelming dependence on imported oil poses various strategic and security challenges for US interests in the long run. The sharp oil price increases of 1973 and 1979-81 serve as testimony to the dangers of import dependence. Further as the oil sources would continue to deplete, the prices of oil would steadily and inexorably rise until the level when world is faced with an acute fuel crisis. Based on these observations it’s vital that U.S explores alternative technologies and fuels to sustain its development and growth structure. Oil Imports The continuous rise in U.S oil consumption has forced it to rely increasingly on imported oil to meet its expanding requirements. In the past 50 years, oil consumption fell just on two occasions that were marked with international increase in prices of oil, in 1973 and 1979-81.. Domestic production of oil that peaked in 1971 has fallen since then while oil imports have continued to rise, crossing the domestic supplies in 1994 (EIA, 2005). The net imported oil share in the net oil consumption was 34.8 percent in 1973 which went lowest at 27.3 percent in 1985 but since then it has continued to rise against a dropping domestic production levels (Reaardon, 2002). The upward trend in oil consumption and consequently in oil import have continued to take place despite multiple efforts and policy intervention that government has tried to introduced (Deutch J, Schlesinger J.R, and Victor D.G., 2006, 29). As of today with its 20 million barrel per day consumption U.S is the largest consumer and importer of oil, surpassing the combined consumption of Japan, Germany, China, Russia and South Korea (Reardon, 2004).. The share of oil in total energy produced in USA is just 17.2 percent while in consumption it rises to 40 percent that explains the need for huge oil import. Imports constitute 11 million barrels per day that is more than the aggregate oil import of Japan, Germany, and South Korea (Reardon, 2004). For oil imports U.S relies heavily on Canada, Venezuela and Middle east oil with Canada being the single largest exporter country of oil to U.S. However as a group the OPEC dominates among all the exporters supplying more than 50 percent of total oil imported by U.S (Petroleum Navigator, 2006). The total petroleum imports for U.S stood at over 5 billion barrels in 2005 out of which crude oil constituted 3.69 billion barrels which means that oil accounts for almost three-fourth of the total imports (Petroleum Navigator, 2006). Finished petroleum products constituted the second largest import segment with close to 15 percent contribution. The bulk of the oil consumption takes place in the transportation sector, which accounts for the 69 percent of the total oil consumption in US (Basic Petroleum Statistics, 2007). Overall there are five major sectors accounting for petroleum oil consumption. These sectors, along with their consumption share in year 2005 are (Petroleum-EIA, 2006) Domestic/Household: Consumption in 2005 was 869 thousand barrels of petroleum per day Commercial: 386 thousand barrels of petroleum per day Industrial: 5061 thousand barrels of petroleum per day Electric Power production: 545 thousand barrels of petroleum per day Transportation: 13, 825 thousand barrels of petroleum per day. A breakup of consumption pattern in the transportation sector reveals that consumption stands highest for motor gasoline. Average daily consumption of motor gasoline in U.S, according to Petroleum data (EIA, 2005) is 8933 thousand barrels per day. Distillate fuel oil is the second most consumed petroleum product with daily consumption at 2817 thousand barrels. These figures give a realistic view of inevitable oil import dependency U.S for present and future if it carries on the present rate of consumption. Indeed the chances to curb the massive oil imports are slim considering the fleet of 210 millions vehicle that depend solely upon motor gasoline for their functioning (Hirsch R.L, Bezdek R, Wending R, February 2005, 4). As on 1st January 2006, the total proven oil reserves with U.S was just 21.6 billion barrels, which implies that in future U.S would be forced to rely almost completely on oil imports for its entire transportation requirements. As the closer sources shall run dry, U.S’ dependency would shift to further sources from where oil must be transported over vulnerable supply lines, leading to rise in global oil price. The greater risk is certainly compromising with U.S national interests. The oil supply lines would always be at risk against subversive elements requiring another set of huge investment in ensuring safe transportation of oil to U.S onshore facilities. It will also place U.S interests in the hands of oil cartels such as OPEC that may freely manipulate oil supplies according to their own interests. The shortage of oil would be more manifest in coming times as oil demands are growing world wide, especially in China and India with rapidly expanding economy, transportation system and consequently requirement of petroleum oil. Even at present consumption rate there are grave uncertainties on the secure prospects of future supplies within next 50 years time frame, and the rising consumption rates threatens to bring the approaching crisis nearer. United States is thus faced with a great responsibility to secure its future interests without sacrificing its present requirements and needs. This issue forms the topic of the next section. Part II: Alternative fuel technologies The impending oil crisis has finally stirred policy makers in US. A number of approaches are suggested that include a. imposing taxes on oil consumption b. using tradable gasoline permits and c. exploration of new sources of oil ( Deutch J, Schlesinger J.R, Victor D.G. 2006 ). However, the pressing need of situation demands measures that would sustain the present structure while safeguarding the future against depleting sources and rising petroleum prices. As the world’s oil reserves are finite, even measures such stagnating oil consumption and using oil more efficiently are just helpful in delaying the inevitable without offering any permanent solution to the issue. Oil reserves are going down steadily and within a couple of decades prices will soar up inexorably disrupting the economy, industry and society in turn. The only practical solution to this problem is technological innovations in energy field that can reduce dependence on petroleum oil by providing alternative and sustainable sources of energy. It shall serve two immensely useful purposes that are a. minimizing U.S dependence on foreign oil and b. preventing the environment from damages associated with use of petroleum oils and products. The certainty of oil exhaustion has inspired efforts from both government and corporate sector to research and develop the new fuel technologies as a providential measure for survival, growth and progress in forthcoming days of oil crisis. Past decade has seen great thrust on technological researches in alternative fuels. Various new techniques and models have already been introduced in the market to test their viability and capacity to successfully replace petroleum as chief source of energy. Most of these innovations are specifically aimed at transportation sector owing to its liability as chief consumer of petroleum oil and as principle cause of soaring oil imports. Due to distinct requirements of different sectors in transportation, the technologies vary. Passenger vehicles, public transport vehicles and freight transportation carry specific needs that are difficult to be met by a single alternative fuel technology.   Some of the major and most popular of these technologies, where majority of research and development has taken place, are (Aldrich, 1996) 1.Hybrid Vehicle, 2. Bio-diesels 3. Ethanol 4. Hydrogen and 5.Solar energy Following section discusses the technology used in each of these new vehicle-systems and their benefits over conventional gasoline based internal combustion engine. Hybrid Vehicles: As the name suggests, hybrid vehicles combine dual technologies for their operation. Technically they are hybrid electric vehicle with an electric motor that drives the vehicle (Hoogma, Kemp, Schot and Truffer, 2002, 41 ). In the case of a typical electric vehicle, hydrogen fuel cell or chemical batteries such as advanced sealed lead battery, nickel cadmium and lithium ion are used for auxiliary power (Aldrich, 1996). However in the hybrid electric vehicles, the electric drive technology is combined with a gasoline-based power generator for running the electric motor and charging the batteries. Hybrid vehicles are either full hybrid or mid hybrid. A full hybrid vehicle can move forward from standstill purely on electric power while a mid hybrid requires gasoline power for initial movement, although both technologies concentrate on maximum utilization of electric motor power while reducing the use of gasoline as far as possible (Hybrid Terms, 2007). The electric motor and internal combustion engine (ICE) are connected either in parallel or in series in a hybrid vehicle. In parallel hybrid cars, power to engine is supplied by both the electric motor and internal combustion engine while in the series hybrid car the gasoline engine powers the electric motor and batteries to generate electricity, without directly providing power for the vehicle (Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 2007). There is another category of hybrid vehicles, called as ‘plug-in hybrid’ that can operate as a full electric vehicle. They require some additional batteries and use electricity net to charge the batteries thereby minimizing gasoline use to its lowest possible levels (Hybrid Terms, 2007). All hybrid electric vehicle use computer that constantly monitors speed, power required and charge conditions of batteries (Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 2007). Bio-diesel: Bio-diesel, as the term suggests, is a type of renewable fuel obtained by agricultural products and used as fuel in heavy-duty vehicles. The major sources currently under research for bio-diesel are soybean, rapeseed, corn, cottonseed, peanut, sunflower, and canola (Aldrich, 1996, 85). The process of making bio-diesel involves use of an alcohol such as methanol which is treated with oil of selected agricultural produce to form glycerin followed by separation of fatty esters, recycling of excess alcohol and purification of esters to produce a fuel that bears remarkable closeness to diesel, however with higher octane number (Aldrich, 1996, 85). Currently bio-diesel is used when blended with petroleum diesel, especially in European markets, with commendable results. Ethanol: Ethanol as a very long history as an alternative fuel, and it was tried in even 1880 as a fuel option for Ford cars (Aldrich, 1996, 51). Ethanol is derived from agricultural produces by process of fermentation and distillation to form a high-octane liquid fuel. Normally ethanol is not used alone as a fuel, instead it is blended with gasoline in ratio of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline to form a fuel E-85, which is approved as an alternative fuel in US (Ethanol, 2007). The vehicles run on this fuel are called as flexi fuel vehicles. Ethanol has emerged as a successful alternative to fossil fuels in Brazil where more than 4 million vehicles on ethanol based fuel and it is finding increasing application in US as well. The benefits of using ethanol are multifold and they include (Ethanol, 2007) Hydrogen: There are great interests in using hydrogen as fuel in transport industry due to the great flexibility of options and performance it offers. Hydrogen can either be used as fuel in place of gasoline in internal combustion engine or it can be used as energy carrier in fuel cells, the latter being the major research area in automobile sector (Aldrich, 1996, 87). Solar Power: Use of solar power as energy in transportation sector has been subject of intense technological research. While the solar energy has found wide application as domestic energy supply, there are difficulties in their application in transport sector. Photovoltaic cells, that absorb sunrays to provide electricity, are inefficient under the current technology strains and unable to generate even a fraction of required power to drive a normal passenger vehicle. However, solar power has turned as a dependable source of energy in areas other than transport. All the initial costs are high in maintaining a solar energy power plant, its been shown that with increasingly sophisticated technology and wider application the cost of installation as well as generation of electricity can get comparable to normal power plants (Borowitz, 1999,112). Mass Transport System Apart from introducing alternative fuel and technologies to replace and minimize fossil fuel consumption, another area where fuel consumption can be easily reduced is creating a more robust and functional public transport and mass transit system. It is cost effective and time consuming to redesign the existing public transport system, especially in major cities, to cut down fuel consumption by reducing number of vehicles on the road. While airplanes are already a popular and heavily used long distance intercity mass transit system, there are many available areas of intervention in short distance intercity and intra-city transport to provide fast and reliable transit facilities while simultaneously reducing traffic, freeing up space on roads and parking and moderating fossil oil consumption. The transportation system of US, excluding freight transport, is presently divided in two broad categories a. privately owned individual all purpose vehicle transport system and b. public transport system consisting of buses, trains, trams, and metros under the control and maintenance of public administration and public transport companies ((Hoogma, Kemp, Schot and Truffer, 2002, 36-37). Public transport system is usually characterized by low cost, fuel-efficient transit system capable of carrying large number of people on a fixed route (ibid). It has been felt over time that a sustainable and efficient fuel policy needs to incorporate advanced public transport system as one of its key focus area. To improve the services of public transport system, increase its popularity and acceptance among people and highlight its role as an efficient and fuel incentive mode of travel, public authorities and corporations are required to introduce some important policy and technological measures. Three policy measures as highlighted by Hoogma, Kemp, Schot and Truffer (2002, 43)   are 1. Developing an integrated public transportation system where a single ticket can be used to commute irrespective of the number of switchovers made in the process. 2 Development of strong travel information structure in the public transport system, which can help people to navigate to their destinations easily. 3. Providing easy payment facility such as smart cards. These policies would greatly enhance the image and services of public transport system. Additionally the light rail and bus services can be expanded to cover specifically high traffic and downtown areas of major cities. An integration of public transport and private vehicle system can be achieved by providing sufficient parking space at stations and depots of public transport system. It would encourage people to use their private vehicles to access public transport system, resolving one of major issues of limited accessibility involved with mass transit system. Conclusion When fossil fuels were discovered around 150 years back, the existing technologies of steam engines were unable to utilize them. However, soon completely new technologies were developed in the face of these new energy sources and they were used to capitalize on the energy content and efficiency of fossil fuels. Soon petroleum fuels revolutionized the way the world moved and worked. The past 100 years of consumption has comprehensively depleted non-renewable petroleum deposits and estimates give another 50 more years before the remaining available sources would get almost exhausted. This fact is indeed a cause of concern, but only if viewed from existing technological frame. Declining petroleum resources offer the signal that its time to make transition towards different energy sources. Countries that would fail to read this signal or close their eyes to it are certainly heading for a major crisis. But fortunately US has the capacity to read these signals and develop reliable intermediate technologies and systems such as hybrid electric vehicle, ethanol and public transit systems that would considerably reduce fossil fuel consumption without adding to infrastructure cost thereby extending the life period of petroleum reservoirs. Meanwhile research can take place on new age technologies such as fuel cell and solar photovoltaic cells to complete replace fossil fuels as a source of energy. It is possible that if government and industry institute providential policy measures, there would be a host of alternative technologies in transportation sector by the time petroleum oil would get exhausted. But the question is that has US opened its eyes to the approaching crisis of oil shortage and if so, then what are the policy measures that are being taken to avert and stultify the crisis. Depleting oil resources are a reality, and it is certain that within decades oil prices would climb to astronomical height, bringing the entire present system to standstill. The whole structure of US is running efficiently on the energy of petroleum and it would collapse if this energy dries up. The responsibility to start transition towards new system, however, is not only of government but of every person because the future of crisis would be a common future. It would a collective exercise upon to use alternative technologies in their personal life, make maximum possible use of mass transit system and send the message to government and industry that people are ready for the great shift from petroleum oil. Reference Reference Basic Petroleum Statistics. Jan 2007. Energy Information Administration. 31st Jan. 2007 http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/quickfacts/quickoil.html Benefits of Public Transport System-An Overview. 1st Feb-2007. American Public Transportation Association. 1st Feb 2007. http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/ben_overview.cfm Bob Aldrich.. ABCs of AFVs: a guide to alternative fuel vehicles. California Energy Commission, Sacramento-CA. April 1996. 1st Feb 2007 http://www.p2pays.org/ref/26/25156.pdf Borowitz, Sidney.   Farewell Fossil Fuels: Reviewing Americas Energy Policy.: Plenum Trade: New York: 1999 Deutch J, Schlesinger J.R, Victor D.G. 2006. Consequence of U.S Oil Dependency: Report of an Independent Task Force. 30th Jan. 2007 http://www.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/EnergyTFR.pdf Ethanol. 2007. Alternative Fuel Data Center. US Department of Energy. 1st Feb, 2007, http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/ethanol.html Faupel Karen and Al Kukri, 2002. Biodiesel: A Brief Overivew. NCAT Agricultural Specialist. 1st Feb, 2007. http://www.msenergy.ms/biodiesel.pdf Hirsch R.L, Bezdek R, Wending R. February 2005. Peaking of World Oil Production: Impact, Mitigation, Risk Management. 30th Jan. 2007 http://www.pppl.gov/publications/pics/Oil_Peaking_1205.pdf Hoogma Recmo, Rene Kemp, John Schot, Bernhard Truffer.   Experimenting for Sustainable Transport: The Approach of Strategic Niche Management.: Spon Press: New York: 2002. 36 Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Feb 2007. Hybrid Electric Vehicle: Implementing Agreement. International Energy Agency. 1st Feb, 2007. http://www.ieahev.org/hybrid.html#Anchor3 Hybrid Terms. HybridCars.com. 1st Feb 2007 http://www.hybridcars.com/types-systems/hybrid-terms.html Petroleum. July, 2006. Annual Energy Review-2005. 31s Jan, 2007 http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/petro.html Petroleum Overview, 1949-2005. Annual Energy Review.31st Jan, 2007 http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/petro.html Prospects For A Hydrogen Economy. Oct. 2002. Postnote. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. 1st Feb, 2007. http://www.parliament.uk/post/pn186.pdf Reardon Jack. .An Institutionalist Critique of the Bush Administrations Journal of Economic Issues. Volume: 38. Issue: 2. Publication Year: 2004. Page Number: 449+ Sanna Lucy. Driving the Solution: Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles. EPRI Journal. 1st Feb 2007. http://www.calcars.org/epri-driving-solution-1012885_PHEV.pdf U.S. Imports- Petroleum Navigator.Energy Information Administration. 31st Jan 2007 http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_d_NUS_Z00_mbbl_m.htm

Understanding Terrorism Essay Example for Free

Understanding Terrorism Essay The type of funding’s they used in the dirty war was, committing little petty crimes or credit card frauds. They used radiation and dirty bombs to create the explosions. The assets they used where from all over the country, they hid the material in vegetable oil. The Tactics they used to deceive the law enforcements were just to live a normal life. None of them had a criminal past, they were normal citizens in the laws eyes. The terrorist used a lot of phone cards. That’s how the police started catching on to what they were doing. The failures that the law enforcements had were they wasn’t ready for such a disaster. It also took them along time to catch on to what was happening right in front of their eyes. The general public couldn’t have stopped the attack no way possible. Other than telling the police that there was suspicious activity happening in their area, they could have been no help. Finally the law enforcements started putting clues together about the phone cards, the oil from the restaurant that was carrying the dirty bomb material in side. They were slightly too late for the first bomb but they caught the other two right in time. The part I didn’t understand is that all 3groups didn’t work together but they were going to detonate at the same time. I found that strange. The motive I saw from the movie was that it was religious purposes.

The School For Wives and Ghosts | Analysis

The School For Wives and Ghosts | Analysis In Henrik Ibsens Ghosts and Molieres The School for Wives, the playwrights portray the concept of male domination with the help of the relationships between the characters. Ibsen depicts male dominance in the late 1800 Norwegian society mainly through the characters of Mr. Manders and Mrs. Alving. On the other hand, Moliere portrays male dominance in French Renaissance society using the characters of Arnolphe and Agnes. The playwrights portray their societies through miniature household with stereotypical characters. Male domination in both the plays is depicted by the careful use of speech, actions and social beliefs. This similarity reflects upon the two 17th century European societies, the Norwegian and the French Renaissance. The writers establish differences in perception using characterization. The use of rhetoric speeches of Mr. Manders in Ghosts shows that domination in Norwegian society is elusive. At the same time, the use of simple language in The School for Wives illustra tes male domination that is prominent in the French Renaissance society. Important aspects of culture and society have also been incorporated in the two plays. In Ghosts, and School for Wives the playwrights convey male dominance through dialogue and action. However, the difference lies in the manner of portrayal. Ibsen employs ideas and social norms in his speech to bring out the oppressive character of Mr. Manders and to influence Mrs. Alving. The insurance of the orphanage is an example of indirect influence being employed as a tool to dominate. After Mrs. Alving decides to insure the orphanage, Mr. Manders asks, But what about the opinion of the people hereabouts?  [1]  The ultimate aim of Mr. Manders is to avoid judgment by public. The character of Mr. Manders allows Ibsen to present the thoughts of common people in the Norwegian society who do not have the courage to deter from the norms of society. The issues in a domestic household such as the conflict between Mr. and Mrs. Alving act as a microscopic portrayal of Norwegian society. It is evident that this portrayal of male dominance in Ghosts was not approved by the Norwegian no rm as it was banned from being staged in a number of theatres in Scandinavia. Similarly, Moliere depicts complete male dominance through words and actions. The character of Arnolphe is used to bring out the theme of oppression of women. Arnolphes dialogue and soliloquys are used for this purpose. For example, he controls the upbringing of Agnes and restricts her right to modern education. Arnolphe says, A wife who writes knows more than can be good for her.  [2]  This excerpt of Arnophes speech shows that the society presented in the play saw educated women as unsuitable wives. Arnolphe acts as a director when he says, A trusty soldier knows his place, however hard, and shows obedience to the captain of the guard; a valet serves his master, and a child obeys his father, and a priest does what the bishop says  [3]  . In this speech, Moliere metaphorically compares the inferior ranks of professions to women and the superior to men in French household. This quote also shows that hierarchy and domination exist in all parts of the French society as presente d in the play. The God-like figure of Arnolphe is often portrayed throughout the play as he says She never should presume to look him in the face- Except if he looks kind, and smiles at her with grace.  [4]  It also suggests that the admiration that men receive from women and society is like a myth or action that is supposed to be done disregards to the individual person. The Maxims of Marriage mentioned in Act III Scene II of the play is the portrayal of male domination in French Renaissance society. Each maxim topic depicts the traits expected by the husband in an ideal wife. For instance, the maxim states that a good wife must not dress to tease or must never play cards  [5]  . The wives must obey the maxim as a bible whether they want to or not. Through this, Moliere portrays a French domestic household and complete male dominance in a marriage. Another technique of the playwrights in portraying male domination is through characterization and the different traits between the male and female characters. In Ghosts, Mrs. Alving and Mr. Manders are the two extreme opposite characters. Ibsen makes Mr. Manders a dutiful priest who represents conservative society while he makes Mrs. Alving a widow who represents modern beliefs and radical thoughts. This characterization technique is a tool enabling the male characters to influence the female characters. By doing this, Ibsen portrays various conflicting beliefs and ideas that exist in the Norwegian society: conservative and unorthodox. Similarly, in the play The School for Wives, Moliere uses characterization to portray male dominance. Arnolphe is a man of society who has wealth and property to his name. On the other hand, Agnes is portrayed at the beginning of the play to be an orphan with no wealth or status. She is uneducated and very young compared to Arnolphe. The relationship between Arnolphe and Agnes acts as a mirror image to the French Society. The age difference and the lack of education of women make it possible for men to control womens life in all aspects as Arnolphe says Whichever way I choose, Ill shape her very life- Ill mould her in my hands, just like a lump of wax, and then Ill sculpt her, in whatever form she lacks.  [6]  An image of a toy or a figure being created out of clay is portrayed. This speech of Arnolphe, represent men in society, means that men do not want to marry a specific woman but they want to marry anyone who is, according to them, an ideal wife. In Act III, scene IV, this l engthy passage illustrates that he wanted to marry a woman who fitted in his vision of idealism in a marriage. Arnorphes soliloquy is an insight to the insecurities of French men in the 17th century. Moliere devoted a scene for this lengthy speech of Arnolphe to tell the audience about the selfish thoughts of men. The structure of this passage also shows Molieres use of punctuations to increase the pace of the monologue. It also makes the audience feel like Arnolphe is reciting a lyrical poem; hence the audience is kept interested until the end of the scene. The importance given to this scene by Moliere suggests that male dominance is a main theme which he wants to bring out in this play. The playwrights use some of the elements of the society as a tool to portray male dominance. In Ghosts, Ibsen depicts male dominance through concepts of duties, public opinions and individual beliefs as themes. For instance, Mr. Manders says What right have we to happiness? No! we must do our duty, Mrs. Alving.  [7]  This emphasizes the idea of conservatism in the Norwegian society. General responsibility regardless to the personal situation or feeling applies to everyone in the society. Similarly, Moliere depicts male dominance using tools such as education, naivety and religion in the play The School for wives. The restriction of basic rights of Agnes is can be viewed as immoral, but at that point of time, men considered it to be a venture as Arnolphe says Then youll see the result of my experiment,  [8]  Religion is used to portray men as God-like figure in society. And the profound respect she must show, in a word, to him, for hes her husband, ruler, chief and lord,  [9]  This part of Arnolphes speech illustrates the overall image of relationship between husbands and wives in the French renaissance society. Men are not only husbands but also the owners of the wives. Naivety plays an important role in allowing men to dominate womens thoughts. I want her ignorant, since all she needs to know is how to love me, pray to God, and spin and sew.  [10]  This quote again emphasizes the point that stereotypical husbands do not want educated wives because they a re considered too intelligent to be a good wife. The only qualities needed in a perfect wife are adeptness at chores and respect their husbands. Moliere employs Arnolphes speech to bring out the image of who was believed to be an ideal wife in renaissance society. In conclusion, Ibsen and Moliere represent their views on male dominance in Norwegian and French Renaissance societies respectively through Ghosts and The School for Wives. Using light hearted farce and comical elements, Moliere depicts human folly and elaborates the hidden motives such as fear of power of women.  [11]  Similarly, Ibsen attacks the sanctity of marriage and identity of women.  [12]  He accomplishes the aim of portraying taboos and making an impact on the Norwegian society. By analyzing these two plays, we understand the nature and culture of Norwegian and French societies. Male dominance exists in all societies but it is portrayed in a various ways depending on the nature of the society.

Appearance Vs. Reality Essay -- essays research papers

One of the characteristics of Realism, in American literature at least, is the ironic use of perceptions of â€Å"appearance† vs. â€Å"reality.† With this in mind, Henry James’s â€Å"The Real Thing† and â€Å"The Beast in the Jungle† are two works wherein such characteristics can be shown to operate as James employs cleverly woven twists of â€Å"appearance† and â€Å"reality† in each of the plots. In James’s â€Å"The Real Thing,† the plot is centered on an unnamed artist and his interactions with two sets of models: the Monarchs (members of genteel society), and Miss Churm and Oronte (members of the working class). The ironically named Monarchs are a couple who appear as though they have â€Å"ten thousand a year† but whose lives diverge dramatically from the literal definition of a monarch. Upon introduction to the artist, they unwittingly deceive him into initially assuming that they are interested in commissioning a portrait; in fact, the Monarchs are seeking work as sitters. The case of mistaken identity is further compounded by the artist who pretends to be a â€Å"great painter of portraits† but who is actually an illustrator whose depictions of nobility constitute his main source of income – his â€Å"pot-boilers.† James’s introductory interplay of character identity with appearance and reality serves as a clever backdro p for the story where reality conflicts with appearance. While their outward social appearance and actions have an â€Å"indefinable air of prosperous thrift† and personify that of high-class society, the Major and Mrs. Monarch are actually penniless and no longer members of the genteel sect. But the Monarchs are unable to resolve their â€Å"appearance† of high society with their â€Å"reality† of financial destitution, and remain psychologically entrapped in a self-imposed netherworld of pseudo-culture and pseudo-class. Insistent upon being treated as members of the high society to which they no longer belong, the Monarchs also present a conflict of appearance and reality for the artist because he is forced to allow them the social deference of portrait sitters, yet pay them as models (viewed as their â€Å"superior but not their equal†). The complexity of appearance vs. reality is further illustrated when the artist realizes that while Major and Mrs. Monarch may appear to be the â€Å"real thing,† he i s unable to transform their outward reflection of nobility onto his canvas without sacrificing his ... ...m. James counters Marcher’s emotional distance from reality with May Bartram’s embrace of life – and love. But it is through the voyeuristic glimpse into Marcher’s internal machinations that readers understand the waste of a life based upon appearances. Like the Monarchs in â€Å"The Real Thing† whose marriage to appearances entrapped them in world devoid of emotion, John Marcher’s identity is innately linked to â€Å"fine things, intrinsic features, pictures, heirlooms, and treasures of the arts† and he is similarly constrained in a self-imposed world of apathy. Although it appears that Marcher has an enriched life, he is actually a man with â€Å"†¦ rather colourless (emphasis added) manners† who is satisfied to wait for the elusive â€Å"great thing† to happen. Because Marcher remains afraid to confront the â€Å"beast† (the metaphoric unknown in life), it is not until the death of May Bartram that he realizes her love for him was the â€Å"great thing,† and that he was waiting for something that he unknowingly possessed. The simple truth that John Marcher recognized – albeit too late – is that â€Å"It wouldn’t have been failure to be bankrupt, dishonour ed, pilloried, hanged; it was failure not to be anything.†

Juvenile Justice Organization Essay -- Criminal Justice

The juvenile justice organization is rooted in the normal criminal justice organization. The major objective of a juvenile court might be different from the criminal court; however, the procedures have resemblance in application. The organizations are anchored in shielding society and seizing criminals responsible for their deeds. Once a juvenile, in this case Colleen M, goes into the juvenile justice structure, she goes through the intake procedure, detention, adjudication, disposition and aftercare (Scholte, 2002). The initial stage is intake. The intake procedure is also recognized as prosecution in the adult courts. In this stage, the court or prosecutor establishes whether to prosecute the case in juvenile court. Factors looked at this stage include; the proof of the crime, the gravity of the crime, the delinquent’s preceding unlawful and court history and the success of rehabilitation appraisals of the juvenile. Rooted in societal and legal results, the case might be discharged, taken care of off the record or an official trial may be applied for. All through the intake processing or before an official disposition, the youth might be put in a detention facility. Detention may lengthen to the official trial, or after adjudication. Once at the formal hearing phase, the prosecutor can put forward a waiver or a delinquency petition. Once a determination is made, the juvenile might either remain in juvenile court or is moved to the criminal court. If she stays in juvenile court, an adjudication hearing occurs. A determination is made anchored in the proof offered. If the juvenile is adjudicated as felonious, the disposition hearing occurs. In the disposition hearing, probation proposals or a disposition plan is considered. A... ... status; we as well discover her conduct towards other individuals present in the school as below par and above all we find out that her academic performance is wanting especially within the most current school terms. Therefore following Colleen scores on the risk assessments, it is highly probable that she could be sent to a juvenile detention facility. She is a time bomb waiting to explode and the explosion could be irreparable. The best correction plan in this instance is to report to corrections for a violent offender. The offence may be indirect or coincidence, but the fact is that Colleen needs help. She is a run-away, a drug user, and an unpredictable individual. She has committed murder twice and the chance for her committing more murders is high. She should be detained and accorded all rehabilitation options like counseling, monitoring and education. Juvenile Justice Organization Essay -- Criminal Justice The juvenile justice organization is rooted in the normal criminal justice organization. The major objective of a juvenile court might be different from the criminal court; however, the procedures have resemblance in application. The organizations are anchored in shielding society and seizing criminals responsible for their deeds. Once a juvenile, in this case Colleen M, goes into the juvenile justice structure, she goes through the intake procedure, detention, adjudication, disposition and aftercare (Scholte, 2002). The initial stage is intake. The intake procedure is also recognized as prosecution in the adult courts. In this stage, the court or prosecutor establishes whether to prosecute the case in juvenile court. Factors looked at this stage include; the proof of the crime, the gravity of the crime, the delinquent’s preceding unlawful and court history and the success of rehabilitation appraisals of the juvenile. Rooted in societal and legal results, the case might be discharged, taken care of off the record or an official trial may be applied for. All through the intake processing or before an official disposition, the youth might be put in a detention facility. Detention may lengthen to the official trial, or after adjudication. Once at the formal hearing phase, the prosecutor can put forward a waiver or a delinquency petition. Once a determination is made, the juvenile might either remain in juvenile court or is moved to the criminal court. If she stays in juvenile court, an adjudication hearing occurs. A determination is made anchored in the proof offered. If the juvenile is adjudicated as felonious, the disposition hearing occurs. In the disposition hearing, probation proposals or a disposition plan is considered. A... ... status; we as well discover her conduct towards other individuals present in the school as below par and above all we find out that her academic performance is wanting especially within the most current school terms. Therefore following Colleen scores on the risk assessments, it is highly probable that she could be sent to a juvenile detention facility. She is a time bomb waiting to explode and the explosion could be irreparable. The best correction plan in this instance is to report to corrections for a violent offender. The offence may be indirect or coincidence, but the fact is that Colleen needs help. She is a run-away, a drug user, and an unpredictable individual. She has committed murder twice and the chance for her committing more murders is high. She should be detained and accorded all rehabilitation options like counseling, monitoring and education.

Supporting Prayer in Public Schools Essay -- Religion

â€Å"Our Father†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Denied For centuries, the debate has existed whether or not to allow prayer in public schools. Many Americans feel it is not right of the schools to teach religion. With all the diversity associated with the United States, public schools cannot select one standard religion to practice, due to the cultural and religious differences in the country. Not only are schools the storm center of controversy involving religious differences, they are the principal institution charged with transmitting the identity and mission of the United States from one generation to the next. If we fail in our school policies and classrooms to model and to teach how to live with differences, we endanger our experiment in religious liberty and our unity as a nation. According to the First Amendment of the Constitution, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof (usconstitution.net). The writers of the Constitution made it an important point in protecting freedom and religion. The writers then even stressed the importance of being able to be in any religion that suited a person. â€Å"The First Amendment of the Constitution removes government from the realm of religious belief and practice so that the state can neither subvert nor manipulate religion to serve secular, public ends† (Keynes and Miller 177). It is pure ignorance for someone to think that one religion is accepted throughout the world. No man or woman should be forced into a specific religion, quieted by peers, or not allowed to gather as a group of students just to pray. â€Å"A Congress that allows God to be banned from our schools while our schools can teach about cults, Hitler and even devil worship is wron g, out of t... ...reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what you have done in secret, will reward you† (Matthew 6:5-6 Holy Bible NIV). It would be beneficial to all if the advice set forth by Matthew the Apostle, was followed both in private life and mirrored with public schools. Works cited U.S Constitution Online. Steve Mount. 12 May 2008. 6 November 2008. Religion and Prayer in the US Public Schools. B.A. Robinson. 2006 October 11. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 6 November 2008. Keynes, Edward and Miller, Randall K. Court vs. Congress. North Carolina, Duke University Press, 1989. http://books.google.com/books?id=_Ebb2wsxkF4C. 6 November 2008 Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The Civil War and Appalachia

Eric Lane English 1020 Tim Parker 11/9/12 The Civil War and Appalachian Geography Did Appalachian geography have an effect on the civil war? Every major war in history has two things in common: a winner and a loser. There are many factors of war that decide the winner and the loser, some going unnoticed. The geography of a war has an impacting affect on the war and is sometimes overlooked, often leading to one side's downfall (Falls 5). Appalachia has a fluctuating geography, for it ranges from eroded down, plain-like areas, to mountains areas of up to almost 7000 feet (â€Å"The Appalachians†).The Civil War had many battles located in Appalachia, an area stretching from southern parts of New York, all the way down to northern Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi(â€Å"The Appalachians†). Appalachian geography was home to many battlefields of the Civil War, but could this geography actually have had an overall impact? Throughout history, many substantial wars have been dis puted on various types of terrain around the world. Halvard Bugaug and Scott Gates support this and have made a claim in the article, â€Å"The Geography of Civil War†, that geographical factors play a critical role in determining how a war is fought and who will prevail.The two most important factors they give are terrain and climate. In the article, Bugaug and Gates both reference the book History of Warfare, written by John Keegan, to give examples of how these factors effect wars. Keegan gives many samples of previous generals who have ignored these factors and lead to their catastrophic downfall. One commonly known example given is the French army lead by Napoleon. Napoleon lead his fearfully large army into Russia, not taking into account Russia's fiercely cold weather.Although they fought, and won, battles located in Russia, the cold weather began to take its toll on Napoleon's army, causing them to be greatly weakened. This weakened state of his army, in turn, lead to the French being defeated and losing the war(Bugaug 418). However, the geography does not always have a negative effect. Keegan also gives samples of ‘gifted' generals who took these factors into account, allowing them to use these factors to their advantage(Bugaug 419). Cyril Falls, professor of Military History at the University of Oxford, acknowledges this as well in her journal Geography and War Strategy.The journal discusses how world geography should be a subject of study for a commander and how this geography should shape their war strategies. Mapping out and understanding the terrain of a battleground before the battle begins is crucial to achieve military success(Falls 5). A general understanding of the battleground gives opportunities to change and adjust military strategies and tactics, which could give an army the edge needed to be victorious (Falls 6). Falls then adds that using the available natural resources located in the geography of an area has its benefits as well.These resources can be distributed accordingly, supplying the army and possibly allowing them to stretch their campaign(Falls 9). Alex J. La Rocque, writer of the journal â€Å"The Role of Geography in Military planning has a similar viewpoint. La Rocque acknowledges that the existence of this relationship between geography and military science is not new. He says that environmental factors, such as relief, climate and weather, vegetation, drainage characteristics, and cultural features can cause military tactic and strategic problems.These elements of the environment have played important roles in all wars from those in which the stone hammer was the principal weapon down to the present time(La Rocque 70). La Rocque states that the essential difference between the requirement of geography in tactical planning and strategic planning is similar to the same difference that exists between mapping areal categories on large-scale maps and mapping areal categories on small scale maps. The mapper's requirement in presenting information on maps at different scales is determined by his objective.Appalachia has many different geographical conditions that make it eligible to have an effect on the civil war. The appalachian area has many mountain ranges and plain-like areas. The entire system is almost 2000 miles long and 300 miles wide and ranges from northern Mississippi all the way to southern New York(â€Å"The Appalachians†). These mountains are known as a â€Å"barrier† running east to west as it forms a series of alternating ridglines and valleys oriented in opposition to any road running east-west.The Appalachian Plateau is the westernmost part of appalachia and is bounded by a steep slope on the east called the Allegheny Front(â€Å"Appalachia and the Ozarks†). This front is the most significant barrier to western movement in the country of the Rocky Mountains(â€Å"Appalachia and the Ozarks†). The topography of this region ha s been created largely through steam erosion of the horizontal beds of the interior lowland. The following map will show the appalachian region. Many encounters of the civil war were located in this region, as shown in the map Civil War Battlefield map following.Comparison of the two maps shows that many battles were located in appalachia and its geography, giving it potential to have an effect on the war. Wilma A. Dunaway, in his archive, â€Å" Slavery and Emancipation in the Mountain South: Sources, Evidence and Methods†, provides examples of how the Union(the North) and the Confederates(the South) strategically used the Appalachian area. Dunaway states that the mountainous areas of West Virginia allowed for guerrilla warfare attacks. Both armies grew fatigued from traveling up and down the mountains, leaving them open for attack(Dunaway).In addition, both armies targeted various sites within the region as strategic occupancy points because they were located on major river s, were railroad junctures, or were the sites of important resources such as the national rifle works, saltworks, mineral springs, or mines(Dunaway). Farms and livestock were also destroyed and/or pillaged to also be somewhat beneficial to the armies(â€Å"Appalachia†). One specific battle located in Appalachia is the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle was located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and lasted for a total of 3 days.After the first day the Confederate army was outnumbering the Union and looked as if a victory was inevitable. The Union, after a surprising loss on the first day, was devastated that they had lost nearly half of their troops and retreated up to Cemetery Hill and Gulp's Hill. There they prepared as much as possible with the little time they had for an oncoming Confederate attack. Barricades and various other fortifications were built on the higher grounds, giving Union troops the advantage that was pivotal in the battle.The Confederate soldiers now had to fi ght the rest of the gruesome battle now traveling uphill. The video from the History Channel, â€Å"The Battle of Gettysburg†, showed images of many soldiers struggling to fight the battle at this disadvantage. They had trouble seeing distances up the hills and were even known to have had friendly fire on themselves thinking that it was the enemy. After the second day of battle the union was still shorthanded and outnumbered, although they fought off the confederate push.The Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, made the decision to lead a large force to attack the Union line. Union artillery, who had an extreme range advantage, had what was called â€Å"target practice† on the confederate troops, greatly weakening the force. By the time they were in range of the Union line, Confederate troops had been torn apart to the point that retreat was the only option, giving the Union the victory of the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle was the bloodiest ever fought on american so il.The Battle of Gettysburg rallied the North and is what turned the tide of the Civil War. They had the confidence that they could defeat the fearful general Robert E. Lee. The geography of appalachia provided the North with the edge that they needed to take the battle which, in turn, shaped the outcome of the Civil War. Wars are an important part of history that have shaped the way we live today. War has many factors that decide the winner and the loser, and geography is one that should not be forgotten.Geography has caused aided many armies to victory, and taken many armies to defeat. Appalachian geography varies much over its large spam and proved to be a major factor. The Battle of Gettysburg was a pivotal battle that the North won, due to the large hills that they used to their advantage. Should that geographical advantage be taken away, odds are that the South, outnumbering the North, would have won that battle and changed history. This leads to the question, did Appalachian geography have an affect on the Civil War?

How Messed Up Education Can Be Essay

So just like any other year, students have to attend the opening ceremony; my little sister sat down in the last rows filled with graffiti in the auditorium I looked up and thinking to myself, â€Å" They changed the principle again, whoever in charge, do they think it will fix the problems? † They have been using this method for ages. Every year, the new principle would give an awesome speech about how they would fix everything. But the past decade, same problems still haunt the school. Even though fear and worries in my head, I have no choice but to let my little sister attends this school. Welcome to Northeast High of the Kansas City District; welcome to the education of my life. I moved to America when I was twelve and I attended Northeast Middle School. The District put me in the ELL (English Language Learner) program because I didn’t speak any English. So in those three years, I learned as much as I could but I was still a kid, I didn’t really pay attention to my education nor did I care about it. But in 8th grade, I got a peak of how education could turn out. Mr. Bui was my math teacher that year, he was special. Even though the school set up its lesson plan, Mr. Bui didn’t follow it; he told the class that we were ready for higher level class. So he ordered an old set of high school Algebra I textbooks and started teaching. I knew he was a good teacher, the whole class got A in the end of the year and we were ready for high school. When I was a freshman in high school that was where education became more serious for me. All the students that went to Northeast Middle were automatically enrolled in Northeast High, which is right next to each other. The school is about to be 100 years old and it was popular for all the bad things, such as: gangs, shooting, fighting, drugs, and bad education. My family didn’t want me to go to this school. But we had no choice, we couldn’t afford to move. At first, I thought these violent wouldn’t matter because I was going to try hard to learn. But I was dead wrong, the school was like a prison, these were ten security guards and two police officers always on standby in case of emergency. It just made you feel like a criminal being watch instead of a normal student like you are supposed to be. But the biggest problem prevented me from learning was the teacher, they were horrible. It seemed like they were there to babysit us, most of them would tell you to crack a book open and read one chapter then do the reviews. They usually read the newspaper, play games or read a book. Once, the class even caught my teacher watching inappropriate videos on his computer. Things were horrible, there were no such thing as homework, the school use the excuse there wasn’t enough textbook for students to bring home. Even so, not all the teacher were bad, some of them are actually teaching and a few were doing well in it. I guess it’s about who cares and who doesn’t. Of course, the students love it, they never had to do anything to get a good grade. You can just sleep in one class the entire year and would still able to pass with C. Sometimes I enjoy it but other time I hated it because I have high expectation of myself. In my junior year, the Kansas City School District was low on funds for education. It closed down a few schools and Northeast High was on the list. But then in the meeting for voting, there were so many parents showing up and spoke up; Northeast High remain stay open. Even so, the District closed down Northeast Middle and put the students in high school and it turned into the K-12 program. Which they made the problems worse; every week there would be a fight in the school, more gangs related, more bullies, more graffiti, and more shooting in the neighborhood. We had big an incident when a girl got raped in the bathroom, but they kept it as a secret. The victim moved away and the kids took part in it was punished. In my last year of my high school, disaster strike when the Kansas City School District lost its accreditation. The reason we lost it is because of the students test scores, I wasn’t really surprise but I was mad. My whole education life felt like trash, I wish I could do something to change it. But even so, I hoped for a better education in college so I kept going. The senior class of 2012, there were 142 students but only about half of us graduated. I was in the top 10% of the class rank and I received a few scholarships. Only a handful of class went on to a 4 years-college, some went to community college and the rest still trying to find a job. There are many reasons why the education system could be so mess up but someone, somehow need to fix it. If one can fire the useless teacher and hire the good teacher. I think things would be a little better. Of course, if the neighborhood were better, the school wouldn’t be effect by all the bad things around it. I’m hoping my family will finally able to move next year so my little sister doesn’t have to go through the same thing I did. I’m also glad I made it to college and getting a good education. I know some kids out there that wish to be me right now.

DBQ-The Witch Craze

Identify and analyze at least three major reasons for the persecution of individuals as witches in Europe from the late fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries. From the Middle Ages until the 1700s, a fevered witch craze was spread throughout Europe. These witches were isolated, persecuted and when found, tortured and consequently killed. With most of the population concentrated in southeastern Europe, over 100,000 witches were tried.It was believed that these individuals practiced black magic and were associated with the Devil, but a single fact becomes clear when studying the witch craze and that is that there is a certain type of individual that was singled out as a witch. The majority of of accused witches were female(Witchcraft Statistics, doc 2) and mostly over 50 years old(Witchcraft Statistics doc 3). The witch craze concentrated on elderly women who more often than not were from a low social class (Witchcraft Statistics, doc 1. ).A combination of religious beliefs, socia l prejudices and cultural precepts helped heighten the already rampant witch persecution throughout Europe. The witch craze spread throughout the common-people of Europe, this due to a strong support to the persecution of witches advertised by influential religious leaders. Although Europe was in a state of religious turmoil due to the warfare between Catholic and Protestant faiths, Catholics and Protestants alike contributed to the spread of the witch craze. Martin Luther preached that â€Å"sorcerers or witches are the Devil’s whores who steal milk†¦torture babies in their cradles†¦ † (Religious Opinions, doc 3). John Calvin, another influential religious leader said â€Å"†¦ We are therefore taught by these examples that we have to wage war against an infinite number of enemies†¦ †(Religious Opinions, doc 4). Pope Innocent VII, issued â€Å"The Witch Bull† in 1484 where he stated it was the peoples duty to get rid of witches and he gave inquisitors the right to â€Å"exercise their office of inquisition and to proceed to the correction, imprisonment and punishment† of witches(Religious Opinions, doc 4).The strong religious belief that witches were instruments of the Devil and that it was society’s duty to eliminate them, along with the confusion and anger that was brought about by the Catholic-Protestant conflict was a contributing factor to the persecution and killing of many witches. While the preachings of influential leaders against the witches was a main factor of this witch craze, the fact that witches were women was an important factor within the faith.For centuries women within the Catholic church were seen as inferior to men and more susceptible to sin. Both the Protestant and Catholic leaders believed that women, specially elderly women were and easy pray for the devil’s deeds. â€Å"The Hammer of Witches† a witch-hunting manual created by Dominican monks they stated that women are more likely to be witches because they are more â€Å"credulous, impressionable and passionate†(Religious Opinions, doc 1).Once again due to the longstanding discrimination against women within the Catholic faith, the monks were probably heavily influenced by their faith which led them to speak so badly of women. The social prejudices held by European society about women made it easier for the persecutors to pinpoint them as lesser, crazy and most of all guilty. The belief that women, specially elder women were weak and inferior is an important factor to understand why they became the target group for witchcraft charges.The thought that elderly women were impure and more corrupt was spread by the lawmakers that made links between the physical body and witchcraft. A legal conference that took place in 1618 announced that â€Å"The bodies of aged persons are impure, which when they[become diseased with] malice† are used by the Devil to carry out his evil deeds( Scientific Opinions, doc1). This shows a clear societal prejudice against old people, specifically older women, but not everyone agreed there was a link between age and corruption.Belgian physician Johan Wier, while still showing disdain towards women and asserting their inferiority with their â€Å"melancholic nature and small brains†, concludes that although women were prone to depression the causes of their diseases were hardly supernatural(Scientific Opinions, doc2). Although not all society was convinced about the existence of witches, the fear and prejudice against older women was a contributing factor to the persecution of this specific group.The last, and probably greatest factor, that contributed to the fever of witchcraft was the fact that the European culture was characterized by strongly superstitious beliefs. The belief that witches could control men and do a variety of spells, is derived from the belief in the supernatural that most of the European population ha d. Thomas Ady, as describing the feelings of an English householder explains that â€Å"†¦ he cryeth out of some poor innocent neighbor that he or she hath bewitched him(Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc3).The testimony of a licensed midwife at Dillingen, Germany confessed her â€Å"witchcraft† and admitted that â€Å"she often had a good roast or an innocent child,†¦ kill young infants at birth† (Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc1). The report of Churchwardens in Gloucestershire England, reported that â€Å"†¦ Alice Prabury in our parish that useth herself suspiciously in the likelihood of a witch, taking upon her not only to help Christian people of diseases†¦ †(Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc4).All of these documents have in common the belief in evil women guided by the devil to preform witchcraft and unexplainable and horrible deeds such as eating young children, or bewitching young me n. The fact that these happenings were not only attributed to the supernatural, but where held as completely true, show the superstitious beliefs that so many held during the witch craze. These accusations were so serious that even those who were not guilty of anything ended up making delusional confessions in the midsts of torture.The beliefs were held as such truth that these innocent individuals would most likely by the end of their torture end up believing what they were charged with. â€Å"Some call me witch†¦ this they enforce upon me; and in part Make me to credit it†, cites the poem â€Å"The Witch of Edmonton†(Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc5). â€Å"Innocent have I come into prison, innocent have I been tortured, innocent must I die† wrote Johannes Junios to his daughter, clearly showing that many of these accusations were completely false(Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc 7).The combination of social prejudices , religious beliefs and cultural precepts helped spark the fire of a European witch craze that lasted over a century and claimed thousands of lives. The main target of this witchcraft were poor elderly women who were easy to dispose of due to years of hatred, superstition and discrimination. The European witch craze is a frightening example of how easily mankind is corrupted by hatred and prejudice and is lead to leave behind any sense of compassion, decency and rational thinking.While modern day â€Å"witch hunts† have been left for the movies and books to recreate, a great deal of prejudice still exists in the society we live in. The targeting of certain â€Å"weaker† groups by a â€Å"stronger† majority sadly remains a part of 21st century society. The reality of human society is that hardly anyone is willing to go through the excruciating process of admitting they are wrong, or realizing that things like gender, age, skin-color or religion are not to be used as an excuse to harm others.