United States Reform Movements Essay Example for Free

United States Reform Movements Essay In the years following the Second Great Awakening of the United States, numerous reform factions began to spring up around the country, fueled by recent evangelical ideals. Seeking to improve and expand democratic ideals, many of these factions undertook drastic measures to achieve what they believed to be a proper aspiration. Nevertheless, it would be farfetched to claim that such reform movements within the US resulted in any positive outcomes, and it would be much more logical to claim that many of the so-called reformers were in fact trying to further their own ambitions. By keeping penitentiary, church, and alcohol reforms as a pretense for egotistical purposes, they were able to attract an elite following of people that that acted with virtues that were anything but democratic. On of the first reform movements to become advocated was the penitentiary system. It had become a brutal institution, becoming known for excessively cruel punishments for criminal offenses. Extreme cases included imprisonment for insignificant amounts of debt, and asylums were common practices for what was believed to be insanity, following medieval practices. The Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, in 1829, reported that they were proud to have rescued the youthful from temptation and turning them into valuable members of society. Yet by allowing the Society, and other institutions like it, to determine which of the youths were undisciplined and under the influence of temptation, the United States government was effectively allowing these organizations to diminish democracy. When these institutions were allowed to decide who was or was not orderly, power shifted away from the people and into their hands. A similar transfer of control occurred during the Second Great Awakening, when a fresh wave of spiritual fervor empowered numerous factions of the church. By gaining control over a culture dedicated to a religion, the church managed to dictate an entire society towards its own values. Charles G. Finney, in 1843 remarked that all sorts of abandoned characters are awakened and converted by the church, failing to mention whether or not any of the profligates actually wished to be converted. By forcing infidels to follow their ethics, supporters of the church had secured themselves within a throne of power, with the ability to enforce what they believed was  moral, desecrating the principles of free speech and democracy. Samuel Morse commented that emigrants were selected not for their affinity to liberty, but for their mental servitude when coming into the country. The church had begun to demolish Naturalization Laws, one of the first benefits of the democracy of the United States, un der the flag of the nativists (those who wished to favor the natural inhabitants of the United States). By controlling who may or may not immigrate to the US, nativists had begun to gain a dangerous amount of power, not through democracy, but abnormally favoring selection. The same approach towards atypical persons was present within the movement against alcohol as there was within the nativists, for both wished to rid the United States of what they believed to be crimes against their people. The Temperance Movement was as a milder offspring of the teetotalism movement, which promoted a complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. Common belief with teetotal persons included an abhorrent view of alcohol, promoting notions that even a single drink of alcohol can and will lead to brawls, poverty, crime, and ultimately death or suicide. Even the less extreme Temperance movement had attempted to stop the peoples consumption of the wretched Demon Drink. Soon, laws were being created to enforce such views, with the Maine Law of 1851 standing out amongst them, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of liquor. Even though such a law was fueled by optimistic virtues, it was anything but democratic, enforcing one groups ideals onto an entire population without th eir consent. Attempting to force reform onto a people without their consent and condemning past principles for the sole reason of rash modification can not result in hopes for a new social order, as some movements may wish. During an address to Wesleyan College, Orestes Brownson proposed that Quack Reformers were disowning the past and promoting an entirely new social order. Of course, no good could possibly come from this, since it had taken numerous years to set up the securities that were in place, defending the democratic practices of the people of the United States. Reform should be focused around preserving values that are known to be sound and stable, not the upheaval of a society to the mere cause of altering a single trivial value. Drastic  Reform can only lead to ultimate destruction of democracy and leads to a rule by a chosen elite if not carefully monitored.

Merchant of Venice Essay: Triumph of Good over Evil :: Merchant Venice Essays

The trial scene in the Merchant of Venice is the climax of the play as Shylock has taken Antonio to court, as he has not paid back the money he borrowed.   Shylock wants the pound of flesh that is the forfeit of the bond concerning the money Antonio borrowed from him.   Shylock’s main motivation for wanting this forfeit is as his daughter has stolen his money and run away, he is taking out his spite on Antonio and this blinds him as he does not watch what he is getting into during this scene From the point where Shylock enters the courtroom everyone opposing him is appealing for mercy for Antonio and this is what the scene demonstrates, a need for mercy.   Portia says shortly after she has entered the scene ‘Then the Jew must be merciful’ she is not saying that this is what the law says he must be, but that he should do this because it is the only thing he can do morally.   The mercy theme runs all the way through the scene and many opportunities were offered by the Duke, Bassanio and Portia for Shylock to take the moral course of action, but he constantly refuses saying he should get what he deserves not by moral justice but by the law.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shylock does have the right to the forfeit of his bond and it is Antonio’s fault that he is in this situation because he signed the bond of his own free will.   He knew the consequences if he couldn’t pay it back as Shylock made it clear from the start.   This is shown by when at the start of the court scene when he says ‘Make no more offers use no farther means, but with all brief and plain conveniency let me have judgement, and the Jew his will’.   When he didn’t pay Shylock the money he owed him, Shylock had a right to Antonio’s forfeit by law.   The problem was he didn’t choose the moral path where he probably could have gotten a lot of money and become a very rich man, but chose the forfeit out of spite over his daughter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This theme is also repeated through the scene that Shylock deserves his justice by the letter of the law and the forfeit of his bond.   This is shown when he says phrases like ‘My deeds upon my head I crave the law, the penalty and forfeit of my bond’.

Temperance Movement and Document

The 18th Amendment 1. What is your first reaction to the 18th amendment? My first reaction to the 18th amendment was why do they have this in the first place? Why do they think alcohol is the reason for everything? 2. Do you think this amendment could be passed today? Why or why not? No, because they see what happened before. This time it wouldn’t be better at all. 3. Why do you think some Americans in 1918 might have wanted this amendment? Because they thought alcohol was the cause of the all the problems and corruption. Document A 1. (Sourcing) When was this document written?Was this before or after the passage of the 18th Amendment? This document was written on September 20, 1920. This was after the passage of the 18th Amendments. 2. Why might the National Temperance Council have met in 1920 (after the passage of the 18th Amendment) What do you predict they will say? I think they might talk about why they passed the 18th Amendment. 3. (Close Reading) What does the National Temperance Council claim is caused by alcohol? They claim that everything wrong with someone was caused by the alcohol. 4. (Context)Do you find these claims convincing?Do you think people at the time found these claims convincing? Explain. I don’t find these claims convincing. However, at the time people would find these claims convincing because they wouldn’t know anything else they would believe what the government is saying. Document B 1. (Sourcing) When was this document written? Was this before or after the passage of the 18th Amendment? This document was written on November 14, 1922. This was after the 18th Amendment. 2. (Close Reading) What is the â€Å" Hooch Murder Bill†? The â€Å"Hooch Murder Bill† states that if someone sells alcohol and the buyer dies they can be tried for murder. . (Context) Based on this document , who is the Anti-Saloon League blaming for the sale of alcohol during Prohibition? Who do you think they singled this group? The Anti-Saloon League is blaming foreigner. I think they are blaming them because alcohol is part of their culture, and they are not from America. Document C and D 1. (Sourcing) When were these posters made? Was that before or after the passage of the 18th Amendment? These posters were made in 1913. These posters were before the passage of the 18th Amendment. Who published these posters? What was their perspective?Scientific Temperance Federation published these posters. Their perspective was alcohol was the cause of everything bad. 2. (Close reading) According to these posters, what are the two reasons why Prohibition is a good idea? According to these posters prohibition is a good idea was because it kills infants and it destroys a child’s birthright. 3. (Close Words) Look at the words used in Document C. These were considered â€Å"scientific† categories. What does that tell you about science at this time? By looking at these words in Document C, I can tell science at this time was only based on assumption. . (Context) Using these posters, explain some of the beliefs about children that were common in the early 20th century. Do you think these beliefs are silly or reasonable? Explain. I think these reason beliefs were silly, because they never proved that alcohol was the problems. They only made is through assumptions. They saw birth defects, poor work man ships, disabilities, memory lose etc. They saw alcohol was a cause and with that they passed the Amendment. They didn’t think the corruption was the cause of all the problems. |

World War I And The Great War - 2006 Words

World War I, also known as the First World War, or the Great War, was a global war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. Over 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war, a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents technological and industrial sophistication, and the tactical stalemate caused by trench warfare, a grueling form of warfare in which the defender held the advantage. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war†¦show more content†¦Within weeks, the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. On 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia and subsequently invaded. As Russia mobilised in support of Serbia, Germany invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, leading the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany. After the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that would change little until 1917. Meanwhile, on the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, but was stopped in its invasion of East Prussia by the Germans. In November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. Italy joined the Allies in 1915 and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in the same year, while Romania joined the Allies in 1916, followed by the United States in 1917. The Russian government collapsed in March 1917, and a subsequent revolution in November brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers via the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, which constituted a massive German victory. After a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the

The Cockroach By Kevin Halligan Essay - 1834 Words

Born in the early 1960’s, Kevin Halligan was a Canadian poet who explored different parts of the world from a very young age on. The Cockroach, which is one of his most famous works, is a potential reflection of his experiences and the insights he has gained as an individual, while embarking on a journey of self-actualization. Through the cockroach, we get to see a sense of uncertainty, and a difficult process of contemplation that Halligan undergoes before realizing something that is crucial in his period of existence. Halligan takes us on a journey, which centralizes upon a vital character, a mere cockroach. We see this central body embark on a journey where he finds his true self and establishes a purpose for his life. A feel of positive existentialism is felt across the poem, and the reader is constantly questioning the purpose of every move made by the cockroach. The key instrument Halligan uses in order to emphasize further on his personal thoughts and this strong story is the use of his uniquely grasping diction. Just like any other poem, diction plays a key role in setting a tone and sending across a message to the reader. In order to effectively use diction, a poet must be clearly aware of the purpose, or the story that he or she is intending to put across. To a great extent, the relevant themes of self-realization and existentialism are brought out through the effective and efficient use of diction in Kevin Halligan’s The Cockroach. Halligan does so brilliantly inShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Kevin Halligan s The Cockroach1975 Words   |  8 Pages This essay examines the question ‘To what extent does the use of diction highlight significant themes of self-realization and existentialism in Kevin Halligan’s The Cockroach?† The essay first off addresses the influences on the poet, Halligan himself, which would have led him to encounter trials and tribulations in his life. The idea of a journey, a process of learning is established further on. The concept of self-realization is then linked into how this poem is a perfect mirror of the real lifeRead MoreConcerns about Human Conditions in Poems, Summer Farm and The Cockroach by Poets Norman MacCaig and Kevin Halligan851 Words   |  3 PagesThe poets Norman MacCaig and Kevin Halligan express their concern about the human condition in the poems ‘Summer Farm’ and ‘The Cockroach’. As they investigate the role and identity of the individual, the theme of self-reflection is revealed. The title of the poem ‘Summer Farm’ is rather misleading. At first look, it brings us a feeling of warmth and good memories, which are usually related to the summer. ‘Farm’ evokes the same effect with the addition to the visual imagery of animals and natureRead MoreThe Cockroach by Kevin Kalligan1006 Words   |  4 PagesKevin Halligan was born in Toronto, Canada in 1964. He regards himself as an Anglophile and has spent long periods of time living in England, but has also travelled in Asia, where this poem, ‘The Cockroach’, was written. ‘The Cockroach’, is a short passage of a cockroach and how it made its way around a room, moving in lines and loops. It uses many different forms of imagery to depict the cockroach giving it emotion and character. In this poem he apparently focuses an intense concentration on anRead MoreLiterature Marking Scheme9477 Words   |  38 PagesDifferent History’ Gerard Manley Hopkins, ‘Pied Beauty’ Allen Curnow, ‘Continuum’ Edwin Muir, ‘Horses’ Judith Wright, ‘Hunting Snake’ Ted Hughes, ‘Pike’ Christina Rossetti, ‘A Birthday’ Dante Gabriel Rossetti, ‘The Woodspurge’ Kevin Halligan, ‘The Cockroach’ Margaret Atwood, ‘The City Planners’ Boey Kim Cheng, ‘The Planners’ Norman MacCaig, ‘Summer Farm’ Elizabeth Brewster, ‘Where I Come From’ William Wordsworth, ‘Sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’ Songs of Ourselves: The University

Character Symbolism In Animal Farm - 705 Words

A History of Soviet Communists, through the eyes of Animal Farm How successful did George Orwell use character symbolism in Animal Farm; to represent the major founders of Soviet communist idealism? English Literature Contents Introduction 3 Old Major 4 Snowball and Napoleon 5 Introduction Symbolism is a literary device and a form of indirect expression. It enables the author to demonstrate reality, while giving the reader the opportunity to conclude and analyze. Thus it adds depth to the meaning of the literary work. It functions as pictures and colors in art that represent thoughts and emotions. Animal Farm is a fable. A fable is a story, in which all characters are animals symbolizing real life individuals or social classes.†¦show more content†¦Snowball resembles Trotsky, who took control of the military, and was successful in creating a victory against Krensky in November. Trotsky also set the Red army that succeeded in ending civil war in Russia in 1920. Trotsky created an economic plan that evolved trade with other nations. Considered as an internationalist, he was exiled in 1928 by Stalin: the last major character in the story, who is Napoleon. Napoleon used studded dogs with collars to spread fear among animals and exile Snowball. A similar power was used by Stalin, in which he used the secret police. Napoleon also followed snowball’s schemes, but he put animals under harsh working conditions. Such conditions were common among the Soviet Union, where ten million workers died, due to starvation. Even though, growth was apparent in both the Soviet Union and Animal Farm, workers’ conditions didn’t improve. Soviet economy posted an estimated average annual growth rate in gross national product (GNP) of 5.8% from 1928 to 1940, 5.7% from 1950 to 1960, and 5.2% from 1960 to 1970 (Investopedia). Only the Bolshevik party or pigs took advantage of the growth and used propaganda to show otherwise. Conclusion George Orwell showed dexterity in creating obvious resemblance between both the story characters and the Soviet leaders. Therefore, Animal Farm could be considered a true master piece in the usage ofShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of Animal Farm By George Orwell1310 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of Animal Farm Although they claimed the farm to be a utopia, the pigs secretly were deceiving their fellow animals and turning the farm into a dystopia. In George Orwell s Animal Farm all of the animals are mistreated by Farmer Jones, but they wish to be treated as equals and live in a utopia so they rebel and take over the farm. The animals first write commandments to avoid chaos, but the leader pigs selfishly modify the commandments in their favor. In the end, the farm is worse offRead MoreAnimal Farm Film Analysis838 Words   |  4 Pages This essay is a comparative analysis between the film and novel, Animal Farm. Animal Farm was written by George Orwell in 1943 and published on the 17th of August 1945. A motion picture of the novel was later produced on the 29th of December 1954 by director Joy Bachelor. There are many differences and similarities between the novel and film involving the use of characters, symbolism, themes, dialogue and events. Animal farm was a successful novel as the length was 112 pages, therefore the movieRead MoreAnimal Farm, By George Orwell1212 Words   |  5 PagesShe stood there over the dead animals thinking to herself what have we come to? We try to become free but we just enslave ourselves to a so called superior kind. Napoleon killed the animals in front of the whole farm and said that this was to be the punishment for the traitors. Snowball was known as a traitor now and anyone conspiring with him would be killed. Snowball and Napoleon both represent historical characters during the Russian revolution in 1917.Snowball who was one of the smartest pigsRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Animal Farm By George Orwell1460 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Analysis of Animal Farm A quote from Wayne Dyer, a late American author and motivational speaker, says that â€Å"[f]reedom means you are unobstructed in living your life as you choose. Anything less is a form of slavery.† This promotes the idea that ultimate freedom to control one’s life is the only way to live. One way to achieve this freedom, if not given, is to stage a revolution against authority. In Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell, parallels are drawn between his characters and the majorRead MoreAnimal Farm is an allegory that was written by George Orwell that tells the story of the Russian800 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal Farm is an allegory that was written by George Orwell that tells the story of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union by using a great deal of symbolism. Three things that Orwell represented in his allegory were the leaders of the Russian Revolution/Soviet Union, the government, and even objects that were important to the Revolution. In Animal Farm George Orwell used his characters to represent the leaders of the Soviet Union and the people of Russia. Mr. Jones, the farmer whom the animalsRead MoreGeorge Orwell‚Äà ´s Animal Farm: The Rise of Communism1207 Words   |  5 Pagesof communism in Russia throughout the book Animal Farm by the accurate elucidation of the context in the Soviet Union from 1917-1945. Orwell’s attitude and political view towards Russia is evident in his representation of the farm animals on Communist Party leaders: Napoleon and Snowball, for example, are figurations of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, respectively. He expresses the anthropomorphic characters of farm animals, and major events in Animal Farm such as the Rebellion and the constructionRead MoreHow Has George Orwell Used Animal Farm to Present His View of Human Nature?789 Words   |  4 PagesGeorge Orwell’s Animal Farm is a satirical allegory through which he presents his cynical view of human nature. He uses the animal fable effectively to expose the issues of injustice, exploitation and inequality in human society. Orwell uses the allegory, Animal Farm, to present the story of The Russian Revolution and essentially express his opinions on the matter. By plainly exposing the unjust and corrupt system that is communism, Orwell is ultimately presenting his pessimistic view of humanRead MoreAnimal Farm By George Orwell944 Words   |  4 PagesIt was a pig walking on his hind legs(Orwell 132). He carried a whip in his trotter(Orwell 133). In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, animals have the ability to talk and form their own ethos, Animalism. Animal Farm is an intriguing allegory by George Orwell, who is also the author of 1984, includes many enjoyable elements. More knowledge of the author, his use of allegorical elements, themes, symbols, and the significance in the real world, allows the reader to get more out of this glanceRead MoreThe Use of Distortion as a Literary Device in George Orwells Animal Farm580 Words   |  3 PagesAnimal Farm, by George Orwell, is an excellent example of di stortion as a literary device. The story is set up as a fable using a third person objective viewpoint and personification of animals to represent historical figures and stereotypes. Distortion can also be found in much of the symbolism throughout the novel. Similar to a fable, Animal Farm makes use of personification. In the story, farm animals are used to represent different classes of people, from the average working man to governmentRead MoreSymbolism in Animal Farm Essay562 Words   |  3 PagesAnimal Farm has been described as  ¨a satire on the Russian revolution ¨, as a result, many symbolisms can be found in this book. However, Orwell also associates  ¨certain real characters with the characters of the book. ¨ This is proved by Snowball and Napoleon, characters which represent Leon Trotsky and Stalin, respectively. However, this are not the only symbolisms. Throughout the novel, we find out that Napoleon is always surrounded and supported by the pigs. Pigs which might represent

Multitasking free essay sample

Day in, Day out we all start our day doing more than one thing at a time. The morning starts with ironing our clothes while we listen to the news, delegating tasks to our family members to get our day going in what we call a productive manner, or better yet, â€Å"killing two birds with one stone. † We are all guilty of some form of multi-tasking. The article written by Alina Tugend gives an outlook on the art of multi-tasking and the effects. Reading the article the author wants us to think about how often we are multi-tasking without being aware of it. She wants us to think about the effects this has on our daily activities. Recognizing that multi-tasking is not doing more than one thing productively, but shifting focus which may not be beneficial to us. How hard it is to return to the task at hand, it delays our attention to detail causing us to be less productive. We will write a custom essay sample on Multitasking or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Multitasking can be a distraction causing injury and harm mentally and physically. The information given in the essay is to be used to identify a problem that we as an audience are unaware of. The article gives information to be considered, with supportive information following. She wants us to use the information to make changes to our daily activities. The intended audience is everyone, anyone guilty of utilizing more than one body function at a time to produce a greater outcome as a result. The author made the assumption that we are all guilty of multi-tasking. That today’s society can only operate while doing several things, that we are all unaware of it as being a problem. Trying to multitask will affect everyone the same. The author has identified various things we do on a daily basis and combined them with what individuals are able to put together, ex: walking and texting. She has drawn her opinion on a large number of people not specific to one race, gender, or age group. Everyone has been included is this unconscious event, what some consider to be a skill mastered. Politics does play a factor in the development of this essay; the author believes that the audience knew how often we were multi-tasking and that we believe it’s not a problem, but that it helps us to be more efficient and productive. The author is guilty in this case of utilizing the multi-tasking trait herself and is able to empathize with the audience. The author presents a stance towards the end of the article that acknowledges her own mishap of checking her email while writing the article. Direct connection to the purpose of the article is identified the writer doesn’t feel it’s beneficial to multitask. The writer has a positive attitude to the topic and supports the fact that multi-tasking can make you lose focus. The stance is openly stated, but as you read through the article from that point on you can hear what the author is saying about their perspective on multi-tasking. In conclusion the article was very informative; it brought to light what we fail to see as a problem. She offers several perspectives from different studies. It does show that multi-tasking will make you lose focus. Interruptions are apart of multitasking, you have to shift you focus from what your doing to what’s trying to get your attention. After several interruptions you lose focus and are unable to get right back on task causing you to be stressed and frustrated, not beneficial factors in multi-tasking. The author has convinced me that multi-tasking is an issue that a lot of us can relate to. It has become a norm to our society and has come to be accepted as part of our daily routine, if you can’t multitask then you may fall behind. In reality multitasking is what’s really causing the delay. It can cause harm to you and your well being, if we just take the time to sit and concentrate on one thing at a time, single-tasking can be beneficial to our health and relationships as well.