Conflict Theory

The several social theories that emphasize social conflict have roots in the ideas of Karl Marx (1818-1883), the great German theorist and political activist. The Marxist, conflict approach emphasizes a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical method of analysis, a critical stance toward existing social arrangements, and a political program of revolution or, at least, reform. Marx summarized the key elements of this materialist view of history as follows: In the social production of their existence, men inevitably enter into definite relations, which are independent of their will, namely relations of production appropriate to a given stage in the development of their material forces of production. The totality of these relations of production constitutes the economic structure of society, the real foundation, on which arises a legal and political superstructure and to which correspond definite forms of social consciousness. The mode of production of material life conditions the general process of social, political and intellectual life. It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness (Marx 1971:20). Marx divided history into several stages, conforming to broad patterns in the economic structure of society. The most important stages for Marx's argument were feudalism, capitalism, and socialism. The bulk of Marx's writing is concerned with applying the materialist model of society to capitalism, the stage of economic and social development that Marx saw as dominant in 19th century Europe. For Marx, the central institution of capitalist society is private property, the system by which capital (that is, money, machines, tools, factories, and other material objects used in production) is controlled by a small minority of the population. This arrangement leads to two opposed classes, the owners of capital (called the bourgeoisie) and the workers (called the proletariat), whose only property is their own labor time, which they have to sell to the capitalists. Economic exploitation leads directly to political oppression, as owners make use of their economic power to gain control of the state and turn it into a servant of bourgeois economic interests. Police power, for instance, is used to enforce property rights and guarantee unfair contracts between capitalist and worker. Oppression also takes more subtle forms: religion serves capitalist interests by pacifying the population; intellectuals, paid directly or indirectly by capitalists, spend their careers justifying and rationalizing the existing social and economic arrangements. In sum, the economic structure of society molds the superstructure, including ideas (e. g. , morality, ideologies, art, and literature) and the social institutions that support the class structure of society (e. g. , the state, the educational system, the family, and religious institutions). Because the dominant or ruling class (the bourgeoisie) controls the social relations of production, the dominant ideology in capitalist society is that of the ruling class. Ideology and social institutions, in turn, serve to reproduce and perpetuate the economic class structure. Thus, Marx viewed the exploitative economic arrangements of capitalism as the real foundation upon which the superstructure of social, political, and intellectual consciousness is built. (Figure 1 depicts this model of historical materialism. Marx's view of history might seem completely cynical or pessimistic, were it not for the possibilities of change revealed by his method of dialectical analysis. (The Marxist dialectical method, based on Hegel's earlier idealistic dialectic, focuses attention on how an existing social arrangement, or thesis, generates its social opposite, or antithesis, and on how a qualitatively different social form, or synthesis, emerges from the resulting struggle. ) Marx was an optim ist. He believed that any stage of history based on exploitative economic arrangements generated within itself the seeds of its own destruction. For instance, feudalism, in which land owners exploited the peasantry, gave rise to a class of town-dwelling merchants, whose dedication to making profits eventually led to the bourgeois revolution and the modern capitalist era. Similarly, the class relations of capitalism will lead inevitably to the next stage, socialism. The class relations of capitalism embody a contradiction: capitalists need workers, and vice versa, but the economic interests of the two groups are fundamentally at odds. Such contradictions mean inherent conflict and instability, the class struggle. Adding to the instability of the capitalist system are the inescapable needs for ever-wider markets and ever-greater investments in capital to maintain the profits of capitalists. Marx expected that the resulting economic cycles of expansion and contraction, together with tensions that will build as the working class gains greater understanding of its exploited position (and thus attains class consciousness), will eventually culminate in a socialist revolution. Despite this sense of the unalterable logic of history, Marxists see the need for social criticism and for political activity to speed the arrival of socialism, which, not being based on private property, is not expected to involve as many contradictions and conflicts as capitalism. Marxists believe that social theory and political practice are dialectically intertwined, with theory enhanced by political involvement and with political practice necessarily guided by theory. Intellectuals ought, therefore, to engage in praxis, to combine political criticism and political activity. Theory itself is seen as necessarily critical and value-laden, since the prevailing social relations are based upon alienating and dehumanizing exploitation of the labor of the working classes. Marx's ideas have been applied and reinterpreted by scholars for over a hundred years, starting with Marx's close friend and collaborator, Friedrich Engels (1825-95), who supported Marx and his family for many years from the profits of the textile factories founded by Engels' father, while Marx shut himself away in the library of the British Museum. Later, Vladimir I. Lenin (1870-1924), leader of the Russian revolution, made several influential contributions to Marxist theory. In recent years Marxist theory has taken a great variety of forms, notably the world-systems theory proposed by Immanuel Wallerstein (1974, 1980) and the comparative theory of revolutions put forward by Theda Skocpol (1980). Marxist ideas have also served as a starting point for many of the modern feminist theorists. Despite these applications, Marxism of any variety is still a minority position among American sociologists. Functionalism is the oldest, and still the dominant, theoretical perspective in sociology and many other social sciences. This perspective is built upon twin emphases: application of the scientific method to the objective social world and use of an analogy between the individual organism and society. The emphasis on scientific method leads to the assertion that one can study the social world in the same ways as one studies the physical world. Thus, Functionalists see the social world as â€Å"objectively real,† as observable with such techniques as social surveys and interviews. Furthermore, their positivistic view of social science assumes that study of the social world can be value-free, in that the investigator's values will not necessarily interfere with the disinterested search for social laws governing the behavior of social systems. Many of these ideas go back to Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), the great French sociologist whose writings form the basis for functionalist theory (see Durkheim 1915, 1964); Durkheim was himself one of the first sociologists to make use of scientific and statistical techniques in sociological research (1951). The second emphasis, on the organic unity of society, leads functionalists to speculate about needs which must be met for a social system to exist, as well as the ways in which social institutions satisfy those needs. A functionalist might argue, for instance, that every society will have a religion, because religious institutions have certain functions which contribute to the survival of the social system as a whole, just as the organs of the body have functions which are necessary for the body's survival. Functionalist theories have very often been criticized as teleological, that is, reversing the usual order of cause and effect by explaining things in terms of what happens afterward, not what went before. A strict functionalist might explain certain religious practices, for instance, as being functional by contributing to a society's survival; however, such religious traditions will usually have been firmly established long before the question is finally settled of whether the society as a whole will actually survive. Bowing to this kind of criticism of the basic logic of functionalist theory, most current sociologists have stopped using any explicitly functionalistic explanations of social phenomena, and the extreme version of functionalism expounded by Talcott Parsons has gone out of fashion. Nevertheless, many sociologists continue to expect that by careful, objective scrutiny of social phenomena they will eventually be able to discover the general laws of social behavior, and this hope still serves as the motivation for a great deal of sociological thinking and research. RATIONAL CHOICE AND EXCHANGE THEORY {text:bookmark-start} {text:bookmark-end} SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM Symbolic interactionism, or interactionism for short, is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. This perspective has a long intellectual history, beginning with the German sociologist and economist, Max Weber (1864-1920) and the American philosopher, George H. Mead (1863-1931), both of whom emphasized the subjective meaning of human behavior, the social process, and pragmatism. Although there are a number of versions of interactionist thought, some deriving from phenomenological writings by philosophers, the following description offers a simplified amalgamation of these ideas, concentrating on points of convergence. Herbert Blumer, who studied with Mead at the University of Chicago, is responsible for coining the term, â€Å"symbolic interactionism,† as well as for formulating the most prominent version of the theory (Blumer 1969). Interactionists focus on the subjective aspects of social life, rather than on objective, macro-structural aspects of social systems. One reason for this focus is that interactionists base their theoretical perspective on their image of humans, rather than on their image of society (as the functionalists do). For interactionists, humans are pragmatic actors who continually must adjust their behavior to the actions of other actors. We can adjust to these actions only because we are able to interpret them, i. e. , to denote them symbolically and treat the actions and those who perform them as symbolic objects. This process of adjustment is aided by our ability to imaginatively rehearse alternative lines of action before we act. The process is further aided by our ability to think about and to react to our own actions and even our selves as symbolic objects. Thus, the interactionist theorist sees humans as active, creative participants who construct their social world, not as passive, conforming objects of socialization. For the interactionist, society consists of organized and patterned interactions among individuals. Thus, research by interactionists focuses on easily observable face-to-face interactions rather than on macro-level structural relationships involving social institutions. Furthermore, this focus on interaction and on the meaning of events to the participants in those events (the definition of the situation) shifts the attention of interactionists away from stable norms and values toward more changeable, continually readjusting social processes. Whereas for functionalists socialization creates stability in the social system, for interactionists negotiation among members of society creates temporary, socially constructed relations which remain in constant flux, despite relative stability in the basic framework governing those relations. These emphases on symbols, negotiated reality, and the social construction of society lead to an interest in the roles people play. Erving Goffman (1958), a prominent social theorist in this tradition, discusses roles dramaturgically, using an analogy to the theater, with human social behavior seen as more or less well scripted and with humans as role-taking actors. Role-taking is a key mechanism of interaction, for it permits us to take the other's perspective, to see what our actions might mean to the other actors with whom we interact. At other times, interactionists emphasize the improvisational quality of roles, with human social behavior seen as poorly scripted and with humans as role-making improvisers. Role-making, too, is a key mechanism of interaction, for all situations and roles are inherently ambiguous, thus requiring us to create those situations and roles to some extent before we can act. Interactionists tend to study social interaction through participant observation, rather than surveys and interviews. They argue that close contact and immersion in the everyday lives of the participants is necessary for understanding the meaning of actions, the definition of the situation itself, and the process by which actors construct the situation through their interaction. Given this close contact, interactionists could hardly remain free of value commitments, and, in fact, interactionists make explicit use of their values in choosing what to study but strive to be objective in the conduct of their research. Symbolic interactionists are often criticized by other sociologists for being overly impressionistic in their research methods and somewhat unsystematic in their theories. These objections, combined with the fairly narrow focus of interactionist research on small-group interactions and other social psychological issues, have relegated the interactionist camp to a minority position among sociologists, although a fairly substantial minority. Bureaucratic Form According to Max Weber — His Six Major Principles Before covering Weber's Six Major Principles, I want to describe the various multiple meanings of the word â€Å"bureaucracy. A group of workers (for example, civil service employees of the U. S. government), is referred to as â€Å"the bureaucracy. † An example: â€Å"The threat of Gramm-Rudman-Hollings cuts has the bureaucracy in Washington deeply concerned. † Bureaucracy is the name of an organizational form used by sociologists and organizational design pr ofessionals. Bureaucracy has an informal usage, as in â€Å"there's too much bureaucracy where I work. † This informal usage describes a set of characteristics or attributes such as â€Å"red tape† or â€Å"inflexibility† that frustrate people who deal with or who work for organizations they perceive as â€Å"bureaucratic. Weber noted six major principles. 1. A formal hierarchical structure Each level controls the level below and is controlled by the level above. A formal hierarchy is the basis of central planning and centralized decision making. 2. Management by rules Controlling by rules allows decisions made at high levels to be executed consistently by all lower levels. 3. Organization by functional specialty Work is to be done by specialists, and people are organized into units based on the type of work they do or skills they have. 4. An â€Å"up-focused† or â€Å"in-focused† mission If the mission is described as â€Å"up-focused,† then the organization's purpose is to serve the stockholders, the board, or whatever agency empowered it. If the mission is to serve the organization itself, and those within it, e. g. , to produce high profits, to gain market share, or to produce a cash stream, then the mission is described as â€Å"in-focused. † 5. Purposely impersonal The idea is to treat all employees equally and customers equally, and not be influenced by individual differences. . Employment based on technical qualifications (There may also be protection from arbitrary dismissal. ) The bureaucratic form, according to Parkinson, has another attribute. 7. Predisposition to grow in staff â€Å"above the line. † Weber failed to notice this, but C. Northcote Parkinson found it so common that he made it the basis of his humorous â€Å"Parkinson's law. † Parkinson demonstrated th at the management and professional staff tends to grow at predictable rates, almost without regard to what the line organization is doing. The bureaucratic form is so common that most people accept it as the normal way of organizing almost any endeavor. People in bureaucratic organizations generally blame the ugly side effects of bureaucracy on management, or the founders, or the owners, without awareness that the real cause is the organizing form. Iron cage is a sociological concept introduced by Max Weber. Iron cage refers to the increasing rationalization of human life, which traps individuals in an â€Å"iron cage† of rule-based, rational control. He also called such over-bureaucratized social order â€Å"the polar night of icy darkness†. The original German term is stahlhartes Gehause; this was translated into ‘iron cage', an expression made familiar to English language speakers by Talcott Parsons in his 1958 translation of Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Recently some sociologists have questioned this translation, arguing that the correct term should be ‘shell as hard as steel' and that the difference from the original translation is significant. A more literal translation from German would be â€Å"steel-hard housing. Weber wrote: â€Å"In Baxter’s view the care for external goods should only lie on the shoulders of the ‘saint like a light cloak, which can be thrown aside at any moment. ‘ But fate decreed that the cloak should become an iron cage. † Weber became concerned with social actions and the subjective meaning that humans attach to their action s and interaction within specific social contexts. He also believed in idealism, which is the belief that we only know things because of the meanings that we apply to them. This led to his interest in power and authority in terms of bureaucracy and rationalization

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 25

I'd sworn I'd never go back into my bedroom, but just then, I needed my bed. I spent the rest of the day in it, curled up in the proverbial fetal position. Much like when I'd made Seth leave, I didn't feel anything. I was dead inside. There was nothing left, nothing in my life, nothing to keep me going. Some wise part of my brain said I should cry. I knew there was grief inside of me, grief that would eventually explode. But I was blocking it for now, afraid to acknowledge that all of this was real or face the consequences. This, I realized, was why Yasmine had screamed. It was a terrible thing to be cut off from something you loved so much. To be cut off from the thing that gave your existence meaning. Hours passed, and light and shadows moved across my bedroom as the sun began its descent. My room grew dark, but I didn't bother flipping on the lights. I didn't have the energy or motivation. I don't know how much time passed before I heard the knock. At first, I wasn't even sure that's what it was. Then, it sounded again – definitely someone knocking on my front door. I stayed in bed, not wanting to see or talk to anyone. What if it's Seth? Some small part of me clung to that hope, that maybe he'd changed his mind. The rest of me didn't believe it. I'd seen the look in his eyes. The resolve. He wasn't coming back. And if he wasn't coming back, then there was no point in being social. My visitor knocked a third time, louder still. Beside me, Aubrey turned her head toward the living room, then toward me, no doubt wondering why I wouldn't put a stop to the noise. With a sigh, I crawled out of bed and stalked toward the front of the apartment. Half-way there, I stopped. It wasn't Seth. â€Å"Georgina!† wailed a twangy soprano voice. â€Å"I know you're in there. I can sense you.† I'd sensed Tawny too, of course, which is why I'd stopped walking. I sighed again, wondering if it would be possible to ignore her. Probably not. Even if I didn't answer, she'd probably stand out there all day, now that she knew I was here. I opened the door, expecting to be barreled into with tears and fanfare. Instead, I found Tawny standing calmly outside my door, hesitant to enter. Her eyes were wet after all, but she seemed to be trying very hard to rein herself in. The trembling of her lip suggested that wasn't going to be easy. And she had a glow. â€Å"C-can I come in?† she asked. I stepped to the side and waved her in. â€Å"You want me to take you out for a drink to celebrate your conquest?† That was it. She lost it. Sobbing into her hands, she sank down on to my loveseat. Still numbed from the Seth fallout, I had no mental energy to deal with this. Not enough energy to hate her, not enough energy to pity her. I was living apathy. â€Å"Tawny, I – â€Å" â€Å"I'm sorry!† she interrupted. â€Å"I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want to. I didn't want to do it. But he told me if I did that it'd pay off for both of us, that he'd pull strings to get me faster advancement and that I'd – â€Å" â€Å"Whoa, hang on,† I said. â€Å"Who's ‘he'? Niphon?† She nodded and produced a pack of tissues from her purse. At least she traveled prepared now. She blew her nose loudly before going on. â€Å"He told me to fake it – fake being bad. I mean†¦well, actually, I am kind of bad. Okay, a lot bad. I can't flirt like you. And I really can't dance.† She paused a moment, as though this caused her particular pain. â€Å"But you were right in saying it was impossible for me to not get sex from someone. I did. I just lied and said I couldn't.† It was just as I'd suspected for a while now, but hearing her confirm it didn't really cheer me up. It was yet another reminder of all the miserable things in my life these last couple of weeks. Staring at her, I still couldn't bring myself to feel angry at her. Partially because I was still drained of feeling and partially because it just wasn't worth it. Niphon had used her to play me, but he'd played her too. â€Å"You're a good liar,† I told her finally. â€Å"I could never be sure if you were telling the truth or not – but you seemed to be. I'm usually good at reading people.† Tawny smiled, just a little, with something almost like pride. â€Å"I hustled people a lot when I was mortal. Worked some con jobs.† The smile disappeared. â€Å"Until that asshole dumped me for a cheap blond whore. She had no idea what she was doing, but did he care? No. Dick. He's sorry now. They both are.† I blinked. I hadn't expected to hear that. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear that. Suddenly, Tawny's initial desire to make men everywhere suffer made a lot more sense – as did the reason she might have sold her soul in the first place. I hoped her current appearance wasn't some weird bastardization of the cheap blond whore. Because that would just be kind of creepy. â€Å"Well, um, I'm†¦sure they are. And you know, the skills you need to hustle and con aren't that different from seduction.† Maybe it was the moving and talking, but as I sat there, my sluggish brain began to stir to life and analyze the situation. â€Å"Tawny, why are you telling me this? If you're working for Niphon, he's probably not going to appreciate you blowing his cover.† â€Å"You're right. He doesn't know I'm here. But†¦but I was afraid. I know it'll all come out if you tell, and I don't want to go down with him! I thought if I came and talked to you and told you what happened that maybe†¦maybe you could forgive me. I'm starting to like it here. I don't want to leave. And if they punish him, they'll punish me too and – â€Å" â€Å"Wait, wait. Stop again. Punish him for what? For getting you to lie?† I frowned. â€Å"And what is it I'm going to tell?† Tawny was so surprised that she forgot to sniffle. â€Å"About her.† â€Å"Her?† â€Å"That – that hag. The one who came into my dreams†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Nyx? Oh. That really is how you hid your glow. Hugh was right.† â€Å"I hated it,† said Tawny vehemently. â€Å"Every time he made me go to her so she could suck me out. And then I'd have such weird dreams.† Think, Georgina, think! It was all coming together here if I could just put my own romantic disaster off to the side of my mind for a moment. â€Å"You†¦went to Nyx willingly? To have your energy sucked out so I wouldn't find out that you were lying?† Tawny nodded. My brain hurt. â€Å"And he – Niphon – made you, and – † I stopped. â€Å"Niphon knew about Nyx. You both did. And how to find her.† â€Å"He's the one who got her to come here when she escaped. Promised her two succubi,† sniffed Tawny. She gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"I thought†¦I thought you knew all that? I heard you were there when they captured her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tawny looked a little nervous, like she was wondering if maybe she'd done the wrong thing in betraying Niphon. As for me, I was suddenly reliving the battle back in my bedroom and Nyx's offer to help me get revenge on the one who'd sent her after me†¦. Niphon. â€Å"Niphon?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Niphon sent a crazy chaos goddess after me? Why? Why does he hate me that much?† Tawny's eyes went wide, no doubt surprised at my sudden outburst. â€Å"I†¦I don't know. He just said that he wanted to make things difficult for you. Screw up your life. Maybe get you sent away.† Hugh's words came back to me. All I know is that when an imp shows up and is going to this much trouble over something, the evidence suggests it's big. My heart raced, and I grabbed hold of her hand. â€Å"Tawny. Did he ever say anything about my contract? Any contract at all?† She shook her head frantically, tousling her blond curls even more than they already were. â€Å"No, not while I was around.† â€Å"Are you sure? Think! Think of anything, anything at all he might have said to explain why he did what he did.† â€Å"No, nothing!† She broke her hand away. â€Å"I'm telling you the truth this time. He just made it sound as though†¦well, like he didn't like you. He wanted you to be unhappy. Suffer. I don't know.† Niphon. So many things could be laid at his feet. According to Tawny, he'd used her to make me look like a bad mentor (which I was, kind of) and possibly get sent away. The imp had also talked to Seth about selling his soul – despite my warnings. Seth's decision to leave me had been his own, true. But, I realized, Niphon had played a role in getting Seth to think about such things. The distraction Nyx had caused – which apparently Niphon had brought about too – had cut me off from spending time with Seth. Realizing how close he'd been to selling his soul had driven Seth away. The fear of how that would affect him and me both had been too strong – strong enough that he chose to walk away from me. â€Å"Georgina?† I made a decision then. It wasn't going to change what had happened with Seth and me, but it was going to make me feel better. â€Å"Georgina?† repeated Tawny, peering at me. â€Å"Are you okay? You aren't going to get me sent away, are you? Georgina?† I rose from my chair, surprised at how my muscles had become kinked. No longer wanting to be dressed up, I shape-shifted out of the dress and into jeans and an empire cut sweater. Black. Like my mood. I glanced over at Tawny. â€Å"You want to go to a party with me?† I drove us over to Peter and Cody's, where the â€Å"evil† holiday party was taking place. I barely noticed that it was raining again. I walked up the building's stairs like one going to her own funeral, grim and purposeful – and with enough speed that Tawny had to scurry to keep up in her stilettos. When I felt the immortal signatures within the apartment, smug relief flooded me upon discovering Niphon was still there. Peter opened the door before I finished knocking. He wore a red sweater with an appliqu? ¦ Santa on it. It matched his tree, of course. â€Å"Look at this,† he said sarcastically. â€Å"She deigns to show up and join us lowly – â€Å" I strode past him without a word. He gaped. Moving through the room, I was vaguely aware of the others there. Jerome. Cody. Hugh. But I didn't want any of them. Niphon, standing with a glass of wine, regarded me with curious amusement as I headed straight for him. Considering I usually avoided him if it all possible, my approach undoubtedly astonished him. But not as much as when I punched him. I didn't even need to shape-shift much bulk into my fist. I'd caught him by surprise. The wineglass fell out of his hand, hitting the carpet and spilling its contents like blood. The imp flew backward, hitting Peter's china cabinet with a crash. Niphon slumped to the floor, eyes wide with shock. I kept coming. Kneeling, I grabbed his designer shirt and jerked him toward me. â€Å"Stay the fuck out of my life, or I will destroy you,† I hissed. Terror filled his features. â€Å"Are you out of your fucking mind? What do you – † Suddenly, the fear disappeared. He started laughing. â€Å"He did it, didn't he? He broke up with you. I didn't know if he could do it, even after giving him the spiel about how it'd be better for both of you. Oh my. This is lovely. All your so-called charms weren't enough to – ahh!† I'd pulled him closer to me, digging my nails into him, and finally, I felt an emotion. Fury. Niphon's role had been greater than I believed. My face was mere inches from his. â€Å"Remember when you said I was nothing but a backwoods girl from some gritty fishing village? You were right. And I had to survive in gritty circumstances – in situations you'd never be able to handle. And you know what else? I spent most of my childhood gutting fish and other animals.† I ran a finger down his neck. â€Å"I can do it for you too. I could slit you from throat to stomach. I could rip you open, and you'd scream for death. You'd wish you weren't immortal. And I could do it over and over again.† That wiped the smirk off Niphon's face. Behind me, the rest of the room had come to life. â€Å"For fuck's sake,† yelled Jerome. â€Å"Get her off him.† Strong hands pulled me back, Cody and Hugh each grabbing one of my arms. I fought against them, struggling to get back to a cringing Niphon. My friends were too strong. I couldn't break free and didn't have the life left to shape-shift added bulk. â€Å"Get rid of him, Jerome!† I yelled. â€Å"Get rid of him, or I swear to God, I really will rip him apart. He set me up to fail with Tawny. He brought Nyx here, for fuck's sake! Get rid of him!† I saw my boss's face. He didn't like being yelled at or ordered around – particularly in front of others. His face was hard and angry. I could tell he was about to tell me to shut up, and then something in his expression shifted. He turned his attention back to Niphon. â€Å"Get out,† the demon said. Niphon stared open-mouthed. Very fishlike, actually. â€Å"Jerome! You can't just – â€Å" â€Å"Get out. I know what you were trying to do, but you shouldn't have done it behind my back. Go back to your hotel, and be out of town by tomorrow.† Niphon still wanted to protest. But then, he looked at Jerome, looked at me, and then looked at Jerome again. Swallowing, the imp scrambled to his feet and grabbed a briefcase sitting on the couch. With one more glance back at me, he ran out the door. Jerome's gaze fell on Tawny, who was pressing herself against the wall in a futile effort to disappear. â€Å"It's not her fault,† I said quickly. â€Å"Don't punish her.† Jerome studied her a few more moments before sighing impatiently. â€Å"Later. I'll deal with you later.† I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but the fact that he hadn't smote her on the spot was a positive sign. Judging from the grateful look on her face, she agreed. Cody and Hugh still had a death grip on me, but after several moments, they released me. I sagged with exhaustion, surprised to see I was breathing heavily. Tension filled the room. Finally, Cody said, â€Å"Where did you learn to throw a right hook?† â€Å"You don't live through the Dark Ages without learning stuff like that,† mused Peter. He glanced at the spilled wine and sighed. â€Å"Club soda's not going to get that out.† â€Å"Georgie,† said Jerome in a rumbling voice. â€Å"Do not ever speak to me like that.† I steadied my breathing and swallowed back the bloodlust coursing through me. I met Jerome's dark eyes defiantly. â€Å"Noted,† I said. Then, unable to handle my friends' looks of both astonishment and concern, I ran out of the apartment. I made it down one flight of stairs before collapsing and sitting on the landing. I buried my face in my hands and started sobbing. The grief had finally won. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps on the stairs. Hugh sat down beside me and put his arms around me. I pressed my face to his chest and kept crying. â€Å"You'll get over this,† he said quietly. â€Å"No. I will never get over this. I'm alone. I wish I was dead.† â€Å"No, you don't. You're too wonderful and have too many people who love you.† I lifted my head and looked at him. I'd never seen his face so compassionate, so serious – except when he'd yelled at Seth during poker. I sniffed and ran a hand over my wet eyes. â€Å"We broke up. This is what you wanted. You didn't want me and Seth to be together.† Hugh shook his head. â€Å"I like Seth. I want you to be happy. If you could be together without all the heartache, I'd send you on with my blessing. But I don't think that's possible. I think this is best.† â€Å"You told him the only way I'd let him go is if he hurt me, if he was an asshole. Do you think that's why he did it? Slept with Maddie? Because only something drastic would drive me away?† Hugh looked surprised at the reference to Maddie. â€Å"I don't know, sweetie. I don't know what he was thinking.† Sighing, I leaned back into him. â€Å"I will never get over this.† â€Å"You will.† â€Å"It's going to take a lot of time.† â€Å"Well, you have a lot of time.†

Children s Impact On Children Essay - 1472 Words

Introduction Children are one of the vulnerable section of the society and victims of different kinds of exploitation. All the atrocities, instability in the society directly and indirectly make impact on children. Children in armed conflict one of such group in the society who is vulnerable and prone to many exploitation. The relationship of the child with war can be categorised into two. One is children are impacted by the war by losing their shelter, their identity their family and the rights. Second they are involved in the war in the form of child soldiers by force. When a war or conflict take place all the thing surrounded with the place where the conflict happened will be get disturbed all the people living or related to that particular place get affected. The severe effects will be suffered by the children in that place as they are the most vulnerable section. The internationally agreed definition for a child associated with an armed force or armed group (child soldier) is any person belo w 18 years of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes. It does not only refer to a child who is taking or has taken a direct part in hostilities. (Paris Principles and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, 2007.) Child affected by conflict may be defined as a childShow MoreRelatedVygotsky s Impact On Children972 Words   |  4 PagesAfter some time, there has been an extension in our insight into the routes in which people create and learn. It is currently realized that children are starting to learn even before they are conceived. I frequently discover myself wishing I had known these things when my kids were creating. We all need our kids to be as well as can be expected be; with some information of how youngsters learn and the consecutive steps they must experience in numerous ranges of advancement, we can give numerous encountersRead MoreTechnology s Impact On Young Children1465 Words   |  6 PagesTechnology’s impact in the 21’st century is very evident as it continues to advance rapidly and we have become accustomed to it; causing considerable changes to the overall family structure. It is believed that the use of technology can alter the wiring of the brain (Taylor 201 2). When children are exposed to technology, it may condition the brain to pay attention to multiple stimuli; as a result become more distracted and cause decreased memory. Technology also hinders a child’s ability to empathiseRead MoreImpact Of Technology On Children s Learning929 Words   |  4 Pagesin educational settings positively influence children to communicate, learn, and enhance problem-solving skills. Once technology applications are presented to children, their parents have to adjust to help them with homework, whether it may be in another language or in a certain application online. Technology, an electronic system of knowledge, generates different perspectives for children to comprehend information. Several programs encourage children to work on their homework, keeping them involvedRead MoreChildren s Impact On Social Development Essay1885 Words   |  8 Pages Children can have an impact on their social development in their language or communication because if the child has low self-esteem and hearing impairment this will lead to not being able to socialise with other children as their language is not developed. But also, form relationships because they are not able to listen to instructions which leads to misunderstanding to communication and language. This means that the child will find it difficult to manage their emotions due to not being able toRead MoreThe Impact Of Media On Children s Life1873 Words   |  8 Pagesincluding: family, school, peers, location and the media. The impact the media has on socialisation, particularly in Western countries, is immense, as it has the ability to influence ideas, opinions, attitudes and images to many people. The media is a macro agent in socialisation, as it presents people with ideas and generalised views of society from beyond their micro worlds. Family is another important agent of socialis ation, as for most children, their family is responsible for their initial socialisationRead MoreHomeschooling And Its Impact On Children s Education1342 Words   |  6 PagesAcclaimed anthropologist Margaret Mead once commented My grandmother wanted me to have an education, so she kept me out of school. More and more children are being homeschooled because some parents feel that traditional public schools have a one-size-fits-all approach to education. Homeschooling and unschooling allow parents to take a personal interest in their children’s education and allows them to tailor the curriculum to their child’s interests and abilities. Homeschooling also allows studentsRead MoreThe Impact Of Divorce On Children S Emotion844 Words   |  4 Pages Running head: THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN’S EMOTION The Impact of Divorce on Children Emotion Lateefah Abiri Houston community College (Alief) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This research paper is made actualized through the support from everyone that include my family, teacher, classmates, HCCS-Alief Library staff and the hardworking men and women that devote their time to changing mankind through research and dissemination. Especially, please allow me to dedicateRead MoreImpact Of Technology On Children s Youth1669 Words   |  7 Pagestwenty-five percent while the percentage of teenagers thirteen through seventeen who know where you find the zip code 90210 (Beverly Hills) is seventy-five (SoundVision). The technological growth has not only cut the communication between parents and their children, weaken the minds of the youth, and create a dependency to it that can be similar to an addiction, but it has also affected the educational level of students and made youth more vulnerable to the dangers technology brings. In the field of CommunicationsRead MoreTelevision And Its Impact On Children s Lifestyle1742 Words   |  7 Pagesimportant components of television in the society, it presents negative impacts. Frequency and time spent on television, especially for the young children does not only define the children’s lifestyles, but also has a bearing on the development and growth of such children . Such factors responsible for shaping children’s culture and growth include time spent on following television, the nature of the programs, and the company of the children during such viewership. This paper explores the effects of televisionRead MoreThe Impact Of Internet On Children s Lives905 Words   |  4 PagesOlafason et al (2013) mentions how ‘the rapidity with which children are gaining access online is unprecedented in the history of technological innovation and diffusion.’ The advantages of the internet are widespread and offer huge varieties of platforms from which to learn and take positives from, such as: opportunities to communicate freely to people across the world of varying cultures and beliefs; an exciting environment that allows children to ‘satisfy their natural curiosity and inquisitiveness’

Peer Gynt Analysis - 1481 Words

Sharlyn Ramirez 4/10/11 EL-123-03 Play Analysis Paper Analysis of Henrik Ibsen’s Play â€Å"Peer Gynt† â€Å"Peer Gynt† (1867) was the first of Henrik Ibsen’s successful plays in the nineteenth – century. Most commonly known as the â€Å"father of modern theater†, Ibsen devoted his entire career to the reconstruction of theater from a large, exaggerated spectacle, to more psychological and condensed productions. He was able to accomplish this through the use of several literary techniques such as the centralization of theme, detailed imagery, and allusions to some of the works of a writer who greatly influenced his writing; P.C. AsbjÃ" §rnsen (Archer). As a modern playwright, Ibsen helped to shape the new movement in†¦show more content†¦This adjoins the idea of fantastic poetry to Ibsen’s desire to appeal to the senses of the audience by making the audience think to imagine the forty different scenes either displayed or described throughout the play (Groddeck). One example of such imagery occurs at the opening of the play when Peer is telli ng an exaggerated tale of how he allegedly rode a reindeer on a dangerous path in the mountains to then jump into a pond far below while maintaining his balance on the reindeer. In Peer’s words Mountain walls behind us, black, and below a void unfathomed! First we clove through banks of mist, then we clove a flock of sea-gulls, so that they, in mid-air startled, flew in all directions, screaming. Downward rushed we, ever downward. But beneath us something shimmered, whitish, like a reindeer’s belly. – Mother, ‘twas our own reflection in the glass – smooth mountain tarn... (Ibsen) This form of vivid story telling not only engages the characters that Peer speaks to in the play, but it also greatly appeals to the senses of the audience. It’s as if the audience and Peer’s mother are accompanying Peer on this adventure, though it is a falsehood. Such imagery also tells us about the personality and lifestyle of Peer; childish, fabricated, and exaggerated. Another example of imagery occurs when Ibsen describes Peer’sShow MoreRelatedNotes for Educating Rita2612 Words   |  11 Pagesunderstand Frank - She is far off of achieving self-knowledge – â€Å"junk† – she doubts herself – she criticises the people around her - She idealises Frank’s world |Key Quotes from Scene |Analysis | | | | Scene 4 - Complains about Forster Read More Educating Rita Raises Serious Issues Essay2949 Words   |  12 Pagesapproach to literature is emotional and descriptive but at least it is sincere. The point is made humorously when she gives a short and glib response to an essay question on Peer Gynt: Do it on the radio So, Frank teaches her that to pass her exam she must suppress or abandon her uniqueness and approach textual analysis with cool and objective critical skill. Just as Rita conformed to expectations at school by not trying to succeed, she now has to conform to the expectations of examinersRead MoreEducating Rita4003 Words   |  17 Pageswho are looking for reasons to acquaint themselves with English literature and teachers whose interests lie in finding materials that will help answer their students why we need such liberal education as literature. The study gives an overview analysis of the interplay between society and literature exposed in the story of Rita’s education. It also explores the possibilities of adapting the literary allusions in the play into real-life education, with the all-presumptive assertion that ‘If RitaRead MoreA Doll House by Henrik Ibsen7379 Words   |  30 Pages‘behind’ events. The result is a work of controlled symmetry: in A Doll House, a three act structure, each act building to its own peripety (reversal ) and anagnorisis (discovery) while enacting a progressively dialectic (Bradford). Samorsen offered an analysis of A Doll House, revealing how Ibsen’s play reproduces many of the crucial details of Hegel’s text: â€Å"In the different stages of his life, Helmer has taken part in a political, administrative and judicial system and now in a powerful institution†

The Expansion of America and The Homestead Act of 1862

By the 1840’s America was becoming a world power to be reckoned with. In order for the country to keep up with the increasing amount of people and become more powerful, the US expanded westward. After the War of 1812 a lot of Americas attention went into exploration and settlement of all of the territory to the West, which had been expanded by the Louisiana Purchase. Families of pioneers traveled westward and found new communities through what is now called the Midwest. Westward expansion occurred for multiple reasons such as Manifest Destiny which was idea that the United States and its accompanying culture should spread across the entire continent. Another cause was the gold rush which was a rapid movement of people to a newly discovered goldfield. The Louisiana Purchase that is a treaty signed with France in 1803 by which the U.S. purchased for $15,000,000 the land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Other causes of westward expansion included the Homestead Act which is An act passed by Congress in 1862 promising ownership of a 160-acre tract of public land to a citizen or head of a family who had resided on and cultivated the land for five years after the initial claim. and African American slaves, traveled West to get their freedom. Manifest Destiny was a rallying cry for expansionism and prompted rapid U.S. acquisition of territory during the 1800s. By 1840, almost 7 million AmericansShow MoreRelatedRise of Industry in the Late 19th Century1045 Words   |  5 PagesDuring the 1860’s America was in a period of economic hardship due to the ongoing demand for materials and money to fund the war. In the South, sufficient money and materials were hard to acquire because the southern economy still depended on the labor of slaves to produce their goods and income rather than factories. The Northern economy used numerous factori es to produce goods and make profit for the war, but they still did not have technology that was advanced enough to easily produce all theRead MoreManifest Destiny1327 Words   |  6 PagesDestiny is a term used to describe the reason behind the US expansion into the West. What are the social, political and economical effects of this idea on the people living in the United States colonies and the West? Manifest Destiny is a term coined by John L. Sullivan in 1845 when talking about the annexation of Texas. He believed, along with other expansionists, that it’s inevitable that the US population would spread across North America because the land is given by Providence to the United StatesRead MoreEffects Of Westward Expansion715 Words   |  3 PagesWestward expansion was a time of successes and failures, a time celebrations and grief, a time full of life and death but in the end it shaped how America is the way is today. Westward expansion was put in action because of the belief of Manifest Destiny, the belief that it is America fate to expand from the Atlantic to Pacific ocean. The economical, political and humanitarians impacts were necessary to achieve the goal of manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion. Westward Expansion had the biggestRead MoreThe Expansion of America to the West1314 Words   |  5 Pages As the 19th century continued, America expanded away from the east coast, across the Mississippi westward. After many western states joined the Union, hundreds of thousands of pioneers migrated to the new territories, which shifted the majority of the country’s population to the West. With so much uninhabited and unorganized land available, the desire for more land brought aspiring pioneers to the frontier. As enticing as the idea was, something else was persuading many people to migrate westwardRead MoreThe Battle Of The Civil War1233 Words   |  5 PagesIt is evident that the Civil War helped shape America into the country it is today. The strong factional division -based on slavery- between the Union and the Confederacy guaranteed certain achievements of both sides. Much of what we consider history today remains a part of the outcome from these multiple bloody b attles. Activist John Muir of the Civil War-era stated, â€Å"the traces of war are not only apparent on the broken fields, burnt fences, mills, and woods ruthlessly slaughtered, but also onRead MoreAbraham Lincoln’s use of Veto power Essay1432 Words   |  6 Pagessaid to as loving, kind, a husband and a father of four. Donald 2001 pp.69). Background information Today the word presidential veto does not come out in the United States Constitution, but Article I require that bills, orders, resolutions or other act of legislation by the Congress be brought to the President for his approval (Belz 1998 p 136). Normally the President is presented the bill, he can either sign it into law or may return the bill to the originating the Congress with his objections toRead MoreImpact Of Railroads On American Development And The Framework Of The Country2242 Words   |  9 Pageseffects on America as a whole through the growth of the industry, such as; encouraged western expansion, enhanced the economy, recognized railroad monopolies, assisted the Union in Civil War, helped keep the country together, and created a high expense cost for the nation. The railroad coexisted with Western Expansion, the railroad allowed for quicker travel and Western Expansion allowed for the railroad business to progress. The Transcontinental Railroad was a product of Western Expansion and theRead MoreWestward Expansion Of The United States1477 Words   |  6 Pagesconsisting of only thirteen states. Over time the leaders of this county recognized that in order to prosper the nation would need to expand beyond the current set borders. Westward Expansion was the only solution, to adopt such a large endeavor meant that the population had to have a reason to migrate west. Expansion had appeal to the Southern land owners for the fact that the Missouri Compromise did not affect territories that were not part of the Louisiana Purchase, while those who did not haveRead MoreManifest Destiny and the Genocide of the Native American Indian1366 Words   |  6 Pagesselecting a website. b. Writing a rough bibliography y about the topic c. Selection and reading of books pertaining to Native Americas, and Manifest Destiny. Criteria: the most factually accurate. B. Summary of Evidence In the 1830’s America was highly influenced by the Manifest Destiny Ideal. Manifest Destiny was the motivating force behind the rapid expansion of America into the West. This ideal was highly sponsored by posters, newspapers, and various other methods of communication. PropagandaRead MoreThe American West And American History Essay1724 Words   |  7 Pagesthe people wanted to expand their settlements they have to deal with the consequences that they have to risk. Each part of this paper will give you history of each individual era from the expansion of the West, Civil War and the reconstruction of the nation, Home on the Ranch, and rise of the industrial America Many think that the American West is all about cowboys and Indians, but it’s really not. The American West started when the settlers moved to the west of the Appalachian Mountains in 1730

Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover free essay sample

There comes a time In everyones life when they must admit that their parents were right. We do not like to admit It, but the old adages they told us as children are normally correct, and we teach them to our children. My mother was adamant about teaching me that you should never judge a book by its cover. Some examples of what she meant are: the color of someones skin, the way they dress, the type of car they drive, anything that might give false Impressions, either both good or bad.For the majority of my life, I had lived by that rule; kept it ingrained in my mind, but hen it came to the men in my life, well the cover was everything. When it came to men I was a student of Oscar Willed who coined the phrase It is only the shallow who do not Judge by appearances. We will write a custom essay sample on Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I was under the Impression that aesthetics were everything. It took me until one day before my twenty-fifth birthday to determine that maybe I should apply the saying that Mom taught me, rather than the philosophy of Willed, to every aspect of my life.I now know that it is truer than anything else that Mother ever taught me; never Judge a book by Its cover, or you Just might miss a great story. The day before my twenty-fifth birthday three of my girlfriends and I decided to go out for a pre-birthday celebration. There was a big party planned the following night, and we knew that we would not have a lot of time to hang out together. We got all dressed up and went to our favorite sports bar, Georges. I guess we could be considered regulars, and because of that, we knew a lot of the people there that night. As we sat around our table, listening to music and talking, several people came over to the table to give me birthday wishes since they would not be attending the party the next night. About halfway through the evening, a friend of mine named Chuck came over to say hello because we had not seen each other In quite some time. He had been out of town vaulting family In Huntsville, Texas. He told me that he had brought one of his cousins back to Houston with him to the bar as well as an old friend from high school.I looked over towards his table and saw a man, who, In my opinion, at the time was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. Had to meet him. There was no way around It; he was tall, dark, and handsome. He had a smile that could light up a room. I did not say anything to Chuck just then, we simply continued our conversation, and I made sure to remind him of the party the following evening. He promised he would come. All the while I hoped that he would bring his friend or cousin. I was not sure yet which he was. But I would soon find out.Sometime after midnight, it was officially my birthday, and I decided that my present to myself would be to meet that handsome stranger. I walked over to Chucks table and introduced myself to the other gentlemen. I quickly learned that the man whom I thought was so handsome was Alex, Chucks cousin, and the other man was Don, Chucks friend from high school. We talked for a while and I invited them all to the party later that night. I made sure they all had my number in case they needed directions and bade them good night. I Just knew that Alex would show up and be my next beau.The next evening I got a call from Don, which was not the call that I had been anticipating, he was asking for directions and said that he was coming with Chuck, but they had not heard from Alex. I was a little disappointed, but was excited 1 OFF shocked to see that Don came in with two dozen long stemmed white roses. Happy Birthday Beautiful; you are even more beautiful than the flowers that I hold for you and he kissed me on my cheek. I felt speechless but somehow managed to muster a quiet Thank you so much, they are amazing. Once he had given me the flowers, Don and Chuck went to find a seat and I remained stunned in mine. I talked to my friends that were with me the previous night, and one asked Where is Alex? l have no idea. I said. Those flowers are incredible! Where did you get them? my friend Becky asked. Don, the friend of Chucks that I met last night at Georges. The flowers are beautiful, ND he told me I was too, I cant believe this, he likes me. I dont know what to do; he is so nice but Just not my type. Hes shorter than most guys I date and he is not slim and trim the way I usually like my boyfriends; what am I going to do?I guess I will Just smile and be nice and think about it tomorrow. I said to my friends and we continued with the party. I never saw Alex that night and never got a phone call from him either. I looked at the flowers all day Sunday and could not get past how much Don was not my type but yet so very sweet. Don called me on Monday to say hi and thank me for inviting him to my party. He had really enjoyed himself. Finally, he asked if I wanted to go to Georges and watch the basketball game on Tuesday night.I was torn, he was nice enough, but I did not want to lead him on because he was not my type, it would never work. I decided to go and see what would happen after some good natured ribbing from my friends about being conceited and mean. I am so glad that my friends did pick on me and make me regret being shallow because I ended up very serendipitous. I soon found out that Don was the nicest man I had ever met. After spending some time with him his looks were not of consequence anymore, in act they had grown on me in a way I never expected they would. Ever since that Tuesday night we have been together and are now married with two beautiful daughters. Once we kissed, that man whom I had once considered a frog quickly turned into a Prince and I was blessed to become his princess. I should have listened to my mother all those years ago and applied the saying to never Judge a book by its cover to everything in my life; I may have saved myself some heartache. Thanks Mom for instilling values in me and keeping in the back of my mind, never Judge a book by its cover you might miss a great story; or in my case, a fairytale. Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover free essay sample â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its cover†. Have you ever heard this idiom? It means not to judged people or things by what they look like from the outside. May be you will wonder why I start this article with this idiom. Hmm. . let me share a bit of my life lesson about some people judge me by my appearance. This is a story about 3 years ago. I ride her scooter to college . One day, after finish my tenpin bowling training at Summit BP, I went to BP Mall with one of my team mate to buy a birthday present for my beloved sister for her coming birthday.I want to give her a set of international brand perfume. We entered a perfume shop at Pacific mall, but suddenly few eyes of the sale girls look at us like we are some kind of alien entered their shop. But I just ignore them and I start looking at the brand that I want. We will write a custom essay sample on Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When I saw this brand which i really love. I ask one of the salesgirl to give me a tester of that perfume. With the arrogant face, without a smile and unpleasant approach. That girl give a tester card.Suddenly, one of her friend approaching her and they start to speak to each other in Chinese language,â€Å" look at them, wearing that kind of shirt,but want to buy these kind of expensive things, does they have money or not, hate to see these kind of people. If don’t have money, don’t look at these thing , wasting our time rite?! † and then they laugh to each other. I’m really shock hearing what they said about us. Lucky me I can speak and listen to Chinese language very well because i used to study in Chinese school.I’m also not a kind that will burst or explode with this kind of situation. With a smile on my face, I said to the salesgirl â€Å" Miss, i’m sorry but i change my mind. I dont think your perfume suit with me. But thank you by the way†. Then I pull my friend’s hand and went to another perfume shop in front of the previous shop. There, I bought two set of the perfume that cost me more that half thousand. After that, I went back to the arrogant salesgirls and I kindly said to them in Chinese language. Excuse me miss, may I have a word with both of you? You can’t treat your customer like you did to us. Even our dress or outfit not as pretty as your others customer, you still have to treat us equally. Dont judge people by what they look like from the outside. Thank God that i’m in a good mood today or else, I might seeing your manager to report your attitude. By the way, that shop in front of you have just receive RM600 from me†. I smile at them, turn back and walk away.Suddenly both of them call us and block our way. They apologies to us for their bad attitude and gave us a mini bottle of branded perfume as a apologies present. I forgive them and remind them again not to treat others like they treat us. That is one of my memory and experienced in life. A lesson for me too, not to judge others by their appearance. But judge them by their heart and attitude. Dont ever under estimate others. Now, i would like to tell another experience of me. Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover free essay sample â€Å"Never judge a book by its cover. † Many people look at someone or something and make an assumption right away by their first thought. For example, if you see a man on the streets, who is in dirty sweatpants, he has not shaven in a while and he looks dirty; you automatically think he’s homeless. Right there, you judged him without even thinking twice about why he may look like that. Every day people judge something by its appearance. That is what this quote means. Never judge something by its appearance because you never know what’s inside.Most people’s interpretations of this quote are the same. Another example would be, if you see a really interesting commercial on a product, and you first thoughts are â€Å"Oh I’m going to get that! † So you buy it, bring it home and try it and its nothing like the commercial. We will write a custom essay sample on Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It stinks! Your first judgment was that it is an amazing product because of how the commercial portrayed it and then you buy it and you see it sucks. Again don’t judge something on your first thought. Many think this quote is just about people.This quote can refer to anything from: people, shoes, movies, items, food and much more! This quote means a lot to me because when I had cancer and my physical appearance changes people judged my looks and thought horrible things about me. For example many who see a rough looking, skinny woman on the streets, who is really boney, may think she’s on drugs. There could be so many reasons why she looks like that. Maybe she is sick. Or she may have cancer; she could be anorexic and have an eating disorder. People can never know a reason for something based on their first judgment.

President Franklin Roosevelt Essays - , Term Papers

President Franklin Roosevelt The world has known many great leaders, especially in the post-Civil War era. Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Harry Truman all rank with the most prominent leaders of all time. However, in my opinion President Franklin Roosevelt made the most difference out of anybody in this century. He began a new era in American history by ending the Great Depression that the country had succumbed to in 1929. Without him ending the Depression, who knows where this country could have gone? His social reforms gave most people a new perspective on government. Government was not only expected to protect the people from foreign invaders and affairs, but to protect against poverty and joblessness in one's own country as well. He not only changed the country for the better of everyone, he also made substantial gains on what a president could do for his country. His accomplishments as president will never be duplicated. Public opinion was so overwhelmingly for him that he was elected to of fice four times, which most likely will never be duplicated again. His reign in office came at, by the far and away, the most difficult time in American history. Not only did he accept the challenges at hand, he rose to the occasion and took this country to another level. Roosevelt was born on January 30 near New York City. He graduated from Harvard in 1904 and attended Law School. Although he didn't get his law degree, he was admitted to the New York bar in 1907. He was elected to the New York senate in 1910 and was appointed by Woodrow Wilson as assistant secretary of the navy, a post he held during World War I. Roosevelt ran for vice-president in 1920 and lost. In 1921, he was stricken with polio, which left his legs paralyzed. Twice he was elected Governor of New York and in 1932, he defeated Herbert Hoover for President. After taking office, Roosevelt immediately took drastic action to respond to the Great Depression. He promoted labor laws the benefited unions and Social Security. Re-elected for unprecedented third and fourth terms in 1940 and 1944, Roosevelt was the American leader through almost all of World War II. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Georgia on April 12, 1945, shortly before the end of the war. Roosevelt went all out in 1931 in order to prepare for the election of 1932. He took some chances, but they ended up paying off in the end. Never attempted before, he started a nationwide radio address, outlining a program to meet the economic problems of the nation. He coined the term forgotten man to mean all of those who had been hard hit by the evils of the depression. These radio addresses were the start to what he called the fireside chats. Without TV to occupy most people's time, most American families who had gathered around a radio listened to these ?fireside chats?. Roosevelt's competition was fairly tough the first time he ran for office. Not only did he barely win the election, he also had trouble winning the nomination for his own party. He was up against John Nance Garner (who would be his Vice Presidential running mate), Newton D. Baker, Alfred E. Smith. For three ballots, Roosevelt held a large lead, but lacked the two-thirds margin necessary for victory. He was desperately going to need some help to win this one. His campaign manager then promised John Garner the vice presidential nomination, which he grudgingly accepted. Although John didn't want to be vice president, he figured Vice President is better than no President at all. Due to this deal, Roosevelt took the presidential nomination on the fourth ballot. Roosevelt made a dashing introduction at the Chicago convention by being the first nominee to ever write an acceptance speech. It was his first in a long line of great, powerful speeches to come. The last line in his speech, I pledge to you, I pledge to myself, to a new deal for the American people, fired the audience up. During the November campaign against Hoover, Roosevelt talked about a few parts of his New Deal. He spoke of relief and public works money. He wanted to