Langston Hughes vs. Claude McKay in the Harlem Renaissance

Langston Hughes vs. Claude McKay in the Harlem Renaissance Free Online Research Papers The first three decades of the 1900’s were the first time that the African American culture was taken seriously by the Caucasian community. Several factors, including the Plessy vs. Ferguson case which allowed racial segregation in 1896, led to what is known as the Great Migration. Job opportunities and far less amounts of racism were significant reasons for more than seven million African Americans moving to northern states. The concentration area of the Great Migration was Harlem in New York City. This district of New York was originally intended for white laborers who preferred to commute to the city rather than live there. The housing developers were over ambitious and had created far too much living space that white middle-class Americans were not interested in and as a result, the properties were sold to African American real estate agents who, in turn, rented the apartments out to black tenants. Between 1900 and 1920 the black population in Harlem had doubled and b ecame known as â€Å"the Black Mecca† (Biography.com). Not only did African Americans bring their labor skills to New York City, they brought their culture and their talents in art, music, and poetry. Their talents in these areas opened the eyes of their Caucasian counterparts and helped their fight for racial equality. With the excitement of these new and different ideas in the arts that finally had gotten the opportunity to emerge, the Harlem Renaissance was born. Two of the major contributors to this era were authors, (James) Langston Hughes and Claude McKay, who both, among a vast array of works, wrote poetry pertaining to the sufferings and strengths of African American culture. Although they had many of the same ideas and messages to get across in their poetry, their delivery was extremely different. Hughes’ poetry took a calm approach in which he talked about the beauty of the African American culture, while McKay was almost violent, talking about fighting for their rights rather than waiting for them to come. Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri and was bounced around all over the country and Mexico between his mother, father, and grandmother. He began writing at an early age and published his first book in 1926. By the time he died in 1967, Hughes had written an impressive number of books of poetry, novels, plays, musicals and operas, children’s poetry, among others, and had become one of the major contributing authors of the Harlem Renaissance (Jackson). Expressing the talents, culture, and need for African American equality was a major theme in the poetry of Langston Hughes. In his first published poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Hughes metaphorically compares the soul of an African American man to a river, saying they are both deep. Rivers are often personified in poetry and used as symbols of both life and death. The rivers mentioned in this poem, the Euphrates, Congo, Nile, and Mississippi are all significant foundations for the cities that have formed near them. Using these specifically, Hughes is trying to portray the importance African Americans have had in setting the foundations in American culture. The Negro Speaks of Rivers is also greatly about African American heritage and the strength within that heritage, which the rivers also signify. The histories these rivers hold go hand in hand with the history and ancestry of African Americans. The Congo and the Mississippi Rivers both hold negative connotation with the African American slave trade but they still contribute a significant amount of depth, like the others, to the soul of the speaker, the entire African American race. The heritage of the rivers resembles the heritage of the African American people and their wisdom and strength which helped them overcome a vast array of adversity, particularly within the last couple centuries which consisted of slavery and extreme racism. The poem is also known as a tribute to the African American culture which Hughes said came from his own life. In his autobiography, The Big Sea, Hughes talks about a racist man he encountered while crossing the Mississippi River on a journey to see his father. The experience upset and frustrated him, but also got him to think about his father’s distaste for their race and Hughes’ own pride and admiration for what Hughes calls the â€Å"bravest people possible - the Negroes from the Southern ghettoes - facing tremendous odds† (Hughes). He then thought of the Mississippi as a symbol for bravery and mentioned his admiration for it in The Negro Speaks of Rivers when he talks about it turning golden as a resu lt of Abraham Lincoln’s work in the abolition of slavery. Another poem in which Hughes talks about his pride for his African American culture is I, Too. In this poem, Hughes talks about how one day the white community will be able to see the true beauty of an African American â€Å"And be ashamed† (17) of how they acted in the past. The pride he has within this poem for his culture is tied back to The Negro Speaks of Rivers. This shows that he consistently incorporates his pride in the African American community within his poetry. The main purpose of I, Too, is to express the need for equality between the separate races. He starts the poem off by declaring that ‘I’ (meaning African Americans) am an American, just the same as a white person. The second stanza talks about African Americans having to eat in the kitchen when company comes over. This stanza is talking about the segregation that is in place. When Hughes says â€Å"But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong† (5-7), he is saying that being segregated does not bother the African American community. They are, in fact, becoming stronger people internally and in the last stanza, he makes it clear that they know that one day the segregation will be over, and they will be eating with the white people at the dining room table with the company. Hughes also says that nobody will dare tell any African Americans to eat in the kitchen, but besides, they will not want to, for they will be able to finally see and appreciate how beautiful A frican Americans are. They, too, are America. The poetry of Langston Hughes was a significant part of the Harlem Renaissance that expressed the importance of African American culture and the need for legal equality between the races. His poetry took a passive stance that looked toward the future, where he talked about the beauty African American culture holds and waiting for what is right to come to them. He did not want to violently fight for social freedom, he felt it would all come in time. The works of Claude McKay, however, took a more assertive, sometimes aggressive motion towards racial equality. He urged his readers to stand up for what should belong to them and to not let anyone get in their way. McKay was born in Jamaica in 1890 and published his first book of poetry at the age of 22. During his life, he moved to the United States, Russia, France, and finally settled in Harlem before his death in 1948. He studied Communism and wrote several poems and novels pertaining to the sufferings of African Americans (Giles). His aggressive stance that the African Americans should take on the heavy amount of racism made him an extremely important factor in the Harlem Renaissance. Growing up outside of America made the racial tension within the states more of a dramatic experience for him. After seeing the effects of the 1919 Chicago race riots that resulted in the deaths of 15 Caucasians and 23 African Americans (Essig), McKay was compelled to write a poem in response to it. The harsh language used in If We Must Die shows McKay’s sincere distaste for the way his people are being treated. The main message in this poem is that if the white America insists on persecuting African Americans, they must not surrender, but fight for their true freedom until the end. He compares the weaknesses that they have previously shown to hogs being helplessly corralled into holding areas to wait to die. In this poem, he clearly states that he is aware that the whites will probably end up murdering all of the African Americans who resist them. Even though this is true, McKay wants them to fight back, â€Å"Like men we’ll face the murderous cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back† (13-14), he says. Unlike Hughes, he has no intention of waiting around for his lawful rights to come to him. He is best known for his poem, The White House, in which he describes the frustration he feels for being kept out of the white population and not having a voice within the country. The first line says â€Å"Your door is shut against my tightened face.† He immediately points out the purpose of the poem, to indicate his dissatisfaction with the Caucasian American population. They will not let him in to all of the rights and liberties he is owed. In the next few lines, he says that he is okay with this being shut out, because it is only making him stronger and more courageous to face these difficulties. All the sufferings that the American government has imposed on him will only make him a stronger man and make him more prepared to fight for what he feels he deserves. â€Å"Oh, I must keep my heart inviolate, Against the poison of your deadly hate† (13-14). In these last two lines, McKay is saying that even though it is going to be a long journey, in which the African American community will have fight against the extreme racism of the American government, they will keep their emotions under control and continue to pursue what it right. Occurrences like the race riots in Chicago fueled the fire for African American authors during the Harlem Renaissance era, like Langston Hughes and Claude McKay. It inspired them to write the pieces that are still read today, nearly 100 years later. The vast differences the messages their poems held are a large reason for their poetry being so dynamic and able to reach all different typed of people. Although they suffered tremendously, they were able to get their frustrations and feeling out on paper and become the iconic Harlem Renaissance writers they are known as today. Work Cited Biography.com. Harlem Renaissance Black History Milestones on. Biography.com. A E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2010. Essig, Steven. Race Riots. Encyclopedia of Chicago. The Newberry Library, 2005. Web. 09. Giles, Freda. Claude McKays Life. Welcome to English  « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois. Oxford University Press, Feb. 2000. Web. 09 Apr. 2010. Hughes, Langston. The Big Sea: An Autobiography. New York: Thunders Mouth, 1986. Print. Jackson, Andrew P. Langston Hughes. The Red Hot Jazz Archive. Jazz Is Timeless Records. Web. 08 Apr. 2010. 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Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar During WWII

Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar During WWII Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II. This internment occurred even if they had been long time US citizens and posed not threat. How could the internment of Japanese-Americans have occurred in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Read on to learn more. In 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9066 into law which eventually forced close to 120,000 Japanese-Americans in the western part of the United States to leave their homes and move to one of ten relocation centers or to other facilities across the nation. This order came about as a result of great prejudice and wartime hysteria after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Even before the Japanese-Americans were relocated, their livelihood was seriously threatened when all accounts in American branches of Japanese banks were frozen. Then, religious and political leaders were arrested and often put into holding facilities or relocation camps without letting their families know what had happened to them. The order to have all Japanese-Americans relocated had serious consequences for the Japanese-American community. Even children adopted by caucasian parents were removed from their homes to be relocated. Sadly, most of those relocated were American citizens by birth. Many families wound up spending three years in facilities. Most lost or had to sell their homes at a great loss and close down numerous businesses. The War Relocation Authority (WRA) The War Relocation Authority (WRA) was created to set up relocation facilities. They were located in desolate, isolated places. The first camp to open was Manzanar in California. Over 10,000 people lived there at its height. The relocation centers were to be self-sufficient with their own hospitals, post offices, schools, etc. And everything was surrounded by barbed wire. Guard towers dotted the scene. The guards lived separately from the Japanese-Americans. In Manzanar, apartments were small and ranged from 16 x 20 feet to 24 x 20 feet. Obviously, smaller families received smaller apartments. They were often built of subpar materials and with shoddy workmanship so many of the inhabitants spent some time making their new homes livable. Further, because of its location, the camp was subject to dust storms and extreme temperatures. Manzanar is also the best preserved of all Japanese-American internment camps not only in terms of site preservation but also in terms of a pictorial representation of life in the camp in 1943. This was the year that Ansel Adams visited Manzanar and took stirring photographs capturing the daily life and surroundings of the camp. His pictures allow us to step back into the time of innocent people who were imprisoned for no other reason than they were of Japanese descent. When the relocation centers were closed at the end of World War II, the WRA provided inhabitants who had less than $500 a small sum of money ($25), train fare, and meals on the way home. Many inhabitants, however, had nowhere to go. In the end, some had to be evicted because they had not left the camps. The Aftermath In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act that provided redress for Japanese-Americans. Each living survivor was paid $20,000 for the forced incarceration. In 1989, President Bush issued a formal apology. It is impossible to pay for the sins of the past, but it is important to learn from our errors and not make the same mistakes again, especially in our post-September 11th world. Lumping all people of a specific ethnic origin together as happened with the forced relocation of Japanese-Americans is the antithesis of the freedoms upon which our country was founded.

Fast food nation summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fast food nation summary - Essay Example There were many orange farms. Local farmers also kept animals such as cattle and chicken. Later in the chapter, people started relying on fast foods instead of foods obtained directly from agricultural farms. It seems that the author wants the audience to see how fast foods started being part of American culture. According to article, people started relying on fast foods especially in Los Angeles because of automobiles. By the year 1940 Los Angeles had about 1 million vehicles (Schlosser 14). Many people wanted to own cars because they believed it was cheaper to use personal vehicles compared to public transport. The cars made people lazy. As a result, the new types of eating places such as the derive-in restaurants were introduced. The first drive in-restaurant was owned by Jesse Kirby. He later sold his restaurants to Carl. In order to attract more people in the drive-ins, the buildings were painted in bright colors and waitresses dressed in short skirts. They became very popular p laces in towns. Some popular fast food places like McDonald were founded during this time. In this chapter, the author blames automobiles for negatively affecting the culture of America (Schlosser 6). The initial part of the second chapter talks about people’s loyalty to McDonalds. The title of the second chapter seems ironical. Many people have trusted the fast food companies. However, they fail to notice the negative impacts of the fast food restaurants and their culture in the modern society. Many people take a two week course just to learn the culture of McDonald. The author criticizes the growing number of restaurants for making children the world’s most targeted consumers by larger corporations. For instance, most McDonald’s commercials target children. The company also sponsored my children TV Programs in order to attract more children. Disney started targeting children with its

Western missionaries in China. The reason why western missionaries Essay

Western missionaries in China. The reason why western missionaries became the carrier of Chinese - Essay Example The West, who believed they had the right to a permanent diplomatic presence in China, forced the Chinese to submit to their demands following the bitter conflict of 1860.I do not wonder that the Chinese hate the foreigner. The foreigner is frequently severe and exacting in this Empire which is not his own. He often treats the Chinese as though they were dogs and had no rights whatever -- no wonder that they growl and sometimes bite" (Quote by Sarah Pike Conger in, The Boxer Rebellion: The Dramatic Story of China's War on Foreigners That Shook the World in the Summer of 1900. p.3, 2000).The West, who believed they had the right to a permanent diplomatic presence in China, forced the Chinese to submit to their demands following the bitter conflict of 1860. The war, which finished with the flight of the Emperor, who took refuge beyond the Great Wall together with members of the royal court, left a China that was torn a part. The British and French armies marched on Peking, on a pilgrim age of destruction, and many historic buildings, including the beautiful Summer Palace, were looted and burnt under the command of Lord Elgin. This is just one example of the inglorious events, concerning Western deportment and relations with China, which characterized the nineteenth century.On June 25th 1865, J. Hudson Taylor went down on his knees upon the beach at Brighton, in England, and "prayed for twenty-four willing, skillful laborers to reach the inland provinces of China" (OMF.org, Online Article, 2007). Today, the Oversees Missionary Fellowship that Hudson founded is a diverse evangelical mission society, with more than 1,300 missionaries, from 30 different nations. This essay will be considering the distinctive functions of Western missionaries in nineteenth century China, and the reason why they became the carriers of the Chinese people. Through the examination of China's history, including the Opium war and the Boxer Rebellion, this paper will determine the influence of Western missionaries upon Chinese culture, and how this affected China and her people. A Global View of China's History With The West Portuguese merchants and Catholic missionaries, who arrived in China during the late sixteenth century, were the first important cultural meetings between China and Europe. And it was through such missionaries, and their converts, that Christianity was introduced into mainland China throughout the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. However, due to the fear of Catholic influence among the Chinese imperial rulers, Christianity was banned in China from 1724-1860. Throughout this period, therefore, missionary efforts were concentrated on other Southeast Asian countries, as the missionaries waited for China to reopen its boarders to foreigners (High Beam Encyclopaedia, Online Article, 2007). The rot had already begun before Britain defeated China in the Opium War (1840-1842), which concluded with her having to concede Hong Kong Island. Foreign powers, who were greedily wanting cargoes of silk, tea, and the ginseng that the Chinese believed to be a powerful healer, had coerced China into opening her doors to foreign trade. Initially, these products were bought through the profits of "foreign mud" - opium, but as China's weaknesses became increasing apparent, she was forced into making additional territorial concessions. The port of Tientsin, which is situated at the mouth of the Peiho River and approximately eighty miles from Peking, was opened to international trade, and Shanghai became a flourishing foreign settlement. However, by the end of the century, the foreign powers were vying with each other for concessions in a type of "imperial feeding frenzy" (Diana Preston, The Boxer Rebellion, p.12, 2000), and each of them managed to wrest control over the bordering countries that were seen as being vital to foreign trade. Nominally self-ruling, each of these countries recognized China as their effective overseer and sent acknowledgment of this

Oceanography Today Essay Example for Free

Oceanography Today Essay The speed of sound waves in the ocean ranges from 4,800 to 5,100 feet per second, depending on water temperature, salinity, and depth. This speed is about 4 and ? times the average speed of sound waves in the air. Sound waves can travel great distances in regions of minimum velocity called sound channels. In 1960 the sound from depth charges exploded by a Columbia University research ship off southwestern Australia was detected in a sound channel by hydrophones off Bermuda, 12,000 miles away. In addition to determining the shape of the ocean floor, sonar equipment is used for navigation, to locate submerged submarines, and to locate schools of fish. Porpoises and certain species of sea lions have a natural form of sonar. They emit high- frequency sound pulses, which they use to avoid collisions and to search for food. A fully submerged submarine can communicate with a nearby submarine or surface ship by means of an underwater telephone. This device transmits voice signals directly through water. Reference: 1. Blair, Carvel. (1986). Exploring the Sea: Oceanography Today. Random House Publishing.

1 Corinthians 13 What Is Love Essay

The Excellence of Love (1 Corinthians 13)1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Ethnic Diversity Essay

Answer each question in 50 to 150 words. Provide citations for all the sources you use. 1. What is diversity? Why is diversity valued? Diversity is the combination of different races of people, religions, and culture. Diversity is important to constantly grow and learn new ideas that will help our society become a better environment to live in. Diversity is value because it allows us to learn different things that may help up us in life, that our own culture does teach, or provide. 2. What is ethnocentrism? In what ways can ethnocentrism be detrimental to a society? Ethnocentrism is a term that is used to describe the tendency that someone will believe his or her own customs and traditions are better than anyone else’s. It is determined that no culture is perfect, and closing society from the great custom of other cultures does not allow one a chance to solve all problems, and learn what others know that we are custom to disbelieve in. 3. Define emigration and immigration. Emigration is a person leaving a country, and Immigration is a person entering a country. E in Emigration can mean exit, and I in immigration can mean in. Many get these to word mixed up, mainly in ones English or History class as a student. For example the United States are prompt with immigrants with an I, and Mexico are accounted for emigrants with an E. 4. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? Some ways groups of people are identified are by race or creed, gender, religion, raised by one or both parents, or raised outside of their original family. In addition, American cultural group people by age, until you reach 18, one is considered an adolescent, and when one reaches 21, they are considered an adult. 5. Why do people label and group other people? People label and group other people as a barrier to not be taken by surprise. If a certain Copyright  © 2012 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Diversity Worksheet ETH/125 Version 8 2 person done something wrong, and we see more people like that person doing the same, we now label that entire race of people to be the same. The labeling part works as a defense mechanism to not allow someone that we think is bad or good, take advantage of us or we lock out someone we think can be a good friend. 6. Define culture. Is culture limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds? Explain. Culture is the customs of a group of people, by race, religion, beliefs, and tradition. Culture is not limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds. Because there are many different races that have the same religious culture and traditions. For example Indians, Blacks, Iranians, and I am sure there are others that believe in the Islamic religion, and have the same beliefs and follow the same religion traditions. Copyright  © 2012 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Enders Game Essay

â€Å"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words. â€Å" -Philip K. Dick In the novel Enders Game the author Orson Scott Card shows us a complete different world than we are used to. Set into the future, the world has just recovered from a devastation alien war that was won by a fluke of luck by our soldiers. Although this time we will strike back, in preparation for the upcoming â€Å"Bugger† war the worlds smartest children get drafted to join the battle school program set in space to learn combat form an early age. One of these kids happened to be Andrew â€Å"Ender† Wiggin, the six year old was stripped of his childhood, taken away from his family and sent to battle school. All his life Ender has extreme pressure on him because six year old Ender was meant to save the world. Throughout the novel Orson Scott Card blurs the thin line between appearance and reality, through the concept of â€Å"games† two different examples of this are Enders stays at Battle School and then again at Command School, throughout both Ender was constantl y played and manipulated for the â€Å"greater good†. While at Battle School Ender was objected to isolation, due to the jealousy of the other children. Ender grew accustomed to the hostility and tried to not let it bother him as much as he could. In the private study time given to the child soldiers they were free to do what they wished. Not having many friends and not finding the studies overly challenging Ender would play the games on the Battles School’s program. Ender quickly became engorged in a role play game called the Giants Drink. This game was deemed impossible but Ender became obsessed with it and reached levels no one had ever seen before. Ender could not stand to lose at anything so he went to any extreme needed to further him in the game. Ender was to always remember the details of this game, because to complete the level time and time again Ender had to play maliciously and evilly, he had to play as a murderer and a cheater all the qualities reminding him of his brother, Peter who Ender despised and wished to never turn into. Later on into the novel Ender is told to search for new planets to colonize. While on his mission to find new planets to inhabit Ender stumbles upon a plant that seemed to feel a little too  familiar having an uncanny resemblance to the landscape and structure of the plant of his childhood pass time game, The Giants Drink. Only to discover this planet was created for him as a means of communication by the â€Å"Buggers†. â€Å"He had played here too many times as a child not to know this place. But it was not possible. The computer in the Battle School could not have possibly seen this place† A game form his past, what he though was mere mush of pixels and graphics turned out to become a reality. Orson Scott Card made us believe throughout the novel that The Giants Drink was just a game. Whereas it was actually always a secret place only Ender had ever visited, making it perfect to use as a secret means of communication. Orson Scott Card pushed us beyond what we thought was quite insignificant and made it more or less one of the most important event to take place in the novel. By not sticking to convention and going above and beyond making us think more about how what was just a game turned into reality. Furthermore while at Battle School all the solider had to participate in â€Å"Battles† again each other. These Battles were often the highlights of these children’s days, when Ender became a commander and got his own army to train for these pretend Battles. He quickly learned that he was never going to be treated fair and that all odd will always be stacked against him always trying to defeat him. Time and time again Ender won the Battles he took part it, having a perfect win streak. This infuriated many and Ender made many enemies, even the teachers seemed to be against Ender give him multiple battles a day and also giving him two armies as opponents instead of the usual one. All his life Ender was isolated and treated unfairly so none of this was new to Ender. Whatever situation was thrown at him Ender came out at top because of his intelligence, natural born leadership and yearning to win. Although these battles seemed to be just a game to tear apart the children the skills learned in this game could be the difference between life and death, once again confusing us about what is the illusion in it all. Ender graduated through the Battle School program faster than anyone and got transferred to the next step, Command School. The first little while in Command School was spent in complete isolation, it was more terrible than Battle School which Ender thought was not possible once again only being left with the companionship of the games they offered. After a year of complete seclusion Ender meet with his mentor, teacher, friend and enemy Mazer Rackmen, the man who was responsible for saving the human race from the second â€Å"Bugger† invasion. Mazer was the only person Ender ever got a chance to be with. Together they went through anything and everything that could possibly be an aid to Ender when the â€Å"Buggers† attack. Mazer got Ender to play the simulator games again but now in a complete different way, it was no longer a one man game, Ender verses The Computer but now it was Ender Commanding different squadron leaders. The leaders which turned out to be the small group of friends Ender had accumulated over his stay at the Battle School. Together they worked amazingly, using Enders intelligence and great leadership skills. With Enders desperation to always win they always came out of battles victorious, he may have lost his friends in the process of becoming this amazing leader but he gained their complete admiration and respect. Closer to the end of this novel, Mazer gives Ender his final examination, being sick of it all Ender just wanted to end it as soon as he could. Not into it at all Ender plays half-heartedly in the bigining, when being faced with his challenge Ender steps it up knowing he was once again set for failure. Not wanting the teachers to have the satisfaction of One Upping Ender he plays in a way he hates, as a cheat but it seems to once again be the only way to succeed in these games. After beating his final examiniation Ender finds out all of the simulations he played with his squadron leaders were not games but they were they actual â€Å"Bugger† war which Ender had fought and won without even knowing what her was doing. â€Å"You made the hard choice, boy, All or nothing. End them or end is. But heaven knows there was no other way you could have doing it. Congratulations. You beat them, and it’s all over.† â€Å"Real. Not a game. Enders mind was too tired to cope with it all.† Absent mindedly Ender has annihilated a whole species, making him a murderer. Thinking he was playing a game Ender had fought a galactic war. Once again Orson Scott Card hazes the thin line between your appearances and your realities. What Ender thought was a game was a life or death situation. If Ender would have listened to his heart and lose the last game, he could have saved an intelligent species, but we never know our outcomes until our decisions have been played out and it is too late to change our mind. Orson Scott Card highlighted the fact that every little thing in someone’s life makes a huge impact. As insignificant as it may seem everything has a purpose. If Ender had not played these games to win the â€Å"Buggers† could very well be alive and not knowing their intentions, letting them live was too big a risk. All throughout his life Ender had been played with, an object of constant manipulation and mind games. Battle and Command School were no different than Earth in this aspect. On Earth Ender was bullied and manipulate into doing what he wants by Enders evil older brother Peter, while at Battle School, Colonel Graff the head administrator never failed to lie to Ender, only tell him half the truth and additionally manipulate him, When Ender got to his last training program Command School Ender was manipulated and lied to in a way he could not even begin to imagine â€Å"Of course we tricked you into it. That’s the whole point.† At the end Colonel Graff even admits that all the manipulation, lies and hostility towards Ender was a part of his and Mazer Rackmens plan. Ender having been lied to and brought back to his murderous side, the part of him he hated the most. Ender was furious and could not bear to look at anyone and went back to his room. Orson Scott Cards showed us that it’s better to not trust anyone. What you think is really happening might just not really be happening and that you should always keep a check on your reality verses your illusions. Throughout the novel Orson Scott Card blurs the thin line between appearance and reality, through the concept of â€Å"games†. At times it is quite difficult to grasp your appearances verses your realities because you get too caught up in the little things that you forget to stop and look at the bigger picture. Only if you look at your life from a neutral perspective will you be able to tell what is really happening and what is a fragment of your  imagination. Orson Scott Card illustrated this point amazingly throughout this novel.

St. Helena, Mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I

St. Helena, Mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I Helena was the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I.  She was considered a  saint in the eastern and western churches, reported to be the discoverer of the true cross. Dates: About 248 CE to about 328 CE; her birth year is estimated from a report by the contemporary historian Eusebius that she was about 80 near the time of her death.Feast Day: August 19 in the western church, and May 21 in the eastern church. Also known as:  Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta, Saint Helena Helenas Origin The historian Procopius reports that Constantine named a city in Bithynia, Asia Minor, Helenopolis, to honor her birthplace, which implies but not with certainty that she was born there. That location is now in Turkey. Britain has been claimed as her birthplace, but that claim is unlikely, based on a medieval legend retold by Geoffrey of Monmouth. The claim that she was Jewish is also unlikely to be true. Trier (now in Germany) was claimed as her birthplace in 9th and 11th-century lives of Helena, but thats also unlikely to be accurate. Helenas Marriage Helena met an aristocrat, Constantius Chlorus, perhaps while he was among those fighting Zenobia. Some later sources allege they met in Britain. Whether they married legally or not is a matter of dispute among historians. Their son, Constantine, was born about 272. Its also not known whether Helena and Constantius had other children. Little is known of Helenas life for more than 30 years after her son was born. Constantius achieved higher and higher rank first under Diocletian, and then under his co-emperor Maximian. In 293 to 305, Constantius served as Caesar with Maximian as Augustus in the Tetrarchy. Constantius was married in 289 to Theodora, daughter of Maximian; either Helena and Constantius had divorced by that point, he had renounced the marriage, or they were never married. In 305, Maximian passed the title of Augustus to Constantius. As Constantius was dying in 306, he proclaimed his son by Helena, Constantine, as his successor. That succession seems to have been decided during Maximians lifetime. But that bypassed the younger sons of Constantius by Theodora, which would later be grounds for contention about the imperial succession. Mother of an Emperor When Constantine became emperor, Helenas fortunes changed, and she appears back in the public view. She was made nobilissima femina, noble lady. She was granted much land around Rome. By some accounts, including Eusebius of Caesarea, a major source for information about Constantine, in about 312 Constantine convinced his mother, Helena, to become a Christian. In some later accounts, both Constantius and Helena were said to have been Christians earlier. In 324, as Constantine won major battles ending the civil war in the wake of the failure of the Tetrarchy, Helena was granted the title of Augusta by her son, and again she received financial rewards with the recognition. Helena was involved in a family tragedy.  One of her grandsons, Crispus, was accused by his stepmother, Constantines second wife, Fausta, of trying to seduce her. Constantine had him  executed. Then Helena accused Fausta, and Constantine had Fausta executed as well.  Helenas grief was said to be behind her decision to visit the Holy Land. Travels In about 326 or 327, Helena traveled to Palestine on an official inspection for her son of the construction of churches that he had ordered. Although the earliest stories of this journey omit any mention of Helenas role in the discovery of the True Cross (on which Jesus was crucified, and which became a popular relic), later in the century she began to be credited by Christian writers with that find. In Jerusalem, she is credited with having a temple to Venus (or Jupiter) torn down and replaced with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the cross was supposed to have been discovered. On that journey, she also is reported to have ordered built a church on the location identified with the burning bush in the story of Moses. Other relics she is credited with finding on her travels were nails from the crucifixion and a tunic worn by Jesus before his crucifixion. Her palace in Jerusalem was converted to the Basilica of the Holy Cross. Death Her death at perhaps Trier in 328 or 329 was followed by her burial at a mausoleum near the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Marcellinus near Rome, built on some of the lands which had been granted to Helena before Constantine was emperor. As happened with some other Christian saints, some of her bones were sent as relics to other locations. St. Helena was a popular saint in medieval Europe, with many legends told about her life. She was considered a model for a good Christian woman ruler.

The Rise and Spread of Communism in China essays

The Rise and Spread of Communism in China essays The Rise and Spread of Communism in China The aftermath of World War II had left many countries in ruins, as great masses of countrymen were beginning to suffer from its devastating effects. The remains of what had once been great cities were now destroyed, and the remnants of great buildings and architectural structures now littered the streets. At such a critical and dreadful time, many societies were forced to re-establish and reconstruct, as the war left many injured and homeless, in a daily struggle for survival. An ideal revolution was required, and for China during this post World War II era, communism inevitably became their glorious path towards restoration. The ideal of communism, which can briefly be described as an economic system that is characterized by collective ownership of property with an organization of labor providing for the common good of all the members, contained many political and social aspects, which seemed ideal to a devastated China. Furthermore, the implementation of a new communistic society required the destruction of the previous anti-communist Guomindang regime. Political aid, along with military support additionally played a significant part in the post World War II, as many third worlds became nothing more then pawns in these ongoing contests of the two global superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union (Turbulent Passage, 118). Inevitably, the aftermath caused by World War II caused the rise and spread of communism, as China desperately needed to diverge from a former Guomindang regime, towards a new communist ideal. The spread of Communism and its ideals in China significantly increased during the occurrence of the war. The rise of Communism during this period is additionally affiliated with the gradual destruction of Chiang Kai-Sheks regime of the anti-communist, Guomindang. Despite initial support of the Guomindang provided by their military, peasants, and landlo...

Proposal Marketing Plan for Brightware Corporation Research

Marketing Plan for Brightware Corporation - Research Proposal Example In response to this dire situation, I present you and the team the following proposal for returning the company to its former exemplary position. With all humility, I would like to place before your good self my credentials in taking up this study. After completing my Bachelors in commerce, I pursued my Master's degree in Business Administrative (with Specialization in Marketing). I have about 15 years of experience in marketing industry. I joined Brightware Corporation about 10 years ago as a Marketing Manager and became Vice President of the Sales and Marketing, 3 years back. I am proud to be associated with the Company and be a part of its excellent workforce. The year 2005 had been the most profitable year in the history of Brightware Corporation with revenues touching 200 million dollars. However, in the year 2006 the Company witnessed a sudden dip in profits, with sales registering a negative growth by about 6%. To discover the reason for the current poor performance, as vice president of Sales & Marketing I called up the Advertising and Marketing research director Mr. Mark Quinn and National Sales Manager Mr. Kenneth Graham to a meeting to discuss about the sharp drop in annual sales. The unanimous view among all the participants of the meeting about the reasons for the current poor performance is as follows: 1.) Not enough attention is being paid towards countering the marketing communication machinery of the competitors: Today we are living in a world where media has started playing a very strong role in affecting the lifestyles of the consumers. Marketing communication, road shows and advertisement campaigns play a crucial role in carrying the brand closer to the consumer. The recent hype created around some brands coupled with attractive invitational prices of the products has taken away an appreciable share of our market. However, we failed to fathom the effect of the ad campaigns of our competitors and counter it. The marketing and sales department made repeated requests to the top management for more funds to counter the ad campaign of our competitors, but the top management did not yield to that request. The top management was of the opinion that on the basis of our more than a decade old association with the customers, we do not require to match the competitors on such campaign. This smugness resulted in sliding of our market share. The competitors on the other hand continued their all out efforts to woo the customer by unleashing marketing and advertisement campaigns on Television, Radio, Newspapers, Internet, road shows and direct marketing. Our main competitor World Kitchen has a prominent e-commerce website (http://www.worldkitchen.com), which is used to promote and sell its kitchenware products online. On the other hand we have virtually no presence in the Internet and we are not leveraging the most powerful media of the 21st century the Internet. 2.) Murmurs of disenchantment amongst the workforce: As a consequence of a dip is sales and less number of consignments being picked up, the production department was asked to go slow and retrench 140 of its workers, which in turn resulted in lowering of the morale amongst the worker community. The Company could not plan

English-zen story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English-zen story - Essay Example Yet, when he was caught by the master, instead of rebuking him for his misdeeds, the master felt pity and gave his clothes. This was a virtue of sharing since the prowler came long down to visit without getting something out. The thief was amazed. He accepted the gift and ran away. The master then was pondering the poor thief by wishing to give him the moon. In the short Zen story, human nature is manifested. It is natural to human to seek and desire to obtain what they need for survival. The thief did whatever to sustain his desire of having things even in a wrong way. While the master living contented in a small hut has everything he needs in his way to live out happily. He did not even think twice about giving his clothes to the thief but he showed care and love. The moon represents the naturally bountiful of needs which human needs. If only the thief though of any other way of means to survive, the earth which is the human habitat has created by God with complete things which the basic needs of human are ample. One must only be resourceful in the rightful way. The earth's resources are free and abundant. What human need to do is to make use of it in the right approach. Freedom is always there but there are limitations. Freedom is freedom in true sense when it is utilized in the rightful way.