American reconstruction Essay Example For Students

American reconstruction Essay In the Spring of 1865, the Civil war was finally brought to an end. The five years of war was the nations most devastating and wrenching experience. Although the Union was saved and slavery had ended, the South being defeated and occupied by union forces was ruined and in a state of disaster. Public structures, private homes, and farm buildings had been burnt, rail road tracks uprooted, cotton gins wrecked, and the earth scorched in many sections of the defeated land. The nations next task was to rebuild the ruined South and the governments plan to do this is known as Reconstruction. There were numerous laws that specifically took away slaves rights asmen. Slaves also feared the whip and even death if they were to act outagainst their owners. The Declaration of Independence did not apply tomany groups and the black race was one of those excluded groups. Wehold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,that their Creator with certain unalienable Rights endows them,Those among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Thomas Jefferson, having slaves himself, recognized the fact that he could not free the slaves himself in that document. It was difficult enough for him to get the Declaration approved by all of the colonies in itself. In fact the last man to sign the Declaration of Independence did not do so until the year 1778. The slaves were kept in ignorance of any knowledge, which might have led to their freedom. Laws forbade reading and writing for slaves. They also forbade anyone to teach a slave to read. To keep the slaves o bedient, slaveholders often made an example of a slave by beating him with the cow skin, or even killing him. Most people in the north felt differently however. These peoplewere called the abolitionists, and they were dedicated to freeing theslaves. The southern states, strongly disagreed with their views andbroke away from the Union to form the Confederate states. Theirdivision led to the Civil War, resulting in freedom for the slaves. And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do orderthat all persons held as slaves within said designated States and partsof States are, and henceforward shall be, free; and that the ExecutiveGovernment of the United States, including the military and navalauthorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of saidpersons.The Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln wrote was a large steptowards the equality of black men and women. It spurred theReconstruction era that was so vital to black rights movement. TheReconstruction period brought new laws, giving black people the right to own land, and black men the right to vote. It was now amended in theConstitution. While the whites still found ways around these lawshowever, the black people were still better off than they once were. Some states enforced a Black Code, which forbade a black man the rightto vote if he could not read. This was somewhat effective for thesouthern whites in blocking the black vote, since the blacks wereforbidden to learn to read while they were enslaved. With the new blackfreedom, came organizations against their freedom. The KKK, or Ku KluxKlan, was responsible for many black murders. The cult would often madean example of a black man if he were very outspoken and loud. Theywould hang a black man in the most popular tree in town as to make sureeveryone got the message. Reconstruction brought education to theblacks, but it also brought segregation. Blacks had to use separateschools, buses, and public facilities. Although use of these facilitieswas far better than slavery, blacks still deserved the same rights aseveryone else. With ever increasing segregation, it was only a matterof time before blacks would demand equal rights, and that is whatspawned the civil rights movements. Evolutionism Vs Creationism EssayThe civil rights movement in the 60^s was a major event in U.S. History for men and women, black or white. Without the ReconstructionPeriod, however, Michigan State University might be an all blackSegregated school. Blacks had the right to ride in the front of thebuses, drink out of the same drinking fountains, and go to school withtheir white neighbor. After the civil rights laws were enacted,military personnel were sometimes needed to protect the black childrengoing to school. Affirmative action ensured fair employment practices. The civil rights movement was undeniably the pivotal point in thiscountries history for social equality. What our forefathers fought for in the American Revolution wasfreedom form British rule. The Civil War was fought mainly for thefreedom of slave owner rule. At some point in between those twoperiods America forgot what it was like to be ruled without choice. Today, after the civil rights laws, the U.S. seems to be a moreharmonious place to live. We must see that the past does not repeatitself, while we must also ensure that we are ever striving to improveour way of life. Revolution only the stepping-stone to the ideals that we live by today.

Raymonds Run free essay sample

This story is called Raymonds run because it tells the story of his sisters excitement when she sees him running. Squeaky never thought about her brother as a run, she was always so focused on her abilities and skills that she failed to notice that her brother would always, â€Å"keep up with [her] on [her] trots,† and he knew how to breathe properly by observing her. At the end of the story it is not about Squeaky and how many times she has won the competition, but it is about Raymonds ability and skills to run, and his own style when he runs. Squeakys talent is both natural and worked on. She states that, â€Å"there is no track meet that [she] dont win† and that she has been winning since she was a, â€Å"little kid in kindergarten† which proves that her ability to run fast is a natural talent. We will write a custom essay sample on Raymonds Run or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Also, she states that she was about to run down Broadway so she could, â€Å"practice breathing exercises† and this shows that she works hard to win her competitions, and that she does not rely on her natural talent. When the results of the race is announced, Squeaky is not excited about her winning as everyone was thinking, but she was excited to know that there was other things in life. When she sees Raymond running and coming to her, her values did not matter anymore. She did not care if she won or lost, she was just happy to know that she had someone whom she could teach what she knew to. She realized that she could be someone else besides a runner, a coach, a spelling bee champion, a pianist, as she stated. She just had to work hard on it and she could be whoever she wanted to. At the same moment she realizes the effort Gretchen put to that running and she smiles to her, to show her respect for Gretchens effort. And all that realization in Squeakys mind came from her brother Raymonds run.

Studying Two Alan Bennett Monologues Essay Example

Studying Two Alan Bennett Monologues Paper A monologue is a play with a single performer. The word monologue is of Greek origin and comes from mono-logos. Mono means word of one person and logos means voice hence monologue, one voice. Alan Bennetts work is impressive and his understanding of characterization is second to none. He has an ability to capture the life- styles and backgrounds of the characters he creates. The language of each character brings forward clichi s that can be humorous although in my view this might not have been always intentional. In carrying out my research I found an article in The Times Newspaper where Alan Bennett recognized that although he calls this work a series of monologues they could be plays. In fact, two of his monologues have been lengthened to enable them to be performed in the theatre. The article also stated that they could, equally well, be called short stories, for although none has a conventional short story construction, each has a plot, of sorts. It is a measure of Bennetts skill with language, that all of the scripts establish detail, plot and development of character. A Lady of Letters We will write a custom essay sample on Studying Two Alan Bennett Monologues specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Studying Two Alan Bennett Monologues specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Studying Two Alan Bennett Monologues specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Patricia Routledge was cast in the BBC production to play Irene Ruddock, a middle aged woman who writes letters. We soon discover that what she regards as her public responsibility has in the past turned into libel. As a result legal action has been taken against her and she has been bound over to keep the peace by a court for writing invasive and offensive letters to her neighbours. Irene Ruddock is a lonely and sad woman. The death of her mother had a deep effect on her life and writing letters is in a way her escape route for loneliness and a lack of friends/family. Her letters include writing replies to circulars and even a letter to the Queen about dog droppings! It starts to become really serious when she writes to her neighbours believing that they were abusing and neglecting their child. This is based on her prejudice towards the parents, for example she is disgusted by the fact that he has a tattoo and the kiddy looks filthy. Although Irene realizes that she may need help and visits the doctor she neglects to take the medication. Her local vicar also has little influence on her. Eventually Irene is cautioned by the police and informed that the child has died of leukemia. She is prosecuted and given a suspended sentence and assigned two social workers, who try to encourage her to join the community. Her response is to write another series of letters about the local community policeman and the lady at No. 56, which land her in prison. Prison life dramatically changes Irene because she has now found the friends and companionship she had longed for in the outside world. Irene making friends in prison is surprising because she is now mixing with people who were the victims of the letters she used to write. The strength of the monologue comes from a malicious trouble maker who finally becomes a liberated woman. It is ironic that for Irene prison is for her freedom. A Cream Cracker under the Sofa Thora Hird in the original BBC production plays Doris, a fiercely independent woman. While carrying out housework she severely injures herself. She tries to attract attention and when a policeman knocks on the door she decides to turn him away. Doris refuses to consider moving to an old peoples home where everyone smells of pee. Although one should feel sorry for Doris it is difficult to do so given her obsessions with hygiene. This monologue and the revelations about Doris and Wilfred the baby which wasnt fit to be called anything and which was wrapped up in newspaper as if it was dirty is much more shocking than A Lady of Letters. Doris has a very old fashioned outlook on life, she remembers the world when people were clean and the streets were clean. Doris is a very strong-willed woman. It is ironic therefore that to be saved she must admit that she is unable to look after herself, because she does not realise this she would rather die on the floor of her home than go to aold folks home. Talking Heads My research established that Alan Bennett believes forms. dictate themselves and that material demands to be written in a particular way and no other. Each of his characters, according to the author has a single point of view and none is telling the whole story. He says that his characters are artless and dont quite know what they are saying. This is in my view very much about the conventions he establishes. It seems to me that Alan Bennett writes very realistically. The actors speak directly to camera and alone. It is as if the audience is not watching as far as the speaker is concerned. In some ways this is like a catholic confession. The characters reveal themselves to be what they are. The writer assumes that you understand the characters emotions and you can relate to them in some way or another. The writer also assumes that you care about what happens to the characters. The BBCs approach to televising Alan Bennetts plays for television was in many ways to keep their theatrical presence although they were recorded in a television studio. The BBC broadcast them in the late 1980s; they received great public and critical acclaim because of their portrayal of human endeavour. Thora Hird won a BAFTA in 1988 for her performance as Doris in A Cream Cracker Under the Sofa and won three more awards for performances in Alan Bennett monologues, Two BAFTAs and one EMMY. These monologues were among Alan Bennetts first to be produced and broadcast. One of the challenges in televising a monologue is keeping the audiences attention as monologues are not always visually entertaining. In the programmes the directors use a close-up camera shot when the character is talking about something important. For example, in The Lady of Letters when she talks about the visit from the police when Irene states the line: No. Leukaemia The technique of mid-shot and close-up is used throughout. The music in the monologues is very fitting and allows the audience to appreciate the different moods of the play. The music is in the minor key throughout most of the monologues, demonstrating how depressed and miserable the characters sometimes are. The music is introduced to create atmosphere when something particularly emotionally stirring or dramatic is occurring. The music is also used to link the end of scenes and the fades to black. However, silence also is used to highlight different parts of the play. When the actors say important lines there is a silence for a few seconds before music is brought back. This allows the audience time to assess the dramatic effect of the play. There are several set changes in both monologues. The Lady of Letters starts off in Irenes house, in a dull plain room with just a desk and a window. The walls are plain and white with no form of decoration. The lack of decoration might suggest her lack of interest in the inside of her house; she is more interested in what is outside. After a short period of time she moves to an armchair to read the paper, yet she is still in view of the window. In the middle of the monologue there is an end of scene in which Irene is leaving her house and putting her coat on. The only other set change in A lady of Letters is when she is sent to prison. The prison walls have a plain industrial pattern and a reinforced window to prevent the inmates escaping. The sets in A Cream Cracker under the Sofa do not change very often. At the beginning of the monologue Doris is sitting in an armchair in her main room. In the room is a fireplace. When Doris tries to go and make a cup of tea she is unable to do so and ends up on the floor by the fireplace sitting next to the wedding photo she cracked. Doris attempts to make it to the door to get help. This is when the next scene change occurs. Doris ends up seated on the floor in front of the door. Later on as the monologue draws to a close Doris manages to drag herself back into the living room in which she started the monologue. The main setting of a Cream Cracker under the Sofa is Doriss main room. This room is full of furniture and is very out of date. I think this is linked with the fact that she is trapped in the past by her views of people and her obsession with hygiene. In a monologue, normally you do not see the plot happening directly. It happens, then the character tells you about it. The only exception of this in the two monologues is at the end of A Cream Cracker under the Sofa. When the police officer approaches the window you actually see Doris turn down the officers help. Fading to black is used to differentiate between two different time periods and to change the set, for example in A Lady of Letters after Irene says the line: He needs reporting (when referring to the police officer who is having an affair with the woman down the street) It fades to black and comes back with Irene in prison, this shows it is used as both a change of time and place. In the monologues the character is always talking to the camera and almost always looking straight into the camera. This makes it seem as if the character is talking directly to the viewer and I think this helps the viewer to understand their choices and opinions better than if they were not talking to the camera. One becomes almost like the characters diary. I think this because they tell you everything, yet you play no part in the plot or their life. The two monologues vary in the use of humour. A Lady of Letters subject matter uses humour effectively whilst A Cream Cracker under the Sofa has little humour. The situation of an old woman alone and in pain, condemning herself to death leaves little to laugh about. However a few moments for example are when Doris is lying distressed on the floor and a young boy enters her garden and she sees him spending a penny she says: The cheeky monkey. Hes spending a penny. Hey. Hey. Get out. Go on. You little Demon. Would you credit it? Inside our gate. Broad day light. The placell stink. Also Doris states: They ought to get their priorities right. They want learning that on their instruction course. Shouting about Jesus and leaving gates open. Its hypocrisy is that. It is in my book anyway. Love God and close all gates. Most of the comedy in the two monologues is ironic humour. Irony is when the character says something then something happens that completely contradicts what they said for example, when Irene says: Prison, they have it easy, television, table tennis, art. Its just a holiday camp, do you wonder theres crime? Then when she is sent to prison she enjoys it, this is ironic. The settings in both monologues are similar yet subtly different. For example they both start off in rooms that are old fashioned, but they are old fashioned in different ways because they are from different generations. Both the rooms have a focal point that is involved in the plot and the character concentrates on it. In A Lady of Letters it is the window. Irene is near a window for almost the whole of the monologue this is because she is observing the social life of her community rather than taking part in it. In A Cream Cracker under the Sofa the focal point is the fireplace. Doris injures herself while trying to dust it, she ends up next to it when she tries to go and make a cup of tea. Windows are also key in A Cream Cracker under the Sofa. Through the windows Doris sees the little boy spending a penny and the police officer coming to help her. There is a wide variety of connection between the two monologues. They both are about women who are trapped in some way. Irene is trapped by her anti-social letter writing and her lack of friends. You know that Irene has a lack of friends because she calls her pen a real friend. Doris is trapped by her obsession with hygiene and her old fashioned views. You can tell that Doris is obsessed with hygiene because she talks about how she had an argument with her deceased husband Wilfred about having a tree in the garden she says: Given the choice Wilfred Id rather have concrete. He said concrete has no character. I said, Never mind character, Wilfred, Where does hygiene come on the agenda? With concrete you can feel easy in your mind This extract shows just how obsessed with hygiene Doris is and how it rules her decisions and her life. Another extract that demonstrates how obsessed with hygiene she is, is when she and Wilfred have a discussion about getting a dog: Hairs all up and down, then having to take it outside every five minutes. Wilfred said he would be prepared to undertake that responsibility. The dog would be his department. I said, Yes, and whose province would all the little hairs be? What they both need is friends and family, to distract Irene from the goings on of her neighbours and to stop her from sending letters and to give Doris companionship. Both monologues are about two women who are living by themselves and they both have lost a loved one, Doris her husband and Irene her mother. Each monologue makes you feel sympathetic towards the characters involved because of the ordeal they have been through. At the end of A Lady of Letters you feel happy for Irene because of her new found friends. At the end of A Cream Cracker under the Sofa you are not sure if you should be happy for Doris because she avoids being sent to the old peoples home (Stafford House), or if you should feel sad for her because she dies. The monologues have quite similar structures. Both the monologues start off in mid conversation leaving the audience confused as to what is happening and what the character is talking about. They also both finish with a summing up line. For A Lady of Letters the finishing line is: and Im so happy The last line in A Cream Cracker under the Sofa is: Never mind. Its done with now, anyway. Both these lines give the audience a look at how the character views her decisions and their outcome. The language used by the characters and written by Alan Bennett is quite varied and it is like a real conversation. It is not like someone is reading from a script. It is as though they are really making it up as they go along, because Alan Bennett has written in thinking time and pauses for contemplation. The language that is used is the kind of language that women of those ages would be using. I noticed that the two characters speak quite similarly and have a similar vocabulary of words; for example, they both refer to children as Kiddies.

Volunteer Essay Sample: Keep Your Promising Student on Track

Volunteer Essay Sample: Keep Your Promising Student on TrackUsing a volunteer writing sample is a great way to help boost your resume. The majority of volunteers in other positions do not go on to hold positions at their former employer or university. This is why they need to make sure that they include a sample of their writing in order to be taken seriously.There are a number of benefits of volunteering essay samples for you as a student who wants to make a change. Firstly, a resume by the age of twenty-one years old means that you are setting yourself up for a long and successful career. More importantly, by including a professional volunteering resume at this age, you will have built a record of writing of great quality that cannot be ignored or be disputed.Volunteers with all sorts of backgrounds will appreciate the quality of the volunteering essay samples. Whether it is because the editor has worked with different candidates, or it is because the editor has some experience of working with various candidates, the end result is that the selection process will be much more thorough. This is due to the fact that a good volunteer resume includes an array of opinions and has an extensive background of academic writing.Volunteer essay samples help students get their foot in the door at their college. The majority of colleges require that applicants for internships and volunteers right volunteer essays to demonstrate their writing skills. This is another benefit to the college.Volunteers who are hired for college-level teaching jobs often go on to hold positions at the university. If you have written a volunteer essay sample that was awarded the highest award by the organization that awards the essay, you will be a professional writer and will be expected to deliver excellent academic writing. You will also be able to tell future employers what types of writing they should look for.The requirements for teachers that work in schools usually include academic writi ng skills as well as volunteer writing skills. Those that have earned the highest awards will most likely find themselves writing volunteer essays for this type of position. The number of organizations that award the highest award can be found by searching for volunteer essay samples and then by searching for organizations that award the highest individual awards.Volunteer essay samples can include but are not limited to essays of all types such as newspaper articles, scholarly articles, essays, dissertations, essays, and several other types of written work. The vast majority of students who have an academic writing skill will not hold positions as professionals within academia. Therefore, when they do volunteer or work in a position as a professional volunteer, they need to be careful to ensure that they have written something that will show their writing abilities.These essays are required by volunteer agencies to help them see which writers they should be hiring for their positio ns. As a result, the majority of companies will not consider hiring any other applicants. By using a professional volunteering essay sample, you can ensure that you have created a professional first impression that will serve you well throughout your employment experience.

How Will We Use Tomorrows PCs essays

How Will We Use Tomorrows PCs essays Tomorrow's PCs are going to be different in many ways; they will be more powerful, they will include more facilities for multimedia, and looking further ahead, they may have features such as three dimensional displays, or wrap around virtual reality. These changes will shape the way which we use our PCs, but even without such advances, there are changes that can and will take place in the operating systems that enable us to make better use of PCs. I would like to focus here on some of the changes that I believe are desirable. So what is wrong with today's operating systems Plenty. Whereas the hardware for today's desk top PCs has advanced at an ever increasing pace, the operating systems have not matched up to the hardware. To be sure, there has been progress. The world of windows is a significant advance on the primitive command line interface of the original PC operating systems. But this represents merely a catching up with the state of the art of thirty years ago. The cost power ratio of current microprocessors would have amazed the pioneers at IBM who developed these things, but they would not have been too impressed with the operating system. One of the other things wrong with operating systems is just that - the name. I either have to spell it out all the time, or fall back on the somewhat cryptic OS; and what exactly does 'operating system' mean to the average PC user? It sounds more like something you expect to find in a hospital than on a home computer. What is needed is a name that is more user friendly, and represents better the relationship I believe should exist between the PC and the user. In a world where the average user is well used to the infra red controller to zap the TV, hi-fi or VCR, I suggest that Controller is a better word to use than operating system, so that is what I shall use. Current controllers have evolved as being little more than a way of users getting application programs to operate on their ...

Discussion Week 5 Question 1 Stock Options Chapter 8 Assignment

Discussion Week 5 Question 1 Stock Options Chapter 8 - Assignment Example Using Wal-Mart Company as an example, the company usually gives options to its employees. Each option covers a maximum of ten years from the time when it is granted. For those who at the time the option is granted own stock which represent 10% of the voting power in stock at the company, the term will not exceed five years. An employee can exercise an option when he gives notice to Wal-Mart and the company receives full payment for the option. An employee can exercise their option when their term ends as long as the option does not have restrictions. This can be done within sixty days. Options are transferable and are disposable to an immediate family; this is a â€Å"Permitted Transfer†. An option cannot is not transferable to another person other than through the â€Å"Permitted Transfer† or by the laws of distribution. The best way that the company can leverage stock options so as to offset employee compensation is by allowing employees to sell, transfer and dispose stock in the open market. This is because many employees see options as being part of their compensation and usually want to exercise them so as to get money. Restricting this to just family members is likely to make the options unattractive to employees. Employees should also be free to exercise the options at any time without following the process of notifying the company. This is because as they are in the process of notifying the company, they may miss out on making profits the moment that the stock prices go up in the stock

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

Management - Essay Example Apart from this is the personality that we also possess to include human inadequacies, creativeness, eccentricity and everything that makes us unique. It has been observed by many commentators and researchers that the status of managers has fluctuated over the years. Management is in a period of decline, particularly in the middle management (Scarbrough and Burrel, 1996, cited in Brocklehurst et al., 2009, p. 7). The decline can be due to many factors, one of which can be traced to our personality and relationship: our relationship with people is affected by our uniqueness as humans. Clegg et al. (2008) deal in their article the complexities of human nature: we can relate this with the decline of the middle management, on the relationship of managers versus employees. Yet what makes this managing unique is that there is no exact definition of successful organization, or â€Å"failure† organization. Organizations will continue to exist for as long as man continues to socialize. The problem is how people behave or interact with each other; the effect is on the organization. In our socializing activities, we commit errors, but which are not really errors – they are a part of our being human. Examples of these errors are stereotyping, self-fulfilling prophecies, the ‘halo’ effect, attribution error, cognitive dissonance, and so forth. These affect our managing people. ‘Stereotyping occurs most commonly in the absence of enough social cues in order to make an informed assessment’ (Kawakami et al., 1998, cited in Clegg et al., 2005, p. 57). The most common issues concerning stereotyping center on culture and race. People have been asked to suppress their stereotyping behavior. ‘Self-fulfilling prophecies’ effect how we perceive others and how we act when we interact with them. If we look at others the way we think of them, they may act the way we perceive of them. We have also to consider the values we have