F. Scott Fitzgerald Essays - F. Scott Fitzgerald, Free Essays

F. Scott Fitzgerald Essays - F. Scott Fitzgerald, Free Essays F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald is in many ways one of the most important American writers of the twentieth century. In his first novel, This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald epitomized the mindset of an era with the statement that his generation had, grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, and all faiths in man shaken(Fitzgerald 307). Aside from being a major literary voice of the twenties and thirties, Fitzgerald was also among The Lost Generations harshest and most insightful social critics. In his classic novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald blatantly criticized the immorality, materialism, and hedonism which characterized the lifestyles of Americas bourgeois during the nineteen-twenties. Collectively, Fitzgeralds novels and short stories provide some of the best insight into the lifestyles of the rich during Americas most prosperous era, while simultaneously examining major literary themes such as disillusionment, coming of age, and the corruption of the American Dream. The life of F. Scott Fitzgerald is marked by as much, if not more, romanticism and tragedy than his novels. Throughout Fitzgeralds life, he unsuccessfully battled alcoholism, depression, and himself, in a quest for both personal and literary identity. At the age of twenty-three, Fitzgerald published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to critical raves and unimaginable economic success. Shortly after the publishing of this novel, Fitzgerald was able to coerce Zelda Sayre into marriage. This marriage is manifestly the most significant event of his lifeeventually, Zelda would not only expedite, but essentially, cause the personal and literary downfall of Fitzgerald. Upon marriage, and also coinciding with the pinnacle of Fitzgeralds fame, Scott and Zelda began living a life of wasteful extravagance that was often characterized by recklessly drunken behavior. In order to maintain this lifestyle, Fitzgerald was forced to put aside working on novels, and focus his creative efforts on penning lucrative, but by no means extraordinary, short stories. Throughout their marriage, Zelda put constant economic, as well as, emotional strains on Fitzgerald. She encouraged his short story writing, as well as his drinking, and was continually swaying his focus from writing to socializing. Also, Zeldas eventual mental breakdown triggered Scotts own series of nervous breakdowns. Because of these factors, Zelda is often considered the prime instigator of Fitzgeralds literary and personal declines. Yet in spite of Zeldas overtly negative influence on Fitzgerald, he continued to love his wife to the day he died. Later in life, after Zelda became mentally ill, Fitzgerald clearly illustrated his unconditional love for his wife by compromising his artistic integrity in order to write short stories to support her medical expenses. Aside from Zelda, two major American literary figures played a substantial role in Fitzgeralds life, and his personal decline as well. On an extended trip to Europe, and at the pinnacle of his fame, Fitzgerald met and became acquainted with a then obscure fellow expatriate named Ernest Hemmingway. Throughout the course of their friendship, Hemmingway would become Fitzgeralds harshest critic, and in the eyes of Fitzgerald, his, artistic conscience(Meyers 263). The second major American literary figure who influenced Fitzgeralds life was Edgar Allen Poe. Fitzgeralds intrigue with both the tragic and romantic elements of Poes life, as well as the many similarities these two men shared, may have very well facilitated his plunge into the unforgiving abysses of alcoholism and depression. Jeffrey Meyers biography Scott Fitzgerald provides a complete and seemingly unbiased account of the life of one of the most complex men in American literary history. Whereas previous biographies tended to over-exaggerate either the romantic or tragic elements of Fitzgeralds life, Scott Fitzgerald does not in any way attempt to emphasize these aspects. Rather, this biography offers a strait-forward interpretation of both the life and works of Fitzgerald. It illustrates the importance of his relationships with Zelda Sayre and Ernest Hemmingway; the mentally and physically destructive influence of his alcoholism; and the parallels between his life and his writings. Through these facets, and many others, Meyers provides insight into Fitzgeralds life, without forcing his own opinion of the subject upon the reader. Personally, I found Scott Fitzgerald to be both insightful and interesting. Compared to other Fitzgerald biographies that I have read, Meyers biography was clearly the least biased and

European Powers essays

European Powers essays Assess critically how any two of the great European powers contributes to the causes of World War I. The increase of militarism across Europe and the fierce devotion to alliances in the two major European powers, Germany and Russia, contributed to the inevitable outbreak of World War I. Another factor was nationalism in the two countries. While Germany nationalism unified its people in the late 19th century, the many diverse ethnic cultures in Russia pulled at the nation's unity. In the time leading up to World War I Russia was struggling to prove itself as a major power in Europe. Between 1870-1914 Germany had built up its army to be double the size of the army they were fighting with during the Franco- Prussian War. They felt it was important to have a very large and well organized military in order to keep up with Britain's superior military. At sea Britain had been the "master" for many, many years and Germany felt as though it was their turn. By creating these huge battle ships to out-do each other, the British and German's competition continued as more and more military technological advances occurred. This competition led to massive weapon development and the tension grew between the British and Germans because of it. Meanwhile, Russia was still having a difficult time with its industry. Some say Russia's economy was moving "backwards" and unlike countries around it, no technological progress had taken place during the Industrial Revolution. The lack of advances began to lead to inner turmoil in Russia and tension throughout the country due to its poor economy and its inability to defend itself in case of a war. As 1914 came closer to August, major European tension began to rise. By July the Austrian- Hungarian Empire had declared was on Serbia, and due to Russia's need to have power, over too much, the tension arose in Russia. At this point Nicholas thought it was pertinent and mandatory t...

Current event analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current event analysis - Essay Example ates that the state of Florida announced they are facing a $3 billion dollar deficit and as a result the mental health programs could be cut by as much as thirty to fifty percent by the Florida House and the Florida Senate. Jacque Henderson, director of Tri-County Human Services residential programs in Lakeland spoke about the potential cuts and said that almost every significant advance in the last thirty-years, including drug court, mental health court, and miscellaneous treatment services, are all at risk of being cut. The current House plan is to cut over $172 million, while the Senate has a proposal for $205 million in cuts. Expressing similar sentiments to Jacque Henderson, Partners in Crisis was also highly concerned about the potential of losing drug court and mental health court programs. The article states that the Peace River staff has already taken 5% pay cuts, and only through a large private donation were they able to remain a viable institution. While the article does mention research that states recent statistical analysis states that the programs that might be cut have demonstrated significant preventative value, it doesn’t elucidate on these findings. While mental health programs should be of the utmost concern and valued as highly as other medical programs, one would hope to see some fiscal responsibility and proof of

The Influence Of High-Stakes Standardized Assessments On Pedagogical Essay

The Influence Of High-Stakes Standardized Assessments On Pedagogical Practices - Essay Example While evaluation has been a division of education for an extended time, Schoenfeld (2004) says that the existing augmented importance on consistency of curriculum and evaluation is exceptional. The author surveys changeable standpoints on evaluation considers the functional evaluation plays and then assess arguments on both sides of the discussion taking into consideration the present high-stakes testing surroundings which is fitting an essential constituent of education all around the world. As a final point, a debate of the suggestions of increased evaluation and chiefly that of high-stakes testing within the education prospectus discloses that noteworthy portions of imperative education conclusions are minimalized or unobserved because of the importance on standardized testing. Well on the system to apt a culture based on information, we are hearing progressively about the regeneration of education and confronts we face in changing the objectives and substance of the teaching/learning procedure (Wagner, 2005). The expression inventive is frequently used when we converse about fresh pedagogical methods and inventive educators who symbolize a divergence from conventional didactics. Efforts to begin modification in the classroom have got to now also add in the use of scientific resources that have enthused the beginning of the information society. Keeping swiftness with the progress of the age, AV equipment, computers and additional tools of communication have progressively established their place within the walls of enlightening institutions and the procedure of reorganization pedagogical practice. The manifestation of technological speculates and their exercise in the field of education, though, can not mechanically be looked upon as pedagogical innovation. Is it at all probable to describe the expression, and if so, how Education researchers are inquisitive about the response to this question when they evaluated the function of Information Technology in the ground-breaking pedagogical practice of different countries. Previous to assessing knowledge and opinions in association with ground-breaking pedagogical practice, it is worth investigative how the educational system of the culture is making the changeover to single based information. The altering roles of schools, students and parents in the course of education are vibrantly demonstrated by researchers in the following chart. Role Education in the developed Society (the conventionally significant paradigm) Education in the Information culture ( the promising paradigm) School out-of-the-way from society incorporated in society the majority information on the purpose of schools is not to be mentioned Information is candidly obtainable Teacher Initiates teaching Helps students find suitable pathway of teaching Teaches whole class Guides students' self-governing

Data Protection Act 1998 Essay Example for Free

Data Protection Act 1998 Essay During face to face and telephone conversation you should always be well mannered, presentable and speak with appropriate language and be informative to the conversation at hand. What type of questioning you as a therapist should use; You should always use open and closed questions when dealing with a client, open question e. g. what treatments have you had before. A closed question e. g. have had this treatment before. Personal behaviour; Your personal behaviour should always be professional and informative to the client’s needs so you give the best options to your client with the next professional presentation. Personal professional presentation; Your professional personal presentation should always be clean, neat and fresh smelling and meet the salons rules and regulation, because the first person the client meets and see’s is you, and you should show a good presentation because your jobs is to make the client look and feel more beautiful whilst selling products to them. Data protection and storage information; Data protection and storage of information should always be followed to the data protection act regulations, to avoid any information being found be someone inappropriate and used in a harmful way. This information should be stored away in a locked cupboard or on computer with a password. Timings and costs; Timing and costs should always be memorised and learnt by all staff members to ensure the salon runs efficiently, that the clients are well informed on procedures and prices and so that there is no dispute with the information given and that treatments won go over causing over booking of the therapist and loss of profits for the salon. How to keep payments safe and secure; Payments should be kept safe and secure in a cash register with a key or electronic lock, and only people of authority should have a copy of a copy of the keys or codes. What types of problems that may occur in the salon; Miss-informed treatment prices leading to an unhappy customer. Clients being late for appointments and being turned away or asked to wait due to time keeping the receptionist and therapist has to keep to run a smooth salon. Contra-actions due to a reaction to certain treatments leading to an unhappy client. All of these problems should be referred to the salon manager or owner to deal with, as you as the therapist have no jurisdiction here, unless you are salon manager.

Themes of Desirees Baby Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby† is a story of love, prejudice and rejection, a story with noble beginnings that slowly turns to reveal an uglier side of human relations. Armand, a wealthy landowner of the plantation L’Abri in the ante-bellum south of Louisiana, is confronted by a family secret that has been hidden from him, even into adulthood. The secret is scandalous for its day, and its consequences run deep into the fabric of society. No one told Armand of this secret. He discovers it by chance at the end of the story, when he finds the remnants of an old letter written by his mother to his father, the significance of which, and its revelations, makes us focus on the many tragic and ironic decisions made by him during this story. In the old south, bloodlines are very important to the status of a family and their social placement, so the â€Å"purity† of the family must be kept. This â€Å"purity† does not accommodate marriages of mixed race. Knowing this, Armand marries an old friend who he had known since he was eight when he moved to Louisiana from France with his father after his mother had died. She was a girl of no distinction, who had no history or reputation of family name like that of Armand, but despite this he fell in love â€Å"as if struck by a pistol shot†.(317). Others had warned Arman d against marrying her, but he did not care for he was so swept away by her beauty. â€Å"He was reminded that she was nameless. What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana.† (316). Tragedy comes early in the marriage with the birth of their first child. Although no one seemed to notice at first, by the time the child was three months old, neighbors and Armand himself noticed a change in the child. â€Å"W... ...loved and so easily discarded to protect his family name, were innocent of his animosity and accusations. We can only imagine the heart wrenching turmoil he must have felt at that moment. Too, was the undeniable fact that his father had overcome similar odds and accepted the love of his mother even though she was black. Armand’s father had escaped from tradition and its shackles to stay with the woman he loved and yet still kept the family’s good name, where Armand had failed to do so. The finding of this letter reveals to the reader the deeper consequences of decisions made based on prejudice and what others may think. All that Armand had done, giving up his marriage and condemning their child, burning all that reminded him of her and the baby, cursing God for his misfortune, had all come crashing in upon him by finding a simple letter with tragic â€Å"significance

Defeating the Aztec Empire

Hernan Cortes, a fierce Spanish conquistador, landed at San Juan de Ulua, in April 1519. With him, Cortes had 508 soldiers, one hundred sailors, artillery cannons, eleven ships and sixteen horses. Cortes and his small army, marched through Mexico, forming alliances with Aztec rivals, until reaching the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the massive Mexican empire known as the Aztecs or Mexica. It had a population of 200,000 people; almost three times that of the largest city of Spain, Seyville (Windschuttle, 43). Within the next two years, Cortes and his men had triumphantly defeated the Aztecs and taken control of Tenochtitlan against all odds. (Daniel, 1992) So how, despite be hopelessly outnumbered, without the possibility of new supplies or reinforcements, fighting other native tribes and Spaniards, and the Aztecs on their own turf, did this tiny Spanish force defeat such a formidable army. Today, there are a number of reasons why the Spanish have believed to been able to overcome such odds. A combination of poor Aztec military tactics against advance Spanish weaponry and strategy, a weak Aztec ruler, the spread of disease, Tenochtitlan’s poor governing over its populace, and the interconnectedness of Aztec military and religion ultimately led to the demise of its empire. The first phase of the Spanish invasion of Mexico took place in April 1519. In defiance of the Governor of Cuba and his expedition sponsor, Cortes took control over his forces and moved them inland. On the way, Cortes met resistance from other locals, who he eventually conquered and absolved into his army as allies. After reaching Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Capital, the Spaniards were initially greeted as foreign ambassadors. Other claims state that the Aztecs viewed Cortes as the god, Quetzalcoatl (Windschuttle, 50). The Spanish did not return the favor, eventually kidnapping Emperor Montezuma and, using him as a puppet, ran the country. The Governor of Cuba, angry with the defiant Cortes, sent a force under Panfilo Narvaez to end his exploration. As the natives before him, Cortes defeated this force and had them join him in his conquest. In Cortes’ absence, the Spanish troops left behind had massacred Aztec nobles during a religious festival, a confrontation that also left emperor Moctezuma dead. The Spanish were forced to leave Tenochtitlan, ending the first phase of the conquest. For a year, the Spanish forces recuperated, gathering eight thousand native allies and new supplies, including three naval vessels. â€Å"To ay siege to a lake-girt city requiring the prefabrication of thirteen brigantines on the far side of the mountains, eight thousand carriers to transport the pieces, their reassembly in Texcoco, the digging of a canal and the deepening of the lake for their successful launching (Clendinenn, 72)† For a year, Cortes and his native allies lay siege to the city of Tenochtitlan. Using experience military tactics, against an Aztec force unprepared for them, Cortes and his troops captured the capital cit y, killing almost all inside. This would be the end of the Aztec empire. Moctezuma II was the ninth ruler of Tenochtitlan and the first Aztec emperor to make contact with Europeans. Moctezuma’s poor leadership and unwillingness to deal with the invading Spaniards are regarded as large factors of the Aztec’s demise. He immediately assumed the foreigners to be foreign ambassadors and was blindly unable to see their true intent. At their first meeting, the two leaders exchanged gifts. Clendinnen stated that â€Å"Cortes interpreted Moctezoma’s first gifts as gestures of submission of naive attempts of bribery. To the Aztecs, Moctezuma gifts were most likely â€Å"statements of dominancy, superb gestures of wealth and liberality made the more glorious by the arrogant humility of their giving (Windshuttle, 40). † After living months in Tenochtitlan, the Spaniards launched a coup, taking Moctezuma as a hostage. When he was taken hostage, he preferred to attempt to bribe the invaders rather than, although have the ability to, expel t hem from the city. Being heavily religious, Moctezuma would depend on his oracles for a plan of action, proving his indecisiveness and wasting valuable time. Indecisiveness of the leader and inaction to deal with the invaders led to the demise of the Aztec empire (Windschuttle, 45). The Aztec’s authoritative rule over its different cities and populations allowed for Hernan Cortes to recruit thousands of native allies. Only recently rising to power, the Aztecs depended on governed regions and populations for taxing tribute that included food and other necessities. â€Å"They exacted tribute by threat of terror and retribution. In fact, each year, the agricultural harvest heralded the onset of a six-month season of war, in which warriors from Tenochtitlan would go out to other settlements to challenge them to battle, to bring back captives for sacrifice, and to carry off women, children, and slaves (Windschuttle, 54). † The capital city of Tenochtitlan’s use of murder, sacrifice, and firm rule over its lands caused other Aztec cities to desire them to be overthrown. The Aztec’s authoritative rule was heavily resented, and did poorly to attain any loyal sentiments among its far-reaching population. Cortes was able to easily break these shaky alliances, and have these angered native populations join him in getting rid of the Aztecs. By the second siege of Tenochtitlan, Cortes had almost every other Aztec city fighting behind him. It was these native allies that led to the final massacre of the remaining Aztecs in Technoctitlan (Clendinenn, 91). Since the first contact between Europeans and American natives, diseases such as smallpox, measles, and yellow fever had spread like wildfire, killing millions of natives. The spread of disease to natives lacking immunity also contributed to the fall of the Aztecs. During the second siege of Tenochtitlan, a Spanish soldier from the force sent by the Governor of Cuba, had brought the smallpox disease with him. This disease spread quickly and was very effective at killing the natives. â€Å"Smallpox was the biggest single cause of death in the Valley of Mexico and killed off many more Aztec warriors than did Spanish swords or guns (Windschuttle, 46). † When the second siege of Tenochtitlan began, their population had dwindled so much that defeat was seemingly imminent. A major reason for the Spanish victory over the Aztecs was their experienced and trained military soldiers. They had foot soldiers with pikes, swordsmen, muskets and artillery. Spanish forces, trained by numerous wars with the French, were comprised of tercios, or units of 250 men. Soldiers were well-trained and put through drills that stressed the importance of the unit working together. Cortes and his army, due to lack of men, had to adjust to follow Spanish military strategy. â€Å"During the siege of Tenochtitlan the force was reformed into nine companies of about fifty men each, grouped in turn into three â€Å"divisions,† each of three companies. This handling of troops was in keeping with Spanish practice of the period (Daniel, 189). Cortes’ sixteen horses also proved to be incredibly effective against the Aztec soldiers and a played a vital role in their victory. â€Å"At Cintla in Tabasco, early in the expedition, thirteen horseman route a huge enemy force engaged with the infantry. At Otumba the wounded and exhausted cavalry repeatedly broke through the overwhelmi ng numbers of Aztec troops until they retreated (Daniel, 189). † Without the help of rival native groups, such as the Tlaxcala and Texcoco, the Spanish would have been even more outnumbered by the Aztec forces. This tactical use of alliances was possibly the most important aspect of Cortes’ conquest of Mexico. Overall, the use of infantry, cavalry, and allies seemed to be too much for the Aztecs. The tactical organization of the Aztec military was much different than that of the Spanish. The Aztec forces were comprised of every able man, who had little option, as opposed to the Spanish forces comprised of volunteers. Their forces were divided into four units of four hundred men, commanded by a councilor of the emperor. Most of these troops were low class commoners. There were also units of elite soldier fraternities, such as the Eagle and the Jaguar, that provided increased military skill to the Aztec army. Typically, Aztec forces would use open formations and attempt to overcome their foe using flanking tactics (Daniel 120). The Aztecs and their fortified cities were also not used to siege warfare or the use of cannons. â€Å"European cities had over this time adapted their construction, supplies and defenses to the possibility of a siege. Moreover , at the time the Spaniards were departing from America, European fortifications were going through a rapid redesign because of the challenge presented by the invention of cannon. In Tenochtitlan, however, Cortes found a people who had never even conceived of European-style siege warfare, let alone constructed defenses against it (Clendinenn, 56). † The Aztec use of open formations and inability to defend against cavalry attacks led to a disadvantage on the battleground. The Spanish army’s closed sword-wielding formations were able to hold up well against the Aztecs, often breaking through their lines. The cavalry, time and time again, were able to break up the Aztec formations, causing them to retreat. An example of the overpowering Spanish army tactics was highlighted by the Battle of Otumba. Here, a large Aztec army confronted exhausted Spanish forces. Cortes ordered his cavalry to attack the military leaders and the Aztec army’s flanks, breaking through their lines and causing confusion. The Spanish infantrymen engaged the Aztec foot soldiers, continuing to attack as the Aztec retreated. These tactics of Cortes and his men proved to too much even large Aztec force. Aside from military tactics, the military technologies utilized by the Spanish army were far more superior to the weapons of the Aztecs. Europeans were much more advanced in terms of weaponry, using weapons of steel and iron against the Aztec’s wood and stone. As the Aztecs considered kills with long-distance weapons to shameful, their arrows and darts were only meant to injure their opponents. Aztec warriors carried wooden arrows, knives of flint stone and wooden clubs embedded with flakes of obsidian, a form of volcanic glass (Windschuttle, 45). † These clubs with stone tips were the most effective weapons carried by the Aztecs. Spanish soldiers on the other hand carried â€Å"cutlasses, lances, arrowheads and armor all forged from iron and steel, plus hand guns, crossbows, and cannons (Windschuttle, 1997-45). Their lances and cutlasses were much more efficient in hand-to-hand combat, with the ability to kill opponents with one strike. The Spanish also brought with them armored cavalry, cannons, crossbows, brigantines (ships), and handguns. In the second siege of Tenochtitlan, the three brigantines lay waste to Aztec canoes fighting in defense of the city. The Aztec military was seemingly outmatched and did not intimidate the invaders in the least. â€Å"Spanish soldiers, in fact, found Aztec weapons so inconsequential that they abandoned their own heavy metal armor in favor of quilted cotton (Windschuttle, 55). The Spanish weaponry was too much for the outdated weapons of the Aztecs to have a chance. One historian, Inga Clendinnen, argued that the biggest Aztec disadvantage was how they viewed military confrontations. As they did with the Spanish, the Aztecs would send food and gifts to an enemy viewed as inferior. The Aztecs felt that war and religion were interconnected. The Aztecs preferred hand-to-hand combat with the intention of using captives for sacrifices to the gods. They were opposed to killing opponents from a distance and viewed surprise ambushing as an unthinkable military tactic. The Spanish army, however, cherished their long-ranged weapons, such as their muskets and crossbows. To make matters worse, Aztec warriors considered being killed by a long-distance weapon as an unworthy death. â€Å"Spaniards valued their crossbows and muskets for their capacity to pick off selected enemies well behind the line of engagement: as snipers, as we would say. The psychological demoralization attending those sudden, trivializing deaths of great men painted for war, but not yet engaged in combat, must have been formidable (Clendinnen, 80)† Cortes also launched numerous attacks in the orning, known as dawn raids, charging on unsuspecting villages and slaughtering men, women, and children. Cortes and the Spanish army learned to take advantage of the Aztecs’ religious military tactics. Spanish soldiers would pretend to retreat, tempting Aztec troops to pursue chases in the hopes of acquiring sacrificial captives. Cortes would then simultaneously have his troops turn around and slaughter the unsuspecting Aztecs (Windschuttle, 52-53). Cortes states that â€Å"Sometimes, as we were thus withdrawing and they pursued us so eagerly, the horsemen would pretend to be fleeing, and then suddenly would turn on the,; we always took a dozen or so of the boldest. By these means and by the ambushed which we set for them, they were always much hurt; and certainly it was a remarkable sight for even when they well knew the harm they would receive from us as we withdrew, they still pursued us until we had left the city (Clendinenn, 80). † The Spanish used siege warfare to ultimately bring down Tenochtitlan. They constricted its perimeter, forcing other tribes to join them against the Aztecs, and cutting off supplies to the Tenochtitlan’s inhabitants. â€Å"Siege was the quintessential European strategy: an economical design to exert maximum pressure on whole populations with active engagement, delivering control over people and place at least cost (Clendinenn, 83). † Aztecs detested this form of warfare, preferring the more honorable hand-to-hand combat. The Spanish, however, would avoid this type of warfare, sticking together in tight formations and using long-distance weapons and artillery. In the end, despite being heavily outnumbered, outgunned, and malnourished the Aztecs followed their prideful ways and refused to surrender. â€Å"Again they encountered ghostly figures, of women and gaunt children, and saw the warriors still stationed on the rooftops, but silent now, and unarmed, close-wrapped in their cloaks. And still the fruitless pretense at negotiation, the dumb, obdurate resistance (Clendinnen, 91). † Here Cortes seems to be dumbfounded by the resilience of the seemingly defeated Aztecs. In the coming day, Cortes and his army killed twelve thousand more Tenochtitlan inhabitants. Cortes again tried to get them to surrender. â€Å"I said many things to persuade them to surrender but all to no avail, although we showed them more signs of peace that have ever been shown to a vanquished people for we, by the grade of our Lord, were now the victors (Clendinnen, 91). † After two more days of Aztec refusal, Cortes released their native ally forces, which mercilessly murdered â€Å"forty-thousand† more Aztec civilians. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the Aztec empire had been a thriving empire with far-reaching influence throughout Mexico. The eventual demise befalling them would go blindly unknown as Hernan Cortes and his army of Spanish Conquistadors explored Mexico. Within two years of seeing Tenochtitlan and meeting its emperor Moctezuma II, the Spanish forces of roughly five hundred men had destroyed the Aztec city and killed off most of inhabitants. There are many reasons that contributed to this extremely unlikely scenario. Moctezuma made the first blunder by accepting the invaders as foreign ambassadors and basically allowing them to roam freely around the city. His eventual kidnapping at the hands of the Spanish seemed to be the beginning of the end. After the initial siege of Tenochtitlan was unsuccessful, the Spanish were able to recuperate in a neighboring city of Texococo. Preying on weak ties between Technotitlan and the cities it cruelly and authoritatively ruled over, Cortes was able to combine a native ally army. In conjunction with the Spaniards’ advanced weaponry and military strategy, and using the poor religious-backed military tactics of the Aztecs to their advantage, the Aztecs fell within a year. The defeat of the Aztecs seemingly opened the door to European colonization of the Americas and the further destruction of the continents’ natives.

Religion And Confession Essay

a. Define your topic in a relatively brief paragraph. The topic I chose is Confession. Confession is a basic part of living a spiritual life. For some cultures and organized religion, confession is a physical act of going to the priest, telling the priest your sins and asking sincerest repentance. One cannot partake of the Feast of the Holy Eucharist without confession because confession clears one’s conscience, is the way of receiving the Lord’s forgiveness. â€Å"Confession is the popular name for the Christian Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation recognized by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The rite consists in the acknowledgment of sins to a priest, who grants absolution in the name of God. Its biblical basis is found in the action of Jesus forgiving sins (Mark 2) and his commissioning of the Apostles to forgive sins (John 20:22-23).† (Favazza, 1982) b. How does the experience of guilt relate to or inform your topic? Guilt directly relates to confession. Confession is the act of asking forgiveness. Others are burdened with the issue of telling one’s sins to a priest who is only human at one end. But more than going through the complications of the process, one cannot go to confession willingly if one cannot first accept his guilt of sins that he committed. There is actually a part in the process of confession when one stipulates the sins that one is guilty of. Confession lets a person open himself to the Lord. â€Å"Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrow, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the want of His children.† (White, p. 101). When the act of letting go of all the fears, desires and wants of a person is also the act of unburdening one’s self to his sins. Only when a man is empty of sins can the love of God enter his heart. â€Å"The more holy a man is, the more humble, self-renouncing, selfabhorring, and the more sensitive to every sin he becomes, and the more closely he clings to Christ. The moral imperfections which cling to him he feels to be sins, which he laments and strives to overcome. Believers find that their life is a constant warfare, and they need to take the kingdom of heaven by storm, and watch while they pray.† (Easton, 2006) c. What is the relationship of your topic to the experience of justification by faith God`s forgiveness and reconciling acceptance? Confession is a process institutionalized by God to show how forgiveness works. Through confession, one can experience repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation with the faith once again and the joy of feeling accepted by God’s love once more. A sinner who repents and asks forgiveness of his sins that he is guilty of is ready to accept the penalties of his sins. The kind of penalty bestowed upon a remorseful soul shows the kind of justice that faith exemplifies. Nothing compares to the experience of confession when a man is transformed from evil to good, from sinner to follower. â€Å"Confession of sin is also emphasized in the NT (Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5), and with it is connected the promise of forgiveness of sins (I John 1:9; cf. Matt. 6:12), a forgiveness which is based solely on the death of Christ (Eph. 1:7)† (Quanbeck, 1968.) The death of Christ was able to save human souls from damnation to salvation. His dying on the cross was proof of God’s love to save human souls from sins. Without the death of Jesus, forgiveness will not be made manifest. The path of confessions is part of the path towards salvation. Part of Jesus seven last words, â€Å"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,† exemplifies the absoluteness of forgiveness and the love of God to his people. d. In what way does your topic contribute to or inform growth in Christian character and service (commonly called sanctification and victory over sin)? Confession is a part of growing into a full Christian. Human beings will sin against the Lord as he walks the Path. Confession sharpens one’s Christian character because through confessions, a person learns what and how forgiveness is. When people go to confession, the advocacy itself informs other people about how Christians grow in the love of God. Through confession, people can allow themselves to be one with God again through the Holy Spirit. â€Å"Sanctification involves more than a mere moral reformation of character, brought about by the power of the truth: it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing the whole nature more and more under the influences of the new gracious principles implanted in the soul in regeneration. In other words, sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man (Rom. 6:13; 2 Cor. 4:6; Col. 3:10; 1 John 4:7; 1 Cor. 6:19). It is the special office of the Holy Spirit in the plan of redemption to carry on this work (1 Cor. 6: 11; 2 Thess. 2:13). The Apostle’s Creed mentions the basic principle that sanctifies confession in, â€Å"I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.† The Church of God is developed by sinners who have gone back, believed in the â€Å"forgiveness of sins† that is why confessions are important in reminding people of the faith. And so even the most hideous crime and guilt, if confessed with sincerest repentance, has the hope to be forgiven. e. How can your topic help one to know and understand God personally? The ordinary man would not really know how sorry a sinner is. Sincerety can be seen in gestures but this is not enough when it’s a case when one asks forgiveness. People may have an idea how sincere the apology is but in the case of murder in the first degree, at the moment before serving death sentences, at that moment, confession is but a process between you and the Lord. The personal relationship of a person and God is a very special one. The act of confession is a venue where that personal relationship can start and can be kept. This keeping will have great effects towards advocating the sanctity of that kind of relations so that others may be able to have that special relations with God. â€Å"If Christians would associate together, speaking to each other of the love of God and of the precious truths of redemption, their own hearts would be refreshed and they would refresh one another.† (White. p 103) f. What are the social consequences of your topic? In other words, how does your topic affect or inform your relationship to other persons in your life? Confessions better a person. A person who understands and believes in the concept of confessions believes in concepts of forgiveness, repentance, salvation and above all, humility. Amidst the many challenges expected of modern man, the value of confessions will enable a person to keep his morals intact and act ethically in life. Much of evil ways happen because man has forgotten that his life, his body and the resources around him are not his own. They are essentially gifts from God. Abuse of these gifts happen because man thinks he is on top of the food chain, sole predator of all things on earth. When a person forgets that there is a higher being than him, he is corrupted. Confession will be an insitution that will remind that the sinful man is a given thing on earth but due to God’s almighty love, God forgives the sincerely repentful human being thereby giving him another chance to enter the kingdom of heaven. Bibliography Favazza, Joseph, The Order of Penitents (1988); Martos, Joseph, Doors to the Sacred (1982). Holy Bible. Crossway Books; Compact edition (April 2005) W.A. Quanbeck, IDB,I,667-68; R.H. Alexander, TWOT,I, 364-66; O. Michel, TDNT,V, 199-219; V.C. Grounds, ZPEB,I, 937-39. White, Ellen. Steps to Jesus. Adventist Book Center New Jersey; Booklet edition (January 1998)

MLA Referencing †Citing a Journal Article

MLA Referencing – Citing a Journal Article MLA Referencing – Citing a Journal Article In the liberal arts and humanities subjects, MLA referencing is commonly used for citing sources in college papers and academic publications. This includes citing articles from both print and electronic journals, which is what we’re looking at in this blog post. In-Text Citations The rules for citing an article in the main text of your paper are the same regardless of whether you’re referencing a print or online journal. With MLA referencing, this means giving the author’s name and page numbers for the passage cited in parentheses: Neo-formalism is one of â€Å"the more notable methodological approaches to literary studies† (Markovits 591). If the author’s name already appears in the text, only the page numbers for the passage cited need to be given in parentheses after the quotation: Markovits describes neo-formalism as one of â€Å"the more notable methodological approaches to literary studies† (591). Citing Multiple Works by the Same Author Some other parenthetical referencing formats use a year of publication to distinguish between texts when multiple sources by the same author are cited in a paper. Since MLA uses a citation format with no year of publication, however, a different approach is required. With a journal article, this means giving a shortened version of the article name in addition to the author’s surname and relevant page numbers. If both the author’s name and a shortened title appear in a citation, they should be separated with a comma. For two articles by Stefanie Markovits, for instance, this might appear as follows: According to Markovits, â€Å"programmatically formalist reading needn’t bracket cultural and historical concerns (â€Å"Form Things† 591). Consequently, we can draw upon neo-formalism while still considering the significance of Jane Austen’s â€Å"fallen bodies† (Markovits, â€Å"Jane Austen and the Happy Fall† 779). Austen having a happy sit down. Page (Print Journal) With MLA, all sources cited in a paper should be listed with full publication information on a â€Å"† page at the end of your document. With a print journal article, this means providing the following details (accurate for the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook): Author surname, first name(s). Title of Article.  Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, complete page range. In practice, this would look something like the following: Markovits, Stefanie. â€Å"Form Things: Looking at Genre through Victorian Diamonds.† Victorian Studies, vol. 52, no. 4, 2010, pp. 591-619. Page (Online Journal) For articles that are also available online, you should also provide a DOI or URL and a date of access in the â€Å"† list. For instance: Markovits, Stefanie. â€Å"Jane Austen and the Happy Fall.† Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 47, no. 4, 2007, pp. 779-97, www.jstor.org/stable/4625140. Accessed 5 Oct. 2016. If citing a scholarly journal article which is only available electronically, it isn’t necessary to provide page numbers (a DOI/URL and date of access are still required).

Hester essays

Hester essays All who have read Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter know of the harsh judgment passed by the Puritan society on Hester Prynnes sin of adultery. Hester could not rebel against their punishment, but she defied them in numerous ways. When interrogated for the name of her partner in sin, she refused to expose him. In fact, Hester never gave up her love to Arthur and, in the end, was able to be by his side. When faced with the possibility of losing her daughter, Pearl, she argued heatedly with the head of the church and the leader of the settlement in order to keep Pearl by her side. Lastly, the scarlet letter was her shame to begin with, but eventually turned into a badge of honor. At the beginning of the novel, the Puritans demand of Hester to speak out the name of her accomplice in adultery. She defied them by refusing to name him even though she was tempted, persuaded, and finally threatened by powerful persons of the society, Woman, transgress not beyond the limits of Heavens mercy! cried the Reverend Mr. Wilson (66). Further defiance was proved when she continued to love Arthur and remained steadfast to him till death. Moreover, she called him the only man to whom the power was left me to be true! (167). After death Hester was buried next to him and they shared a tombstone, [her grave] was near [Arthurs grave]...yet one tombstone served for both (258). Equally important, Hesters love for Pearl is rebelliousness towards the Puritan society. Though Hester is shunned from the society and is a single mother, she still feels that she can do a better job of raising Pearl than a Puritan family. When she hears of the idea circulating around to separate Hester from Pearl and have Pearl raised in a Puritan family, Hester marches up to the Governors house and fights to keep Pearl, ...with [Pearl, the] sole treasure to keep ...

Information systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Information systems - Essay Example In the case of a price war, a firm can maintain profitability as the competitors suffer losses. The low-cost strategy broadens the profit margin and targets a broad market (Griffin, 2007). The differentiation strategy concerns with offering products that possess different unique attributes. This strategy enables a firm to sell almost the same products to different markets and carry price discrimination across markets (Spulber, 2007). In the focus strategy, a firm sells and customizes unique marketing techniques to suit different markets. In the low-cost focus strategy, a firm specializes in a given market. It is essential to highlight that Coca Cola mainly uses the differentiation strategy while Toyota employs the low-cost strategy. In this sense, they gear their information systems towards meeting such competitive strategies. Toyota, in the lean manufacturing technique, uses globalized and automated information systems in enabling quick delivery of products across the world. Coca Cola, on the other hand, uses its information system towards market research. It employs the social media and mobile applications in understanding its market

Descartes holds that we can literally see other people (as opposed to, Essay

Descartes holds that we can literally see other people (as opposed to, say, hats and feet from an upper-story window). Explain h - Essay Example However, in real sense, Descartes actually posits that humans can understand their minds more readily than they can possibly ever understand their corporeal nature, which is subject to doubt (Newman). The theorist bases his arguments on the example of wax in its various forms i.e. solid and liquid form; according to Descartes, the perception senses cannot recognize the semblance in the different forms. In other words, the human senses are inadequate in themselves to effectively describe whether or not the molten wax is similar to the solid wax. Failure by the senses to recognize that both forms of wax are indeed indistinguishable calls us to the overall unreliability of human senses; they cannot provide adequate cognition about the nature of the wax, thus the two different forms of wax are inevitably differentiated. In this regard, Descartes eventually theorizes that perception is a function of the mind alone (Card). In the second part of his argument, Descartes posits that senses pr ovide humans with a better and refined understanding of the nature of things, only that the senses in themselves are not sufficient to determine truth (Newman). Therefore, the senses are constrained by certain limitations thus implying that certain knowledge can only be achieved through judgment, understanding in human minds and thinking. However, it is noteworthy that Descartes, in his almost incredible wisdom, does not at any point rule out the contribution of senses in the process of understanding the nature of things. Rather, Descartes only seems to emphasize that sense perception in humans relies on the mind more than it does on the body. He is nothing else apart from a thinking thing/ a mind/ an intellect/ understanding or reason (â€Å"The Meditations†); this way, Descartes draws an obvious parallel between the mind and the soul. Descartes begins his investigations into perception by disbelieving/ deconstructing his prior knowledge on the nature of things (Newman); he questions even the truth of his own existence thus concluding with certainty that the only possible truth about it was, â€Å"I am, I exist†. However, this conclusion is still constrained with the fact that Descartes does not yet understand the nature of his being. This line of argument also leads him into drawing the second conclusion, equating intellect, reason, understanding, mind and soul with thinking. In this manner, Descartes has successively assigned himself a trait in an attempt to define his nature as a ‘thinking thing’ that can exist independently from the body (â€Å"The Meditations†). Thus, he still advances this further by stating that his thinking encompasses doubting, understanding, affirmation, refusal, imagination and sense. Having successively drawn a supposedly absurd parallelism between thinking and sensing, Descartes clarifies by stating that certain truth is established out of a combination of perceived sensations and thought process es. In other words, Descartes theorizes that that which is knowledge to the human mind, whose nature has been perceived by the senses is more embellished than that which is mysterious or imaginable (Card). In that case, it is easier for us to see people, as opposed to hats and feet, because our thoughts usually form images of human bodies which are then examined by our senses; other things like hats and feet do not