How The Letter A Affected Various Characters In The Scarlet Letter Ess

How The Letter A Affected Various Characters In The Scarlet Letter The letter A affected many characters in Nathaniels classic, The Scarlet Letter. It affected not only the main characters of the story, but also of the townspeople who would see this letter embroidered on Heaters dress on a daily basis; and thus it would serve to re-enforce their own repulsion at the woman and her sin, and would inflate their self-righteousness further. The puritans seemed on the surface to be religious and pious, but I felt they were extremely judgmental and unforgiving, who found joy in other peoples lapses in their faith. However, this letter affected greatly the lives of Heater, her daughter Pearl, and Pearls father, the reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. In the story, Arthur Dimmesdale is a young eminent minister in Boston and also the father of Pearl. He is a tortured man who over the course of this story spanning seven years, suffers guilt at his sin of adultery and having to watch Heater being shunned and living in isolation, raising the product of their sin alone. He constantly places his hand over his hearth when agitated, which to me symbolized the letter A not only embroidered on his lovers gown, but seemingly embroidered over his own heart. His health is quite bad, and ironically, it is thanks to Roger Chillingworths (Heaters husband) potions that he is able to stay alive. When Chillingsworth earns a reputation of being a good physicians, he helps maintain Dimmesdales health but discovers what Dimmesdales identity, and thus begins torturing and intending to kill this young minister already ravaged by his sin, deteriorating every time he sees the A that has become a part of Heater. By chapter 11, his guilt has reached it peak, as Hawthorne writes It is inconceivable, the agony with which this public veneration tortured him! Itwas his genuine impulse to adore the truth, and to reckon all things shadow-like, and utterly devoid of weight or value, that had not its divine essence as life within their life. (page 124) At the end of the story, he finally admits to being Pearl's father and reveals that he has a scarlet letter branded into his own flesh . The times Heater was placed on the scaffold and publicly denounced for her sin, she faced this alone. Dimmsdale suffered through this, too frightened and ashamed to admit his own responsibility. Dimmesdale ascended the scaffold times before, but not in the sight of the public. In the end,Dimmesdale climbed the scaffold because his heart and his morale would no longer allow him to remain in secret with his sanity. Dimmesdale dies upon the scaffold while holding Esters hand, and when Pearl Kisses her father at the end of the story, to me this represents her destroying the bitter pall this simple letter had over their lives. Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The great scene of grief in which the wild infant bore a part had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her fathers cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor for every do battle with the world, but be a woman in it. Toward her mother too, Pearls errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled. (P. 226) Pearls life was also affected by the letter A, as she was the product of the adultery, and the reminder to the town of the parents sin. She stands on the scaffold facing the town with her mother as an infant, and with her face pressed against the scarlet A, it seems she is branded from that moment on. She grows up to be a very wild and undisciplined child, perhaps because she is aware of the circumstances of her birth, and the fact they have no contact with the outside world, living in isolation outside of the town. Pearl is punished from birth becoming a true innocent victim of circumstance. This letter A has caused Pearl to live in isolation away from other children, Pearl is characterized as a living version of the scarlet letter. She constantly causes her mother and Dimmesdale torment and anguish throughout the novel. Pearl is described as extremely beautiful, but lacking certain Christian qualities. It is ironic that after Arthur Dimmesdale dies, Pearl becomes a normal

Definition and Examples of Verbal Paradox

Definition and Examples of Verbal Paradox Definition A verbal paradox is a  figure of speech in which a seemingly self-contradictory statement is nevertheless foundin some senseto be true. Also called a  paradoxical statement. In  A Dictionary of Literary Devices (1991),  Bernard Marie Dupriez defines verbal paradox as an assertion which runs counter to received opinion, and whose very formulation contradicts current ideas.   Irish author Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was a master of the verbal paradox. He once said, Life is much too important to be taken seriously. See Examples and Observations below. also: ParadoxContradictory PremisesEnantiosisOxymoron Examples and Observations The old verbal paradox still holds tree, that blackberries are green when they are red.(Ezra Brainerd, The Blackberries of New England. Rhodora, Feb. 1900) It is the wonderful paradox . . . that the best way to achieve happiness for oneself is to give happiness to others.†(David Michie, The Dalai Lamas Cat. Hay House, 2012) Paradoxes of G.K. Chesterton- It is so easy to be solemn; it is so hard to be frivolous. . . .These articles have another disadvantage arising from the scurry in which they were written; they are too long-winded and elaborate. One of the great disadvantages of hurry is that it takes such a long time.(G.K. Chesterton, The Case for the Ephemeral. All Things Considered, 1908)- There is nothing that fails like success.(G.K. Chesterton, Heretics, 1905)- It is of the new things that men tireof fashions and proposals and improvements and change. It is the old things that startle and intoxicate. It is the old things that are young.(G.K. Chesterton, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, 1904)- The object of verbal paradox, then, is persuasion, and its principle is the inadequacy of words to thoughts, unless they be very careful ly chosen words.(Hugh Kenner, Paradox in Chesterton. Sheed, 1948) Paradoxes of Oscar Wilde- Lord Caversham: I dont know how you stand society. A lot of damned nobodies talking about nothing.Lord Arthur Goring: I love talking about nothing, Father. Its the only thing I know anything about.Lord Caversham: That is a paradox, sir. I hate paradoxes.(Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband, 1895)- If one tells the truth, one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out.(Oscar Wilde, The Chameleon, 1894)- Cyril: But you dont mean to say that you seriously believe that Life imitates Art, that Life in fact is the mirror, and Art the reality?Vivian: Certainly I do. Paradox though it may seemand paradoxes are always dangerous thingsit is nonetheless true that Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.(Oscar Wilde, The Decay of Lying. Intentions, 1891) More Verbal Paradoxes Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.(Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, 1762)â€Å"Im an atheist, thank God.†(Luis Buà ±uel)- Much is published, but little printed.(Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854)- Of course, what [Thoreau is] saying here is that with all of the flood of publishing, virtually none of it is ever imprintednone of it ever makes a difference.(Donald Harrington, quoted by Paul A. Doyle in Henry David Thoreau: Studies and Commentaries. Associated University Presses, 1972)[W]hereas a world rises to fall, a spirit descends to ascend.(E. E. Cummings, I: Six Nonlectures. Harvard Univ. Press, 1953)Most marriages recognize this paradox: Passion destroys passion; we want what puts an end to wanting what we want.(attributed to John Fowles)This statement is false.(Greek philosopher Eubulides, The Liar Paradox or pseudomenon) Paradox itself is paradoxical; that is what makes it paradox. It cannot be reduced to lowest terms, only deferred. But neither is it ever present before our eyes; it is always in a state of deferral. . . .Paradox is the form taken within the world of representation by the conflict that representation was created to avoid.(Eric L. Gans, Signs of Paradox: Irony, Resentment, and Other Mimetic Structures. Stanford University Press, 1997)

Education Funding Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Education Funding - Research Paper Example From its beginnings, debate and contention has surrounded the funding of education: with primarily imbalances and inequities being pointed to as major problems within the US education system. The initial legislation making Federal support possible was enacted in 1965, with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) according to which federal grants could support elementary and secondary schoolchildren from lower-income families. At the same time, the federal funds were directed towards school libraries, textbooks, education centers and services, State education agencies, research in education, and professional development for education staff (Spellings, 2005, website). Again in 2001 federal funding was allocated to national education with the No Child left behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) intending to ensure that the achievement levels of all students, nationwide, are raised, and that the achievement gap across the nation is narrowed (Federal Education Budget Project website (febp), 2011). Notably, historical court decisions have continually favored the idea that American education should be made more equal. The United States Supreme Court (USSC) decision in the Brown v. Board of Education overturned on constitutional grounds, for example, the â€Å"separate, but equal† court decision in the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). The outcome of the San Antonio v. Rodriguez (1973) case went further in this move toward equalization of education, by recognizing education as a fundamental right, and this meant that States had to fund education equitably. But in the matter of increased funding for education, the courts have been less successful. The courts are able to interpret and rule on existing law, but cannot in effect change it. Funding for K-12 education is legislated, not judicially determined. The education funding issue it appears will have to be solved by the interest groups surrounding it – the parents, administrators, teachers and legislators who feel the effects of changes in educational funding most directly (Sanchez, 2011). And the consistently decreasing federal and State spend on education is clear to observe. By the 2004-2005 financial year federal spending on education was estimated to be $536 billion, an allocation that exceeded national tax-spend on defense (Spellings, 2005, website); in 2010, the education discretionary budget was $64.1 billion; and in 2011, the request for the 2012-13 financial year for the discretionary education budget is $77.4 billion (U.S. Department of Education website (A), 2011). In nominal terms, educational funding actually declined between 2006 and 2008, and thanks to economic stimulus legislation, showed a one-year real growth in only in 2009 (febp website, 2011). At the end of 2010, though, the federal stimulus money had been spent. States faced serious shortages, and anticipated that they would have to lay off thousands, and cancel numerous popular school programs in many States. Although they had saved teachers’ jobs, States had cut their own expenditure on education, and replaced these shortfalls in their budgets with stimulus money (Cavanagh & Hollingsworth, 2011). With the current view that reform rather than increased spending is the route to take, and that federal subsidies will continue to be cut for the foreseeable future, opposition to the direction being taken by the Obama administration’s proposals has been widespread. An important group of

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 11

Reflection paper - Essay Example Specifically, the emotional intelligence (EI) skills I have learned in this semester shall enable me to understand my strengths and weaknesses as a public administrator, the effects of those qualities on my workmates and the public in general as well as my effectiveness in different capacities. The EI skills shall enable me to acknowledge the origin of tension and other risks that impede normal working relationships in public administration and identify emotional undercurrents that work best in every situation. As such, I will be more capable to manage my impulses and emotions as well as maintain knowledge of the social needs and interests of various stakeholders in public administration1. The capacity to identify and summon appropriate emotions within me and in others will definitely contribute towards my effectiveness as an administrator. By accurately assessing the feelings of my subordinates, for instance, I will use the outcomes to manage their emotions so as to achieve the overall goals of the organization. This is especially true considering that knowledge of the emotions will play a pivotal role in improving my decision making capacities in respect of their administration. And researchers have noted, owing to my massive EI skills, I will be able to make accurate assessments of emotions and thus make an effective judgment about those which are associated with opportunities or challenges, and thus make appropriate decisions based on their respective potential impacts2. In addition, the EI skills I have obtained already will enable me to develop the capacities to motivate subordinates by identifying their emotions and modeling their behavioral changes to the better. As a public administrator, I will be ready and better-placed to handle conflicting demands of administration policy requirements and public needs, for instance, by managing stress occasioned by the conflict by taking a middle-ground stance. A public

Role of Media in Society

Role of Media in Society Media is considered to be the 4th pillar of the society while the other three being legislative, executive and judiciary. It plays an important role in the welfare of the society, working as an informer, an educator, a form of entertainment and an opinion influencer. In Malaysia, media and politics are co-dependent because through this, democracy is formed. Mustafa (1999) stated that in this broad context of democracy, the mass media plays an important role by supplying media users with a platform to obtain information, exchange views and at the same time give feedback to the government; however this is overshadowed by the states official view that the media should be functioning as an essential tool to promote national development, national harmony and national security. The Mainstream Media and Politics The Malaysian mainstream press can be categorised as having gone through a major period of change since the early 1980s in terms of ownership and well as flourished amendments and policies that serves as a form of gate-keeping and control over the media. All forms of media introduced, newspaper, radio and television, directly went under the control of the government or companies that were aligned with the government. In Malaysia, obtaining information is often a tedious affair and can be frustrating applied not just for journalists but for the public because there are no Freedom of Information (FOI) laws. One of the events that aided towards a tight control over the mainstream media was during the 1969 elections, Barisan National while retaining a majority, lost many seats to extremist Chinese and Malay parties Yesudhasan Wong (2010) stated that Malaysia experienced one of the worst incident of ethnic violence in its history that came to be known as the May 13 incident. As part of the governments plan to sustain social order then, the government suspended the publications for all newspapers for two days starting from 16 May 1969, subsequently introduced a censorship law and banned the circulation of certain foreign magazines and newspapers that contained reports of the violence in Kuala Lumpur (Mustafa, 1999) Due to the incident, the government declared to have the rights to censor items that were deemed dangerous to national security. The Malaysian government appears to be misusing arguments of religious sensitive and cultural issues to manipulate the political system by limiting political freedom of the opposition and civil society which makes Malaysia a less democratic state (Azizuddin, 2008) Then, a new established body, the National Operations Council (NOC) was formed to resuscitate parliamentary democracy, rebuild public confidence and engender ethic harmony and a form contributing towards forming ethic harmony; an amendment was form whereby it prohibited any act, speech or publication that has a tendency to bring feelings of ill-will and enmity between the various ethnic groups (Zaharom, 1999) Thus the strong hold over the mainstream media begins. Many government leaders in the developing world justify their control over the media in terms of jealousy guarding and guiding its members towards the supposedly noble path of national development and to ensure that the media does not fall into the wrong hands or in other words, state control over the mainstream media has clearly been justified in the name of national development and national security (Mustafa, 2004) During elections, the media plays an important role in publicizing as well as plays a part in advertising politicians as well as their campaign. The mainstream media is fully controlled by Barisan Nationals needs to not only publicise but as Mustafa (2005) stated, flaunt to the whole country BNs achievements, particularly in the area of socioeconomic development. A wide coverage would done on the pro-government and minimal reporting would be done on the opposition. Media ownership generally plays in role in why Barisan national is constantly being flaunt and portrayed as the political party to vote for. After Malaysia gained independence in 1957, the mainstream print media was owned by private sector companies. Then the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) made a successful bid for the Utusan Melayu a few years afterwards. Over the years, the major English newspaper, The New Straits Times was also taken over by UMNO of the ruling National Front, while The Star was bought over by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and mainstream television channels like TV1, TV2 and TV3 were born, controlled by the government. According to an analysis on the coverage of Malaysias 2004 general elections by four mainstream newspapers (The Star, the New Straits Times (NST), Berita Harian and Utusan Melayu), the total number of news items that were positive towards BN among all four major newspapers were roughly 40% and above. The other part of the percentage went straight to new items that were negative towards the opposition. Only a slight number of news (4% and below) were negative new items towards BN. Mustafa (2005) also highlighted sample of headlines used by these newspapers that gave an idea of slant news reporting; Malaysians prefer Pak Lahs vision of Islam (NST, March 15 2004), Perlis merana jika pilih pembangang (Perlis suffers if opposition is voted) (Utusan Melayu, March 16 2004 ) This shows a high level of bias coverage within the highly influential mainstream newspapers during the 2004 general elections. Alternative Media and Politics With an obvious slant reporting and biasness from the mainstream media, cyber news is slowly taking over, becoming a more focused, better written, more informative and alternative to the mainstream newspapers and media. Like in the case of Marina Mahathir with The Column that wasnt; this piece was spiked by the Star because it touched in issues that were sensitive but since The Malaysian Multimedia and Communication Acts of 1998 promises that No censorship would be applied on Internet content, Marina published her column online together with ranting on why her column was spiked. What would stop the public now from reading that column online and have the same reaction if it was published in the mainstream newspaper? A study conducted by Zentrum Future Studies Malaysia in 2008 involving 1, 500 respondents between the age of 21 and 40 showed that the alternative media holds a big influence on young Malaysians. In the study, 64.5% of those ages from 21 to 30 years old trusted blogs and online media for reliable information. Those between 31 and 40 years old, 61.7% believed that information in blogs and online media are true. (Study Shows Why BN Lost the War, 2008) Yesudhasan Wong (2010) said that the young readership in Malaysia believes that the mainstream media are under the control of the government, always working continuously to ensure that the news are pro-government and has no or limited reports on sensitive issues. Various alternative news portals such as Malaysia Today, Malaysian Insider, Harakah Daily and MalaysiaKini provide media users with the alternative source to obtain political news or for those who have generally lost faith with the mainstream media. The parliamentary elections in 2008 brought the alternative media to a different level when weblogs, text messages and copies of Internet-streamed videos became the most influential information sources for voters ahead that resulted in a surprise blow to the Barisan National (BN) party, which has ruled the country for more than 50 years. After BNs worst election showing, in which it lost its two-thirds majority in the parliament, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi acknowledged March 25 that his coalition certainly lost the Internet war, and added that it was a serious misjudgement for his party to rely solely on government-controlled newspapers and television in its efforts to attract voters, (Kaufman, 2008). The alternative media gave media users a chance to hear what opposition parties have to say as it is not controlled by the government. Due to this, the government realize that the new media or alternative media is an important impartation in the political scene. Now, politicians are looking into the internet to gain communicate and display information to the mass society of internet users. Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is in the blogspere at www.anwaribrahim.com, with regular updates on PKR as well as him opinions on what Malaysian the government should be doing. SMS is also another form of alternative media, in fact; it is a rather powerful form of communication tool if used wisely. Generally, there has been a passive use of SMS for politicians to pass on messages as well as information to voters from a national voter database, as well a more interactive use of it for politicians to communicate with party representatives, voters or the media (Kaur and Halimahton, 2004) A research done by Kaur and Halimahton (2004) analysed contents of several election-related SMS for the 2004 general election sent from the nomination date until a few days after the election ended that were being sent among 238 respondents. This number was the final sample for the pilot study. According to research, 51 general election-related messages sent by friends, colleagues, family members, political party members and NGOs were collected between nomination day, 13 March 2004, and polling day, 21 March 2004. Only one message could categorized as informative, provided by communication provider MAXIS, informing voters that they should check their voting status and voting location through SMS. Only a few proved to be informative and useful in helping voters with information on the general election. 19 out of 50 were shown to be ridiculing or condemning messages towards Barisan National. 60.5% of the respondents found the election-related messages to be useful and informative. 27% found the messages to be funny where as about 6% found the messages to be a nuisance. Thought most found the SMS to be useful and informative, only 31.9% were influenced to support a party of individual base on what they received. Data collected showed that the public primarily uses SMS to for jokes or to criticize certain candidates or political parties, no serious discussion was found among the sample of SMS messages to persuade voters to vote in a certain way. Another form of alternative media, Al-Jazera English (AJE) believes in their mission to provide voice to the voiceless. In a survey done by AJE on how AJE is perceived by participants, the respondents of the survey gave a ranking of more positive than negative, showing the respondents had a favourable perception of AJE with regard to how it performed the conciliatory media functions (Mohammed and Power, 2010) Among the points that participants agreed on was that AJE provided a public place for politically underrepresented groups, AJE provides multiple view points on a diversity of controversial issues and that AJE represents the interests of the international public in general rather than a specific group of people. During the protest that broke out in November 10, 2007 organized by BERSIH with the aim of reforming the electoral process, up to an estimated of 40,000 protestors came with force to draw attention from the government. What began as a peaceful protest, the Malaysian police tried to vanquish protestors with tear gas and fire hoses. The image of such going ons were shocking and while, the mainstream broadcast and print failed to cover the protests but obtain minimal coverage, AJE covered the whole thing live and in detail (Mohammed and Power, 2010) The coverage done by AJE was then placed online, on YouTube, receiving more than 250,000 viewers within the first week of the protest resulting in a largely stated influenced media resulted in the Malaysian mainstream medias largest credibility crisis to date (Mohammed and Power, 2010) Media, Politics and the Public Sphere The role of the media is to act as a safety valve to release any pent-up emotions on any issue or combination of issues facing our country; with the heavy ownership by government, the credibility and reliability of our mainstream media might die out one day. The media also acts as a public sphere that is critically important for modern societies as it serves as a forum whereby the public can communicate collectively on relevant issues as well as allowing citizens to inform or update themselves on societal developments to observe and control political, economic and other elites (Gerhards and Schafer, 2010) However, due to the hold back and tight gate-keeping from the mainstream media, Mustafa (2005) stated that the public sphere in Malaysian society has been further constrained so that ordinary citizens and concerned civil have not been able to fully express their views and to directly participate in the countrys democratic process. Earlier this year, NTV7 producer resigned in protest over his companys decision to stop his talk show from commenting on the upcoming by-election at Hulu Selangor, following pressure said to have emanated directly from the ruling coalition. A TV2 documentary on the controversial Bakun Dam and the forced relocation of Sarawaks natives was forced off the air, just before the Sibu parliamentary by-election took place. It is clear that open debate has little room to flourish in Malaysia, (Yeoh, 2010) Malaysiakini, an example of a alternative publication that flourished tremendously after the 2008 general elections. Steele (2009) stated that it is not the Internet that challenges the Barisan Nationals stranglehold power but it is actually the norms and values of independent journalism that have made MalaysiaKini such a threat to government authorities. This ideology of creating independent journalism with the alternative media not only changes those who work within the public sphere but also creates a democratic space for public discourse, one that the Malaysian society lacks. It not only gives voice to the voiceless but concrete prove or forms of information through video, audio and feedback tools. It shows media users sides of stories that they may not see. The seemingly mechanistic tools of fairness and balance, did you get the quote from the other side? become a means of guaranteeing that all voices will be heard (Steele, 2009) Conclusion The media plays an important role in the welfare of the society, working as an informer, an educator, a form of entertainment and an opinion influencer. With the current media ownership that poses credible threat and questions the credibility to the role of the media; media users need to consider, who to trust now? Political issues are highly dependent on the media as it is highlights what is important and is highly influential thus it works as a form to influence the political mind-set of media users. With the mainstream constantly bombarding pro-government issues towards society, media users now yearn for a different point of view, shifting to the alternative media to abstract that diverse opinion. In sight of how the media and politics are inter-wined, it is important that the opinions and comments of the public take place to form a democracy, in the words of Abraham Lincoln; for the people, by the people and of the people. Thus, the public sphere is important in the role to colle ct or obtain the voices of the public. The alternative media has already taken the role in proving that space for the public to take part in forming the countrys democracy; it is now up to the mainstream media to do the same, for a better political constitution of the country.

Imperialism in the late 19th century Essay

In the late 19th century Americans fully embraced the concept of American exceptionalism, believing the â€Å"United States had a destiny unique among nations to foster democracy and civilization.† With this ideology, Social Darwinism, Anglo-Saxon, naval expansion, and the need for market promoted the rise to imperialism in the United States. When the Americans moved west and defeated the Native Americans they felt matchless because of all the technological and social developments they had over the Native Americans. Americans were able to trade and exchange guns, agriculture, and animals with Europe and Asia. The Americans thought God was making room for them but Social Darwinism is what vindicated the Whites ruling over weaker races. The wealthy used a scientific theory as a comparison to validate their greedy behavior and avoid paying taxes. There were 14 hour days for employees, no annuities, healthcare, or education. They believed the poor should work their way out of poverty. Darwinists assumed some races were inherently determined and that nature should be allowed to eliminate the unfortunate. Their way of thinking is what initiated the Holocaust. They believed that the assassinations of the Jews in World War ll meant they were cleaning out mediocre heredities. Darwinism, not to be addressed so much to Charles Darwi n, but Herbert Spencer, came up with the expression â€Å"survival of the fittest.† Darwinism was a feuded rivalry between social groups creating a dog-eat-dog world. The Anglo-Saxon race felt different and that they were the superior and higher ones that were predestined to rule the world. Josiah Strong, a Congregationalist minister, believed â€Å"The Essence of Christianity is Love.† In order to even consider yourself an Anglo-Saxon, you had to love civil liberty. You had to be a strong spiritual Christian and have a brain for colonizing. You also had to possess a great liveliness toward your own kind. Strong insisted that the Anglo-Saxons spread Christianity and share their material godsends throughout the world. The group was predestined by God. Strong believed that in order to spread out, there needed to be form of connection between the United States and the Philippines. The United States would bring the gospel of Jesus to the unfortunate races. To gain supremacy in the Pacific, they needed to build a  canal across Central America. The Anglo-Saxons needed to obtain power over the Pacific to complete the works of God and the United States needed the islands because Russia’s effect on Korea was growing rapidly. In 1901, expansion became a certainty. Mahan believed the United States economy would be incapable of receiving the vast amounts of industrial and commercial goods being manufactured locally. He then guaranteed the United States an assured access to international markets. Securing access would cause for a stronger navy, a navy that could carry out American commodities across the great highway and high seas. They needed a battleship navy to extinguish opposing navies and a system of naval bases proficient enough to provide fuel and supplies for the expanded navy. Mahan suggested the idea that the countries with the largest navy would attain the world. He was very adamant about the importance of the navy and trying to overcome the world. This was believed to be even truer once Hawaii, Cuba, and the Philippines were acquired. William Seward then strived to endorse an agreement with the Colombian Government to allow the United States to build a waterway through the Panama territory. After the Spanish-American War, the United States attained power over territories that could function as coaling stations and naval bases. The foreign market for American redundant products caused economic expansion to those nations. America was manufacturing way more than they could use. The markets of oil, steel, and agriculture were in major favor of the American expansion. Most demands for expansion were met by large commercial farmers. Vast amounts of raw materials were needed to properly preserve a strong industrial economy. Machinery became a large industry and all kinds of machines were established. Businesses were able to maneuver over wide areas creating chain stores everywhere. The invention of the steamship cut the travel time for shipping goods. The faster shipments arrived, the faster they could take advantage of supplies and sell manufactured goods. Oil was discovered in western Pennsylvania and used as lubricants and kerosene for lamps. Steel mills flourished in places where coal and iron elements could be brought together to produce steel. The American labor movement began to create unions. The unions began negotiating with possessors for higher earnings and  better working environments. The wi de-ranging knowledge of industrial development and scientific development helped enable perception for the creation of new businesses and technologies. Advanced technology strengthened the power and control of industrialized countries. The convenience of prosperity, progression by the unrestricted market of controllable canals, and coastal waterways, the large quantity of natural resources aided cheap withdrawal of goods. This strengthened the power and influence of industrial countries and allowed them higher advantage in war and economic growth. Contribution in the war overwhelmingly reformed the economy, governments, and society of the nation. This created a lucrative report creating work places for large immigrations. The United States had taken its place as the leading world supremacy. Works Cited Henretta, A. James, https://spider.georgetown.college.edu/htalent/border/bs1/berge.htm

Max and Liesel; How Max Plays an Important Role in Liesel’s Life

The idea of a Jewish male and a German girl becoming good acquaintances is an unimaginable, punishable thought in the time that The Book Thief is written. However, Max Vandenburg and Liesel Meminger went against this abomination during this time and during their friendship Max Vandenburg gave many things to Liesel: purpose through strength, purpose in knowing that Jews are humans as well, and purpose in knowing the power of words. Max and Liesel are two similar but very different characters in The Book Thief. These two characters although conflicted find comfort in each other through seeing things in color and words, which gives Liesel a different view on varying prominent things in her life, in Germany. By better understanding how Max and Liesel compare and differ in character a reader can determine how Max’s life gives Liesel purpose through making her stronger, showing her the brutality of the Nazi’s, and showing her the power of words. Liesel becomes stronger emotionally through having a shared feeling of abandonment between Max and her from their past experiences. After she and Max Vandenburg share their nightmares in the basement of the Hubermann’s, Liesel begins to deal with her nightmares by herself and to not let them envelop her. Liesel also realizes through these stories of Max’s experiences that if he can fight for his life everyday and live by running then she can persevere through her nightmares and be stronger. By keeping some emotions inside her, like fear and love, she helps adjust to relying on just herself which is shown in the ending of the book, â€Å"Hot tears fought for room in her eyes as she would not let them out. Better to stand resolute and proud† (Zusak 512). Having strength also gave her a voice allowing her to stand up to different people and change people’s minds in very intricate ways. As Liesel became stronger it led her to have more of a purpose in different ways and she finds new reasons to live. One of the most prominent of differences between the two characters is physical; Max is Jewish and Liesel is German. As the book is set during the time period of World War II in Germany, the separation between the Jews and the Aryan race is an outstanding factor in people’s lives. Liesel overcame the sense of being hypnotized to the Furher’s words through Max and their friendship. Beginning to realize the brutality of the Nazi’s and the nature of the Jews, Liesel changes her mind about the Nazi government, allowing her to not be as easily swayed by the propaganda of the dictator of Germany. People begin to realize the innocence and the lack of prejudice in a child especially through Liesel as she grew older, â€Å"She was a Jew feeder without a question in the world on a man's first night in Molching† (Zusak 532). This gives Liesel purpose to show other Germans the same realization that both those of the Aryan Race and the Jewish people are human and they can share the same interests as each other. Through Max’s and Liesel’s shared love of books and writing Max gives Liesel the extensive knowledge of the power of words. For the rest of her life she cherishes this knowledge, â€Å"She was still holding onto the words who had saved her life† (Zusak 499). Words not only helped her and Max, but she found her true calling in comforting people through reading to them. â€Å"The Standover Man† and â€Å"The Word Shaker† allows Liesel to see the effects of words on her through someone else’s eyes as well as the effect of her words on someone else. Max shows her that she too has made him stronger and he accepts several troubles in his life. Through recognizing this it gives Liesel purpose and eventually led her to write a book on her own called â€Å"The Book Thief†. Soon after Max leaves the Hubermann household Liesel finds out the reason she steals books and why they mean so much to her, giving her stealing a purpose as well. The knowledge of words from Max really contributes to Liesel’s purpose in life and allows Liesel to grow as a person by knowing the effect of words on people. Max gives Liesel a different outlook on different things in her life like her bad experiences, the German government, and words. Liesel becomes stronger as she begins to realize that compared to Max she is without struggle in her life. She sees that before she met Max Vandenburg she was devoted to the ways of the Nazi’s and now seeing what they have done to those like Max, she changes her ways. Also, the biggest thing Max has bestowed on Liesel is showing her the power of words; this gives Liesel true purpose in giving her the power to comfort and harm people through both reading and writing. The relationship between Max and Liesel is a great marvel in Markus Zusak’s, The Book Thief, and is a huge turning point in the book as well.