Racism in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

Racism in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and other black anti-racist leaders fought against discrimination. They fought a battle that has gone on longer than many people have been around, back in the 1800s. In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain, twain wants us to see how this battle rages on today, affecting many peoples everyday lives. The book itself is very racist toward African Americans in which the word nigger is used. Many people use this word today, but back when Huck was around using vulgar discriminating words was a regular thing. So the question is how is racism still shown today in the 20th century and the relationship in how Twain describes it in his book? First racial thing in the book is when Toms talking to Huck about breaking Jim out of jail. Tom says, Give a nigger a inch and he ell (88). When he says this he is saying that if you give a black person freedom, its giving them way too much. But Huck isnt fond of using such a poignant word to Jim. Racism plays a big part when the King and the Duke show up on the raft with them. When they stay with the girls in the house, the sophomoric type of Duke says I should ‘a reckoned the differences in the rank would sejested that a corn-shuck bed wont fit for me to sleep on . Your Gracell take the shuck bed yourself (126). This shows his destitute for taking Jim seriously as a person and not just some dumb slave. The use of racist and vulgar words was constantly heard from the white adults as well as the children in the novel. …was Jim a runaway nigger?(126). Out of all the pieces of literature this book is known by many people worldwide, not only does things in this book still happen today, we can all relate this book. The lack of care the whites had for blacks, thus, the whites have lost nearly all of their respect. This was Mark Twains indirect way of showing the whites inequality to the blacks. In todays age, the ideas of racism have definitely changed. Slavery is no more, and even the use of such language as nigger, is considered vulgar. But, as children such as Huck and Tom grew up considering slavery the normal, children today grow up learning the exact opposite.

Reactions and Reflections Essay Example for Free

Reactions and Reflections Essay The author Don Berry in his book Moontrap offers a rich history of the plight of mountain men as they are pushed to the edge of their freedom, and left with nowhere else to go. This story is compared to the moonlight on water, which eludes any traps, then fades eternally – like the mountain men whose freedom cannot anymore be returned to them. The book offers opportunity to reflect on how society value and respect the lives of people like the mountain men, and it recalls the sad narrative of their fate. It tells the story of coping and rediscoveries, of how a mountain man would always have that spirit and passion for the wild. The book recounts the history of the 1800s Northwest, in a rich and compelling narrative. Synopsis (Setting and Plot) The story is set in the year 1850 in the territories of Oregon as it is being taken over by the civilized world. The book Moontrap introduces two characters, John Monday, also known as Jaybird, and Webster W. Webster, or Webb as his acquaintances and friends call him. As with the past writing of Don Berry, the two characters are men from the mountains. The story focuses on the life of Jaybird, who longs to be stable and settle as a farmer. He stakes a claim in a land located across Oregon City, in the town of Willamette. As he was beginning to adjust to the life as a farmer, as he was starting to think that perhaps he has the chance to live a life that is normal, Webb comes into the picture. Webb like the typical mountain man came along with an old horse, from a life along the edges of society, ignoring and not having a care for the civilized life, enjoying the offers of nature in the mountains. Webb reintroduces Jaybird in a series of adventures, which eventually ushers a rediscovery of his character and true self. As Jaybird has nearly adjusted to his new life as a farmer, he met a common-law wife Mary, a Shoshone Indian, with whom he conceived a child. When he went to the judge of the town to have the child registered, the judge refused and instead wrote ‘bastard’. This was a clear proof and startling realization how men like the judge who has power and control, and filed with bigotry and disdain, can refuse the life and contentment of people like Jaybird. He then realizes that being a mountain man is something that is eternal; a mountain man would always be a mountain man. The author Don Berry asks the sincere yet poignant question of what is left for mountain men if they have reached the last of the frontiers. Since Oregon has already fallen into the grasps of civilization, with only the great ocean beyond, what are left for mountain men to do? The freedom that the mountain men enjoyed in their seemingly endless ventures have come to cease, and the civilization would forever crush the hope of attaining such same freedom. This message and reality was compared to how the reflections of the moon cannot be forever kept alive in the water, cannot be trapped, just as freedom can eternally be gone when it finally fades. Reactions and Reflections The point for reflection for the book is rich and clear. The author vividly recalls the struggles and eventual disappearance of the lives of mountain men, who relishes the life in the wild and in the mountains. But it was a life that would not last as they had been pushed to the edge of their land by the conquerors who invades in the name of civilization. The story is fascinating yet heartbreaking for it is how cultures and passions die and fade. The spirit of the mountain men died, because the waves of civilization have already swept through the last frontier – Oregon. Based on history, it recalls how the men of the mountains, how the old ways and old traditions has been cast aside as necessarily outcome of adopting the civilized ways. During the mid-1800s, the final vestiges of freedom of the mountain men, which is Oregon, has finally fallen into the hands of the civilized, and the price is clear and non-negotiable. Freedom for the mountain men, who lives at the edge and ignores the confines of the law, is necessary to be forgotten, for the civilized world frowns at their ways. Although the story weaved from the imaginations of the author, it rings true of what occurred in the old America. It is not only mountain men, but also natives and Indians who have gradually lost the freedom in order to give way to progress. The story recalls the unforgiving people in power whose imposition of civilization comes with bigotry and discrimination. The book is a powerful remembrance of the historical struggles of mountain men who no longer exists as they were slowly eliminated by the dictates of civilization. The history of the American Pacific Northwest is indeed field with richness, and has endless stories to tell. This is what makes the book interesting, for it provides a fascinating mixture of reflections and historical recollections. The author recounts how the white populations has taken over the land, and put an end to the lives and culture of the natives living in it. Although whether this imposition of civilization is good or bad is arguable, what is definite perhaps is that there were lost spirits as the lands of the Northwest was taken over. And this is indeed true in history. The book teaches the value of being faithful to your history and to where you come from. Even as Jaybird decides to escape from the life of a mountain man and start anew, his past always confronts him, and he discovers that at the end of the day, the civilization that he chose over his old ways would ultimately be the one to reject him. A mountain man would always be a mountain man. There is no shame in being at home in outside the limits of the civilized world and there is no wrong in relishing nature and the mountains. What is in fact sad is how this life has been forgotten by the society as we have been taken over by the technological advancements that frown on the lives of them mountain men. The author also gives the constant reminder that once upon a time, there were natives that roamed across the American land, who lived the life that was filled with carefree and freedom. This was a life that was given up, voluntary or otherwise, but deserves to be recalled and remembered. Don Berry constantly reminds us that we must not turn our backs on the people that once was, and he tells the world that the civilization that we are relishing now was not for free, it came at a very high price indeed. Reference Berry, Don. (1973). Moontrap. USA: Ballantine Books.

Kinetics: The Iodination of Propanone

Kinetics: The Iodination of Propanone Mary Adesina This individual investigation will be exploring kinetics through experimentation the reaction: This reaction is described as autocatalytic as it is produces the very species that increases the rate of reaction (hydrogen ions7). Background Reactants Iodine is chemical that takes place in the reaction. Iodine is a halogen (group 7 on the periodic table) with a simple molecular covalent structure. Halogens are often diatomic as they have seven electrons on their outer shell (a full shell being eight) so to share electrons would allow them to be stable. Halogens are very electronegative elements meaning they are very likely to attract a bonding pair of electrons. As one if the less reactive halogens Iodine is a grey solid in standard conditions, this is due to it being a bigger so the outer electrons are further from the nucleus and thus harder for the attraction of an electron to form and Halide ion12. The other halogens consist of Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine and Astatine. Fluorine’s physical state is a pale yellow gas as it is the most reactive halogen. However it may not react with propanone in the same way as iodine as it does behave as a very good nucleophile. This is due to fluorine being less ready to share electrons with the electrophilic carbon in propanone. Chlorine’s physical state is a green gas and can be made into a virtually colourless solution but in this particular reaction will produce Chloroacetone (used as tear gas in the war) 10. This would put everyone is the laboratory at risk as tear gas can cause tearing, coughing and sneezing but inflaming mucous membranes in the eyes, nose and mouth. Changing the type of ketone in the reaction to butanone will prevent this haloketone from being produced, however the new ketone has a different chain length and therefore there is a need to test if there is a significant difference between the rates of the reaction the iodination of propanone and the iodination of butanone. Bromine’s physical state is a red-brown liquid and is yellow/orange in solution that reacts with propanone in a way that is analogous to iodine4. This halogen is more reactive than iodine as thus should result in a faster reaction rate12. Astatine cannot be used in this reaction as it is far too unreactive as well as radioactive. Propanone (also known as acetone) is the most simple of ketones consisting of three carbons. Ketones are formed by refluxing secondary alcohols with acidified Potassium Dichromate Figure 4. Products Iodopropane is produced in the reaction Spectator Ions Theory In order for a reaction to take place particles need to collide, as occurs energy is shifted between them changing the amount of energy they have this is known as Collision Theory13. The distribution of this energy is displayed in a Maxwell-Boltzmann Curve Figure 2. The factors that have positive correlation with the rate constant3 and therefore effect the rate of a reaction do so because they affect the number of collisions (concentration) or the energy that each particle possesses (temperature) because this effects the number of particles that possess the activation energy (the minimum energy required for the reaction to take place)13. Catalysts also affect the rate of reaction by providing an alternative route for the reaction to occur; this route has a lower activation energy than the original reaction Figure 2 meaning more particles have enough energy to react thus increasing the reaction rate. If a reaction has a great activation energy, the increase in temperature will have a large effect on the rate of reaction whereas if this activation energy was smaller, the change in temperature will be far less significant. This suggests that there is a relationship between reaction rate, temperature and activation energy. Due to this relationship the Arrhenius equation, using the ‘temperature dependence of the rate constant’ 13(k Figure 1), is applied to calculate activation energy of reaction via deriving a form of that fits y=mx+c (taking the natural logarithm). Rate of reaction is defined as the speed at which reactants are formed into products or change in concentration over time taking into consideration the factors that affect it such as surface area, temperature and concentration13. There are many ways of measuring the concentration during a reaction but some are more efficient depending on the property that changes during the reaction. For example, the original reaction being investigated, the iodination of propanone, has an obvious colour change so a technique that detects absorbance (Colorimetry) would be a more efficient than measuring loss of mass when there is no gas released3. With many techniques there arises the need to convert a particular property to concentration, in order to do so a calibration curve is needed. This curve is created by selecting known concentrations and measuring the level or amount of the property associated with the reaction and then drawing a property-concentration curve Figure x. Although it may be referred to as a curve more often than not it turns out to be rather linear as the concentrations used are rather low as the reactions would occur far too quickly if they were any higher, also high concentrations tend to have a higher hazard. It is only through practical experiments that a rate equation giving the order of reactants can be written5. 0 order: Changing the concentration of this species has no effect on the rate of reaction. 1st order: The rate of reaction is directly proportional to the rate of reaction. 2nd order: As the concentration doubles the rate of reaction quadruples (exponential relationship). The overall order of a reaction is calculated by adding the orders of each species Figure 1. The order of a reaction with respect to A shows the number of molecules of A which are involved in the rate determining step. As a result of this a mechanism can be suggested if the rate equation is known as if the reactant is not in the rate equation it cannot feature in the rate determining step. The rate determining step is the slowest step in the reaction and thus it is responsible for the rate of the overall reaction. This step can be first or last (Bottleneck effect) and it would make no difference on the overall reaction rate. Aims Explore the effects of different catalysts on the rate of the reaction and thus the activation energy. After finding the rate equation for the original equation, the same experiment will be carried out with catalysts sulphuric, nitric and hydrochloric acid then with no catalyst (see reactions below). The activation energy can then be calculated via finding the different rates of reaction and thus the different values of the rate constant. This is all assuming the spectator ions have no effect on the reaction. Explore the effects of changing the type of halogen on the rate of the reaction. The chosen halogens are Bromine and Chlorine. The following are the reactions that are going to take place as a result (respectively). Use rate equation to propose a rate determining step and explore a suggested mechanism. If time permits exploring a suggested mechanism may consist of testing the presence of a product of one of the steps in the mechanism. Techniques Colorimetry This technique will be used to calculate the order of the reaction between iodine and propanone. This technique will also be used to measure the rates of the reactions between: Iodine and propanone Iodine and butanone Bromine and propanone Hypothesis: Although the ketones propanone and butanone have different formulas, the difference between the rates of reactions will be negligible and therefore the results for the reaction between chlorine with butanone and chlorine with propanone are more or less similar. Equipment List Chemical List 9 Boiling Tubes 10ml Pipette Spark Data logger Pipette Filler Colorimeter 20ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Iodine 10ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Bromine 20ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone 10ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Butanone 30ml 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL Distilled water Calibration Curve Set up the colorimeter according to the instructions. Place a cuvette full of distilled water inside the colorimeter and press the zero the button. Select a suitable filter (gives your greatest concentration an absorption of close to one). Make up 0.04, 0.016, 0.004, 0.0016, 0.0004, and 0.00016 mol dm-3 of iodine solution in test tubes by adding distilled water. Label each test tube. Place 6 ml 0.04 mol dm-3 of iodine solution in a cuvette and record the absorbance Do the same for each of the other concentrations. Draw a calibration curve by placing known concentrations of iodine solution in the colorimeter and recording the absorption. Only repeat the concentrations that don’t seem to fit in the curve. Method: To achieve Aim 1 Attach data logger to collect data automatically. Place a cuvette full of distilled water inside the colorimeter and press the zero the button. Select a suitable filter (gives your greatest concentration an absorption of close to one). Mix sample A, sample B and 2 ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL in a cuvette (add sample A last). Immediately place cuvette inside the colorimeter and start recording absorbance at time intervals of 30 seconds for 6 minutes using the data logger. Repeat Steps 2 to 5 two more times and calculate an average. Use calibration curve to convert absorbance to concentration then draw a concentration-time graph. Sample A Sample B Experiment 1 2ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Iodine 2ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone Experiment 2 2ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Iodine 2ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Butanone Experiment 3 2ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Bromine 2ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone Method: To achieve Aim 3 (Determine a rate equation) Attach data logger to collect data automatically. Place a cuvette full of distilled water inside the colorimeter and press the zero the button. Select a suitable filter (gives your greatest concentration an absorption of close to one). Add sample A, sample B and sample C in a cuvette. Immediately after adding Xml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Iodine sol, place the cuvette inside the colorimeter. Start recording absorbance at time intervals of 30 seconds for 6 minutes using the data logger. Repeat Steps 2 to 6 two more times and calculate an average. Sample A Sample B Sample C X Experiment 1 0.9ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone 0.9ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL 3.3ml distilled water 0.9 Experiment 2 1.8ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone 0.9ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL 2.4ml distilled water 0.9 Experiment 3 0.9ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone 1.8ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL 2.4ml distilled water 0.9 Experiment 4 0.9ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone 0.9ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL 2.4ml distilled water 1.8 Use calibration curve to convert absorbance to concentration then draw a concentration-time graph. Conductivity Meter11 This technique will be used to measure and compare the reaction rates of the iodination of propanone with a different catalysts. Hypothesis: The catalyst with the most hydrogen ions available will have the fastest reaction of rate and thus the lowest activation energy. This is assuming the spectator ions have no effect on the conductivity meter. Equipment List Chemical List 100ml Beaker Conductivity Meter 10ml Pipette Pipette filler 2 Water baths Kettle/Bunsen Burner Test tubes 220cm3 of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone 120cm3 of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL 60cm3 of 0.02 mol dm-3 H2SO4 220cm3 of 0.02 mol dm-3 HNO3 220cm3 of 1 mol dm-3 Iodine Distilled water Method: To achieve Aim 3 (Effect of catalysts on activation energy) Make two water baths (one large one small) at X degrees Celsius using a kettle and tap water. Label 2 test tubes A and B then fill with 9ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone and 9ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Iodine respectively. X Experiment 1 10 Experiment 2 20 Experiment 3 30 Experiment 4 40 Experiment 5 50 Experiment 6 60 Label 3 more test tubes X,Y and Z then fill with 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 H2SO4 , 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL and 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HNO3 respectively. Place all of the test tubes in the small water bath for 2 minutes. Place a beaker in the large water bath. Pour 3 ml from test tubes A and X into the beaker. Place conductivity probe in the beaker and adjust settings to consider the temperature of the water bath. Add 3ml from test tube B into the beaker. Start conductivity probe and record the conductivity every 30 seconds for 6 minutes. Repeat steps 6 to 9 but using the contents of test tube Y. Repeat steps 6 to 9 but using the contents of test tube Z. Repeat steps 1 to 11 two more times and calculate an average. Titration9, 12 14 This technique will be used to measure the decrease in concentration of chlorine water throughout the reaction between chlorine solution and butanone in order to find the initial rate of reaction. As chlorine solution is virtually colourless it would be more effective to conduct an analysis that doesn’t rely on a colour change. A Redox titration will be used to measure the decrease in iodine concentration to ensure that the technique used to collect data doesn’t have a significant effect on the results. Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate will be used to quench the reaction as it removes the hydrogen ions from the reaction. Silver Nitrate Titration: The chloride ions produced by the reaction will react with the silver nitrate to form a white precipitate (silver chloride). The end-point of the titration is a red precipitate caused by silver chloride reacting with the Sodium Chromate to form Silver Chromate(VI). Redox Titration: The iodide ions produced by the reaction will oxidise the Sodium Thiosulphate, so the thiosulphate ions become tetrathionate ions in a redox reaction. The solution will gradually start to go from brown to almost pale yellow. When this happens the starch indicator is added and reacts with triiodide forming a very dark blue-black complex. The end point is when this solution becomes colourless because it means that there is no longer any iodine left. Hypothesis: As Chlorine is more reactive than Iodine, the rate of the reaction should be faster. This is assuming that the technique has no significant effect on the results gained in this experiment. Equipment List Chemical List Distilled Water 2 Conical Flasks Test tubes A White Tile Stopwatch Beaker White paper 50 ml of 1 mol dm-3 Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate Sodium Chromate 50 ml Silver Nitrate 100ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Chlorine Butanone Calibration Curve for Chlorine Set up apparatus as seen in picture above. Mark white sheet of paper with a large black cross. Make up 10ml of 0.04, 0.016, 0.004, 0.0016, 0.0004, and 0.00016 mol dm-3 Chlorine solution in test tubes by adding distilled water. Label each test tube. For each test tube: Pour the contents of the test tube into a conical flask along with 1g Sodium Chromate dissolved in 20 ml distilled water. Place conical flask on white sheet under burette. Fill a burette with a recorded amount of 0.1 mol dm-3 Silver Nitrate solution. Add drops of Silver Nitrate solution into the solution, swirling after every few drops, there will be a white precipitate formed. Add more drops until the cross is no longer visible due to a brick red precipitate forming. Record the new amount of Silver Nitrate in the burette. Repeat steps 3 to 10 two more times and calculate an average titre (difference of 0.1). Method: To achieve Aim 1 (Reaction rate of Chlorine and Butanone) X Experiment 1 1 Experiment 2 1.5 Experiment 3 2 Experiment 4 2.5 Experiment 5 3 Experiment 6 3.5 Experiment 7 4 Set up apparatus as seen in picture above. Mark white sheet of paper with a large black cross. Mix 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Butanone, 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL and 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Chlorine in a conical flask. After X minutes add 3ml of 1 mol dm-3 Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate to quench the reaction. Add 1g Sodium Chromate dissolved in 20 ml distilled water to the conical flask. Place conical flask on a white sheet under burette. Fill a burette with a recorded amount of 0.1 mol dm-3 Silver Nitrate solution. Add drops of Silver Nitrate solution into the solution, swirling after every few drops, there will be a white precipitate formed. Add more drops until the cross is no longer visible due to a brick red precipitate forming. Repeat steps 3 to 9 two more times and calculate an average titre (difference of 0.1). Use calibration curve to obtain a concentration-time graph. Calibration Curve for Iodine Set up apparatus as seen in picture above. Make up 10 ml of 0.04, 0.016, 0.004, 0.0016, 0.0004, and 0.00016 mol dm-3 iodine solution in test tubes by adding distilled water. Label each test tube. For each test tube: Pour the contents of the test tube into a conical flask. Add 3ml of Starch indicator to the conical flask. Fill a burette with Sodium Thiosulphate, recording the amount. Add drops of Sodium Thiosulphate into the solution, swirling after every few drops until there is a permanent colour change from a Black-Blue to colourless. Record the new amount of Sodium Thiosulphate in the pipette. Repeat steps 1 to 7 two more times and calculate an average titre (difference of 0.1). Method: To achieve Aim 1 (Reaction rate of Iodine and Propanone) Set up apparatus as seen in picture above. Mix 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Propanone, 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 HCL and 3ml of 0.02 mol dm-3 Iodine in a conical flask. X Experiment 1 1 Experiment 2 1.5 Experiment 3 2 Experiment 4 2.5 Experiment 5 3 Experiment 6 3.5 Experiment 7 4 After X minutes add 3ml of 1 mol dm-3 Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate to quench the reaction. Add 3ml of Starch Indicator to the solution. Fill a burette with Sodium Thiosulphate, recording the amount. Add drops of Sodium Thiosulphate into the solution, swirling after every few drops until there is a permanent colour change from Blue-Black to colourless. Record the new amount of Sodium Thiosulphate in the pipette. Repeat steps 1 to 7 two more times and calculate an average titre (difference of 0.1). Use calibration curve to obtain a concentration-time graph. Risk Assessment Chemical/ Procedure Hazard Risk Action if Occurred Precautions Risk Likelihood (out of 10) Colorimetry Titration (Precipitation) Use of a Conductivity Meter Propanone Butanone Iodine Chlorine Bromine Hydrochloric Acid Sulphuric Acid Nitric Acid Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate Iodopropanone Chlorobutanone Bromopropanone Iodine/Bromide /Chloride ions Sodium Nitrate Sodium Chromate Starch Indicator Sodium Thiosulphate 1 | Page

Koran, So Long A Letter And The Symposium :: essays research papers

by Gabe pollow   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the fall semester of our Preceptorial class we covered many books that represented strong points about many issues. Many of these books took place in history a long time ago, although this is true they seem to be timeless. I have learned a great deal throughout all of the readings, and changed many of my feelings about several different issues. The books that had then most impacts on my thoughts were The Symposium, The Koran, The Apology, and So Long A Letter. These books have all made me fight the beliefs that I had prior to reading them, which is a sign of a strong book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Symposium was a unique book that had many stories and different books inside of it. This book either altered my views a small amount or change them drastically. There were many instances in the book that I didn’t know prior to reading it such as the title, which means a drinking party. One thing that I felt throughout life was that if you were in trouble, meaning a life or death situation, many people would die for you. My personal feeling was that this thought made sense, but after reading this book I realized that I might be mistaken. When I read that only a lover would die for you I started to realize that this might be true. The men in this time had lovers who were boys, or young men, and these lovers would die for their older lovers. The book also said that even a wife, although not as important as a lover would die for. After taking time to think this through, I realized that this might be the case, after all why would you want to risk your well b eing and life for someone you barely know. Maybe the only reason that you would die for someone was to be known as an honorable person, but to be honest, what does that truly matter when your dead?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book also states that lovers will forgive for breaking vows. I didn’t feel that this could be true seeing is how there are so many divorces in this day of age, but I came to the realization that this is a false thought on my part and I do in fact concur with the books statement. The reason I believe this to be true is that if your lover (s) are truly your lover (s) than he or she cannot live without your love.

Oppression and Spiritual Deterioration in William Blakes Poem London E

Oppression and Spiritual Deterioration in William Blake's Poem London London I wander thro' each charter'd street, 1 Near where the charter'd Thames does flow, 2 And mark in every face I meet, 3 Marks of weakness, marks of woe. 4 In every cry of every Man, 5 In every Infant's cry of fear, 6 In every voice, in every ban, 7 The mind-forg'd manacles I hear: 8 How the Chimney-sweeper's cry 9 Every blackning Church appalls, 10 And the hapless Soldier's sigh, 11 Runs the blood down Palace walls. 12 But most thro' midnight streets I hear 13 How the youthful Harlot's curse 14 Blasts the new-born Infant's tear, 15 And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse. 16 "London" by William Blake is a short poem packed with meaning. The poem has two related themes. The first explores the spiritual decay and slavery of the people of London. The second examines the oppression of certain disadvantaged groups and the implied apathy of the oppressors. Blake crafts a skillful poem with masterful use of layered word meaning, irony, repetition, and visual and audible images. Layered meanings become apparent in the first two lines where Blake writes of the "charter'd street" and the "charter'd Thames." Based on the various definitions of charter and chartered, Blake could be speaking ironically of the "privileged" streets where the harlots and chimney sweepers live. Blake may also be using chartered to encompass all of men. Chartered can describe a branch established by a sovereign, and, in this sense, London on the "charter'd Thames" may be one branch of man, representing all men under a spiritual curse. Finally, charter denotes contracts between men for business pu... ...e of an oppressed and an oppressor. Possibly, the youthful harlot is a prostitute because she has no other work or has no family. Indirectly, husbands and the men of London in general are accused for their lack of responsibility. The men either pass venereal disease to the harlot or carry it home with them, apparently unconcerned about the results of their actions. The actions of these men have led to what Blake calls the loudest and most prevalent cry of the poem--the sound of the fall of the family. In conclusion, Blake points out the spiritual deterioration of his time in "London." He sees what is plainly visible but goes unnoticed by other men. He becomes the wanderer, the poet-prophet, the voice of experience crying for all to take note and mend their ways. Work Cited Abrams, M. H. , gen. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 5th edition

Essay --

Rachel Reed PHIL 389 Saint-Croix 10 February 2014 Question #7: Descartes’ Foundationalism In this paper I will describe the foundationalist structure of Descartes’ arguments in his work Meditations on First Philosophy. Foundationalism is the view that there are some beliefs are epistemologically basic and can be known without knowing anything else is true (Loeb, Lecture 1-14). For example, philosophers such as Descartes would acknowledge that geometric truths, such as 2 + 2 = 4, are so fundamental that they don’t need to be proven through argumentation. Thus, these truths can provide the basic foundation for further arguments. In my paper, I will show that two foundational claims of Descartes are first, the existence of the mind, and second, the existence of God. From these claims Descartes derives many others, including the argument for material objects and souls. As I lay out Descartes’ case, I will examine the philosophical soundness and validity of his foundationalist account, as well as its merits and potential weaknesses. In the end, I will conc lude that Descartes’ foundationalism, while alluring in its simplicity, does not survive deeper investigation. Descartes’ first foundational argument asserts that one can have knowledge of one’s own existence. The claim is essential to many arguments that follow because it survives his â€Å"Deceiver Hypothesis.† This hypothesis states that â€Å"there may be a powerful deceiver of supreme power who is deliberately and constantly deceiving me† (Med III, p. 17). This demonstrates that we cannot know, or be sure of, anything based on sensory experience alone. However, Descartes supports the idea that some things can be known entirely outside of sensory experience; through the use of logic and re... ...undational premises, such as the existence of God and the mind, do not provide indisputable groundwork for Descartes’ argument. First begging the question to prove the existence of the mind via dualism, and then conflating logic with cultural and personal ideals, these two tenets cannot stand on their own. In the case of Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, foundationalism does not endure close scrutiny. Grade: B- General comments: Your paper doesn't really address the prompt. It does not discuss arguments that might be offered in favor of Foundationalism or discuss how effective such arguments might be, nor does it address the question of what arguments Descartes does offer. There's also little in the way of focused discussion of what you take to be the problem with the position. It seems like you started on a different prompt and switched part-way through.

The Progression of Huck’s Maturity

As the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, progresses, Huck becomes more mature. The reader can see this change in maturity by the level of his thinking and the changes it undergoes. The maturation of Huck is also evident in pranks that he plays, which progressively change his attitude and the way he thinks. The book starts off with a Huck that has a wild nature, and is not civilized. He is in Tom Sawyer’s â€Å"gang† that plays pranks of people. The prank that Tom and Huck play on Jim, Miss Watson’s slave, really stands out. Huck and Tom take Jim’s hat and hide it up on a tree branch above him while he is sleeping. Huck later realizes that Jim â€Å"was most ruined for a servant, because he got stuck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches† (Twain 16). His prank set Jim up for a bad image, which had a negative repercussion which Huck did not see, showing his immaturity. Another prank Huck plays in which he doesn’t judge the consequences before hand, is when he places the dead snake in Jim’s bed. Unaware that the snake’s mate would come after the body, Huck causes Jim to be bit by a snake, which is very dangerous. Later on in the novel, Huck plays another prank on Jim, in which he pretends that nothing happened, when in reality, Huck and Jim are separated in the fog. He convinces Jim that Jim is crazy, and this concerns Jim. Huck feels â€Å"so mean [that he] could [have] almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back† after Jim insults Huck for making fun of Jim (Twain 75). He later apologizes, and regains the trust, but he realizes that not all of his pranks are good. Finally, Huck shows that he is much more mature when the â€Å"Duke† and the â€Å"Dauphin† come on the ship. Huck realizes that these two conmen are just bluffing their status. However he â€Å"never [says] nothing, never let on; kept it to [himself]† because then â€Å"you don’t have quarrels, and don’t get into no trouble† (Twain 104). He didn’t mind calling them what they wanted to be called, â€Å"‘long as it would keep peace in the family† (Twain 104). Overall, Huck grows in his maturity greatly. While encountering his personal experiences with Jim, and away from society, he grows as an individual with a greater moral and maturity.