The role and the purpose of the US Special Forces during the Vietnam Era Essay Example for Free

The role and the purpose of the US Special Forces during the Vietnam Era Essay Introduction: What is theory? Theory is other man’s experience. Otto von Bismarck put it this way: â€Å"Fools say they learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others.† Vietnam War taught many a new tactics to the US army in counter-guerrilla warfare. But the crusade in the jungles of Vietnam war not a happy experience for the US Army. The guerrilla warfare was not part of the US military culture. Vietnam War taught voluminous lessons to the US military. The Special Forces branch (Special Forces, SF, or Green Berets) is an elite special operations force; a part of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), a component of United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).Special Forces units given many types of special responsibilities. â€Å"During the Vietnam war, special forces played an important role. Among their number were the US armys 5th Special Forces Group, Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) units, the Military Assistance Command—Vietnam—Studies Observation Group (MAC-V-SOG), US navy Sea Air Land (SEAL) teams, US Marine Force Reconnaissance units and USAF Air Commandos, special operations squadrons, and combat control teams of forward air controllers.† (Special Forces..) During the Vietnam War era, some of the assigned duties to these forces were unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, counter terrorism, psychological operations, and proliferation and information operations. Vietnam War was a special type war for America. It was the war in a small country in a big way. The war was not ending even when they wished to terminate it early. It prolonged, went beyond their control, and ultimately Vietcong emerged victorious humbling the mighty USA. Humiliation and defeat were the two words which the US Army found hard to digest, yet they had no other alternative. What were the matchless guerilla warfare skills of the Vietcong, which contributed to the defeat of the mighty military force, including the US Special Forces? The task of fighting a war for a Western country like USA in an Asian country poses the language and communication problems. A wing of the Special Forces is trained in local language skills, familiarizes itself with the local culture and acquires special skills in working with foreign troops. The listing of their duties is fairly long and duties are added depending upon the contingencies. Some of the important duties taken care of by the US Special Forces during the Vietnam Era are peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, de-mining and counter-drug operations, combat search and rescue, coalition warfare and support etc. Many of the operational techniques of the U.S. Special Forces are secret but doctrinal manuals are available for the common man, press and research scholars. Their official motto is De Oppresso Liber (Latin: â€Å"To Liberate the Oppressed† Special Forces are not under the command of the ground commanders, unless otherwise specified. While in theatre, mostly they report directly to the United Sates Central Command. The Special Forces organized Civilian Irregular Defiance Groups (CIDG) during the Vietnam War. For most of the duration of the War, the 5th Special Forces trained and led CIDG mobile strike forces. To create such forces, minority tribes and groups from the border and mountain regions were drafted. Small-unit patrols defended their home bases in the border areas, to deter the Vietcong and North Vietnamese regular units of the army. Initially this plan succeeded and the U. S. Special Forces units encountered success after success. (U .S. Army†¦) â€Å"Whats more, during 1966-67 American field commanders increasingly employed Special Forces-led Mike units in long-range reconnaissance missions or as economy-of-force security elements for regular units. Other CIDG-type forces, called mobile guerrilla forces, raided enemy base areas and employed hit-and-run guerrilla tactics against regular enemy units†Ã‚   (U. S. Army†¦)From recruits amongst the Nung tribes, three units were formed, Dela, Sigma and Omega, which formed part of the Special Forces. They were both reaction forces and put on duty of reconnaissance. Their contribution to the war effort was significant. The 2500 regular soldiers of the U.S Army raised and led an army of 50,000 tribal fighters. Being familiar with the local conditions and geography, they operated successfully in some of the most difficult terrains and areas of Vietnam. â€Å"The CIDG patrolling of border infiltration areas provided reliable tactical intelligence, and the units secured populations in areas that might have been otherwise conceded to the enemy.†Ã‚   (Clarke, pp.196-207) In short, the CIDG, CAP, and CORDS programs encountered success in pursuing the counterinsurgency in Vietnam. They contributed in greater measure to the scope and area of actionable intelligence. They provided valuable experience and lessons to the US army as to how to fight wars in Vietnam-like situations. In war situations and in an ongoing conflict, it is futile to talk about permanent victory or permanent defeat. Only permanent efforts matter. In the initial stages, the US offensive led by the Special forces in many areas and departments of the war were successful. But soon, problems began to surface one after another. The once US solutions became the present US problems. The seeds of hostility between the South Vietnamese and the ethnic minority groups of the CIDG strike forces blocked the US efforts to Republic of Vietnam Special Forces take command of the CIDG program. The second drawback was that the villagers became habituated to the security cover provided by the Special Forces. They proved incapable of defending themselves, due to poor leadership and equipments. Conclusion: In the end, even the well-trained Special Forces of USA, assisted by the Vietnamese, were no match for the grit and determination of the Vietcong. They proved capable to fight a prolonged war in their own territory, and in the unconventional war, they succeeded in conducting surprise ambushes and giving telling blows to the Special Forces. They excelled in every area, guerrilla warfare, subversion, evasion and escape and sabotage. â€Å"Clear and hold† counterinsurgency strategy by the American military including the Special Forces, in the concluding stages of the Vietnam War, doomed the American military might. The policy of General William Westmoreland to seek out every soldier and kill him (â€Å"search and destroy†) proved counter-productive. He was replaced by General Creighton Abrams, who reversed the earlier order by another strategy—controlling and defending patches of territory and population. But even that did not work. The people began to hate Americans intensely. Tiny villages and hamlets were bombed by the American army. The civilian casualties were heavy. In a six-month operation, the US 9th Division, counted 10,000 dead, but only 751 weapons were recovered. This indicates a large number of civilian causalities. Viet Cong did suffer heavy losses from 1968-1972, but soon the US Administration realized that the Special Forces had outlived their role in Vietnam. The debate whether the U.S. political authority   let down the war efforts or was it the   awesome ordeal of fighting the war for two decades, that contributed to the eventual defeat of the American forces   still goes on unabated. To fight a interminable guerrilla and conventional war in the enemy territory for such a long period is no ordinary job. The long run had the telling effect on the morale of the army, which was haunted by corruption and factionalism. The popular support had dwindled. At such a juncture, the Communists took to the offensive and the defeat of the American Army was round the corner.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚           References: Special Forces: Definition and Much More www.answers.com/topic/special-forces 95k Retrieved on June 14, 2008 U.S. Army Professional Writing For much of the Vietnam War, the 5th Special Forces Group†¦ www.army.mil/professionalwriting/volumes/volume2/august_2004/08_04_02pf.html 43k Cached – Retrieved on June 14, 2008 Clarke, Jeffrey J:   Advice and Support: The Final Years (Washington: US Army Center of Military History, 1988), pp. 196-207.

Brain Function Essay Example for Free

Brain Function Essay A Neuron is a specialized nerve cell that receives, processes, and transmits information to other cells in the body. Basically, it is the messenger cell responsible for receiving and transmitting information. Neurons are the information processing components of the brain, each part of the neuron is responsible for receiving and transmitting information. Each neuron please do use role in the communication of the flow of information throughout the body. Neurotransmitters neurotransmitter Chemical substance through which one neuron sends a message to another. A neurotransmitter is a chemical substance that helps communicate information throughout our brain and body by relaying signals between neurons. neurons to occur. Numerous neurotransmitters affect the way a person behaves, learns, emotions, and sleep. Some also affecti mental illnesses. Some examples of neurotransmitters which affect our learning and development are; Acetylcholine affects a persons voluntary movement, learning, memory, and sleep. Dopamine affects a persons movement, attention, and learning. Axon An Axon is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that typically conducts electrical impulses away from the neurons cell body  transmiting neuroal signals. The axon is the tail-like part of the neuron where sinformation exits the cell. It helps in the transmit information. The function of the axon is to transmit information to different neurons, muscles and glands. Myelin sheath Myelin sheath is an insulating envelope of myelin that surrounds the core of a nerve fiber or axon and that facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses, formed from the cell membrane of the Schwann cell in the peripheral nervous system and from oligodendroglia cells. Myelin sheaths three main functions include are protecting the nerve fiber, insulating the nerve fiber and increasing the rate and efficiency of the transmission of conduction of the nerve impulse. Dendrites Dendrites are a short branched extension of a nerve cell, along which impulses received from other cells at synapses are transmitted to the cell body. Dendrites are treelike extensions at the beginning of a neuron that help increase the surface area of the cell body. These tiny protrusions receive information from other neurons and transmit electrical stimulation to the soma. Dendrites bring information to the cell body and axons take information away from the cell body. Synapses The area where two neuron connect allow transmission of information to occur from one to the other. The messages flow across one neuron to the next through this small gap which separate the pair. . 1. In order for neurons to properly communicate, an electric pulse must occur. It happens as it travels down an axon to the synaptic terminal where the impulses trigger the vesicles to move which contain the neurotransmitter. It is said that most learning is though to involve the change between neurons and synapse. Learning consists of strengething synapses that are already there or by the creation of new ones. Sometimes, eliminating some helps. By learning new things we must realize that our old thoughts aren’t accurate and replace them with new ones in order to change the thoughts and behaviors we once exhibited. (Bruer Greenough, 2001;Lichtman, 2001; Merzenich, 2001). â€Å"Historically, theorists and researchers have believed that the physiological basis formost learning and memory lies in changes in the interconnections among neurons— in particular, in forming new synapses, strengthening existing ones, or eliminating counterproductive ones.†(e.g., Merzenich, 2001; M. I. Posner Rothbart, 2007; Trachtenberg et al., 2002) progress . Cortex cortex Upper part of the brain; site of where complex, conscious thinking processes takes place. It is the large lumpy area that covers the sides of our brains. â€Å"The  area of the brain immediately behind the forehead—the prefrontal cortex—seems to be the primary headquarters for working memory and its central executive, although all of the cortex may be active to a greater or lesser extent in interpreting new input in light of previously acquired knowledge† (Byrnes, 2001; Gonsalves Cohen, 2010; Huey, Krueger, Grafman, 2006; Nee, Berman, Moore, Jonides, 2008). This is the main area that the learning process occurs. Synaptogenesis Universal process that occurs in early brain development in Which cause the formation of numerous synapses. Being able to think more complex and eddicent thoughts, development change in this brain must be the first thing to happen, which is done by synaptegeneis. â€Å"neurons begin to form synapses long before a child is born.  But shortly afterbirth the rate of synapse formation increases dramatically. Neurons sprout new dendrites in many directions, †¦life. Much of this early synaptogenesis appears to be driven primarily bygenetic programming rather than by learning experiences. â€Å" (Bruer, 1999; C. A. Nelson, Thomas, de Haan, 2006). Synaptic pruning Synaptic pruning is the process when old formed synapses wear away due to universal process in the brain development. A developmental process that eliminates â€Å"nuisance† synapses that are inconsistent with typical environmentalevents and appropriate responses. Synaptic pruning, then, may be Mother Nature’s way of making the brain more efficient (Bruer Greenough, 2001; Huttenlocher Dabholkar, 1997; Spear, 2007). Adults and children happen to form new thoughts and synaose based on expierence and new discovery. They replace one thought with the other they learning through these developments. Myelination Myelination is the formation of fatty substance around the axons of the neurons. This is what helps speed up the electrical pulses therefore speeding up the transmission of the messages and information shared between the pair of neurons. As myelin is created over neuron transmissions more quickly, greatly enhancing the brain’s overall efficiency. Myelination continues throughout childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, especially in the cortex (Lenroot Giedd, 2007; Merzenich, 2001; Paus et al., 1999).

The Absence Of Mr Glass English Literature Essay

The Absence Of Mr Glass English Literature Essay In May 29 1874, Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, England. In 1887, He enrolls as a day student at St. Pauls Preparatory School and begins writing and sketching in journals. His time there was not outstanding like his writings. He lacked the capability to direct his attention to subjects that did not interest him. Physically he was a large and clumsy boy, and in athletics he won no distinction whatsoever (British Writers, 1983, Vol. 6, P.335-246). He was depressed, which triggered his thoughts of suicide. Though he was intelligent, his academic career was not going so well. However, he blossomed with his writing and with the encouragement of his friends. He enjoyed debating and journalism. In 1893 however, when he joined the Slade School of Art, he experimented with an Ouija board and became almost fascinated with diabolism. In 1895 Chesterton left University College without a degree and worked for the London Publisher Redway and T. Fisher Unwin (Gilbert Keith Chesterton-Biography and works). In 1899, war broke out against two small Dutch South African Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. Chesterton had strong political interests (Biography: G K Chesterton, writer). Chesterton opposed this war, not because he was a pacifist, but because he thought that this was an unjust war. Chestertons liberalism was always a liberalism of belief in small unites. He hated imperialism and large units and the uniformity that imperialisms tyranny imposed upon people of different traditions. He was in violent reaction against the popular imperialism of the day (British Writers, 1983, Vol. 6, P.335-246). In 1896, he fell in love with a girl named Frances Blogg only to fin d him in a spiritual crisis in 1900. Then, in 1901 he married Frances Blogg, who pulled him out of his spiritual crisis. In 1901, he begins writing a regular Saturday column for Daily News, much to his journalisms delight. He was then asked to preach in 1905 at St. Pauls Church, along with entering a 30-year public debate with George Bernard Shaw (Chestertons Literary Life). He was officially received into the roman Catholic Church in 1922, but had been writing from a Roman Catholic point of view for a long time before that( G K Chesterton, Writer). Though he was a journalist, Chesterton wrote many fiction novels. He wrote books like the Father Brown Mystery novels, and the adventure story The Man Who Was Thursday. The tone of the story, as of every Chesterton story, is strongly affected by the exuberant style of the author (G K Chesterton, Writer). Chesterton was influenced by many people in his lifetime. In his childhood, when he was struggling, he surrounded himself with a group of friends. One of these friends would be recognized later in life as E.C. Bentley; who created a light verse known as the clerihew and helped formed the Junior Debating Club. He was also influenced by his family, which gave him his liberal nature concerning politics. His parents were Unitarian in religion; but that was something he did not inherit. However, his little brother Cecil joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1913 (Chestertons Literary Life). Unfortunately, just five years later in 1918, Cecil dies in war. The next year he traveled with his wife Frances to Jerusalem, the Continent, and North America. He fell gravely ill in 1914, which it is unknown to as whether it related to his death in 1936. He died the 14 of June in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. During his life he published 69 books and another ten of them would be published after his de ath (Chestertons Literary Life). Overview/Summary of Father Brown Mystery Stories: Mr. Glass This story is from a collection of the Father Brown Mystery Collection. The story begins with a scientist by the name of Orion Hood is reading a grand collection of novels. The novels whereabouts and identities were emphasized strongly in this story. The Doctor was suddenly interrupted by a disheveled man, stumbling over heavy load of luggage and an umbrella. It was Father Brown, the priest, who had come to see him. Father Brown then begins to explain the situation that he has come for advice on, because Dr. Hood has assisted criminologists and detectives in his career, because he was a genius in his department and in his studies. So Father Brown, a detective as well as a priest, came to him with a case. He asks for the help of the doctor to solve a case involving a young couple, Mr. Todhunter and Ms. MacNab. They are planning a wedding and the mother of Ms. MacNab is complaining about the profession of young Todd. She says that he spends hours in his room, talking to an unknown pers on named Mr. Glass, who is described as a tall dark stranger with a silk top hat on. The young man denies these accusations and says that his trade will be revealed before the wedding. The young woman suddenly interrupts the discussion, saying that Todd had been tied up and a murder could have occurred. Naturally, Father Brown and Dr. Hood rush to the seaside hotel and investigate the so called murder. What they find when they arrive is a man tied up with scarves on the floor, presumed to be Mr. Todd, of course. They examine the room intensely to understand the gravity of the situation, and find several key items. First, they discover two wineglasses on the table and then a smashed one on the floor. Then they also discover a sword with a drop of blood on the tip, along with a silk top hat, much too large for Mr. Todd, with no trace of hair inside of it. There were playing cards scattered across the floor as well. Dr. Hood deduces that the sword was the murder weapon of Mr. Glass, and the glasses on the floor were from their session together. The hat belonged to Mr. Glass, and he was evidently bald because there was no hair on his head and he was also elderly. He al so deduced that Todd could break free from his binds at any time, and that this was his cover up for killing Mr. Glass, who was evidently buried somewhere in the garden or stuffed up the chimney (Chesterton, Gilbert Keith). But when the clever man thinks he has solved the case, Todd begins laughing because of the accusations Dr. Hood placed on him. Father Brown then figures out the truth: Todd is really a magician. The hat was too big for him because it wasnt meant to be worn, it was meant for pulling rabbits out of. The glasses and the conversations between him and Mr. Glass were really Todd juggling and saying one, two, three, missed a glass, not Mr. Glass. The playing cards scattered all over the floor was him trying to perform card tricks. Lastly, the sword with blood was him trying to swallow swords and falling. As for the scarves, he was trying to perform a Houdini and escape from them successfully. Critical Analysis: Influences Throughout Chestertons childhood he wasnt athletic or popular. He had trouble academically, which I believe was the influence on the character Dr. Hood, who was extremely intelligent and at the end of the story, was dumbfounded because his deductions are wrong and Father Brown figured out the truth. When Chesterton went to college he struggled with skepticism and depression in 1893 and during this period he experimented with an Ouija board and grew fascinated with diabolism. (Gilbert Keith Chesterton) These events may have influenced his writing of Heretics or the mystery stories he wrote in collections called The Father Brown Mystery Stories, or the Wisdom of Father Brown. . Chestertons religion also came into play with his writings. He wrote many speeches for churches and books that often the character struggled for good morals and godly behavior. His novel, the man who was Thursday, was an anarchist named Thursday who struggled with his self and his religion. There is also a character named Sunday who is considered to resemble God in his characteristics. That was partly influenced by his experiments with the Ouija board and with his wife, Frances Blogg, who was a major part in pulling him out of his crisis (Gilbert Keith Chesterton). .Critical Analysis: Main Themes The main themes of Chestertons novels revolve mainly around religion and changing circumstances. In his novel, The Man Who was Thursday, the main theme of it is focused mainly on the character Sundays shifting perceptions of Sunday. The detective initially experiences a vague sense of evil in the presence of this godly figure, but is later replaced with respect for the man, who is thought to represent the human failure to completely fathom the paradoxes of life and nature (The Man Who Was Thursday). In his short story The Absence of Mr. Glass the themes that are evident are the changing circumstances. The circumstance changes drastically when Dr. Hood indicts the murder of the pseudo Mr. Glass on Todhunter, but the truth was ironically discovered by Father Brown when he points out the truth of the murder objects. His novel The Man Who was Thursdays theme also focused on spiritual struggle, something Chesterton himself also experienced during his years of college that he ended up dropping out of. Religion is a theme for most of his stories because of his own struggles with it, when he became fascinated with diabolism (Gilbert Keith Chesterton) and when he was writing from a Catholic point of view when he was accepted into the church in 1922 but in 1905 when he was asked to speak for the churchs behalf. Critical Analysis: Stylistic Devices All authors use some method of literary and stylistic device. G.K. Chesterton was no exception. In his story he incorporated many devices, such as similes. But if one took a volume of Chaucer or Shelley from that rank, its absence irritated the mind like a gap in a mans front teeth. (Chesterton, Gilbert K.). He used such devices like synesthesia, which is words describing different sensations. For example, in his story he uses heathen holiness (Chesterton, Gilbert K.). The effect of synesthesia is meant to be poetic and to provoke thoughts to the reader. Chesterton also uses rhetorical questions in his writing, such as Maggie MacNab and young Todhunter want to get married. Now, what can be more important than that? (Chesterton, Gilbert K.). The effect of a rhetorical question is the emphasis of the subject. Chesterton enjoys using a lot of allegories in his writing, for example in The Man Who Was Thursday. The suffering of the main character was contributed to Chesterton, who also suffered from depression during his college days at Slades Art School, and claimed afterwards that he wrote this book as a strange confirmation that goodness was at the heart of every aspect of the world. He also used aspects of the bible in this work, Sunday, the character that represented God, sits on a throne in front of the other members of the anarchists. His last words were, can ye drink of the cup that I drink of?, and that is the same question that Jesus asks James and John in Mark 10:38-39, because he wanted to challenge their commitment in becoming his disciples. Critical Analysis: Characters Since the Father Brown mystery stories were short stories, the characters were not as plentiful as are in longer stories. But the characters that are mentioned are Father Brown, Maggie MacNab, Mr. Todhunter, Dr. Orion Hood, and Mrs. MacNab. Father Brown was the detective, and he added to the story because he introduced the idea to the doctor and was demeaned somewhat by the presence of the scientist and logical sense of Dr. Hood. He seems rather disorganized, as well as not as intelligent as Dr. Orion Hood. Maggie MacNab did not add much to this thrilling short story except she was the one who informed the Father and doctor of her courters current situation. Mr. Todhunter was the innocent magician; he was practicing his tricks and was wrongly accused of murder by Dr. Hood. Dr. Hood was the brilliant scientist, who deduced a wrong persecution of Mr. Todd from a convincing set of clues. When the doctor was contradicted of his intelligent assumption it was rather of a shock to the reader because he was seemingly as intelligent as Sherlock Holmes. Lastly there is Mrs. MacNab, mother of Maggie MacNab, who misheard the mutterings of the magician as she nosed in on his room whilst he was practicing his magical arts alone. She interpreted ventriloquism and Mr. Todd saying missed a glass into a second person named Mr. Glass into the conversation with Mr. Todhunter. In the story, Maggie MacNabs mother overheard some conversations between Mr. Todhunter and the fictitious Mr. Glass. She hears Mr. Todd talk, then overhears a strange, high pitched voice. She assumes it to be another person, but is actually Mr. Todd practicing his ventriloquism, for he is a magician. Mr. Glass was rumored to be a tall, strange man in a silk top hat with a strange spectral quality to his presence. Such rumors were false, of course, because Mr. Glass was nothing more than misinterpreted dialect of the magician with himself. The point of Mr. Glass was that he was a made up character by the household to explain Mr. Toddhunters strange behavior as a reticent magician.

The Chains of Femininity Essay -- Gender Roles, Esther

Throughout The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath explores a number of themes, particularly regarding the gender roles, and subsequently, the mental health care system for women. Her 19-year-old protagonist, Esther Greenwood, is the vessel through which Plath poses many probing questions about these topics to the reader. In the 1950’s when the novel was set, women were held to a high standard- to be attractive but pure, intelligent but submissive, and to generally accept the notion of bettering oneself only in order to make life more comfortable for the significant male in her life. Esther not only deals with the typical problems a woman would face in her time, but has to experience those things through the lens of mental illness- though it is up for debate whether or not it was those same issues that caused her â€Å"madness† in the first place. In particular, Esther finds herself both struggling against and succumbing to the 1950’s feminine ideal- a conflict made evident i n her judgments of other women, her relationships with men, and her tenuous goals for the future. Whenever a new character is introduced, the reader is immediately subjected to Esther’s painstaking physical description of them, which leads to her ultimate judgment of their character. For instance, when Esther introduces one of her fellow interns, Doreen, in chapter one, she says â€Å"Doreen . . . had bright white hair standing out in a cotton candy fluff round her head and blue eyes like transparent agate marbles, hard and polished and just about indestructible, and a mouth set in a sort of perpetual sneer . . . as if all the people around her were pretty silly and she could tell some good jokes on them if she wanted to† (Plath, 4). It is clear that she admires Doreen’s ice... ...em, but choosing one meant losing all the rest† (77). As a woman, Esther feels that she cannot have everything that she wants in life, because becoming a housewife and a mother would immediately rule out her other ambitions of fame and travel. In today’s society, it would be quite possible for a woman to choose many, if not all, of the figs that Esther describes. However, even though Esther exaggerates the total black-and-white nature of the decision, there still remains an element of truth in her lamentation. While a male could feasibly choose both a successful career (or multiple careers) and a family, Esther would be expected to put taking care of a home and children ahead of making advances in her chosen field. Therefore, she is restricted by her femininity and cornered into making choices that will force her to make major sacrifices regarding her future.

The Death Penalty As a Form of Justice Around the World Essay -- Death

The Death Penalty As a Form of Justice Around the World Introduction: The death penalty is a subject that has become very big in the 21st century. Many centuries ago the death penalty is something that was widely practiced in almost all cultures. This revenge sort of action was the only way some old civilizations felt could really prevent criminals from breaking the law. The USA today is almost left alone among nations when it comes to the death penalty and the U.S. government does not have a problem with that. Arguments for the death penalty: Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much cheaper and safer for the rest of us than long term. It is self evident that dead criminals cannot commit any further crimes, either within prison or after escaping or being released from it. Another argument for the death penalty is the cost factor. The state may very well better spend our resources on the elderly, young and the sick rather than the long-term imprisonment of murderers. Execution is a very real punishment rather than some form of treatment. The criminal is made to suffer in proportion to the offence. Although whether there is a place in a modern society, is a matter of personal opinion. There are many arguments why abolishing the death penalty should be done. Some argue the costs are too high, others think it is simply inhumane. I personally could not discount the value of human life because it costs less to kill someone rather that to keep them in jail. I do agree that all human life should be valued equally but that has not happened ever and I don't think it is going to start now. Even in a communist society, people are not equal. It is just the natu... ..."normal" in a sense. In conclusion I would like to say that I don't exactly know how the U.S. Catholic bishops felt about this issue a hundred years ago, but in modern times, death is not always the best way to solve society's problems. I am glad to see that a major influence has spoken out to help abolish the death penalty and I think that is a huge step in the movement. Nothing will ever change unless an influential body urges and persists with teachings of peace and non-violent alternatives. If the death penalty was abolished, I think over time we would in fact see the murder rates decrease as generations of children are raised sensitive to death and violence. Bibliography: www.wikipedia.org [for examples around world] Resource website Ideas after watching Dead Man Walking Emotions after reading Newspaper opinion pieces RE Pink Resource Book Section F

French Revolution :: essays research papers

The French Revolution signaled the beginning of the rise of the Bourgeoisie in national politics. By how the French bourgeoisies helped to cause the French revolution, and how the French bourgeoisie lost control over the bourgeoisie, and by the major effects of the French Revolution. The French bourgeoisie helped cause the French revolution by the Absolute Monarchy, which is a ruler with complete authority over the government and lives of the people he or she governs. This was wrong because of the Enlightenment being tax. King Louis XVI had total power and denied all right of the people. Some problems with the Estates General was that the estate general parliament was made up of 3 classes, The first class which were known as the clergy was made up of .5%, the second class nobles who were made up of 2.5%, and the third class commoners which was made up of 97%. In this estate Third class had no say in government this cause a problem by the voting each Estate had one vote first & second would shut out third with a total of 2 to 1 votes. The enlightenments did not agree with the estate. The enlightenments was a group started in France, and inspired by philosophers they were emphasized on democracy which is a government in which the people hold ruling power. The enlightenments had the inspiration of the American Revolution and of the democratic changes in England. The Economic causes that it led to was the Royal Debt, which meant France bankrupt, and loans. It also caused many wars such as the Louis XIV French & the Indian war, and American Revolution. Another major cause was the unfair tax practice, which was that the first two estates paid no taxes, and the third paid toll. By this many causes occurred with the poor harvest and Class struggled among estates. There was no social mobility disgruntled third estate who were led by the bourgeoisies who were upset no social status and no political say. In 1789-1792 the Bourgeoisie revolu tionary leaders ended feudalism and transformed the absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. In may of 1789 Louis the Xvi called a meeting of the Estates General because he was desperate need of money, Third estate refuse to accept the traditional way of voting, which was each state had one vote. They wanted all estates to meet together and each person to vote.

Discuss Proto-Luke Theory Essay

Whilst other scholars had previously thought of Mark’s Gospel as the foundation for Luke, B.H. Streeter refutes these views and suggests the opposite. He named this theory ‘Proto-Luke’, which suggests that while putting together his gospel, Luke wrote an early draft which was primarily made up of Q and L sources, before he became acquainted with Mark. This Marcan material was used as a secondary source, which was later slotted into an existing composition, which makes up the present gospel. The previous draft, which excluded any Marcan content, was dubbed Proto-Luke. Arguments supporting Streeter’s hypothesis include the very structure of Luke’s Gospel. Rather than interweaving the Q, L and Marcon sources together, the gospel alternates between five large blocks from Mark and the smoothly flowing Q and L sections. â€Å"Mark is a quarry from which stone is obtained to enlarge an existing building.† – Taylor. How Q and L are combined together suggests they were used in harmony with each another, which agrees with the Proto-Luke theory. It seems that Luke used Q to carefully select sayings of Jesus which would expand his own research. However, material sourced from Mark is dropped in without mixing with Q and L information. The scholar Taylor argues that when we exclude the Marcan content, the Q and L material flows in a understandable way, a so-called ‘relative continuality’. Therefore, the suggestion that a Proto-Luke version of the gospel existed prior to the introduction of Mark is a perfectly acceptable argument. Stanton applied this to the passion narrative by removing the Marcan verses and found that from Luke 22:14 and 23:53, (163 verses), only twenty were totally dependant on Mark. â€Å"If they are removed we still seem to have a coherent non-Marcan passion narrative.† – Stanton. The beginning and ending of Luke’s Gospel contain no material drawn from Mark. If Luke already had a gospel before he came across the Marcan material, then it makes sense that he would leave his own introduction and conclusions untouched whilst editing the middle in order to insert blocks from Mark. However, Stanton notes that Proto-Luke may have begun at 3:1, due to the formal introduction: â€Å"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The fact that Luke omits so much of Mark, which accounts for a third of Luke, may suggest that he is giving priority to his original Proto-Luke limitations. Stanton talks of Luke’s disloyalty to his Marcan source: â€Å"At many points, [only two of which can be mentioned here,] Luke’s gospel seems to betray its Marcan basis†. If Mark was Luke’s framework for his gospel, how can we explain the omission of this much Marcan material? Another point to consider is the restrictions of writing on a papyrus scroll, the length of this would limit the degree to which Luke could supp lement Proto-Luke with Marcan information. On the other hand, many arguments discredit the Proto-Luke hypothesis. As of yet, scholars cannot agree on the verses that came from Mark and the verses which belong to Q and L, but the scholar Tuckett has claimed to have identified phrases from Mark in amongst blocks of Q and L. If he is correct in these claims then the Proto-Luke theory is doubtful. Having said that it may have been possible for Q and L to have existed in a coherent order without any Marcan material, there are still holes in the narrative flow that Q and L create. This point can lend itself to arguments against Proto-Luke, leading some scholars to call it â€Å"an amorphous collection†. If it doesn’t read like a single document, then perhaps Proto-Luke never existed. For example, between 8:3 and 9:51, when Marcan material is removed, an awkward gap is revealed, as there is nothing about Jesus’ time in Galilee. Discontinuity like this in Proto-Luke goes against the hypothesis that it ever existe d. Another view twists one particular argument in favour of Proto-Luke; about how Q and L are combined, with Marcan content awkwardly slotted in. We are familiar with Luke’s compositional style, it is also seen in Acts, which features abrupt shifts between the â€Å"we† sections and the rest of the gospel. There are also suggestions that the infancy narrative may have been added to Luke later, as it doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the Gospel. These features of Luke’s writing indicate his tendency to throw his various sources of information together. Then this style may not have been unique to the Marcan material that Luke supposedly added to his Proto-Luke draft. Maybe this is just how Luke prefers to set out all of his writing? Hence, the proto-Luke theory looses credibility if this is simply the manner in which Luke constructs all his documents. Luke may have felt that Mark’s Gospel was too important to alter in any way, so he slotted it into his Gospel in the same manner he did with other important sources. Scholars such as Fitzmyer propose that certain doublets in the Marcan material can show that Mark was actually a primary source. There are a number of repeated, similar phrases, for example â€Å"to all those who have more will be given, but for those who have nothing even what they have will be taken away† features in 8:18 and 19:26. When this happens, one version of the phrase comes from Mark and the other originates from ‘Q’ (shared with Matthew). When we tally up where all of these phrases come from, most are sourced from Mark, leading the theory that Mark was actually an early framework for Luke’s Gospel. Whilst piecing his gospel together, Luke may simply have decided to use Mark in block form; however that does not mean that Marcan material was added in later, in a two-stage composition (as noted by Taylor). Guthrie commented on this hypothesis, and said that although it had grounding, it was too weak to justify a full inquiry: â€Å"although the hypothesis may have explained certain features in the disruption of Luke, it cannot be said that features demand the hypothesis†.