An essayist writing skills Essay Example for Free

An essayist writing skills Essay ‘Education matters’; the academic distinction as seen within the essayist is the peak of personal pride and the prime of the essayist. This is the backdrop of his imagery skill and panache as he seeks to make the issue figurative and argumentative and in his situation hypothetical. Within the context, he redefines the role of education with the general public. This is his onset to express his insight about what the general public thinks about situations that reflect on those it knows. BOY. Drop out of school and thats what theyll call you the rest of your life. ‘Drop out’ is figurative and intrinsically variable. It is an expression of discontent towards a situation and the person in the situation. It is a moral insight and one that the essayist seeks to use to make a case against his distinguished position as a disadvantaged worker in a workplace which is far much below his qualifications. ‘Drop out’ is what offsets his passion to describe, discuss and put forward his case. It is what could make you a scorn yet even without the valuable education you are the same match to the drop out. Today I saw them saying something else’ is a passionate and morose appeal to his pride gained from the value of education to make him recognizable. He is now a minnow and below the centre of social repute and distinctiveness of an individual. Within these profound contexts within the essayist situation analysis and his insights about the repercussions of manoeuvres to attain academic distinction yet plunge into a sea of misrecognition by being compared and working as one of those detested and referred as public scorns for their minimal academic capacity is insulting and confusing. To him, it is ailing his conscience. They were untrue in part; it turns out that youll get called boy if you do work that others dont respect even if you have a Ph. D. It isnt education that counts, but the job in which you land. This is his perspective, to expound on the uselessness of education comparatively to his situation analysis. Here we see a subtle cry and his way of comparing his fate. It is an emotional and socially perceptive ideology. Emotional, since he is worried that he learned and hoped to supersede social implications and join the league of the learned employed who influence and are the pride of the society. Yet he is now among the least recognized and looked down on. ‘It turns out that youll get called boy if you do work that others dont respect even if you have a PhD’ This is his point on this perspective, he is learned and qualified yet he works as a lemon cutter and he is not even recognized at the workplace let alone by the barmaid. This point showcases the writers wit and it’s within this context we decipher the judicious self- exposure of the writer’s own character. He is objective and determined a listener and an analytical person. â€Å"Are you the boy who cuts the lemons? This is where we discover he is frustrated and feels insulted by circumstances. He is grappling with reality. His point explains the discontentment of the protagonist about his career and the relevancy to his assertion about education being important and suddenly the realization that it is not on some circumstances† I’m the man who does’ It is his acceptance of his fate and an expression of conformity to the circumstances that he is now pitted in. He finds no discourse in segregating his position due to his education background hence accepts his fate and position as a social perceptiveness. He is no longer focussed on making his moral authority within the academic faculties to spell out his elite nature as farcified by the billboard impression. â€Å"Are you the boy who cuts the lemons? I’m the man who does’ is an expression of his seeking to make some points clear within the workplace. It is a coupled methodology of making a case clear, emotive and correlative to his perspective. This is imagery and metaphoric distinctiveness. His workmates don’t even recognize him as an integral part of the workplace. The name boy is contentious and he seeks to address the problem of misrecognition by creating a scenario that imparts his distinctiveness which within the workplace is not recognizable. The workmates are oblivious of his qualifications. Here he seeks to make us identify with his vast knowledge which so far he deems useless. In his two expressions which seek to vilify his potential, he mentions that the maid didn’t realize is reply that ‘he is the man who does it, not the boy who does it’ He is making it clear that he is qualified to be in a better and more professional position. Secondly his reflections ‘They assumed that some people just wont learn respect for others, so you should adapt yourself to them. Dont try to change them. Get the right job and they wont call you boy any more. Theyll save it for the next man. It isnt just people like this one waitress who learn slowly, if at all. We see lamentations here. He is metaphoric ‘that some people just wont learn respect for others, so you should adapt yourself to them’ and figurative in context Get the right job and they wont call you boy any more’. Auspiciously he is figurative in seeking to identify and correlate with the college scenario of the ‘wombats’ and metaphorical as he seeks to put in place the generalization of excellence and academic capacity as a triviality within workplace on a situation in which, the protagonist is doing the same thing with those without any distinctive capacity so as to make ends meet. He is emphatic, lamentative and perspective as he seeks to make his lingering acrimonious reservation to the degradation of his moral position though he has an invariable better and dignified capacity than what he seems to view as his detractor within the workplace. Certainly I wont forget being called a boy today’ The essayist is using word play to make clear a case of emotions he felt when he was undermined and that he made emphatic efforts to make the scenario change to his favour to no avail. On the basis of dialogue, the writer is seen to converse with the waitress who seems to be merely up to no positive perspectives in the conversation. It is in this conversation the writer denounces the waitress and makes the issue of recognition within workplace contentious. This is as seen in this conversation with the waitress and the cook Dana â€Å"Are you the boy who cuts the lemons? † I’m the man who does, â€Å"I replied. â€Å"Well, there are none cut. † There wasn’t even a hint that she heard my point. Dana, who has cooked here for twelve years or so, heard that exchange,. Its no use, Jack, he said when she was gone. If she doesnt know now, she never will. Imagery is the integral in his prose and his title ‘from man to boy’ is indicative of his perspective to use imagery. He has a varying penchant for long figurative and satirical sentences to make clear some of his sentiments. This is seen as he sums up his forlorn though deciphered from the waitress looking down on him situation. ‘It didnt take much persuasion to get the name dropped. Today there are few students who remember it at all. But I imagine the cleaning women remember it well. Certainly I wont forget being called a boy today. ’ He is coupling exposition and dialogue while at the same time making an inclusion of ethos to actualize his point.

International Business Research Question and Answer

International Business Research Question and Answer Question 3 You are the CEO of a company that has to choose between making a $100 million investment in Russia or Poland. Both investments promise the same long-run return so your choice is driven by risk considerations. Assess the various risks of doing business in each of these nations. Which investment would you favour and why? Answer INTRODUCTION International Business International Business is evolved from international trade and international marketing. International business is a crucial venture due to the influence of varied social, cultural, political, economic, natural factor and government policies and laws. According to Michael H. Moffett, â€Å"International business is the process of focusing on the resources of the globe and objectives of the organizations on global opportunities and threats in order to produce, buy, sell or exchange of goods and services world-wide. Factors Lead to International Business Establishment of WTO Globalization of Economies Rapid technological Advancement Enlargement of European Union Increase in competition Higher growth rate of GDP in developing Countries Increase in business alliances in degree and variety Emergence of supportive institution RUSSIA Russia is the worlds largest country in terms of territory. Its consumer market consists of over 140 million people. It has vast resources, a highly educated workforce, and technologically advanced research and production capabilities. Still, Russias economic potential remains largely untapped. Many investors shy of Russia amid growing concerns that the political system in the country is breeding dissent among the population. As such, the economy has been in a state of flux in recent months and its close proximity to Europe amid the financial crisis remains a pivotal danger. However, none of these things change what Russia has to offer. Its technological capabilities matched with its natural resources give the countrys economy great potential. Political turmoil will only drive prices down, making it a better time to invest in this country. Investment Climate and Opportunities Overview 1. Dynamic Economic Growth 2. One of the Largest Consumer Markets 3. World-Renowned Human Capital 4. Vast Natural Resources 5. Unique Geographic Position 6. Technologically Advanced Economy 7. Attractive Taxation System 8. Extensive Government Support 9. Stable Social and Political System RUSSIA’S ECONOMIC OVERVIEW Russia has undergone significant changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, moving from a globally-isolated, centrally-planned economy towards a more market-based and globally-integrated economy, but stalling as a partially reformed, statist economy with a high concentration of wealth in officials hands. RUSSIA: RISK ASSESSMENT 1. SLOW DOWN IN GROWTH: Growth has slowed down in Q2. This trend should beconfirmed over the whole of 2012, with the Russian economyhowever holding up in a very depressed internationaleconomic context. Oil production reached a record level inthe middle of the year. On the other hand, industrial productionhas suffered from a fall in demand from the mainpartners of Russia (European Union and China). Investmenthas been curbed by a rise in production costs reducingcompany profits. Private consumption, the main driver ofthe Russian economy, was buoyed in HY1 by the rise inwages and social spending, growth in banking credit aswell as the good state of the employment market. However,the rise in inflation is now affecting the increase in realwages and therefore domestic demand. Inflationary pressurehas increased since June, under the effect of the risein the price of food (increased by the effects of the summerdrought) and public services (energy). The Central Bankraised its refinancing rat e in mid-September (from 8% to8.25%) to try to contain the rise in prices within the limit ofits 6% target. 2. BUDGET CURRENT BALANCES DEPENDENT ON OIL PRICES: The 2012 budget was amended in June to take accountof an expected rise in oil prices (from $100 to $115 a barrel),which increases fiscal revenue and allows expenditureto be maintained. Oil revenue accounts for half of Staterevenue and the price of oil ensuring equilibrium in publicfinances has doubled since 2008. Taking into account therecent change in the price of a barrel, revenue should bebelow that expected while expenditure will not be reviseddownwards. Consequently, the balance should be slightlyin deficit at the end of the year. However, Russian publicfinances remain solid with public debt below 10% of GDP,leaving the government some room for manoeuvre, at leastin the short term. 3. COMPLEX JUDICIAL SYSTEM: Property rights are widely perceived to be contingent on political connections, and intimidation of businesses by the FSB and police for political and financial ends is frequent. Red tape stifles innovation, and lack of transparency makes adequate partner due diligence elusive. The judicial system is also problematic: legislation implementation is broadly unpredictable and the independence and integrity of Russian courts is deeply flawed. 4. CORRUPTION AND LACK OF GOVERNANCE: Corruption and weak corporate transparency is another major ongoing risk for investors. Many analysts admit say that this is a big problem particularly among some of the smaller companies, whose accounts are not particularly transparent. Even well-known and respected companies like IKEA which heavily focus on practicing ethical businesses activities declared a moratorium on subsequent Russian investments due to the ongoing concerns of corruption. Based on the Corruption Perception Index, Russia has a lot of obstacles to fair and efficient business practices. Even Iran, Libya and Pakistan are perceived as having less corruption. 5. POLICIES: Russia’s economic and fiscal policy is not investor-friendly. The tax code is overly complex. Russia also has a distinct penchant for protectionism: despite its WTO accession, it continues to unpredictably implement levies, tariffs and bans on hundreds of imports. Tight relations between business and politics are highly detrimental to the business environment. POLAND Polands economy is much smaller than that of Russia. However, with a strong consumer market of 38 million, it is still one of the biggest markets in Europe. The country benefits greatly from its geographical location, which makes it possible to export goods to all European countries and thus reach over 500 million consumers. Similar to Russia, Poland has a highly educated workforce. Therefore, Poland also falls victim to its proximity to Europe and the ongoing crisis. For these reasons many investors are also shying away from this nation. In these trying times though, Europe still remains a solid economy, and though it has faltered, it has managed to remain intact. As investors flee Europe amid growing concerns over the failure to revive the economy and provide successful solutions, Poland offers a great bargain. Polands economic performance could improve if the country addresses some of the remaining deficiencies in its road and rail infrastructure, business environment, rigid labour code, commercial court system, government red tape, and burdensome tax system. ECONOMIC OVERVIEW OF POLAND Poland has the largest economy in Eastern Europe, and one of the highest levels of foreign investment at $13.9 billion as of 2006. Polands economy has been growing quickly, at about 6%, for the past 5 years, and was growing at an even faster pace before this. Despite its GDP growth, Poland faces numerous economic issues; it has chronic high unemployment, low wages despite significant increase of productivity, massive flight of educated population abroad, and low level of innovativeness and highest percentage of people working for national minimum wage among countries of European Union Poland: Risk Assessment 1. DECELEARTING GROWTH IN 2012: Economic activity remained sustained in 2011, despite a slowdown in growth during the last quarter. Growth has continued to decelerate in 2012. Household spending, which represents 60% of GDP, effectively remains low due to a decline in consumer confidence, in conjunction with an annual inflation rate of 3.8% in August 2012, a public sector wage freeze and deterioration in the employment market (13.3% unemployment). The Polish trade deficit shrank in 2012 following a contraction in domestic demand in Q2 VS. Q1 (-3.1%) and slowing exports (+0.8%). Although exports were impacted by a slowdown in Western Europe, exports towards Russia and Ukraine progressed by more than 20%. The heavy deficit in the income balance wiped out most of the positive effect from the trade improvement. The impact of external trade on GDP was nonetheless limited on account of the low level of trade openness compared to other Central European countries. An expected reduction in i nflation should enable the Polish central bank to modify monetary policy. The governor has committed to cutting rates in the event of an economic slowdown. Despite the decline foreign investment flows will cover the current account deficit. At the end of July 2012 net investment flows covered the deficit, i.e. EUR 8 billion. The private construction sector was weighed down by a fall in household demand. The construction production index published monthly by Euro stat fell 8% over the first 7 months of 2012 compared to 2011. Furthermore, the construction sector was boosted, during several months, by the organisation of the European football championships in June 2012 (stadiums, hotels, road networks †¦) with support from public investment. Corporate credit remained dynamic during Q1, particularly in zloty terms, but investment will decelerate sharply over coming months. 2. STRUCTURE AND HIERARCHY IN POLISH COMPANIES: Organisations in Poland have a strong respect for hierarchy and authority, with structure and delegation coming from above. This hierarchical style is reflected in manyPolish businessformalities and settings, including the decision-making process and the use of professional titles. Seniority in Polish organisations is acknowledged and respected and the corporate hierarchy is often formed on the basis of age and educational background. For this reason, when negotiating, it is advisable to send delegates of a similar status to those of Polish colleagues, both in age and professional qualifications. Rules and regulations are an important part of the Polish business environment so Polish counterparts may expect theirbusiness partners to know and appreciate established etiquette and business protocol. 3. RELATIONSHIPS: Doing business in Poland requires an understanding of the importance of relationships in polish businessculture. Building individual relationships is essential to the success of business objectives, especially in the long term. Polish people take time to establish relationships with business partners and to build trust. Poland has a family-focused society, and poles value building and maintaining close personal relationships. This may be considered as a challenge for many foreigners doing business in poland who are not used to sharing personal information with their business partners. For poles this is one of the stages of the trust-building process. 4. COMPLEX BUREAUCRACY: Although Poland’s per capita GDP is increasing relative to the rest of the EU, it amounts to less than 70% of the EU average. Nonetheless, strong domestic consumption is one of the engines of growth in Poland. Poland has made great strides toward improving the commercial climate, but investors point to an inefficient commercial court system, a rigid labour code, bureaucratic red tape, and a burdensome tax system as challenges for foreign companies. 5. IMPROVEMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE: Although many infrastructure improvements have been completed or are underway, Poland still has much work to do in order to modernize its road and railway network. Weaknesses in transportation infrastructure increases the cost of doing business for U.S. businesses by limiting ready access to all of the markets within Poland and diminishes the country’s current attractiveness as a regional distribution hub. Internet access and connection strength is good in the cities, but still very limited in less populated regions. 6. IMPROVING PUBLIC FINANCES: The Public finances development and consolidation plan implemented by the government in order to respect Maastricht criteria from 2013 onwards will be pursued. The public deficit, which reached almost 8% of GDP in 2010, is expected to fall below 4% in 2012, through higher taxes on oil products and an increase in social contributions. As a result, public debt should stabilise at around 55% of GDP. However, as a large proportion of the debt is held by non residents, it is vulnerable to risk aversion among investors. Furthermore, the European recession has weighed on foreign direct investment flows in 2012 which has meant that the only stable capital flows financing the current account deficit have come from European structural funds. The Polish banking system seems relatively robust, with capitalisation ratios in excess of Basel III minimum requirements. However, subsidiaries of foreign banks, which are mostly implanted in the euro zone, represent two-thi rds of the banking sector, which is therefore dependant on foreign capital. Banks remain highly exposed to currency risk, as household loans denominated in foreign currency account for 14% of GDP. Furthermore, the zloty depreciated by 8% of its value against the euro between January and September 2012. 7. A COMPARATIVELY STABLE POLITICAL CONTEXT: -The 2010 presidential election resulted in Bronislaw Komorowski leading a coalition between his centre-right party (PO), which had been in power since October 2007, and the Polish people’s party (PSA). The general elections held on 9 October 2011 confirmed the coalition’s position. The Prime Minister, Donald Tusk has made budget deficit reduction a priority. However, the latest opinion polls highlight growing popular discontent with current fiscal austerity. Furthermore, the adoption of the euro has been postponed due to the single currency’s current lack of appeal according to the Prime Minister. CONCLUSION Both countries have positives and negatives aspect of investment. But after assessing risks Quotient in these two countries one can conclude that it is difficult to set up new facility in Russia. Because there are more factors affecting risk perception in Russia as compared to risk perception in Poland. Poland is better option than Russia REASONS FOR THIS The only EU country to have avoided recession in 2009 FDI appeal is reinforced by the size of the domesticmarket Diversified economy The highest absorption rate of European structuralfunds in emerging Europe

Women Priests Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If one was to take a step back and look at our society as a whole one would see that women’s rights have changed dramatically over the last century. Women are no longer expected to get married, have children, and stay at home to take care of their family. Women have left the home and entered the work force. There have been many laws passed to prevent the discrimination of women and to make sure that they are treated equally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Certainly, one can say that there is still a struggle between the sexes over the organization of modern society. Society has indeed embraced a gender war of sorts through the ages which has culminated in a outcome that declares the male the victor. One example of this is that women are not allowed to be ordained as priests in the Catholic Church.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a child, I attended Catholic schools until high school. I was instructed by mostly nuns. I can remember that when the priest came into the room we would have to stand up as a sign of respect towards our faith. As I got older, I began to think that nuns are part of the religious life but we don’t have to treat them with this same respect. During my catholic education, I was taught that God created us in his image and likeness. If this is true, and as Christians we believe that Christ is the fullest manifestation of God, how can they say that only men image God? Are women incapable of revealing God?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A hundred years ago, women had little standing in the Catholic Church, like in society in general. Women were not allowed to: receive communion during their monthly periods and after giving birth to a child they needed to be purified before re-entering a church building. Women were strictly forbidden to touch sacred items such as the chalice, the paten, or the alter linen. They certainly could not distribute holy communion. While in church, women need to have their heads veiled at all times. Women were also barred from entering the sanctuary except for cleaning purposes, reading Sacred Scripture from the pulpit, preaching, singing in a church choir, being alter servers, becoming full members of confraternities and organizations of the laity, and most importantly women were barred from receiving Holy Orders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our time today with the new awarenes... ...you were to walk into a Catholic Church this Sunday you would most likely see a women on the alter. However this women would not be weary the fancy vestments standing behind the alter. Women have come a long way, but until a women is able to be ordained as a priest, Catholic Churches will continue to play on gender roles.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although I am not and never will be interested in becoming a priest myself, I feel that excluding women from the priesthood because of their sex is discriminatory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bibliography Bartusch, D., Matsueda, R. â€Å"Gender, reflected appraisals, and labeling a cross-group test of an interactionst theory of delinquency.† Social Forces (1996). Greeley, A. (1984). Angry Catholic Women. Illinois: The Thomas More Press. Ruether, R. (1985). Women-Church, Theology and Practice. New York: Harper & Row Publishers. Sweeney, T. (1992). A Church Divided. NewYork: Prometheus Books. Swidler, L. (1977). Women Priest; A Catholic Commentary on the Vatican Declaration. New York: Paulist Press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Free Catch-22 Essays: A War Comedy :: Catch-22

Catch-22 - A Comedy    The novel, Catch-22, is a comedy about soldiers during World War II. However, this comic scenes and phrases are quite tragic when they are thought about, as most things related to war are, which makes this comedy completely absurd. The best way to represent this idea is through the characters in the book, specifically, Yossarian, Huple, and Nately’s whore’s kid sister and the events that occur with their thoughts and their actions. Clearly, the main character and one whose life is chiefly described, is Yossarian. Yossarian has a slightly sick sense of humor and way of looking at things. In the first chapter, Heller tells us that letters sent by the soldiers had to be reviewed in order to prevent any secret information going out to the public, or, even worse, to the enemy. Yossarian, from lack of anything better to do, censors all the letters. Sometimes he crosses out everything but a, an and the, sometimes adjectives, whatever he feels like that day. For his final gag h e signs these letters as Washington Irving to totally confuse the readers of these letters. This is funny, however it is ultimately tragic. These are the letters that every wife, mother and daughter runs to the mailbox for in order to see that their husbands, fathers and sons are all right. This is a letter that could say: â€Å"Honey, I’m coming home†, or â€Å"I love you. When I come home I want to marry you.† These letters could change the whole lifestyle of so many people and Yossarian alone is tampering with them. The absurdity of that is immense. A gag of slightly higher consequence occurred in Chapter 12, when Yossarian decided to move the bomb line over Bologna. What I believe is the most ridiculous in the whole process was his reason for doing it. Everyone did not want to go on this mission to capture Bologna. They prayed the rain would never go away, or that the bomb line would mysteriously move, anything just mot to go on this mission. Clevinger, in d isbelief at the stupidity of these men, tells Yossarian: â€Å"They really believe that we wouldn’t have to fly that mission tomorrow if someone would only tiptoe up to the map in the middle of the night and move the bomb line over Bologna. Can you imagine?† So Yossarian figures â€Å"Why not?

Heraclitus - Permanent Flux :: essays research papers

Permanent Flux It is said that every great journey begins with one step. This is not true. A more accurate saying would be, â€Å"every great journey begins with the idea of the journey†, thus leading to the idea of the step, and so on. The steps will surly follow an idea, but nevertheless the ideas will always precede any action. Once one gets an idea in one’s head, one must either forget it, or act on it. Such as the case with the first Philosophers, known now as the Pre-Socratics. The Pre-Socratics, which started around 600 B.C.E., formed ideas of a journey to enlightenment of their society. Instead of dismissing this idea, they thrived off it and took the first steps toward teaching an entirely new way of thinking. These first thinkers of philosophy, which has an appropriate meaning of the love of wisdom, wanted to know more about life, earth, the stars and most importantly, the â€Å"being† of it all. Though not the first of the original thinkers, Heraclitus of Ephesus, wa s among this group of lovers of wisdom and revolutionized the world with his idea of â€Å"being† and allowed mankind to follow in his steps. The Pre-Socratics are known for creating philosophy by searching for a rational order to their world and their being. Prior to the philosophers, man simply accepted the mythological stories and supernatural concepts. The philosophers, however, approached questions to by observing their surroundings. This was the world they could touch and feel, therefore making it an ideal foundation to their quires. The first of the Pre-Socratics examined the natural world and assumed the â€Å"stuff† that made all things â€Å"be† came from the natural surroundings around them. For example, by an early scientific and rational approach, the Pre-Socratics took the four elements of the world, as they knew them to be (water, air, earth, and fire), and studied them. Some deduced water to be the â€Å"stuff†, while others looked to air, or the earth to answers their zealous questions of being. Heraclitus, on the other hand, found a unity in all the elements, and related â€Å"beingà ¢â‚¬  to â€Å"fire†. His reference to fire, however, is purely metaphorical. While his predecessors focused on the actual elements they felt were the â€Å"stuff† that made the existence of being, Heraclitus’ only focused on fire to demonstrate his metaphysical concept of constant flux. Heraclitus is noted for saying, â€Å"there is nothing permanent except change.

Comparison and Contrast Sonny and Charlie Sonnys Blues and Babylon Revisited Essay

Struggling with an addiction is one of the most painful and dreadful experiences one could ever go through. It can start out small or simple, then all of a sudden it is a full on addiction. In James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† addiction is a force that is to be reckoned with. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"Babylon Revisited†, paints the perfect picture of what addiction can do at its greatest. These stories can truly substantiate how addiction can put many obstacles up that are very difficult to overcome. It is well established in our society that overcoming adversity can lead to success in many levels. In â€Å"Babylon Revisited† and â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† both addicts have major struggles in facing and defeating hardships in their lives, but when they are finally gone life is back to purpose again. Despite a few dissimilarities â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† and â€Å"Babylon Revisited† , have a lot in common, such as, addiction, imprisonment, and salvation. First, these stories are similar because of addiction. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† we find that Sonny is addicted to heroin early on. â€Å"He had been picked up, the evening before, in a raid on an apartment downtown for peddling and using heroin. (434) Sonny had battled a long addiction to the harmful drug before finally getting in trouble and serving jail time. Sonny, unlike the other kids in Harlem, did not act hard or gangster. He had an older brother who tried to look after him as well. He had guidance and advice at a young age but the streets of Harlem took control. Sonny wanted to find an escape from Harlem; he turned to heroin as that choice. In â€Å"Babylon Revisited† Charlie is plagued by the addiction of alcohol. He used to frequent the bars every night. He spent many nights drunk under the influence of alcohol. He had a daughter who kept him on the straight and narrow. She was his motivation to beat the addiction. Charlie searched for meaning in the bottle. The recollection of the past paves the way toward the future. The hole that Charlie seemed to dig himself into with alcohol is something that he will never be able to forget. He has damaged more than just himself because of his addiction. These stories are similar because of addiction. Second, the stories are comparable because of imprisonment. The imprisonment is caused by the addictions. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† Sonny is a prisoner to Harlem, he realized early on that he was not going to break the stereotype of being a poor, black, inner-city kid from Harlem. He realized the obstacles and burdens that were ahead of him. His brother warned him several times how dangerous and corrupt life is in Harlem but Sonny never took it to heart. He then turned to heroin to find the escape he had been searching for all along, which led to his jail sentence. Now, Sonny was literally held captive to the very thing he was using for his escape. Yet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother I’d never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed in the light. †(438) Sonny’s brother had viewed him as an animal who has been trapped in the misery of his life, and now that he is free, he wants to know if he is truly free from the addiction of the past. Sonny’s brother is trying to say that he felt like he never knew his brother before but now that he has suffered the life of prison, he can see the wounds that his dreadful past had caused. But he can still notice the heart of Sonny. He sees that deep down Sonny is the same he has always been regardless of his past. The narrator is finally confronted with the reality that Sonny is in fact his brother and he is now his brother’s keeper, a responsibility he had ran from the majority of his life. In â€Å"Babylon Revisited† Charlie is imprisoned by his past. He will never truly be able to forget his past. He is constantly reminded of it anywhere he goes in Paris. His alcoholism has led him to a life of drunken memories. He also cannot escape his failed marriage. The reminiscence of the past can forecast the future. Because Charlie lost his wife, he is prevented from living with his daughter, which is the thing that will help him bury his past. These stories are similar because of imprisonment. Finally, these stories are alike because they both feature salvation. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† Sonny gets his salvation through music. When he is released from prison he is looking to get away from the same life that got him there. He also knows that Harlem is a city full of despair and drugs, which he cannot avoid. But he finds his salvation through music. When he is urged to fall back into his old life he plays music to revive himself from it. â€Å"For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness. †(453) the narrator describes how music changes his brother into the man he wants him to be. In â€Å"Babylon Revisited† Charlie finds salvation in through his daughter. Even though his friends and family try to bring him down, the one thing he puts his faith into is his daughter. In order to be saved from something you must be consumed by something else. Charlie was consumed in his past and could not let go. But when he is with his daughter he finds relentless joy that he cannot seem to find anywhere else. These stories are similar because of salvation. Addiction consumed Sonny and Charlie. It was something that opened many doors that they did not want opened. It caused them both to lose their entire lives. Even though they lived they are forever haunted by the past of their previous addictions. These stories are similar because of addiction, imprisonment, and salvation.

The Killer Angels: an Inside Look at the Battle of Gettysburg

The Killer Angels: An Inside Look at the Battle of Gettysburg The Killer Angels written by Michael Shaara, is a historical fiction novel that describes in great detail the events that took place during the battle of Gettysburg. In the forward we are given an in depth view of each of the main characters and key figures of the battle. For instance, we are told that that General Robert Edward Lee is an honest man with no vices who does not believe in slavery, he is also suffering from heart trouble. He leads the confederate army. And then we have Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain who has a brother, Thomas, who serves in the Twentieth Maine as an aide to his brother. The story begins on June 29th, 1863 with the introduction of a spy for the Confederate army. He comes to General Longstreet with information about the whereabouts of the Union army, who to Longstreet’s surprise, are nearby. This causes the Confederate army to reposition at Gettysburg. The battle begins on July 1st when the Confederates attack some of the Union army in the hills nearby Gettysburg. General Lee believes that the Confederates should be able to win this battle and engages the union armies utilizing varying tactics, he attacks the Union army’s left and right flanks and then attempts to divide they’re central strength to win the battle that way. But this method fails, the Union Army gained the upper hand when during the first day of battle they retreated and secured most of the higher ground giving them a fatal advantage. The story mainly follows the Confederates and General Lee as the protagonist, and it tells us what went wrong for them during this battle. We are given a detailed depiction of war tactics used during this time, and how the Union Army was able to win the battle by taking a defensive position on the higher hills of Gettysburg. The fact that the Union Army had higher ground coincides with the weapons that were utilized by both armies. Because the key losses that occurred took place when Chamberlain’s men ran out of ammunition and were successful only by charging their enemy with bayonets and when Pickett’s men attempted to charge the center strength of the Union army, I would say that momentum and visibility were key factors in a battle with the weapons that were available to them. It is also apparent that Lee’s heart problems seem to be affecting his decision- making throughout the story. Perhaps he has become more foolhardy with his own mortality so tangible. The amount of death and losses that the Confederates suffer seem to echo the thoughts he has of himself. It becomes quite apparent that the Confederate army will fail after General Longstreet’s continual insistence that they should swing southeast towards Washington, D. C. and take a defensive position. If General Lee had heeded Longstreet’s advice, perhaps the Confederate Army could have won the Civil War. In conclusion, The Killer Angels is a book that uses great detail and epic dialogue to describe the events that took place at the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It gives us a closer look at the tactics and strategies utilized by our forefathers during that time period and not only allows us a glimpse of the personalities of some of the key leaders of the Civil War but shows us how these personalities influenced this battle.