This paper reviews the book "A Respectable Army" by James Kirby Martin and Mark Edward Lender. The author looks at the America's armed forces around the time of the War of Independence.
Abstract The author looks at the America's armed forces around the time of the War of Independence, as detailed in James Kirby Martin and Mark Edward Lender's book, "A Respectable Army." This book review examines whether or not the authors were true to the details of history from the period of the American Revolution. The reviewer looks at the author's sources, and examines the makeup of the army at the time in order to determine whether or not republicanism was the overwhelming motivator in many of these men joining the fight.
From the Paper "When I first read this quote, I knew this is exactly what I was taught in school and always knew of the militia and the role of citizen soldiers. To my dismay this was totally not accurate and the authors did a good job proving this. Now with their first supporting point, they only stated the myths of the war. Now another supporting point later in their historical research proved that the common thought of militia filling the ranks of the army was not true. The Continental Army was hurting badly because of the defeats in Long Island in 1776 and in the Philadelphia Campaign in 1777. So in their third chapter of the book, they looked at how the American army got their manpower to sustain British attacks and wait out until the French arrived. For one the Continental Army started to be the direct opposite of what Americans were fighting for, republicanism."
Abstract The paper discusses the book which was written by a participant-observer of the culture surrounding a Jewish Senior Citizen Center in California. The paper shows that the novel depicts life in the Jewish ghetto for the men and women, most of them in their eighties or nineties.
From the Paper "The Center is located near the beach in an urban California area. At one time it was in the heart of a thriving Jewish community, but the neighborhood has changed drastically, particularly in the last ten years before the research for the book was begun. Because of the age and physical condition of the members, as well as the downward trend in the socioeconomic status of the surrounding area, the Center is constantly threatened with extinction. This is one of the reasons that the author was so anxious to do this particular fieldwork."
Abstract This paper examines how in his book "Race Matters", Cornell West, in a little over 150 pages, provides an amazing amount of in-depth analysis of the state of racial relations in the United States in the early 1990s. It discusses how psychological, political, sexual, rhetorical, social and economic aspects of ongoing racism in the nation are covered, with West seeing some but not unrealistic hope for the kind of profound change needed to better the lives of blacks still suffering most from racist practices. It evaluates how this hope he does have seems aimed not at the government (although he does call for policies which will create more jobs for blacks and redistribute wealth), but at individuals and at their ability to awaken and organize with a "coalition strategy". It analyzes how he seems intent most on awakening and changing the perceptions of the individual reader, for he believes that group-think, segregation and other aspects of racism are created and maintained by the failure of individuals to think for themselves instead of having their minds and lives shaped by others and by the past.
From the Paper "Prophetic-moral reasoning, for West, is an antidote to group think, in a sense. This kind of reasoning is based on "fundamental ideas of a mature black identity, coalition strategy, and black cultural democracy." This approach not only liberates the individual from group-think and racial stereotyping, it gives like-minded individuals the inspiration to commit to the kind of political organization needed to change the system rather than be absorbed by it. Also, this form of moral reasoning avoids "deifying or demonizing others" (44), which only degrades the blacks who engage in such thinking and wastes energy which could be better spent on mature and moral responses to racism."
Abstract This paper examines how Khushwant Singh wrote "Train to Pakistan" in 1956 when the painful memories of 1947 Partition were still fresh and the wounds hadn't yet healed. It looks at how the book reflects the true emotions that people felt when they were forced to abandon their homes in both India and Pakistan to move north or south according to their religious beliefs. It analyzes how religion was the biggest cause of this partition and it was what forced people to give up everything they previously had including their old identities.
From the Paper "Muslims knew that if they did not take such a step, they would be forced to become slaves to Hindus majority that was already more educated and hence more suitable for various positions in the government. Muslims had been living a life of complete self-complacency and came to see their position in true light only when last Mughal Emperor was forced to relinquish control of India. All these political reasons were also grounded in religious differences. Muslims and Hindus were two different nations with separate beliefs, different values, different calendars, and hence they felt it was impossible to live together in one land after the British were driven out. Singh writes, "Where on earth except in India would a man's life depend on whether or not his foreskin had been removed?? "
Abstract This paper reviews "Out of This Furnace" by Thomas Bell, which depicts the process by which a small group of Slovak immigrants are gradually transformed into active participants in a stable American society. The paper uses the social history technique to examine Slovak immigrants in a Pennsylvania mining town.
From the Paper "In the dirty, dangerous cauldron of western Pennsylvania, the uneducated muscle of the eastern Slovak mountains would be transformed into the confident skill of an organizer of men. Through the trials and tribulations of work in and transition to American life overcome by these immigrants, one can observe the forging of a new and more powerful American nation that would be ready to save the entire world from the challenges shortly to come."
Abstract This paper retells the story line of this Holocaust book and then offers a critique on it.
From the Paper "This book, which depicts the story of a young man's journey through concentration camps and WWII, is actually telling two stories. One story is the obvious aforementioned about his times at Auswitz and other camps, but there is another story of greater importance. This story deals with Elie constantly asking God questions to which he doesn?t understand the answer to, followed by his changing religiously, and then brought to a close when his question is answered and he finally comprehends the answer."
Tags: book, report, holocaust, literature, world, war, II, religion, Aushwitz, god, facism, nazi, crematoriumfascism, icism
Abstract This paper states that Campbell's chronological approach to Houston's public life provides a good insight into the public and political climate of Houston's time. The author believes that this approach tends to push Campbell into depicting his subject as a very heroic and public man, perhaps at the expense of smaller and less flattering stories about Houston.
Abstract This paper introduces the short story "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner, the story of the Snopes family, poor sharecroppers who struggle along while envying the rich de Spains. Specifically, it contains an analysis of the themes, characters, imagery/symbolism, influence of setting and the author's style. It shows how William Faulkner creates a compelling and moving tale of growth, moral character and southern life.
From the Paper "This is not only the story of a child transforming into a man, it is a classic tale of good and evil, and how difficult it is to choose between the two. Faulkner makes Sarty's choice more difficult by adding the ties of family and "blood," which are clearly so important to Abner. "You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain't going to have any blood to stick to you," he tells Sarty at one point in the story (Faulkner), but Sarty must live with himself and his actions. Faulkner's intent here is clear, sometimes a child must leave the family and strike out on his own. Sometimes a child finds he or she is more moral than their parents are. This is a difficult lesson to learn, but Sarty represents the wisdom of learning it early ? turning his back on what he knows in his own heart is wrong. If Sarty represents good and decent moral behavior, then his father surely represents evil. "
Abstract In his memoir of the Vietnam War entitled "A Rumor of War", Phillip Caputo his experience as an ordinary soldier in Vietnam in explicit and vivid terms. He does so without any romanticism or any sense of higher purpose about the United States' goals in the conflict. The paper shows that, rather, Caputo writes to deflate those who might feel such romanticism about war. The paper discusses his use of dividing the book into three sections to portray his evolvement from naive, idealistic soldier to one who returns home feeling as if he has aged sixteen years.
From the Paper "During the second section, however, Caputo says he did try feeling some dignity in what he did, but a philosophical intelligence had intruded upon his consciousness that caused him to question things, even while he was committing misjudgments. "Whatever the rights and wrongs of the war, nothing can diminish the rightness of what you tried to do,? he reminded himself after his friend died. However, the gross reality of the battlefield inevitably intruded."
Abstract This paper examines how Robert L. Heilbroner, in "The Nature and Logic of Capitalism", struggles with three difficult-to-define words --'nature', 'logic', and 'capitalism' and comes to some startling, if not revealing, opinions on capitalism. It evaluates his theory that nature is the innate ability or power to create relationships and it wields this ability in a structured logic, the end result, which is a regime known as capitalism. It looks at how he analyzes capitalism not as a mere economic system but as a regime. A regime indicating a ruling power structure empowered to make and enforce change.
From the Paper "Heilbroner, acknowledging and confirming Marx, then posits the theory that competition among capitalists, left unchecked, would drive profits to zero. Marx stopped at this point, satisfied with his theories of the challenges of surplus value. Heilbroner takes Marx further by suggesting that Marx's ?factors of production" (land, labor, capital) are not comparable or equivalent entities and produce wealth only when workers act upon land. That is the "nature" of the beast. Heilbroner, then, sees the "logic" of this "nature" as having several distinctive features. The first was that capitalists, as holders of social power, were independent of the state's control ever the means of production, and over the socializing "nature" of the state."
Abstract Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" is structured around the theme of pride vs. prejudice, with characters showing aspects of each of these traits in their behavior and in their personalities. The paper examines how both major and minor characters reflect issues of pride and instances of prejudice as common characteristics that shape their actions, usually without their being at all aware of it. The paper shows how the terms "pride" and "prejudice" contrast, particularly as essential characteristics of Darcy (the proud) and Elizabeth (the prejudiced) as they learn to overcome their natural inclinations sufficiently to come together. The paper demonstrates how Austen does not simply present these characters as representatives of these character traits as would be found in an allegory. What Austen shows is that the society of the time is so guided by issues of pride and prejudice that real human connections are rare and to be prized.
From the Paper "Elizabeth Bennett is the intelligent heroine of this novel, but she is as guilty of self-absorption as any of the other characters in the novel, including Darcy. She has superior intelligence, and while she believes this places her above the error of prejudice, it does not. She has good reasons for rejecting Darcy at their first meeting. First, she is reacting to the actions of Mr. Wickham. Second, she refuses because Mr. Darcy separated Jane and Bingley. Third, although she is flattered by Darcy's proposal, she refuses because as he proposes, he allows his pride to come to the fore and so tells her that it would be degrading to be connected with her family. Here is where pride and prejudice clash directly, for Elizabeth is influenced here by her prejudice, which prevents her from understanding the nature of Darcy's pride. Her prejudice only begins to crumble when he writes an earnest letter to her and confesses that he did interfere between Jane and Bingley. He also reiterates to her his belief that Wickham is a bad character, and by now she agrees. Her prejudice then begins to disintegrate. Darcy is no longer too proud to see Elizabeth as a good catch, and she is no longer too prejudiced to understand his feelings."
Abstract "The Last of the Just" by Andre Schwarz-Bart, focuses on an old Hebrew legend of a group of men destined by God to be the culmination of the hearts of all mankind. The account traces the existence of the 'Lamed-Vov' through the male offspring of the Levy family, beginning in the twelfth century - with each of the chosen living and dying their destined martyr's death. The paper shows how the book travels down in time through the successive generation to the generation of the Second World War, ending with the intimate and extensive life of Ernie a Jew, the Last of the Just, who lives through the ghetto and dies in the Auschwitz gas chambers. The paper discusses the author's ability to convey the emotions and feelings of anti-Semitism from each generation, culminating in the most horrific act of all, the Holocaust.
From the Paper "This document does better than almost no other I have read tracing the history of anti-Semitism through the past two thousand years. With the life and death of each Just Man lived a generation of sorrow and a multiplication of the suffering heart of all humanity. The special attention that Schwarz-Bart plays to the modern, and the repetitive cycle of horror makes clear that the message of this text is one of horror, hope and, of course, a warning. Schwarz-Bart has given a very personal narrative that brings to light the humanity of those Jews who have died in the last two thousand years for the simple reason of just being Jews."
This novel illuminates the inequality in colonial society, since it becomes a significant exception to the versions given by visitors from the upper-class. A side of colonial life, that remained hidden in the dominant discourse of the time, emerges right
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 3 sources, 2002, $ 35.95
Abstract This novel illuminates the inequality in colonial society, since it becomes a significant exception to the versions given by visitors from the upper-class. A side of colonial life, that remained hidden in the dominant discourse of the time, emerges right before our eyes. This is vitally important, because it explains how and why American democracy never truly lived up to its ideals.
Tags: BOOK REPORTS - BOOK REVIEWS, moraley the infortunate
Abstract In this article, the writer identifies leadership principles and describes their applicability in either a military and non-military situation. The writer compares the principles of management and leadership exhibited by Mr. Pacetta with those principles of leadership found in or demonstrated in their work environment. The writer claims that Pacetta's book is a glimpse into the successful turnaround of a struggling Xerox sales office in Cleveland Ohio in the 1990s. Further, the writer discusses how the author uses several basic principles of management and leadership along with his own unique additions to "fire up" his employees and create a successful organization.
From the Paper "Leadership is about winning, but it is also about using common sense to win, and Pacetta offers many bulleted checklists and questions that give managers quick, timely advice. He even offers a concise explanation of every chapter, complete with bullets, at the back of the book for someone who needs quick advice and does not have time to sit down the entire book at once. As the reader moves through the book, they begin to have a greater understanding of Pacetta's methods, why they worked, and how to apply them to their own business (or even personal) situations. The book reads somewhat like a sports team's "rah-rah" message before they head out to the playing field, and partly like a military manual. Pacetta uses this voice effectively to appeal to a wide audience of managers who tend to be male and tend to relate to these types of messages because they are familiar with them at home and in the workplace."
Abstract This paper explains that Kody Scott's autobiography "Monster" describes the his transformation into a ruthless killing machine and then back into a devout Muslim and a member of New Afrikan Independence Movement. The author points out that Kody's early childhood and teenage years conform well to various criminological theories, which are discussed in this paper.The paper relates that, as the social control theory describes, Scott developed an attachment to his family and became committed to make his family's life worth living. The author reports that Kody changed his name to Sanyika Shakur and dedicated his life to eradicating "gangsterism".
Table of Contents:
Criminological Theories
Introduction
The Arousal Theory
Differential Association Theory
The Social Learning Theory
Social Cognitive Theory
The Self-Control Theory
The Nature Assumption Theory
The Social-Control Theory
Change in Behavior over Time
From the Paper "Thomas Hobbes in his theory of social control suggests that people are naturally deviant, and that they want to satisfy their instinctive urges. However, they don't adopt the deviant nature due to four reasons described as attachment, commitment, involvement and beliefs. In Kody's case, he was more attached to his fellow gang members than he was to his own family. He didn't have much commitment to anything but his gang. He wasn't involved in any activities other than his gang. As for his beliefs he started out believing that he was wrong, but as time passed he began to rationalize what he was doing."
