Abstract The paper examines Barak Obama's memoir "Dreams of My Father" and Maxine Hong Kingston's "The Woman Warrior" that are both tales of a search for a sense of a stable personal identity. The paper shows how their quest for identity is found through explorations of the past lives of the members of their families, as well as moving forward into the future as an adult. The paper concludes that both texts are powerful in their portrayal of identity as not merely a personal psychological crisis, but a national, cultural and familial challenge.
From the Paper "However, Obama's quest remains an individualistic quest to find himself, despite the title of his work that he is looking for his father. When he actually encounters his father in the flesh, he experiences a sense of displacement from his idealized African roots, as well as a sense of homecoming. Kingston's work, in contrast, because of its narrative structure, seamlessly blends the tales of her female family members and her own struggle for selfhood together, without the same level of anxiety of the need to separate and develop a distinction from her Chinese values."
Abstract At a rally on September 9, in Dayton, Ohio Senator Barack Obama gave a speech on "A 21st Century Education". The author of the paper uses that speech as a platform to examine and analyze Senator Obama's abilities as a public speaker. The writer describes Obama's use of words and imagery and examines their effects on the audience. He goes on to show how Obama uses his linguistic ability to establish his credibility and promote the image of a caring, forward thinking, everyday American in an attempt to win support not only from Democratic party supporters but also Republicans.
From the Paper "Besides revealing character qualities, Obama uses ethos to establish his credibility as a leader who makes wise decisions. He includes a bit of his track record when he brings up the successful law he passed in Illinois to double the number of charter schools in Chicago, and his plan to do the same thing nationwide. He mentions several statistics about the literacy rates in America and the rate of jobs offered to different levels of education to raise awareness of our current state, and more so to show that he is educated and passionate about this issue. He further shows his ability to solve this problem by mentioning a couple of programs he had developed last year, such as the Service Scholarship fund to solve the problem of finding good teachers."
Tags: democratic president senator republican, american dream, elections public
Abstract This paper presents a statistical analysis of media coverage of Barak Obama using the 'Newsweek' magazine as the media source. The paper relates that the analysis uses 10 weeks of issues spanning from September 22, 2008 thru November 24, 2008. The paper further relates that all of the information in the tables is from the magazine, which is the primary source for the analysis. The information is presented in the form of statistical tables in order to provide a clear and concise account of the coverage pertaining to Barack Obama and the election.
From the Paper As of October 13, 2008, the Obama campaign had shattered all fund-raising records, raking in $458 million, with about half of that coming from donors who contribute $200 or less" (Isikoff, 2008). In Ohio alone, he had 1400 neighborhood teams that had been recruited, trained, and managed for the six months leading up to election day (Thomas, 2008). Ultimately, his campaign had over "3.1 million contributors, million volunteers, 2.2 million supporters on his main Face book page, 800,000 on his MySpace page and perhaps a million or more names on Obama's own campaign Web site" (Fineman, 2008).
There were 3 presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate. The first debate was on October 2, 2008, and was supposed to focus on foreign policy. However, the economic crisis became a topic of discussion and in the end, the press scored McCain as winning the debate but the public proclaimed Obama the victor. The second debate was on October 7, 2008, and was fashioned to represent a town-hall style forum. Obama was proclaimed the victor of that debate as well, and fortunate for his campaign, the Dow dropped 500 points that evening.
Abstract This paper examines Barak Obama's platform when he was the democratic candidate for the US Presidency. The paper examines his position on five elements and whether they are typically democratic in nature or if his position is closer to the conservative platform than many democrats realize. The paper specifically focuses on the five issues of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, gay marriage, healthcare, abortion and illegal immigration.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The War in Iraq and Afghanistan
Illegal Immigration
Gay Marriage
Abortion
American Healthcare
From the Paper "It is a subject about which Obama is very vocal, and he has a plan. Obama's plan is to extend to 47 million Americans who have no health insurance, subsidized coverage that will ensure they have access to health care (Flint, Samuel S. and Gorin, Stephen H., 2008). The problem is that Obama is addressing the problem of non-coverage, not access to healthcare. Since the onset of managed care in the 1980s, healthcare access has become a myriad of formalities and paperwork that delays access to vitally needed services and physicians (Zelman, Walter A, and Berenson, Robert A., 1998) (Altman, Stuart H., Reinhardt, Uwe, and Schactman, David, 1999) (Birembaum, Edward, 1997). It is the job of managed care to determine what services and care can be accessed based on the outcome of the diagnosis (Birenbaum, 13-14)."
Abstract This paper provides an analytical and critical review of the article, "How Community Institutions Create Economic Advantage: Jewish Diamond Merchants in New York" by Barak D. Richman. The writer explains that the article provides a deep insight into the highly complex world of diamond industry and its historical background, and discusses its main arguments and questions some of them. Non-economic factors affecting economic exchange are discussed as being of particular importance in this industry. This paper contains MLA-style footnotes but does not include a works cited page.
From the Paper "The specificity of participants is the first argument put forward in answering this question. They all belong to the system called "the F-connection" (family and friends (i.e. community) members). The Jewish communities were historically predetermined to engage in the diamond trade, since due to their continuing prosecution in earlier times they had to be able to easily transport their assets, and engage in professions with portable inventories. Their dominance and success in the diamond trade is explained by the author through a competitive advantage of the Jews in organizing diamond transactions more effectively than their potential rivals."
Abstract A breakdown of clashes between Arabs and Jews from 1948 until Prime Minister Barak's time. The Palestine question is discussed as well as how different Arab groups formed and why each direct confrontation came about.
From the Paper "Tensions between Arabs and Jews extend back centuries, but the modern conflict begins with the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, after which there was fighting between the newly declared state and her Arab neighbors, and in 1949 the fighting ended with armistice agreements between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Israel as a state developed out of the Palestinian question. When the British wanted to turn the state of Palestine over to the United Nations, a solution to the issue of what people would reside in Palestine was reached in the form of partition. Jerusalem would be made an international city in which there would be free access for worship in Christian, Islamic, and Jewish shrines and holy places. The Jews accepted the partition, but the Arabs did not, feeling that the agreement actually gave Jewish landowners more than 50 percent of Palestine. After the war and the creation of the state of Israel, Israel now controlled half of Jerusalem, and nearly 60 percent of the Palestinians had been uprooted from their homes. Displaced Palestinians lived in crude refugee camps, and the remaining Palestinians lived within the 22.6 percent of the territory the Israeli's had failed to capture (Neff 23-24).
Israel thus began in conflict with her neighbors, and tensions continued during the years following the creation of the Israeli state. During this same era, the United States and the Soviet Union each became embroiled in the conflict, forced to choose sides and to become more and more enmeshed in Middle Eastern politics. Direct confrontation occurred in 1956, 1967, and 1973 (Neff 27). After the Sinai Campaign of 1956, there was a period of relative quiet along the Israel-Egypt border, in part because of the presence of the United Nations. This did not mean that the conflict was ended, however, and within a year of the "settlement" of the 1956 dispute, the Arab world experienced a series of upheavals (Herzog 145-146)."
Tags: confrontation, Middle, East, Palestine, Israel
Abstract This paper traces the history of the Palestinians' bid for a homeland from the time that the land was ruled by the British. It shows how the tensions in the area have been exacerbated by such actions in recent times as the creation of the state of Israel, Israeli actions with regard to the Palestinians and the discovery and development of oil in the Arab countries. The paper also discusses the Palestinian question within the context of the Camp David talks which were held between Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat in 2000.
From the Paper "The Palestine question is a problem that has affected most of the countries in the region to some extent. Lebanon in particular has been faced with the refugee problem since the creation of Israel in 1948. The 1948 refugees constituted only the first wave of immigration from Palestine, however, and the numbers increased greatly as a result of the war between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian Army and the subsequent expulsion of several thousand Palestinian guerrillas from Jordan in 1970. What to do with these refugees has been one of the arguments between Israel and the Arab states."
Abstract This paper discusses the ongoing attempts at peace between the Palestinians and Israel. The paper examines the 1993 Oslo Accords that initiated the peace process. The paper presents a brief overview of the history between the two nations that led up to the historic signing of the Oslo Accords. The course of events since the signing of the agreement is outlined in the paper, with notation of the obstacles encountered each step of the way. The paper contends that the question of peace between Israel and the Palestinians remains unanswered.
From the Paper "The Palestinians did not feel this was fair and in 1967, the Six Day War occurred. The Palestinians had planned to crush Israel with the help of other armies from Jordan, Egypt, etc. All did not go as planned and the Palestinians lost more than just the war. Israel gained control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Earlier in the decade, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was created with Yasir Arafat as its leader. The PLO was a political and "paramilitary" organization of Palestinian Arabs dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Their intent was to replace Israel. In more recent years, its official goal has been redefined to conquer only the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There are certain parts of the organization that do not agree with the new definition and still wish to conquer all of Israel."
Abstract Gideon's story is an interesting tale of a man who had little faith, little courage and almost no power and yet he was chosen to save Israel from mightier forces. This paper examines the story of Gideon as it appears in "The Book of Judges" in the Old Testament. It includes quotations from the original text.
From the Paper "After victory, Gideon severely punished the people of Succoth and Penuel who had refused to supply his army with food. In his essay entitled: "The Punishment by Gideon of Succoth and Penuel in the Light of Ancient Near Eastern Treaties" (pp. 148-50), Malamat maintains that such cruel punishment was justified since "the expected punishment for the breach of a treaty made with Israel" (p. 150). He further assumes that "there existed a kind of vassal-treaty between Gideon and the cities of northern Trans-Jordan, obliging them to supply his army with food during a military campaign" (p. 149). But the existence of such a treaty is not mentioned in the Bible so we can only conclude that Gideon expected Succoth and Penuel to help out since they were Israeli cities but it also makes one wonder about Gideon's leadership skills and his human side."
Abstract This paper reviews Toni Morrison's essay describing Bill Clinton as "the first black president". The paper then goes on to discuss how black politicians in general run not only against an actual human opponent or opponents, but also must face the reality of being black in a society that still holds plenty of prejudice against African-Americans, stemming from the days of Southern slavery.
From the Paper "Morrison has a powerful and relevant point; black (and/or quasi-black) politicians are seldom if ever scions of the predominantly white power elite, e.g., an Al Gore; George W. Bush; Evan Bayh, Lincoln Chafee; or a Kennedy son, daughter or grandchild -at least not in America. So, as Toni Morrison also implies within her 1998 essay, a black politician in America is seldom if ever "anointed" to office in the way that all too many white ones have been historically (think Adams; Taft; Roosevelt Kennedy), and continue to be nowadays. The two most recent examples of successful white politicians whose fathers (after whom they each, moreover, is named, thereby even increasing, even more, voters' connection of this name to that of (most of the time, anyway) a powerful (white) Washington insider whose son (or sometimes daughter) has simply decided that now is the time to enter the "family business"."
Abstract This paper explains that both candidates in the 2008 presidential election are very friendly towards the environment. The author points out that John McCain seems to have more environmental solutions and has made progressive actions to help the environment; whereas, Barak Obama seems to have more green-friendly stances, especially in the area of biofuels. The paper states that the liberal candidate will always be supported by environmental groups and, in general the liberal candidate is indeed greener; however, in this election, the republican candidate can be considered to be pro-environment and not a bad choice for those who support green policies.
From the Paper "John McCain has always been more of an independent then a staunch republican. As a result of this, he has more green policies then many of his republican allies. One of the reasons behind this is the fact that he lives in Arizona. People there support green policies and are very environmentally friendly. There are 27 state parks in Arizona, along with 21 national parks and monuments. Also, clean sources of energy, such as solar panels and windmills, are widely used. Also, there are 13 dams (including the Hoover dam) that provide hydroelectric power to the citizens of Arizona."
Abstract This paper discusses Aldous Huxley's essay 'Word and Behavior" and how it expresses his clear opposition to the whole idea of war. The paper relates that, in his essay, Huxley takes great pains to attack the language that is used to describe and justify war. The paper then looks at how huxley's semantical attack on the language of war is very specific and very effective and points out that it reminds a person that there are plenty of euphemisms used in modern warfare to make the reality sound not as bad as it truly is.
From the Paper "Another thing that bothers Huxley is when those who create the language of war conceal the reality of war through "picturesque metaphors." The first example of those metaphors is the air force spokesman who is waiting for the manufacture of warplanes that are capable of going out to "destroy the hornets in their nest," as though the enemy were a hive of bees. He deplores the hiding of true violence. That hornet reference really came down to this, Huxley says; "in other words, to go and throw thermite, high explosives and vesicants [i.e. chemical weapons...] upon the inhabitants of neighboring countries before they have time to come and do the same to us.""
