Abstract This paper examines how Matthew Frye Jacobson's book, "Barbarian Virtues", considers imperialism or colonialism as a part of the United States's history that is often forgotten. It looks at the trends of immigration and internationalism from 1876 to 1917 and how Jacobson writes that modern American nationalism grew out of the unusual and complex make-up of industrial imperialism. It also examines how Jacobson especially highlights the involvement of the United States in the Philippines to illustrate America's imperialistic policies.
From the Paper "The position of biology and race became part of the thinking of who would be best to come to the U.S. The "science" of eugenics followed by many in the U.S. explains it all: The word eugenics (from the Greek eugenes or wellborn) was coined in 1883 by Francis Galton, an Englishman and cousin of Charles Darwin, who applied Darwinian science to develop theories about heredity and good or noble birth. Phrases such as "survival of the fittest" and "struggle for existence" came into use at the end of the 19th century when eugenics societies
were created throughout the world. "Negative eugenics" relied on marriage restriction, sterilization, or custodial commitment of those thought to have undesired characteristics."
Abstract This paper discusses Herodotus' preoccupation with Barbarian customs, and explains how his Histories promote "Greekness" through the examination of that to which the Greeks compared themselves and inevitably found they were superior. The writer looks at Herodotus' cultural and intellectual milieu as well as his stated objectives in writing the Histories, and describes the cultural dualism he created by disparaging as well as giving due credit to non-Greek civilizations. The writer explains that the Histories contain much legend and fantasy and are more about customs and culture than battles or wars.The paper concludes that Herodotus created a past for the Greek people that is part myth and part reality, using Greek cultural superiority over non-Greek Barbarism in order to bring a pan-Hellenic unity to a people scattered over disparate regions and islands.
From the Paper "Despite this prevailing view, Herodotus appears to have taken a far more objective approach to determining the worth of people. In his proem, during his opening remarks, he clearly separates Greeks and Barbarians as inherently different but still reminds his audience that Barbarians are capable of great deeds. Herodotus outlines to the audience that his Histories are to be concerned not just with those deeds and the wider Greco-Persian conflict but also their causes. This explicit interest with causality is such that it has led to claims that Herodotus is the father of sociology, the father of anthropology and suggests that the content of his work must be concerned with custom."
Abstract This paper will examine the representation of barbarians in Roman art, and particularly sculpture. It will be argued that the primary mode of representation of barbarians in Roman art occurred within the iconography of empire, where the barbarians represented the Roman "other" whose existence as defeated figures reflects on the power and grandeur of Rome. However, it will be seen that there exists significant variations in the depiction of barbarians even within this iconographic code. The primary variation, it will be argued, occurs between the sculpture of the imperial center and that of the periphery. While in Rome the obsession with realism governed the artistic representation of barbarians for centuries, on the frontiers of the empire barbarians were often represented by "barbarian" artists, with significant departures from the dominant mode of realism.
Abstract An outline of the early medieval period, which saw the rise of new kingdoms in Western Europe. The paper discusses the rise and development of the Carolingian Empire. It also provides special attention to the economic and social structure that came from the collapsed Roman Empire and the Barbarian kingdoms.
From the Paper "In the pre-Christian era, the German tribes migrated from the northern Europe to the Roman Empire and occupied the northern lands. There were clashes between the German tribes and the Romans who considered them intruders into their lands and called them "barbarians". The collapse of the Roman Empire enabled the German tribes to explore the Western Roman Empire. There were three basic factions of these German tribes-Germanic Lombards who settled in northern and central Italy, Anglo-Saxons in Britain, And Franks in Gaul (France). The Frankish kingdoms later became one of the new western European civilizations."
This paper reviews the book, Burrough and Helyar's "Barbarians At The Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco" evaluating problems of the firm while in the hands of Ross Johnson.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, 1991, $ 47.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this paper is to discuss the book, "Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco", by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. This meaty volume is an excellent chronicle of the downfall of a company whose resources and success were legendary in American business circles, but whose leaders during the feverish Reagan years risked everything on a gambit to enrich themselves, and ended up losing all of it. The story centers around one man, Ross Johnson, the flamboyant, free-spending former chief of Standard Brands and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, who wanted more and more control and money, to the point of self-destruction.
Ross Johnson was the perfect point man for such an ill-fated adventure. As the authors point out Johnson was most creative in the area of his expense accounts."
Abstract This paper begins by discussing how the expanding Roman Empire clashed with the Greeks in ancient times, with the result being war. It then looks at the consequences of contact between Rome and barbarians in general; how the Empire considered itself superior and the ramifications this had. The paper then discusses the contact between Christians and Muslims during the Crusades and then examines the relationship between Jews and the new religion, Christianity in the first century AD. It concludes with a discussion of the between Sung Dynasty of China and Mongols in AD 1279.
From the Paper "In the ancient world, the most likely occurrence when a culture or concept came into contact with another culture or a transforming concept from the outside in the areas of art, religion, and politics was, pure and simple: war, and more than this, a war of conquest that served as its own legitimation. This is what happened when Roman expansionism throughout the Mediterranean area and westward into Europe encountered the long established but, by the time of Rome's first foray into Greece in 200 BC, well past the reputation and power of Alexander the Great (Spodek 154)."
An analysis of the theme of responsibility in "Complicity" by Iain Banks, "Waiting for the Barbarians" by J.M. Coetzee and "Le Mur" by Jean-Paul Sartre.
Abstract This paper deals with the theme of responsibility in three works of world fiction; Iain Bank's "Complicity" (Scottish), Coetzee's "Waiting for the Barbarians" (South-African) and Sartre's story "Le Mur" ("The Wall") (French). It analyzes whether the characters in these different works are responsible for their own fate and whether they can also be held responsible for the fate of others. It attempts to show through the literature how our actions or even the lack of them bring forth ethical questions on our responsibilities towards the consequences of our actions and on the degree of responsibility we have in this regard towards others.
From the Paper "Sartre makes the question of responsibility even more complicated. In his story le Mur he asks the question if an individual is responsible for something he caused but could not expect to cause. The protagonist of the story is Pablo, as a member of the resistance captured by soldiers he is given two choices by his captors. Or Pablo gives away the hiding place of the leader of the resistance or he is executed. At the beginning of the story he refuses to give his leader away and is put in prison. In the room where he is held prisoner Pablo goes trough many different stages of fear, and at the end his (regular) life now seems precious, but far away: ??C"est un sacr" mensonge.?"
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that, in the work 'The Fall' by Albert Camus and 'Waiting for the Barbarians' by J.M. Coetzee, there is a consistent theme of guilt. The writer notes that guilt pervades the minds of the main characters in the novels as a pervasive conflict of character. The writer maintains that each main character attempts to reconcile his guilt with regard to his inner desires and outward actions and does so with ruthless self-loss. The writer discusses that each of these novels is contentious of the human condition and the main characters range between absolution for inaction and action in a corrupt human system and the allowance of guilt and punishment for the same. The writer concludes that neither character truly comes to or even really seeks true forgiveness, even from himself as both go about their daily lives realizing over and over how cruel the human system is and how each one of us knowingly and unknowingly becomes a cog in the wheel of human cruelty and destruction.
From the Paper "The Magistrate is seeking self resolution and absolution by choosing not to witness the bloodthirsty destruction of these prisoners at the hands of the imperialists. He has decided to save himself the grief and absolve himself from further blame by refusing to allow the spectacle to burn into his memory the nature of the system he supported and aided for so long. The magistrate is the purest example of the imperialist "going native" as has occurred in so many other real and imagined situations, where the innocent and ambitious person is blindly led by the convictions of their corrupted system to seek out fortune in a foreign land and then comes face to face with the more similar than different faces of the "natives" he is bound to expel, kill and control.
"His ideas pervade him as he endures the public humiliation of torture and thinks about the ways in which he and his administration will be remembered. The resolution is that there is not great memory for the man and he wonders why he objects to public spectacles, like that of his own public hanging, which he is currently enduring."
Tags: corruption, self, destruction, conflict, of, character
Abstract This paper compares the attempts of King Theoderic of the Ostrogoths to establish his kingdom out of the Goths and Romans in Italy with the less cohesive settlement of the Anglo-Saxons in England. The author begins by describing the Ostrogoths and the history of their contact with the Roman empire, and shows that the Goths' adoption of Roman culture was the main reason for their success at settling in Italy. However, it ultimately led to the disappearance of their own identity and culture, as they assimilated and ceased to be barbarians. On the other hand, the Anglo-Saxons took the opposite approach, keeping themselves mainly apart from the native Briton culture, and subsequently maintained their settlement for centuries. The author points out that the term 'Anglo-Saxon' is still used today, almost as a synonym for 'Caucasian.' The paper concludes that their ultimate success may have been due to their retention of their own culture and the eventual adoption of Catholicism, something which the Ostrogoths refused to do.
From the Paper "It has been said of the Ostrogoths that they were more Roman than the Romans, but how was this instituted and where did Theoderic get the inspiration from? The Ostrogoths as a people had had both indirect and direct contact with the Roman Empire for centuries. However, in 461, as the eight year old son of one of the Ostrogothic warrior leaders, Theoderic had been taken against his will to live in Byzantium for ten years. Living in the heart of what remained of the Roman Empire, Theoderic would have been exposed to Roman ways of living, perhaps more so than the ways of his own people. He would use this vital knowledge later in life when establishing his rule over two very different races, and create a kingdom unlike any of the other barbarian settlements."
Abstract This paper explores the issue of Female Genital Mutilations (FGM). The author presents the views of Amnesty International and the Feminist Majority Foundation on this issue. In addition, the author will examine the available legal or constitutional rights as a means of merely managing this global situation.
From the Paper "Female Genital Mutilations (FGM) for more then a decade now has been the major concern for International organizations. FGM according to these organizations is not only violation against humanity but also human rights, thereby declaring it a constitutional and a legal issue. The Amnesty International, for example, have indicated that FGM is not necessary but only a cultural ritual that people perform from age old, pre-dating Islamic periods. Hence, it does not have any religious significance but a continuation of barbarian rituals. In this regard it is important that one weigh the pros and cons of the issue whether it has any weight from a constitutional or legal stand point of view. The following discussion investigates this issue in the light of various media and intervention methods that could be utilized by the community. "
Abstract The writer of this paper presents the reader with a overview of the book's content and meaning. The true tale of the life of Quiroga and the events of the Argentina revolution are also discussed in this review with reference to the book.
From the Paper The authors of literary works often use their words to convey meaning or a lesson. The author uses ideas and creates the scenario in which the reader can feel that he or she has become a part of the story or time frame in the book. It is not unusual for a reader to close a good book with a sense of longing for the story to continue. This is the case in Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's; Facundo : Or, Civilization and Barbarism."
Abstract This paper discusses two literary works - "Medea" by Euripides and "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles - comparing them against the criteria set out by Aristotle for tragedy and tragic heroes. The paper briefly discusses each play with a focus on the the hero or heroine's characteristics of a tragic hero.
From the Paper "According to Aristotle, for a drama to be a tragedy, it must be complex, not overly simplistic, and must embody terrible and piteous events, such as will inspire pity and fear in the audience. The hero or heroine of a tragedy should be a good person who makes a dreadful mistake, and thereby falls from a happy state into misfortune. This character, in addition to being a moral person, must act appropriately, be realistic and act consistently, that is, according to his or her character."
Tags: tragedy, jason, creon, barbarian, princess, thebes, jocasta, laius
From the Paper "This study will provide a review of Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco, by Bryan Burroughs and John Helyar. The study will include a brief summary of the principal points made by the authors; a description and discussion of the economic, social/cultural, legal, political, and technological environments affecting RJR Nabisco at the time of the leveraged buyout attempt; and a consideration of the strategic options for RJR Nabisco, along with which option was actually chosen.
From the title of the book, we understand immediately and clearly that the authors of the book feel that greed is the overriding force at work in the story of RJR Nabisco. Indeed, the book is an extension of the title in the sense that the story told by the authors is not a story of business, but a story of money. It is not a story of products, or of technology, or of..."
Abstract This paper examines the text, "On Liberty" by famous defender of freedom and autonomy, John Mill and examines the relevance of this text in the current era of global power and vulnerability. The paper shows that in response to the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001 and the recognition that we are facing a worldwide network of terrorists whose singular goal is to harm the United States and its interests, we have had to re-evaluate our civil liberties. The paper questions whether our open society, our open emigration policy, our support of individual freedom and autonomy and privacy have left us uniquely vulnerable. It also reflects on how we can balance liberty with safety. The author of the paper puts forth the opinion that Mill would have called this a time for government intervention, much along the lines we are seeing now, because he would view this as an unfortunate time where barbarians put us at risk for our very safety out of which liberty arises.
From the Paper "On the other hand, there is something to be said for listening to the complaints of the disenfranchised. Mill points out that tolerating dissent has had catastrophic results in history. Currently in the United States in the wake of the terrorist attacks, not enough of a critical dialogue has been allowed. Even in times of unique crisis such as this, dissenting opinions and even criticism must be welcomed. Here I agree with Mill. He notes that ?the claims of an opinion to be protected form public attack are rooted not on much on its truth, as on its importance to society.? The current public policy has quietly embraced this, and unfortunately, certain truths are not shown. The darker aspects of war are whitewashed?at least from our side. And it's important to discuss whether the terrorists have any legitimate claims. Although journals like Foreign Affairs may openly analyze the situation we are in, the level of public discourse is purposely simplified and sentimentalized. This helps us ignore our own flaws as a superpower, and where we might adjust our policies in order to create more international harmony."
Abstract This paper analyzes the book and integrates it with information from "The Second World War" by John Keegan, and "The Second World War" by Thomas Griess. It discusses how Patton was a complex man ? more than just a brilliant military leader, as his memoir shows. He was part historian, part barbarian and part connoisseur, all blended into a tough fighting man who knew how to lead troops and plan brilliant campaigns, but did not have the diplomatic skills to get along with his commanders. His memoir is surprising, illuminating and disturbing, all at the same time and perfectly describes the man that was Patton.
From the Paper "Patton's book opens with some background on the African Campaign in North Africa in 1942. Patton writes in journal form, taking the reader along on all the action of his campaigns as they happen. Some of the entires are short and choppy, dealing only with the fighting action, and others, obviously when Patton had more time to write and collect his thoughts, are long and rambling, and discuss not only the fighting tactics, but day to day life on the fighting front.
Patton is a true paradox ? a fighting man who lived to fight, but also loved to learn, and could write detailed and vivid descriptions of everything he saw, from beautiful Persian rugs to the worst carnage of battle. He read the Koran, "a good book and interesting," and then rapidly turns around and reports, "To me it seems certain that the fatalistic teachings of Mohammed and the utter degradation of women is the outstanding cause for the arrested development of the Arab. He is exactly as he was around the year 700, while we have kept on developing." Patton can see the good in something, and turn right around and see the worst of something almost in the same breath."
