Abstract This paper examines the writings of Aristotle and Plato on the subject of equality of all individuals versus the needs of society to be led by the best and brightest. A discussion is presented of the compromises made by contemporary American society, as a democracy, in order to acknowledge the importance of an elite.
From the Paper "We may begin our discussion with Aristotle's Nicomachean Nicomachean , which he wrote in 350 b.c. The treatise covers a range of topics, but focuses on the ways in which both a person's character and his or her intelligence are related to the chance that that person has in life to be both happy and virtuous. Aristotle's definition of "virtue" (like that of his contemporaries) was different from the ways in which we in general today define the term: It was more inclusive, perhaps being more akin to our idea of conscience or morality. In this treatise, Aristotle outlines two different kinds of virtue (which we might also translate simply as excellence): moral virtue and intellectual virtue. Moral virtue, for Aristotle, is an outgrowth of an individual's character and comes about through a lifetime of decisions and actions. In other words, for Aristotle, moral virtue is effected by the accumulation of a person's repeated and habitual choices: We make ourselves into virtuous (or unvirtuous) people by acting or failing to act in virtuous ways whenever we are presented with the chance to do so."
Abstract This paper examines Sophocles's tragic Greek play, "Antigone", where characters who value love, emotions, duty, bravery, and honor, meet the characters that are full of hate, fear, carelessness, and disgrace. It shows how the brightest among them are Antigone and Creon and discusses how Antigone carries the tragic focus throughout the play, but Creon overtakes that "role" at the very end. It shows how, although Antigone suffers, waiting for her death for the most of the play, she wants to die, and she dies in glory and how, although Creon is the bad character throughout the play, only at the very end do we see that he is the real tragic figure.
From the Paper "Antigone has to go over hard times, bringing on her shoulders the shame that her father brought upon her family. Antigone has even stronger feelings about her relatives who are dead because they cannot protect themselves from peoples? gossips. Antigone cannot stand the fact that her brother Polynices lies unburied, his body being torn by the animals. And Gods are unhappy too; the body needs to be given the burial right. As Tiresias tells Creon that he had robbed the Gods below, keeping the dead body up on earth (stanza 1188). Antigone cannot let more disgrace go upon her family. She buries her brother's body with her own hands."
Abstract In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" and Thomas Wolfe's "The Lost Boy", the central characters of Willy Loman and Grover Gant share many similarities, such as a great determination to succeed and a focus on the past events of their lives. This paper discusses how both characters are apparently obsessed with dreams; with Willy Loman, the dream is obtaining what has come to be called the "American Dream," being a phenomenal success in his chosen profession as a salesma; with Grover Gant, the dream involves his proud and prescient mother, who always insisted that Grover was the brightest and best of her offspring. It shows how both characters realize much too late that their dreams are not based in reality, which inevitably leads to disillusionment and personal disaster, not to mention that Loman and Gant are "lost" in a world they cannot understand.
From the Paper "Miller's American masterpiece Death of a Salesman, first presented on the stage in New York City in 1949, represents a successful attempt to blend the themes of social and personal tragedy within the same dramatic framework. Yet the story of Willy Loman is also one of false values sustained by almost every publicity agency in the national life of the U.S. Willy Loman accepts at face value the over-publicized ideals of material success and blatant optimism, and therein lies his own personal tragedy. His downfall and final
defeat illustrate not only the failure of a man but also the failure of a way of life, being a door-to-door salesman. Miller's ability to project this story of his tragic, lower middle-class hero into the common experience of so many Americans, who sustain themselves and their families with illusions and ignore realities, makes Death of a Salesman one of the most significant in American theater within the last fifty years."
Abstract This paper discusses how there have always been philosophical battles between progressive thinkers and conservative thinkers when it comes to the education of America's children. In particular it looks at two of the brightest minds in the development of the American educational structure, the classic progressive John Dewey, and the quintessential conservative, William Chandler Bagley, and examines their philosophies. It also shows how many of their debating points are as poignant and pertinent today as back then.
Outline
Introduction to Educators John Dewey and William Bagley
Introduction to John Dewey's Progressive Educational Theories
Introduction to William Bagley's Philosophy of Essentialism in Education
John Dewey on Emphasizing "Experience" as Part of Public Education
William Bagley's Essentialism: Practical Things Should be Taught
John Dewey's Vision for Schools: Democracy in Action
Conclusion
From the Paper "William Chandler Bagley was born in Detroit, received a Bachelor of Arts degree at Michigan State College, a Master's at the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. at Cornell University, in 1900. After teaching in elementary schools, he became professor of education at a teachers college in Columbia, until 1940. He became a vigorous opponent of ?pragmatism and progressive education, asserting that the value of knowledge is very great on its own merits, not just as an instrument to accomplish something with. He was critical of other teachers and educators for failing to emphasize what he believed to be important ? a systematic study of academic subject matter."
Abstract This paper looks at the techniques used in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and Remarque's novel, "All Quiet on the Western Front", to protest the social conditions they were writing about. Both authors use the language and the metaphors of their time to help emphasize their point. Stowe also used narration, commentary, and poetry to make her anti-slavery statement, whereas Remarque relied heavily on graphic depictions to make his anti-war statement. To help determine the effectiveness of the novels' social protest, the paper compares the two novels to David Halberstam's journalistic account of the Vietnam War.
From the Paper "There is a single problem common to Uncle Tom's Cabin and All Quiet on the Western Front, despite the works? having been created in different centuries on different continents and nominally about different subjects. The single, common problem is this: the valuation of one group of human beings by another, with that valuation coming in lower for the group being valued."
Abstract This paper critiques two air cargo related articles, "Best and the Brightest" by William DeCota, and "U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Approves Telair International Blast-Resistant Baggage Container" by Teleflex Incorporated. It looks at how the first article argues that containers have helped the air cargo industry grow, and the second article discusses new container technology. It explores how, although the aviation industry is very well-known for transporting people, the air cargo service is becoming more attractive to shippers as aircraft's capacity, frequency of lifts, handling facilities, and number of service locations increases.
From the Paper "Containerization protected the cargo on both the ground and while in flight from things like shift damage, theft, and weather. But, because containers put the entire cargo in one centralized canister, containerization actually made it easier for thieves to steal an entire cargo as opposed to if the shipment were split and most container damage occurs because of overcrowded conditions that force cargo to be stacked above recommended heights or re-positioned frequently. Nonetheless, the industry has been able to standardize air cargo and from the invention of containers the cargo industry has grown."
Abstract The author of this paper argues that reinstating the draft would prove one thing beyond doubt, seemingly: the current Bush administration has plans for imperialism unparalleled in recent history. The author argues that the U.S. government is willing to be as sneaky as it needs to be to send another generation of the best and brightest to their deaths without even the Cold War specter of spreading Communism to afford cover for the will to make war, as was the case in Vietnam.
From the Paper "A conclusion one could make, considering this stealthy (and therefore dishonest) attempt to reinstate the draft without citizen approval or even knowledge, is that Bush needs lots more men and women than the public is aware of to fight more wars than the public could conceive of. Swomley notes that "the Bush strategy permits him to decide, well before there is any action or threat of action against the United States, to make war against any nation he chooses, or whose oil or other resources he covets." War fighters are necessary for that."
Abstract The writer of this paper examines Alex Kershaw's book "The Bedford Boys" which depicts an ordinary, poor Virginia town that was decimated of some of its best and brightest young men by the necessities of the D-Day onslaught on Omaha Beach. This paper describes the plot and main characters in the novel. Kershaw's book provides the reader with a powerful testimony to the ability of individuals to be led and to make great sacrifices for a common goal.
From the Paper "Despite the smallness of Bedford, Virginia, it is unlikely that some of the departed would have known one another very well, except by sight, had they not fought together. The town of Bedford, a small, Southern Blue ridge mountain town boasted a population of only 3000. But, before the war, it had heavily demarcated class divisions between rich and poor, and farmer and town-dweller. In the town, before the declaration of World War II, jobs for working class people were extremely scarce. Most of the men of the town joined the National Guard in hopes of making some small income and were happy to earn the dollar a day they were given for the periods they trained during the year."
Tags: review, literature, war, american, military, d, day, omaha, beach, world, war, 2
Abstract The paper explores how so many of Germany's best and brightest young people could become swept up in the machinations of a hate-filled and destructive Nazi regime. The paper provides evidence to show that the Hitler Youth's members were very committed to the objectives of the Nazi government because of their integration with the SS, the SA and the frightfully brutal SS-Totenkopfverbande. The paper then discusses how the situation in pre-war Germany and German youth's exposure to wide-spread indoctrination made it easier for them to be implements of the Nazi regime.
From the Paper "As much as some might wish to deny it, there is strong evidence that the Hitler Youth (the Hitlerjugend or HJ) was well-integrated within the Nazi apparatus. For one thing, it was sometimes said within Nazi Party circles during the midst of the Second World War that the HJ actually walked in lock-step with Himmler's SS (Schutzstaffel). As if this involvement was not troubling enough, it appears as though the Hitler Youth was intimately associated with both the SA (Sturmabteilung) and the SS - though the SS influence and relationship did grow stronger over the course of the 1930s. In any case, the SA did begin training HJ members (under Hitlerjugend auspices) at the age of 17, thereby preparing them for military roles in the war just ahead (Rempel, 19-20)."
Abstract The paper focuses on a recent report entitled "Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America's Colleges and Universities" that divulged a disturbing public health crisis concerning alcohol abuse among college students on campuses across America. The paper reveals the findings that school administrators facilitated or accepted alcohol and drug abuse. The paper goes on to lay the blame on parents as well and discusses the effects that alcohol abuse has on the adolescent/young adult brain. Finally, the paper examines the signs and symptoms of alcohol dependence.
From the Paper "Excessive or risky drinking takes the lives of approximately 85,000 Americans per year, making it the third leading cause of death in the US (SciTech Book News, 2006). According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), approximately 18 million Americans are dependant on alcohol--people who are addicted to alcohol cannot control their drinking, and can't stop drinking even when it's negatively disrupting their lives (McCollum, S., 2007). "Alcohol abuse is any drinking that causes problems with work or school work, your relationships, or leads to legal problems or dangerous situations" (Harvard Reviews, 2006)."
