Different Ways The Nazis Killed Women And Children - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 343 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/09/25 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Tags: Children Essay Did you like this example? Essay 1 The Nazi Army had absolutely no problem eliminating Jewish women and children. In the book, Night, it explains all the different ways the Nazis killed women and children. The book makes it pretty clear that they had no issue with killing them. The videos we watched in class also gave vivid descriptions of what took place in the camps. The Nazis did not struggle with this decision in the least bit. One reason is because on pages 62-65 in the book it explains how the SS men hung the small boy. Even though some of the men had an issue carrying out the execution, three SS men gladly took their place. In the mind of the Nazis, Jewish children where just the same as Jewish adults, after all they would one day become adults themselves. Jewish babies were also thrown into the air for â€Å"target practice. † In my opinion, people who â€Å"struggle† with decisions regarding life and death do not do these terrible acts to children. When families arrived at the camps, women and small children were separated from the men. The SS officers would throw women and children into a fire alive. They also lined the women up, some still holding their children, and shot them. The women and children had their clothes taken from them. We saw this illustrated in a picture we looked at in class. A few of the unfortunate children were used for medical experiments. Twins were considered extremely rare and fascinating to the Nazis. Children were regularly chosen as subjects for these â€Å"experiments. Over one million Jewish children died in the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis. Anywhere from 2. 9 to 3 million Jewish women also died. In conclusion, any Jew of any age was fair game for the Nazis. Their main goal was to eliminate them regardless of the age or the sex. These are some of the reasons I believe this is true. Nazis definitely did not struggle with their decision on this matter. The SS had absolutely no understanding of the value of life. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Different Ways The Nazis Killed Women And Children" essay for you Create order

The Return Nightfall Chapter 33 Free Essays

string(60) " to the rest of us, I have a feeling your ego will survive\." Damon just sat there. Then he licked his mouth and said nothing, did nothing. â€Å"You bastard!† â€Å"Yes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Nightfall Chapter 33 or any similar topic only for you Order Now † â€Å"You’re saying that Stefan didn’t really walk out on me?† â€Å"Yes. I mean – correct.† â€Å"Who wrote the letter in my diary, then?† Damon said nothing, but looked away. â€Å"Oh, Damon!† She didn’t know whether to kiss him or shake him. â€Å"How could you – do youknow,† she said in a choked and threatening voice, â€Å"what I’ve gone through since he disappeared? Thinking every minute that he just suddenly decided to up andleave me ? Even if he intended to come back – â€Å" â€Å"I – â€Å" â€Å"Don’t try to tell me you’resorry ! Don’t try to tell me you know what it feels like feeling that, because you don’t.How could you? You don’t have feelings like that!† â€Å"I think – I’ve had some similar experience. But I wasn’t going to try to defend myself. Only to say that we have a limited time while I can block Shinichi from seeing us.† Elena heart was shattering into a thousand pieces; she could feel each one pierce her. Nothing mattered anymore. â€Å"You lied, you broke your promise about never harming each other – â€Å" â€Å"I know – and that should have been impossible. But it started that night when the trees closed in on Bonnie and Meredith and†¦Mark†¦.† â€Å"Matt!† â€Å"That night, when Stefan knocked me around and showed me his true Power – it was because of you. He did it so I would stay away from you. Before that he’d just hoped to keep you hidden. And that night I felt†¦betrayed somehow. Don’t ask me why that should make sense, when for years before I’ve knocked him down and made him eat dirt any time I wanted.† Elena tried to make sense of what he was saying in her shattered condition. And she couldn’t. But neither could she ignore a feeling that had just dropped down like an angel in chains grabbing hold of her. Try to look with your other eyes. Look inside, not outside for the answer. You know Damon. You’ve already seen what is inside him. How long has it been there? â€Å"Oh, Damon, I’m sorry! I know the answer. Damon – Damon. Oh, God! I cansee what’s wrong with you. You’re more possessed than any of those girls.† â€Å"I – have one of those things in me?† Elena kept her eyes shut while she nodded. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she felt sick even as she made herself do it: gather enough human power to see with her other eyes, see as she had somehow learned to seeinside people. The malach that she had seen before inside Damon, and the one Matt had described had been huge for insects – as long as an arm, maybe. But now in Damon she sensed something†¦huge. Monstrous. Something that inhabited him completely, its transparent head inside his beautiful features, its chitinous body as long as his torso; its backward-twisted legs inside his legs. For a moment she thought she would faint; but then she controlled herself. Staring at the ghostly image, she thought, What Would Meredith Do? Meredith would stay calm. She wouldn’t lie, but she would find some way to help. â€Å"Damon, it’s bad. But there has to be some way to get it out of you – soon. I’m going to find that way. Because as long as it’s in you, Shinichi can make you do anything.† â€Å"Will you listen to why I think it’s grown so large? That night, when Stefan dismissed me from his room, everyone else went home like good little girls and boys, but you and Stefan took a walk. A fly. A glide.† For a long time it meant nothing to her, even though it had been the last time she’d seen Stefan. In fact, that was its only significance to her: it was the last time she and Stefan had†¦ She felt herself freeze over inside. â€Å"You went into the Old Wood. You were still the little spirit child who didn’t really know what was right and what was wrong. But Stefan should have known better than to do that – on my own territory. Vampires take territory seriously. And in my own resting place – right in front of my eyes.† â€Å"Oh, Damon! No!† â€Å"Oh, Damon, yes! There you were, sharing blood, too absorbed to have noticed me even if I had leaped out and tried to pry you apart. You were wearing a high-necked white nightgown and you looked like an angel. I wanted to kill Stefanright then.† â€Å"Damon – â€Å" â€Å"And it wasright then that Shinichi appeared. He didn’t need to be told what I was feeling. And he had a plan, an offer†¦a proposition.† Elena shut her eyes again and shook her head. â€Å"He’d prepared you beforehand. You were already possessed and ready to be full of anger.† â€Å"I don’t know why,† Damon went on as if he hadn’t heard her, â€Å"but I scarcely thought about what it would mean to Bonnie and Meredith and the rest of the town. All I could think of was you. All I wanted was you, and revenge on Stefan.† â€Å"Damon, will you listen? By then, you had already been deliberately possessed. I couldsee the malach in you. You admit† – as she felt him swelling up to speak out – â€Å"that something was influencing you before that, forcing you to watch Bonnie and the others die at your feet that night. Damon, I think these things are even harder to get rid of than we imagine. For one thing, you wouldn’t normally stay and watch people do – private things, would you? Doesn’t the fact that you did in itself prove that something was wrong?† â€Å"It’s†¦a theory,† Damon granted, not sounding happy. â€Å"But don’t you see? That was what made you tell Stefan you only saved Bonnie out of whim, and that was what made you refuse to tell everyone that the malach weremaking you watch the trees’ attack, hypnotizing you. That and your stupid, stubborn pride.† â€Å"Watch it on the compliments. I may dry up and blow away.† â€Å"Don’t worry,† Elena said flatly, â€Å"whatever happens to the rest of us, I have a feeling your ego will survive. You read "The Return: Nightfall Chapter 33" in category "Essay examples" What happened next?† â€Å"I made my deal with Shinichi. He would lure Stefan somewhere out of the way where I could see him alone, then smuggle him out of this place to somewhere Stefan couldn’t find you – â€Å" Something bubbled up explosively again inside Elena. It was a tight hard ball of compressed elation. â€Å"Not kill him?† she managed to get out. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Stefan’s alive? He’s alive? He†¦he’s really alive?† â€Å"Steady,† Damon replied coldly. â€Å"Steady on, Elena. We can’t have you fainting.† He held her by the shoulders. â€Å"You thought I meant to kill him?† Elena was trembling almost too hard to answer. â€Å"Why didn’t you tell me before?† â€Å"I apologize for the omission.† â€Å"He’s alive – for sure, Damon? You’re absolutely sure?† â€Å"Positive.† Without a thought of herself, without a thought of any kind, Elena did what she did best – gave in to impulse. She threw her arms around Damon’s neck and kissed him. For a moment Damon just stood rigid with shock. He had contracted with killers to hijack her lover and decimate her town. But Elena’s mind would never see it that way. â€Å"If he were dead – † He stopped and had to try again. â€Å"Shinichi’s whole bargain depends on keeping him alive – alive and away from you. I couldn’t risk you killing yourself orreally hating me† – again the note of distant coldness. â€Å"With Stefan dead, what hold would I have over you, princess?† Elena ignored all this. â€Å"If he’s alive, I can find him.† â€Å"If he remembers you. But what if every memory he had of you were taken away?† â€Å"What?† Elena wanted to explode. â€Å"If every memory of Stefan were taken away fromme ,† she said icily, â€Å"I would still fall in love with him the very moment I saw him. And if every memory of me were taken away from Stefan, he would wander all over the world looking for something without knowing what he was looking for.† â€Å"Very poetic.† â€Å"But, oh, Damon, thank youfor not letting Shinichi kill him!† He shook his head at her, looking bewildered at himself. â€Å"I couldn’t – seem to – do that. Something about giving my word. I figured that if he were free and happy and didn’t remember, that would satisfy enough†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Of your promise to me? You figured wrong. But it doesn’t matter now.† â€Å"It does matter. You’ve suffered for it.† â€Å"No, Damon. All thatreally matters is that he’s not dead – and he didn’t leave me. There’s still hope.† â€Å"But Elena,† Damon’s voice had life now; it was both excited and inflexible: â€Å"Can’t you see? Past history aside, you have to admit thatwe’re the ones that belong together. You and I are simply better suited to each other by nature. Deep down you know that, because we understand each other. We’re on the same intellectual level – â€Å" â€Å"So is Stefan!† â€Å"Well, all I can say is that he does a remarkable job of hiding it, then. But can’t you feel it? Don’t you feel† – his grip was becoming uncomfortable now – â€Å"that you could be my princess of darkness – that something deep inside you wants to? I can see it, if you can’t.† â€Å"I can’t beanything to you, Damon. Except a decent sister-in-law.† He shook his head, laughing harshly. â€Å"No, you’re only suited for the main role. Well, all I can say is that if we live through the fight with the twins, you’ll see things in yourself that you’ve never seen before. And you’llknow that we’re more suited together.† â€Å"And allI can say is that if we live through this fight with the Bobbsey twins from Hell, it sounds as if we’re going to need all the spiritual power that we can get afterward. Andthat means getting Stefan back.† â€Å"We may not be able to get him back. Oh, I agree – even if we drive Shinichi and Misao away from Fell’s Church, the likelihood that we’re going to be able to do away with them completely is about zero. You’re no fighter. We’re probably not even going to be able to hurt them very much. But even I don’t know exactly where Stefan is.† â€Å"Then the twins are the only ones who can help us.† â€Å"If they stillcan help us – oh, all right, I’ll admit it. TheShi no Shi are probably complete frauds. They probably take a few memories from vampire chumps – memories are the coin of choice in the realm of the Other Side – and then send them away while the cash register is still jingling. They’re frauds. The whole place is a giant slum and freakshow – sort of like a rundown Vegas.† â€Å"But they’re not afraid that the vampires they cheat will want revenge?† Damon laughed, this time musically. â€Å"A vampire who doesn’t want to be a vampire is about the lowest object on the totem pole on the Other Side. Oh, except for humans. Along with lovers who’ve fulfilled suicide pacts, kids who jump off the roof because they think their Superman cape can make them fly – â€Å" Elena tried to pull away from him, to reprove him, but he was surprisingly strong. â€Å"It doesn’t sound like a very nice place.† â€Å"It isn’t.† â€Å"And that’s where Stefan is?† â€Å"If we’re lucky.† â€Å"So basically,† she said, seeing things, as she always did, in terms of Plans A, B, C, and D, â€Å"first we have to find out where Stefan is from these twins. Second, we have to get the twins to heal the little girls they’ve possessed. Third, we have to get them to leave Fell’s Church alone – for good. But before any of that, we have to find Stefan. He’ll be able to help us; I know he will. And then we just hope we’re strong enough for the rest.† â€Å"We could use Stefan’s help, all right. But you missed the real point – for now, what we have to do is keep the twins from killing us.† â€Å"They still think you’re their friend, yes?† Elena’s mind was flickering through options. â€Å"Make themsure you are. Wait until a strategic moment comes, and then take the chance. Do we have any weapons against them?† â€Å"Iron. They do badly against iron – they’re demons. And dear Shinichi is obsessed with you, although I can’t say his sister will approve when she realizes it.† â€Å"Obsessed?† â€Å"Yes. With you and with English folk songs, remember? Although I can’t fathom why. The songs, I mean.† â€Å"Well, I don’t know what we can make of that – â€Å" â€Å"But I’ll bet that his obsession with you will make Misao angry. It’s just a hunch, but she’s had him to herself for thousands of years.† â€Å"Then we set them against each other, pretend that he’s going to get me. Damon – what?† Elena added in tones of alarm as he tightened his grip on her as if concerned. â€Å"He’s not going to get you,† Damon said. â€Å"I know that.† â€Å"I don’t quite like the idea of anyone else getting you. You were meant to be mine, you know.† â€Å"Damon, don’t. I’ve told you. Please – â€Å" â€Å"Meaning  ¡Ã‚ ®please don’t make me hurt you’? The truth is that you can’t hurt me unless I let you. You can only hurt yourself against me.† Elena could at least pull their upper bodies farther apart. â€Å"Damon, we just made an agreement, made plans. Now, what are we doing, throwing them all away?† â€Å"No, but I thought of another way to get you a grade-A superhero, right now. You’ve been saying I should take more of your blood for ages.† â€Å"Oh†¦yes.† It was true, even if that had been before he had admitted to her the terrible things he’d done. And†¦ â€Å"Damon, what happened with Matt in the clearing? We went looking all over for him, but we didn’t find him. And you wereglad .† He didn’t bother to deny it. â€Å"In the real world I was angry at him, Elena. He seemed to be just another rival. Part of the reason we’re here is so I can remember exactly what happened.† â€Å"Did you hurt Matt, Damon? Because now you’re hurting me.† â€Å"Yes.† Damon’s voice was light and indifferent suddenly, as if he found it amusing. â€Å"I suppose I did hurt him. I used psychic pain on him, and that’s stopped a lot of hearts from beating. But your Mutt’s tough. I like that. I made him suffer more and more, and yet he still went on living because he was afraid to leave you alone.† â€Å"Damon!† Elena wrenched herself back, only to find that it did no good. He was far, far stronger than she was. â€Å"How could you do that to him?† â€Å"I told you; he was a rival.† Damon laughed suddenly. â€Å"You really don’t remember, do you? I made him abase himself for you. I made him eat dirt, literally, for you.† â€Å"Damon – are you crazy?† â€Å"No. I’m just now finding my sanity. I don’t need to convince you that you belong to me. I can take you.† â€Å"No, Damon. I won’t be your princess of darkness or – or anything else of yours without asking. At the most you’ll have a dead body to play with.† â€Å"Maybe I’d like that. But you forget; I can enter your mind. And you still have friends – at home, getting ready for supper or bed, you hope. Don’t you? Friends with all their limbs; who’ve never known real pain.† It took Elena a long time to speak. Then she said quietly, â€Å"I take back every decent thing I ever said about you. You’re a monster, do you hear that? You’re an abomin – † Her voice wound slowly down. â€Å"They’re making you do this, aren’t they?† she said finally, flatly. â€Å"Shinichi and Misao. A nice little show for them. Just like they made you hurt Matt and me before.† â€Å"No, I do only what I want to.† Was that a flash of red Elena saw in his eyes? The briefest flaring of a flame†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Do you know how beautiful you are when you’re crying? You’re more beautiful than ever. The gold in your eyes seems to rise to the surface and spill down in tears of diamond. I would love to have a sculptor carve a bust of you weeping.† â€Å"Damon, I know you’re not really saying this. I know that the thing they put inside you is the one saying it.† â€Å"Elena, I assure you, it’s all me. I quite enjoyed it when I made him hurt you. I liked to hear the way you cried out. I made him tear your clothes – I had to hurt him a lot to get him to do it. But didn’t you notice that your camisole had been torn, and that you were barefooted? That was all Mutt.† Elena forced her mind back to the moment she had come to herself leaping out of the Ferrari. Yes, then, and in the time afterward she had been barefooted and bare-armed, wearing only a camisole. Quite a bit of the fabric of her jeans had been left on the roadside after that, and in the surrounding vegetation. But it had never occurred to her to wonder what had happened to her boots and socks, or how her camisole had been torn in strips at the bottom. She’d simply been so grateful for help†¦to the one who had hurt her in her first place. Oh, Damon must have thought that ironic. She suddenly realized she herself was thinking ofDamon and not ofthe possessor. Not of Shinichi and Misao.But they weren’t the same, she told herself. I’ve got to remember that! â€Å"Yes, I enjoyed making him hurt you, and I enjoyed hurting you. I made him bring me a willow rod, just the right thickness, and then whipped you with it. You enjoyed that, too, I promise you. Don’t bother to look for marks because they’ve all gone like the others. But all three of us enjoyed hearing your cries. You†¦and me†¦and Mutt, too. In fact, of all of us, he may have enjoyed it most.† â€Å"Damon, shut up! I won’t listen to you talk about Matt that way!† â€Å"I wouldn’t let him see you without your clothes on, though,† Damon confided, as if he hadn’t heard a word. â€Å"That was when I had him – dismissed. Put into another snow globe. I wanted to hunt you as you tried to get away from me, in an empty globe that you could never get out of. I wanted to see that special look in your eyes that you get when you fight with everything you have – and I wanted to see it defeated. You’re no fighter, Elena.† Damon laughed suddenly, an ugly sound, and to Elena’s shock his arm shot out and he punched through the wall of the widow’s walk. â€Å"Damon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She was sobbing by now. â€Å"And then I wanted to dothis .† With no warning, Damon’s fist forced her chin up, jerking her head back. His other hand tangled in her hair, bringing her neck back to the exact position he wanted her to be in. And then Elena felt him strike, quick as a cobra, and felt the two tearing wounds in the side of her neck, and her own blood spurting out of them. Ages later, Elena woke up sluggishly. Damon was still enjoying himself, clearly lost in the experience of having Elena Gilbert. And there was no time to make different plans. Her body simply took over by itself, startling her almost as much as it startled Damon. Even as he lifted his head, her hand plucked the magical house key off his finger. Then she gripped, twisted, lifted her knees as high as she could, and kicked outward, sending Damon smashing through the splintered, rotted wood that formed the outside railing of the widow’s walk. How to cite The Return: Nightfall Chapter 33, Essay examples

Yahoo! Essays - Internet Search Engines, World Wide Web,

Yahoo! Yahoo! rode the bull market Thursday, primarily on the strength of a report by Lehman Brothers, which raised its recommendation on the stock to a Buy. But Lehman analyst Holly Becker may well be the lone voice in the dark with her Yahoo! upgrade. Most other analysts are scratching their heads, taking a wait-and-see approach, and noting the many internal conflicts Yahoo! is currently undergoing. Some are even saying it may get worse before it gets better, that the Web portal may actually have to go through a round of layoffs in the not-to-distant future. When asked about the possible layoffs, a Yahoo! spokesperson said that the company does not comment on rumors. In the near term, the waters remain pretty turbulent for the company, said Derek Brown, an analyst with WR Hambrecht. There are strong forces at work right now against Yahoo!, and layoffs are a distinct possibility in the near future. Plus, the company is still searching for a new chief executive, analysts note. In her report, Becker set a 12-month target price for Yahoo! at $20 a share. Technology Essays

Anaxamander Essays - Ancient Greek Philosophers, Natural Philosophy

Anaxamander Essays - Ancient Greek Philosophers, Natural Philosophy Anaxamander With his discoveries, Anaxamander of Miletus attempted to bring the realm of the unreal to the world where common man could conceive it. As successor and pupil of Thales of Miletus, Anaxamander worked on the fields of geometry, natural science, and astrology. The culmination of his life attempted to define the indefinite or undetermined. He was the first to discover and apply the theory of the unlimited. For a philosopher of this time period, he had many radical ideas. Anaxamander believed many different things about the position of the Earth. He also published a book, On Nature, which revealed his theories about the evolution of Earth and man. Under the tutelage of Thales, Anaxamander studied numerous things about earth and life. While he did make some contributions to the world of mathematics, his greatest achievements were probably in science and astrology. His most notable accomplishment, however, was the gnomon. The gnomon is the large rod that is erected from the base of the su ndial. This led him to other things, such as the prediction of solstices and equinoxes. His attempts at prediction carried over and allowed him to create maps of both the real and celestial worlds. In addition to his celestial interests, Anaxamander believed that the Earth hung in the middle of the sky and was held there by the pull of objects at either side. Along this line he also believed that the world possessed a cylindrical form. He believed that the Earth was encompassed by a flame, that was broken into pieces in order to generate the sun, moon, and stars. The heavenly bodies, Anaxamander thought, were each a wheel of fire. When holes in the wheel were clogged then an eclipse occurred. The seas upon the earth were the result of leftover primal moisture. Strong winds came through and dried some places, which are now land; what was left became the seas and oceans. Anaxamanders attempt to bring the world of the unknown to reality was the most difficult task that one could encounter. Well-known for his theory of Apeiron, or the unlimited, Anaxamander pursued the changes of the Earth. He basically thought that apeiron compensated for the many changes the Earth undergoes. As a fragment from Anaxamander says, the unlimited is the first principle of things that are. It is that from which the coming-to-be takes place, and it is that to which they return when they perish, by moral necessity, giving satisfaction to one another and making reparation for their injustice, according to the order of time. Coming to be is the separation of opposites and does not involve any change in the natural being of a substance. Anaxamander thought that it was neither water nor any other substance, but it is of entirely different nature than that in which the unlimited exists. He believed that all things existed in some place. Whether they were absent or conspicuous was irrelevant; they still existed. He believed that qualities came into existence, vanished away, only to return again. Anaxamnder took into consideration that there was a storehouse or reservoir from which the qualities that now confront us have separated off and into which, when their contraries come forth in time, they will go back; the process being repeated in reverse, and so on in never-ending cycles. Anaxamander, unlike most philosophers of this time, assessed that the world was created from air, not water. He assumed that everything was created from nothing. This nothing, however, was actually the unknown. The unknown, as Anaxamander defines it, can best be described as the other half of what is. The undetermined is what is not and cannot be seen. Equally as important are water, land, and fire that were created by the density in the air. Each of these three things, as seen from Anaxamanders point of view, were the origin of all the rest of what exists. Water, of course, was the origin of life. From this water, first came fish that would evolve into what is now man. Bibliography Kirk,G.S. and Raven, J.E. The_Presocratic_Philosophers. London: Cambridge University Press, 1957 Wheelwright, Philip. The Presocratics. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1966 15 Oct. 1999. http://viator.ucs.indiana.edu/ancmed./foundations.htm 15 Oct. 1999. http://acnet.pratt.edu/arch5143/help/pre-socratic.html 13 Oct. 1999. hcc.hawaii.edu/instruct/div.sci/sci122/Greek/Greek.html

Daniel OConnell - Biography of Irish Statesman

Daniel OConnell - Biography of Irish Statesman Daniel OConnell was an Irish patriot who came to exert enormous influence on the relationship between Ireland and its British rulers during the first half of the 19th century. OConnell, a gifted orator, and charismatic figure rallied the Irish people and helped secure some degree of civil rights for the long-oppressed Catholic population. Seeking reform and progress through legal means, OConnell was not really involved in the periodic Irish rebellions of the 19th century. Yet his arguments provided the inspiration for generations of Irish patriots. OConnells signature political achievement was the securing of Catholic Emancipation. His later Repeal Movement, which sought to repeal the Act of Union between Britain and Ireland, was ultimately unsuccessful. But his management of the campaign, which included Monster Meetings which drew hundreds of thousands of people, inspired Irish patriots for generations. It is impossible to overstate the importance of OConnell to Irish life in the 19th century. After his death, he became a venerated hero both in Ireland and among the Irish who had emigrated to America. In many Irish-American households of the 19th century, a lithograph of Daniel OConnell would hang in a prominent location. Childhood in Kerry O’Connell was born on August 6, 1775, in County Kerry, in the west of Ireland. His family was somewhat unusual in that while Catholic, they were considered members of the gentry, and they owned land. The family practiced an ancient tradition of â€Å"fosterage,† in which a child of wealthy parents would be raised in the household of a peasant family. This was said to make the child deal with hardships, and other advantages would be that the child would learn the Irish language as well as local traditions and folklore practices. In his later youth, an uncle nicknamed â€Å"Hunting Cap† O’Connell doted on young Daniel, and often took him hunting in the rough hills of Kerry. The hunters used hounds, but as the landscape was too rough for horses, the men and boys would have to run after the hounds. The sport was rough and could be dangerous, but young O’Connell loved it. Studies in Ireland and France Following classes taught by a local priest in Kerry, O’Connell was sent to a Catholic school in the city of Cork for two years. As a Catholic, he couldn’t enter the universities in England or Ireland at the time, so his family sent him and his younger brother Maurice to France for further studies. While in France, the French Revolution broke out. In 1793 O’Connell and his brother were forced to flee the violence. They made their way to London safely, but with little more than the clothes on their backs. The passing of Catholic Relief Acts in Ireland made it possible for O’Connell to study for the bar, and in the mid-1790s he studied at schools in London and Dublin. In 1798 O’Connell was admitted to the Irish bar. Radical Attitudes While a student, O’Connell read widely and absorbed current ideas of the Enlightenment, including such authors as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Thomas Paine. He later became friendly with the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, an eccentric character known for advocating a philosophy of â€Å"utilitarianism.† While O’Connell remained a Catholic for the rest of his life, he also always thought of himself as a radical and a reformer. Revolution of 1798 A revolutionary fervor was sweeping Ireland in the late 1790s, and Irish intellectuals such as Wolfe Tone were dealing with the French in hopes that French involvement could lead to Ireland’s liberation from England. O’Connell, however, having escaped from France, was not inclined to align himself with groups seeking French aid. When the Irish countryside erupted in rebellions of the United Irishmen in the spring and summer of 1798, O’Connell was not directly involved. His allegiance was actually to the side of law and order, so in that sense, he sided with British rule. However, he later said that he wasn’t approving of the British rule of Ireland, but he felt that open revolt would be disastrous. The 1798 uprising was particularly bloody, and the butchery in Ireland hardened his opposition to violent revolution. Legal Career of Daniel OConnell Marrying a distant cousin in July 1802, O’Connell soon had a young family to support. And though his law practice was successful and constantly growing, he was also always in debt. As O’Connell became one of the most successful lawyers in Ireland, he was known for winning cases with his sharp wit and extensive knowledge of the law. In the 1820s O’Connell was deeply involved with the Catholic Association, which promoted the political interests of the Catholics in Ireland. The organization was funded by very small donations which any poor farmer could afford. Local priests often urged those in the peasant class to contribute and become involved, and the Catholic Association became a widespread political organization. Daniel OConnell Runs for Parliament In 1828, OConnell ran for a seat in the British Parliament as the member from County Clare, Ireland. This was controversial as he would be barred from taking his seat if he won, as he was Catholic and Members of Parliament were required to take a Protestant oath. OConnell, with the support of poor tenant farmers who often walked miles to vote for him, won the election. As a Catholic Emancipation bill had recently passed, due in large measure to agitation from the Catholic Association, OConnell was eventually able to take his seat. As might be expected, OConnell was a reformer in Parliament, and some called him by the nickname, The Agitator. His great goal was to repeal the Act of Union, the 1801 law which had dissolved the Irish Parliament and united Ireland with Great Britain. Much to his despair, he was never able to see Repeal become a reality. Monster Meetings In 1843, OConnell mounted a great campaign for Repeal of the Act of Union and held enormous gatherings, called Monster Meetings, across Ireland. Some of the rallies drew crowds of up to 100,000. The British authorities, of course, were greatly alarmed. In October 1843 OConnell planned a huge meeting in Dublin, which British troops were ordered to suppress. With his aversion to violence, OConnell canceled the meeting. Not only did he lose prestige with some followers, but the British arrested and jailed him for conspiracy against the government. Return to Parliament OConnell returned to his seat in Parliament just as the Great Famine ravaged Ireland. He gave a speech in the House of Commons urging aid for Ireland and was mocked by the British. In poor health, OConnell traveled to Europe in hopes of recuperating, and while en route to Rome he died in Genoa, Italy on May 15, 1847. He remained a great hero to the Irish people. A grand statue of OConnell was placed on the main street of Dublin, which was later renamed OConnell Street in his honor.

The Rising Cost of Health Care, and the Uninsured Essay

The Rising Cost of Health Care, and the Uninsured - Essay Example In the face of rising health care costs, fewer employers are able to provide their workers with health insurance; the percentage of employers offering health insurance dropped from 69% in 2000 to 60% in 2005. Even if employers are able to provide health insurance benefits, the trend is towards providing high-deductible insurance that covers an ever-shrinking percentage of health care costs. The net result is that more and more employed middle-class Americans find themselves with low-quality or no access to health care. The erosion of employer-based coverage has been partially offset by increased enrollment in Medicaid, which is designed to provide a safety-net for the lowest income Americans. However, Medicaid has recently been the subject of relentless funding cuts by cash-strapped states and Congressional representatives who are ideologically opposed to welfare programs. As the program continues to be slashed, it is certain that Medicaid will not be able to offset the losses in employer-based insurance, resulting in more and more uninsured individuals. Health insecurity is at an all-time high. In a time when thousands of people lose their health insurance every day, when health care is becoming elusive to even well-to-do Americans, and when any person is just one pink slip away from becoming uninsured, it becomes clear that health care for all is not just important to achieve, but imperative. (http://66.249.93.104/searchq=cache:MjuwB2oUF14J:www.amsa.org/uhc/CaseForUHC.pdf+%22Health+insecurity+is+at+an+all-time+high.+In+a+time+when+thousands%22&hl=en&gl=pk&ct=clnk&cd=1) Most people have health insurance through their employers or jobs. But, employment is no longer a guarantee of health insurance coverage. As companies change from manufacturing-based economy to a service economy, the working patterns revolve and health insurance coverage has become less stable. Due to rising health insurance, many employers cannot afford to offer health benefits. Companies that do offer health insurance, often require employees to contribute a larger share toward their coverage. As a result, a lot of people have made a decision not to take advantage of job-based health insurance because they cannot afford it. Because of this healthcare spending continues to rise at the fastest rate in history. For example in 2004, according to the National Coalition of Healthcare (NCHC) the total national health expenditures rose 7.9 percent -- over three times the rate of inflation (1). Total spending was $1.9 TRILLION in 2004, or $6,280 per person (1). Total healthcare spending represented 16 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Healthcare spending is expected to increase at similar levels for the next decade reaching $4 TRILLION in 2015, or 20 percent of GDP. In 2005, employer health insurance premiums increased by 9.2 percent - nearly three times the rate of inflation. The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $11,000. The annual premium for single coverage averaged over $4,000. Experts say our healthcare system is filled with inefficiencies, unnecessary administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management, and inappropriate care, waste and fraud. These problems drastically

Walt Whitman's democratic society - dream or reality Essay

Walt Whitman's democratic society - dream or reality - Essay Example Ideally, the consequence of the Civil War affected the realization of a truly American democratic society in the sense that it upheld the rights of the people as human beings and it reinforced their roles in ensuring that the state is headed by a government that is chosen by the people and accountable to it. The reforms that were undertaken after the war include those about electoral issues, equality, the bill of rights, among other factors that defined the relationship of the people and the state in America. Particularly, civil rights legislations especially those outlawing racial discrimination were passed. In over 30 years, more than a dozen states in the North and West passed civil rights statutes establishing their own antidiscrimination policies. (Perry and Smith 71) This fitted Whitman’s vision, transforming his vision into reality. These civil rights initiatives confirmed Whitman’s position in regard to the divinity of the individual. In the Democratic Vistas, f or example, he maintained that: It remains to bring forward and modify everything else with the idea of that Something a man is, (last precious consolation of the drudging poor), standing apart from all else, divine in his own right, and a woman in hers, sole and untouchable by any canons of authority, or any rule derived from precedent, state safety, the acts of legislatures. (16) The Gilded Age in reality, however, differed markedly from the democratic rhetoric of the Civil Rights and the developments that was supposedly achieved after the Civil War and the Restoration. At this point, for instance, there was the redefinition of liberty and property as those rights within this area were increasingly used by the wealthy and big corporations to control and exploit ordinary people. According to Moore (2005), the freedom of speech is valuable for democracy as well as Whitman’s arguments because it preserves and promotes democracy and self-government.