Frederick Douglass :: biographies bio biography

Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) Frederick Douglass was born to a slave as well as a white slave owner. Aside from being born a slave, Frederick Douglass was able to teach himself how to read and write. Douglass involved himself in the improvement of the lives of other black men. Douglass was able to organize a small revolt against his owner and survived the revolt. Frederick Douglass’s book was published in 1845 and was named Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass’ narrative is a recount of the tough life on the plantations before his escape to New York. Douglas describes in this narrative the senseless acts of cruelty on the part of the masters as well as the debased lives of the slaves. Frederick Douglass greatly contributed to the emancipation cause. Among Douglass’ several contributions was the recruitment of Negro volunteers during the Civil War period. Frederick Douglass also played a key role in safeguarding and preserving the right of his fellow freed men. Douglass later worked as a secretary of the Santo Domingo Commission, Recorder of Deeds in the District of Columbia and United States Minister to Haiti Frederick Douglas's Escape to Freedom Although Frederick Douglass did not go into great detail about his escape from his master to freedom in New York, he does describe the trying times he encountered once arriving in the free state of New York. The following excerpt is from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. "I have been frequently asked how I felt when I found myself in a free State. I have never been able to answer the question with any satisfaction to myself. It was a moment of the highest excitement I ever experienced†¦. In writing to a dear friend, immediately after my arrival in New York, I said I felt like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions. This state of mind, however, very soon subsided; and I was again seized with a feeling of loneliness.

Comparing and Contrasting E.L. Doctorows Billy Bathgate and William Kennedys Legs :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Comparing and Contrasting E.L. Doctorow's Billy Bathgate and William Kennedy's Legs The many similarities between E.L. Doctorow's Billy Bathgate and William Kennedy's Legs suggest that Doctorow used Legs as a starting place for the creation of his own novel. Certain scenes are so similar that it seems that they did not originate independently. Marcus Gorman and Billy Bathgate had almost indistinguishable experiences while firing target practice and later when Jack Diamond and Dutch Schultz died. Doctorow did not, however, merely copy Kennedy's story; he instead used it as a building block to begin from. Billy Bathgate had many elements that Legs did not which expanded the story's significance. The pistol firing scene in Billy Bathgate palpably mimics the machine gun practice in Legs. Not only are the literal actions very similar to each other, but their impact on the characters is almost identical as well. The excitement and power gained by firing weapons lures both characters further on their descent into the criminal underworld. After shooting, Marcus thinks, "Do something new and you are new. How boring it is not to fire machine guns" (Kennedy 41). And Billy said, "I will never forget how it felt to hold a loaded gun for the first time and lift it and fire it, the scare of its animate kick up the bone of your arm, you are empowered there is no question about it, it is an investiture, like knighthood" (Doctorow 145). In the case of Marcus Gorman, the exhilaration of firing the machine gun was the benefit that would outweigh the risks of associating with Jack Diamond. Billy had already been attracted to the gang life. However, the power he gained from firing his automatic amplified his attraction. He finally understood why the other gang members had such closeness with their guns. Doctorow saw Marcus' introduction to the gang life through guns as an organic element in the story that worked properly. Therefore, he chose to borrow for Billy rather than trying to come up with something different that may not have worked as well. After their gun firing experiences, Marcus and Billy experienced many strikingly similar events. The most dramatic of these were the death scenes of Jack Diamond and Dutch Schultz. In both cases, mentor and protà ©gà © were together at the time of departure, and each protà ©gà © received a privileged transmission of information that no one else did.

What Do You Think About the View That There Are No Women in The Great Gatsby With Whom the Reader Can Sympathize?

Sympathy is defined as having feelings of sorrow for someone else’s misfortune. In a novel, sympathizing in a character allows the reader to relate to them. In Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, there is no female character with whom we can sympathize. However, at various points within the novel we do offer our brief condolences to each character. Throughout the novel Daisy Buchanan appears enigmatic to the reader: why is she in a loveless relationship? Why did she leave Gatsby hanging on a thread? Many conclude that the ultimate chapters prove to us in many ways that she is incapable of loving. Shown by her choice to stay with Tom for his wealth and security; rather than choosing Gatsby, for she was â€Å"appalled by its raw vigour that chaffed†. She looks down on the vulgar nature of people that try and buy their way into the upper class as he has done. However, it is feasible to suggest that she chose Tom; after all he didn’t build his empire selling illegal alcohol like Gatsby. In addition, it is possible to argue that being in an unhappy marriage – shown by her reaction to Tom speaking to his mistress over dinner – is a liable reason to which we can feel empathy for her. Despite all of this, however, it is apparent throughout the novel that she is materialistic, promiscuous and immoral. As soon as Tom leaves she â€Å"kiss[es] him on the mouth† she is not only betraying Tom, but she acts â€Å"careless[ly]† with Gatsby’s emotions. He is a character in which the reader can sympathize – meaning she is hated. Ultimately, she chooses to run away with Tom, this is her last act that convinces we, as the reader, to deplore her. Jordan is an equally difficult character to whom we can sympathize; however, for different reasons. There is only really one instance in the novel that contrasts this view, and that’s when Jordan had â€Å"met another bad driver† in Nick. This does make her emotionally accessible to us; we can feel pity for her. However, this is overshadowed by her compulsive ability to lie. Apparently, she does not â€Å"give a damn† about the end of her and Nick’s relationship; an obvious lie, yet it implies that she will move on soon enough. We will never know if she actually met someone else during her and Nick’s meeting, yet it is unlikely, as she is a neurotic fabricator. Adding to this, we notice that Jordan is a highly destructive and careless character, rather like Daisy. She casually mentions to Nick that she â€Å"left a borrowed car out in the rain, and then lied about it† She is being careless with other peoples property, lying about it to ensure she is not affected by any repercussions†. It is apparent he that Jordan does not, as a whole, evoke sympathy with us. Myrtle does not draw any sympathy from the reader at a first glance. She is the lower-class mistress to Tom. She is a poor representation of the 1920’s woman as she carries â€Å"her surplus flesh sensuously†, meaning she is rather provocative, it is also the only compliment she receives in the book, inferring Tom’s only use for her is sex; not a particularly good role model for women. She is somewhat comparable to Daisy in that her only care is money and materialism, she wants to escape the upper class, and Tom is her refuge. Her â€Å"tremendous vitality† should aid her in this. However, we can sympathize with â€Å"Myrtle Wilson† when she fulfils her â€Å"tragic achievement†. This refers to her death, all she ever wanted to do was to escape her class and accomplish her American dream, but Nick morbidly realizes that the only way she ever would is through death. Much like Gatsby, her dream is forever doomed. Myrtle, in my opinion is a character with we can sympathize the most; her tragic story is rather like Gatsby’s. In that she had an unachievable, completely unattainable dream in her sight, but it was never to be – a doomed dream. I believe all the female characters in â€Å"The Great Gatsby† have characteristics that make us, as the reader to both love and despise them at the same time. Fitzgerald has portrayed them as merely humans with certain traits and bad decisions that moulds them into who they are. All three of these women are accessible to the reader, whilst at the same time completely detached and despised. I believe that the view in question is different for every reader, as they can make their informed opinion on each of these women. As for me, I do feel sympathy for them, but only to a certain extent.

An Essay on “Less than Zero”

Life is ever-changing, ever-moving in the passive world of today’s youth. This thought came to mind when I was reading Bret Easton Ellis’ novel â€Å"Less Than Zero†. It is a book that speaks of the life of young people in the society these days. This essay aims to describe the elements of textual style, time movement, and the leading character of the novel. First, the author’s style which employs fluidity of spatial location depict the constant changing of ads, videos, scenes, programs and channels on television to which this story resembles. It can be observed that the story jumps from one location to another. Indeed, reading the novel is like watching a television. Just like in this paragraph from the text: â€Å"After leaving Blair I drive down to Wilshire and then onto Santa Monica and then I drive onto Sunset and take Beverly Glen to Mulholland, and then to Sepulveda to Ventura and then I drive through Sherman Oak's to Encino and then into Tarzana and then Woodland Hills. I stop at Sambo's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This scene narrates the constant search of Clay, the leading character of the story, for a place where he can find enjoyment and pleasure yet he always ends up feeling empty and frustrated. This characterizes the youth of the 80’s and of today. They do a lot of things, go to a lot of places, and meet a lot of people yet they end up with nothing. The teens in the story spend their time, money and energy in worthless activities such as drinking alcohol, sniffing cocaine, partying, and engaging in sex and more but they do not get anything worthwhile. There is another scene of Clay and Rip tells of the aimlessness of going from one place to another. It didn’t matter if they are getting nowhere as long as they are moving. Second, the fast and quick time movement of the story illustrates that people come and go. Nothing is permanent in this world and time flies fast. And this is probably the reason why it seems that the novel constantly talks of death. What is worse is that Clay and his friends do not even care. Like the case of the twelve-year old girl who was kidnapped, gang-raped by Rip together with his friends and was found dead the next day. It is such as gory sight yet it seems these teenagers in the story are unaffected. It can also be observed that together with the change of location is a change of time. Such as these phrases: â€Å"Blair picks me up from LAX†¦ Nobody’s home†¦ I bring Daniel to Blair’s party that night†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These scenes come after each other abruptly. There is no transition. It goes on and on. Lastly, Clay‘s character in the story portrays the nihilism and the passivism that characterizes the youth of today. He is the total picture of rich kids who have parents who can give them all the money and material things they want except for the love and time that they need. He narrates the story with passive indifference, probably because of his being constantly stoned with cocaine. He is detached in his feelings towards his family, his girlfriend, his friends and others. He seems not to care about what is happening to them. He sees the death that comes to people and yet he is unconcerned. However, he has a craving for something deeper. In fact, there are flashback scenes in the story where he remembered his grandparents and aunt. He even went back to Palm Springs where he grew up and he says: â€Å"I guess I went there because I want to remember the way things were.† This tells of a hidden part of him to get back to the good old days. In conclusion, the novel is an effective medium of presenting a picture of the younger generation’s life, struggles and hopes through the fluidity of spatial location, time movements and the character of Clay. Indeed, this novel â€Å"Less Than Zero† shows that the life of a teenager these days constantly changes and moves because of nihilism, passivism and aimlessness. Works Cited Ellis, Bret Easton. Less Than Zero. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. 1

Assess competing theories of the causes of financial crisis against Essay - 1

Assess competing theories of the causes of financial crisis against evidence from one of the countries impacted by the Asian financial crisis - Essay Example One of the theories established by Corsetti et al (1999) attribute the contagion effect in the Asian economies implying that the economies geographically located adjacent to each other normally follow the other countries in the region for the rise and fall in their economies. Alon and Kellerman (1999) substantiate this theory in that they state that the crisis was a reminiscent of the ‘Domino Theory’ of 1960’s. There are other view points attributing different reasons for the financial crisis in Asian economies. This paper analyzes the competing theories that examine the causes of the Asian financial crisis in the light of several theoretical models established by research studies on the crisis and its causes. Before discussing the causes and effects of the Asian financial crisis, it is important to study the background for the evolution of the financial crisis in the Asian economies. The default of a large amount of debts by Hanob Steel Corporation of South Korea started off the financial crisis in the region. This default by the steel major was followed by many business failures in the country. (Amitava Chatterji 2003) Following this there was an uneasy feeling for the speculators about the economic and political developments in the region. Hence in May 1997 they initiated heavy capital outflows from Thailand putting the baht – the currency of Thailand under pressure. Though there were assurances from the Thai government that there would be no devaluation of baht, Bank of Thailand in July 1997 announced the free float of baht which virtually devalued the currency by 20 percent. (Amitava Chatterji 2003) This had triggered the suspicion in the minds of the investors on the Asian regional capital and currency markets and the investor confidence suffered a marked deterioration. Following the act of Thailand, countries like Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore allowed free float of their respective currencies and the values of all

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 13

Strategic Management - Essay Example Increase in vehicles in developing countries like Asia, Africa, Latin America regions overtakes the demand in US, Western Europe & Japan. China is the largest market in international market as the country develops as economic superpower in manufacture & fixed investing activity hub. Market develops in India, Thailand, Taiwan & Russia. Sales increases with good economic conditions & high income levels which lead to growth in manufacturing activity, boosting combined with the demand in bearing market. Australia & Canada is the most intensive user of bearing products which reflects the advanced industrial & technically nature of the economies. As bearing industry is rapidly increasing in the global market, developing countries like Russia, Japan etc, are importing the bearing products. Countries of Asia Pacific regions call for 42% of the total demand in the international market. Hence, in future also, bearing industry will be growing in the other developing regions of the world. Political - In political terms, bearing industry like Indian bearing industry collaborated with SKF so that the bearings made at India are exported to SKF and specialized bearings which are not manufactured in India are imported through the other industries. Without the bearing Industry, automobile sectors & industrial sectors will be at a loss. Due to the collaboration, friendly atmosphere develops between the nations. Economical - Duty rates are reduced therefore many countries like China, Russia, Eastern Europe dump their production at a low rate due to which price differs in local & international market by about 40-50%, which encourages imports. Demand of bearings in international market is projected to rise about 5% annually to about $ 40 billion in the year 2010. Technological - There are various types of bearings and technology to equip depends on the type of bearings. Specialized type of bearings is not manufactured in India

The ultimate achievemet of the Land Registration Act Essay

The ultimate achievemet of the Land Registration Act - Essay Example In analysing the practical ramifications of the LRA 2002, this paper will critically evaluate the procedural and substantive changes in the law on land registration as brought in by the LRA. Moreover, this paper will argue that a central issue in the evaluation of the LRA 2002 is whether property purchase post 2002 has become easier as intended by the extrapolations of the Law Commission Report7. A central issue of concern in contemporary conveyancing is the applicability of any third party â€Å"off the record† proprietary rights and to this end I shall undertake a contextual and comparative analysis with the unregistered system for enforceability of third party rights. Moreover, I shall further evaluate the system for enforceability of third party equitable rights under the registered land system post 2002. It is submitted at the outset that such an evaluation is vital to the overall consideration of the substantive and procedural changes brought about by the LRA in order to determine whether or not the LRA has in fact created a â€Å"rational legal order† as suggested. In assessing the extent of changes introduced by the LRA 2002, it is further necessary to consider the essential objectives of the Law Commission Report, particularly in terms of its hailing the LRA bill as a revolution for conveyancing practice8. Firstly, the Law Commission argued that the reforms proposed by the LRA were bold particularly in respect of the: â€Å"Move from a paper based system of conveyancing to one that is entirely electronic is a very major one and it will transform fundamentally the manner in which the process is conducted9.† Indeed, in the Law Commission Report, in addressing the fundamental objectives of the Bill, it asserts that â€Å"dispositions of... The system for protection of third party interests appears to remain intrinsically complex for purchasers notwithstanding the objectives of the LRA. Moreover, the above analysis demonstrates that it is incorrect to argue that the changes brought introduced by the LRA have automatically culminated in a rationale and simplified system of land registration with limited scope for off the record interests. Indeed, the complex rules of the LRA highlight that in reality, the extent to which a purchaser can be subject to third party interests will ultimately depend on the nature of the right. Additionally, the drafting of the LRA 2002 retains some the core provisions of the 1925 Land Registration Act, which effectively creates a dual system of protection. To this end, it is submitted that it is questionable whether the LRA 2002 has met the objectives extrapolated by the Law Commission, which is arguably a significant opportunity missed.