Descriptive writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Descriptive writing - Essay Example There are shops on two sides, open to the public, with no doors or windows, as if to suggest that there is no distinction between shopping and standing around in the station. Indeed so it seems in reality, since most of the customers appear to be just passing the time, gazing at the magazine titles and tourist trinkets with an air of distraction. An old lady struggles to push her suitcase between the aisles until a city gentleman in a sharp suit helps her to reach the checkout. They make an incongruous pair, the businessman and the old lady, who are now chatting amiably in the queue. He must be six feet four, at least, while she is tiny, craning her neck to speak to him. I wonder what they are talking about, since they surely have very little in common. Perhaps she has a son the same age, or perhaps they are just exchanging pleasantries, as people do, when they meet a stranger in a public place such as this. A melodic jingle sounds, and a female voice announces some delay affecting the London Express. The accent is decidedly Scottish, in keeping with the Edinburgh setting, but at the same time cool and unemotional. The apology for the delay and the â€Å"inconvenience that this may cause† sounds studiously sincere. A moment later the same message, in the same lilting tones, is repeated. This time the stopping service to Dundee is mentioned. It is a tape recording, endlessly repeating the comings and goings of the trains. The disembodied voice is tireless in its efforts to reassure the customers, announcing delays and arrivals, exhorting passengers to look after their luggage, and alerting them to imminent departures. Three uniformed station workers guard the turnstiles. One of them opens a special gate for the disabled, people with dogs, or the odd passenger who is overloaded with luggage. The other two are just standing there, gazing at the noticeboard with the same vacant expression that the crowds of waiting passengers share. They are mesmerised by the

Hester Prynne, of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, and Margare

Hester Prynne, of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and Margaret Fuller, Themid-nineteenth-century Campaigner for the Rights of Women "Endowed in certain respects with the sensibility of Margaret Fuller, the great campaigner for the rights of women, Hester Prynne is as much a woman of mid-nineteenth-century American culture as she is of seventeenth-century Puritan New England." Is this an accurate assessment of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter? Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) was an author, critic, editor and teacher who "possessed more influence on the thought of American women than any woman previous to her time" [1]. She contributed significantly to the American Renaissance in literature and to mid-nineteenth century reform movements. A brilliant and highly educated member of the Transcendentalist group, she challenged Ralph Waldo Emerson both intellectually and emotionally. Women who attended her "conversations" and many men of her time found Fuller's influence life-changing. Her major work, Woman in the Nineteenth Century published in 1845, profoundly affected the women's rights movement which had its formal beginning at Seneca Falls, New York, three years later. Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter, which is set in seventeenth-century Puritan New England. As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Roger Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live but never followed. While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl. Found guilty of adultery (through the absence of her husband and the birth of Pearl), Hester is punished by being forced to wear a scarlet lette... ...on, 1996 4 The Scarlet Letter, p.263 5 Puritanism in Early America, edited by George M. Waller, p.6 6 The Scarlet Letter, p.53 7 Ibid. p.144-5 8 Ibid. p.195 9 Ibid. p.165 10 Ibid. p.86 11 Ibid. p.263 12 Charles Capper, in An American Romantic Life. p.ix. 13 The Scarlet Letter, p.165. 14 Ibid. p.263 15 Ibid. p.263 16 An American Romantic Life, p. xi 17 The Scarlet Letter, p.94 18 Ibid. p.263 19 Ibid. p.263 20 Margaret Fuller, Julia Ward Howe, 1889 21 The Scarlet Letter, p.113 22 Ibid. p.117 Bibliography Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. History of Woman Suffrage, 1881 Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter, Oxford World's Classics, 1990 The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Ninth Edition, 1996 George M. Waller, (Ed). Puritanism in Early America Charles Capper. An American Romantic Life Julia Ward Howe. Margaret Fuller. 1889

Napoleon Bonaparte: a True Tyrant Essay

Ideals of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution were both rooted from the desire to abolish absolute authority, ensure the natural rights of men, and develop a stable government. Napoleon Bonaparte, a prominent military general and French Emperor, strived for these political ideologies, but was corrupt in his way of approaching them. He was strictly egotistical and selfish; these characteristics served only as a catalyst to his abolition. Mohandas Gandhi, a pacifistic revolutionary that led India’s emancipation, stated that â€Å"power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment†. Napoleon, however, seized control over France by ruling oppressively and ruthlessly; citizens followed him only in fear of his boundless power. Although Napoleon did help establish political and social equality in France, his uncontrollable desire for personal supremacy suppressed the ideals of the revolution and violated th e basic principles of the enlightenment. Napoleon’s personal greed for power drove him to infringe the basic principles of the revolution on the rights to hereditary and absolute rule. Robespierre, an enlightened leader of the Jacobins, stated that the purpose of the French Revolution was to abolish absolute monarchy and institute a â€Å"democratic or republican government† that could help increase political equality within a nation (Robespierre). However, Napoleon rejected any republican form of government; he was solely concerned with maintaining a â€Å"hereditary power, which†¦ may endure for generations, even for centuries† (Selected). Ironically though, in hopes to gain popularity among members of the 3rd estate, he abolished the power of the nobility and appointed governors that were loyal to the central government. Not only did he crown himself emperor of France, but also, â€Å"he established an imperial court and the members of his family were made royalty, while other titles and honors were given to his supporters† (Sarti). He was â€Å"not content merely to create a dynasty for France†, but was constantly looking for ways to improve his family’s reputation (Axelrod). Napoleon’s advice in a letter to his brother, Jà ©rà ´me Napolà ©on, revealed his obsessive concern over his own reputation and greed for the â€Å"strength of [his] monarchy†. This unenlightened behavior reflecting unequal treatment of the people strictly goes against the revolution’s purpose, and thus, proves that Napoleon was an extremely authoritarian and ruthless emperor. Consumed by his insecurity and unbounded ego, Napoleon stripped away the natural rights of his citizens to prevent France from entering utter chaos. In The Second Treatise on Government, John Locke, a prominent Enlightenment philosopher, emphasized on the importance of preserving the â€Å"lives, liberties, and estates of the people† when governing a nation. Napoleon, on the other hand, was a strong anti-advocate of the freedom of speech and press; he believed that in order to maintain power over his people, it was necessary to â€Å"never allow the newspapers to say anything contrary to [his] interests† (Leader). In effort to maintain peace within the nation, he also â€Å"banished discussion and proscribed the freedom of press†, and stole his citizens’ rights to the freedom of expression (Selected). Although this prevention helped preserve serenity within France, it caused them to live in oblivion of the rest of Europe. He most proudly stood against the ideas conveyed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens on the people’s right to â€Å"unrestrained communication of thoughts and opinions†, because he was strictly concerned with his reputation among his citizens. In order to gain the affection of his people, he also constructed the French Civil Code in 1804, which promised â€Å"equality under the law†. However, this project created to promote equality within the nation, developed â€Å"conditions that were very unfavorable to wives†; it clearly was not â€Å"designed for†¦ the good of the people† (French Civil Code) (Locke). By restricting the people’s access to their natural rights of mankind and constructing laws for certain groups, Napoleon hoped he could gain admiration from his followers and earn the recognition of his neighbors. This, however, only proved that he was a dictator who oppressed the most fundamental and enlightened ideals of the revolution. Napoleon was not only egotistical and selfish, but he was also a reckless military dictator who maintained stability using violence and unnecessary invasions. Although he strived for social equality and a utopian society, in reality, very few beneficial changes were made during the time of his rule. In fact, during his invasion of Russia, over 300,000 French soldiers were killed: it weakened the entire French army. A passage summarizing the French-Russian war stated: â€Å"Although [Napoleon] managed to preserve himself and the core of his Grand Army, much of his forces were destroyed or had deserted him †¦ fewer than 10,000 men fit for combat remained in [the] main force† (Phillips). War general, Philippe de Sà ©gur, who accompanied Napoleon on many of his military campaigns, described him as an insensitive, callous dictator who valued his own life far more than of his soldiers: â€Å"He rapidly descended the northern staircase†¦ and gave orders for a guide to conduct him out the city †¦ to the imperial castle of Petrowsky† (Selected). Benjamin Constant, an active participant of French politics, also thought of Napoleon as a barbaric conqueror who robbed â€Å"us of the heritage of all the enlightened generations† and took advantage of the French army for his own benefit (Selected). Napoleon’s foreign policies, such as the Continental System that boycotted all British goods, and his unsophisticated military invasions on Russia further reflected qualities of a self-absorbed dictator; he was selfish, uncaring, and insensitive to the physical well being of his citizens. Although Napoleon helped improve the lives of many, his excessive lust for power and egotistical character deprived him of the admiration from his citizens. By restoring hereditary rule within the nation, he directly violated the main purpose of the revolution; equality was certainly not established. He went against the ideals of the Enlightenment protecting the natural rights of every individual by stripping away his citizens’ right to life and liberty. Napoleon was, in fact, a dictator who ruled unconstitutionally and was constantly preoccupied with the thought of personal success; his selfish personality and overbearing ego served as a strong foundation to his authoritarian rule over France.

The Effects Of Ptsd And Cultural Factors On Domestic Violence

Introduction The topic of my research design is the exploration between PTSD and cultural factors relating to domestic violence later on in life. Starting with my observations, firstly being how exposure of domestic abuse or lived environments when young make women more prone to PTSD and it’s side effects as an adult. My observation questions whether or not past experiences has any impact on how domestic violence will be handled or inflicted when these women are adults. It is my belief that PTSD and where someone comes from will lead women to be more prone to domestic violence when they are older. Firstly PTSD can lead to the women being less likely to go out and look for help and secondly if a young child is conditioned by cultural backgrounds that abuse is okay they will be less willing to stop the abuse or look for help. The variable that will be researched will be the effects of PTSD as a child and the impact that it has on relationships later on in life with the unit of analysis being the women. The articles I chose talk about effects of PTSD as a child and the effects of cultural conditioning as a child. The first article is, â€Å"Attachment Security and Parental Perception of Competency Among Abused Women in the Shadow of PTSD and Childhood Exposure to Domestic Violence† by Amiya Waldman-Levi, Ricky Finzi-Dottan and Naomi Weintraub. The second article is, â€Å"Strength Trapped Within Weakness/Weakness Trapped Within Strength: The Influence of Family of Origin Experiences onShow MoreRelatedThe Correlation Between Domestic Violence And Post Traumatic Stress Disorder1182 Words   |  5 PagesThe Correlation Between Domestic Violence and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Domestic violence is a horrific circumstance that is an ongoing issue to the public health of the world. 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