Saturday, October 12, 2019

Historical Events that Changed the World Essay -- World War 2 II Two

Historical Events that Changed the World Between World War I and World War II America went through events in the political, economical and social areas that would change the face of the nation forever. The various eras- World War I, the Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression & the New Deal, and World War II each had separate issues that caused changes in relation to class, gender, domestic and international affairs. Although many of these events were only effective temporarily, others still show a strong influence today. Movements such as woman suffrage, events such as dropping the atomic bomb, and social eras such as The Harlem Renaissance still play an important role in the lives of Americans today. World War I laid the foundations for the political and economical crisis that was soon to follow. Even before the end of the war, Allies claimed reparations from Germany, whose economy was destroyed. Wilson, after meeting with the Big Four, slowly began to accept the idea of reparations. Once implemented, the American banks were now beginning to profit greatly from loaning to both Germany and the Allies- Germany who had to pay their reparations and fix the infrastructure of the country, France whose infrastructure was destroyed and Great Britain, who had to pay back America for all the ammo and weapons they had bought. Germany entered a never-ending debt cycle- repaying the allies by taking out loans, then repaying the loans by taking out even more loans. Germany’s devastated economy as a new democratic nation that was used to monarchy led to poor democratic governments that always failed. These issues eventually caused the Nazi party to become dominant- and Hitler became lead er. The Bolshevik revolution in the 1917 started hatred towards the Communists in America (Eventually leading to the Cold War). The Red Scare that followed the war was a good example of the psychotic mind of the average American. The fear of being overthrown by communists was everywhere. Anyone who publicly opposed the war was immediately thrown into jail. â€Å"Subversive† books were removed from the shelves; feminists were attacked because of their opposition of American intervention in Europe. It was a time of chaos. Once Wilson was out of office, and Harding elected, however, things started to change- The 19th Amendment that was ratified in 1920 marked the end of 100 years o... ... morning of August 6th, 1945, Hiroshima was bombed, over 80,000 casualties, and Nagasaki was bombed 3 days later, with over 100,000 casualties. September 2nd, 1945 was the surrender date of the Japanese. Fourteen million troops and over 35 million civilians had perished in this devastating war. The era between World War I and World War II changed the face of America greatly. From the traditional world of religion, hands-off capitalism, modesty, white-male supremacy, emerged a new world- where evolution was taught, radio and movies became the main source of entertainment, where blacks were treated more as equals and less as scum, where women received voting rights and labor benefits, where California became the economic powerhouse. The era has set the economic and social values of which we live by today, as well as many political issues that have recently ended (Cold War) or issues that are still going on today-for example the Mexican illegal immigrant work force. All in all, I believe that the individual triumphs, or collapses, in the class, gender, domestic and international affairs of those times have changed the face of America and set the basis for our everyday lifestyle.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Critical Analysis of Mark Antony’s Funeral Speech Essay

Of all Shakespeare’s works , Julius Caesar is a play that hinges upon rhetoric – both as the art of persuasion and an artifice used to veil intent. The most striking of Shakespeare is his command of language. In Mark Antony’s funeral oration for Caesar, we have not only one of Shakespeare’s most recognizable opening lines but one of his finest examples of rhetorical irony at work. The speech could serve as a thematic synopsis to Julius Caesar. One of the most important and significant parts in the play is the funeral speech given by both Brutus and Mark Antony. At first, the funeral speeches seem to have no true significant meaning. However in further investigation it is established that the speeches ultimately serve as the basis for the final outcome of the play. By exploring the speeches of both Brutus and Mark Antony we are able to focus on the important details which alter one from the other. Through this analysis we are also able to realize why Brutus’s speech becomes one of his justifications and explanations, while Antony’s becomes one of manipulation and skill. It is known that both Brutus and Antony desired to appeal to the common people. However, the way in which each man went about it differs drastically. Not only did it influence the outcome of the play, but each speech also offers a unique insight on each of the speakers. Brutus’s speech Brutus’s speech becomes one of acquittal, not only for the people of Rome, but for Brutus himself. He uses his â€Å"honor and nobility† as a shield to defend and justify his actions to the crowd. Brutus states that he has carried out this horrendous act because of his love for Rome, and for the good of the people. â€Å"This is my answer, not that I have loved Caesar less, but that I love Rome more†¦ (3. 2. 21-22). In his speech he requests that the people use their â€Å"reason† to judge him. Although this seduces the crowd, it is not until after one of the common people cry â€Å"Let him be Caesar. † (3. 2. 51) that it is realized the speech is â€Å"merely too good for them. † Brutus begins to realize that liberty is not what the people wanted, but rather that they desire a powerful leader. Although his speech serves the purpose for its practical effectiveness, Brutus later comes to discover that his lack of insight of human nature aided in the apparent hopelessness of his cause. In comparison Mark Antony fully understands human nature and uses his awareness of it in his speech. Antony appeals to the passion and the grief of the people. What Brutus failed to recognize in the people, Antony used to his best interest. He realized that the people of Rome were completely incapable of acting with â€Å"reason† and he employed this inability to manipulate and control their emotions and actions. By using Brutus’ own explanations for Caesar’s death to begin his speech, Antony proves his validity to the crowd. By questioning Caesar’s ambition, yet never actually humiliating the conspirators; He succeeds in purposely leading the crowd away from any rational defense provided by Brutus. Antony uses his own grief along with a series of lies to remove the sympathy of the people. Through his powerful and honest speech he is able to cast a shadow of doubt into the minds of the people, and the crowd begins to gaze at the true motive behind Caesar’s murder. Antony understands the needs and wants of the people and uses this to prey upon their emotions and passions. He dangles Caesar’s Will in front of the people and then quickly puts it away again, knowing that the crowd will demand that it be read. Antony also recalls memories of the cloak Caesar now wears, while revealing his bloodied body, fully aware of the havoc it will reek, but unrelenting in his quest for revenge. Antony’s Speech Antony’s performance on the bully pulpit came as no surprise. To be sure, Antony does not have it easy. He is already a man distrusted by the conspirators for his friendship with Caesar. Brutus lets him speak at Caesar’s funeral, but only after Brutus,a great orator in his own right, has spoken first to â€Å"show the reason of our Caesar’s death†. Burtus makes it very clear that Antony may speak whatever good he wishes of Caesar so long as he speaks no ill of the conspirators. Obviously Antony has two advantages over Burtus: his subterfuge and his chance to have the last word. It is safe to say that Antony makes the most of his opportunity. He even mocks the senators and merely sets the table for dissent. He progressively hits upon the notes of ambition and honourable in a cadence that soon calls both terms into question. Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears; From a rhythmic perspective, the trochaic feel of this opening immediately commands attention. The succession of hard stresses is also Shakespeare’s way of using the verse to help Antony cut through the din of the crowd. Antonoy also echoes the opening line that Brutus uses [â€Å"Romans, countrymen and lovers†],but conspicuously rearranges it; where Brutus begins with â€Å"Romans† to reflect his appeal to their reason, Antony begins with â€Å"friends†, which reflects the more emotional tact he will take throughout the rest of his speech. Remember also that Antony has entered the Forum with Caesar’s body in tow and will use corpse as a prop throughout his oration. Antony follows with a line of straight iambic pentameter punctuated with a feminine ending [ â€Å"I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him]. Here is the first irony of Antony’s speech, in that he is unequivocally here to praise Caesar. Antony is, in fact, lying. Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral,Antony returns to the actual predicate of his statement with innocuous metrical regularity. The line is all but a throway; Antony doesn’t want the crowd dwelling on the idea that he is speaking here by permission. The preceding parenthetical insertion of Brutus and the rest being â€Å"honourable men† displace his emphasis and lessens the impression that Brutus holds sway over him. In doing so, Antony effectively obeys the letter of his agreement without yielding to its spirit. But Brutus says he was ambitious; Antony contrasts his experience with what Brutus has said. The obvious implication is that Brutus and Antony have different views of Caesar. The more subtle implication is that since both men have claimed him as their friend, they have equal authority to speak on the subject of Caesar’s disposition. Antony, however, has the advantage of not needing to justify his actions. Instead, Antony can focus on sawing the limb out from under Brutus’s argument. And Brutus is an honourable man. At this point, Antony is still ostensibly speaking well of Brutus—at least to the crowd. A plebian might think that at worst, perhaps, either Antony or Brutus has made an honest mistake in his judgment of Caesar. On the other hand, the words says, ambitious, and honourable are becoming impossible to miss. Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; This is the third time in this speech that Antony utters this refrain. Every time he says this, it draws Brutus in an increasingly harsher light. The recurring repetition amplifies the question in the mind of the audience, There is a rather obscure rhetorical term for this technique; it’s known as repotia, which describes using the same phrase with minor variations in tone, diction, or style. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, The regular iambic rhythm of the line and the feminine ending both help soften this line’s tone, which contrasts the high fervor of â€Å"O judgment! † It’s a simple metaphor that holds up well four centuries later. To Antony’s credit, the sentiment is grounded in his love for Caesar; it’s also quite telling of the character that he’s able to use this emotion in such a cynical enterprise. Throughout his speech Antony calls the conspirators honorable men. He then says, â€Å"You [the crowd] all did love him once, not without cause. What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? † This question goes against Brutus by questioning his speech when he betrayed Caesar. Now the crowd is starting to turn against the conspirators and follow Antony. Even though in his speech Antony never directly calls the conspirators traitors, he is able to call them â€Å"honourable† in a sarcastic manner that the crowd is able to understand. He starts out by citing that Caesar had thrice refused the crown, which refutes the conspirators’ main cause for killing Caesar. He reminds them of Caesar’s kindness and love for all, humanizing Caesar as innocent. Next he teases them with the will until they demand he read it, and he reveals Caesar’s ‘gift’ to the citizens. Finally, Mark Antony leaves them with the question, was there ever a greater one than Caesar? which infuriates the crowd. He then turns and weeps. Antony then teases the crowd with Caesar’s will, which they beg him to read, but he refuses. Antony tells the crowd to â€Å"have patience† and expresses his feeling that he will â€Å"wrong the honourable men whose daggers have stabbed Caesar† if he is to read the will. The crowd yells out â€Å"they were traitors† and have at this time completely turned against the conspirators and are inflamed about Caesar’s death. Antony uses the â€Å"Ceremonial† mode of persuasion in order to convince his audience that Caesar is not worthy of honor and praise. Antony must use â€Å"pathos† in order to appeal to the emotion of the audience. He must understand the disposition of the audience in order to successfully persuade his audience that Caesar truly was an ambitious man. â€Å"†¦ Bear with me; / my heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, / And I must pause till it come back to me. † (JC III ii 47) Marc Antony’s speech at Caesar’s funeral was so cunning and powerful that it caused the crowd’s loyalties to sway. Prior to Marc Antony’s oration the crowd favored Brutus and the conspirators. However, Marc Antony’s compelling discourse caused the plebeians to support him, and not Brutus. Marc Antony used three literary devices during his funeral oration, rhetorical question, sarcasm, and repetition, to successfully persuade the crowd. Although the crowd was supportive of the conspirators after Brutus’s speech, Marc Antony’s use of sarcasm in his funeral oration caused them to rethink who they should support. Conclusion Although both of Caesar’s funeral speeches seem to serve the basic purpose of appealing to the people, their dissimilarity serves as a great significance. Brutus’ speech, which appeared to be, honest becomes a speech of symmetrical structure, balanced sentences, ordered procedure, rhetorical questions and abstract subject matter, and ultimately became a speech of utter dishonesty. This along with Brutus’ lack of human insight aided in his inevitable downfall. Mark Antony’s speech on the other hand, for all its playing on passions and all its lies, proved to be at the bottom a truly honest speech because of Antony’s unconditional love for Caesar. To that extent Antony had truth on his side, making him concrete and real rather then abstract, and with this aided in his successful victory.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

A Game of Thrones Chapter Sixty-five

Arya The scent of hot bread drifting from the shops along the Street of Flour was sweeter than any perfume Arya had ever smelled. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to the pigeon. It was a plump one, speckled brown, busily pecking at a crust that had fallen between two cobblestones, but when Arya's shadow touched it, it took to the air. Her stick sword whistled out and caught it two feet off the ground, and it went down in a flurry of brown feathers. She was on it in the blink of an eye, grabbing a wing as the pigeon flapped and fluttered. It pecked at her hand. She grabbed its neck and twisted until she felt the bone snap. Compared with catching cats, pigeons were easy. A passing septon was looking at her askance. â€Å"Here's the best place to find pigeon,† Arya told him as she brushed herself off and picked up her fallen stick sword. â€Å"They come for the crumbs.† He hurried away. She tied the pigeon to her belt and started down the street. A man was pushing a load of tarts by on a two-wheeled cart; the smells sang of blueberries and lemons and apricots. Her stomach made a hollow rumbly noise. â€Å"Could I have one?† she heard herself say. â€Å"A lemon, or . . . or any kind.† The pushcart man looked her up and down. Plainly he did not like what he saw. â€Å"Three coppers.† Arya tapped her wooden sword against the side of her boot. â€Å"I'll trade you a fat pigeon,† she said. â€Å"The Others take your pigeon,† the pushcart man said. The tarts were still warm from the oven. The smells were making her mouth water, but she did not have three coppers . . . or one. She gave the pushcart man a look, remembering what Syrio had told her about seeing. He was short, with a little round belly, and when he moved he seemed to favor his left leg a little. She was just thinking that if she snatched a tart and ran he would never be able to catch her when he said, â€Å"You be keepin' your filthy hands off. The gold cloaks know how to deal with thieving little gutter rats, that they do.† Arya glanced warily behind her. Two of the City Watch were standing at the mouth of an alley. Their cloaks hung almost to the ground, the heavy wool dyed a rich gold; their mail and boots and gloves were black. One wore a longsword at his hip, the other an iron cudgel. With a last wistful glance at the tarts, Arya edged back from the cart and hurried off. The gold cloaks had not been paying her any special attention, but the sight of them tied her stomach in knots. Arya had been staying as far from the castle as she could get, yet even from a distance she could see the heads rotting atop the high red walls. Flocks of crows squabbled noisily over each head, thick as flies. The talk in Flea Bottom was that the gold cloaks had thrown in with the Lannisters, their commander raised to a lord, with lands on the Trident and a seat on the king's council. She had also heard other things, scary things, things that made no sense to her. Some said her father had murdered King Robert and been slain in turn by Lord Renly. Others insisted that Renly had killed the king in a drunken quarrel between brothers. Why else should he have fled in the night like a common thief? One story said the king had been killed by a boar while hunting, another that he'd died eating a boar, stuffing himself so full that he'd ruptured at the table. No, the king had died at table, others said, but only because Varys the Spider poisoned him. No, it had been the queen who poisoned him. No, he had died of a pox. No, he had choked on a fish bone. One thing all the stories agreed on: King Robert was dead. The bells in the seven towers of the Great Sept of Baelor had tolled for a day and a night, the thunder of their grief rolling across the city in a bronze tide. They only rang the bells like that for the death of a king, a tanner's boy told Arya. All she wanted was to go home, but leaving King's Landing was not so easy as she had hoped. Talk of war was on every lip, and gold cloaks were as thick on the city walls as fleas on . . . well, her, for one. She had been sleeping in Flea Bottom, on rooftops and in stables, wherever she could find a place to lie down, and it hadn't taken her long to learn that the district was well named. Every day since her escape from the Red Keep, Arya had visited each of the seven city gates in turn. The Dragon Gate, the Lion Gate, and the Old Gate were closed and barred. The Mud Gate and the Gate of the Gods were open, but only to those who wanted to enter the city; the guards let no one out. Those who were allowed to leave left by the King's Gate or the Iron Gate, but Lannister men-at-arms in crimson cloaks and lion-crested helms manned the guard posts there. Spying down from the roof of an inn by the King's Gate, Arya saw them searching wagons and carriages, forcing riders to open their saddlebags, and questioning everyone who tried to pass on foot. Sometimes she thought about swimming the river, but the Blackwater Rush was wide and deep, and everyone agreed that its currents were wicked and treacherous. She had no coin to pay a ferryman or take passage on a ship. Her lord father had taught her never to steal, but it was growing harder to remember why. If she did not get out soon, she would have to take her chances with the gold cloaks. She hadn't gone hungry much since she learned to knock down birds with her stick sword, but she feared so much pigeon was making her sick. A couple she'd eaten raw, before she found Flea Bottom. In the Bottom there were pot-shops along the alleys where huge tubs of stew had been simmering for years, and you could trade half your bird for a heel of yesterday's bread and a â€Å"bowl o' brown,† and they'd even stick the other half in the fire and crisp it up for you, so long as you plucked the feathers yourself. Arya would have given anything for a cup of milk and a lemon cake, but the brown wasn't so bad. It usually had barley in it, and chunks of carrot and onion and turnip, and sometimes even apple, with a film of grease swimming on top. Mostly she tried not to think about the meat. Once she had gotten a piece of fish. The only thing was, the pot-shops were never empty, and even as she bolted down her food, Arya could feel them watching. Some of them stared at her boots or her cloak, and she knew what they were thinking. With others, she could almost feel their eyes crawling under her leathers; she didn't know what they were thinking, and that scared her even more. A couple times, she was followed out into the alleys and chased, but so far no one had been able to catch her. The silver bracelet she'd hoped to sell had been stolen her first night out of the castle, along with her bundle of good clothes, snatched while she slept in a burnt-out house off Pig Alley. All they left her was the cloak she had been huddled in, the leathers on her back, her wooden practice sword . . . and Needle. She'd been lying on top of Needle, or else it would have been gone too; it was worth more than all the rest together. Since then Arya had taken to walking around with her cloak draped over her right arm, to conceal the blade at her hip. The wooden sword she carried in her left hand, out where everybody could see it, to scare off robbers, but there were men in the pot-shops who wouldn't have been scared off if she'd had a battle-axe. It was enough to make her lose her taste for pigeon and stale bread. Often as not, she went to bed hungry rather than risk the stares. Once she was outside the city, she would find berries to pick, or orchards she might raid for apples and cherries. Arya remembered seeing some from the kingsroad on the journey south. And she could dig for roots in the forest, even run down some rabbits. In the city, the only things to run down were rats and cats and scrawny dogs. The potshops would give you a fistful of coppers for a litter of pups, she'd heard, but she didn't like to think about that. Down below the Street of Flour was a maze of twisting alleys and cross streets. Arya scrambled through the crowds, trying to put distance between her and the gold cloaks. She had learned to keep to the center of the street. Sometimes she had to dodge wagons and horses, but at least you could see them coming. If you walked near the buildings, people grabbed you. In some alleys you couldn't help but brush against the walls; the buildings leaned in so close they almost met. A whooping gang of small children went running past, chasing a rolling hoop. Arya stared at them with resentment, remembering the times she'd played at hoops with Bran and Jon and their baby brother Rickon. She wondered how big Rickon had grown, and whether Bran was sad. She would have given anything if Jon had been here to call her â€Å"little sister† and muss her hair. Not that it needed mussing. She'd seen her reflection in puddles, and she didn't think hair got any more mussed than hers. She had tried talking to the children she saw in the street, hoping to make a friend who would give her a place to sleep, but she must have talked wrong or something. The little ones only looked at her with quick, wary eyes and ran away if she came too close. Their big brothers and sisters asked questions Arya couldn't answer, called her names, and tried to steal from her. Only yesterday, a scrawny barefoot girl twice her age had knocked her down and tried to pull the boots off her feet, but Arya gave her a crack on her ear with her stick sword that sent her off sobbing and bleeding. A gull wheeled overhead as she made her way down the hill toward Flea Bottom. Arya glanced at it thoughtfully, but it was well beyond the reach of her stick. It made her think of the sea. Maybe that was the way out. Old Nan used to tell stories of boys who stowed away on trading galleys and sailed off into all kinds of adventures. Maybe Arya could do that too. She decided to visit the riverfront. It was on the way to the Mud Gate anyway, and she hadn't checked that one today. The wharfs were oddly quiet when Arya got there. She spied another pair of gold cloaks, walking side by side through the fish market, but they never so much as looked at her. Half the stalls were empty, and it seemed to her that there were fewer ships at dock than she remembered. Out on the Blackwater, three of the king's war galleys moved in formation, gold-painted hulls splitting the water as their oars rose and fell. Arya watched them for a bit, then began to make her way along the river. When she saw the guardsmen on the third pier, in grey woolen cloaks trimmed with white satin, her heart almost stopped in her chest. The sight of Winterfell's colors brought tears to her eyes. Behind them, a sleek three-banked trading galley rocked at her moorings. Arya could not read the name painted on the hull; the words were strange, Myrish, Braavosi, perhaps even High Valyrian. She grabbed a passing longshoreman by the sleeve. â€Å"Please,† she said, â€Å"what ship is this?† â€Å"She's the Wind Witch, out of Myr,† the man said. â€Å"She's still here,† Arya blurted. The longshoreman gave her a queer look, shrugged, and walked away. Arya ran toward the pier. The Wind Witch was the ship Father had hired to take her home . . . still waiting! She'd imagined it had sailed ages ago. Two of the guardsmen were dicing together while the third walked rounds, his hand on the pommel of his sword. Ashamed to let them see her crying like a baby, she stopped to rub at her eyes. Her eyes her eyes her eyes, why did . . . Look with your eyes, she heard Syrio whisper. Arya looked. She knew all of her father's men. The three in the grey cloaks were strangers. â€Å"You,† the one walking rounds called out. â€Å"What do you want here, boy?† The other two looked up from their dice. It was all Arya could do not to bolt and run, but she knew that if she did, they would be after her at once. She made herself walk closer. They were looking for a girl, but he thought she was a boy. She'd be a boy, then. â€Å"Want to buy a pigeon?† She showed him the dead bird. â€Å"Get out of here,† the guardsman said. Arya did as he told her. She did not have to pretend to be frightened. Behind her, the men went back to their dice. She could not have said how she got back to Flea Bottom, but she was breathing hard by the time she reached the narrow crooked unpaved streets between the hills. The Bottom had a stench to it, a stink of pigsties and stables and tanner's sheds, mixed in with the sour smell of winesinks and cheap whorehouses. Arya wound her way through the maze dully. It was not until she caught a whiff of bubbling brown coming through a pot-shop door that she realized her pigeon was gone. It must have slipped from her belt as she ran, or someone had stolen it and she'd never noticed. For a moment she wanted to cry again. She'd have to walk all the way back to the Street of Flour to find another one that plump. Far across the city, bells began to ring. Arya glanced up, listening, wondering what the ringing meant this time. â€Å"What's this now?† a fat man called from the pot-shop. â€Å"The bells again, gods ha'mercy,† wailed an old woman. A red-haired whore in a wisp of painted silk pushed open a second-story window. â€Å"Is it the boy king that's died now?† she shouted down, leaning out over the street. â€Å"Ah, that's a boy for you, they never last long.† As she laughed, a naked man slid his arms around her from behind, biting her neck and rubbing the heavy white breasts that hung loose beneath her shift. â€Å"Stupid slut,† the fat man shouted up. â€Å"The king's not dead, that's only summoning bells. One tower tolling. When the king dies, they ring every bell in the city.† â€Å"Here, quit your biting, or I'll ring your bells,† the woman in the window said to the man behind her, pushing him off with an elbow. â€Å"So who is it died, if not the king?† â€Å"It's a summoning,† the fat man repeated. Two boys close to Arya's age scampered past, splashing through a puddle. The old woman cursed them, but they kept right on going. Other people were moving too, heading up the hill to see what the noise was about. Arya ran after the slower boy. â€Å"Where you going?† she shouted when she was right behind him. â€Å"What's happening?† He glanced back without slowing. â€Å"The gold cloaks is carryin' him to the sept.† â€Å"Who?† she yelled, running hard. â€Å"The Hand! They'll be taking his head off, Buu says.† A passing wagon had left a deep rut in the street. The boy leapt over, but Arya never saw it. She tripped and fell, face first, scraping her knee open on a stone and smashing her fingers when her hands hit the hard-packed earth. Needle tangled between her legs. She sobbed as she struggled to her knees. The thumb of her left hand was covered with blood. When she sucked on it, she saw that half the thumbnail was gone, ripped off in her fall. Her hands throbbed, and her knee was all bloody too. â€Å"Make way!† someone shouted from the cross street. â€Å"Make way for my lords of Redwyne!† It was all Arya could do to get out of the road before they ran her down, four guardsmen on huge horses, pounding past at a gallop. They wore checked cloaks, blue-and-burgundy. Behind them, two young lordlings rode side by side on a pair of chestnut mares alike as peas in a pod. Arya had seen them in the bailey a hundred times; the Redwyne twins, Ser Horas and Ser Hobber, homely youths with orange hair and square, freckled faces. Sansa and Jeyne Poole used to call them Ser Horror and Ser Slobber, and giggle whenever they caught sight of them. They did not look funny now. Everyone was moving in the same direction, all in a hurry to see what the ringing was all about. The bells seemed louder now, clanging, calling. Arya joined the stream of people. Her thumb hurt so bad where the nail had broken that it was all she could do not to cry. She bit her lip as she limped along, listening to the excited voices around her. â€Å"—the King's Hand, Lord Stark. They're carrying him up to Baelor's Sept.† â€Å"I heard he was dead.† â€Å"Soon enough, soon enough. Here, I got me a silver stag says they lop his head off.† â€Å"Past time, the traitor.† The man spat. Arya struggled to find a voice. â€Å"He never—† she started, but she was only a child and they talked right over her. â€Å"Fool! They ain't neither going to lop him. Since when do they knick traitors on the steps of the Great Sept?† â€Å"Well, they don't mean to anoint him no knight. I heard it was Stark killed old King Robert. Slit his throat in the woods, and when they found him, he stood there cool as you please and said it was some old boar did for His Grace.† â€Å"Ah, that's not true, it was his own brother did him, that Renly, him with his gold antlers.† â€Å"You shut your lying mouth, woman. You don't know what you're saying, his lordship's a fine true man.† By the time they reached the Street of the Sisters, they were packed in shoulder to shoulder. Arya let the human current carry her along, up to the top of Visenya's Hill. The white marble plaza was a solid mass of people, all yammering excitedly at each other and straining to get closer to the Great Sept of Baelor. The bells were very loud here. Arya squirmed through the press, ducking between the legs of horses and clutching tight to her sword stick. From the middle of the crowd, all she could see were arms and legs and stomachs, and the seven slender towers of the sept looming overhead. She spotted a wood wagon and thought to climb up on the back where she might be able to see, but others had the same idea. The teamster cursed at them and drove them off with a crack of his whip. Arya grew frantic. Forcing her way to the front of the crowd, she was shoved up against the stone of a plinth. She looked up at Baelor the Blessed, the septon king. Sliding her stick sword through her belt, Arya began to climb. Her broken thumbnail left smears of blood on the painted marble, but she made it up, and wedged herself in between the king's feet. That was when she saw her father. Lord Eddard stood on the High Septon's pulpit outside the doors of the sept, supported between two of the gold cloaks. He was dressed in a rich grey velvet doublet with a white wolf sewn on the front in beads, and a grey wool cloak trimmed with fur, but he was thinner than Arya had ever seen him, his long face drawn with pain. He was not standing so much as being held up; the cast over his broken leg was grey and rotten. The High Septon himself stood behind him, a squat man, grey with age and ponderously fat, wearing long white robes and an immense crown of spun gold and crystal that wreathed his head with rainbows whenever he moved. Clustered around the doors of the sept, in front of the raised marble pulpit, were a knot of knights and high lords. Joffrey was prominent among them, his raiment all crimson, silk and satin patterned with prancing stags and roaring lions, a gold crown on his head. His queen mother stood beside him in a black mourning gown slashed with crimson, a veil of black diamonds in her hair. Arya recognized the Hound, wearing a snowy white cloak over his dark grey armor, with four of the Kingsguard around him. She saw Varys the eunuch gliding among the lords in soft slippers and a patterned damask robe, and she thought the short man with the silvery cape and pointed beard might be the one who had once fought a duel for Mother. And there in their midst was Sansa, dressed in sky-blue silk, with her long auburn hair washed and curled and silver bracelets on her wrists. Arya scowled, wondering what her sister was doing here, why she looked so happy. A long line of gold-cloaked spearmen held back the crowd, commanded by a stout man in elaborate armor, all black lacquer and gold filigree. His cloak had the metallic shimmer of true cloth-of-gold. When the bell ceased to toll, a quiet slowly settled across the great plaza, and her father lifted his head and began to speak, his voice so thin and weak she could scarcely make him out. People behind her began to shout out, â€Å"What?† and â€Å"Louder!† The man in the black-and-gold armor stepped up behind Father and prodded him sharply. You leave him alone! Arya wanted to shout, but she knew no one would listen. She chewed her lip. Her father raised his voice and began again. â€Å"I am Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King,† he said more loudly, his voice carrying across the plaza, â€Å"and I come before you to confess my treason in the sight of gods and men.† â€Å"No,† Arya whimpered. Below her, the crowd began to scream and shout. Taunts and obscenities filled the air. Sansa had hidden her face in her hands. Her father raised his voice still higher, straining to be heard. â€Å"I betrayed the faith of my king and the trust of my friend, Robert,† he shouted. â€Å"I swore to defend and protect his children, yet before his blood was cold, I plotted to depose and murder his son and seize the throne for myself. Let the High Septon and Baelor the Beloved and the Seven bear witness to the truth of what I say: Joffrey Baratheon is the one true heir to the Iron Throne, and by the grace of all the gods, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.† A stone came sailing out of the crowd. Arya cried out as she saw her father hit. The gold cloaks kept him from falling. Blood ran down his face from a deep gash across his forehead. More stones followed. One struck the guard to Father's left. Another went clanging off the breastplate of the knight in the black-and-gold armor. Two of the Kingsguard stepped in front of Joffrey and the queen, protecting them with their shields. Her hand slid beneath her cloak and found Needle in its sheath. She tightened her fingers around the grip, squeezing as hard as she had ever squeezed anything. Please, gods, keep him safe, she prayed. Don't let them hurt my father. The High Septon knelt before Joffrey and his mother. â€Å"As we sin, so do we suffer,† he intoned, in a deep swelling voice much louder than Father's. â€Å"This man has confessed his crimes in the sight of gods and men, here in this holy place.† Rainbows danced around his head as he lifted his hands in entreaty. â€Å"The gods are just, yet Blessed Baelor taught us that they are also merciful. What shall be done with this traitor, Your Grace?† A thousand voices were screaming, but Arya never heard them. Prince Joffrey . . . no, King Joffrey . . . stepped out from behind the shields of his Kingsguard. â€Å"My mother bids me let Lord Eddard take the black, and Lady Sansa has begged mercy for her father.† He looked straight at Sansa then, and smiled, and for a moment Arya thought that the gods had heard her prayer, until Joffrey turned back to the crowd and said, â€Å"But they have the soft hearts of women. So long as I am your king, treason shall never go unpunished. Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!† The crowd roared, and Arya felt the statue of Baelor rock as they surged against it. The High Septon clutched at the king's cape, and Varys came rushing over waving his arms, and even the queen was saying something to him, but Joffrey shook his head. Lords and knights moved aside as he stepped through, tall and fleshless, a skeleton in iron mail, the King's Justice. Dimly, as if from far off, Arya heard her sister scream. Sansa had fallen to her knees, sobbing hysterically. Ser Ilyn Payne climbed the steps of the pulpit. Arya wriggled between Baelor's feet and threw herself into the crowd, drawing Needle. She landed on a man in a butcher's apron, knocking him to the ground. Immediately someone slammed into her back and she almost went down herself. Bodies closed in around her, stumbling and pushing, trampling on the poor butcher. Arya slashed at them with Needle. High atop the pulpit, Ser Ilyn Payne gestured and the knight in black-and-gold gave a command. The gold cloaks flung Lord Eddard to the marble, with his head and chest out over the edge. â€Å"Here, you!† an angry voice shouted at Arya, but she bowled past, shoving people aside, squirming between them, slamming into anyone in her way. A hand fumbled at her leg and she hacked at it, kicked at shins. A woman stumbled and Arya ran up her back, cutting to both sides, but it was no good, no good, there were too many people, no sooner did she make a hole than it closed again. Someone buffeted her aside. She could still hear Sansa screaming. Ser Ilyn drew a two-handed greatsword from the scabbard on his back. As he lifted the blade above his head, sunlight seemed to ripple and dance down the dark metal, glinting off an edge sharper than any razor. Ice, she thought, he has Ice! Her tears streamed down her face, blinding her. And then a hand shot out of the press and closed round her arm like a wolf trap, so hard that Needle went flying from her hand. Arya was wrenched off her feet. She would have fallen if he hadn't held her up, as easy as if she were a doll. A face pressed close to hers, long black hair and tangled beard and rotten teeth. â€Å"Don't look!† a thick voice snarled at her. â€Å"I . . . I . . . I . . . † Arya sobbed. The old man shook her so hard her teeth rattled. â€Å"Shut your mouth and close your eyes, boy.† Dimly, as if from far away, she heard a . . . a noise . . . a soft sighing sound, as if a million people had let out their breath at once. The old man's fingers dug into her arm, stiff as iron. â€Å"Look at me. Yes, that's the way of it, at me.† Sour wine perfumed his breath. â€Å"Remember, boy?† It was the smell that did it. Arya saw the matted greasy hair, the patched, dusty black cloak that covered his twisted shoulders, the hard black eyes squinting at her. And she remembered the black brother who had come to visit her father. â€Å"Know me now, do you? There's a bright boy.† He spat. â€Å"They're done here. You'll be coming with me, and you'll be keeping your mouth shut.† When she started to reply, he shook her again, even harder. â€Å"Shut, I said.† The plaza was beginning to empty. The press dissolved around them as people drifted back to their lives. But Arya's life was gone. Numb, she trailed along beside . . . Yoren, yes, his name is Yoren. She did not recall him finding Needle, until he handed the sword back to her. â€Å"Hope you can use that, boy.† â€Å"I'm not—† she started. He shoved her into a doorway, thrust dirty fingers through her hair, and gave it a twist, yanking her head back. â€Å"—not a smart boy, that what you mean to say?† He had a knife in his other hand. As the blade flashed toward her face, Arya threw herself backward, kicking wildly, wrenching her head from side to side, but he had her by the hair, so strong, she could feel her scalp tearing, and on her lips the salt taste of tears.

Agrarian Reform Issues

Answer the following questions after reading the document about poverty, all reports of each group/individual and the discussions we had in the classroom. Limit your answer to seven to ten substantive sentences only fully cited by related reviews and studies that you will use in the critique/answer. Plagiarized statements and notations shall be considered as invalid and the document will be equivalent to zero. Type your answer on this questionnaire. 1. Discuss how issues and problems are dealt with in social planning and social policy writing based from the framework below Fig. Schematic framework showing the interrelatedness of social institutions, and social structures. Social Structures Social Institutions -Society is defined by the interconnection of units that creates larger scale system relations in the society. Emile Durkheim’s sociological theory which is Structural Functionalism would perfectly represent the schematic framework. According to him, structural functional ism is when societies tend to be divided but is held together by shared values, common symbols or systems of exchanges, which creates stability. Small factors in the structure would eventually affect the higher strata of the society, there is interdependence among us, society is a network of statuses connected by associated roles (Leung, Richardson). The formulation of social policies is based on the needs of the status quo, it is deeply associated by the present condition of the society. In the paper of Subedi entitled ‘Structural Functional Perspective in Sociology’ discussed the consensus and conflict perspective wherein due to conflict â€Å"society cannot operate for any length of time on the basis of force. Society is held together by the consensus of its members†. It simply describes society as a perpetually changing structure which needs continuous planning and execution of social programs to keep up with the progressing evolution of humanity. Social planning and policy making is the analysis of the things that a social system needs in order to survive. One of the objectives of this is to maintain the stability of pattern, facilitates the society in resolving social problems, and integrating dependent units in achieving unity (Subedi, 2010). 2. Discuss landlessness as a social problem. Please highlight its impact on farmers and society as a whole. -Landlessness is a manifestation of poverty wherein a person is deprived on the possession of land as an opportunity for growth or development. Unequal distribution of land is the root cause of the landlessness of the farmers, this could be traced in the Spanish colonization wherein the encomienda system were put into practice wherein the landowners would hire farmers to till their land and most of the revenues that will be generated will be on the hands of the landowners which is apparently unfair. Landlessness is a significant social problem because it would worsen other social problems that are already present. Take Uganda for example, a study that was conducted by Alinyo and Leahy (2007) entitled ‘the Impact of Landlessness on Sustainable Agricultural Initiatives; Benet Sub County, Kapchorwa, Uganda’, wherein the study discusses that the issues of landlessness are cause by the following: Rapid population growth, lack of ownership rights, inadequate extension services. The effects would be: Low crop yields, low household incomes, hunger that would totally result into rural poverty. The case of Uganda is not different to the situation of the Philippines with regards to landlessness, landlessness of the farmers has been an issue since then, a clear example representing this problem is the case of Hacienda Luisita wherein the problem has not yet been resolve because it is often disregarded to be the focal point of concern in the Philippine government. Landlessness are equivalent to the unequal distribution of access to opportunities and wealth, this has been the outcome of the Philippines choices of development trategies, policies and investment regime, and national and local institutions governing economic transactions, including land relations (Balisacan 2003, 2007). The impact of landlessness in the society as a whole would lead into social unrest among the people that is affected by this issue and thus lead into various deviances and protest that would disturb the present society. 3. What are the issues behind the Agrarian Reform Program on why the problem about landlessness? Is it about the law itself or how it is implemented? Examples that will be presented in this paper would come from the paper of Antonio Ledesma (1982) entitled ‘Landless Workers and Rice Farmers: Peasant Subclasses Under Agrarian Reform in Two Philippine Villages’. Of these issues behind the Agrarian reform includes the security concerns of landless farmer, owner-cultivatorship and permanent lessees. One of the main objectives of Agrarian refom program is the creation of an independent peasant class of owner-cultivators whose claim to ownership are based precisely on being the tillers of the soil. But in some barangays, landless workers spend more hours in actual rice farming operations than the agrarian refom beneficiaries. Another issue is the stagnant development of the tenant farmers that is stuck on being a tenant rather than owning a piece of land. Base on the findings on the paper of Ledesma Agrarian Reform itself has a good aim on the development of the farmers, however, the implementation of such program seems to fail since the situation of the past seems to never change. In conclusion, the planning is good but the execution of programs must be put into consideration. 4. Write a social policy about how problem on landlessness can be resolved? Take not of the introduction, provisions, time frame, how it will be implemented and the monitoring scheme, – This act is prepared in order to promulgate the rights of landless farmers and to recognize the sector as one of the most important contributors in the Philippine economy. With this social policy they would given a period of training development to maximize their skills as a contributor of the Philippine economy and a sector that has a paramount importance since they provide food for the Philippine population. The time frame for this social policy would require a 10 year period. Policies that will be included is the educational grants of the farmers wherein they must undergo training like irrigation, usage of advance equipments, modern seeds and scientific ways of propagating plants. The government must provide a wide scheme of budget for this policy because capital should be provided for institutional and attitudinal change of the people in the sector. The role of various institutions like the UP Los Banos, DOST will be stressed since the development of research for modern and improve seeds and planting materials will be focus upon to benefit for the farmers. The establishments of cooperative agricultures will be form for larger productivity and shared profits among farmers. There should also be a series of extension services at the time frame wherein agriculturists will visit areas ,particularly areas where rice production is prevalent , to train and advice farmers on advance farming methods. Establishment of farm infrastructures should also be implemented and lastly farmers will be given other sources of income and livelihood. The root policy for this action is the allocation of a larger budget for agriculture.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Labour Relations in Canada in relation to hospitality industry(It can Term Paper

Labour Relations in Canada in relation to hospitality industry(It can be any topic of interest in relation to this.) - Term Paper Example cation between workers and managers, inform managers of potential trouble, provide an outlet for complaints, and avoid slowdowns, absenteeism, strikes and damages.† Here we take a look at why grievance procedures are important in improving labor relations. The ILO states that grievance procedures help solve a variety of issues that are likely to crop up in any work environment some of which are explained as follows (â€Å"Good Practice Guide†). Many a times, problems in the work place occur when the terms and conditions of employment which were guaranteed to the employees at the time of hiring are not implemented correctly by the management. Grievance procedures help to give employees the necessary motivation and support to continue in their work place without feeling betrayed by their employer. It gives them a sense of job security and an ability to understand what they rightly deserve. It also helps them to seek legal counsel or aid in the circumstances where their terms of contract have been compromised or violated in any unfavorable way. Lack of proper health and safety measures is another major concern for employees in an industry. In some cases, workers are subjected to risky and dangerous conditions and sadly many of them are unaware of the potential hazard to their personal health and well being. However, the presence of effective grievance procedures makes sure that employees can ask for compensation in the occurrence of any form of occupational harm or injury. Sometimes, changes in policies or in the organizational structure can cause a disturbance in the flow of activities for a regular employee. In some cases, employees are not notified of crucial changes in policies which consequently lead them through the wrong path. It is the right of any employee to know of significant changes or alterations in the policies, procedures and organizational structure of the company where he / she belongs if such changes are intended to have significant direct or

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Doctrine of Precedent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Doctrine of Precedent - Essay Example Therefore, there is a dire need for a coherent case law. This is because it helps in strengthening the predictability of decisions and improves their authority. The doctrine of precedent also known as stare decisis provides that the decision of a higher court within the same jurisdiction acts as binding authority on a lower court within the same jurisdiction (Brassil & Brassil 2000). However, the decisions of higher courts act only as persuasive authority to lower courts in different jurisdiction. Therefore, the concept of judicial precedent requires cases to be decided in a similar way when the material facts are the same. The doctrine is only concerned with the legally material facts in order to arrive at similar decisions (Siltala 2000). On the other hand, Ratio decidendi translates to â€Å"reason of deciding† and can be defined as the material facts of a given case in addition to the decision thereon. Under common law, the doctrine of precedent is used to offer direction, certainty, consistency, and impersonality (Harlow 2005). Even as the doctrine of precedent is one of the most significant features of the common law, this doctrine is not without challenges. It is very important for any judge to identify a clear ratio decidendi in any precedent (Duxbury 2008). One of the main challenges in making decisions guided by precedents is the possibility of two conflicting methodologies employed by Lords to reach a decision. This paper will focus on the impact of the two conflicting approaches used by Lords Wilberforce and Bridge in McLoughlin v O’Brian 1983 and show how the choice between these two conflicting approaches would result to completely different results for the claimants in Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police 1992. McLoughlin v O’Brian 1983 AC 410 In this case, the plaintiff’s husband and their three children were involved in a road accident that was allegedly caused by negligence of the defendants. The accid ent caused the death of one of the plaintiff’s children while the husband and the other two children sustained serious injuries. When the accident happened, the plaintiff was at home two miles away from the scene. A motorist who witnessed it at the scene passed the information on the accident to the plaintiff. After the information, the plaintiff was taken to the hospital where her family members were admitted. When she looked at the extent of their injuries and the news of the death of her daughter, the plaintiff suffered severe and continuous nervous shock. The plaintiff sued the defendants claiming damages against them for the nervous shock, distress, and injury to her health ultimately caused by the defendant’s negligence. However, the suit was not successful because the judge felt that the plaintiff’s injury was not reasonably foreseeable. The plaintiff believed that the defendant’s negligence led to her suffering. This case involved the tort of negl igence that has been a topic of discussion on the evidence of negligence (Stephenson 1996). In tort law, negligence is defined as the failure to execute reasonably, that is, as a normal man would perform. Therefore, according to Harlow (2005) â€Å"negligence is the omission to do something which a reasonable man, guided upon those considerations which normally regulate the demeanor of human affairs, would do, or do something which is prudent and reasonable man would not do.† Having defined negligence as a tort, it is of importance to note that it has remained the most vital tort in modern law (p. 8). This is because it utterly concentrates on the infringement of a legal duty to take care, which may result to damage of property or injury to the claimant. Negligence is known to cause individuals

Monday, October 7, 2019

A letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal Essay - 7

A letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal - Essay Example Critics have it that the increment can lead to the companies laying off some workers or even resort to the use of machines ,so as to counteract the increased labor cost. Production and manufacturing companies may also increase the prices of their commodities; a step that might lead to a gradual decrease in demand of the goods. These facts sound detrimental to the ears that choose to listen. However, the profits of raising wages supersede the conceptual losses to the economy of any nation in the world. According to a latest report tabled by the Congressional Budget Office, pay raise from $ 10.10 per hour will definitely give the working population much money to spend on the purchases and thus elevating the economy. Higher wages also attract more skilled personnel for a company hence increasing the productivity. Besides, higher earnings give the workers the power and confidence to buy the products from the very company in which they work. This is another hidden way of increasing the