Last Of The Mohicans Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main difference between â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans† book version by James Fenimore Cooper and â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans† movie version, generally speaking, is that the book has a more adventurous theme and the movie has a more love and romantic theme. Never the less, both stories were extremely interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Main details that support this difference are that in the movie, Cora is supposed to wed with Heyward and Cora agreed with that. Then she met Hawkeye when he saved her from an ambush from the Hurons. From there they fell in love and Heyward was out of the picture as far as love is concerned. So, Cora is the one who is in love with Hawkeye and Alice takes the role of Cora. Another factor, dealing with the love theme differences is in the book, there was not a big love scene between Hawkeye and Alice as there was in the movie between Hawkeye and Cora. Thus making the movie a more romantic story. In the movie, key things that happen have different importance because the roles switch. For instance, towards the end of the book, Cora dies. In the movie, Alice dies. This is important because Alice and Cora have certain traits that make this more and/or less important to the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Differences in the between Heyward are that in the book, Heyward does not play as an important role as he did in the movie. In the movie, he sacrifices himself to the Hurons, in exch...

The Class Struggles of 18th and 19th Centuries in Europe Essay

The Class Struggles of 18th and 19th Centuries in Europe Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto in order to give a voice to the struggling classes in Europe. In the document he expressed the frustrations of the lower class. As Marx began his document with "the history of all hitherto societies has been the history of class struggles" he gave power to the lower classes and sparked a destruction of their opressors.1 He argued that during the nineteenth century Europe was divided into two main classes: the wealthy upper class, the bourgeoisie, and the lower working class, the proletariat. After years of suffering oppression the proletariats decided to use their autonomy and make a choice to gain power. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century the proletariats were controlled and oppressed by the bourgeoisie until they took on the responsibility of acquiring equality through the Communist Manifesto. First it is important to understand the French economy during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The working class people were struggling with their need to get by in life and feed their family and the internal call to make a choice and gain equality. The problem was that the proletariats did not have much of a choice at the time because if they did not work then they did not survive. The struggling class had to agree to what all the owners said and â€Å"whatever their status, the peasants continued to pay to their lord feudal dues on such land as they held on his estates." 2 It was clear that a social change was needed since the workers were being so abused and getting no reward for their efforts. The European society during the eighteenth and nineteenth century consisted of ... ...equality. WEB LINKS http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1850-csf/csf.htm http://eh.net/Clio/Conferences/ASSA/Jan_99/hadeishi.shtml http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc2/lectures/towns.html http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~yamashir/History.htm End Notes 1. Karl Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party, 1848 (France), 1. 2. John Lough, An Introduction to Eighteenth Century France (New York: David McKay Company Inc., 1960), 18. 3. Craig Calhoun, Habermas and the Public Sphere (London: The MIT Press, 1992), 187. 4. Lough, 53. 5. Gerhard Grempel, "The Eighteenth Century Town" The Eighteenth Century Town, <http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc2/lectures/towns.html> (October 1 2001). 6. Herbert Wilson, The Old Regime in France. (New York: Howard Fertig, 1970), 278.

Heroism in Ayn Rands The Fountainhead Essay -- Ayn Rand Fountainhead

Heroism in The Fountainhead  Ã‚         The Fountainhead is a story about heroism. The novel is a triumphant cry of protest against all those who insist that life is about mediocrity. That man is destined to suffer. The greatness of The Fountainhead lies in its ability to inspire hope and confidence in its readers, to show how much is possible. For more than fifty years now, people all over the world have been looking towards this great book for support and sanction, for encouragement and hope, for ideas and answers. The Fountainhead applauds strength and greatness in human spirit, giving its readers a hero they can admire, respect, idolize and love. Howard Roark -- the hero, the ideal man, the human being. When Roark said in the courtroom, "Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value, what a man is and makes of himself, not what he has or hasn't for others", he summarized the whole philosophy in these handful of words. To Roark, independence meant everything. From this one value of his arose all his other values and qualities. To him, there was no substitute and no alternative to independence. He held no authority above the judgement of his mind, he held no one higher than himself. Roark felt a fundamental indifference towards others -- he cared two hoots about what the world thought of him. The people Roark chose as friends and comrades all shared this basic quality - independence. His teacher, Henry Cameron, was a fiercely independent man. So were Steven Mallory, Austen Heller, Mike Donnigan and Gail Wynand. Roark's only hallmark of a man was his independence, or the lack of it. His 'enemies', the men who hated Roark, yet recognised his greatness, were all dependents and parasites. Peter Keating thirsted... ...ife as Keating and Toohey saw it. A choice between life as it "ought to be" and life as it is. The Fountainhead is more than a story about heroism. It is a story about a way of life. It will continue to be the most inspiring book of all times and will continue to hit readers with its immortal philosophy and tremendous courage. It will continue to offer answers. The choice is ours. Works Cited and Consulted Berliner, Michael S., ed. Letters of Ayn Rand. By Ayn Rand. New York: Dutton, 1995. Maslow, A.H. (1968) Toward a Psychology of Being. New York: Van Nostrand. Peikoff, Leonard. The Philosophy of Objectivism, A Brief Summary. Stein and Day, 1982. Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. New York: Plume, 1994. Rogers, C.R. (1980) A Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Walker, Jeff. The Ayn Rand Cult. Carus Publishing Company, 1999      

Democratic Values- Dbq

Democratic values are the fundamental beliefs that founded the United States and represent the core of America. Throughout history, many reform movements sought to expand these strong values that represent the unity among Americans through â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. † The magnification of these principles can be especially seen through the time period of 1825-1850, where much change was beginning to occur. While all of these reforms sought to expand the democratic ideals, only certain movements succeeded and presented the deserved freedom of rights to all.Movements involving religion, juvenile institutions, and women’s rights supported and expanded upon these ideals while other aspects such as temperance and utopianism failed to offer the true meaning. Foremost, the Second Great Awakening, a religious revival, helped to expand democratic ideals by raising the standards and morals of the common man. Charles G. Finney believed that if people focuse d on religion and the church then â€Å"†¦the reformation and salvation of sinners will follow,† (Doc B).He said that it would also lead to the conversion of many diverse people including â€Å"harlots, drunkards, and infidels,† due to reforms in the church. With the belief that goodness led to salvation, many people in the communities were surrounded by good deeds for humanity. It offered a more uplifting view upon life where, â€Å"†¦the rich have many troubles which we know nothing of; and that the poor, if they are but good, may be very happy, indeed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doc E). Along with equality and goodness among others, the reforms of prisons and treatment of the mentally ill were also changing through Dorthea Dix.The benefits of these reforms where seen by â€Å"rescuing [the prisoners] from vice and rendering them valuable members of society, (Doc A). Another very important reform was the beginning of the women’s movement where they desired incr eased freedom â€Å"to declare our right to be as free as man is free,† (Doc I). All of these reforms succeeded in expanding democratic ideas and aimed to make better institutions and democracy overall. Furthermore, the reformation of temperance tried to expand democratic ideals but failed because it tried to control the public and restrict their freedoms of drinking.The picture titled â€Å"The Drunkard Progress: From First Glass to the Grave,† presents a long process on how alcohol tore families apart and aimed at trying to force better moral judgment upon people, (Doc H). Although temperance was ultimately a matter of will power, more people were beginning to express their views upon different aspects. Also, the Brooke Park Farm Association represented unity through people but in a different way then the true fundamental beliefs do through Americans.They formed their society in order â€Å"†¦to guarantee to each other forever the means of physical support, and of spiritual progress†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doc F). No self-proclaimed utopian society has ever survived because they tried to embrace the forced unification of different individuals. Overall, the movements involving temperance and utopianism did not expand ideas due to strict governing, while the reforms involving religion, institutions, and women’s rights succeeded because they helped expand democratic ideals in that they desired increased rights.

Water for Elephants Analysis

Water for Elephants Every book has the same basic hero archetype; a protagonist that faces a problem and rises up to save the day. My book was water for elephants and the protagonist was Jacob. He is the main character of the book. He is seen through two different perspectives. He is seen as the ninety something year old in a retirement home and as a 23 year old that makes a life changing decision. The journey starts when Jacob is days away from getting his degree in veterinary science from Cornell University, Jacob learns that his mother and father have been killed in car accident.His life changes as he finds put that his parents were in dept paying his tuition bills and that the bank was going to take away his father’s practice. When Jacob realizes that he is all alone with no home he jumps a train, not knowing were its going. As it turns out that it was a circus train. And his new life begins. The chapters in the book switch through the ninety year old and 20 year old persp ective. On the circus train he meets the love of his life Marlena, a performer in the circus. The two of them share a love for animals and bond over their friendship that evolves into a relationship.The main problem is that Marlena is married with Jacobs’s boss, August. The two of them fight against their love in the beginning, but circumstances bring them together to the point where they cannot deny how much they want to be together. August is a man with a split personality. He is categorized as schizophrenic. When he is in a good mood, August is generous person giving gifts to his favorite people, making them feel appreciated and adored. But when August does not feel good about himself, he is violent. He becomes irrational and paranoid.He is alternately charming and brutal, both to the humans and animals aboard the Benzini Brothers train. He beats up Marlena throughout the book. He is also abusive towards the animals he trains, denying their emotions. At a point in the book when Jacob is tired of the abusive attitude August has, he takes Walter's knife and sneaks out of the stable car. Jacob makes his way through the train to Augusts’ room. Jacob finds August asleep and alone. Jacob wants to kill him but cannot bring himself to do so. Jacob leaves the knife on Augusts’ pillow and sneaks back to his own room.This is the moment Jake almost loses sight of who really is, but he realizes it was the wrong thing and turns away from the bitterness. August eventually gets what he deserves when Queenie, the elephant at the circus that August abuses, kills him. After having an affair with Marlena, Jacob discovers that she is pregnant. The young parents wanting to the best thing for their family try to get away. Uncle Al is another important character. Uncle Al, the violent and abusive owner of the circus, is a symbol more than a character. Al represents â€Å"misguided humanity†.He is only after power and money, he has no heart. He takes adv antage of other people’s misfortune. He is known for redlighting circus workers; having them thrown off the moving circus train in the middle of the night to avoid paying them, in which he hopes that they die or are severely injured. He is an antagonist along with August. I feel kind of bad for August he is the head animal trainer and he was abusive and deserve what he got. But he did have a mental illness he was a  paranoid schizophrenic, so I don’t think that he should be completely blamed for his actions.This fits into the hero archetype because Jacob is the protagonists. He faces protagonist like Uncle Al and August. He is alone at first and he is faced with great loss. He travels with the circus not knowing where he is headed. He stands up to August who abuses Marlena and the animals. He takes care of Jake and protects him from being redlighted when he gets sick with. He is very intelligent and this helps him throughout the book. He faces a quest to stand for wh at he believes in without losing sight of who he really is. He fights for his love and gives Marlena a home.He does the right thing by going back to Cornell to get his degree and give a better life to Marlena. He is the hero because he helps people, stands up for what he believes in and does the right thing. I liked the cyclic ending. The ninety year old Jacob finds his home, at last. He goes to see the circus that’s in town and meets with the manager Charlie. He begs him to accompany the circus by selling tickets. Charlie eventually agrees and Jacob believes he has finally come home. The best years of his life even with the downturns were at the circus where he met his wife. I think this was a peaceful ending to a great book.

Land of the Aryans: The Persian Culture Essay

Iran is formerly known as Persia until 1935. It is a country in Central Eurasia located in the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf. Iran is the cognate of the name Aryan, which means â€Å"Land of the Aryans†. Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC. The Culture of Iran is a mix of ancient pre-Islamic culture and Islamic culture. Iranian culture probably originated in Central Asia and is strongly suggested as the predecessor of Iranian culture ca. 2000 BC. Iranian culture has long been a predominant culture of the Middle East and Central Asia, with Persian considered the language of intellectuals during much of the 2nd millennium, and the language of religion and the populace before that. Persian Philosophy to Major Religions The Iranian plateau has contributed ideas and techniques for sixty known centuries which have helped to continue and civilize mankind. Writing, numbers, the arts of agriculture and of working metals, the sciences of astronomy and mathematics, and the beginnings of religious and philosophical thinking — these all come from the Near East, and the fountain head of much of Near Eastern culture was on the Iranian plateau (Nasr & Razavi, 1999, p. 3). The three Wise Men from the East whom at the birth of Jesus brought gold, frankincense and myrrh were probably Zoroastrian priests from Persia. Their gifts symbolized essential beliefs which wee contributed by Zoroastrianism to Christianity, such as: the concepts of the Evil One as a positive force; the notion of the angels, of the Last judgment, or paradise, of the resurrection of the dead; and of the ultimate victory of good over evil (Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder, 1945, p. 2). There are also two other influential religions that came out of Persia. One is Mithraism, which unsuccessfully competed with Christianity for the first three centuries of our era. And the other is Manichaeism of which St. Augustine was a devotee before he converted to Christianity (Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder, 1945, p. 2). Moreover, according to Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder (1945): Buddhism was also partially influenced by Persian philosophy when Buddha passed through the Far East on its mission of enlightenment. (p. 2) No important religion would now be what it is were the Persian contributions to be taken from it (Nasr & Razavi, 1999, p. ). Persian Pottery Early ancient painted pottery, which had begun in Western Asia by 4000 B. C. , was man’s first â€Å"manuscript†; for the blueprints, useful though they be as ornament, were much more than that to those who made and used the vessels. Persian potteries were the expressions and evidences of fears and hopes, symbols for evoking supernatural forces to aid in the constantly anxious struggle of living (Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder, 1945, p. 7). All of the images in Persian pots symbolize the harmonious relationships of man to nature and the divine aid of a god watching over and guiding them. Metal Arts Western civilizations considered pottery, ceramics or paintings as major work of art. But for Persian and Middle Eastern civilizations, it is the metal works that is considered as the prime of the art works. Bronze is considered as a most important medium on metal arts, even comparable to silver and gold in terms of its value, because it is far more durable than the said metals. The artistic talents of the smiths were preserved and learned for thousand of years for the Persian, and adds to the artistic value of the metal arts (Ghirshman, 1962, p. 12). Simplicity and strength were the artistic ideals. Tradition dictated symbolic shapes like the bull’s head ewer and other animals to present the vitality of these animals such as lions and birds, believing that it will be passed on the metal arts (Ghirshman, 1962, p. 14) All sorts of handsome objects were fashioned by the Seljuq metal workers. A mirror back illustrates the famous and much loved story of Bahram Gur and his sweetheart Azada, whom in a rage he was fated to slay. Pictorially it is unimpressive; as a work of decoration and judged by the modeling of its animals it is superb (Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder, 1945, p. 64). The active figures in the center evenly and ingeniously fill the space between the cusped arches of the framing zone which, with the intervening spaces, almost forms a reciprocal. Within this are falcons, foxes, and peacocks that repay careful examination. Carpets According to Pope (1931), it is by her carpets that the art of Persia has been most widely known (p120). Their fame has been abroad in the world these many centuries. The most priced Persian carpets are those made for the kings and princes of the Persian society. They are usually made from fabrics and other raw materials especially and exclusively for the royalty’s use (Pope, 1931, p. 121). They also commission the best painters and architects in town to make a unique and personalized design. The brilliant and sophisticated Persian color sense finds its perfect embodiment in the carpets. Their size permits of a far greater variety of colors than is appropriate in the smaller, lighter textiles or than is possible in a painted page. There is practically no limit to the range of colors the Persian dyers could command, and yet with all this wealth available, the rug designers chose a relatively limited number; twelve to fourteen tones is the average for the great sixteenth century carpets (Pope, 1931, p. 23). The Death of the Persian Culture The decline of the Persian art started in the rise of Europe. Because of various social problems such as societal depression, poverty, Afghan invasion and governmental incompetence are fatal to the preservation and development of the Persian culture. Yet, even if the Persian culture is considered stagnant nowadays, but the Iranian movies and contemporary music and literature, the influence and appreciation of humankind on Persian culture can no longer be disregarded.

Population Growth and the Arising Environmental Issues Essay

Population is determined by the relationship of two factors. One being birth rate and the other is death rate. If the number of deaths is less than the number of births then the population is growing larger. In John Laffin’s novel The Hunger to Come data is present showing that the population will continue to grow and not stop; â€Å"About 2050 the population will be 15. 000 million, a century later 82. 000 million and by 2350 a frightening 440. 000 million will be reached†(Engelman, 47). Like all living organisms, humans grow and reproduce; however, compared to the rate of which food is grown and supplied, the birth rate rises at a much faster rate. This compared rate of growth is known as the Malthusian relationship. The Malthusian relationship concludes that human population will eventually grow to be too big, to the point where there will not be enough food supply and other vital resources. When this happens, famine and/or death will occur, unless a plan is put into place regarding how to limit population growth. One main problem which results in the Malthusian relationship would be uncontrolled fertility. Since the death rate is decreasing due to medical advancements it allows more births to happen. Humans without doubt will create a baby faster than the supplies needed to support them. This results in birthrate being dropped down to zero population growth. This can happen in many ways, providing women with contraception (birth control), abortion centers and by creating laws to prevent couples from having more then two children. Education on family planning and birth control is a primary factor in restraining population growth. A common problem that people think is associated with overpopulation is having nowhere to put everyone, but there are also many other environmental issues that it causes. More humans will be using more cars, burning more fuel, eating more food and drinking more water. This causes more air pollution, more lands are ruined and more water and food to disappear. Therefore, population control is necessary on a global level in order to protect our environment. Population growth is ruining the earth’s oceans and water sources. This causes a decrease in earth’s water supply for the future. Due to the fact that water is vital to survive, the water sources being polluted will not do humans well. Besides water pollution, population growth also pollutes the air, which causes the greenhouse effect and reduction of the ozone layer. The greenhouse effect is when gases build up around the earth’s outer atmosphere which literally turns the earth into a greenhouse. What this means is that the heat allowed into the earth’s atmosphere is trapped inside and not aloud back out of the earth’s atmosphere. This results in an increase of the earth’s temperature, therefore it causes natural disasters such as hurricanes and due to the increased heat, crops do not grow properly. With the greenhouse effect comes the disappearing ozone layer. The main purpose of the ozone layer is to regulate the amount of UV light coming down to the earth’s surface from the sun. The chemical chlorofluorocarbon which is found in air conditioning systems, when in the air breaks down the ozone layer. This relates to population growth because of how many families are being produced everyday which results in more communities being built which means more houses. Therefore, this means more air-conditioning units will be in use, which results in the chemical chlorofluorocarbon being let out into the air and breaking down the ozone layer. With the ozone layer being broken down, more UV light enters the earth’s atmosphere and causes humans to gain skin diseases such as skin cancer. Therefore, if population growth is controlled and there is less people, less air conditioning will be used, global warming and the breaking ozone layer could be prevented. Main causes of air pollution are the use of cars and industrial plants, both which let loose harmful fumes into the air. Acid rain is a result of air pollution, it occurs when too many toxins are released into the air. It is made by fossil fuels being burnt then released into the air as a gas which then reacts with sunlight, oxygen and moisture. Acid rain when precipitated pollutes water and damages many materials and resources. Another downfall to cars with population growth is the fact of cars having air conditioning. This is because more chlorofluorocarbon will be let into the air from the car’s air conditioning. With the population increasing, it is creating air pollution which is harmful to all living organism because they need clean air, one of the most important necessities of life, to breathe. Population growth also threatens the earth’s farming resources. For example the desertification of land, this occurs when fertile land is turned into infertile land. This can happen from overgrazing of cattle, or the topsoil being carried away (erosion). If too much water is used, it can cause desertification which is mostly caused by a growing population. The more people need food, the more land is being used in the wrong way to try and make food. Another way population growth affects our outdoors is deforestation. Forests are cut down for the demand of fire wood, agricultural space, paper products and more space to live. However, forests are needed for more than human needs such as to regulate the amount of carbon dioxide let out into the atmosphere. Let it be known that population control will not end all the problems, but it would allow more time for them to be fixed and alienate environment problems. The earth’s environment is not infinite and can come to an end if population control was not started. Actions must be taken now to correct the current situations with the world involving population growth, these actions are the increase of deforestation and desertification, the decrease of farmland, more water pollution, the deteriorating ozone layer and the greenhouse effect. It is evident that there is no way our population can keep growing at the rate it does now without negatively impacting our environment.