Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Book Review on Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat
James R. McDonough once stated that his story is not a comprehensive documentation of the Vietnam War, but a mere account of an American platoon leader in battle. Lt. McDonough had, for a year after West Point, been situated in specialized training bases to be part of an airborne brigade. And as he was readily equipped, he was brought to the Strategic Hamlet Program – formed by the US armed forces in the 1960s to weaken the Viet Cong through civilian control, which, failed in the 1970s. Nevertheless, the US armed forces have not dissolved this program yet. 2nd Lieutenant McDonough found himself commanding a platoon led by a non-commissioned officer. Everyone was in low morale and inefficient as the lieutenant McDonough was replacing refused to wage war – all the time keeping the platoon from being harmed. Setting his goals straight, McDonough looked forward to gain the loyalty of his platoon, as well as, completing the mission with minimal or no casualties on their part. Mc Donough journeyed through a difficult period of founding leadership. He practiced careful observation and frequent combats with the enemy to lay out plans that would ensure an accomplished mission. An air of loneliness have also been created throughout the whole story as platoon men shared their piece of sufferings, fears and yearnings both in their military and personal lives. The novel provided a realistic point of view to both sides of the war – good and bad, the thoughts that prevail to each character in the story and the choices each one of them has to make in the line of duty (Hopkins). The three things this memoir might embed in the reader’s mind might include: Doing the right thing – in the right time and with the right reasons; There is a given responsibility each soldier has to his fellow comrades – it is to protect them at all costs; and Tiny mischiefs might ignite large conflicts – this should teach vigilance in discipline (Jacobs). These are just three of three of the important points presented in this memoir. But, among the most significant to note is leadership. He has set goals for a demoralized group of men, has aided each one of them to brave in realizing these goals, and ensuring that each of his men savor the success of these goals. McDonough made a comparison between good and bad leadership through the two lieutenants – the non-commissioned officer who refuses to fight, and he who wishes to be a real leader. Vivid details in the memoir bring the setting come to life along with the compelling set of characters. McDonough seemingly did not find it necessary to delve much in the morbid images of the war, rather, on the relationships that developed throughout the story. It was reflected in moments of irony and humor – an indication of the need to be resilient. He also enumerated different strategies and tactics that had been formulated during the war. These relationships were part of the humanizing aspects of the story, including issues that involve latrines. McDonough filled his memoir with discovering varied kinds of relationships with different men – from high-ranking men to allies and enemies, and civilians. It was a compilation of the view and experiences of war by different people. The Platoon Leader also indicated the ethics and morals of the war, the dehumanizing possibility a soldier might come across in the cruelty of the war. McDonough’s instrument character in this memoir is his being a leader – it enabled him to explore relationships, establish a set of war ethics and morals, a progression into a real leader. He portrayed a wise, humane, tough and firm leader, under the most difficult circumstances. The novel is a profound documentation on wartime virtues – making it a very important piece in American literature (Mazza). References: Hopkins, Martha. â€Å"Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat.†2003.25 May 2007 . Jacobs. â€Å"Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat : Review.†2007. 25 May 2007 . Mazza, Michael. â€Å"Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat: Review.†2004. 25 May 2007
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Geddes Garden City Essay
Introduction            The American Political Economist who authored the best read book titled Progress and Poverty (Lause) defined urbanization as â€Å"This life of great cities is not the natural life of man. He must, under such conditions, deteriorate, physically, mentally, and morally â€Å". To consider his point, the author view that life must be maintained in a serene atmosphere and not in a busy city just like those old good days that red beans or the cocoa is enough to send every household child to a good school.            Henry George began musing on this concept when the new railroad transport was developed in California that made an influence on high land values and influx of ordinary people to city life. That development in one place brought about overcrowding and had wayward implications on the sustainability of the natural environment. However, his idea provided economic reforms that made improvements of the life of the working classes possible.            Cities are indications of developments and of the visible civilizations of the history of man. It takes a process of transformation that is unique and at the same time diverse. This work is aimed at explaining the town concepts during the period of industrialization from the beginning of mass transportation and birth of new cities in particular on how Geddes observed and analyze these processes. Sustainability of the Man-built Environment            It was concluded by Henry George that the man-built environment is something that will not last. However, Patrick Geddes the Leonardo da Vinci of the 20th century teaches and reaffirms that our world environment could be sustained provided that man cooperates in the process. It has to be sustained in order that the life cycle of the young generation’s continues.            His statement is not a contradiction to George’s philosophy but a possible solution to man’s current problems. His reaffirmation brought to the world a new hope that even though life cycle is limited, this world is still something worthy to be cared for and it can endure. The positive attitude of George influences not only his neighbors but the human settlement at large during his time to the present.            There are issues on industrialization which brings wealth but at the same time destroys the natural environment caused by pollutants. For this reason, Geddes made it clear that man do not live by the jingling of his coins.  There is always a chain effect if one resource is used in accordingly. He provided a solution written in the Evergreen book that a sustainable world is as simple as making it comfortably green. His conviction reminded even planners that if developments are unchecked it would create more disaster than improvements.            Globally, everyone breathe the same air that a poor or a developed nation breathes. The current concern do not deals alone with affordability but also sustainability. With the pressing trend of modernization, comfortable living is expensive and value for money is usually a rare find. The problem of overcrowding in the cities and the lack of economic growth in the rural areas still remains to be a problem on poorly planned cities. The increase of deteriorating cities will lead to the decline of the global sustainability. The idea here is to provide developmental options that are definitely relevant to every cities of the world. His mottos â€Å"by creating we think and by living we learn was made to good use by educating people about their environment (Grewar).†The new housing design for workers, organizing his neighbors to renovate houses and build gardens made an indelible mark in his works which can still be seen in every postcard of the city’s Royal Mile that even Albert Einstein admired and has honored him (Grewar). The Garden City Movement Patrick Geddes three dimensional thinking (geography, economics and anthropology) places social sciences above math and logic, biology, chemistry and physics. His belief that†the earth as a cooperative planet must teach people on how to treat properly their environment and is aimed specifically on educating children, improving the physical quality of life through biological knowledge by producing better medicines, and understanding human influence on ecology (Killiecrankie).†Geddes bridging social sciences with biology even influenced his biographer Lewis Mumford on the simple idea that man just like plants and animals thrived in healthy conditions which are expressed in one of the extracts of Geddes writings; â€Å"The world is mainly vast leaf-colony, growing on and forming a leafy soil, not a mere mineral mass, and we live not by the jingling of our coins, but by the fullness of our harvest. This is green world, with animals comparatively small, and all independent upon leaves. By leaves we live (Grewar).†            Mumford an architectural critic and is particularly noted for his study on urbanization of the environment regarded technology as the destroyer of environment even if he qualifies that electricity could lead to the improvements of the social spheres (University). His works are indications that technology must be regulated. During the late 18th century Garden Cities began to evolve through the works of city and town planners particularly the works of Ebenezer Howard in UK influenced by the philosophy of Geddes new approach in urban planning called the garden city movement. Howard began to build self-sustaining towns that combines convenience and industries located on agricultural sites (â€Å"Sir Ebenezer Howard†).†Howard realizes that no matter from what nation a man belongs, there is but one social issue which is difficult to solve and that is problems on housing and labor. This propelled many to advocate the new movement and increases the awareness on the concept of â€Å"decency of surroundings†and that includes, ample spaces, clean housing with gardens, and preservation of landscapes (Letchworth). The First Garden City            Letchworth City is founded by Howard and is the first garden city of the world; in 1905 the garden city movement became involved in the exhibits of new housing called the workers cottage or housing for the working class in which some of it still stood today. Those cheap but strong and functional residences can be affordable to workers. Some of these cottages made of wood or concrete can still be found in Letchworth streets and is now being conserved.            Some of the prototype housing called the workers cottages influences the human settlement design of this century. This new housing designed sprawled even to the west for instance the workers cottages of Architect Maybeck of California and to the whole world at least giving man an accommodation that he humanly deserves. Mass Transportation            Fast developments are due to improved transportation and communications. The streets affect the life of all its inhabitants and this vision is very much encouraged in order to serve a huge population. This is indeed very necessary but at the same time may lead to a city decline. This entails thorough planning on how to maintain a good life in a cellular metropolis.            Victor Gruen a planning practitioner, mentioned in his last publicized works that â€Å"auto sprawl would cripple the global ecosystem and brings about physical and psychological starvation of the urbanized man (Hill).† Today, some cities plants a good number of trees for every parking slots or spaces created. Planning theories must be integrated to transit that is useful to automobile cities and providing more mass transit and more freeways.            Automobile cities, needs more spaces unlike the old horse tracks during the colonial times. Human settlement today cannot tolerate a waste of space in places where living condition is dense. Somehow, these dense spaces are capable of providing the maximum comfort for man by means of mechanical equipments in buildings. In this cities life is fast and expensive. Technology is a provision for man’s comfort and not a means to enslave but more often than not it is the other way around. However, there are many fast developing cities that is capable of coping with the new technology because work is valued in congruent with the dignity of man.            Gruen proposes a plan that could justify economic productivity of big cities and at the same time create sub cities that would adapt to what he calls â€Å"megalopolitan sprawl†. However, globalization could also mean going beyond ones land area. There is still vast area of lands wanting to be developed. There are many nations that are in need to cope with the present dynamics of the new world technology. And while there are other places where overpopulation is a problem there are affluent cities in the second millennium that the inverted population growth also presupposes danger. Conclusion            In the abstract written by Dr. Mervyn Miller, he mentioned the book written by the founder of Letchworth, â€Å"Tomorrow a Peaceful Path to Real Reform†written in 1898 is very much true to our society of today. He recalls that the garden city is a potent concept in the emergence of the 20th century cities.            Contemporary planners addressed the issue by following the course of people like Geddes. However, due to the increase in the demand on the lease to life, those familiar workers cottages are considered mini-mansions of many career oriented people of today. Ample spaces are defined as functional spaces due to the ever increasing cost per area of construction in square foot or in meters. Coping with life that is becoming unsustainable is becoming a depressing problem even more than how George views it in his time. The internationalist who believes that nothing is gained by overcrowding still support the issue on the green environment that is very relevant today. However, there are trends that are still needed to be discovered and be rediscovered especially within the new technology along on how this new ideas can be within the reach of everyone. The key here is what kind of technology should be provided to sustain the ordinary man of the streets. The approach that Geddes concept has provided in his time is for the working class of the industrialized period. That became the reason why today’s environmentalist regarded Geddes a steward in land use and its sustainability. Today, a number of men with the same aspirations of those Internationalist described is very much needed. This fast growing old planet needs people who are a hundred percent human beings in the middle of the electro- mechanical world. Works Cited Grewar, Mindy. â€Å"Vivendo Discimus: Everything in the Garden Is Magnifique for the Anniversary Celebrations of a Great Scot.† (2004). 11 April 2008 . Hill, David R. †Sustainability, Victor Gruen, and the Cellular Metropolis.† (2008). 11 April 2008 . Killiecrankie. â€Å"Patrick Geddes 1854-1932.† (2008). 11 April 2008 . Lause, Mark. â€Å"Henry George.†11 April 2008 . Letchworth. â€Å"Letchworth the First Garden City † (2007). 11 April 2008 . â€Å"Sir Ebenezer Howard.† (2007). 11 April 2008 . University, Regent. â€Å"Lewis Mumford (1895-1988).† (2007). 11 April 2008 . Â
My Neighbor Totoro
JoAnna Carraway Professor Childs English 1301 26 Feb. 2013 My Neighbor Totoro Movie Review â€Å"My Neighbor Totoro†is a Japanese base children’s film animated in the 1980’s written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. This movie was different from American films. There is no fighting or bickering among the characters. The movie is based on two sisters and their father who moved to a new town to be closer to their mom; who is ill and in a hospital nearby. The girl’s father hires the neighbor as new babysitter whom they have never met before.In this film the Japanese culture is very different from American society today, but very inspiring and enjoyable for its young viewers. The two sisters Satsuki who is the oldest and Mei being the youngest were very excited about moving to their new home and closer to their mom. When they arrived to their new home the girls ran all through and around the house. Their dad introduces them to the neighbor, who was an old lady who was keeping the house up while it was empty. The neighbor told the girls to call her â€Å"Granny†. The girl’s father also told them that she would be the new sitter while he went to work.Her being the girls sitter was strange to me; because in this culture we live in today; us as parents we do not leave our children with strangers we know nothing about, so that didn’t set too well with me. He should have let the girls get comfortable, and get to know her first. The old lady seemed to enjoy the girls and the girls enjoyed her too. Granny had a grandson, who the girls passed along the way to find their new house. When the girls asked if he knew how to get to their new house, he told them it was haunted, but granny put a stop to the rumors.The father, who was a professor at the local college in town, was always busy and a bit inattentive to Mei. Satsuki who is only nine and attends school had to grow up very quickly; by helping with her litter sister combing h er hair and cooking for her while her mother is ill in the hospital. Both girls’s had a very big imagination. Mei wondered off into the woods one day while playing outside alone. Mei found a tree that had a path inside of its trunk, that’s when she found a spirit named Totoro. When she told her father and sister bout Totoro they didn’t believe her. Totoro was there to be with Mei when she didn’t have anyone else. Satsuki and Mei were looking forward to spending time with their mother on the weekend. It’s been awhile, so they were very excited about spending time with her. That’s when an urgent telegram was sent from the hospital concerning their mother. The girls panicked and were afraid something was wrong with their mother. They rushed off to use a phone to call their dad, but Mei got lost trying to keep up.Once Satsuki noticed Mei was missing she had the whole neighborhood was looking for her. That’s when she turned to Totoro for h elp to find Mei. Totoro got a cat bus that could fly up in the sky and look over the town to find Mei. They found her on a dark road crying; she was trying to get to the hospital to make sure her mother was ok. The cat bus was a big cat, with eyes as headlights, paws as wings and its body open up inside filled with soft cat hair as seats. This is what made the movie different imaginary flying cat bus and friends.It’s good to see that the girl’s imaginary friends were able to help find Mei and take them to the hospital to see if their mother is ok. In American movies you don’t see much of siblings like Satsuki and Mei. They were getting along, playing without fussing and fighting with each other. The two sisters were very loving and kind towards one another. This movie is a great movie for children to watch to learn and see how to get along and enjoy childhood even when things come up and the older sibling has to step up the take care of their younger siblings. M y Neighbor Totoro†is a good non-violent movie for kids to watch. â€Å"My Neighbor Totoro†is based on experience, situation and explorationâ€â€not on conflict and threat (Ebert, R). When looking for films for children you should look for films similar to â€Å"My Neighbor Totoro†for your children. A film with violence tends to put children on the wrong path at times. So we want them to see and learn it’s not all about fighting bickering amongst each other, but how to love, and help one another when situations come up. Work CitedEbert, R. Rev of My Neighbor Totoro , Dir Hayao Miyazaki. Roger Ebert. Dec 23, 2001. Greenberg, Raz. â€Å"Giri And Ninjo: The Roots Of Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro In Animated Adaptations Of Classic Children's Literature. †Literature Film Quarterly 40. 2 (2012): 96-108. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Klady , L. Rev of My Neighbor Totoro . Dir Hayao Miyazaki. Variety. Variety Media. May 5, 1993. W ed. Feb 2013. My Neighbor Totoro. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Perf. Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning. Studio Ghibi,1988. DVD
Monday, July 29, 2019
Existential Vacuum can be Overcome by Finding Meaning of Life Research Paper
Existential Vacuum can be Overcome by Finding Meaning of Life - Research Paper Example Frankl stresses on the importance of meaning of life repeatedly in his book â€Å"Man’s Search for Meaning†and how attaching a real meaning to life can save one from the clutches of existential vacuum and escape the path to nihilism forms the main bulk of this essay. Existential vacuum is basically a disturbed psychological condition that results when one deliberately negates the meaning of one’s own life, loses interest in life and willingly enough gives up all the radiant aspirations to build up a better future. Defiant rejection of meaning of life, which plays a major role in stimulating the development of existential vacuum. ... The state of a person suffering from existential vacuum can be related to the state of a person who is imprisoned in a closed cell for numberless days and is unable to think or function properly, let alone build constructive plans for the future. Existential vacuum cuts down all the thinking abilities of a person and leaves him/her to be utterly incapable of attaching a meaning to his/her life and trust his/her own instincts rather than copying other people or doing what others demand of him/her. In the present industrialized world, people have engrossed themselves in maintaining their high life standards to such level that concepts like individualism, meaning of life, sacrificing for others, embracing sufferings, and high moral standards have become more of old-fashioned despised fantasies than anything. This fake pattern adopted by people which results in negative take at things and development of existential vacuum, actually induces Frankl to lay phenomenal stress on searching for the meaning of life so that one can follow a right path that can help in achieving feats that are entirely unachievable when the meaning of life is deliberately stifled by oneself in futile pursuit of a self-centered life and worthless pleasures. Industrialization and loss of traditional values are identified by (Cox and Klinger) to be the most common causes of existential vacuum. According to Frankl, as the concept of individualism became significantly reduced, people became less reliant on social traditions and their own instincts which reinforced their behaviors, due to which they rarely know what to do themselves. This leads to a state of loss of confidence, paranoia, loss of
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Martin Luther King The World House Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Martin Luther King The World House - Essay Example This paper examines the â€Å"world house†to provide an analysis of the value and other fundamental assumptions. The article conceptualizes people to live in two realms, the internal, and the external. The inside has spiritual ends characterized by morals and values while outside is characterized by technology. Materialism subjugates the inner man hindering the growth of the soul. Thoreau, as quoted in School life website, agrees with this in his report to summarise the present life, â€Å"improved means to an improved end†(School life web). It is true that modernization block spiritual growth, which in return nurtures people with a selfish character that do not for their fellow human beings have to go through every day. A 2007 study on racism shows that racism continues to pervade Americans society and that law by the state do not play their role in its prevention (ACLU web). Therefore, the idea of encouraging countries to fight poverty and other problems in developi ng countries is pertinent. As Luther presents the problem of poverty that may inhibit people to live in the world house properly, he presents the extent to which poverty is sinking in neighborhoods. Well, it may not be true that two-thirds of the world go to bed hungry every night, but at least a substantial number have no homes and go to bed hungry. The impression he makes by his quest to solve this poverty problem is that every person has the caring heart like him and will work towards ending poverty. The resources available to the rich nations can help developing countries come up with the key to end poverty. However, are they willing to help? Martin appeals to the audience using his trustworthy character, emotions, and logical reasoning.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1
Propaganda - Essay Example Propaganda is simply the information spread deliberately in order to harm an individual, an institution, a group of people, or even a government. The cultural dictionary defines propaganda as legal and official communications of the government to the public in order to influence them politically. The images associated to propaganda found in this course highlight some of the instances of practice of propaganda. This images include, the image displayed in the third lesson about the young imitating Hitler’s steps and actions, what the Chinese postage stamp implicated in relation to propaganda and finally, the jobs. Looking at how best the practice of propaganda has taken root in the areas of jobs, studied in lesson six and the Chinese postage stamp, studied in lesson five. The post agency of china released stamps with six different designs during the National Tourism Day. The designs showed the picture of the islands of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa, which Chinese occupied illegally (Chong, 2002). The post agency also released postcards and envelops with the same pictures. This is propaganda and the china post agency accepted that was a mistake and thus Vietnam has legal claims for the act. It also follows that in the Postal Service Department, china Postal Agency has trivialized the law. Therefore, Vietnam protested against china and demanded for removal of the images of the island. Vietnam claimed that china used propaganda to prosper their tourism industry by posting the images of the islands of Hoang Sa.... It is absurd to think that the people who quit their jobs in this sector got promotions. Therefore, the government continues propaganda in this sector to restore its self-image. Both in china and the United States, the issue about the stamp and the quitting of jobs by the employees in the two countries respectively, are forms of propaganda. These are similar in that both are deceptive. In china, the China Postal Agency deceives the tourists about the ownership of beautiful sites such as the Vietnam Hoang Sa islands published as a design of stamp and posted on envelops and post cards. On the other hand, the government of the United States gives a false statement on the employment sector. The reporters got instructions that instead of reporting that the economy of America is unhealthy, they report the opposite, the economy of America is very healthy (George, 2008). In real sense, the quitting of jobs of citizens is due to the low payments on high wage jobs. These two countries want to achieve good self-images for their governments, illegally. The extent of the propaganda practiced in the two countries differs in the intensity. In China, the postage stamps affected the country in general. The Vietnam had legal allegations towards China Postal Agency; it did not cause many adverse effects to the citizens and the economy of China. On the other hand, the propaganda practiced in the United States causes adverse effects to both the economy of the country and the citizens (Chong, 2002). Citizens quit the jobs because of low payments with high wage jobs, low living standards thus tempering with the economy, they cannot afford school fees, and basic needs of their families and this in turn affects greatly the economy of the country. Another difference
Friday, July 26, 2019
The Roman History of Cassius Dio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The Roman History of Cassius Dio - Essay Example Suetonius and his work the â€Å"The lives of the twelve Caesars" gives us an insight into the character of Nero. While the emperor did not see any direct action in Britain, the causes for the revolt grew under his watch. Thus, one can argue that Nero's lack of concern or apathy towards the provinces and empire contributed to the revolt. As such, the main argument in favor of seeing Nero as responsible for the revolt is his lack of interest or complete disregard for the provinces. Accordingly, using the texts of the Dio, Tacitus, and Suetonius, this essay will first examine the circumstances surrounding the revolt of Boudicca and the manner in which Nero's behavior contributed towards it. The province of Britain did not have a very hostile population. In fact, Tacitus claims that "The Britons themselves submit to the levy, the tribute and the other charges of the empire with cheerful readiness†¦". Instead, the province, which was in charge of Suetonius Paulinus, revolted as a r esult of growing political and economic mistreatment by the Roman provincial administration. This reached a climax with the death of the King Prasutagus who ruled the Iceni autonomously. In his will, he divided his kingdom between Nero and his daughters in order to win approval with the imperial order. However, instead of winning favor, his queen, Boudicca, was flogged, his daughters ravaged and his family, along with those of other nobles were plundered. This incident, along with the abuses of the procurator and the governor, prompted Boudicca and a vast number of Britons to revolt. Further injustices against the Iceni included the takeover of their property by the procurator and the change in the status of their kingdom from autonomous to provincial. Furthermore, financial concessions made to the British earlier became void. Dio stated that the revolt cost approximately 80,000 Roman lives and almost destroyed the Ninth Legion.
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