Casualties of War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Casualties of War - Essay Example A new member of the unit is introduced called Erikson Fox and is unjaded by the violence and brutality that is happening around him. This team faced several frustrations in the field and decided to invade a village where they also kidnap a young girl, Oah who they raped and violated both emotionally and physically. They made the young woman to be their slave and made her run all the errands for them, Eriksson then refuse to take part in the torture and slavery and decided to attempt setting her free. Unfortunately, after some time, the young woman is buttered and eventually killed by Meserves’s unit under Eriksson’s watch; he was unable to do anything to stop them. Even though he failed to secure justice for the woman, Eriksson continued to seek for justice for the woman but nobody listened to his plea but continued to push for justice until the military unit were brought to a military tribunal. Eriksson became unrelenting quest for the victim’s justice whom he thought was brutal and unfairly treated by the units of solders he was serving with in the same unit. In the unit, different personalities are depicted with reference to the unfolding; Sean is portrayed as a highly effective part of the team and was instrumental in moving the unit forward. On Michael Fox, he is portrayed as a naà ¯ve recruit of the team with good qualities at the same time, on the other hand, the performance of Thuy Le was rather heart wrenching. This movie directed by Brian considers the aspects of brutality adopted by Merseve and the unit he controlled during the period of the war while at the same time includes the dissenting voice of Eriksson. It should also be noted that this movies was based on the Daniel Lang’s article referred to as New Yorker and series of subsequent books. Casualties of War in my opinion remains one of the best films depicting war in an emotionally manipulated way while remaining effective too. It illustrates the demonizing effects f the war and at the same time demonstrate that it is no the way through. In the films, what comes ou t clearly is the fact that it is only the foolish and the laziest that will seek refuge in war. It also depicts how wholesome failure of humanity can lead to the institutional violence and this in the film is construed on how this can shape people’s thinking to the extent that they simply dismiss actions without justification or rationale. In that regard, Eriksson position not to partake on the Vietnam’s was and the eventual resistance that confronted him when he insisted of doing the right things simply demonstrates the extent the film has gone to move beyond the theatre of war and cites failures of the institution of humanity. After a keen follow of the film, it is construable that there are many issues that the Americans did in the Vietnam War than just what is conventional in the public domain. American Involvement in the War It will be remembered that the US and the USSR after the Second World War were in superiority rivalry in which the US supported capitalist co untries and the USSR extended the same to the communist’s sympathizers. One such area where the confrontation of the two major worlds power after the events of 1945 took place was in Vietnam. The US, supported the Southern Vietnam given the fact that they supported communism, on the other the USSR supported the Northern Vietnam on their position on communism. The US took the responsibility to help countries that were under coercion in accepting those ideologies that they did not subscribe to through military and economic support. Making reference to the film, Merseve and Eriksson experienced tension in their relation in the military unit given the fact

Controversial Subject Rebuttal Essay Example for Free

Controversial Subject Rebuttal Essay On August 29, 2005, the Gulf Coast was struck with one of the most unforgettable natural disasters in American History. The effects of Hurricane Katrina have been shattering and long-lasting. However, could the question been plausibly raised whether or not to rebuild New Orleans? Evidently it was. Lance Winslow, freelance writer, from California did just that in an article titled: Why did God Destroy New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina? Winslow states â€Å"Many people believe that God was real angry at mankind and got a wild hair up his butt and sent Hurricane Katrina into the Gulf Shore and New Orleans to teach people a lesson†¦and if it was a lesson did the little human learn anything? It appears they did not. Humans in their ultimate defiance are rebuilding the city under sea level as before† (Winslow, n. d. ). Winslow included no resources or data to back his opinion. There can be no reliability or credibility attached to this article; however; for those who have been victims of Hurricane Katrina these words create an emotional anger, which is verbally indescribable. Loss of personal possessions are only one aspect of devastation, but the loss of homestead, life as it once was, people and places, which once represented home, and the cultures that make each person a unique individual are characteristics that can never be replaced. History and People of New Orleans Historically the people who inhabited early New Orleans came from many groups including Native American, French, African, and Caribbean islands. No group was dominant in the early days and there was a mixing of the cultures. From this mixing came a unique culture that influenced food, music, architecture, and language. New Orleans became one of Americas’ most unique cities with its multicultural influence and it joie de vivre (joy of life) attitude (A Brief History of New Orleans, n. d. ). The Act of God In the Acts of God department: the catastrophe in New Orleans is the result of human error, not divine malice. Hurricane Katrina’s winds and rain were naturally disastrous, there is no question. However, the massive and catastrophic destruction that affected this beloved city was a result of flooding that occurred because of the failure of the levees. The primary responsibility for that tragic turn of events, and for fixing it, lies directly with the U. S.  Army Corps of Engineers, who have admitted as much (Piazza, 2006) . Anyone that asks the question should New Orleans be rebuilt needs to consider, what happens to the people in San Francisco when it gets destroyed again by an earthquake? Should the government tell them, Sorry, you should have not built on a fault line. What will be done when Los Angeles is ravaged by wildfires and mudslides? How should the government proceed in helping other citizen’s homeland or any other national treasure? Economic Reasons Those who argue the question whether to rebuild New Orleans also fail to consider the costs associated with abandoning New Orleans. The country would suffer economically with its abandonment: more than 500 million tons of cargo comes through the port of New Orleans each year, and 13% of the imported petroleum enters the United States through the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (Villere, n. d. ). Certainly anyone who relies on the import and export of grain, textiles, hard or dry goods of any sort, electronics, and automobiles, which is to say anyone in the United States, depends on the health of New Orleans as a port. Anyone who uses petroleum products should recognize the importance of New Orleans and Louisiana in general to supply oil. It would be amiss to forget to mention that the Gulf Coast is second only to Alaska as a source of seafood (Piazza, 2006). For those who have taken this attitude, it sounds as if they are just writing off the United part of the United States. To paraphrase Ben Franklin, â€Å"We must all hang together or we will certainly hang separately. † President George W. Bush on September 16, 2005, while standing in Jackson Square, in the heart of the French Quarter, stated â€Å"All who question the future of the Crescent City need to know: There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans and this great city will rise again† (Taipei Times, 2005) .

Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels Essay -- Jonathan Swift Gullivers

Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels In Gulliver’s travels I think that Jonathan Swift is trying to show people what human society is really like. He does this through 4 voyages each to a different imaginary place, where the people are a satire of a different aspect of human society, and in each voyage Swift is telling us what he thinks of human society through what Gulliver says, and what he sees. Many people have described the book negatively for example William Thackeray, an 1850’s novelist described it as, â€Å"Filthy in word, filthy in thought, furious, raging, obscene,† and indeed over the two and a half centuries since it was first published it has caused a lot of controversy and has divided opinions. Gulliver’s first voyage is to a place called Lilliput. The Lilliputians are small people, about 6 inches high, and this is a metaphor for their small-mindedness. Gulliver criticises the way the Lilliputians elect their ministers- by doing circus tricks, â€Å"†¦with a dance on the rope and whoever jumps the highest succeeds in office.† This quote is showing that Swift is annoyed that people have to ‘jump through hoops’ to get into office. This is one of the stupid laws in Lilliput. This is like politics in the 18th century and even now, in that the rich were the only ones in parliament in the 18th century, and now it is mostly the rich in parliament because they are the only ones who can finance a campaign. Another law is no urinating in the palace. When a fire breaks out in the palace Gulliver does not want it to burn down, â€Å"This magnificent palace would have infallibly been burned to the ground,† so he urinates on it to put it out. Then the king of lilliput makes several articles against Gulliver. This... ...like the ‘quack’ doctors, and the drunks who use all their family’s money on alcohol. Also, swift shows the flaws of mankind and wants to improve it. I know this because he wrote about good people like the Brobdignagians and the Houyhnhnms, as I said before. Swift also only tells us about what has happened to him, so if he has only had bad experiences with, for example politicians, then he can only make bad comments about them. However, Gulliver doesn’t tell us about any good people in England at the time, or any good experiences he had had with people, he focuses on the bad. In conclusion, I think that Jonathan Swift is not misanthropic in his presentation of human society because he only comments on what he knows, and his main aim is to make the world better, and the best way to do this it to tell people in simple terms, in a story of a popular genre.

Literary Analysis of Feminism Seen in Antigone and A Doll’s House Essay

Susan B. Anthony once said, â€Å"The true republic: men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.† In the plays Antigone, by Sophocles, and A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, strong women overcome restrictions and limitations placed upon them by their society and gender. In Antigone, Antigone chooses to defy Creon, her ruler, uncle, and a male authority figure, to support what she believes is right, which is burying her brother and respecting the gods. Though it was forbidden for her brother to be buried because of Creon’s decree, she resists, and in doing so, feels empowered and discovers what a strong woman she truly is. Similarly, in A Doll’s House, Nora is hindered by how the society in which she lives views women and their capabilities. After saving her husband’s life and keeping the secret of a forgery that could potentially destroy her marriage, Nora discovers that her husband is not who she thinks he is when he tu rns on her as soon as his reputation is threatened. Through leaving her husband, Helmer, she aims to make a life for herself and become her own person rather than just her husband’s â€Å"doll.† Both of these women, Antigone and Nora, make choices that are unheard of for their time periods and that demonstrate the importance of equal relationships between women and men. Through Sophocles and Ibsen’s plays, women in modern times can understand how women are repressed and subservient to men in male-dominated societies. An understanding of the restrictions placed on women requires an analysis of the characters’ submission to men, the expectations placed upon them by society, and their search to find their inner voices through their struggles to be heard. The expectations placed on women by society ... ...ce, and become independent women, even if they go against society’s or their male ruler’s wishes. Sophocles and Ibsen alike portray strong women who defy society’s expectations, do not bend to the wills of men, and who discover themselves while fighting for their rights. The actions taken by Nora and Antigone are remarkable for the time periods in which they live, especially with patriarchal societies. By analyzing these plays, women can determine how to become independent and not always conform to society’s expectations, just as Nora and Antigone do. Relationships between men and women are changing, through time, to become more equal and accepting of strong-willed women. Women worldwide are slowly shrugging off the chains of restrictions placed upon them by the males in their lives and are growing confident enough in themselves to make changes for the better.

My Own Interpretation of Mandela’s 8 Lessons in Leaders

That is why I also wanted to share to you Mandela’s 8 lessons of Leadership: 1. Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it In tackling life’s challenges, you must face fear head-on and find the guts that you may not falter when life is giving you a hard time. There are people who wanted to see you fall and you must find courage to stand up to them. Having courage does not mean being reckless or stupid but rather it means to hold your head up, look them in the eye. Do the right thing even when you stand alone and it eventually will pay off in the end 2. Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind Hey, it’s great to be a leader, right? There are privileges like less work for you and more work for your subordinates and get the credit from the efforts of your colleagues-NO, this is a very wrong notion. They will never respect you as a leader if you lead them an iron fist. What’s the point of being a leader if no one will follow you? Move with the principle that others matter as well and do what’s best for your group, not just you. Be honest and fair. Work hard. Play hard. Do your homework. Know what you are talking about and they will follow. Don’t ever mistake arrogance and intelligence for the same thing for they are quite different. Life will eventually teach you humility if your ego will swell up. 3. Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front Sometimes, it’s kind of nice to take a few steps back and let others lead as well while you still lead them. Why not? Give others opportunity to prove themselves that they are capable to lead and let them discover their potentials too. Maybe you could even learn a thing or two from them. Not all great ideas come from one brain but rather a group of brains. When they eventually get off-track, you’re still there to guide them back like a shepherd guiding a lost sheep. 4. Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport Truth is you cannot please everybody and there are some people would not favor you leading them. That irritates you, doesn’t it? Often, the people who anger us most in life are more like us than we’d like to admit. Don’t ignore them. Get to know them. Find out what makes them tick. Maybe they just want your attention. Maybe they just want a duty. Give them something to do for change. See how they fare. Now, at some point, you may need to cut your losses and move on down the road. However, you may inadvertently find out your enemy is all of a sudden your good friend. 5. Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer You’re not alone and there leaders like you as well but with different personalities, capabilities, and leaderships styles. Some of these leaders may agree to you and favor your leadership skills but there are other does not. Still, it is not wrong to have a little healthy competition and learn to appreciate what life gives you because not all life is easy. Again, you have to be strong and be firm for the people who follow you. When things go out of hand, always use diplomacy. 6. Appearances matter — and remember to smile Love yourself first before others. How can you serve other people when you could not serve yourself right? Appearances really do matter especially if you’re a student nurse rendering service to your patient. If your patient sees that you could not take care of yourself, he/she will have second thoughts or doubts in cooperating with you. Being neat and clean will give you an edge. Remember to smile because this stuff is contagious. When you clumsily tripped yourself, you should make a fast recovery with grace and smile because they want strong leaders who could recover fast from a tragic fall and continue the service. SMILE! 7. Nothing is black or white Life could be a burden sometimes when you have to make a decision, either it is small or big because not all of your decisions would favor the entire public and there always consequences. When that happens, first of all pray, it helps to meditate and ask for guidance from above and then think for a solution, it always works. Listen to all sides of the story before making rash decisions. All decisions especially a leader’s decision should be think through. Sleep on it if you must. Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. This is a very common to student nurses during RLE: when in doubt, don’t or ask your clinical instructor about it, it always works, try it they won’t bite†¦sometimes. 8. Quitting is leading too I flinched when I heard this one but I tend to like it. It is cliche to say: â€Å"do not ever give up, try and try until you succeed, and quitting is for losers† but what if you run out of ideas, too tired to hold on, groping for answers in the dark and hopelessly praying for â€Å"give me more TIME†. Why not tomorrow? Hey, there are always tomorrow right? Don’t tire yourself you’re only human. If you sense that you’re losing a battle, sound a retreat, let your army rest and fight for another day, maybe your enemy needs a rest too you know. Sometimes in life doesn’t work out. Just step back and take a deep breath. Move on and do something else or the alternative. Don’t squander your life in the boulevard of broken dreams, just move on the other side of the road to start anew. A life of good leaders revolves around success and failure all the time. But just learn to accept what God has given you and learn to appreciate it. Do not dwell on failures but move on. Leaders experience too many sufferings and trials in order to strive for excellent service his/her fellows but it will be compensated with the achievements and recognitions he/she earned. The pieces of paper and awards on the wall are important. But they are not nearly as important as the journey you make and the people you meet along the way. CARPE DIEM!

Ruins of St Pauls Church essays

Ruins of St Pauls Church essays There exist a lot of historical places that are worth talking about in the world. One such historical place, which is found in China, is known as Macau. Macau is a city found on South Chinas coast and it counts among one of the oldest settlements of European origin. The town is most popular for its historical and cultural flair. Macau is a former Portuguese colony that exhibits both Chinese and Portuguese culture, which co-exist in harmony. One of the main attractions that makes Macau town popular is the Ruins of St Pauls church. The Ruins of St Pauls church is one of the most important landmarks of the city. As the name suggests, these are ruins of the old college and church of the Holy Mother of God, which was constructed in the 17th century. What remains of the building is a major stone facade, which is the only remainder of the building that was destroyed by fire in 1835.# Originally before it was destroyed by fire, the church of St Paul was the largest church in Asia. St Pauls church was initially built in the period between 1582 and 1682 by the Jesuits. The building of St Pauls housed both the church and the college, which was dedicated for the training of priests for Japan and China.# St Pauls church has undergone the tragedy of fire three times with the last being in 1835, initially it burned in 1595 and then later on in 1601, a fire that resulted into grave material loss to the Jesuits in Macau.# The fire resulted into the complete destruction of the church and serious damage to the college and adjacent residential houses. The church was, however, greatly compensated by the manner in which the merchants and the public in Macau rallied to come to the aid of the priests. The standing facade of the church of St Pauls is as a result of major rebuilding that took place after the church was destroyed by the 1601 fire tragedy. The rebuilding of the church began in 1602, taking adva...

How World War II Affected Women in Canada essays

How World War II Affected Women in Canada essays World War II had a significant impact on most of the countries. Although Canada was not attacked, the war had an enormous impact on Canada. Because the men were sent out of the country to fight the war, the condition of women who were left alone at home, were noticeable. The war affected women in many different ways. Watching Bye Bye Blues made it clear to me that the World War II changed the lives and the social status of Women had to face many hardships in Canada during the war. The principle role of women at that time was as wives and mothers. However, because the men were not at home at the wartime, women had to be the head of the family. They had to not only take care of the family but also work to fulfill the needs of the family. People, who thought that women were supposed to stay at home and raise the children, didnt like the women going out to work. At that time in Canada, there werent many jobs for women. Women of the middle-class or lower-class had limited choices for good job, because it required good education and skills to get higher level jobs. Many women at that time worked as sales clerks and telephone operators. Many of them had to learn new skills to get the work. They were normally paid poorly. They had a hard time getting used to the new situation of handling everything by themselves. They had to work hard to survive. In the movie Bye Bye Blues, Daisy, the main character shows how the women like her in Canada had to live to survive the situation. Daisy has to work hard to make her position in the band. Working hard to get money and taking care of children at the same time require lots of hard work and determination. The lives of many women at that time were very lonely as they had to live without their husbands or brothers. The whole responsibility of raising the family was on them. ...