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The U.S. decision to enter World War II was not one which was hastily made. World War I had been simmering for some time, over two years in fact, prior to the U.S. entrance into this bloody affair. Endless debate had occurred at all levels of our government, and even among the general population, to the appropriate role of the U.S. in this war. As one factor after another combined to make U.S. involvement more of a probability, one factor in particular would prove to be the final straw which would topple the decision making process from one of restraint to one of action. This factor was, of course, the Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was attacked on the morning of December 7, 1941 and would prove to be Japan’s greatest mistake, a mistake for which the consequences would extend throughout the war and well into Japan’s post-war future. More immediately, however, it would serve to drop the restraint which the U.S. had maintained as the war had raged on in Europe for over two years. The U.S. would have entered WWII even if the Japanese did not attack Pearl Harbor. The axis powers, Germany and Italy, were gaining to much power in Europe and then Japan decided that they were going to join with the axis powers, this was not settling well with the U.S. Read more…

The Vietnam War greatly changed America forever. It was the longest war fought in America’s history, lasting from 1955 to 1973. The Vietnam War tarnished America’s self image by becoming the first time in history the United States failed to accomplish its stated war aims, to preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government. The war also had great effects on the American people. It was the first war ever broadcast on television. The public was able to see what happened on the battlefield. One of the chief effects of the war was the division it caused among the people. Not since the Civil War had America been so divided. This war would have lasting affects on the United States.

The Vietnam conflict began long before the U.S. became directly involved. Indochina, which includes Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, was under French colonial rule. The Vietnam communist-nationalist, also known as the Vietminh, fought for their freedom from the French. The French were being slaughtered, and were doing little to keep the communist North Vietnamese out of South Vietnam. The U.S. sent financial aid to France to help them eliminate the communist threat. At the Geneva Conference in 1954, the major powers tried to come to an agreement on Indochina. There would be a temporary division on the 17th parallel in Vietnam. The Vietminh would control North Vietnam, and South Vietnam would be ruled under the emperor Bao Dai. Read more…

My dream job would be owning and operating a bakery. I enjoy baking bread and do it well. I cannot imagine a better way to earn a living, than by turning a hobby into a profitable business? Three major obstacles stand in my way, the knowledge and skill to run a retail business, the finances to begin and maintain it, and the personal confidence required to leap into such an endeavor. I have already addressed these concerns by taking a management position in retail food service, keeping my financial house in order, and completing a paralegal certification program. Although these steps have narrowed the gap between my goal and me, I believe a Bachelor’s in Business Management will help bring me within reach. It will do so by providing me with the educational foundation to run a business successfully, improving my financial situation, and improving my self-confidence. These three barriers are not unique to me. On the contrary, they are well documented as difficulties many entrepreneurs face as they launch a new business. Read more…

George Washington is a man that will never be forgotten in American history. Many Americans see his face just about everyday without even realizing it. His picture is on the One Dollar Bill and the Quarter. His name is just about everywhere, whether it’s schools, towns, counties, states or even the capitol. I think that he deserves this praise because he was a loyal man that helped form America. He was also very brave and intelligent and could stay under control in tough situations. Without him America wouldn’t be what it is today.

George Washington was very loyal. He was loyal to his friends, the American citizens, and even his wife. He was loyal to his friends because even though he was friends with both Jefferson and Hamilton, and no matter how different their thoughts or ideas may have been he never was biased or took sides. He also listened to what the American citizens had to say about certain issues and wasn’t quick to judge people. George Washington was loyal to his wife because when he became president he was even more famous than he was before and no matter how many women were after him he stayed loyal to Martha and didn’t cheat on her.

George Washington was also very brave and intelligent. He had fought in a war before he became President. He was also a good leader when he lead attempted to lead his army against the angry farmers in the Whiskey Rebellion. I believe that it was very brave for him to do this because many people were against him and rebelling and no matter what he still stood up for what he believed in and that the law was right. Read more…

The term genocide was not coined until 1943 when Raphael Lamkin used it to describe the Nazi reign in Europe (ROD notes). Genocide refers to the systematic destruction of a racial or cultural group. Two examples of this are the Holocaust and the Rape of Nanking. The Holocaust deals with the Nazi’s takeover of Europe during World War II, and the Rape of Nanking is the Japanese invasion of China in the late 1930’s. These events in history serve a painful reminder of the cruelest depths of human nature, but also of the possibilities that lie within every catastrophe.

Bystanders always play a key role in any event, whether they have a positive or negative effect on the outcome of the situation at hand. Most, if not all, of the bystanders during the Rape of Nanking were western missionaries that happened to be in China at that time. Among them were doctors, a filmmaker, and even a Nazi. The filmmaker was a man named John Magee whose films have helped historians unlock some of the mysteries about that gruesome time. Rabй was another bystander who happened to be a Nazi with connections to Adolf Hitler. He contacted Hitler and told him of the current atrocities in Nanking and asked for assistance in fighting the Japanese; assistance that was later denied. All of the Westerners decided to take action in this situation by setting up the International Safety Zone, which harbored 300,000 Chinese refugees, in the center of Nanking. This assistance helped the people of Nanking to a phenomenal degree. On the contrary, the bystanders during the Holocaust did very little to help the victims. The bystanders during the Holocaust were mainly the Germans who lived in the surrounding areas of the concentration camps. Most of these Germans had an idea of what was going on, yet they did nothing. They had an ignorant mindset; they did not want to know and they did not care. Due to this ignorance many war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in both cases (Horvath). Read more…

Anorexia Nervosa is a severe eating disorder that mainly affects teenage girls, however, it can affect men and women of all ages. There are many factors that contribute to a girl becoming anorexic, including low self-esteem and depression. Common features of anorexia include weight loss and behavior changes. The weight loss is gradual and often starts with a “perfectly normal weight reducing diet.”(Rowan) Although the only person who can cure anorexia is the person that suffers from it, there are some treatment options available today.

Many factors contribute to a girl becoming anorexic. A main one is an attempt to lose excess weight. Most anorexic girls do not have “excess weight” to lose, they only think they do. In fact, most often they are unhealthily thin. Oftentimes, the girl disregards the opinions of others and focuses on losing as much weight as she can. Attempts to make her stop are often met with hostility and even violence.(Rowan, Shelly)

Another key factor that can lead to anorexia is depression. This can be associated with stress/pressure at school, home, or in relationships. Usually, an anorexic teenage girl comes from a family where the pressure to succeed is great. This leads to constant anxiety over big tests such as finals and S.A.T./A.C.T. exams. Because the girl has so much anxiety, problems in relationships often arise. If she has a boyfriend, he tends to feel neglected because the girl is constantly worried about her academics.(Rowan, Shelly) Read more…

A frequently debated topic in today’s society is abortion. Many are for abortion and just as many are against it. There are many different arguments for each case. For example, pro-abortionists may say that, although the decision to have an abortion is never easy, nobody is better suited to make this decision than the mother, but anti-abortionists will say it is the baby’s choice, and as it cannot express its views, it has a right to live and therefore abortion is wrong.

However, every pregnant woman has the right to take control of her fertility, and as no method of contraception is 100% safe, women may still need abortion, because the women has a right to have an active sex life but not have any children. Abortion may be her only option if contraception fails, and this may be viewed as fairer on the child than for it to be born into an un-loving, un-wanting family. We must respect some women’s decision not to have children.

Besides, if a minority group disagrees with abortion, it has no right to force this view on anyone else, everybody should have the right to choose. Some people think a foetus is only a potential human being, but there is no question of the humanity of the woman. So some may say it is better to abort a potential human life than to destroy a human life by allowing the baby to be born. The doctors which perform abortions are not trained ethically or morally so they are in a better position to make the decision to have an abortion. The father’s view should also be considered as he knows the mother well enough to realise if she can handle a baby or not and is also less likely to be as emotionally attached to the foetus at the abortion stage so he may be able to make a sensible decision. For example, the mother might be young and still be at school and incapable of handling a baby and studying, and the father would see this where the mother may not. Read more…

“The purpose of a soliloquy is to reveal to the audience what is going on in the mind and heart of the speaker. Sometimes soliloquies tell us about the speaker’s motivation of plans. What does Juliet’s soliloquy at the beginning of this scene reveal about her feelings and state of mind?”

Juliet’s passionate soliloquy in this scene expresses her love for Romeo and their need to conceal their love from the outside world. The beginning of this scene reveals feelings of anxiety for the coming of darkness and it also shows how desperate she is for Romeo to appear in the night. Juliet’s desire for the night when Romeo will come is evident here. Juliet is confessing in her long speech that she is quite out of control and needs the darkness of the night to calm her till she can settle into love’s course. Through her loving words for Romeo, Juliet shows how much she wants to be with Romeo.

The love between Romeo and Juliet is deeply expressed in her speech, and the want to see him is clearly evident here. As the constant feud between the Capulet and Montague family continues, Juliet and Romeo try to conceal their love from the public by secretly seeing each other during the night. Juliet says, “When Romeo shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine, that all the world will be in love with night.” This means that Romeo is the love and light in the night, and night conceals him. “And pay no worship to the garish sun,” proposes the idea that in daylight, everything is visible and secrets are revealed. Juliet “pays no worship to the garish sun” because the sun would make their secluded love known. Read more…

Student pressure in today’s educational system comes from many different sources. These types of educational pressures can come from family, friends, work, extra-curricular activities and even yourself. People can succeed or fail in today’s educational system depending on how each person takes the pressure. Some take it as a motive to get better grades, and some take it as means of life or death. Pressure can be very dangerous to one’s physical and mental state.

Family pressure usually comes from the parents. Parents pressure their children to get good grades just to see their children have a bright future. Pressure put on children by parents is used to help children, but instead it just hurts them. Parents can sometimes give children the idea that achieving is more important than anything in life. William Zinsser who wrote “College Pressure” says, “They are caught in one of the oldest webs of love and duty and guilt”. Parents would much rather steer their children towards a career of high pay yet children would rather major in a career they like. Parents think that by paying for courses that teach their children how to make money or a profession where they are paid high that their children will never have to worry about their economical state. Zinsser says that, “The pressure on students is severe. They are truly torn. One part of them feels obligated to fulfill their parents’ expectations; after all, their parents are older and presumably wiser. Another part tells them that the expectations that are right for their parents are not right for them”. Read more…

Robert Lee Frost, was born on March 26,1874 in San Francisco. Frost spent the first eleven years of his life in San Francisco until the death of his father. He then moved with his mother and sister in Massachusetts near his grandparents. As a young boy Frost played baseball, trapped animals and climbed branches. His mother filled his childhood with the Bible and Shakespeare. Robert first was interested in poetry at Lawrence High School where he wrote his first poem “ La Noche Triste, “ which was inspired by William H. Prescott. Frost also joined the debating society , played football and was in the head of his class. Because of his excellent performance in high school , he graduated valedictorian with Elinor White( his soon to be wife). Frost then entered in Dartmouth college, but didn’t stay for that long because it was to isolated and restless.. He then went back home to take over his mothers eighth-grade class. Although frost was teaching he still made time to write poetry. His first published poem was “My Butterfly : An Elegy.” He then went to go and find the love of his life Elinor White. Elinor had moved to New York to go to school . When Elinor came back to Massachusetts, Frost asked her to marry him and she refused and went back to Canton, New York. Convinced that she was the only one for him, he engaged in an printer and two leather- bound , gold stamped copies of Twilight, each containing five of his poems., and then caught the train to Canton and went to Elinor’s house and knocked on the door, and handed her his gift.. She gave him an unfriendly reception, and Frost was heart broken. Full of pain and feeling crazed, Frost set out to punish Elionor, and make her feel relent. He did all this by going to the Dismal Swamp in Virginia, but on November 30, he found himself back at home in Lawrence Soon after he got back he became a reporter, then returned teaching. Elinor then finished college and was working as a teacher at Frost‘s mother school..Frost kept trying to get with Elinor and before you know it on December 19,1895 they were married ansd had their first son Elliot. After everything seemed to be going good, Frost went back to school at Harvard in hope of becoming a teacher in Latin and Greek. Read more…