Summary of World War Two World War II is the name commonly given to the global conflict of 1939-1945. It is said to be the greatest and most destructive war in world history. The World War II military operations were conducted primarily in Europe but also in Asia, Africa, and the far islands of the Pacific as well. More than 17 million members of the armed forces perished during the conflict. It caused strain on the economic capabilities of the major nations and left many countries on the edge of collapse. The causes of WWII are too numerous and complex to be generalized. The following is said to be one of the main causes. At the end of WWI Europe was economically impoverished and politically divided. It faced the possibility of social revolution. During the early 1920's Europe experienced an economic depression and the course of European politics was determined largely by the communist revolution, which engulfed many countries. In the late 1920's Europe achieved a measure of economic recovery. However, all hope of political stability in Europe was shattered by the results of the depression that hit the United States in 1929. In the 1930's widespread unemployment and acute distress strained social relationships in Europe. The communist movement soon overwhelmed Europe. The triumph in 1933 of fascism, under the name of National Socialism, or Nazism, in Germany ended the threat of revolution in that country. However, the triumph of the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler would prove to be more disastrous as time passed. The German society was transformed into a totalitarian state, which had withdrawn from the League of Nations. The League of Nations condemned Germany's action for denouncing the Versailles Treaty, which provided the disarmament of Germany. Hitler wanted to establish Germany as the dominant nation in Europe and one of the leading economic, political and military powers of the world. Hitler's conquests would eventually lead to war. Essentially, the war was a conflict between two coalitions of states, designated the Axis Powers and the Allies or United Nations. The Axis Powers included Germany, Italy, Japan, and their satellites. The Allies consisted the United States, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, China, and their Allies. The war began with the invasion of Poland by Germany on September ... ... middle of paper ... ...e Memorial will be located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. at the Rainbow Pool site at the east end of the Reflecting Pool. It will lie between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The chosen location will mirror the historical importance and lasting significance of World War II to America and the entire world. Senator Bob Dole is the chairman of the national fund-raising campaign for the Memorial. The Memorial will be funded almost entirely by private contributions. The fundraising goal for the Memorial is $100 million. As of June 1999 approximately $60 million in donations had been received from corporations, foundations, veterans groups, civic associations, and states and individuals. The groundbreaking for the project is planned to begin on Veterans Day 2000. Works Cited History of WWII. World War II Overview Homepage. [On-line]. http://www.frontiernet.net. Bernice Altwegg, personal interview. 11/18/99. Ernest R. May. Between World Wars. Grolier Online Homepage. [On-line]. http://gi.grolier.com/wwii/wwii_2.html. The National World War II Memorial. World War II Memorial Homepage. [On-line]. http://www.wwiimemorial.com/.
In “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut Jr. paints a picture of a society that is made equal by handicapping the citizens. Vonnegut’s bizarre writing style exaggerates the truth, but is appropriate for the topic at hand. His satire writing has his audience really think about what image he is portraying of this crazy world where everyone one is equal, and how bizarre the idea is. The government handicaps everyone–no one looks better, has any talents, or intelligence, so all the people are equal, leaving the government with the upper hand. This short story relates to today’s society, and some thoughts people may have on today’s government.
Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” Kurt Vonnegut portrays Aristotle’s philosophy brilliantly in his short story “Harrison Bergeron.” The story depicts the American government in the future mandating physical handicaps in an attempt to make everyone equal. Vonnegut describes a world where no one is allowed to excel in the areas of intelligence, athletics, or beauty. Yet, the inequalities among the people shine even brighter. Vonnegut uses satire to explore the question of whether true equality can ever really exist.
What gives the reader the false idea of utopia in Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” is the deep social control in the form handicaps where individual’s abilities and competence and even appearance are neutralized and vilified as a form of inequality. The characteristics of equality chosen by Vonnegut; beauty, athleticism, and intelligence is important to the story’s message. The main focus of the story are the characteristics of equality that are subjective, the very same characteristics we are born with that makes us different and minimally states the objective ones, the ones that plague our society today. This not only satirizes the epitome of equality itself, but rather the people’s flawed ideals and belief of what total equality is supposed to be or should be.
Kurt Vonnegut’s dystopian fiction, or a type of fiction in which the society’s attempt to create a perfect world goes very wrong, “Harrison Bergeron” was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1961. This story is about Harrison Bergeron, who is forced to diminish his abilities because they are more enhanced than everyone else’s. This short story is an allusion of a perfect society and it is maintained through totalitarian. The author expresses his theme of the dysfunctional government of utopia through his effective use of simile, irony, and symbolism. Kurt Vonnegut was one of the most influential American writers and novelists, and his writings have left a deep influence on the American Literature of the 20th century. Vonnegut is also famous for his humanist beliefs and was the honoree of the American Humanist Association. “Harrison Bergeron” is about a fictional time in the future where everyone is forced to wear handicapping devices to ensure that everyone is equal. So can true equality ever be achieved through strict governmental control?
In unit three of Nation of Nations, there were many social/cultural and political issues that affected the Jews in Germany and the Japanese in America. The social/cultural groups were roused due to the conflicts arising over ethnic backgrounds, race, and class differences. The Jews and Japanese faced discrimination in both countries whether they were born there or not. (Davidson, 2008)
The Memorial is located in Washington, DC in an area of the city known as "The Mall" (Weeks, AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington DC, pg.61). It is dedicated to America's third president, Thomas Jefferson.. Jefferson was a man of many talents, in addition to being president Jefferson was once a statesman, architect, drafter of the Declaration of Independence, adviser on the Constitution, and founder of the University of Virginia (Pamela Scott and Antoinette Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia, pg. 102). The Memorial was officially dedicated in April 1943, on Jefferson's 200th birthday, by FDR. The Jefferson Memorial is surrounded by other national monuments, some of which are the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The chief architect responsible for designing and building the Jefferson Memorial was John Russell Pope in 1939 to 1943. Pope was a neoclassicist who was inspired by the Roman Pantheon. The Memorial's basic form is a domed rotunda fronted by a Greek portico, or entrance porch, and surrounded by Ionic columns. At first glance ...
The dystopian story, “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., is set in 2081 America, where three amendments to the Constitution makes everyone equal in every way. No one is smarter, stronger or better looking than anyone else. Some people are perfectly average and don’t need handicaps, like Hazel, but her husband, George, has to wear a mental and physical handicap. Everyone was required, by law, to be equal. Their son, however, was so far from average and so powerful that they had to lock him up in prison. Harrison wanted to overthrow the government. He realised that this “equality” was taking away everyone’s individuality. A lesson that shines through this story is that equality
Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” teaches a lesson that everyone can relate to. The idea of an equalized society may indeed sound intriguing. Even though equality can be damaging, there is be both a negative and positive effect on equalizing everything. There is a difference between equal and equality and but everyone deserves to be equal in some ways. Whether it is gender or racial equalization, it will affect nearly everyone in one way or another.
The short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut Jr portrays the new era of 2081 and the sense of equality of the people. No one is better or worse than another individual and they are treated the same in all opportunities. Looking at the story from a formalist critical lens, and the meaning of equality, it is clear that there is not equality represented in this story and no fairness.
Not only are military heroes buried at Arlington, but memorials have also been built to honor others who have given their lives for America. The memorials that are located throughout Arlington tell a story about people throughout American history (Reef 43). Each year families walk the endless rows of white head stones at Arlington in order to pay their respects to the ones that have given their lives for America.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial recognizes and honors the men and women who served in one of America's most divisive wars. The memorial was conceived and designed to make no political statement whatsoever about the war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a place where everyone, regardless of opinion, can come together and remember and honor those who served. By doing so, the memorial has paved the way towards reconciliation and healing, a process that continues today. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial accomplishes these goals through the three components that comprise the memorial: the Wall of names, the Three Servicemen Statue and Flagpole, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial.
World War II was one of the deadliest wars we know of in history, with as many as sixty million casualties, most of whom were civilians. It impacted a lot of countries, almost all over the world, which is why the name is given. This war impacted many countries in the world, and damaged almost all of the countries involved greatly. It also led to the downfall of Western European countries as world powers, leaving it to the Soviet Union, and the United States. The war started in 1939 and ended in 1945, with the invasion of Poland and the Axis surrender, respectively.
Although the comparisons are well hidden, both today’s society and the story ‘Harrison Bergeron’ share similar qualities. They both deal with equality, which leads to problems and consequences. A second similarity is the struggle of competition and trying to prevent it from occurring, which also leads to problems. Lastly, both struggle with normality, and the fact that it’s hard to accept that different is okay now.
“The narrator of the story Harrison Bergeron definitions’ of America’s equality begins not by positing a future equality as much as exposing the misunderstanding of it in the past and the present” (Hattenhauer). The story Harrison Bergeron has two meanings: too much equality and too much inequality. Too much equality is expressed through the Handicap General, Diana Glampers, as she wants everyone to be equal because she envies the talented and beautiful. However, “it is not fair to the productive, the risk taking, or the hard working, to deprive them of what they have produced, merely to make them equal to others who have worked less, taken less risk, and produced less” (Moore). This society would never work because “no one who has lived very long can think that all men are equal in physical, prowess, mental capacity, willingness to work or save, to assume leadership, to design or invent new products or processes, to get votes, to preach sermons, to play the violin, or even to make love” (Even Fingerprints Differ). In any society one should not have the power to make people equal for each “were endowed by our creator” (Moore). In a society where there is too much inequality, or a potential dictatorship- Harrison Bergeron, society would fail as well. Kurt Vonnegut wrote Harrison Bergeron in order to show the world that we cannot take away talent or
Botswana is a small country roughly the size of Texas with 1.7 million inhabitants. Nearly 80 percent of Botswana is the Kalihari desert. This makes Botswana a sub-Saharan, land locked country. Many economists believe in the geography hypothesis, which states that countries that are northern and near water will prosper, while those that are southern and land locked will most likely struggle. Botswana broke this hypothesis, being both southern and land locked. Botswana, unlike many neighboring countries, pursued a sound economic policy, favoring free trade, a free market, and a limited government. There was no military presence in Botswana till 1976. With no military presence, Botswana could grow without the need of military spending. Botswana also relied on their traditional customs, even in post colonial periods. Botswana had a pre-colonial institution called the Kgotlas that consisted of chiefs from various regions of the country. These chiefs would hold basically what was considered a town council with all the tribesmen to discuss issues. The chiefs took complaints constructively and worked to better the situation. This form of government set Botswana aside from many other African countries.