Productivity Amidst Chaos? The Tragedy of Urban Public Schools Urban America has been deteriorating for decades. Plagued with poverty, crime, and unemployment, it is a wonder that educational institutions exist at all. The present state of urban public schools is quite disheartening. With issues to face such as inadequate facilities, widespread violence and rising drop out rates it is no longer a question of who will succeed, it is a question of who will survive. Urban schools have become institutions
Enemy at the Gates, a film with intense violence and man’s inhumanity to man, tells the story of the triumph of love and friendship set amidst the brutality of World War II Stalingrad. It is the winter of 1942, and a desperate, poorly equipped and demoralized Russian army faces the possibility of crushing defeat by the might of the German blitzkrieg. A young naïve soldier from the Urals, Vassily Zaitsev, arrives in Stalingrad where he is thrust into battle amid the needless slaughter of his fellow
sea and over the mainland’s mountainous terrain was no easy feat; therefore news of the world by any means, even at the mouth of strangers, was welcomed and well-rewarded with hospitality. Nestor’s case is somewhat more entertaining. Arriving amidst a sacrificial feast to the god Posidon, Telemakhos and Athena-as-Mentor are greeted by a crowd of celebrants and invited by one son of Nestor to recline in comfort close to the lord himself, honored further by being given the opportunity to make libations
an adulteress. Pearl is the incarnation of her mother’s sin. Pearl, her mother’s sole joy and at the same time a constant reminder of her sin, gives reference to Hester’s shameful badge. Pearl was not conceived out of sin, but rather brought up amidst defying associations. As a direct consequence of Hester’s sinful passions she conceives a child, Pearl. Not an evil child in the true sense of the world, but in all actuality Pearl is a reflection of her parents’ love and immorality. Further, Dimmesdale
Then curious Odysseus suggested that they explore and seek knowledge about the native people of the unconquered lands in order to decipher whether they were “wild savages … or hospitable… god fearing men” (188 -189). This is the first instance amidst a series of others where Odysseus neglects his role as leader and causes the fate of his crew and the journey to become jeopardized. His decision to explore the island of is what caused his main goal of returning home to Ithaca to become destined
II, to the bloody battles between government forces that raged in Afghanistan. It is in this world of mayhem and cruelty that Pashtun women must carry on their lives. They attempt in whatever possible to find and salvage any kind of love and beauty amidst the turmoil of their warring nation. These women must find ways to stay strong and resist the oppression forced upon them by their patriarchal society which coerces them into hard physical labor as well as demeans their humanity as their status is
more than a century and a half ago. At the root of this discrimination is the idea of a "Yellow Peril," which, in the words of John Dower is "the core imagery of apes, lesser men, primitives, children, madmen, and beings who possessed special powers" amidst a fear of invasion from the sleeping giant of Asia. Since its inception in the late 19th century, the idea of the Yellow Peril has colored the discourse regarding Asian Americans and has changed back and forth from overt, "racist hate," to endearing
(Conrad 43). "The glimpse of the steamboat . . . filled those savages with unrestrained grief," Marlow explains after recalling the cries of the natives seeing the steamer amidst a brief fog lift (Conrad 44). "Poor fool! He had no restraint, no restraint . . .a tree swayed by the wind," speaks Marlow of a slain helmsman amidst an attack by tribal savages (Conrad 52). "Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts," says Marlow a few moments after he tells of his first glimpse
The Character of Lena Lingard in My Antonia Lena Lingard is the best example of a non-domestic central character which appears amidst the domesticity of My Ántonia. Often the sections which feature Lena instead of Ántonia are seen as confusing divergences from the plot line of a novel that purports to be about the woman named in the title. However, since Lena appears in the novel almost as often as Ántonia, and more often than any other character except Jim, she is a central character. Lena
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland Overview In eight quasi-connected stories, Susan Vreeland delivers a fictional lesson on aesthetics. Set amidst human sorrow and historic chaos, the narrative follows an imagined Vermeer painting from the present day through 330 years of its provenance--beginning with its willful destruction in the 1990s and concluding with its inspired creation in the 1660s: Chapter 1. 1995(?): in Pennsylvania, math teacher Cornelius Englebrecht burns the painting
1623, which was, as is well known, edited by two of Shakespeare's fellow actors" (Notes and Essays on Shakespeare, 242), contains not only historical errors, but errors which pertain to certain characters speaking other characters lines. Amidst all the controversy one fact can be settled upon by all; King Lear is one of Shakespeare's best tragedies. While being a great play, the bulk of the plot in King Lear comes mainly from the first two scenes where most of the key events happen
market is a radically different environment than his own. Economic differences literally smack him in the face, as he enters the door and walks into towel hung to dry. “First lesson: how the poor do laundry” (Rylant 34). In this brief, potent scene, amidst “shirts, towels, underwear, pillowcases” hanging in a room strung with clotheslines, historical fiction finds crucial expression in the uncomfortable blush of a boy ready for a first date and unprepared for the world in which he finds himself.
Analysis of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City Series When you sense the affection where people enfold their loving kindness you are probably amidst the tenants of 28 Barbary Lane, San Francisco 94109. Perhaps ‘tenants' is the wrong word, it should be something more like a friendly community of people. In Tales of the City , by Armistead Maupin, the characters are intertwined with togetherness. The mother of all mothers, ‘the landlady', guardian of all who live under her roof, orchestrates
provide three arguments to the pacifist way of thinking. It is an inevitability that with war lives will be lost, but that also innocents not officially involved in a war will lose their lives. There is simply no way around the loss of innocent lives amidst war in this age of advanced weaponry, which is specifically designed to take the lives of many with just one use. The pacifist argues that the inevitable losses of innocent lives are unacceptable and therefore war is an unacceptable solution to a
No Universal Truth Hume wrote, “be a philosopher; but, amidst all your philosophy, be still a man,” (qtd. in Jones 351). This statement strikes me more than all others, written by Hume or any of the philosophers from W. T. Jones’ Hobbes to Hume. It demonstrates to me that even after all of the inquisition towards what and how we can know anything, and the very methodical ways in which Hume is reputed to examine these things, he realizes that nothing is truly certain and begins to lean towards
Amidst the tone of war around us, and speak of possible defeat, the festival of Dionysos will be held the fall of this great year, 411 BCE. Many ideas of entertainment have been suggested, most of which plays from various credible playwrights. One that has caught my eye in many ways is a work by Aristophanes. It is titled Lysistrata, and is a comedy based on our current status of war. Now considering our present situation, this may seem like a ludicrous idea. The wrong choice of words in a public
William Faulkner’s The Bear and Barn Burning are two different short stories, but are very much alike in several ways. The theme in both gravitates toward the finding one’s self theme, where both the main characters must find themselves amidst many different circumstances. Faulkner also portrays the main characters in each story much the same. There is a difference in the tone between the two stories however, proving that he can write two different stories, but put in many similarities. Finding your
Gospel is that man uses the thought of Adam being responsible for original sin and therefore everyone is born into sin. Jonathan Kozol, the author of Amazing Grace, went to the impoverished city of Mott Haven to observe the motivation of the citizens amidst a town where sin is around every street corner. He examined the meaning of life and the little opportunity the citizens of Mott Haven had to escape their unfortunate circumstances. Through Walter Rauschenbusch’s A Theology for the Social Gospel one
the history of today if we do not take a stand now, and prevent the short-sightedness of others from destroying what ultimately belongs to us all. Alternatives to Destruction: Saving the Old Growth Forests. Imagine walking down an ancient path amidst a forest of tangled and twisted trees, some of which have existed since before a time even great grandparents can remember. The air echoes with sounds of life, and the fragrance is that of cedar or juniper… or something not quite either. The living
Amidst the chaos of political instability and constant warring of the Zhou era, arose many intellectual thinkers that brought such profound impact in the field of politics, religion and philosophy. Even to the day, their influence can be espied in the many matters of China. Confucianism became the paramount school of thinking and later significant philosophies such as Daoism and Legalism gained immense recognition as well. Each party had their own proposals for creating an idealistic political society