...J.W.: "Jamestown may have been the first English settlement here in our country, but it represents everything that modern America stands against. The colony's survival relied upon assistance from Native Americans and the exploitation of slave labor. Everyone marks the Pilgrims' arrival in Massachusetts as the genuine foundation of our great nation - to this day, we still follow ideals of puritanical work ethic and communal self-sufficiency." J.S.: "That may have been the rhetoric we all were taught in kindergarten, but that does not make it true. The Pilgrims are renowned for seeking freedom from oppression, but in reality, what they truly desired was the freedom of oppression. Anyone who disagreed with their overly strict ideals was outcasted...
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...Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream" Speech Teresa Speights WEB U: Using the Internet to Understand Your World Professor Nancy Mccomish September 24, 2015 Introduction Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have a Dream” is regarded as one of the most rhetoric speeches in history. The presentation of the speech came at a time when there was an upsurge in racial segregation and inequality. The constant repetition of the leading statement “I Have a Dream" sets the mood for a deeply worded speech in which Martin Luther King critics the slavery status that black people continued to experience in his time. Main Idea Essentially, Martin Luther King refers to the declaration of emancipation and the abolition of slavery. The clarion call in Martin Luther King’s speech is a declaration of an end to the long night of captivity. In his speech, King elucidates hope and faith that after one hundred years the time since the emancipation proclamation inequality was still a present evil in America. King uses the speech to express disappointment at the failure of an interracial corporation and societal equality. The speech, however, presents hope for the unforeseen future, the fact that King expresses optimism that his children will grow up in a more equitable American society is indicative of the ultimate mantra, that of hopefulness and none- relenting spirit. The speech also calls upon the blacks to trust and forgive past oppressors, this call...
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...In the United States, fundamentalist movements flourish. Tuning into any news station in the last fifteen years one can see and hear anti-Muslim rhetoric twenty-four hours a day. One of the most widely criticized elements of radical Islam is it’s portrayal and treatment of women, yet anywhere in North America, there are sects claiming the bible as their backing for institutionalized misogyny and abuse. Fundamentalist churches began as a backlash to the modern woman who rose out of the midcentury. Women began working, waiting to have children and defying the white, puritanical roles that had existed for them for generations. From suffrage to the Pill, many conservative movements began to see holes in the walls of their culture that could easily...
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...Food is the most colorful part of the day. With its gastronomic ranges, the possibilities are endless. Everyone in the world depends on food, whether to experiences that burst of flavor in the mouth or to survive. But when there is a shortage of food, what is to blame? The people who eat and cultivate it? Or factors outside their control? The Great Famine is an example of this question. The Great Famine was caused by blight that accidently came from America and affected the potatoes growing in Ireland and in turn, affected the Irish. This was especially hard on the Irish because in 1845, the potato was their main source of food. They had an average of 14 spuds a day so they relied heavily on them. Potatoes only lasted two to three months so...
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...Patrick Henry's, speech is to individuals in the Virginia Convention in Richmond. The speech distinguishes the explanations behind the Revolutionary War, on March 23, 1775. The reason for his speech was to persuade audience at the convention to go to war with the expectation that they will acquire their independence from Britain and ultimately demonstrate that the US isn’t an easy target to constrain. All throughout Patrick's entire speech, he utilizes an exacting influential tone by utilizing numerous rhetorical devices to convey his point. Patrick Henry starts out his speech with logos by giving motivation behind why colonists of contrasting judgment ought to meet up as one. He expresses, “No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism,...
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...There are a multitude of speeches that have had significant impacts on the course of history. Some of these speeches have not only shaped the United States of America, but also other countries around the globe. Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States, and Nelson Mandela, first president of South Africa, have been noted for particularly noteworthy inaugural speeches. They both use similar styles of rhetoric, such as use of repetition and allusion. The election of Barack Obama in 2008 marked a turning point in American history. With the election of the first black president, it was a signal America was moving in the right direction towards equality and away from racial prejudices of the past. As a result of his election, American people...
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...When Shakespeare was a kid going to grammar school, a school open to boys only by the way! they learned Latin, Greek and rhetoric, persuasion through logical argument. Students read Latin and Greek writers to learn about the history of ancient Greece and "the glory that was Rome” and this material was translated by them into English or French after many hours of work. I'm glad the school curriculum of the 21 st century has evolved and we no longer spend our days doing boring stuff like that! Their old-fashioned, subjects that have little relevance in the modern world of the internet and space travel. The question is: shouldn't we allow our education system to further evolve and file Shakespeare in the same drawer where we've stuck Homer, Plato and Ovid? Given the society of North America in the 21 st century, Shakespeare's relevance is declining with each new technical advance. The purpose of this essay is to prove isn't it time to address this question head on, even at the risk of causing legions of English teachers to collapse in horror? Speaking to the world may be the least of the challenges facing those who want the teaching of Shakespeare. Shakespeare's English is the language as they spoke it 400 years ago. It is as ancient and antiquated and old as the Latin and Greek I spoke about in my introduction. Watch any class of high school students tackle Shakespeare and the first book you'll see on theredesks is a student guide of notes explaining who characters are, the plot...
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...“The Evolution of the role of First Lady in America during the past half century has been….almost as dramatic as the expansion of the Role of the Chief Executive.” [1] Katie Louchheim in the March 1964 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal observed this phenomenon. The most significant development was the power acquired by the first lady through her position as a public figure: “Regardless of her distaste for public life, her role can no longer be a private one; she acquires indirect power when her husband takes the oath of office as President of the United States.”[2] In the Era of 1964-1977 the role of the first lady began to transform from one of a political celebrity to the first lady as a Political savvy activist. One of the First Ladies during this era instrumental in the emergence of the first lady as a proactive political activist was Lady Bird (Claudia Alta Taylor) Johnson, wife of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Through exploring Lady Bird’s roles as a wife, mother, conservationist, businesswoman, philanthropist and First Lady, one will further understand how her influences and actions transformed the role of the modern First lady and how she used her platform to eventually transform not only cities and states but an entire nation well after her role as First lady. In order to fully understand Lady Bird Johnson’s development of her legacy especially in the sense of defining roles and responsibility of a modern first lady one must look at her background...
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...Donald Trump can be viewed as a populist because he believes that the elites have betrayed the country (Chilton 237). His slogan let’s make America great again points to the fact that he wants to join the working class and the marginalized against the privileged who are still running the show in the background. But he is, after all, a politician and as such never to be trusted for his word. The abstract definition of a populist is one who supports the welfare of the commoners over the conglomerates, but he was a business mogul before he ran for the office which brings out the irony in his political inclinations. There are controversies which target his agenda as the source of discussion. His slogan supports his stance as the ideal populist. In his campaign, he proposed a plan that would bring great reforms in his first 100 days in office...
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...politics, comedian-politicians such as John Oliver and Jon Stewart are essential because they are the foremost providers of political context and moderation. Since the 1980s, American political debate has seen an unprecedented reduction in context. Lee Atwater, a Republican political operative, openly recognized that stripping the context from an issue and playing to baser emotions such as fear, prejudice, and anger was an amazingly effective way to mobilize a base of voters. Rather than appeal to both sides through examination-backed rationality, he instead opted to inflame his core constituency to the point where they came out to vote in droves. Atwater’s legacy lives on in Karl Rove, a fellow accomplice dating back to their college days. Atwater’s tactics were simple yet effective. Lee was the brainchild behind the ingenious use of racially charged media. His ads associated Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis-who had a huge lead before Lee’s attacks-with negligence concerning violent crime. The resulting public response destroyed Dukakis’ 17-point lead. His opponent, George H.W. Bush, won by a landslide. Before Atwater deliberately turned the debate into a fear-based...
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...or political opinions that communism or a party system of government in which the government holds all power, including the economy, is not acceptable. McCarthyism is the practice of publicizing accusations of political disloyalty or subversion with the insufficient regard to evidence with the use of unfair investigatory methods to suppress opposition. After WWI, America entered into one of the most frightening and stressful times we have ever had. America entered into a frenzied hysteria, mostly caused by radical groups, European immigrants, and the American communist party, around 1919. The communist movement, as it would be known, appeared to threaten our freedom, and our will to live as Americans. Although it was mostly something you just “heard” about, it wasn’t until a Senator, named Joe McCarthy, stepped onto the world stage, pointing fingers at certain people, and accusing them in very harsh public speaking’s, and hearings. His tactic was to find communist supporters here in America and expose them. In a sense, he started a failed crusade, mostly fueled by fear, which in the end would be seen as a modern day “witch-hunt”. His stand and his actions would later be called what we know as “McCarthyism”. The media covered his story in the beginning as a hero, but after many people were very publicly humiliated, some of which were not even communist the, public deemed him unjust. One of the more famous cases in the witch-hunt is centered-around one Alger Hiss, a government...
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...THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNICATION THEORIES: A Critique Paper Since the inception of communication as a discipline of knowledge, scholars have come up with many theories related to its components. In fact, the encyclopaedia of communication theories (Littlejohn, 2009) has identified more than 300 relevant theories, a testament that the field is already making a big wave in the academic arena. It has been a product of many minds converging into one vision – to enrich the communication field. However, it was not an easy road for these intellectual minds as they are confronted with issues that still need to be resolved. In this paper I will try to present first the rich beginning of communication theories and in light with this development context follows my presentation on the varied problems confronted the field of communication theories as well my personal views on the matter. Historical Beginning There are two insights into how communication theory came into being – the religious view and the philosophical aspect. Although most of communication theories book do not include the religious view, I find it necessary to take into account the dogmatic view to present the variations of its origin. The religious view is demonstrated in the Holy Bible especially in Genesis when God communicated with man and man had the ability to communicate with Him and with each other. It is no wonder then that other writers of Bible theorize about communication. Notably, the Old Testament portrays...
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...The above quote relays the ways exploitative rhetoric used by 1960’s politicians created fear among whites. As well as a foreshadowment of the analogous issues in the 1980s. Moreover the introduction of harsher sentencing due to the white’s public fear illustrates the effects the majority and public opinion have on dominating the minority. Tocqueville stated, “In all the American republics the central government is only occupied with a small number of matters important enough to attract its attention. It does not undertake to regulate society’s secondary concerns, and there is no indication of that has ever conceived the desire to do so.” (Tocqueville 262) The basis of the above quote reveals the government's tendency to appease the primary...
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...The Theological Background of Christian Zionism: Part I - Reflection By Mikael Knighton on Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 11:39am The Theological Background of Christian Zionism Part I - Reflection By: Mikael Knighton Christians Standing with Israel, Founder The Theological Background of Christian Zionism is a three part series authored by Mikael Knighton, founder of Christians Standing with Israel. The series consists of three installments: Reflection, Reconciliation, and Reconsideration. The series has been published in both the US and in Israel, where it was translated to Hebrew and published in the NATIV, a Jewish magazine facilitated by the Ariel Center for Policy Research (ACPR). Synopsis Over the centuries, Christian support of the state of Israel has been looked upon with a suspicious and vigilant eye. In fact, history will clearly show that the essence of pure evil, operating under the guise of “Christianity”, has facilitated a complete and justifiable collapse in Judeo-Christian relations. Only recently has the relationship between the Jewish people and Christians become fruitful, and the "mending" process, albeit positive, continues to evolve. Even so, the question remains: “Why do Christians support the state of Israel?” Christian Zionism, a theological belief that identifies the restoration of the Jewish people to their biblical homeland as the literal fulfillment of biblical prophecies foretold thousands of years ago, may arguably exist as the most...
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...issues that in turn presented a great opportunity for Ronald Reagan to establish himself as a transformative president who shall restore the power to the presidency. In fact it would not be incorrect to state that, Reagan capitalized on America`s desperate desire to change the status quo during his presidency. 1970s was a chaotic decade for the United States of America; stagflation, unemployment, stubborn bureaucracy, ineffective congress, and most importantly, soviet expansion and loss of Vietnam war had demoralized the public. Nixon` Watergate scandal and the overall weakening of America`s image on the international platform only added more to America`s misfortune. By the beginning of the 1980s the government was almost entirely non functional before the eyes of the public; some go as far as to say that, Carter administration was a perfect example of how America could function without a president (Milkins, 2013). It is evident that in the beginning of 1980s America mainly needed three things; reclaim its title as a powerful nation in the world, a sense of hope, revival and respect, and anyone other than Carter as the president. Reagan revolution delivered just that; his (Reagan`s) campaign was themed around a “morning in America” instead of just a set of policies and promises (Milkins, 2013). Ronald Reagan’s pitch for presidency was almost more inspirational than practical and it certainly worked for his advantage, as he was speaking what...
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