The Most Important Signer of the US Constitution Essay - 2

The Most Important Signer of the US Constitution - Essay Example George Washington was born in February 1932 in Virginia and received basic English education from his mother since his father died when George was just ten years old (Lossing 55). He became a surveyor at the age of seventeen and at the age of nineteen, was appointed a state-adjutant, a position he soon resigned to move with his brother to the West Indies. His services to the state started officially when he was 21 and was sent as an emissary to dissuade the French from hostile maneuvers, a feat that earned him credit and recognition (Lossing 55). He served in the military until 1758 when he retired and married a young widow. He was a farmer for a short while until he was called into the legislature and later into the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia (Lossing 55). He also directed the army in the struggle for independence by the revolting colonies during the great revolution. From Washington’s skill and experience, he was unanimously led to lead the convention that sat to modify the current form of government, efforts that resulted in the formation of the current constitution and the federal government. He was later elected as the first president of the United States of America, a post that he held for 8 years, after which he retired and died peacefully at the age of 68 in his native Virginia (Lossing 56). Lossing, Benson J. Eminent Americans: Comprising Brief Biographies of Leading Statesmen, Patriots, Orators and others, Men and Women, Who Have Made American History. New York: John B. Alden, 1883. P.

Social Stratification and Class

Social Stratification and Class Discuss what is meant by social stratification and evaluate the different ways that social class has been defined and measured. The term social stratification refers to the grouping of social classes within a society. This is a specific form of inequality, and the effect of this is that certain groups in society are seen as having a higher status or rank than others based on power and wealth. Social stratification works by society ranking which is based in four sections. Social stratification can be passed from one generation to the next, i.e. royalty, it is universal but varies over time and place, it is a trait of society not individual differences and lastly social stratification also goes on beliefs and not just inequality (Wikipedia, 2014). Sociologists argue that some form of social stratification occurs in every society in the world despite that everyone claims to want an equal society (Burton, 2013). Sociologists consider there to be three main systems of stratification in today’s societies. These are slavery, the caste system and the class system. Slavery has legally been abolished in many countries but there is still evidence of at least 400 million people living under conditions that amount to slavery. For those living in Sudan, Ghana, India, Pakistan, and many other countries with similar ideals, slavery is a common thing to happen and in certain parts of Asia sex slavery is also common. A caste system is a social system built on ascribed status. This is a status based on characteristics a person is born with, such as race, gender, religion, age etc. In a caste system there is no chance to change from one caste to another and marriage outside of a person’s caste is not generally permitted. Often in a caste system the marriages are pre-arranged between parents rather than a choice of the individual. A class system is a social system built on achieved status. This is status that a person either earns or chooses so is not dependent on where a person was born or a person’s parentage. Those born in a class system c an choose their education, career and partner. A person in a class system may also start off in one class but can move between classes (Spark Notes, n.d). For many sociologists the focus is on the caste and class systems of stratification and the amount of social mobility within that system. This social mobility is the ease of which a person can move up or down the class system and will be based on a person’s wealth or power. In modern western societies, stratification is organised by class and divided into three main layers, upper class, middle class and lower class. Each of these classes can then be broken down into further categories determined by things such as housing locations (Wikipedia, 2014). A person’s social class will depend on where they are from, what they do for a living, where they achieved their education, who they are connected to and how powerful them people may be, how much wealth they have and their position in society. When a person’s social class is being considered their education will not generally be considered, unless of course they attended a high ranking education facility. This person will also need to have some high connections to be considered for upper class status. If a person is lacking any of these factors they will be considered as middle or even lower class, depending on their postcode or bank balance, within a western society. In modern western societie s there are different categories for social stratification such as age, race, gender, class, race or disability and in some places there will be even more categories (Wikipedia, 2014). Social classification has taken place long before the modern form of classifying people began. Social stratification has been measured in different forms; from asking people which class they feel they belong in to using a person’s postcode. The two most used measures are both based on occupation. The Registrar General’s Standard Occupation Classification (SC) and the Socio-Economic Groups (SEG). The SC began in has been in the census since 1901 and is based on a person’s occupation which will fall into one of six categories: Professional, Intermediate, Skilled (Non-Manual/Manual), Partly Skilled and Unskilled. This is an ordinal measure that ranks occupation, by skill and social standing. The SEG is made up of 17 different categories and would in fact cover all eventualities of employment, house worker, student etc. This is a nominal measure that ranks occupation by employment status (Anon, n.d). The SC has strengths as well as weaknesses with its use. It is a simple system with easily generalizable categories. This system is also useful when wanting to compare the changes in occupations held over a period of time. However, this system does not appear to group people it focuses more on the occupation. Another problem with this system is that the categories do not consider the differences in income between certain occupations. The SEC also has some strengths and weaknesses to its reliability in measuring class. Its main strength is that it does have a wider range of categories for people to consider, however its biggest weakness is that is still fails to acknowledge certain people, such as women, students and the unemployed (Sociology Org, 2013). Having more than one way of measuring social class has caused many problems. As occupations have changed dramatically over the years there are many problems with the way the SC and the SEG measures class. The biggest of the problems is that they are not designed to measure the occupations of women, housewives, students or even the unemployed adequately. Although this will generally be the most reliable as people will accept what is told to them by a government body such as the Registrar General. In 1994 a government review of social classifications took place with the aim to review the reliability of using occupation to measure social class, to review the social class categories and to assess the effectiveness of the changes made. These changes took place in 1998 and a new classification system, NS-SEC, was introduced beginning in the 2001 census (Anon, n.d). This change made to the way occupation is measured comes in eight categories to include the differences in set locations. The categories of the NS-SEC are: higher managerial and professionals, lower managerial and professionals, intermediate occupations (clerical, sales and services), small employers and own account workers, lower supervisory and technical occupations, semi-routine occupations, routine occupations and never worked or long term unemployed (Wikipedia, 2013). References Anon. (n.d) Definition and Measurement of Social Class [online]. Available from: http://www.uwic.ac.uk/shss/dom/newweb/classdefinition/Difficulties.htm [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Anon. (n.d) Social stratification [online]. Available from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1sqi=2ved=0CDAQkA4oADAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwordnetweb.princeton.edu%2Fperl%2Fwebwn%3Fs%3Dsocial%2520stratificationei=TIw5U6OlM6viywP42IIIusg=AFQjCNFPiQoB3wnfTRpv0MM_X4Pr_XWEMwsig2=f2pVumGz7bpiGO8bUQIBnQ [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Burton, J. (2013) Class and Stratification [class hand-out]. Access to Social Science: Class and Stratification, Northampton College. Nov 2013. Sociology Org. (2013) Measuring Social Class [online]. Available from: http://www.sociology.org.uk/s3a.pdf [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Spark Notes. (n.d) Social Stratification and Inequality [online]. Available from: http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/social-stratification-and-inequality/section3.rhtml [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Wikipedia. (2013) National Statistics Socio-economic Classification [online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Statistics_Socio-economic_Classification [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Wikipedia. (2014) Social Stratification [online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_stratification [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Bibliography Anon. (2010) What does â€Å"Social Stratification† mean? [Online]. Available from: https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100529054226AAF1wY9 [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Boundless. (n.d) Social Stratification [online]. Available from: https://www.boundless.com/sociology/definition/social-stratification/ [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Iiser (n.d) NSSEC [online]. Available from: https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/archives/nssec [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Rose, D. Pevalin, D. (2010) Re-basing the NS-SEC on SOC2010 [online]. Available from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1ved=0CC8QFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ons.gov.uk%2Fons%2Fguide-method%2Fclassifications%2Fcurrent-standard-classifications%2Fsoc2010%2Frebasing-the-ns-sec-on-soc2010.pdfei=MNI5U7nYCujOygO0-4Jousg=AFQjCNGQRPlUIA8sgVVcnseWNnreDM-o-Asig2=gpMzKE9XFYtaHKlPa4trYgcad=rja [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Sociology Guide. (n.d) Questions on Social Stratification [online]. Available from: http://www.sociologyguide.com/questions/social-stratification.php [Last Accessed Jan 2014].

Investiture Controversy Essay -- Church, Pope Gregory VII

The ruler Otto controlled the church during his reign by making bishops and abbots royal princes and agents to him (425). The revival of the church however, began as the German empire weakened in the eleventh century (425). During this time, the Church declared its independence from the governments’ control by embracing a reform movement, The Cluny Reform Movement (425). The reform established at the Cluny monastary in France, aimed at â€Å"freeing the church from secular political influence and control† (425). The reformers were supported in their efforts by popular respect for the church as people admired clerics and monks (425). During this time, any man had the opportunity to become Pope; the Pope was supposed to be elected by the people and clergy of Rome (425). The church also promised a better life to peoples whose current was relatively harsh (425). The reformers condemned the state’s contemporary mixing of religions and secular institutions as well as t he clergy’s subservience to royal authority (425). They taught that the Pope alone commanded the clergy and they demanded separa...

Is Thomas Hardy Obsessed with the Past? Essay

Many of Thomas Hardy’s poems are centered on the feelings summoned up when reminiscing about the past. On the surface, it seems as though Hardy is ‘obsessed with the past’ as many poems are laced with memories which conjure up feelings of nostalgia. It is important to consider, however, that this doesn’t necessarily mean that he is infatuated with bygones. It may also be the case that Hardy’s poetry is a means for him to comprehend and come to terms with the present. Hardy tries to reclaim the past in his poem, ‘Under the Waterfall’. Fundamentally, the narrator – thought to be Emma – experiences a Proustian moment as she plunges her arm into a basin of water. This stimulation brings on an avalanche of memories, which are ‘fetched back from its thickening shroud of gray’ – symbolizing Hardy trying to rescue memories from the shroud of time. Emma feels anew the romantic feelings she felt on the day she dropped a drinking glass into the water, when she and her lover where having a picnic by a waterfall. Hardy utilizes a metaphor effectively, by referring to the day as being ‘fugitive’, which suggests that it is ephemeral and can be lost any moment. This particular memory of the past is a seemingly pleasant one as is suggested by the use of sibilance (ll 13-16). The repetition of the soft hissing sounds in ‘scoop of the self-same block’, ‘ceases’ and ‘peaces’ suggests a dreamy and idealistic setting. Hardy refers to the drinking-glass as being opalized; once more indicating to how long it has been since this even took place. He gives this drinking-glass almost religious significance by sanctifying it and calling it a ‘chalice’. The chalice symbolized unity between Hardy and Emma, which still lies under the waterfall and ‘its presence adds to the rhyme of love persistently sung by the fall above’. Hardy uses rhyming couplets which give the poem a childish and youthful feel. This rhyming alludes to his youth being the ‘prime’ or best time of his life, and by summoning the past he can bring back the feelings of youth. Revival of the past is a recurring theme in many of Hardy’s poems. Similarly to ‘Under the Waterfall’, ‘At Castle Boterel’ also involves Hardy remembering a specific incident that took place between him and Emma. Emma is now dead, but in Hardy’s recollection her ‘phantom figure’ remains on the hillside. The poem is a powerful effort in consciousness to defeat the processes of time by reclaiming the past, as is shown in ‘Under the Waterfall’ also. On the other hand, the two settings have a stark contrast. Hardy drives to the junction of a line and highway with ‘drizzle bedrenching’; this suggests the somber and unhappy quality of the present. He looks behind at the byway, which is ‘fading’. This suggests increasing distance and decreasing significance of present reality as he delves into his past with Emma. There is use of enjambment in the between the first two stanzas, providing a sense of transition between Hardy’s present and past, and also his two states of mind. He speaks of how they walked along the road and creates a warm atmosphere in ‘dry March weather’. It is evident that the happy moments of the poem reflect Hardy’s love and what it used to be in the past. The last stanza consists of sharp words, completely unlike the melodious ones in ‘Under the Waterfall’. ‘My sand is sinking’, is a euphemism of Hardy’s approaching death. The sand conjures up the imagery of an hour-glass, once again referring to time passing relentlessly. In many of his poems, Hardy finds solace in the timelessness of many landscapes and tales. This suggests that Hardy has an inclination towards the past, because of the invariable constancy that it provides, regardless of passing time. For example, in the fifth stanza of ‘At Castle Boterel’, Hardy refers to the ‘Primaeval rocks’ in order to emphasise the great age and permanence of the hill by reflecting of how much transition they must have observed. Hardy asks if ever there was a ‘time of such quality’ in ‘that hill’s story’ and states that he believes there never were. This is, in a sense a defiance of time, as even time cannot alter the value of that one moment. The defiance of time is continued in the sixth stanza, as Hardy’s memory allows him to see ‘one phantom figure’ – Emma – even though ‘time’s unflinching rigour’ has killed the actual person. The idea of memory being eternal is once again portrayed in the poem ‘I Found Her Out There’. Hardy remembers Emma in Cornwall, and how she would sigh at the tale of ‘sunk Lyonnesse’, her hair beating against her face in the wind while she would listen to the ‘murmuring miles’. Hardy uses a technical aspect – synaesthesia – in order to combine two senses; this has a very powerful effect on the audience, giving the scene a sense of agelessness. The Arthurian tales also offer a link: As the myths of Lyonnesse belong to a fabled past, so too does the love story of Emma and Thomas Hardy. Additionally, this theme also echoes in ‘Under the Waterfall’, as Hardy refers to the ‘purl of a runlet that never ceases’ be it ‘in wars, in peaces’. Onomatopoeic diction in these lines is sounds like a flowing waterfall and represents the fact that it remains unchanged for a long period, unaffected by time. Hardy often uses the past objectively, in order to comfort him and assist him in dealing with his grief. ‘I Found Her Out There’ is a poem in which Hardy begins to dissociate himself from the anguish and guilt that consumed him after Emma’s death. This dissociation can be seen as he refers to Emma’s ‘shade’ as ‘it’ instead of ‘her’. He is beginning to come to acceptance of her death, as is shown by the controlled form of the poem. There are five uniform octaves, all following the rhyme scheme of ABBACDCD. Hardy ends the first stanza with the line, ‘The solid land’. This brings everything to a sudden, thumping halt and there is no mellifluous poetic beauty, as one would find in the poem, ‘Under the Waterfall’. Hardy is also conscious enough to effectively use contrasts of time in ‘I Found Her Out There’. He describes Emma in her youth, with the setting sun illuminating her face ‘fire-red’ against Emma as a corpse, never to be stirred in her ‘loamy cell’. This poem is less of a lament over the lost past, and more about capturing the essence of Emma. This is not always the case, however. In ‘Under the Waterfall’, Hardy finds it difficult to emotionally detach himself from the memory of the past. This is reflected in the structure, which can be jarring. The length of lines is not uniform, and this may suggest that Hardy’s mind wasn’t in a neutral state. He also asks many questions, such as ‘And why does plunging your arm in a bowl full of spring water, bring throbs to your soul?’ This portrays his internal turmoil. In conclusion, I believe that although Hardy had an inclination with the past, one cannot so far as to say that he was obsessed with it.

Martin Luther King`s Persuasion Techniques

The remarkable feature of Martin Luther King’s rhetorical style is emotional appeal and dramatic descriptions. In his essay, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† he uses argumentation and persuasion techniques in order to convince readers in his position and ideas. King possesses intelligence and ana ­lytical interest raising the audience to high emotional level. The main techniques selected for analysis are emotional appeal, logic, historical and current examples, testimonials, and fact and figure.Testimonials help King to give some recommendation to readers based on his own experience and life situations. King directly addresses his opponents: â€Å"MY DEAR FELLOW CLERGYMEN† (King). He uses testimonials to make his point and persuade listeners to agree with him. Using â€Å"fact and figure† technique, King persuades readers in rightfulness of his views supported by real facts: â€Å"the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound† (King).The audience feels that it is not a voice of the author, but a voice of the leader who really bears enormous burden of segregation trying to help millions of people to become equal with majority. Logic is another technique used by King to appeal to the audience and their mind. Following Walton, â€Å"The problem then is to understand generally how argumentation schemes can be seen as being a part of some framework of logical reasoning† (1996, 10). Logic means clearly expressed ideas and facts which allow the audience to follow thoughts and notions explained by the author. In the Letter, every argument forestalls the next one. â€Å"In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps †¦ â€Å" (King).   Vivid arguments and personal examples are logically connected which helps the audience to grasp the idea of the essay.Control of powerful feeling intensifies emotional appeal and adds dramatic effects. To give dramatic descriptions with intensity, to make the imagined picture of reality glow with more than a dim light, requires the author’s finest compositional powers. In the Letter, King creates a vivid image of racial segregation as â€Å"a burden† with deprives many racial minorities a chance to be free from oppression and humiliation. â€Å"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by oppressor† (King). There is intensity of illusion because the author is pres ­ent, constantly reminding readers of his unnatural wisdom. Values are universal norms of behavior and conduct followed by all people in spite of their racial or ethical background.King uses eternal human values in order to join different nationalities and minority groups. â€Å"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you†(King).   The moral quality depends not on the validity of doctrines, but on the mora l sense and arguments presented in the work. In both books, a certain amount of plot is based on emotional response. Exclamation marks, rhetorical question and parallel structure of sentences add emotional coloring. He appeals to such human values as tolerance and morals. Idiom and metaphors create sense of reality (How to Be Persuasive. 2001). King deals with his personal sufferings and expresses the effects of the segregation on his fellow friends on a scale of universal significance. Historical and current examples create a sense of reality which helps the audience to grasp the idea of equality and its role in historical process.The main feature of this essay is that King uses historical information based on reason and expiations of the events which attract attention of the audience. Historical examples include: St. Thomas Aquinas, Socrates, Adolf Hitler. King expects that his letter helps many people to â€Å"awake† from long sleeping and start fighting, because the new s ocial order and ideas, and no doubt that in his society the main role is featured to democracy and freedom. â€Å"If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (King).Personal tone is an important element of his rhetoric, because it creates a certain vision of segregation and inequality from the author’s point of view (Arguments and Persuasion Techniques in Writing, 1999). His language is logic and accurate, concise and creative. King’s rhetoric has strength, depth and delicacy of feeling.In sum, in this essay King uses traditional rhetoric techniques which help him to persuade the audience and appeal to their emotions and mind. More obvious rhetoric effects are achieved by explicitly controlling the reader's expectations with the hopes and fears held by a common citizen. Works Cited Page 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   King, M.L. Letter from Birmingham Jail. 1963, n.d.   http://www.nobelprizes.co m/nobel/peace/MLK-jail.html2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arguments and Persuasion Techniques in Writing. 1999. http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/argpers.htm3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How to Be Persuasive. 2001. http://www.rinkworks.com/persuasive/4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Walton, D.N. Argumentation Schemes for Presumptive Reasoning. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1996.

Contrast

Public vs. Private College – Several Factors to Compare/Contrast Public vs. Private College Several Factors to Compare/Contrast Making the choice to attend a private or public university is a big one. Many students and their parents make that choice based solely upon cost. After all, a college education is a large financial investment, and there may be hefty student loans to pay back after graduating. So, yes, price has to be a big factor in our decision but if you cannot answer the question, What is the difference between public and private colleges? then you are not really ready to make your decision. Here are 5 factors of comparison that all students should consider. Structural Difference Public Universities State universities are funded by the taxpayers of that state and student tuitions and fees. Every university has an operating budget which it must submit to an appointed Board of Governors, and that budget must be approved by the state legislature. The amount of tuition and fees charged must also be approved by the state government. What is a Private University Structure? Private colleges and universities have been around longer than state institutions. They were initially founded by religious organizations, although most are not pretty secular. These institutions are not funded by the taxpayer and are therefore free to set their own policies and budgets without state approval. They usually have a Board of Directors or Governors that sets policy and tuition and fee rates. Private colleges are funded by student tuitions and fees, as well as by donors, most of whom are wealthy individuals who graduated from that college. Prices Public Universities Because of their state funding, tuition and fees at public schools are much cheaper than at private school, as a rule. And states vary widely on those tuition amounts. Texas, for example, has very high funding for its state universities, so students get a big bargain. Generally, however, students can expect to pay from $7000 - $9000 a year. Cost of living, whether in a dormitory or an apartment, will not vary much from that in private universities, nor will meal plans that are offered by the schools. The other factor that will remain comparable will be the costs of texts and supplies. Private Colleges Tuitions will be significantly higher in private schools, and will generally range from $20,000 - $45,000 per year the more prestigious the school, the higher the cost. Cost of living and texts, as mentioned will not vary much from those of state schools, but those costs can be significant. The one offsetting factor in tuition and fee costs is that private schools do have a lot of privately available financial aid. Some of their endowments from donors are earmarked for financial aid to students in need, and the school must give that money out as required each year. So, before you dump the idea of a private school, check out its financial aid programs. Population In looking at public university vs. private university sizes, the general rule is that public schools will have much larger student populations. This also means that class sizes will be larger and the personal attention is not great. Some campuses have up to 40,000 students or more, and at least at the general education level coursework, auditorium-style classes are the rule. Student populations in private school really vary. Small schools may have as few as 1800 students. Harvard, by contrast, has 27,000+. As a rule, however, class sizes in private school are smaller and there is more personal attention. If you do well in very large and more impersonal schooling environments, then you will do very well in a public school. If you do not, however, you should consider a private college Degrees Because of their sheer size, public colleges tend to have more degree programs, so there are certainly more options when selecting a major field of study. And within a state system, some schools are known for their excellence in certain degree fields. If you select a state school, make sure you select one that is known for its department in your major. Private schools have fewer degree programs, but many have an exceptional reputation in the degree programs they offer. If you intend to go the private school route, make sure that the degree program you are choosing has a department with a great reputation. Social Life This is the final factor to consider. Big schools offer a great deal of diversity of population and a huge number of clubs and organizations to join. Most are also known for their party weekends especially when there is a home sporting event. Private schools, with some exceptions, may be less diverse and offer fewer opportunities for you to branch out and widen your social horizons. If there are fraternities on campus, there will be parties, for certain. But in general private schools tend to have less of a reputation for being party schools. These, then are the factors to look at. Finding the right balance of cost, size, programs and social life for you to be happy takes time and careful thought. Contrast Free Essays on Comparison/Contrast The Death of the Human Spirit in â€Å"Harlem† and â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† Although Langston Hughes’s â€Å"Harlem† and John Keats’ â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† were written about 130 years apart and they differ in their structure, they seem to share a similar underlying theme. Both of these poets are trying to convey a feeling of death. They are not talking about a superficial death but rather, a dying on the inside. This is the type of death that robs them of their spirit. To the reader, it is fairly clear to see in Hughes’s â€Å"Harlem† whereas in Keats’ â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn†, the reader has to look beyond the outer layer of the poets words. In Hughes’s extremely short poem, â€Å"Harlem†, the poet asks â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred?† (1). If not for this opening line, the reader might be left wondering what the objects in the poem symbolize. Hughes uses a raisin, a sore, meat, a syrupy sweet, and a load. The â€Å"raisin† represents the plight of the black man in a dominant white society. The black man (raisin) refuses to give in and thus turns into a â€Å"sore†. The â€Å"meat† turned rotten in â€Å"Harlem† symbolizes the fight of the African American in making their place in the world. The â€Å"sweet† represents the satisfaction to be found in an existence full of harmony. The â€Å"load† is the culmination of all of these objects. As time goes by, the burden of the â€Å"load† gets harder and harder to carry. The heavy burden causes the black man to falter and â€Å"sag†. Eventually, the immense pressure causes an explo sion to the reality of the situation that the African Americans face. In order to understand the meaning behind John Keats’ somewhat longer poem, â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn†, the reader has to look past the words written to reveal their true meaning. On the surface, the reader might think this poem is light and airy, when in fact; it is a sad tale of lost chances never to be r...

Biography of Calamity Jane, Wild West Figure

Biography of Calamity Jane, Wild West Figure Calamity Jane (born Martha Jane Cannary;  1852–August 1, 1903) was a controversial figure in the Wild West whose adventures and exploits are shrouded in mystery, legend, and self-promotion. She is known to have dressed and worked as a man, to have been a hard drinker, and to been skilled with guns and horses. The details of her life are mostly unproven, given the amount of fabrication and hearsay that inform her story. Fast Facts: Calamity Jane Known For:  Hard living and drinking; legendary skill with horses and gunsAlso Known As:  Martha Jane Cannary BurkeBorn:  1852 in Princeton, MissouriParents: Charlotte and Robert Cannary or CanaryDied:  August 1, 1903 in Terry, South DakotaPublished Works:  Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane by HerselfSpouse(s): Undocumented spouses, Clinton Burke, Wild Bill Hickok; documented spouse, William P. SteersChildren: Possibly two daughtersNotable Quote: By the time we reached Virginia City I was considered a remarkable good shot and a fearless rider for a girl of my age. Early Life Calamity Jane was born  Martha Jane Cannary  around 1852 in Princeton, Missouri- although she sometimes claimed Illinois or Wyoming as her birthplace. She was the oldest of five siblings. Her father Robert Cannary (or Canary) was a farmer who took the family to Montana during an 1865 Gold Rush. Jane relayed the story of their journey in her later biography with considerable relish, describing how she hunted with the men and learned to drive the wagons herself. Her mother Charlotte died the year after their move and the family then moved to Salt Lake City. Her father died the following year. Wyoming After the death of her parents, young Jane moved to Wyoming and began her independent adventures, moving around mining towns and railroad camps and the occasional military fort. Far from the ideal of the delicate Victorian woman, Jane often wore mens clothes. She eked out a living doing menial jobs, some of which were jobs usually reserved for men. She is known to have worked on the railroad and as a mule skinner. She worked as a laundress and waitress and may have also worked occasionally as a sex worker. Some legends say that she disguised herself as a man to accompany soldiers as a scout on expeditions, including the 1875 expedition of General George Crook against the Lakota. She developed a reputation for hanging out with the miners, railroad workers, and soldiers- enjoying heavy drinking with them. She was arrested, with some frequency, for  drunkenness and disturbing the peace. Deadwood Dakota Jane spent many years of her life in the boomtown of Deadwood, Dakota, including during the Black Hills gold rush of 1876. She claims to have known James Hickok, known as Wild Bill Hickok, and she is thought to have traveled with him for several years.  After his August  1876 murder, she further claimed that they had been married and that he was the father of her child. (If said child had actually existed, he or she was said to have been born September 25, 1873, and given up for adoption at a South Dakota Catholic school.)  Historians do not accept that either the marriage or the child existed. A diary supposedly by Jane that documented the marriage and child has been demonstrated to be fraudulent. In 1877 and 1878, Edward L. Wheeler featured Calamity Jane in his popular Western dime novels, adding to her reputation. She became something of a local legend at this time because of her many eccentricities. Calamity Jane gained admiration when she nursed victims of a smallpox epidemic in 1878, also dressed as a man. Possible Marriage In her autobiography,  Calamity Jane said that she had married Clinton Burke in 1885 and that  they  lived together for at least six years. Again, the marriage is not documented and historians doubt its existence.  She used the name Burke in later years. A woman later claimed to have been a daughter of that marriage but may have been Janes by some other man or Burkes by another woman. When and why Clinton Burke left  Janes life is not known. Later Years and Fame In her later years, Calamity Jane appeared in Wild West shows, including the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, around the country, featuring her riding and shooting skills. Some historians dispute whether she was indeed in this show. In 1887, Mrs. William Loring wrote a novel named  Calamity Jane. The stories in this and other fiction about Jane were often conflated with her actual life experiences, magnifying her legend. Jane  published her autobiography in 1896,  Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane by Herself,  to cash in on her own fame, and much of it is quite clearly fictional or exaggerated.  In 1899, she lived in Deadwood again, supposedly raising money for her daughters education.  She appeared at the Buffalo, New York, Pan-American Exposition in 1901, in exhibitions and shows. Death Janes chronic drunkenness and fighting caused her to be fired in 1901 from the Exposition and she retired to Deadwood. She died in a hotel in nearby Terry  in 1903.  Different sources give different causes of death:  pneumonia, inflammation of the bowels, or alcoholism. Calamity Jane was buried next to Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwoods Mount Mariah Cemetery.  Because of her notoriety, her funeral was large. Legacy The legend of Calamity Jane, markswoman, horsewoman, drinker, and performer, continues in movies, books, and television Westerns. How did Jane get the moniker Calamity Jane? Many answers have been offered by historians and storytellers. Calamity, some say, is what Jane would threaten to any man who bothered her. She also claimed the name was given to her because she was good to have around in a calamity, such as the smallpox epidemic of 1878. Maybe the name was a description of a very hard and tough life.  Like much in her life, its simply not certain. Sources Calamity Jane. Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane by Herself. Ye Galleon Press, 1979.â€Å"Calamity Jane: Exposed.†Ã‚  True West Magazine, 21 Aug. 2015.â€Å"Encyclopedia of the Great Plains.†Ã‚  Encyclopedia of the Great Plains | CALAMITY JANE (1856-1903).