John Brown The Sword and the Word
“I act from a principle,” and “I say, break the law” are not only the names of two out of the five parts in this book, but the words by which John Brown lived so passionately everyday. At earlier times in his life he lived by his sword as well. The Sword and the Word illustrates John Brown’s own ideas and intentions and how he lived by them. A main issue of this book is that truly a man of his word who believed that morals should outweigh the law of the land, John Brown lived and died for the abolition of slavery and did as much if not more for that cause than many other slaves or free men.
You could say this book is a biography but it really focuses on certain aspects and parts of John Brown’s life. It uses a kind of story-telling format, but many of the information and facts of the stories are given to the reader in the form of notes that are to and from many people including John Brown. Stavis’s major thesis is Brown believing “that a man has a perfect right to interfere by force with the slaveholder, in order to rescue the slave,” and that Brown fought for the freedom of the slaves and believed it was better he break inhumane rules and obey and follow God than to obey the law and sin.
He followed his own set of principles and morals. He believed that a man should be honest, God-fearing, and loyal. If a man commits a crime he must be punished. Once he had a man re-arrested for the crime of theft where the man pleaded poverty. The man was thrown in jail but John Brown believed that the man’s family should not suffer for his wrongdoing while he was in jail so John Brown regularly supplied his family with an abundance of provisions.
Not only was John Brown honest and fair, but also he was courteous and generous towards others even outside his well-taken care of family. To prove his points, the author includes several stories of things John Brown did in his life that exemplify his unselfishness. Upon hearing that a family miles away was starving and living in poverty one winter John Brown went to the man with a business offer to help the man because he wouldn’t accept just donations. The offer gave the man food and clothing in exchange for his labor the next summer. When the summer time came around, John Brown didn’t even let the man work for him. This is showing the good nature of John Brown’s pers...
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...thor also composed the plays, ‘Lamp at Midnight,’ ‘The Man Who Never Died,’ ‘Harpers Ferry,’ ‘Coat of Many Colors,’ and ‘Refuge,’ and wrote Home, Sweet Home! and The Chain of Command. The Sword and the Word is actually a companion volume to Stavis’s ‘Harpers Ferry’ play. Publisher Thomas Yoseloff believes that the book is useful for anyone preparing a production of this story and thinks that it is well put-together with primary sources from history in conjunction with Stavis’s own views and ideas. I agree.
We have not yet covered this time period yet, but soon enough we will discuss those crucial years before the civil war in class. However this has still aided and enlightened my studies in American History. It gave me a more in-depth and closer look at the slavery issue and how absurd it was. It gave me a sense of the feelings of the people of the time that John Brown was alive. Enough was learned from this book that the time spent reading it can be justified. I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it to some one who enjoys learning about that time period in history and the exciting actions and events of a good-hearted man devoting his life for a good cause.
At first glance, the book “my bondage and my freedom by Frederick Douglass appeared to be extremely dull and frustrating to read. After rereading the book for a second time and paying closer attention to the little details I have realized this is one of the most impressive autobiographies I have read recently. This book possesses one of the most touching stories that I have ever read, and what astonishes me the most about the whole subject is that it's a true story of Douglass' life. “ Douglass does a masterful job of using his own experience to expose the injustice of slavery to the world. As the protagonist he is able to keep the reader interested in himself, and tell the true story of his life. As a narrator he is able to link those experiences to the wider experiences of the nation and all society, exposing the corrupting nature of slavery to the entire nation.”[1] Although this book contributes a great amount of information on the subject of slavery and it is an extremely valuable book, its strengths are overpowered by its flaws. The book is loaded with unnecessary details, flowery metaphors and intense introductory information but this is what makes “My Bondage and My Freedom” unique.
The author, Peter Kolchin, tried to interpret the true history of slavery. He wants the readers to understand the depth to which the slaves lived under bondage. In the book, he describes the history of the Colonial era and how slavery began. He shows us how the eighteenth century progressed and how American slavery developed. Then it moves onto the American Revolution, and how the American slaves were born into class. It was this time that slave population was more than twice it had been. The Revolutionary War had a major impact on slavery and on the slaves.
I was able to better understand how easy it was for English laws to change on a case-by-case basis and see how Virginia changed so many of the English laws not long after the first settlers arrived. Also, reading this book helped me understand the reasons behind the changes. Life in Virginia differed than life in England, giving them a need for different laws in certain situations. Not everything in Virginia could be the same as it was in England. Another thing this book helped me to see was how different things were then, than they are now. Laws have changed so much and we have an organized system of keeping the laws. Also, it seems as if a lot of the laws and court cases back then were corresponding to labor and economy. Lastly, each section helped me understand how men and women were treated differently. Initially, men and women were punished just as much for having sex out of wedlock, but later in the book, women were held responsible and men got away with
Galileo Galilei was very meddlesome when it came to the scientific community. He is one of the world’s most renowned and possibly greatest scientist that contributed to the scientific revolution. Galileo’s thirst for knowledge was not necessarily a good thing, due to his devotion for science, he was condemn from the Catholic Church (Michael N. Marcus) and alienated for not fitting social norms; ironically becoming an outcast of the society he was trying to better. Using one of the worlds all time horror classics Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, and one of the greatest films of all time Forrest Gump, they both show us how the pursuit of what is known to the individual as the best and correct course of action could be truly dangerous. While Galileo was motivated by his commitment to the truth, both Forrest Gump and Frankenstein’s monster are driven by love and a childlike desire to explore the world around them. Ironically, acting on love, care, and innocence would have nearly accurately been portrayed by Bon Scott as a “highway to hell” (AC/DC).
John Brown, a abolitionist, believed that the use of violence was necessary to end slavery unlike most pacifist abolitionists. Brown resorted to violence on several occasions in his mission to destroy slavery. He organized a small army of slavery opposers, which included many of his family members and relatives to carry out his mission. For instance, Brown and his men attacked the pro-slavery settlers in Pottawatomie Creek during the "Bleeding Kansas" period of violent tension between anti-slavery free staters and slavery supporters. Brown and his men murdered five pro-slavery settlers in Pottawatomie Creek. Brown and his small army also attacked the federal armory in 1859 at Harpers Ferry in Virginia, and took control of the armory. Brown
I think that the purpose that the author was trying to give the reader was to inform and educate them about slavery and abolitionists. The author tells about john brown and how he stood up for slaves and the equality of all men. Benjamin Quarles points out all the problems about slavery and America during this time.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare is a tragedy set in Verona, Italy in the fifteenth century. The play concerns two families, who from the start show a bitter feudal tradition. The Capulets and the Montagues persistently fight in the streets in the public eye. When the prince comes to break up the ‘fray’ he forebodes the tragic events to follow ‘if ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace’. Although the prince refers to the charge of death if the ‘quarrel’ is repeated the audience can sense the uncertainty and that somebody will die before this happens. In the end the ‘starcross’d lovers’ deaths ultimately unite their feuding families.
Shakespeare has created a quintessential tragedy in which deepens the audience’s understanding of the universal themes of love, hate, conflict and death. The recurring focus on the tension between love and hate makes us reflect on how these themes govern upon human behavior. In the play Romeo and Juliet, the main characters for which Romeo and Juliet the denial of love and dominance of hate creates extreme loss, in this case, death. In progress, audiences have recognized that the death of two young people is entirely imprudent, creating a need for acceptance.
...ying the requirement of high status. Oedipus’ tragic flaw was his short temper, which led him to his downfall, as did Othello’s flaws of naivety and mistrust. Both plays went through a peripeteia and an anagnorisis, as both saw a reversal of fortune and a realization of their mistakes. All these elements of tragedy give the audience a feeling of pity and remorse for both Oedipus and Othello, thus reinforcing Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.
Crime in this country is an everyday thing. Some people believe that crime is unnecessary. That people do it out of ignorance and that it really can be prevented. Honestly, since we live in a country where there is poverty, people living in the streets, or with people barely getting by, there will always be crime. Whether the crime is robbing food, money, or even hurting the people you love, your family. You will soon read about how being a criminal starts or even stops, where it begins, with whom it begins with and why crime seems to be the only way out sometimes for the poor.
Breastfeeding rates are continually increasing. The nutritional benefit of breast over formula is a long established fact. “According to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breastfeeding rates improved nationwide in 2000-2008, and some of the greatest improvement was among black women. However, only about 59 percent of black mothers breastfed in 2008, compared to 80 percent of Hispanic mothers and about 75 percent of white mothers. For 2008 rates of breastfeeding at a baby’s first birthday, the number was about 23 percent overall but only 12.5 percent for black mothers. That low rate still marks a near doubling of rates among black mothers compared to the year 2000” (Currie, 2013).It is the recommended method of feeding an infant for at least the first six months of life. Breastfeeding has benefits to both mothers and their babies. The baby receives immunity to protect it from disease. Financially, breastfeeding can significantly reduce the burden of having a new child. Many mothers initiate breastfeeding in the hospital; however, the number of women who breastfeed until six months is very low (Guyer, Millward, & Berger, 2012). Breastfeeding is highly favored over bottle feeding. Yet, mothers still do not choose to continually breastfeed their infants. Do mothers who breastfeed during hospitalization have limitations or no desire to continue versus mothers who breastfeed for the recommended six months or longer at home?
... something they do not want to do. The main cause of this is wanting to be accepted by your peers, or looking for alternative ways to overcome your difficulties at home or other personal issues.
At some point in time, all new mothers come into a situation where they must feed their child in public. And while breastfeeding is the simple and natural act of a mother feeding her young child, some people are very much against it. According to the on-line article by, Kate Miller-Wilson for lovetoknow.com, entitled, Why Are Some People Against Breastfeeding in Public, approximately 34% of debate.com’s polled audience is against breastfeeding in public because they feel it’s an inappropriate or indecent act that should not happen in public places. They go on to say that just because nursing is a “natural” act, doesn’t mean that it’s appropriate in all types of situations. Polltakers stated that, “the act of exposing a breast, even in the context of breastfeeding, may be asking for harassment and perhaps even assault.” The same pollers also said that public breastfeeding could cause awkward and possibly intimidating environments as some people are not comfortable with the naked
Some people that use land for survival cause two thirds of the world’s deforestation. First, they cut down the trees and burn the rest of it to put the trees’ nutrients int the ground. Then, they plant their crops, but because soil is not fertile for a long time, the land dies. Now it can only be used for cattle grazing, but if the cattle eats all the grass without letting it grow back, the now non fertile farmland is barren dirt.
Oedipus the King by Sophocles has the ingredients necessary for a good Aristotelian tragedy. The play has the essential parts that form the plot, consisting of the peripeteia, anagnorisis and a catastrophe; which are all necessary for a good tragedy according to the Aristotelian notion. Oedipus is the perfect tragic protagonist, for his happiness changes to misery due to hamartia (an error). Oedipus also evokes both pity and fear in its audience, causing the audience to experience catharsis or a purging of emotion, which is the true test for any tragedy according to Aristotle.