Long Lasting Presence of Racism - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1770 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/02/05 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Racism Essay Did you like this example? Racism is the belief that one race is better than another race, this usually ends in multiple consequences that include being bias towards other Ethnicities or race. Since the early 1800’s racism in the United States has impacted many people of color in a negative way. Have you ever wandered how life would be different when it comes to political, and social discrimination? Do you believe that racism has been the cause of many deaths, and the cause of slavery in our nation? Racism has left a long-lasting effect in our society, which has been proven by many of the problems that we are currently facing in our Country. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Long Lasting Presence of Racism" essay for you Create order In addition, in our new modern society racism has also been the affect to many our nation’s economic problems. Most important racism has had a major impact socially, politically, and economically on blacks, and Mexicans. Furthermore, bias between different races have encourage different writers to tell the stories. Some stories are true, and some are based on beliefs, and great examples of what has occurred and continues to occur in our society amongst people of different races. Furthermore, racism has played a major role during World War II for many people of different races. For example, African Americans were somewhat forced to enlist into the service to serve our country to earn respect, equality, and a place within society. Furthermore, discrimination against different races caused many deaths that occurred during their work on the line, and within our society. Not to mention, the major negative impact on the black community has been written in books, articles, and poetry to inform others of the horrible acts they had to sustain. Therefore, after reading the book â€Å"With his pistol in His Hand†, and in the novel â€Å"If He Hollers Let Him go†, in my opinion they both define the meaning of racism against people of color, such as Blacks, and Mexicans. In addition, both books show different examples of discrimination towards people of different races. Moreover, both have been a good representation of where racism began. First, the book â€Å"With His Pistol in His Hand† it is known as a true story that goes back to the early 1800’s when tension began to arise along the Texas- Mexican border. This tension began between 1850 and 1910 between the Anglos and the Mexicans. The conflicts reflected issues that included national boundaries, property, and the use of land. The First major issue occurred when the Anglo-Americans moved into Mexican territory (Flores,167). Consequently, the issues between the Anglo-Americans and the Mexicans continued until the end of the war for Texas Independence that ended in 1836. Furthermore, this conflicts between the Anglos, and Mexicans continued until the U.S war against Mexico that took place in 1846. This war resulted in the signing of the â€Å"Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo† in 1848. This included an agreement that was made between Mexico and the U.S. that made the Rio Grande River as the Border for both places. Furthermore, the â€Å"Treaty of Guadalupe- Hidalgo also included the rights to the Mexican community ownership of the land, and maintenance of their culture. As a result of taking ownership of the land it resulted in the creation of the Anglo- Texan authority, which took place after the war with Mexico (Flores,167). Later, the Anglo- Texan authorities believed they had power over the Mexicans. This resulted in unfair discrimination acts on the Mexicans. It began in 1859 Juan Cortina a U.S Citizen witness a Marshall pistol whipped a Mexican and took justice in his own hands which resulted in the shooting of a Marshall known as Bob spears. Furthermore, Juan Cortina and other landowners wrote a manifesto against the Anglo- Texans (Flores, 168). This also resulted in the war against the Texas Rangers. Furthermore, now going back to the true story of Gregorio Cortez know as a hero to the Mexican Community. He was praised as a hero to his community through a Mexican Ballad also known to the Mexican community as a â€Å"Corrido†. It all took place in the Lower Rio Grande Border which most of the people lived in a ranching village also known as Ranchos for the Mexican community. Small close families and a group of workers also know as â€Å"peons† which were known as the help, but treate d as family, all resided in the ranch. â€Å"The simple life led by most Border people fostered a natural equality among men† (Paredes,10). Texas Rangers had their own image towards the Mexicans â€Å"The picture of the Mexican as an inveterate thief, especially of horses and cattle, is of interest to the psychologist as well as the folklorist† (Paredes,20). Furthermore, there was a law followed by the Texas Rangers â€Å"Ranger method of shooting first and asking questions later† (Paredes,26) this law killed many innocent Mexicans. One incident that occurred has left a man by the Name of Gregory Cortez as a hero to the Mexican community and has remained in history through Mexicans ballads, also known as Corrido’s. Gregorio Corte remained known as a man who never raised his voice to parent or elder brother, and never disobeyed†(Paredes,36). He became a hero to his community after one day his defended himself again the Texas Rangers. It was all over an american that decided to trade his mare for a horse that Gregorio Cortezs brother owned. So they mad the trade and the American told Gregorio C ortezs brother known as Roman to deliver it to hi show while he was out of town. So Roman delivered the horse to his hose and took the mare. Later, the American Authorities made a visit to Roman, and Gregorio Cortez was present. The Sheriff know as sheriff Morris questioned him about the mare and he explained to hi that he had made a trade with the American and proceeded to laugh. The moment he began to laugh the sheriff shot Roman through the mouth and he dropped down to the floor. Then that’s when the shooting began between Sheriff Morris, and Gregorio Cortez, leaving the sheriff dead (Paredes,37-41). Later Gregorio Cortez knew that even though he was innocent he had to escape because the Mexicans did not have the same rights as the Americans (Pareded,41). When he escaped, later the Texas Authorities went to arrest his family for just being related to him. Moreover, they began to kill many Mexicans calling them the gang of Cortez. Eventually he got caught an after many y ears he got released but then later poisoned when released. Furthermore, the community made a ballad also known as a Corrido in his name to raise money for his court hearings. The corrido’s continued to be made also for other heroes that were seen as heroes to the Mexican people e(Paredes 7-246). Furthermore, in my opinion, they way the Texas Rangers treated the Mexicans showed extreme racism, and the act against Cortez was completely unjustified. On the other hand, the novel, If He Hollers Let Him Go also defines racism, and in my opinion, it continues to affect the black community. To begin this novel goes as far back as of world War II. â€Å"The War†. Two simple words that are often still uttered with deep emotion† (Verge,289). â€Å"Blacks, Mexicans Americans, and Mexican nationals also suffered, struggling under burden of racially restrictive housing covenants, widespread job discrimination, and segregated public facilities such as pools and beaches† (Verge,290). World War II had a social negative impact on Los Angeles (Verge,290). In addition, â€Å"while the war effort brought forth a spirit of cooperation and participation among Los Angeles citizens, serious undercurrents of racial tension continued to plague the region† (Verge,298,) During that time job opportunities were limits to the people of color and given to the white people. Later, there was movements by the minorities that fought fo r equal rights for job opportunities such as Negro Victory Committee (Verge,311). Moreover, the novel, If He Hollers Let Him Goes informs one about the discrimination against blacks and tells a story of what occurred during World War II. The story takes place in Los Angeles during the second war when an African- American by the name of Bob jones who was granted a Lederman position at a ship yard only because there were other workers that were also people of color, who he was going to manage. He lived in fear his whole life for being black. During that time, he lived in a society filled with discrimination. Not to mention, he would always have bad dreams such as being forced to war just for being black. Moreover, he was dating a girl with lighter skin, so he thought she was his only way out. Furthermore, one day he got into a confrontation with an employee named Madge that was not black, over her not wanting to work with him because he was black, he got offended and cursed her out. She went to go tell her supervisor than they demoted him. Later, he was upset that he just wanted to get revenge, even had thought to rape the white girl but knew he was not going to follow through. Sometime later, after the incident he en ded up in a dark room with her not knowing was he was about to go through. She closed the door and started to yell that he was raping her(Himes,1-203). Finally, the door opened, and he recalls â€Å"I came to once as I lay crumpled on the deck at the bottom of the ladder. A lot of guy were kicking me† (Himes,183). He was severely hurt, and he was able to escape, but later caught driving on the street in Los Angeles, and got pulled over only because he was black. Bob Jones was looking forward to becoming a man and make a family with Alice, but that day never came. He was arrested and later forced to join the service in exchange for his freedom even though everyone knew he was innocent (Himes,1-203). To conclude, since early times racism has had a negative impact on different races, and continues to affect our nation. , Furthermore, in my opinion, I believe discrimination on the people of color during World War II has left a long lasting presence on our nation compare to the war between the Anglo- Americans, and the Mexicans. For example, during the war between the Anglo- Americans, and the Mexicans, Mexicans were getting killed by Texas Rangers who believed they had rights over all Mexicans. They killed innocent people by abiding by their law known as the â€Å"ranger method of shooting first and asking questions later.

How Did a Serpent Succeed Where an Angel Failed Essay

How Did a Serpent Succeed Where an Angel Failed? The Temptation of Eve in a Dream and in Reality Throughout John Miltons Paradise Lost, the reader feels a sense of foreboding. Because the reader knows that the fall of humankind is inevitable, the warnings and discussion of free will throughout the first eight books of the poem serve only to make Eves transgression all the more tragic. The reader sees evidence of how the fall could have been avoided, and therefore feels as if it was unnecessary. If only Eve had heeded the warnings, if only she had listened, we might all be living in paradise. When Eve dreams of the fall, she is tempted by a very simple argument made by an angel--that if she eats the fruit from the tree, she will†¦show more content†¦In this respect, Eve is unlike Adam, a pious man who follows closely what the angels relate to him from God. Eve personifies those characteristics that Adam does not, such as inquisitiveness, courage, and possibly destructiveness. Where an angel, appealing to the human desire to be god-like, may have succeeded with Adam, he failed with Eve. When she wakes up, Eve finds the dream frightening not only because she has committed the ultimate sin, but also because she has displayed hubris--attempting to live like a God in heaven instead of being satisfied with the earth that was created for her. Since the dream is presented in such a different fashion than the actual temptation, the fear that arises when she wakes up does not reappear when the serpent approaches her. Instead of telling her that she will transcend life and earth and become a goddess, the serpent tells her that her eyes will be opened and she will be able to see more of the dark side. Instead of just having been given an abstract ability to choose between right and wrong, she will understand her choice and be able to make an informed decision. He tells her that while now her eyes seem so clear, yet are but dim (IX, 706-707), if she eats the fruit, they shall perfectly be then opend and cleard (IX, 707-708). Although he does mention that she will be like a God, it is in the context of telling her that she will understand the difference between Good and Evil like a God does. She will be able toShow MoreRelatedJohn Milton Opens Paradise Lost Essay2170 Words   |  9 Pagesbehavior with regards to the fall, whet her that be action or lack of action. Thus to succeed in his stated task, Milton must â€Å"justify† that behavior to his audience—Christians living in the aftermath of the fall. Milton does succeed at both explaining how Adam and Eve could have avoided the fall and also justifying why God must still mete out punishment for their acts, but fails to satisfactorily justify why God did not take more action to limit Satan’s access to Adam and Eve. 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Smog Pollution in Beijing free essay sample

Smog pollution has been around since the start of industrialization, and there are many cities that suffer from its consequences. Among them, Beijing is singled out as the hotspot these days. In the past winter, an unprecedented amount of smog cloaked Beijing, filling the city with noxious air and causing convulsive coughing among the local residents. Not only does smog cause inconvenience in transportation by reducing visibility, but also, according to a study at UC Berkeley, smog has a huge impact on people’s health: â€Å"people living in the smoggiest cities were 30 percent more likely to have succumbed to lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and pneumonia. † In his essay, â€Å"The Tragedy of The Commons,† Hardin suggests that problems like environmental pollution have no technical solution and that they could be solved effectively through mutual coercion. However, I believe that, besides methods like mutual coercion, technical solutions do exist. In general, technology solves the problems by pushing the limit of the â€Å"commons† towards infinity. In â€Å"The Tragedy of the Commons,† Garrett Hardin proposes that the problem of the commons is caused by the conflict between the individual interest of a rational self-interested man and the limit of a commons. His reasoning works in the following way: each individual taking a certain amount of resources from/dumping a certain amount of wastes (let’s call this amount A) into the commons brings an individual gain of G to him or her, and a collective loss of L to the whole commons. If the total population over the commons is P, then his or her individual loss becomes roughly L divided by P, which, in most cases, is smaller than his or her gain, G. Therefore, any rational and self-interested man will keep using resources from/dumping wastes into the commons. However, the total available resources/affordable wastes of a commons are limited and let’s call the limit L. If each person uses more and more resources or dumps more and more waste, the increasing A, when multiplied by the total population P, may go above the limit L, resulting in depletion or pollution of the commons. He, furthermore, proposes that there exists no technical solution because the equation A*P=L always hold and that the resource consumption/waste generation A should be limited by mutual coercion so that A is less than L/P. However, there have been many examples of technology solving problems of the commons. For instance, to our ancestors, the Homo sapiens, who lived in the forests of Africa together with many other animals millions of years ago, the commons was the forest around them. The forest had limited food, putting a limit on the population. This limit still holds for the animals: there are still a very limited amount of them living in the same forest now due to food limitation and diseases. However, the offspring of those Homo sapiens, human beings, has grown to a size which is several million times more. With technology for farming, they were able to walk out of the forests. With technology for animal husbandry, they could get food more efficiently without spending too much time to hunt for animals. With technology for shoe making and cloth making, they walked out of the forests and reached every part of the world. In fact, it was the technology that helped them overcome the limitation of the commons. The same thing happened several hundred years ago. In the 1400s, people in the Europe were suffering from poverty and religious intolerance. Not only did they have very limited resources but also various contagious diseases, such as the Black Death and smallpox that made the growth of population and agglomeration of people huge problems. However, with the advancement of technology in sailing and shipbuilding, Columbus discovered a new continent, North America, which is about the same size as Europe. This has enlarged the living space of human beings. Moreover, improvement in medical technology eliminated several lethal diseases such as the Black Death, which was estimated to have killed 30 to 60 percent of Europe’s population. Technology helped to improve the population limit from around 60 million in the 1400s to more than 700 million in the 2000s. Now, the world is crowded. 7 billion people might seem to be a big number compared to the available space on the earth, but it is negligible compared to the whole universe. With the advancement of technology, people might be able to expand the commons further to other planets. This is not unreasonable. 100 years ago people were not able to send man to the sky using airplane. But 40 years ago, the first man was sent to the Moon. Who knows if people are going to reside on Mars 50 years from now with the help of technology? As history demonstrates, Hardin’s idea is problematic in that he treats the commons as something static and immobile. To him, the total population is limited by L/A, and the more each person consumes, the less population the commons could afford. This is only true if L and A are constants, but unfortunately hey are not. Technical solutions do exist because technology could enlarge the commons (increasing L), and increases the efficiency of utilizing the commons (reducing A). With the ceaseless advancement of technology, the limits of population, pollution, and anything that could be categorized as a â€Å"tragedy of the commons† is pushed to infinity just as P=L/A approaches infinity mathematically when L keeps increasing and A decreasing. The recent smog pollution in Beijing, according to reports from various institutions, is attributable to two reasons. First, Beijing has a â€Å"heavy reliance on coal power† for both electricity generation and central heating during winter. Besides its major ingredient, carbon, sulfur also exists in a relatively large amount in coal. Therefore, burning coal generates a lot of sulfur dioxide, one of the main components of the smog. Moreover, since there was â€Å"a lack of wind in dispersing the haze†3 this winter, the smog cloaked Beijing for several days and did not dissipate as quickly as before. Secondly, the smog pollution is also a result of increased car ownership in Beijing. The total number of registered motor vehicles in Beijing has reached 5 million in 2011, and â€Å"an average of 15,500 new cars go on the citys roads every week. † The noxious air emission by motor vehicles largely pollutes the air of Beijing. In fact, â€Å"the motor vehicles are blamed for nearly a quarter of the capitals PM2. 5, or airborne particles measuring less than 2. 5 micrometers in diameter†, according to Wang Yuesi, a researcher of Chinese Academy of Sciences. The fact that the sulfur content of Chinas standard oil is 15 times greater than that of European oil made the pollution worse. Therefore, 15 times more sulfur dioxide is generated when the same amount of oil is consumed. The low quality of oil and explosion in number of cars contributed a lot to the smog in Beijing. Technical solutions will prove effective in solving the smog pollution in Beijing by creating clean energy reducing the emission of cars and factories. First of all, new technology in reducing the sulfur component of coal and oil would reduce the emission of sulfur dioxide, which is the main component of the noxious gas in Beijing. For example, normally crude oil contains 1%-3% sulfur. The standard sulfur content is 0. 01% in America, and 0. 015% in China. As a result, the Chinese oil companies need to improve the equipments in their oil refineries. If the standard sulfur content in China is the same as that in America, then the sulfur dioxide emitted to the air will be 15 times less. Furthermore, with new generations of technology, the sulfur content for refined oil would be reduced even more and approach zero. At that time, very little sulfur dioxide will be emitted by cars. Secondly, new technology such as electric cars and biodiesel cars could totally eliminate the problem of noxious air emission. In fact, these new technologies produce nothing but carbon dioxide. Some people would argue that noxious air emission still happens during the production of batteries; nevertheless, that emission is much easier to control than the car emission. The noxious air emitted by battery production, instead of being sent to the open air, is emitted at a chosen location. Using effective filters would ensure very low noxious air emission. Thirdly, technology for new energy, especially controlled nuclear fusion, might permanently solve the smog pollution problem. The resource of nuclear fusion comes from sea water, and ideally nuclear fusion produces no smog at all. If one day there is a breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion technology, and all the factories could use power generated by nuclear plants, then clean air all around the world will not be a dream. Technology could also effectively solve the smog pollution problem by â€Å"enlarging† the commons. Of course, new technology in aerospace engineering would allow people to reside on other planets, therefore literally enlarging the commons. On a more tangible and realizable note, new technology in transportation, such as highway systems or subway systems, enlarges the commons by spreading a congested and crowded city over a large area. Therefore, the same amount of smog would also be spread and dissipated over a larger region, and the pollution problem would be less serious. This approach of creating highway systems is largely applied in the U. S. and it has been very effective. For example, Both Beijing and Los Angeles are huge, metropolitan cities. Beijing has a population of 20 million, and the total area of Beijing is 16,800 km2. The Greater Los Angeles Area has a population on the same scale, 18 million, but the total area of the Greater Los Angeles Area is 87,490km2. The population density of Beijing is more than 5 times that of the Greater Los Angeles. As a result, smog in Los Angeles is dispersed over a large region whereas the smog in Beijing is cloaked within a smaller area, causing big pollution problems. That explains why the PM2. 5 in Los Angeles is usually from 5 to 10? g/m3, but the PM2. 5 in Beijing is around 80? g/m3. Also, subway systems, ogether with other technology of transportation, may also help improve the air condition by increasing the city size and reducing the population density. Some people might argue that, sometimes, technical solutions seem a little far from us. In other words, it is almost impossible for some of the technical solutions mentioned above to come true within 10 to 20 years. Therefore, we need methods like mutual coercion to act as temporary remedies to the problem. On e manifestation of mutual coercion is to rely on economic means to protect the environment, and the Beijing Government has already been on the march. As stated by Lu Jianru, the head of the legal department of the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau, â€Å"A highlight of the legislation is a limit on the total amount of emissions. We will first have an evaluation on the required amount of emissions by each company, and then issue emission permits. If companies fail to follow the permitted amounts, they will be punished. † Another manifestation of mutual coercion is in the form of political means. In certain cases, influence induced by political means could come much faster than that induced by economic means. For example, although Beijing is known for having a bad air quality, the air quality of Beijing was excellent during the Olympic Game in 2008. This was because the government shut down a lot of factories around Beijing, and launched an odd-even license plate number system that allows driving cars on alternate days. As we saw, these measures took effect immediately. The government could take similar measures especially in winters to lower the pollution. We human beings are faced with various issues today – population explosion, air pollution and etc. – just like a man trapped in a huge desert, who is thirsty and desperate. Mutual coercion, as proposed by Hardin, is an effective way to limit the resource consumption/waste generation of each individual and thus help avoid the depletion/pollution of the commons. But that’s just a temporary remedy, an oasis for the man in the desert. The oasis has food and water, and it is a comfortable place as well. However, our ultimate goal is to walk out of the desert! Human beings should have the ambition and courage to walk out of their comfort zone and reach out to a more wonderful instead of being frightened by various crises and coming up ways to limit themselves.

Scarlet Letter By Hawthorne Idea Essays - English-language Films

Scarlet Letter By Hawthorne Idea The Scarlet Letter is a story of hypocrisy and punishment. The strict Puritan laws made adultery a sin punishable by death or a life of misery. Although being an unwed mother or an illegitimate child is no longer a crime leading to capitol punishment, the treatment of welfare mothers and their children is similar to the treatment Hester an Pearl received in Hawthorne's novel. Hester and Pearl are prime examples of the negative attitude society, both Puritan and current, has toward single mothers and their "bastard" children. Hester and Pearl are the atypical example of illegitimate child and unwed mother. The consequence of the relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale is a child out of wedlock. Hester is forced to stand with her child on a scaffold which according to Hawthorne is"invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself." Pearl is forced to grow up without a father and Hester is left to make a life for herself and her child with no social succor. The puritans favored laws that would force society to hear their preaching (2.Gatis, 5). To the Puritan community Hester's "A" is a mark of just punishment. According to Crime and Punishment in American History, executing adulterers was a rare event. Branding and banishment was more common than the death penalty (6.Friedman, 36). In a society where there is no separation of church and state, the letter prevents Hester from being an active member of society. Hester, or a puritan woman in her condition, is held as an example for all to behold. While Hester is forced to wear a symbol of her sin, Pearl is forced to grow up watching her mother chastised. She can not have a normal childhood, for she does not fit into society. Her father is a "dead beat dad" and lends no hand in her up bringing. Hawthorne states, "Pearl was born an outcast of the infantile world. An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants." In the Puritan community, the father is considered the head of household. According to Edmund S. Morgan's The Puritan Family, there was a law in Massachusetts holding the head of household responsible for teaching their children and providing instruction of civil matters. Family in the Puritan society was a means for carrying out civil purposes (5.Kerry, 16). Family life was very important and all members of the society were expected to be part of a family. Fatherless children would not fall into the category of a family unit, therefore Pearl, not having a proper family, is chastised and branded a child of the devil. Although Dimmsedale does not remain unscathed by sin, he is not punished by society. He is able to hide his participation in the evil act, and escape a punishment of death. Hester is forced to raise the child on her own without any moral or monetary support from her lover. She has to ask to be allowed to keep her child, and is forced to do so as a single mother. Although the town wants to find the father of Pearl in the beginning of the novel, the issue is not forced, and Dimmsedale escapes responsibility. Despite the suffering Dimmsedale feels internally, he still takes no initiative to help in the raising of Pearl. Although having a child out of wedlock is no longer punishable by death, and women are no longer forced to wear scarlet letters, unwed mothers are still the ones held solely responsible for their illegitimate children. Unwed mothers are branded as immoral welfare recipients who are too lazy to work. AFDC is known as a wasteful program that encourages unwed mothers to continue to have children. Much of society has not change their views since the Puritan days. At the American Enterprise Institute luncheon Charles Murray said, "The act of getting pregnant if you are not prepared to care for a child is not morally neutral, it is a very destructive act. And much as we may sympathize with a young woman who finds herself in that situation... part of arranging society so that happens as seldom as possible is to impose terrible penalties on that act (1.Conniff, 18)." This is seemingly reverting to the tactics used by the Puritans. Welfare programs for unwed mothers are thought to be a waste of tax dollars. Politicians continue to debate welfare reforms while the country continues to view unwed mothers as failures. In the article Just the Facts,