Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay - 1350 Words

There is no lack of interpretations or assumptions of what Americans believe about the war; stating their opinions about politics or the military is not something they are afraid of doing. Whichever way a person wants to perceive the war is entirely up to them, but the viewpoints of the soldiers’ who are fighting in said war, show perspectives that are often entirely opposite of the views of those Americans. Tim O’Brien’s The Thing They Carried offers insight on the Vietnam War as told by soldiers during that time. O’Brien blurs distinction of what the truth is and what is false when it involves the storytelling of war and how everyone else perceives it; the connection of the ‘normal’ Americans, or the average American opinion on war,†¦show more content†¦There are people who want war to happen to make a great change to better their country. There are interpretations that say soldiers are brave and they are doing heroic acts, the war will save them from the unrest within their own country, and additional territory increases. War seems to be the answer to many peoples’ questions. War plays an important role in America’s government and in their political standpoint. However, the soldiers who take part in the war voice differing opinions and thoughts of what war means. The onlookers and the ones involved have different perceptions. O’Brien’s The Things They Carried included gruesome images and stories that bring real-life examples of how soldiers encounter the war to life, which disrupts and challenges the common assumptions that people may have of war. The fact that the Americans who think war is great cannot listen to a true war story seems counterproductive in that the opposite of what they believe is the reality of these soldiers. It suggests that people do not want to hear a true war story for several reasons. No one wants to hear a true war story that could be too much for them to bear, or not to bear, since they are not the ones constantly in battle. No one wants to listen to the truth being told while they are too busy trying to â€Å"make America great† by sending these soldiers to war. The quote, â€Å"As a first rule of thumb, therefore, you can tell a true war story by its absoluteShow MoreRelatedTim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay1328 Words   |  6 Pagesof doing. Whichever way a person wants to perceive the war is entirely up to them, but the viewpoints of the soldiers’ who are fighting in said war, show perspectives that are often entirely opposite of the views of those Americans. Tim O’Brien’s The Thing They Carried offers insight on the Vietnam War as told by soldiers during that time. O’Brien blurs distinction of what the truth is and what is false when it involves the storytelling of war and how everyone else perceives it; the connection ofRead More What is Love? Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay2282 Words   |  10 Pagesstill people that can confuse it because of objects or even words. An example of this confusion can be shown in the novel â€Å"The Things They Carried†, by Tim O’ Brien. Jimmy Cross is fond of Martha and s hows strong emotions for her. Jimmy Cross shows his emotions towards Martha right at the beginning of the novel by sharing to us the following: First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a Junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant

The Civil War And Reconstruction Periods - 1118 Words

The Unfinished Revolution The Civil War and Reconstruction periods had many positive outcomes for America, such as the reunification of the Union, the expansion of the North and South’s economy, education for all, and much more. Although there were many positive results from these two periods, there was also an aftermath of much failure. The post Civil War, and Reconstruction period consisted of the formation of the Ku Klux Klan and the black code laws. Despite the fact that African American’s were no longer slaves, in many ways they were still not free. Furthermore, the creation of things such as the Ku Klux Klan and the black codes created high tension between the black and white races, a tension that can be argued is still present in modern day America. This essay will examine the aspects of how the post Civil War and Reconstruction period was a failure with regards to social, economic and political, and radical development for newly freed slaves. Social Development Once African American’s were freed they faced many social obstacles. Blacks wanted to immediately be given the same treatment to whites in the workforce, such as have one day off per week so they could have more free time with their families. Blacks had more than the right to request time off, but some whites in American thought that this request was unreasonable, mostly because white people now lacked the ability to exploit black labor (Ransom221). After slavery ended the South was in short supply forShow MoreRelatedThe Civil War And Reconstruction Period Essay1619 Words   |  7 PagesThe Civil War and Reconstruction period provided African American people with a legal definition of citizenship through three constitutional amendments. Beginning with the 13th Amendment slavery was abolished, then 14th Amendment provided equal protection under the law, and lastly the 15th Amendment allowed all men, including African Americans, the ability to vote. However , the transition from enslavement to freedom was a difficult and terrifying one for most black women as they had little or noRead MoreThe Civil War And The Reconstruction Period Essay1496 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction: American Industrialization emerged from the ruins of the Civil War and the †¦ of the Reconstruction Period. Spurred by the new manufacturing technologies brought over from Great Britain, and the rest of Europe, factories and mills began emerging across the American landscape, slowly transforming the United States from an agrarian society to one increasingly industrialized and urbanized. From 1860-1900, the nation of rural towns, local crafts, family farms, and regional businessRead MoreAfrican American Civil War And The Period Of Reconstruction960 Words   |  4 PagesAfter the Civil War and the period of Reconstruction there were many political, social and economic changes which continued to affect the society. The role of African Americans in society changed after the abolishment of slavery. This new freedom and opportunities were not much greater than before when slavery existed. Despite reconstruction efforts, African Americans faced discrimination. Society as a whole was altered extensively at this time. After the civil war, political changes affected AfricanRead More The Failure of the Post Civil War Reconstruction Period in America674 Words   |  3 Pages After the North won the civil war, it was time to rebuild this nation. This period of reconstruction was supposed to have a profound change on society. Unfortunately this was not the case. Reconstruction did not fundamentally alter this nation. Not to say that nothing happened, but nothing that really made a change or difference happened. First, the control of the south was given right back to the planter elite. Also, even though slavery was abolished; blacks were not free. FinallyRead MoreOrigin Of And Role Played By Manifest Destiny1323 Words   |  6 PagesIndians. Task 2: Triumphs and Failures of the Reconstruction Era Reconstruction is the term used to refer to the period between 1862 and 1877, during which America attempted to bring sanity from the terrific socio-political and economic changes created by the breakaway calls and Civil War. Given the complexity of the post-Civil War issues it is understandable that the period is shrouded in controversy. While some historians typify the period as an absolute failure that proved harmful to allRead MoreThe Impact Of The Civil Rights Movement1018 Words   |  5 PagesThe issue of civil rights was a major one throughout the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and remained so throughout the period leading up to the Korean War in the 1960s. The civil rights struggle was caused largely by southern states’ treatment of African Americans. Slavery was a rampant practice in the pre-Civil War south, and even those African Americans who managed to obtain their freedom were not treated as equals to other citizens in the southern states. Free black men di d not have theRead MoreFederal Government During Civil War Essay1237 Words   |  5 Pagesgovernment, the founders believed, that would retard any establishment of monarchial government that the American Revolution was fought upon. However the civil war, and more specifically the Reconstruction period following it tested these principles to the core. While it may be accurate to characterize governmental struggles that defined Reconstruction as ones that were inter-branch, a more detailed and nuanced survey reveals it was borne more so out of ideologies that were incumbent within each branchRead MoreCivil Rights and the Second Reconstruction1189 Words   |  5 PagesCivil Rights and the Second Reconstruction The Civil Rights era was one of the most tumultuous times in American history. The country appeared at once to be striving forward for social progress and, simultaneously, coming apart at the seams. It is exactly this contradiction which drives our discussion the period known as the Second Reconstruction. Named in reference to the original Reconstruction era which succeeded the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in the South, the Second ReconstructionRead MoreThe Legacy Of Lincoln And Andrew Johnson1017 Words   |  5 PagesI will be going through and telling you what happen through the time periods and the months. Through every time period I will tell you every event that goes on during that time period and how long is last. Basically I am giving you a research time lime from event to event. Lincoln and Andrew Johnson were out of sympathy with black suffrage, especially conferred by the federal government. Johnson s interpretations of Lincoln s policies prevailed the Congressional elections of 1866 in the NorthRead MoreHow Did The Radical Republican s Rise For The Failure Of The Post Civil War Reconstruction?1619 Words   |  7 Pagesfailure of the post-civil war reconstruction? The time between 1863, when Lincoln passed the ten percent act, until the year 1877, when reconstruction was officially ended, will be evaluated with information provided by the sources. The investigation will specifically look to how the Lincoln assassination allowed for the rise in the Radical Republican Party from 1866 to 1868 and the party’s effect on reconstruction acts leading to the failure of the post-civil war reconstruction era. Eric Foner’s

Law for Recover Damages

Question: Discuss about the Report of Law for Recover Damages. Answer: Issue: After going through the facts that have been given for this assignment, certain issues emerge. The first issue is related with remoteness of damages. Steve can be held liable for the loss suffered by Tom? The second issue is related with the enforceability of the gratuitous promise. In this case, Pamela had not provided any fresh consideration in return of the promise made by Steve gave her a car for the weekend. The third issue that has to be decided in this case is related with the effect of mistake on a contract. In this case, the car was already destroyed regarding which Danny and Steve had made a contract. The last issue in this case is related with promissory estoppel. Trisha had spent several thousand dollars for making customized components while Steve claims that he had signed the contract by mistake. Law: The test that can be used for deciding the remoteness of contractual damages was provided by the court in Hadley v Baxendale (1854). Recently, this is each commercial law was again decided by the court in The Achilleas (2008). In this way, during the recent years, the test provided in Hadley v Baxendale as defined by the courts. This is a leading case of English contract law. This case provides the basic rule that can be used for deciding consequential damages arising out of a breach of contract. According to this rule, a breaching party will be held liable regarding all the losses that have been suffered by the other party and should have been foreseen by the contracting parties. Therefore, such a party will not be held liable for the losses suffered by the other party which could not be seen by the breaching party on the basis of the information provided to such a party. For example in this case, Hedley had sued Baxendale for the profits that he had lost as a result of the late del ivery. The court declined to allow the recovery of lost profit and stated that the other party can only be held liable for the losses that were generally foreseeable by such a party or if the special circumstances should have been mentioned to the party in advance. Regarding the second issue, the law of contract provides that a past consideration is not changed by the law as a valid consideration. In Re McArdle (1951), Majorie McArdle had performed some improvements and repairs on a bungalow. The bungalow was a part of the estate of her husband's father who had left the property to her husband and four of his siblings. After the work was done, the brothers and sisters had signed the document according to which, in consideration of these repairs, the executors promised to pay 480 but the payment was not made. In this case, the court stated that the promised to pay 480 was made after the consideration has already been performed. As a result, the promise regarding the payment was not binding as past consideration is not valid. Regarding the third issue, the validity of the agreement between the parties can be affected if one or both of the parties are under a mistake. A unilateral mistake is a mistake on the part of one party to the contract. The mistake that is unknown to the other party generally does not impact the enforceability of the contract. Similarly, a unilateral mistake concerning a fact does not effect a validity of the contract. But in case both the parties to the contract under the same mistake regarding a defect, the agreement is considered to be void. Therefore, an example will be considered as void if both the parties to the contract RN mistake that the contract can be performed while in reality, it is not possible to perform the contract. In such a case, the agreement is void (Bell v Lever Brothers Ltd., 1931). According to the doctrine of promissory estoppel, damages can be recovered by a party if these damages have been caused as a result of the promise made by the promisor and such promise was difficult enough so that the promisee may act on it. The elements that should be present in this regard are that the promisor should have made a promise significant enough due to which the promisee had acted on it. The promisee had relied on such a promise and a significant detriment has been suffered by the promisee. Relief can be provided if the promisor fulfilled the promise. In such a case, the presence of a valid contract is not necessary. The court will see if there was detrimental reliance on changing position on part of the promisee. Application: Therefore an injured party is allowed by the law to recover damages that can be reasonably considered as being naturally arising as a result of a breach of contract or the damages that were within the reasonable contemplation of the parties when they entered into the contract. In the present case, Tom cannot be allowed to recover the damages of $5000 per day as his loss in profits because this loss cannot be reasonably contemplated by Steve that no information was given by Tom regarding this loss. Similarly in the second case, the consideration provided Pamela can be described as past consideration. In the eyes of law, a past consideration is not valid. Therefore an enforceable contract has not been created between Pamela and Steve. Regarding the issue between Danny and Steve, it can be said that both the party is rendered a mistake as the subject matter of the contract and already destroyed before the parties have entered into the contract. As a result in this case, the contract between Danny and Steve is void. Concerning the issue between Steve and Trisha, although Steve had signed the contract by mistake but Trisha had already acted on the promise made by Steve. She had spent several thousand dollars for making the customized components. As a result, in this case, Trisha can enforce the agreement against Steve. Conclusion: Tom cannot recover the damages of $5000 per day as his loss in profits because this loss cannot be reasonably contemplated by Steve that no information was given by Tom regarding this loss. Similarly, Pamela had not provided any consideration in return of the promise. The contract between Danny and Steve is void. Trisha can enforce the agreement against Steve. References Bell v Lever Brothers Ltd [1931] UKHL 2 Hadley v Baxendale [1854] EWHC J70 Re McArdle (1951) Ch 669 The Achilleas [2008] UKHL 48

Language and Culture Essay Example

Language and Culture Essay Many animal and even plant species communicate with each other. Humans are not unique in this capability. However, human language is unique in being a symbolic communication system that is learned instead of biologically inherited. Culture is the set of shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization. These shared patterns identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group. Therefore, the binding tie between language and culture is secure and cannot be ignored. Language and culture are closely related and interactive. According to Sapir, culture is a set of beliefs and practices which govern the life of a society for which a particular language is the vehicle of expression (qtd in Damen 1964:61). As Kluckhohn claims, Human culture without language is unthinkable (qtd in Damen1944:26). In addition, Sapir claims that we may think of language as the symbolic guide to culture (qtd in Damen1964:70). Consequently, language is rooted in culture and culture is reflected and passed on by language from one generation to the next. Language is the principal means whereby we conduct our social lives, and therefore, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways. Language and culture can be connected in terms of human systems of classification, cultural foci and world view. First of all, language reflects cultural emphases. In fact, there is a close relationship between folk categories in a given language and elements of the culture in which they are used. Hickerson claims: Points of cultural emphasis are usually directly reflected in language through the size, specialization, and differentiation of vocabulary. We will write a custom essay sample on Language and Culture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Language and Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Language and Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer That is there are more separate terms, more synonyms, and more fine distinctions made in reference to features of environment or culture with which the speakers are the most concerned. There are fewer terms and they tend to be more generalized when they refer to features which are given less cultural emphasis. â€Å"Cultural emphasis† may indicate environmental or economic factors which are critical to subsistence; it can also comprehend esthetic, religious, or other kinds of values (1980:108). As Hickerson writes in the quotation above, lexicon growth in a language depends either on the focus or on the most important elements of a given culture. People utter words and sentences which refer to common experience. They express facts, ideas or events that are communicable because they refer to a stock of knowledge about the world that other people share. Words not only reflect their authors attitudes and beliefs but also their point of view, which is share by others too. The language we use relates to our identity as an individual and as a member of a cultural group. How we view the relationship between our language and our culture will increasingly determine the way we talk and write. As Samovar, Porter and Jain say, cultural similarity in perception makes the sharing of meaning possible (1981:36). In this sense, language is highly intertwined with culture, since language expresses culture reality. Second of all, language serves to facilitate classification and order. According to Damen, language enables those who use it to relate to their environments, to identify and classify natural and cultural objects, and to organize and coordinate their activities (121). These categories and classifications are used to refer to human experiences and are related semantically within given cultures. Therefore, language organizes the external world and each culture has its own way of grouping these categories. The screws that language and culture impose on nature correspond to various forms of socialization and acculturation. Etiquettes, expressions of politeness, social dos and don? ts shape people? s behavior. The use of written language is also shaped and socialized through culture. Not only what is proper to write to whom in what circumstances, but also which genres are appropriate, because they are sanctioned by cultural conventions. These ways with language, form part of the invisible ritual of imposed by culture on language users. This is culture? s way of bringing order and predictability into people? s use of language. Finally, languages are related to the world views of their speakers. According to Damen, language is also a powerful tool available to human beings in coping with reality. Different languages help form and express different means of dealing with the real world (124). The intertwining of language and culture starts at one? s birth. In fact, when a child is born, it is very similar to any other child. It is not until one is exposed to our context and surrounding that we become individuals of a particular cultural group. From the day a child is born, it? s whole life, opinions and especially language are modeled by what it comes in contact with. According to Brooks, physically and mentally everyone is the same, while the interactions between persons or groups vary widely from place to place. Patterns which emerge from these group behaviors and interactions will be approved or disapproved. 1968: 95). As Brooks claims, acceptable behaviors will vary from location to location, thus constructing the basis of distinct cultures. It is from these differences that one’s view of the world is formed. In conclusion, language and culture are intertwined and interactive, since cultural language organizes and classifies the external world, reflects cultural emphases and demonstrates a world view. In addition, culture is transmitted in great part through language, and cultural patterns in turn are reflected in language. Language and culture are so linked that Allwright and Bailey state that learning a new language involves the learning of a new culture (191). This means that when a person is learning a foreign language, he/she is not only bringing two languages into contact but also two cultures. Rosaldo argues that cultural models derive from the world in which people live and the reality that they construct. She emphasizes that culture shapes and binds one? s social and cognitive concepts (84). What Rosaldo means is that the cultural world serves as a background against which people? subjectivities are formed and expressed, generally through language. Language is the verbal expression of culture. A cultures language contains everything its speakers can think about and every way they have of thinking about things. Language is related to culture in that language not only frames our thoughts but also reflects events that a particular culture experiences.