Christopher Columbus Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Christopher Columbus Evaluation Essay Who was the navigator, colonizer, and explorer extraordinaire that fearlessly journeyed the seas and â€Å"discovered† the great â€Å"New World†? It was Christopher Columbus, of course! However, in reality, Columbus didn’t actually discover the Americas. Rather, he traveled to an already-inhabited land with not-so-civilized inhabitants, and expropriated both the land, and the indigenous people. By doing this, he brought settlers from Europe, who helped take over the land, causing plenty of suffering and havoc, but also completing the map and transforming life for people around the world. Some believe he was a hero, and some believe he was a monster. However, one man’s gain is another’s loss in most cases. Columbus brought change, both good and bad, through his actions, which defined his character and personality. Columbus’s journey to the Americas sowed seeds of change and revolution for people all over the world. More people came to the â€Å"New World† to settle, and natives were brought to Europe, and more exotic tastes were introduced to both hemispheres; cattle, sugar, and pigs to the West, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, and cocoa to the East. New animals, especially the horse, changed everyday life for Native Americans, and written language spread the continent, replacing either a complicated system of hieroglyphics or nothing at all. Soon, people from all over the globe began arriving in great numbers, and the continent became a successful beacon of hope for many. Of course, with the up rise of some came the downfall of others. The indigenous people of the New World could not resist the conquistadors’ most devastating weapon: disease. Millions were wiped out by smallpox alone, and many were so ill that they could not resist the European conquest. The natives were not the only ones who suffered. Back in Europe, people started suffering from syphilis with the return of the conquistadors. Tobacco, its pleasures, and its deadly secrets were even more gifts to the Old World from the New. As the local population began to shrink, a new type of foreigner began to arrive in large numbers, the Africans. As agriculture-based economy began to spread in the Americas, so did slavery, and suffering for the Africans. Thus, the seeds of racial antagonism were sowed and still affect our society today. Christopher Columbus’s character and personality have long been debatable. Depending on how you evaluate his actions, he could either be a hero or a villain to you. Young students today are present with the image of a â€Å"largerthanlife† national hero. In some ways, he is. Without him, the American citizens of today might not even be here. However, it was inevitable that an outsider would stumble across this land and introduce their people to it, and the native people to a more civilized lifestyle. At the same time, the way that Columbus went about doing that was definitely inhumane. According to a journal entry from Columbus himself, dated back to 1492, he gained their trust and friendship just so that he could convert them and turn them into slaves. Not only that, but he took over a land that was already inhabited by people, tormented the people so much that there are not even 200 of the native population left today, and claimed that he was the first to sight the land. All this shows that he was very deceiving, unscrupulous, selfish, and definitely lacking chaste. In conclusion, Columbus’s conquest to the New World brought forth change, both for the better, and for worse, while his selfish personality showed through the whole time. Whether you see him as a hero or a villain, the collision of the New and Old worlds was inevitable, and his contributions brought forth a connection and world that we should all be very thankful for.

Faulkners Light in August - Setting :: Light August Essays

  Light in August - Setting    Most of Light in August is set in the towns, villages, and countryside of the early 1930s Deep South. It is a land of racial prejudice and stern religion. Community ties are still strong: an outsider is really identifiable, and people gossip about their neighbors. In this part of the country, the past lives on, even physically. For example, the cabin in which Joe Christmas stays and in which Lena Grove gives birth is a slave cabin dating back to before the Civil War. And finally the South of this epoch is still close to nature. Right outside the town are the woods. All these aspects of the setting lend themselves especially well to Faulkner's favorite themes, for example, the relationships between the community and the individual and between the present and the past.    But Faulkner's setting is quite specific. Faulkner modeled his fictional Yoknapatawpha County on Lafayette County, Mississippi, and the city of Jefferson on his hometown, Oxford, and perhaps on neighboring Ripley as well. He describes his region's smells, sights, and sounds in loving detail: its chirping insects, its summer heat, its unique light. Some of Jefferson is a quite accurate rendering of Oxford--for example, the hilltop over which Lena first sees Jefferson in the distance, the ditch in which Joe Christmas briefly hides when pursued by Percy Grimm, almost all of the route Joe Christmas walks from the town barbershop through Freedman Town and back, and even the schedule of the Jefferson train that the Hineses take. (Note that the farther Faulkner gets from Jefferson the less detailed his descriptions of setting often become.)    Still, Faulkner felt free to modify his sources whenever it suited his fictional purposes. He removed Oxford's intellectual center, the University of Mississippi. And Presbyterians are a larger percentage of fictional Jefferson than of real-world northern Mississippi. This change helps Faulkner explore his interest in Calvinist and Puritan forms of Christianity. Of course, you must also remember that Mississippi in 1932 was quite different from what it is today. At that time racial segregation was enshrined in law; blacks were not permitted to vote, and many brutal lynchings occurred.    Specific residences are almost always Faulkner's fictional creations.

Abortion: Pregnancy and Unwarranted Government Intrusion

Abortion Ever since the idea/decision of abortion there has been arguments if it is moral are not. Very many people are strongly against it and state very good information on why but I'm pro abortion. I'm pro abortion because first of all it should really be up to women if its legal or not because its their bodies that have to go through the process of fetal extraction. There are some circumstances in which an abortion is needed. Lets say a high school couple happens to get pregnant they're not very capable to take care of a baby and be parents.A baby would compound the already existing problems a teen already has like school, sports, getting ready for college. Thats not life for a baby especially an unwanted one, what kind of quality of life is that for the baby or parents. What if the expectant parents of that baby aren't fit to be parents having problems with drugs and alcohol no one should grow up around that. If the baby did it could possibly follow in the corrupt footsteps of i ts failing parents and end up doing the same things.If women are forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term the result is unwanted children which then when they grow up are at a disadvantage, and sometimes inclined toward brutal behavior to others. Now even God forbid let's say some woman had been raped and she has gotten pregnant because of that, she is probably going to want an abortion. This may sound vulgar and mean but what women would want to keep that baby and look at him or her and every day and be reminded of that time where she was highly helpless and being taken advantage of.No one should have to keep reliving that moment over and over again that would be very traumatic. Now the big problems why abortion should be legal came out in the 1973 case of Roe vs Wade. This case came along after women started having behind the scenes abortions where women had it done by coat hangers and dirty instruments to perform these highly dangerous procedures usually done on themselves or buy a paid person who has done these horrid procedures before. Most women would end up having serious infections, internal bleeding and in some cases even death.So abortion should be legal so we don't have this back-room procedures anymore and women having fatal injuries. But if they already have a serious disease or complication such as heart disease, kidney disease, severe hypertension, sickle-cell anemia and severe diabetes. The availability of legal abortion can help advert serious medical problems that can occur from childbirth. If abortion was illegal the government would be pushing an â€Å"undue burden† on women and or families which is illegal anyway because the government can not intrude on a person or persons life like that.And when an abortion is done a women only has 90 days to have on done or it becomes illegal regardless. (the trimester law that was established in the Roe vs Wade case)   We should not intrude on women and or families matters by saying what t hey can and cant do regarding matters such as these, abortion is even protected by the 14th amendment which gives women right to privacy. We should respect and support a woman and her family as they face the life altering decision of whether to have a child or not.So its not about the fact that you are supposedly â€Å"killing† a unborn fetus its more that we have the decision and the option to do what that person needs to do. For some families an accidental pregnancy is okay but for some such an event can be very   catastrophic. It can result in increase tensions, disrupt stability and put way below the line of economic survival. The outlawing of abortion would also be discriminatory towards the poor women and families that must resort to the dangerous self-induced or back alley procedures.Men with these very wealthy families can send their wives or girlfriends to other countries and pay to have it done legally. It will also if outlawed make more children bear children stu dies show that 44% of 14 year old girls will become pregnant before they turn twenty. This could happen to your daughter or some other loved one. Abortion and reproductive freedom more broadly defined are important pieces of ensuring this common dream. To obtain a better future, we must each be free to make profoundly personal decisions about our reproductive lives without unwarranted government intrusion.As with all freedoms, there are limits. But a government that respects the personal integrity of its people both interferes in these essentially private decisions as little as possible and helps ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make these decisions responsibly. So overall there are a few circumstances where an abortion is needed such as early childhood, medical complications that can be averted, and could cause major problems for the family and the unborn child.This is why I feel that abortion should be legal even though what the people against abortion are saying and tr y to throw in your face and make you believe. They have no evidence for their studies cause there is no proof behind what they say. The fetus can not feel pain before the first trimester (90 days) and no where in the bible does it say that its wrong because when the bible was written abortions weren't even around at the time let alone thought of.

The Modern Gro SS Es Schauspielhaus - 1489 Words

The Modern Großes Schauspielhaus Styles of architectural design are always changing. As time progresses, new advancements are being made to accommodate a mass society and create a utopian design that will provide for the best possible living standards. The main qualities expressed in modern buildings are how they strive to replicate the goals and ambitions of their architects and patrons in a way beneficial to society as a whole. Modernism is a term that was invented in response to the architectural movement starting around the early 20th century to explain the dramatic changes in both technology and society. It was mainly in response to the industrial revolution which created urban cities changing the way people lived and worked. Modern architecture began to experiment with more modern concepts with buildings adoption more of a machine aesthetic by adding industrially-produced materials. The grand theater Großes Schauspielhaus utilizes the style of modernism to create a building for the people incorporating new technologies to design a space befitting the changing attitudes of early 20th century German society. The building Großes Schauspielhaus was designed by Hans Poelzig, who had worked as an architect, painter and set designer, in 1919 Berlin, Germany shortly after the first World War. Poelzig’s work was categorized as embracing the expressionist style, but his work was uniquely original to anything seen before. Here is an example of an architect taking the role of a