Prejudice in of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Prejudice in of Mice and Men Essay This essay is firstly going to look at racial prejudice. There is much racial prejudice shown in Of Mice and Men towards Crooks the black crippled stable buck. Crooks is more permanent than the other ranch hands and has his own room off the stables with many more possessions than them. This room is made out to be a privilege and also because it means he is nearer to the horses but in fact it is really because the other ranch hands do not want him in the bunk house with them. As a result of this prejudice Crooks has become bitter and very lonely. When Lennie comes to pet the puppies, not even realizing that Crooks room is `out of bounds, Crooks instantly becomes defensive and uncivil I aint wanted in the bunk room and you aint wanted in my room but Lennie in his childish innocence is completely without prejudice Why aint you wanted he asks. Crooks retaliates to this with: Cause Im black, they play cards in there but I cant play because Im black. They say I stink. Well I tell you, all of you stink to me This line showing that Crooks desperately wants to join in, be accepted, but because of his colour he cant and so he feels the only way he can make himself feel better is to cut himself off further. It is evident his life has become a vicious circle of resentment and mistrust of others. However, the author reveals that it has not always been this way. When Crooks realizes that Lennie means no harm, he invites him to Come on in and set a while before recollecting memories about his childhood. He speaks of it as a kind of paradise: The white kids come to play at our place, an sometimes I went to play with them and some of them were pretty nice. My ol man didnt like that. I never knew till long later why he didnt like that. But I know now. Crooks didnt experience racism directly in his childhood, making his current situation even worse. As the conversation continues, Crooks becomes fascinated by the strength of the friendship of Lennie and George, He questions their closeness, asking Well, spose, jus spose he dont come back. Whatll you do then? Crooks does not have any friends and wouldnt know how losing one unexpectedly would feel. His mixture of curiousity and envy about the friendship of Lennie and George reveal the deep-seated cynicism that has developed within him. Although Lennie is retarded, Crooks takes advantage of his rare position of power to torture him mentally- Crooks face lighted with pleasure at his torture. Steinbeck aptly demonstrates the corruptive nature of prejudice. The pain of rejection and maltreatment experienced by Crooks, combined with his jealousy of the two protagonists’ friendship leads him to take it out on others. He will probably never experience a similar relationship and hence wants people to feel the way that he does, completely alone. Crooks goes on to talk about his loneliness `A guy needs somebody to be near him He whined: A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Dont make no difference who the guy is, longs hes with you he cried `I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick' Crooks is looking for sympathy, he is so incredibly lonely even to the point to saying that loneliness can make you ill. George continues to talk about his dream. Crooks, having been on the ranch for quite a while, has witnessed a lot of people with the same dream, he ridicules it Nobody ever gets to heaven, and nobody never gets no land but when Candy comes in and backs up what George has been saying he begins to believe in the dream If you guys want a hand to work for nothing just his keep, why Id come and lend a hand Crooks sees the dream as his escape from what he is living in, somewhere like his childhood where his color wouldnt be an issue. There are different levels of racial prejudice exhibited throughout the book. Most of the ranch hands dont like or socialize with Crooks but would not go out of their way to insult him. Curleys wife on the other hand is rude without excuse. `Listen, Nigger , she said. `You know what I can do to you if you open you trap' She abuses her position and has no respect for him at all, she doesnt even refer to him by his name, looking down on him with utter contempt and disdain. It is attitudes like hers that have turned him into the bitter man he has become – Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego-nothing to arouse either like or dislike As with Crooks’ treatment of Lennie, however, the author reveals the reciprocal nature of prejudice and resentment in the farm. Curleys wife encounters a lot of discrimination because of her sex over the course of the novel. Living on a ranch where the large majority of the inhabitants are male, she is very lonely. George knowingly comments, Ranch with a bunch of guys on it aint no place for a girl . Perhaps as a further representation of her apparent insignificance she is always referred to as `Curleys wife, never given a name. She experiences further sexual prejudice in that none of the ranch hands will talk to her. This is partly because she can make up things about those she dislikes who will subsequently get `the can and also because she is a `looloo with a very flirtatious nature. She got the eye goin all the time on everybody. I bet she even gives the stable buck they eye. I dont know what the hell she wants says Whit. The ranch hands dont trust her or understand her. An old lover told her that she coulda went with the shows, not jus one neither He promised her that he would write Soons he got back to Hollywood but he never did and so she married Curley. Because of this shes dissatisfied and feels shes been deprived by life. In fact she doesnt even like Curley He aint a nice fella. Because she has nothing to do but sit at home she goes out on the ranch under the pretence of looking for Curley. Some of the sexual prejudice she experiences is her fault, she scares the ranch hands with her femininity but she isnt really a tart, she just craves attention which she doesnt get from Curley. Ignored by both the ranch hands and Curley she has ended up very lonely, the one thing she most wanted to escape. It is ironic that the traditional social pressure to marry has perhaps decreased her social status and increased her loneliness. Candy, the old swamper is prejudiced against because of his age and his disability. Because of his hand he is unable to do a lot of the jobs that the other ranch hands do making him instantly an outsider. Also because he thinks that he is old he puts himself in a state of mind which handicaps him far more than his missing hand ever will. His life echoes that of his dog, he was once the best damn sheep-dog I ever seen but now is next to useless, Candys life has gone somewhat the same way. Curley experiences social prejudice because he is the bosses son. The other workers are scared of him because of the position of power he holds over them. Because they cant accept him he has become horrible This guy Curley sounds like a son-of-a-bitch to me, I dont like mean little guys. Curley is also very short, and therefore hates big men like Lennie. He is a very insecure man but hides these insecurities by acting as if he isnt scared by anything or anyone. He has cut himself off from people as much as they have cut themselves off from him. Lennie is a victim of social prejudice in the fact that, being retarded, he cant socially interact with the natural ease of George. He is left behind when the ranch hands go into town and he is left out of card games purely because he cant play. Because he like others experiences prejudice, and also because he is very easy to talk to in that they know he wont go blabbing', Crooks and Curleys wife feel they can talk to him. George and Lennie experience social prejudice in a sense that people cant accept the unusual relationship they have with each other. The novel is a microcosm, a cross-section of society at the time, reflecting the prejudice that permeated the era . At the time of the novel blacks in America had no rights, they were seen as nobodies. Because of this prejudice many of them, like Crooks retired into the terrible protective dignity of the negro. Women also had very few rights. There are many different levels of prejudice exhibited in Of Mice And Men. Through these prejudices the characters such as Crooks and Curleys wife have become intensely lonely but they are in hopeless position which they can do nothing about. These prejudices can still be seen in the world today.

Louis XVI Failure to Prevent the French Revolution

Louis XVI Failure to Prevent the French Revolution Through a close analysis, to a certain extent Louis XVI plays a major role in the advance of the French revolution. He was responsible for aspects of the revolution, but it was an event which was ready for creation, and nothing was going to terminate its destiny. The times prior were becoming extremely difficult, and France was becoming a worn-out, desperate country suffocating from finances and other communal issues. There were numerous causes for why the revolution took place such as the great division in society and specific events, and Louis XVI plays a minor role as the authority figure through the hardship and change. Thus, Louis XVI becomes a vulnerable king who receives a substantial amount of blame for the revolution. Louis-Auguste ascended the throne at the age of 20 after the death of his father and was married to Marie-Antoinette, a queen which was disliked by the public of France. Their characters were seen as contrasting, yet both were disfavoured by the people. Louis was the King in name and in power, but did not support this authority with his character. He was mildly interested in reform, more interested in his kingship, but most interested in hunting. Queen Marie-Antoinette was at fault for the revolution to a small extent also, and was extremely unpopular among the common folk of France as the representative of the hated Austrian alliance. The king was over-powered by the fatal influence of Marie-Antoinette, and was too weak-minded to be stable, and the Queen was too strong-minded to be sensible. The image that was portrayed of the King and Queen to the public eye was not of positive attitude, which causes the people of France to accuse the monarchy The first signs which revealed a crisis to be uprising were the financial situations France was confronted with during the 1780s. There were three main reasons for bankruptcy to take place in France, one which directly involved Louis XVI and caused repugnance to be felt by the public. The constant wars and ruinous loss of most of the French Empire made continuous borrowing a necessity, and along with it came an enormous amount of debt. France was known to have an inefficient taxation system, by which the third estate paid all the taxes and the nobles and clergy escaped on light terms. The main situation which directs at Louis XVIs flaws was that the French court alone was accounting for one twelfth of the whole revenue of the government, which allowed them to live in luxury while the government continued to slip into financial debts, and all the common folk of France. Louis XVI is a major part to why the government was continuing to subside into bankruptcy, and he is seen as a poor r ole model of high status. Specific events from 1788-1799 caused a pressure on France, and created a numerous amount of problems to occur. Louis XVI was not of fault for the reasons, which shows that he was not the only source of the revolution. Frances population growth had risen from knowledge of medical technology upgrading, causing strains on the economy and the agricultural resources of the country. With an increase in population came a decrease in job vacancies, causing a rapid increase of unemployment of the Parisiannes. Another specific problem to occur during the time period of a year was a harsh winter, which forced people into Paris in search of food and shelter. Food started to become increasingly short and prices began to fluctuate. The typical worker was now spending three quarters of their wages on food. The tension that grew from these important events during the year of 1788 and 1799 caused a sudden outbreak of a Paris Mob to form. They were a desperate mob of exceptional size that were idle a nd ready to cheer on the most extreme measures to create a change of misfortune. Therefore, this is evidence of one cause of the revolution, which Louis XVI was not of fault. Additional evidence supporting the fact that Louis XVI was not the main factor for the revolution to take place was the growth of ideas, which had been brought to the attention of the French people. Ideas were brought to the public by members of society who began to question the hierarchal society and its oppressive structure. Philosophers and thinkers were the main bodies of the ideas and believed in rights of the individual in society and the division of power and the basic freedoms of man. Many famous writers such as Voltaire, Jean Jaques Rousseau and many other familiar names endorsed the general feeling of uprising. It was an age of enlightenment and it was designed to liberate men and set them free from fear. They were against the beliefs churches were imposing on educating and religion. They wanted to create a change, and not allow the church to be in such dominant power anymore. Thus, this proves to the point that Louis was not the main vehicle behind the revolution that othe r dominant forces such as the church were oppressing towards the French society creating this distinct tension to the up rise. The last influence to the revolution was how the society of France was divided distinctively into three sections, and this was a subject that was in the power of the king, Louis XVI to govern. An extreme amount of tension and hatred had grown from the three separate classes; they were known as the first estate consisting of the clergy, the second estate which were the nobles, and the third estate holding a large percentage of 90 percent of the population, were the middle class, otherwise known as the bourgeoisie and peasants. The major resentment was held by the middle class who did not want to be categorized in the same title as the underprivileged. The nobles were exempt from almost all taxes, leaving the peasants and middle class to pay for them, which they could not afford to do. The Sans-culottes which was the term given to the radicals of Paris who wore long trousers instead of the aristocratic knee-breeches were from the class of artisans and small shopkeepers. There were no m ajor industrial enterprises, since they tended to be state monopolized or strictly regulated by the state. There were not many job opportunities for the peasantry and middle-class. The third estate was never given a fair chance of speech and was cast aside and ignored in any of its ideas or needs. No matter if they were of the middle class with academic background or just the common peasant they were treated as the outcasts of society. Louis XVI had the power to change the classes, since he was in absolute monarchy, but he was content with the way France was divided and felt there was no need to make the third estate pleased. Instead he decided to ignore their requests for change and left the tension of the estates to escalate. This is an indication that Louis XVI can not be completely excluded from the bringing about of the French Revolution. Thus, through the identification of the reasons of the initial events occurring to the uprising of the revolution, and through the cross analysis of Louis XVI being entwined to the causes, it can be seen that he was only a small component of the reasons. Louis XVI was in absolute monarchy and had power over many subjects, although there were reasons that no amount of power could have discontinued. As many historians have concluded about the French Revolution, France had become a very desperate country with a weak king and had a strong body of reformists, and needed only the smallest of events to occur to set it into fire. Louis XVI (23 August 1754-21 January 1793) was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French from 1791 to 1792. Suspended and arrested during the Insurrection of the 10th of August 1792, he was tried by the National Convention, found guilty of treason, and executed on 21 January 1793. His execution signaled the end of the absolutist monarchy in France and would eventually bring about the rise of Napoleon. There are conflicting views about his conviction. Not only is it believed that he was guilty and deserved to be guillotined in front of a cheering crowd on 21 January 1793, but a divergent view is held, outlining how his intentions were good but the circumstances were. But to what extent was Louis XVI really to blame? Though it is certain that Louis XVI failed to maintain the centralization of power; people were under the false impression that he was a vain, obtuse, and inadequate monarch, so clueless that on the day the Bastille was seized by revolutionaries, he wrote in his diary, Rien, Nothing happened.. This led to all the large forces in France conspiring to fragment power away from the monarchy. This meant that Louis could have been a scape goat and someone easy to blame for the revolution. He inherited the debt problem left by his grandfather, Louis XV, and contributed to the predicament himself through heavy spending during Frances involvement in the American  Revolution  (1775-1783). Because this massive debt overwhelmed all of his financial consultants, Louis XVI was forced to give in to the demands of the Parlement of Paris and convene the Estates, General. Also Marie Antoinette, who was brought up in indulgence as an Austrian princess, after their marriage became, in the French commoners eyes, the primary symbol of the French royaltys extravagance and excess. She was hindering their payment of loans both Louis XVI and his predecessors had. Thought she didnt have power of anything more than any other French queen until the reforms were rejected, she still had power over his purse, and carried on her indulgent life even when the country was declaring bankruptcy.    This was another target that France used in their feud against their youthful king. He had an Austrian queen, in an attempt to reconcile differences between the two countries, but with many French people against his wife, Louis was led to ignore those citizens opinions and carry on, not worrying about how he could be wrong in having a queen like Mary Antoinette. This in turn may explain why the French started to despise Louis xvi, and in the end turn to executing him.    Complaints about the king, taxing, and voting in the Estates General were on the increase. The bourgeoisie were well informed of their legal weakness and conscious of the rights that other people in other nations, such as the new United States of America, were receiving as a right of a drastic change in judgment. The most important causes of the French Revolution, therefore, were these: the constant unprofessional conduct of the French government and the subsequent unfairness in the distribution of wealth, the incredible hardship that the populations of the Third Estate were subject to, and, finally, the Enlightenment principles finally reaching the thinkers of the day. The ruling parties in France had long since overstepped their boundaries in terms of levying taxes. The Old Regime had become antiquated and impractical, unfit for the growing size of the country and for the well-being of the people. Feudalism had existed for centuries, but it was time for a change. King Louis XVI and his teams of advisors were forced to develop elaborate taxation schemes to pay the inflation on the national debt, which was partly the fault of his predecessors, who had spent colossal amounts of money on Versailles, amongst other things. More than fifty percent of the total budget was directed toward this renumeration. Tax collection, however, was a debacle. Taxes mixed from region to region, and most of the taxes were collected by private businessmen. They would lend the taxes to the government and then accumulate the taxes directly; they then paid themselves both the principal and the interest on the loan and sent the rest to the government. They were liberated to hold back as much as they wanted, so the Third Estate was paying far more in taxes than truly went to the government. Whats worse is that the assets of the country were not centralized; there were hundreds of offices paying out money. By the 1780s, no one had any idea as to what the total asset and liability profile of the nation looked like. The financial crisis precipitated a steep inflationary rise in prices. This inflation was good news for French manufacturing and mercantilism because it resulted in a significant shot of capital into emerging industrial and mercantile businesses. It played hell, however, with the peasantry. Not only did the peasants have to pay higher prices for the basics of life, but landlords began raising fees on the peasantry when they saw their purchasing power decrease. By 1789, over 80 percent of an average peasants household income went to purchasing bread alone, just bread. In that same year, unemployment in many parts of France was over 50%.This, of course, meant practically bleeding the poorest, most disadvantaged people in the country dry of what little capital they had. As time went on, the Churches and the nobles, making up only three percent of the territory, gathered to them upwards of half of the land in the country; they then turned their sights on the largest portion of the French people, and began to take whatever they could from them. Louis was blamed for this as he was that kept the taxes and even added some on to pay off his debts. On top of the taille, the corvà ©e, the tithe and capitation, the vingtieme was called on even when France wasnt at war. In 1787, Louiss financial ministers, Charles de Calonne and Lomà ©nie de Brienne, tried to initiate a series of reforms to stop the complete financial ruin of the French government. They wanted new taxes. The Parlements, which had the authority to raise taxes, want something in return: more regional independence. The aristocracy wouldnt budge on the matter; when Louis calls a select group of nobles together to sell him on the reforms, they flat out declined to consider the matter. They insist, rather, that the only governmental body that can support the new taxes is the Estates General, which hadnt been called since 1614. So Louis XVI decided in 1789 to convene the Estates, General, and an ancient assembly consisting of three different estates that each represented a portion of the French population. If the Estates, General could agree on a tax solution, it would be implemented. However, since two of the three estates; the clergy and the nobility, were tax, exempt, the achievement o f any such result was unlikely.    Furthermore, the out of date rules of order for the Estates, General gave each estate a single vote, despite the fact that the Third Estate, consisting of the general French public, was many times larger than either of the first two. Feuds quickly broke out over this discrepancy and would prove to be contradictory. Realizing that its numbers gave it an automatic advantage, the Third Estate declared itself the sovereign National Assembly. Within days of the announcement, many members of the other two estates had switched allegiances over to this revolutionary new assembly.    On May 5, 1789, Louis XVI convened the Estates General. Almost immediately, it became apparent that the 1614 arrangement would not sit well with its present members. Although Louis XVI granted the Third Estate greater numerical representation, the Parlement of Paris stepped in and invoked an old rule mandating that each estate receive one vote, regardless of size. As a result, though the Third Estate was vastly larger than the clergy and nobility, each estate had the same representation, one vote. Inevitably, the Third Estates vote was doubled to accommodate the difference in population. Louis XVI could be commentated on his good intentions in light of this event. Knowing very well that a revolution was imminent, he let there be an equal ration of representatives, thus editing a tradition to mace it democratic.    The fact that the Estates General hadnt been summoned in nearly 200 years probably says a thing or two about the extent of the situation. The First and Second Estates, clergy and nobility, respectively, were too closely related in many matters. Both were linked to the royalty and shared many similar privileges. As a result, their votes often went the same way, automatically neutralizing any effort by the Third Estate. Additionally, in a country as secularized as France at the time, giving the church a full third of the vote was ill-advised: although Frances citizens would ultimately have their revenge, at the time the churchs voting power just fostered more animosity. There were numerous philosophers in France speaking out against religion and the mindless following that it supposedly demanded, and many resented being forced to follow the decisions of the church on a national scale.    In a way if it werent for Louis making his decision to give more votes to the 3rd estate, there would be no upheaval from the 1st and 2nd estates. On the other hand the revolt of the 3rd estate would affect him. He was stuck in the middle with no was of compromise. Things got worse when the third estate segregated. The Third Estate itself varied greatly in socioeconomic status: some members were peasants and labourers, whereas others had the occupations, wealth, and lifestyles of nobility. These disparities between members of the Third Estate made it difficult for the wealthy members to relate to the peasants with whom they were grouped. Because of these rifts, the Estates, General, though organized to reach a peaceful solution, remained in a long-lasting inside feud. It was only through the efforts of men such as Sieyà ¨s that the members of the Third Estate finally realized that fighting among them was fruitless and that if they took advantage of the estates massive size, they wou ld be a force that could not be ignored. In conclusion, I believe the French Revolution was an astonishingly convoluted affair; it was principally lit by the antagonisms between the first two and the Third Estate, antagonisms rooted in decades of abuse and frustration and not a despot who was trying to fix his families mistakes along with his own. Louis xvi may have made some decisions that would make any other monarch twitch with distaste but his intentions were good , and considering his age and his power , he was an adequate king for a place that certainly had a revolution in its midst.

Aphorisms :: essays papers

Aphorisms "Aphorism - a brief statement of truth." This is the dictionary definition of an aphorism. I see an aphorism as a quote that you can relate to personally. An aphorism is a fact about life. But is an aphorism always a fact, or is it sometimes an opinion too? Sometimes you might not even agree with what an aphorism says. It depends on who you are and what type of personality you have. The first aphorism which I would like to discuss is, "'Stay' is a very common word in a friend's vocabulary," by Bronson Allcott. This aphorism is one that I definitely agree with. You don't want friends who aren't going to be there for you at times when you need them the most. You want friends who stay with you and won't leave you alone, no matter what the circumstances are. Even if you and your friend get into a fight, you never want your friend to leave you forever, even if what they did to you was really wrong. They'll always be your friend no matter what and you and that person need to realize that and stick together. Take two kids, for example, who have been best friends since the first grade. Later in high school, one of the two friends is heading downhill with their life. This is a time when the friend needs the other friend the most. If the other friend isn't there for them, then it can be really hard. We depend on our friends to help us out. A second aphorism is, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it's been through a blender first," by Les Barker. This aphorism is very true also. Once you've been through some really tough times, the impossible is now possible. You should be able to accomplish anything now. For a third aphorism, I chose, "If you come to a fork in the road, take it," by Yogi Berra. This is a really good aphorism. He's saying that if you come to a situation in life where you have different opportunities, make sure you take advantage of them, because who knows, it might be a once in a life time opportunity. Later on in life, you may be sorry for the choices you've made. "You can observe a lot by watching," another quote by Yogi Berra, is my fourth aphorism.

Essay --

Elizabeth Kelly March 10, 2014 Research Paper Being a famous boxer, you might think it would be easy, but the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, had a hard time making his way to the professional league. He nearly drowned as a kid, was abused sexually, and was not the tallest kid in school. Even as an adult Ray faced depression, drug addiction, and being an occasional heavy drinker. But even all that did not stop him from pursuing his dream, one he never had a plan for, after two of his brothers talked him into the rough sport. On May 17, 1956, the well-known boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard, was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Named after his mother’s favorite singer, Ray Charles, his real name, is not often used. When Leonard was three years old, they moved to Washington D.C. Being one of six kids was hard for the parents of Leonard. Then seven years later, his family finally moved into a nice, permanent home in Palmer Park, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb. Sadly as a child, Ray witnessed many crimes and deaths in his neighborhood. He also had some friends die in these areas. When Cicero, Ray’s dad, was a child, he worked long hours in the field. Then later he met Getha. They started dating, then got married and had children. With finances often tight, his parents, Cicero and Getha, had to work hard for their large household. Ray Leonard’s mother, Getha, worked as a nurse. His father, Cicero, worked as a late night supermarket manager so he was usually gone during the night. Ray Leonard was never a problem in school. He got good grade and never was a problem for his parents or the teachers. As a child, Leonard loved to read comic books. He had a friend who was someone who fought in lots of fights and was f... ... in the ring, Leonard decided to retire in 1984. Sugar Ray did not stay retired because in 1987 he started fighting again. As more fights passed, he decided to retire for good in 1997 with a record of 36-3-1 and 25 knockouts. In that same year of 1997 Ray Leonard was inducted into the Hall of Fame. After Leonard’s fantastic career ended, he has been introduced to the camera in a good and different way. Sugar Ray is Khole Kardashian’s godfather, so he has been on a couple episodes of â€Å"Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s†. Leonard has also been season 12 of â€Å"Dancing with the Stars†. Even after all Sugar Ray Leonard has been through, he still managed an outstanding boxing career. He was abused, had gotten in a divorce, and lived in unsafe areas with many crimes, but nothing could stop the boxing star from playing the sport he loved.

Minority Cultures in Pittsburgh Essay -- Sociology, Culture, Jewish Co

Minority Culture --- Jewish Theme 1 --- Holidays/Traditions There is no way to define someone as â€Å"Jewish† in terms of race; there is no â€Å"Jewish race.† Judaism has a long history; Jewish identity is a combination of this history as well as religious and ethnic variables. There are also several different ways to practice Judaism such as Orthodox, Reformed, Liberal, and Masorti. The Orthodo Jews often follow most strictly the laws and observances of Judaism and will often times send their child to privates Jewish schools at synagogues, therefore it is most likely that I would encounter students that practice as less strict form of Judaism (Chinn, Gollnick p.254). According to 2009 religious affiliation information from the US Census, Pennsylvania’s Jewish population makes up 2.3% of the total population (Table 76. Religious bodies selected data) and according to the Jewish Virtual Library 88% of the Jewish population in Pennsylvania resides in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). One holiday that is uniform amongst all Jewish cultures is Hanukkah. Hanukkah is not considered to be a â€Å"high† festival because it is not regulated in the Torah; however Hanukkah is important to Jewish families because it signifies their refusal to integrate into mainstream culture. Hanukkah has very clear origins. It was first celebrated in 165 B.C.E. when a small group of Jews (The Maccabees) overcame the Syrian oppressors to preserve their culture and way of life and re-dedicate their temple which had previously been taken over by the Syrians. The Syrians sought to destroy the Jewish faith and convert all Jews over to Hellenism (Cardoza p. 83-84). One of the most recognized practices of Hanukkah is the lighting of the eight candles on the... ...e importance of education for children. Many Jewish families will set aside time and money to ensure their children receive a good education in all aspects, including school, religion, and extracurricular activities (Jewish family life and customs: a practical guide). When Jews began immigrating to America they immediately embraced education as the proper path to success and opportunity for themselves and for their children. This is perhaps the reason from the shift in importance of strictly religious studies to the importance of a â€Å"secular† education in the public schools. In a documentary series by David Grubin entitled The Jewish Americans, one Jewish-American woman (Letty Cottin Pogrebin) describes her experience: â€Å"Succeeding academically, are you kidding me, was there anything else? I didn’t feel I had to be pretty or anything else, I had to be smart.†

How to Do a Jedi Mind Trick

How To Do A Jedi Mind Trick Everyone wants to be persuasive. It is the power of influence, and gives you the ability to sway one's mind. After you have learned the proven Jedi Mind Trick method, you will have increased your ability to use your persuasive powers. The Jedi Mind Trick is an ancient method used and taught by those attuned with the Force. The Force is a metaphysical power that is contained in all beings and things, and enhances mental abilities. By using the Force along with a well practiced Jedi Mind Trick, you can learn to non-violently manipulate a target's thought.The first step is confidence. When combining self confidence with fast talking, your audience will struggle in finding flaws in your argument and will be forced to agree with you. Confidence is also synonyms with expertise. Once others believe that you is actual fact, they will think that you are right and will follow you. You will achieve true confidence when you also believe what know and believe what you say. Body language is the second step of the Jedi Mind Trick.Using slight head and hand gestures to help send subtle, yet powerful, messages to your audience. These help create emphasis on the choice you want your target to make. You want the individual to feel as though they are making the suggestion or coming up with the idea themselves. Once you feel that they are catching on, reinforce the idea by telling your target what a good one it is and frame it positively. Please keep in mind that some individuals with highly developed mental facilities are resistant to the Force and Jedi Mind Tricks.Examples include mothers, nerdier older brothers, and George Lucas. George Lucas cannot by affected negatively by the Force, because he created the Force and is therefore impermeable. If you are ever caught in a failed Jedi Mind Trick, quickly abandon your attempt and continue honing your abilities on weaker targets. Do not lose hope as you will need to practice your skills and apply them to day to day interactions in order to be successful. The uses for the Jedi Mind Trick are limitless.Those who have successfully practiced this great ability have been able to reap the rewards. Applying these steps have helped many get out of traffic citations, receive phone numbers from potential dates, and have been given seats at their favorite exclusive restaurant without a reservation. These are just a couple of example that have helped so many change their lives. Once you have integrated these simple steps into your daily live, you can easily combat those slight annoyances that may be holding you back from enjoying the life that you deserve.

Name Professor Subject Date Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality

People do possess certain behaviors that make us unique from one another. People do vary in their behavior or the way we think, feel and act. The complexity of human behavior and understanding its nature has been the main interests of those studying behavioral genetics. We all know that if we inherit our physical attributes with our parents we also inherit their behavior which we call genotypes.We are also aware of the role of the society, culture or the environment in shaping one’s behavior. Which of the two then exerts the greatest influence in our life? In order to identify which really molds human behavior a family studies, adoption studies and twin studies where conducted. In these three settings the siblings are compared with their shared and non-shared experiences. The environment provides the child with care, education and other experiences.People differ in many ways in terms of intelligence, mental states, social ability, self-concept or self-esteem, attitudes, belief s and preferences. Genetics versus environment can also be called nature versus nurture in shaping behavior. The debate between the two tries to challenge the fact that genotypes or the nature of a person’s behavior can be altered by the environment or the inherited traits will remain the same and control the person no matter how strong the influence of the environment.Suicidal tendencies and anti-social behavior for example are studied if it is inherited or purely environmental. In my own opinion the behavior could depend upon the individual’s personal adjustment or resistance to the environment that can create a difference in our behavior. Work Cited Haimowitz, Avi. Heredity versus Environment: Twin, Adoption and Family Studies. November 2005. Rochester Institute of Technology: Great Ideas in Personality 4 June 2009