American history Essay Example for Free

American history Essay In American history, there have been numerous instances in which a greater degree of damage and death which visited out shores. In the three day battle of Gettysburg, more than 51,000 soldiers fell. (Burns, 1989) The invasion of France on June 6, 1944 took more than 6,000 lives. Pearly Harbor claimed more than 2300 lives and introduced Americans to a war that would take more than 400,000 lives. However, the events which transpired on September 11, 2001 will always serve as one of the defining moments for those who lived through it. As with the assassin ion of John F. Kennedy was to our parents’ generation, September 11, 2001 will be for our generation. The news is filled with a multitude of calamities. The Asian tsunami in December of 2004 which claimed 200,000 lives or any number of events which take a toll on the human population, due to the fact that the evening news is saturated with events which should horror us but which really don’t as we have become apathetic against its stimulus, there are sometimes, national tragedies which affect the average American in ways that are hard to explain and fathom for those who are on the outside and looking in. This was the case for Natasha Jackson; a 27 year old African American female who lost two family members on September 11. For her, the day is more than just a time to rally behind the troops and to take time out of one’s day to remember those who died. For Natasha Jackson, 9/11 does not stop but continues 365 days a year. Natasha Jackson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Her father was a police chief in DuPage County Illinois. Natasha was in college while the events of September 11 were transpiring. At the end of her 8am class, which ended at 9:15, and upon walking to her next class, she was overheard some talk about a major news event. She did not realize exactly what had happened until the professor in her next class, told her and the rest of the class what had happened. All of the details would not be known until months and years later. However, by the time the second plane hit the tower, it had become obvious that this was no accident. We had hoped that all of the more than 50,000 people, who, on a daily basis, worked in the Twin Towers, would have been able to vacate the building while it was still standing. This was not the case for nearly 3,000 people who perished when the towers fell. (Burns, 2003) Since I had not known anybody in New York or who were on those planes that were hijacked, I was glad that as for me, the event did not take any of my loved ones. However, I knew that was not the case for thousands of families across the country. America was now at war to defeat terrorism and this would take an additional four thousands American lives to date with more casualties being reported daily. I did not know that the events of September 11 would affect somebody so close to me as I would eventually find out to be the case. Towards the end of September, 2001, as clean up crews were still busy picking up the twisted metal from the site of Ground Zero and plans for a strike against Iraq were being discussed, I learned that two of Natasha’s relatives, were not only affected by 9/11, but were actually killed when the first tower fell. It was something that was hard to realize had hit so close to home even when it was not my relatives that had been affected. More than six years later, Natasha sat down to talk to me about the events of that day and what she felt then as well as now. Natasha commented: â€Å"That day is one that I will never forget for as long as I live. † I was horrified by what I saw on television. However, my reaction was one filled with a bit more panic than my classmates who were watching the same thing as I was. I knew that my aunt, Marilyn Jackson worked in Tower One at Canter Fitzgerald. I would later find out that nearly 800 employees of that firm would die on September 11. (Burns, 2003) † When asked exactly what her initial reaction was, Natasha still finds it difficult to accurately explain what she was feeling. â€Å"I though that I was seeing a movie and that the events in New York was an examples of special effects or something. I really didn’t know what to think. I sat transfixed at what I was seeing and I didn’t get around to calling my father until a couple hours after the towers fell. I just didn’t know how to react. † In the immediate hours after the first tower fell, I actually ran into Natasha. We were not our jovial self for obvious reasons but I assumed that it was due to the events in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon earlier that day. I did not think to ask Natasha if she had known anybody who was killed that day. I knew that she had always had a love affair with New York and hoped to complete her Master’s Degree at New York University one day. I did not know that she had two relatives who lived there in the city. Natasha then explained what her immediate actions were in the hours following the destruction of the first tower and then the second. â€Å"I called my father to ask him the whereabouts of my aunt. He said that he didn’t know and that he would not know for some time. Not only was the event very chaotic, but the fact that he was a police chief in a Chicago suburb, his force went on high alert as there was rumors that The Sears Tower might be targeted. People didn’t know what to think. Everything was a mess. I was a mess as well. I pride myself on being a rational and independent person. I never get anxious but am rather calm and have a strong demeanor. That day, I was not able to contain my composure which only compounded my feelings of anxiety as I did not know how to gather my thoughts. † Natasha then comments on the time when she heard that her aunt was missing and then, a few days later, believed to be dead. â€Å"The next few days, nobody knew where my aunt or many of the other were. I waited by my phone and could not go to class. I tried to separate myself from the various news accounts as there was no shortage of coverage on television. I tried to go for a walk or to go and work out. My attempts did not come to fruition and it only served as a momentary respite from the inner pain and confusion that I was feeling. Eight days later, I received a call from my father who told me that my aunt was probably dead and the possibility of there being any survivors of the attack from those who were in the towers at the time it fell, was very unlikely. The country would later learn that there would not be a single survivor from the fall of the Twin Towers. It seemed unlikely, even before being told that was the case, that anybody could survive that. I still held out hope until I received that call. † The terror that Natasha would feel, would not be confined to only the loss of her aunt, who alone, would be more than anybody could really fathom. What served as a source of added stress, not only was Natasha’s aunt murdered on 9/11, but so too was her uncle. The aunt was from her father’s side and her uncle came from her mother’s side. Gerald Smith was a firefighter and one of the 343 New York City firefighters who died trying to save others in the Twin Towers. (Burns, 2003) â€Å"It is really hard to fathom such a combination punch that misguided and evil people gave to our family. I had been close to my uncle as a child but when he moved to New York, we lost touch. However, as it is the case with most people, those who touch their lives as a child, even though communications might have dropped off, they still reside in an important part of that person’s heart. I had not known that my uncle was still a New York firefighter. However, when my mother called me, not more than two days after being told that my aunt had died, I was told that my uncle died as well. There are no words that could describe what I felt that week. I could not go to class, I barely ate and did not take any visitors at all for the rest of the year. If somebody told me that they I had their condolences and that they understood how I felt, I was so angry inside, that I had to restrain myself from simply punching them in the face. And I am not a violent person by any means. I have strong opinions but usually respect others and would much rather avoid an insulting argument than to engage in one. I just became a very angry and bitter person. † In perspective, I asked Natasha how she now viewed 9/11 and all of the ramifications that it has now had for the country. â€Å"I have considered myself a Democrat for most of my life. However, even though the war in Iraq has been mishandled on a dozen different fronts, I become so angry when I hear politicians from both political parties proclaim that we should simply leave Iraq and that terrorism is really not worth fighting. It seems to me that since America is a very disposable society, people have forgotten what happened on 9/11. I will never forget seeing people jumping 1000 feet to their deaths while the towers burned. When I hear reports of Glasgow, London, Bali and Madrid being victims of more terrorist attacks from a small portion of the Muslim community who have been steered the wrong way, I become very frustrated. Does one have to lose two members of their family in a terrorist attack to remember that America is a very dangerous place and that there are millions of people who would love to attack this country. I still am a Democrat and believe in the principles of the party. I just feel so frustrated, as does most Americans, about the level of unity and as a result, progress that is being achieved in this area. † Natasha spent most of the Fall of 2001, dealing with the deaths of her family members. â€Å" Since there were no remains that were found of both my aunt and uncle, I really didn’t know what to do. I still go to their grave sites but I know that their body is not there. In time, the body would slowly disappear but I wanted to have the same experience that anybody would want who receive some comfort in visiting the gravesite of their loved ones. At least, I wanted to experience that but have been unable to. However, I feel additionally cheated by the fact that the only place where I can visit my aunt and uncle is in my mind. † When asked, Natasha speaks about her life since 9/11. â€Å"I eventually graduated college and even though my plans to receive my Master’s Degree at New York University did not pan out, I still feel close to that city and always will. I went to Boston to work for the Democratic National Convention in the months leading up to the 2004 election. With a degree in political science, I always have been politically aware of my surroundings. I knew that I needed to expand my sphere of influence beyond college and felt that my effort in the DNC, although not successful, still did prove some good. I honored my aunt and uncle in that respect. † It was a trying but successful time for me as I actually got to meet President Clinton while dining at a restaurant in Boston. I walked up to both him and his wife Hillary and introduced myself beyond the Secret Service and Mr. Clinton actually said that he had heard that we were doing good work. Perhaps that was just lip service but it was a great honor for me nevertheless. †

Natural Reflection :: essays research papers

Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility illustrates a number of characteristics particular to Romantic Literature. Of these characteristics, few are better utilized to offer a view into the individual temperaments of her characters than the images of natural beauty present throughout the novel. In contrast to the Neo-classical ideal, which reserves no place for the appreciation of the sublime in nature in its structure and design, Romantic literature expresses a deep reverence and awe toward the natural world. In the case of Sense and Sensibility, this appreciation is manipulated to produce a subtle, but humorous reflection on the temperament of the Miss Dashwoods. Upon Edward Ferrars’ arrival at Barton, he joins Marianne and Elinor on their walk back to the cottage. During this walk, a discourse on the surroundings begins after Elinor comments that Norland â€Å"probably looks much as it always does at this time of year† (p. 77). Elinor’s comment comes as a somewhat perturbed response to Marianne’s overzealous inquiries concerning the appearance of Norland. Elinor also mentions that it is probably rather gloomy and untidy because of the dead leaves that cover the woods and walks. This prompts and even more dramatic exclamation from Marianne: â€Å"‘Oh!’ cried Marianne, ‘with what transporting sensations have I formerly seen them fall!’† (p. 77). In this line, and in those that follow, it seems that Marianne gets carried away with her appreciation of the dead leaves on the ground. In the description of them as inspiring â€Å"transporting sensations† in her, the extent of Maria nne’s â€Å"sensibility† is aptly conveyed in a very concise scene. The â€Å"sense† that is characteristic of Elinor is depicted in her response to Marianne’s exaggerated praises: â€Å"‘It is not every one,’ said Elinor, ‘who has your passion for dead leaves’† (p. 77). It is not that she is unmoved by the beauty of her surroundings, but she understands the difference between what is truly worthy of praise, and what would be an exaggeration or possibly even an affectation. She does not have the propensity to swoon when she thinks of the dead leaves at Norland, but she has the wit and sense to subtly joke about her sister.

Sonnet 43

â€Å"I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right. †Ã‚   ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief â€Å"Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness. †Ã‚   ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief â€Å"I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant. †Ã‚   ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief â€Å"She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Leisel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips. He tasted dusty and sweet. He tasted like regret in the shadows of trees and in the glow of the anarchist's suit collection. She kissed him long and soft, and when she pulled herself away, she touched his mouth with her fingers†¦ She did not say goodbye. She was incapable, and after a few more minutes at his side, she was able to tear herself from the ground. It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on†¦    ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief â€Å"Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day. †Ã‚   ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief â€Å"I carried [Rudy] softly through the broken street†¦ with him I tried a little harder [at comforting]. I watched the contents of his soul for a moment and saw a black-p ainted boy calling the name Jesse Owens as he ran through an imaginary tape. I saw him hip-deep in some icy water, chasing a book, and I saw a boy lying in bed, imagining how a kiss would taste from his glorious next-door neighbor. He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It's his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry. †Ã‚   ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief â€Å"He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry. †Ã‚   ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief â€Å"The consequence of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both. (Death)†Ã‚   ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief â€Å"Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out. †Ã‚   ? Markus Zusak,  The Book Thief

Code Switching Essay examples - 1518 Words

Anthony Hughes ENG 111: Leigh Gardner Assignment #1, Final Copy 22 Sept 2011 Code Switching: A Daily Habit Code switching is a part of everyone’s daily life. Gloria Anzaldua expressed how she used code switching in her story â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue.† Anzaldua grew up in Texas, near the Mexico border, to a Mexican-American family. Her family primarily spoke Spanish, but while at school and in the community, they had to speak English, the accepted language of America (Anzaldua 530). Anzaldua did not want her native language to die, so she wrote â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue† to express her feelings, and to show how code switching affected her everyday life. In the story, Anzaldua expressed that depending on who she was talking to,†¦show more content†¦Also, children are afraid of the loss of privileges if they do not use the right â€Å"language† while around their parents. They develop different languages, and learn when and how to use them very well in order to make sure that they are always at an advantage. Anzaldua agrees, as she had about three different forms of Spanish that she would use while around her friends and family, compared to the other types of Spanish or English she would use while out in the real world (530). Gloria Anzaldua learned different types of Spanish, which she would use to speak to different people in her family. Some of these forms of Spanish were slang, and others were more formal and accepted types of Spanish. In order to avoid trouble, kids develop different ways to talk at home and use them to their advantage. When people develop different hobbies, or play different sports, they learn the terminology used in those groups in order to fit in. To begin, while playing sports, members must learn the â€Å"language† of that sport in order to understand what the coach is trying to teach or tell him or her. When a new person joins a new team or club, they do not understand what the people in this group are talking about. These new languages must be learned, and then used only during the ri ght times. If a tennis player uses terms used at tennis at home,Show MoreRelatedThe Benefit of Code Switching14750 Words   |  59 PagesChapter 1 Introduction Code-switching, which may be defined as the alternation between two or more languages in a speaker’s speech, occurs naturally in the scheme of bilingualism. Studies have reported that code-switching often happened subconsciously; ‘people may not be aware that they have switched, or be able to report, following a conversation, which code they used for a particular topic’ (Wardaugh, 1998, p. 103). However, although bilingual speakers claim that code-switching is an unconscious behaviorRead MoreThe Origins Of Code Switching1697 Words   |  7 Pages The origins of code switching go back to the first mention of it in 1948 by Hoijer. He published new terms which are closed in meaning to code switching known as a phonemic alternation and phonemic alteration, but none of these terms refers precisely to code switching. After one year, Fries and Pike’s issued a book named Coexistent Phonemic Systems (1949) which discussed a phenomenon of phonemic alternation between monolingual people. They reached a conclusion says that in any a signed dialectRead MoreThe Ongoing Debate For And Against Code Switching821 Words   |  4 PagesThe ongoing debate for and against Code switching is demonstrated by reviewing the papers of Vershawn Young and Rebecca Wheeler. Mr. Young voices his harsh disapproval of code-switching in his paper, â€Å"Should Writers Use They Own English? (Young 111)†. This is offset by Rebecca Wheeler’s gently persuasive technical paper explaining her implementation of Code-switching which she titl ed, â€Å"Code-Switch to Teach Standard English (Wheeler 108)†. After re-reading both papers several times, trying to moveRead MoreEssay on Code Switching and Modern Language Mixing1448 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Cultures and Languages Blend: Traditional and Modern Instances of Code-Switching and Other Language Mixing One of the most fascinating sociolinguistic phenomena in modern times is code-switching. This act occurs when a speaker or speakers switch from one dialect to another within a single conversation. It is similar to style-shifting, which involves a change in the level of formality between speakers. (Curzan, 266-269) The complexity of social interaction requires language users to adaptRead MoreCode Switching2825 Words   |  12 PagesCode switching is a surviving skill that some bilingual people and students encompass, sometimes to compensate for the lack of vocabulary in a certain language. It is defined as language alteration between two languages, transferring from one language to another in the course of a conversation (Brice, p. 10) In the teaching field code-switching has a great importance because it can be used by teachers or students in story telling to aid interaction, comprehension, and classroom participation, sinceRead MoreCode Switching2649 Words   |  11 PagesCode Swi tching Code Switching, in terms of language, is the use of more than one language, by a person or more, during their conversations with each other. Code Switching is done simply because those persons know more than one language and have more than one language in common. This switch may last for a couple of sentences, for only a single phrase or may be only for a single word. It depends on how the persons take it with themselves and the others. In the article Code Switching it is writtenRead MoreThe Practice of Code Switching706 Words   |  3 Pagesbilingual environment, use of code switching is a common practice. This research aims at finding the attitude of students towards code switching on daily conversation. Nipel (2006) investigates social culture linguistics where students frequently use code switching a lot as not to break a conversation that they are participating in. Therefore, code switching is always used by students who are from the same area and speak the same language. The definition of code switching has been suggested by manyRead MoreFor many people or even societies, the usage of two or more languages in a single conversation is1100 Words   |  5 Pagesnormal. Code switching is referred to the switching from the linguistic system of one language or dialect to that of another. Code switching is a common form that is used by bilinguals. Community members that take part in code switching pass on a shared message by the simple act of code switching. It is particularly common in social and relaxed settings, and also might be used where mechanical difficulties appear within a conversation. Why do bilinguals code switch? And how can code switching be usedRead MoreStereotyping Is A Natural Instinct That Humans1688 Words   |  7 Pagesit suitable and necessary, and call the transition ‘code switching.’ Speakers often use code switching to either align with or distance themselves from different audiences. This type of code switching is comm only found in classrooms where contact between European-Americans and other ethnic groups occurs, where â€Å"more, if not all, of the convergence coming from the minority ethnic group† (Fought 2003). In those classrooms, a Black student may code switch Standard English in a majority White class inRead MoreWhy People Code Switch2449 Words   |  10 PagesWhy do People Code-switch 1 Why do People Code-switch: A Sociolinguistic Approach Why do People Code-switch: A Sociolinguistic Approach Walid M Rihane Arab Open University Why do People Code-switch 2 Abstract This paper sets out at the beginning different definitions and approaches to the linguistic phenomenon - Code-Switching. Through my work, I will highlight five different factors that motivate code-switching in a bilingual speaker although the reasons for code-switching are many