Politics in 1930s Britain Essay Example for Free

Politics in 1930s Britain Essay Why did neither the CPGB nor the BUF have much political impact in 1930s Britain? The early 20th century brought the arrival of political extremism and radical ideologies in Europe. Major economic and social upheaval from WW1 changed the industrial, political and social nature of the countries affected by the war. Political extremism is radical left or right wing parties that want social/political change, usually by unconstitutional means. Communism emerged in Russia with the installation of the Soviet regime, and Fascism arrived in Italy and Germany. In Britain, although the BUF and the CPGB were set up, the economic and political circumstances during the 1930s allowed democracy to survive. To those concerned with British security, the BUF/CPGB were never a real threat, they were rather more of a nuisance. 1 The BUF and CPGB believed they would be able to capitalise on the depression, however this was not the case, as the conditions a revolution needed to prevail were not present in Britain. The economic circumstances in Italy, Germany and Russia, were completely different- the effects of the depression in Europe were more severe, and had more of a lasting effect, whereas Britain had recovered within two or three years. Economic circumstances meant that most people accepted capitalism, as living standards were rising. Demographic change, resulting in major loss of workforce and economic dislocation were other factors which encouraged the installation of dictatorships in Europe. Immigration also caused political/social unrest abroad, for example, in Germany; Jewish immigrants were blamed for the economic state. Britains island status meant that the threat of political extremism was not as concerning as it was in most other parts of mainland Europe. The political scene during the 1930s also meant that people were satisfied- National Government policies were accepted, and most left-wing supporters were content with the Labour party. People accepted democracy and capitalism, and did not need alternatives. British culture, which tended to focus around moderation and democracy, meant that foreign regimes seemed alien to the country. The working-class culture, discouraged extremist expansion as the unemployed tended to be apolitical. Internal problems such as financing and leadership issues also hindered the growth of the BUF/CPGB. However, although internal factors were important in the containment of political extremism in 1930s Britain, British economic circumstances had the greatest impact on the failure of the CPGB and BUF, and the internal problems might have not hindered the growth of extremism in different economic circumstances. Although the impact of political extremism in 1930s Britain was very slight, there is also evidence which suggests that a fairly large amount of loyalty was present. For example, the BUF gained support from the Daily Mail, and the communist newspaper the Daily Worker had a large readership. Membership figures for the Left Book Club also suggest the CPGB had some backing. The main factors concerning the failure of political extremism in 1930s Britain can be divided into two sections; external and internal causes. External factors concern the economic/political circumstances which prevented the installation of a dictatorship, and internal factors are problems encountered within the parties. The recovery from the depression was much less traumatic in Britain. Many saw the 1930s as a time of extreme poverty, however for the larger majority, this was not the case, and affluence was not uncommon. John Stevenson writes: The popular image of the 1930s is that of the decade blighted by the economic depression. Indeed, this is an image based upon reality for the many thousands of families who suffered from the miseries of unemployment. But there was another face to the thirties. As well as being the years of the slump, they also saw a remarkable degree of economic and social advance, with new industries, economic growth, prosperous suburbs and a rising standard of living2 Britain had already suffered from a poor economy during the 1920s- depression was already a permanent feature of the British economy3 Therefore, although the recovery was patchy, i.e. a slight downturn in 1938, Britain was not unfamiliar to the situation. In comparison to Russia/Germany, who suffered from major economic dislocation and hyperinflation, Britain did not fare too badly from the depression. Britains recovery was quicker and a lot more stable than other European countries- there was no banking collapse, and many industries actually inclined. Infact, as Stevenson writes, the outcome of the depression could actually be seen as positive. During the housing boom of 1932-34, living standards increased and the quality of life improved for many. Unemployment levels were relatively low compared to the rest of Europe, with a peak of 2.64m in 1931-324 and real wages increased by 15%. Car production was one of the most significant industrial developments in the 1930s and by 1939 ownership reached 3 million.5 This improved life for many, as the car gave freedom and the possibility of travel. Mass production methods enabled cars to be manufactured cheaper and faster than before, meaning that a basic family car could be purchased for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 in 19316, and this opportunity therefore became available to a wider range of people. Luxury consumer goods e.g. the refrigerator, began appearing in new department stores, and the availability of higher-purchase enabled wider sections of society to afford these. By 1930, 1 in 3 houses also had electricity.7 All these factors contributed to the improvement of living standards and for the majority of the country; there was a mood of affluence and prosperity. As effects of the depression lessened, so did the appeal of an extremist party- people no longer needed radical change, and were satisfied with capitalism. The recovery from the depression came around the same time as the arrival of extremism in Britain- the BUF formed in 1931, by time which the worst part of the depression was over. However, few of the people that were affected by the depression became communist/fascist. Most tended not to foster a class-consciousness, and accepted the capitalist system. The working-class culture meant that the unemployed tended to be apolitical; their interests lay in recreation, sport, religion and job-seeking, and rarely paid attention to the extremist campaign. Therefore, the economic/social situation during the 1930s, meant revolution was not needed- it could even be said that the arrival of political extremism in Britain was a revolution in a non-revolutionary situation.8 Financial satisfaction and an improvement in living/working conditions meant that the public simply did not need an extremist political voice. This denied the BUF/CPGB opportunities for expansion and enabled mainstream political parties to survive. Although the 1931 crisis hit the Labour badly- they were badly defeated in the election (46 seats to the Governments 554 9), the party still held onto core support, as loyalty, from working classes and unemployed, was strong. Labour was a big obstacle to the communists, and denied them space on the political scene. Labour was committed to using moderate policies, and by using the gradualist approach, they believed socialism was achievable if capitalism was prosperous. This theory meant Labour could hold an electorate from a wide range of social classes, not just from the working class. However, most of the working class approved of this approach, and most also accepted capitalism. Labours refusal to affiliate with the CPGB on many opportunities also decreased its support. The CPGBs requests to form a coalition with Labour were rejected on each occasion, mainly due to Labours objection to their constitution program. Unconstitutional action and political extremism were ruled out by Labours firm commitment to parliamentary democracy. Cripps stated- I have always condemned revolutionary means10. Labours rejection of affiliation was influenced by the fact that the CPGB was run from Moscow, which meant if a coalition was formed between the two parties, the public would automatically associate Labour with Russia. As the brutality of the Soviet regime was revealed, i.e. show trials- involving public executions of Stalins enemies-, which were endorsed by the CPGB (the Daily Workers headline read- Shoot the reptiles.11) Labour did not want to be seen by voters as having any contact with this, and wanted to keep its earned image of respectability-connections with this would have greatly lowered their support. Labour was also extremely suspicious of the CPGB and believed that their desire to affiliate was in order to bring the party down and achieve global communist control. Labour worked to marginalize the CPGB, and by using popular and moderate policies such as gradualism, left-wing supporters still remained loyal to them. Again, the economic situation was satisfactory, so for the majority, there was no need to turn to communism. Dominated by Conservatives, the National Government denied the BUF space on the political right. The National Government was extremely popular, and was perhaps able to capitalize on Labours 1931 crisis. The National Government was one of the only British governments that were supported by more than 50% of the electorate.12 Their success was mainly due to the range of people which it drew votes from- they were a coalition of elements from all major democratic parties, and so appealed to almost all sections of society. Therefore, they faced no serious opposition, and again, as Labour did, were able to effectively contain political extremism. Stability and reassurance were offered by the National Government, as they were seen as a safe-option both politically and socially, at a time when communism and the end of capitalism were feared. National Government policies created a modest but steady economic recovery from the depression. One of the main achievements of the National Government was the decision to come off the Gold Standard. This meant a much faster recovery than the rest of Europe as nowhere else had yet done this. Although the outcome of this caused the value of the pound to fall by 30%, it also meant that interest rates fell from 6% to 2%13. This encouraged private investment and industry growth, which inevitably improved the economy. The Special Areas Act provided à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2million in aid to impoverished areas of Britain, (places where the CPGB were most likely to gain support). This therefore increased working class National Government support, and meant there was no need to support the alternative. Another National Government measure was the Unemployment Act of 1934, which created retraining opportunities. This showed the government were aware of Britains problems, and were willing to try to resolve them. All these measures were cautious and small-scale, and although they did not lead to complete economic recovery, they certainly helped soften the impact of the depression. The publics perception of the National Government and its policies/actions, tended to be positive. Again, they were seen as a safe-option, and appealed to all sections of society. The National Governments Public Order Act in 1936, also increased the containment of political extremism in Britain, and in particular decreased BUF growth. This legislation banned the wearing of political uniforms during rallies and marches, and also required police consent for marches to take place. Uniforms gave a common identity and a sense of belonging, and so after the Public Order Act, the desired impact of the rallies was not as great. In general the National Government reduced the appeal of political extremism, as people did not need to turn to other parties. They also denied right wing support to fascism. Enough was already being done by the government to improve the economic situation, and in particularly the living conditions of the very poor, so an alternative was not needed. The National Government derived from all parts of the democratic parliamentary system, and so appealed to a broad section of society. The political and economic circumstances described in the last three sections all added to the containment of political extremism during the 1930s. Together, the Labour party and the National Government refused to let democracy collapse. However, this was compounded by the approach of the BUF/CPGB (e.g. non-democratic) and their own weaknesses. One of the problems the CPGB faced was its lack of a well-known, charismatic leader. Although Dutt and Pollit were the partys chief theoreticians, they lacked charisma and the ability to draw mass support from speeches, as Lenin/Stalin did. Violence and street clashes, particularly with fascists, gave the party a bad name, as this kind of behavior tended to be alien to British culture- politics had always been moderate and democratic, and the majority of the public opposed unconstitutional action. The failure of the CPGBs united front strategy, and attempts at affiliating with Labour against the radical right, was also a factor that decreased the impact of communism. Labour were very popular and many held strong loyalties towards them, and so if Labour held opposition, the public were likely to foster similar opinions. The CPGB were controlled from Moscow, and links with the Soviet Union decreased support. A red scare in Britain meant that the CPGB received extremely bad publicity, after the harsh Soviet regime was revealed. The 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact also lost the CPGB support, as many felt they were affiliating with the enemy- the fascists. Britains patriotism also decreased CPGB support, as on the eve of WW2, supporting them meant also supporting the enemies in the war- Germany/Russia. Internal problems for the BUF also led to failure. Mosleys limitations as a leader hindered the BUFs expansion, as he was a poor tactician and administrator. Mosley lacked financial understanding, and his stubborn and egoistic personality compounded this. He was also politically unstable- he resigned from Labour in 1930 after already having left the Coalition Unionists. Mosleys behavior was alien to Britain and its parliamentary traditions, as was the violence of the BUF which also led to its demise. Street clashes, where some people even died, produced bad publicity for the party- the media blamed the BUF for the violence at Olympia in 1934. It was at this time that the Daily Mail withdrew support, which meant that public respectability was lost. Associations with continental fascism- particularly Hitlers regime- and anti-Semitism propaganda, also lost the BUF public respectability and support as it meant that by supporting the BUF the public would also be supporting Germany. Financing was also a significant problem, as the BUF were always short of money, which was made worse in 1937, as loans from Mussolini were withdrawn. Divisions within the party also led to the partys failure- members disagreed over strategy- e.g. whether to adopt a military or political approach. Despite remaining on the political margins, the CPGB/BUF did have some notable successes. The BUF secured Daily Mail support from early on, and the Olympia rallies always attracted large audiences. BUF membership peaked at 50,000 in 1934,14 and CPGB membership had reached 18,000 by 1939.15 In 1929, 25 CPGB candidates were entered into the election, and received 56,000 votes16. The communist newspaper, the Daily Worker had an average circulation of 80,000.17 The CPGB also held support from a number of influential intellectuals, for example, Cambridge spies Philby, Burgess and Maclean, and poets such as W.H Auden. The CPGB also had some influence in trade unions, and by 1939, the Left Book Club had 60,000 members.18 The economic situation in Britain was the most important factor in the containment of extremism. The rise of living standards, real wages and industrial production gave Britain a positive outlook, at a time when the rest of Europe seemed to be in an economic disaster. The economic circumstances meant there was no room on the political scene for radicalism- the public were satisfied with the capitalist system, and favored moderation and democracy. Political circumstances were equally important in the containment of extremism. Without a successful government, which the National Government proved themselves to be, the economic situation may have been entirely different, and may have encouraged the installation of a dictatorship. Despite slow progress, the National Government was eventually able to steer Britain out of an economic crisis. Britains public appeared to have great confidence in its leaders, and traditional British political methods and democracy succeeded. If the government had not been as successful however, perhaps the BUF/CPGB may have had more political impact. Although important, internal problems within the CPGB/BUF, are of lesser significance. If the economic/political circumstances were different, these problems may not have hindered the growth of the parties. An economic situation similar to Europe, may have caused people to be desperate for a political/social change, without paying attention to problems suffered by the CPGB/BUF such as leadership and financing. However, with better tactics and administration, both parties may have made a greater impact on the 1930s political scene. 1 Colin Cook, British Fascism, Modern History Review p2 2 Stevenson, John and Cook, Chris, Britain in the Depression- Society and Politics 1929-39 Longman p15 3 Rees, Goronwy, The Great Slump, Weidenfeld N p40 4 Class handout 5 Stevenson, John and Cook, Chris, Britain in the Depression- Society and Politics 1929-39 Longman p33 6 Stevenson, John and Cook, Chris, Britain in the Depression- Society and Politics 1929-39 Longman p33 7 Class handouts- The British economy in the 1920s 8 Pearce, Robert, Britain- Domestic Politics 1918-39 Hodder Stoughten p112 9 Murphy, Derek, Britain 1914-2000 Collins Educational p83

William Shakespeare: Research Assignment

William Shakespeare: Research Assignment William Shakespeare is most arguably the best English poet and story writer the English literature world has ever known. Some of his famous works that one may recognize includes Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and many others. But there were plenty of other things happening in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Important events like the defeat of the Spanish Armada, treaty of peace between England and France, alliance between England and Netherlands, discovery and exploration of the new world, and the rise/fall of plenty of English rulers. All of these events impacted Shakespeare in one way or the other which could make one want to study Shakespeares work and compare/contrast the real world events with his work. If one doesnt know of William Shakespeare then theyve been hiding under a rock for centuries. William was a son of a wealthy business owner and active citizen of Stratford-upon-England. Shakespeare father then married Mary Arden in 1557 and had William on April 23, 1564. The black plague was decimating England in the fifteenth century and William was lucky that he survived. He lost several siblings to the plague including his older sisters Joan and Margaret. During that time period William and his brother Gilbert escaped the grasp of the deathly plagued and would both grow up to become successful people. William started school at the age of six at the Stratford grammar school. He was taught primarily in Latin but he also learned in English. Some believe that William was taken out of school at the age of thirteen due to financial problems but that wouldnt stop young William from learning. When he was about the age of eighteen he married a woman named Anne Hathaway, who was older and pregnant at the time. They had their first born in 1583 and they named her Susanna. Two years later they had twins by the name of Hamnet and Judith. Sadly one of the twins, Hamnet, died in 1596 due to unknown causes which affected William deeply. During this time, England was in a time of military dominance and golden age. They were about to go explore the new world and had unofficially involved in hostilities against Spain since the 1570s(Patrick, Pg 331). They were starting to gain wealth and power at a rapid rate. This certainly affected the citizens of England by ways of culture and entertainment. During this time, Shakespeare around the late 1500s was an inspiring actor and playwright. After gaining prominence in London, he became part owner of the Globe Theater and Blackfriars Theater in 1603. He continued acting until 1613 where he went to his hometown of Stratford to retire and sadly die in 1616, exactly 52 years to the day of his birth. William Shakespeare died in a time of religious controversy, exploration of life and values, and the start of personal freedom and protection. England was a country with many problems but that was only inspiration for Shakespeare along with personal events affected him. For example the death of his son caused sorrow for him which in turn was expressed in his writing. The sorrow also came through when he joined different acting troupes which also helped him to gain ideas and thoughts about drama. All of these events and tragedys eventually combine and come through Shakespeare writing and with his fame that he found during acting, it only took a matter of time for his writing to gain popularity. Though William Shakespeare was never a rich man, he still continued to follow what he loved most. He lived comfortably in Stratford which was all that he wanted for he would continue writing dramas and comedys that all would become famous either back then or right now. But people of England were not an easy crowd to please back in the 16th and 17th century. There was much upheaval in their government around this time which consisted of executions of political members to the public or assassinations. The Irish and Scots also were trying to gain their own independence from England around the late 1500s which made England be in constant war with countrys all around them. But even after Shakespeares death there was war and political unrest. The Thirty Years War begins, lasts until 1648,(britannia.com) and the exploration of the new world is fully underway which lead to England becoming more resourceful. Around the 1620s, ten years after the death of Shakespeare, King Charles I is forced to accept parliaments statement about civil rights in return for money so he can continue fighting his wars. This really marked the first time other then the Magna Carta that the king of England gives the people rights and civil liberties but of course they had to bargain for it. But not long after that King Charles I actually dissolve the parliament and rules England himself for the next 10 years. Dissolving the parliament wasnt actually a bad idea because King Charles I made peace with Spain and France which wouldnt of happened if parliament was still running. There has been many changes to England all during this time but its important to look back at history and truly see. William Shakespeare was in some way a motivator or influencer of England and its people who were in constant war and in chaos. If one looks back and compares the history of England to Shakespeares stories then they can see the similarities between them. When a reader today picks up a Shakespeare book or tale and reads it, its almost like looking back at England in that time period as if you were there and witness what it was like. Shakespeare gives us imagery and passion about England and thats why with his skills of writing and interesting dramatic stories that we still read about him and his tales today. Bibliography 1598, By. William Shakespeare. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . Britannia: British History and Travel. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . James A. Patrick. Renaissance And Reformation. New York: Marshall Cavendish, Giovanni Caselli. The Renaissance And the New World. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1986. Catherine de Medicis. Reformation, Exploration, Empire. Danbury: Grolier, 2005.

History of Barbados :: Essays Papers

The island of Barbados was first inhabited by an Amerindian migrant group called the Saladoid-Barrancoid around 350 to 650 AD. Their ancestors are believed to be from the Orinoco Basin in South America. The Spanish were the first Europeans to land on the island in the sixteenth century and reported the Amerindian settlement. However, when the Portuguese explorer, Pedro a Campus landed there in 1536, he claimed that the island was uninhabited. The original inhabitants, the Saladoid-Barrancoid, spoke a language which later became known as Arawakan. They were considered to be skilled farmers and fisherman while also excelling in ceramic crafts. They traded throughout the Caribbean area, which is known because artifacts of the Saladiod-Barrancoid have been found not only on Barbados, but also on neighboring islands. The slave population of Barbados increased greatly between 1643 and 1666. In 1643 the island had 6,400 slaves, and by 1666 they had over 50,000. The wealth of the planter class on the island was becoming more evident. The prosperity of the sugar industry within Barbados lasted until the early 1700s. The island of Jamaica and some of the Leeward Islands gained prosperity within the sugar industry. The diminishing sugar industry within Barbados was most directly related to their soil, which began to wear out. Barbados also faced problems with insects and drought. The life of those who worked on the plantations was not good. They endured hot temperatures, disease, and were at the mercy of their master. On almost every sugar-producing island, the death rate was higher than the birth rate, and it was known that those that worked on the sugar producing islands were up for a much harsher life than those taken to places like North America. Since the slaves died too quickly to reproduce, the plantation owners were constantly forced to bring more slaves in.

Dance Difficulties Essay -- essays research papers

As an extremely challenging and physically demanding pastime, it makes sense that a career in dance has lots of pressures that go along with it. This should come as no surprise seeing that every professional sport requires hard work and at least some sacrifice. It is questionable, however, if there is maybe too much pressure put on dancers in this day and age. Many people do not realize what it takes for a person to make it as a dancer, the dedication and drive the person must have. The fact of the matter is, the outcome of a dancer’s career may not outweigh the physical and emotional damages left over from the long journey to the top.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the eighteenth century, the most prominent dancer of the time, Marie Camargo, set the standard for the typical dancer’s physique. The body characteristics of no hips, breasts, or stomach became the customary body shape for dancers at that time, and in the future (Gim). George Balanchine, one of the most prominent dance choreographers in dance history is responsible for the basic look of a thin ballet dancer. His goal within a dance company was for all of the females to look as identical as possible. He wanted dancers who were tall and streamlined with beautifully arched feet, long, elegant legs and a graceful extension (Solway 57). He believed that the thinner the dancer, the better one could see their bodies and movements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Due to the views of George Balanchine, it soon became the norm for a dancer to be a certain height and weight. Soon that is what company producers, directors, choreographers, and the public expected. Even today, â€Å"an ideal has been set in place in the dance community which reflects the general public’s desire to see thin women on stage† (10-6). The main goal of a dance company is to have viewers, and for that to happen the public must be visually pleased. Cultural ideas of feminine beauty cause young women to feel a strong desire to be thinner than their bodies naturally tend to be (10-1). This idea is even more widespread in the dance world; literally, people who are not thin do not get jobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Certain sports create environments that harbor unhealthy eating habits, and dance is one of the most common (Despres). These eating habits can eventually escalate into an eating disorder if not treated correctly. Every eati... ...s to do what they love to do. Applegate, Liz. â€Å"Athletes Are More Vulnerable to Anorexia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Than Non-Athletes.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Binks, Georgie. â€Å"Eating Disorders are Not Necessarily Harmful.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Despres, Renee. â€Å"Female Athletes Are at Risk of Eating Disorders.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Dobie, Michael. â€Å"The Eating-Disordered Male Athlete.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Gim, Kari. â€Å"The Perfect Ballet Body.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Hood, Joel. â€Å"Dying to Win: Athletes and Eating Disorders.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Levenkrom, Steven. Anatomy of Anorexia. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001. Neale, Wendy. Ballet Life Behind the Scenes. New York: Crown Publishing Inc, 1982. Solway, Diane. A Dance Against Time. New York: Pocket Books, 1994. Thompson, Ron A. Sherman; Trattner, Roberta. Helping Athletes With Eating Disorders. Illinois: Human Kinetics Publishers, 1993.

Breaking Free in The Matrix Essays -- Movie Film Essays

Breaking Free in The Matrix      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau begins his infamous discourse The Social Contract by stating, "Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they." Both Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" from The Republic and the Wachowski Brothers' hit film The Matrix discuss man's efforts on his journey towards illumination to break free of his chains and then liberate others imprisoned. While definite connections exist between the allegory and The Matrix, Plato and the Wachowski Brothers present different paths that one may take to achieve that end. The Matrix utilizes the symbolic figure of a hero, Nietzsche's ÃÅ"bermensch, who through fate acquires the responsibility of enlightening all, while Plato presents an individual journey in which others may act as guides but one attains enlightenment through one's desire for knowledge.    Throughout The Matrix, the Wachowski Brothers insert obvious hints of unusual skills that separate Neo from the other rebels. The film tells the story of the search for "the One" who will free the human race from its enslavement by the machines. "The One" possesses unique abilities and can manipulate the Matrix in ways that no other human has been able. Despite Neo's claim that "I'm nobody," he exhibits more "superhuman" qualities as the film progresses. Tank indicates, "He's a machine," able to spend hours learning kung fu, and Mouse notices while Neo fights Morpheus that "his neural kinetics are way above normal." Ironically at the beginning of the movie Neo's boss reprimands him for tardiness, saying, "You think you are special, th... ... Plato and the Wachowski Brothers' interpretations of the course to enlightenment differ greatly in their perspectives. As the ÃÅ"bermensch, Neo must challenge the ingrained values of society, wake the sleeping human race, and free it from the grasp of the Matrix. Plato dismisses Nietzsche's idea and instead describes a path similar to that of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, who realizes that an enlightened one cannot enlighten others but merely lead the way. While sporadically man still follows the ÃÅ"bermensch, Plato's process has entered society's mainstream, serving as the most frequently traveled path to enlightenment.    Sources Cited    Plato. The Republic. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. Mineola: Dover Publications, 2000. The Matrix. Dir. The Wachowski Brothers. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Videocassette. Warner Home Video, 1999.   

Dent’s Disastrous Pronouns Essay

Stewart Pidd Hates English contains the following information about pronouns: Pronouns function as replacement words for noun phrases and nouns. Three common types of pronouns that give writers trouble are indefinite pronouns, possessive pronouns, and personal pronouns. Pronouns have different functions. Pronouns that do not refer to an object or a particular person are indefinite pronouns; possessive pronouns show possession; personal pronouns replace an object or a specific person. Writers can use pronouns to prevent unneeded repetition. An antecedent is the noun that comes before or after the pronoun(s) that reference it (Pollitt and Baker 70-85). Faulty pronoun agreement is a common writing error. In â€Å"Go Big or Go Home,† Jimmy Dent fails to make his pronouns agree with their antecedents. Dent makes a pronoun/antecedent agreement error. He writes, â€Å"I was out front working on my old motorcycle and said, ‘Hey, Stewie, when a skater dude goes to Ludville Pipe, they need to go big or go home’†(1). The singular antecedent, â€Å"skater dude† does not agree with the plural pronoun â€Å"they.† To fix the sentence, Dent needs to change the singular antecedent â€Å"skater dude† to a plural antecedent â€Å"skater dudes.† The revised sentence will read, â€Å"I was out front working on my old motorcycle and said, ‘Hey, Stewie, when skater dudes go to Ludville Pipe, they need to go big or go home.’† Dent makes a pronoun/antecedent agreement error with an indefinite pronoun. He states, â€Å"‘Stewart Pidd!’ I yelled, through the rusty spokes or my front rim, ‘Nobody wants to put their relatives in a home’† (2). The singular antecedent â€Å"Nobody† does not agree with the plural possessive pronoun â€Å"their.† To fix the sentence, Dent needs to change the singular indefinite pronoun â€Å"Nobody† to a plural pronoun â€Å"In-laws.† The revised sentence will read, â€Å"‘Stewart Pidd!’ I yelled, through the rusty spokes or my front rim, ‘In-laws don’t want to put their relatives in a home’† Dent makes a pronoun/antecedent agreement error using a collective noun. He writes, â€Å"On a good day, the Dent clan will unite to make their relatives feel like chewed-up gum’† (2). The singular antecedent â€Å"clan† does not agree with the plural possessive pronoun â€Å"their.† The collective noun â€Å"clan† is singular because it a group functioning as a unit. In order to fix the sentence, Dent needs to replace the plural pronoun â€Å"their† with singular possessive pronoun â€Å"our.† The revised sentence will read, â€Å"On a good day, the Dent clan will unite to make our relatives feel like chewed-up gum.† Untrained writers and speakers who make pronoun agreement errors should consider the wise words of Thomas Browne: â€Å"There is music wherever there is harmony, order or proportion.† Good writing is like good music. Having pronoun agreement brings harmony, order, and proportion to one’s writing. Having harmony, order, and proportion creates music in the writing. Works Cited Browne, Thomas. Attackthetext.com. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. Dent, Jimmy. â€Å"Go Big or Go Home.† 28 Feb. 2010. Print. Pollitt, Gary, and Craig Baker. Stewart Pidd Hates English. 2nd ed. Oceanside: Attack The Text Publishing. 2010. Print.

The Oort Cloud

The Oort Cloud The Oort cloud is a vast swarm of some 2 trillion comets orbiting our star in the most distant reaches of our solar system, extending from beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto out to 100,000 times the Earth-Sun distance. Almost one-third the distance to the nearest star. While the planets are confined to a flattened disk in the solar system, the Oort cloud forms a spherical shell centered on the Sun, which gradually flattens down to an extended disk in the inner region, called the Kuiper belt.Bright comets observed through telescopes or with the naked eye get thrown out of the Oort cloud or Kuiper belt, and become visible when they get close to enough so that the Sun's energy can transform the surface ices into gases. These gases drag off the embedded dust, and we see the light reflected from the dust as a tail. Comets are the leftover icy building blocks from the time of planet formation, which formed in the region of the outer planets. Essentially thesecomets are d irty snowballs, composed primarily of water ice, with some carbon monoxide and other ices, in addition to interstellar dust.When their orbits passed close enough to the giant planets to be affected, some were thrown toward the Sun and some were tossed outward toward the distant reaches of the solar system, the spherical swarm we now call the Oort cloud. Some of the comets sent inward hit the inner rocky planets, and probably contributed a significant amount of ocean water and organic material, the building blocks of life, to Earth. Comets that live in the Oort cloud are especially important scientifically because they have been kept in a perpetual deep freeze since the formation of our solar system 4. 6 billion years ago.This means that they preserve, nearly intact, a record of the chemical conditions during the first few million years of the solar system's history, and can be used to unravel our solar system's origins much like an archaeologist uses artifacts to decipher an ancient civilization. The Oort cloud is thought to occupy a vast space from somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 AU (0. 03 and 0. 08 ly)[12] to as far as 50,000Â  AU (0. 79Â  ly)[3] from the Sun. Some estimates place the outer edge at between 100,000 and 200,000 AU (1. 58 and 3. 16 ly). [12] The region can be subdivided into a spherical outer Oort cloud of 20,000–50,000 AU (0. 2–0. 79 ly), and a doughnut-shaped inner Oort cloud of 2,000–20,000 AU (0. 03–0. 32 ly). The outer cloud is only weakly bound to the Sun and supplies the long-period (and possibly Halley-type) comets to inside the orbit of Neptune. [3] The inner Oort cloud is also known as the Hills cloud, named after J. G. Hills, who proposed its existence in 1981. [13] Models predict that the inner cloud should have tens or hundreds of times as many cometary nuclei as the outer halo;[13][14][15] it is seen as a possible source of new comets to resupply the relatively tenuous outer cloud as the latter's nu mbers are gradually depleted.The Hills cloud explains the continued existence of the Oort cloud after billions of year The outer Oort cloud is believed to contain several trillion individual objects larger than approximately 1Â  km (0. 62Â  mi)[3] (with many billions with absolute magnitudes brighter than 11—corresponding to approximately 20Â  km (12Â  mi) diameter), with neighboring objects typically tens of millions of kilometres apart. Its total mass is not known with certainty, but, assuming that Halley's comet is a suitable prototype for all comets within the outer Oort cloud, the estimated combined mass is 3? 025Â  kg (7? 1025Â  lb or roughly five times the mass of the Earth). Earlier it was thought to be more massive (up to 380 Earth masses), but improved knowledge of the size distribution of long-period comets has led to much lower estimates. The mass of the inner Oort Cloud is not currently known. If analyses of comets are representative of the whole, the vast majority of Oort-cloud objects consist of various ices such as water, methane, ethane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.However, the discovery of the object 1996Â  PW, an asteroid in an orbit more typical of a long-period comet, suggests that the cloud may also contain rocky objects. Analysis of the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in both the Oort cloud and Jupiter-family comets shows little difference between the two, despite their vastly separate regions of origin. This suggests that both originated from the original protosolar cloud,a conclusion also supported by studies of granular size in Oort-cloud comets by the recent impact study of Jupiter-family comet.