The Secret Circle The Divide Chapter 28 Free Essays

The flames roared and crackled with evil intent, as if the fire had a will of its own. Its scorching heat brought Cassie, blistering, to her knees. She was coughing and couldn’t catch her breath, soon to completely lose herself to its all- consuming power. We will write a custom essay sample on The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 28 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Scarlett looked her over one last time. â€Å"Good-bye, Cassie,† she said. â€Å"It was nice knowing you.† Cassie’s face burned from the sweltering heat. This must be what hell would feel like, she thought, this never-ending torture by fire. Cut off from her mother, and her friends, and Adam, Cassie was dying alone. And here was Scarlett, the stronger daughter, the wicked sister, and the last living face Cassie would look upon before her death. But she couldn’t give up. She forced herself to her feet and got as close to Scarlett as the flames would allow. The Tools had darkened to a sinister sheen on Scarlett’s body. Black John is in her, Cassie thought. But he is also in me. Scarlett seemed to notice a change in Cassie’s eyes. It was enough to cause her to back away. â€Å"He is in me,† Cassie said, aloud this time, and it powered up some secret recess within her, like an emergency generator that kicks on in a blackout. Scarlett continued backing away, through the flames, toward the exit. The fire protection spell was still working for her, but she was suddenly afraid. The power of fire, Cassie thought. The power of fire is in me. And then something cracked open somewhere deep inside Cassie’s chest, that dark space she’d never accessed before. It frightened her, the burst of energy she felt as the word left her lips. â€Å"Burn!† she commanded. And Scarlett did. Midway through the flames on her way to the door, she screamed as brutally as Cassie had heard in her nightmare. No longer was she protected from the fire, no longer could she step safely from the burning house to the cool air outside. Scarlett jumped back from the door, furiously batting out the flames from her clothes. Then she turned to Cassie. â€Å"I thought you were good,† she said. Cassie stood tall, newly energized. â€Å"Likewise.† Cassie could feel something churning deep within her gut. It rose up her throat like black bile and escaped her mouth as a scream that caused the kitchen faucet to rupture into a geyser. Then the walls shook, and every pipe within them burst, spurting cold water across the room in diagonal torrents. The fire was extinguished within seconds. Scarlett drew away, shocked by this turn of events, but she had her own commands at her disposal as well as the Master Tools to enhance her power. â€Å"Fragilis!† she shouted, thrusting her open palms at Cassie. It was a Latin spell Cassie didn’t understand, but it made her drop to the floor like all the energy had been drained out her drop to the floor like all the energy had been drained out of her. Her body felt heavy, and the room began to spin. She couldn’t even lift her head. â€Å"Sentis infirma.† Scarlett directed her charged fingers to Cassie’s head and then her heart. Cassie became so feeble and tired, woozy to the point of faintness, she was sure she was dying. This is it, Cassie thought. Scarlett is just too strong. She’d lost. She wished that she could see Adam at that moment, to have his be the last face she looked upon before going to her death. She remembered the chalcedony rose in her pocket and limply felt for it. It took all the energy she had left to work it into her hand. She squeezed it as tightly as her fingers would allow and imagined Adam’s strong, loving face with such concentration that she swore he actually appeared. The smoke cleared, and Adam’s dark red hair seemed to her so close and real, she believed she could see its every highlight. This must be what dying was. Cassie was too weak to smile, but she was grateful her final wish had come true. It took a second for Cassie to realize that Adam was actually in the house standing over her. It really was him. He took her face into his hands and called out her name. She felt herself falling in and out of consciousness. Like in her nightmares and visions, her sight was both cloudy and vivid at the same time, a disordered, mystifying confusion. But the connection between her and Adam in this heightened moment was intense. The silver cord that hummed between them materialized, brighter and more pronounced than Cassie had ever seen it before. It appeared so lifelike, she swore she could reach out and touch it with her fingertips. Her chest overfilled with love as she followed the cord’s path from Adam’s heart to her own. But then as she looked closer, she noticed something strange. There were two silver cords. One was reaching from Adam to her, and the other was reaching from Adam to Scarlett. In a flash, both cords were gone. Just like that. Cassie wasn’t even sure Adam saw it. That had to be a mistake, a hallucination. It was impossible to decipher what was real anymore and what was her imagination. â€Å"Cassie.† Adam still had her face in his hands. â€Å"Stay with me, Cassie. Stay awake.† She blinked away the tears that filled her eyes and turned to see all of them there – Diana and the rest of the Circle. They had Scarlett surrounded. â€Å"Give us the Master Tools,† Diana said. â€Å"And we won’t have to hurt you.† â€Å"I’d like to see you try.† Scarlett laughed. Diana stood motionless. It took a moment for her to realize she couldn’t do magic, but once she did, Scarlett hurled her hands at her. â€Å"Praestrangulo,† she said. Instantly Diana clutched her throat with both hands and dropped to her knees, struggling to breathe. â€Å"She’s suffocating!† Adam jumped to his feet, and Cassie cried out, but she was still too weak stop him. He charged toward Scarlett, chanting, â€Å"Earth my body, water my blood.† Faye and the others fell in behind him. â€Å"Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, and fire my spirit!† Cassie screamed, â€Å"It won’t work!† But none of them would listen, or maybe her screaming was only as loud as a whisper. She couldn’t tell. â€Å"Caecitas!† Scarlett fanned her hand at the group. Adam cried out first. â€Å"I can’t see,† he said. And then, one by one, each of them shrieked, covering their eyes. Scarlett had blinded them. Diana was writhing on the floor, turning blue and coughing. Cassie had no strength, but she had to do something. The darkness was in her; she couldn’t be afraid to reach down into it. Even if it killed her, it was the only way to save her friends. It took all her might to climb to her feet. Scarlett, seeing her get up, grabbed her bags and ran for the door. Cassie pushed with her mind and let loose a debilitating cry. â€Å"Scarlett!† She searched her soul for the words, the darkest most debilitating spell she could think of, but Scarlett was out the door and gone within seconds. â€Å"Magicae negrae conversam,† Cassie said feebly. Those were the words that came to her after Scarlett had escaped. Diana gasped and inhaled. Adam blinked his eyes back to sight. Slowly, everyone regained their senses. Cassie’s strength returned, and she went to Adam and held him. There were scratches where he’d been clawing at his eyelids. â€Å"Did you just undo Scarlett’s spells?† he asked. Cassie nodded, and then she looked at the sooty, sweaty faces of her friends who’d risked their lives to save her. How could she ever apologize enough for what they’d just been through? â€Å"I was wrong about Scarlett,† she said. â€Å"But I guess you figured that out by now.† The tint of suffocation still hadn’t fully left Diana’s face. â€Å"What just happened?† she asked. â€Å"Scarlett was untouchable.† â€Å"You were right that she’s evil,† Cassie said, hardly able to look Diana in the eye. â€Å"She was doing black magic. She said that was the only magic that would work here. That’s why none of you could cast spells.† â€Å"But then how did you – ?† Diana stopped herself mid-question, when the answer occurred to her. Cassie looked down. She could hear Faye walk a circle around the burnt-out room, her boots crackling upon the ruined floor with each step. â€Å"I knew it all along,† Faye said. â€Å"Cassie has black magic in her.† It was true. There was no use denying it, as much as Cassie wanted to. Cassie searched Adam’s face for a reaction, terrified of what it might be. But Adam’s eyes filled with tears, and he pulled Cassie in toward his chest. â€Å"I’m so glad you’re okay,† he said. Cassie didn’t feel like she deserved his comforting, and tried to break free from his arms. Adam squeezed her tighter. â€Å"You just saved our lives,† he said. â€Å"I almost cost you your lives,† Cassie said, no longer able to stop herself from crying. â€Å"All of this is my fault. All of it, and I am so sorry.† Diana placed her hand on Cassie’s back. â€Å"We’re all in this together,† she said. â€Å"And we’re all okay. That’s what matters.† Cassie began to sob into Adam’s chest. â€Å"But I want to be good.† â€Å"You are good.† Diana hugged Cassie from behind, sandwiching her between herself and Adam. â€Å"You can’t start doubting that.† â€Å"Scarlett is the evil one,† Adam said. â€Å"Not you.† Cassie appreciated their support. They meant well, and she knew that, but the truth was, none of them could be sure what the ability to perform black magic meant for Cassie. Faye smiled at her like a new discovery. â€Å"How does it feel?† she asked. â€Å"I just feel like going home,† Cassie said. How to cite The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 28, Essay examples

The Accidental Asian free essay sample

A chapter within the book called â€Å"Notes of a Native Speaker† depicts an essay written by Liu which fully describes his struggles with race and how he overcame them. Eric Liu is an American born Taiwanese Asian. His parents immigrated to the United States before he was born and in so, gave him a mixed cultural background. He started becoming a writer after attending Yale University and graduating from Harvard Law School. In his â€Å"Notes of a Native Speaker† author Eric Liu argues that as he was â€Å"becoming white† he was achieving, learning the ways of the upper middle class and distancing himself from radicals of any hue. He has assimilated and in turn put himself into the profile of the â€Å"banana†. To begin, Liu opens his essay with a brief list of reasons as to why people can consider him to be white. One example from his list is that he eats â€Å"gourmet greens† (Liu 1). We will write a custom essay sample on The Accidental Asian or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He goes on to state how he has reached a new status George in America. White people call him an â€Å"honorary white† (Liu 2), while fellow Asian people call him a â€Å"banana† (Liu 2), in that he is yellow (Asian) on the outside and white on the inside. Liu believes that assimilation has been â€Å"fixed in whiteness† (Liu 4). If anyone assimilates, then it is to be white. He adds that the assimilated are portrayed to be traitors to their own race; â€Å"He cannot gain the world without losing his soul† (Liu 6). After Liu’s extensive introduction he begins to inform the reader of his childhood and his parents. His parents did not strictly follow Chinese culture. Instead they clung to the relaxed American culture and in turn, did not force Chinese culture on Liu. Liu suggests that this is how he was able to assimilate so easily. While in fourth grade he made no distinctions between races. It made no difference if one friend was black and the other white. Once he hit adolescence however, things changed. As kids grew older, the look of â€Å"cool† began to grow too. Liu, like any other kid wanted to be cool. He shares that one major part of being cool, was to have the cool hairstyle. For most of his childhood, Liu sported a bowl cut. The new style in his school however was hair parted down the middle and tapered on the ends. With Liu’s Asian genes it was nearly impossible to accomplish this style. After a couple years of trying various different hair styles that did not suffice as cool, he finally became content with having a crew-cut. Liu also thought that because he was Asian, he had less of a chance to get girls. Liu insists that it was the â€Å"sole obstacle† to his â€Å"advancement† (Liu 20). His response to this was to do more school activities such as write for the school newspaper and join the school newspaper. Although he wanted to disconcert stereotypes, Liu states that this made him seem like a typical â€Å"Asian overachiever† (Liu 21). Another concern Liu had from his Chinese heritage was that he had never been taught American manners. When he went to a friend’s house to sleep over, he never said â€Å"thank you† for it. When he had dinner at a friend’s house he ate differently than the others. As he began to change the way he acted and talked at friend’s houses he began to realize that he was getting further and further away from his Asian heritage. College was Liu’s final frontier of assimilating. He did not want to make himself look more Asian than he already was. This involved him taking several steps. He never joined any Asian only groups. He had friends of different races, not just Asian. He went against Asian stereotypes and tried doing the opposite of them. Liu points out that he is â€Å"not proud to have had this mentality† (Liu 43). After a while at the college he began to show signs of learning the culture and after some time wished that he had been comfortable in his own skin as a teenager. He began to realize that all his troubles to attempt to fit in with the other white kids was pointless. Liu sums up what he has learned from his childhood by saying, â€Å"I do not want to be white. I only want to be integrated† (Liu 51). He concludes his essay by giving a brief explanation how assimilation works now. In every assimilation, there is a mutiny against history but there is also a destiny, which is to redefine history. What it means to be American in spirit, in blood is something far more borrowed and commingled than anything previous generations ever knew. Alongside the pain of migration, then, and the possibility, there is this truth: America is white no longer, and it will never be white again.

Germans Immanuel Kant and Moses Mendelssohn Essay Example For Students

Germans Immanuel Kant and Moses Mendelssohn Essay The reading of the enlightenment by immanuel Kant and moses Mendelssohn. The Enlightenment, an rational motion that well influenced scientific and societal thought of the 18th century, was exposed to a profound analysis by Immanuel Kant who connected the construct of enlightenment with personal freedom, chew overing over ‘private’ and ‘public’ use of ground, and Moses Mendelssohn who introduced the impressions ‘civil enlightenment’ and ‘human enlightenment’ to distinguish between societal and single apprehension of enlightenment. While Kant looked for the ways to accomplish a balance between public and private use of ground, Mendelssohn paid attending to the differences between human and civil enlightenment, uncovering the troubles of geting this balance. However, in their definitions of enlightenment both Kant, the follower of the German Enlightenment, and Mendelssohn, the conceiver of the Haskalah, the Enlightenment of Jews, uncovered â€Å"the tenseness between the docket of enlightenment and the exi gencies of society† ( Schmidt 5 ) . Making an effort to supply his definition of the Enlightenment in the essay â€Å"Answering the Question: What is Enlightenment? † written as a response to the Reverend Zollner, Immanuel Kant states that â€Å"enlightenment is man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage† ( 83 ) . Therefore, harmonizing to Kant, enlightenment is achieved through personal freedom that is impossible to get without such important human traits as bravery and mind ( Belas 457-460 ) . However, Kant’s definition of enlightenment expels an unfastened battle, because it can return people to tutelage, striping them of the possibility to accomplish enlightenment. Proposing to extinguish certain church and province limitations, Kant applies to two different uses of ground that constitute true enlightenment – ‘private’ use and ‘public’ use. As Kant points out, â€Å"By the public usage of one’s ground I understand the usage of which a individua l makes of it as a bookman before the reading populace. Private usage I call that which may do of it in a peculiar civil station of office which entrusted to him† ( 89 ) . Although the philosopher draws a analogue between these constructs, he points at the fact that the private use of ground should be subjected to certain restrictions, while the public use of ground should be kept free, because â€Å"it entirely can convey about enlightenment among men† ( Kant 89 ) . In this respect, Moses Mendelssohn’s definition of the Enlightenment is similar to Kant’s definition, but Mendelssohn relies on different constructs in his analysis. Mendelssohn respects enlightenment as the acquisition of peculiar cognition that creates the necessary balance between a individual as a citizen and a individual as a human being. In position of this definition, Mendelssohn differentiates between ‘civil enlightenment’ , which corresponds with certain societal involvem ents, and ‘human enlightenment’ , which deals with single cognition of a individual and, harmonizing to James Schmidt, â€Å"paid heed neither to some differentiations nor to the care of societal order† ( 5 ) . However, unlike Immanuel Kant, Moses Mendelssohn admits that there are some peculiar instances when public facets of enlightenment should be strongly restricted. As Schmidt provinces, â€Å"While Mendelssohn was willing to profess that there might be certain unhappy fortunes in which doctrine must stay soundless lest it pose a menace to public order, Kant was uncompromising in his insisting that the public exercising of ground should neer be restricted† ( 5-6 ) . To some extent, Kant’s attitude can be explained by that fact that the philosopher interprets enlightenment through the issues of faith, sing the bing spiritual tenet as an obstruction towards personal freedom ( Lassman 815-820 ) . Therefore, sing freedom as one of the most important facets of enlightenment, Kant at the same time brings up a inquiry of people’s independency from faith, while Mendelssohn points at freedom within spiritual religion. In this context, Kant tends to specify enlightenment in practical footings, while Mendelssohn analyses theoretical facets of enlightenment, claiming that â€Å"Enlightenment seems†¦ to hold to make with the theore tical, specifically with sound apprehensiveness of the universe in an nonsubjective sense† ( 313 ) . Operating with the impression ‘Bildung’ that means cognition in a wider sense of the word and combines two societal elements – enlightenment and civilization, Moses Mendelssohn claims that enlightenment greatly depends on civilization. As the philosopher puts it, â€Å"Enlightenment is to civilization as theory is to pattern, as understanding is to morality, as cultural unfavorable judgment is to virtuosity. When viewed objectively in and of themselves, they exist in the closest possible synergism, even if they can be viewed subjectively as separate categories† ( 314 ) . In position of this definition it is clear that for a individual as a citizen both civilization and enlightenment are of import, because, harmonizing to Mendelssohn, â€Å"all practical virtuousnesss merely get significance in relation to life in the societal sphere† ( 315 ) . However, for a individual as a human being enlightenment is more important than civilization. On the other manus, Mendelssohn states that enlightenment contributes to theoretical use, while civilization is better applied to practical use. But those states that manage to unite both civilization and enlightenment achieve the highest degree of the Enlightenment, like the Ancient Greeks. Mendelssohn considers that modern societies seldom achieve this criterion, as he claims, â€Å"Nurembergers have more civilization, Berliners more enlightenment, the French more civilization, the British more enlightenment, the Siamese more civilization and small enlightenment† ( 314 ) . The similar impression is expressed by Kant who points at the fact that assorted spiritual tenets deprive people of the possibility to accomplish freedom and enlightenment ; that is why modern people merely strive for enlightenment, but they do no live within enlightenment. Harmonizing to Kant, people find it truly hard to acquire rid of someone’s counsel, particularly the counsel of church or provi nce. But Kant puts major duty for such dependance from faith on people who are unable to suitably utilize their mind to get true enlightenment. The philosopher thinks that faith destroys people’s egos and deprives them of the possibility to achieve the equilibrium of private and public use of ground. For Kant, enlightenment is determined by a person’s capacity to freely use his/her ground. Theoretically, every individual has rights and abilities to use his/her ground, but in pattern merely some persons reveal power and bravery to accomplish enlightenment. For case, Kant states that a priest should curtail his private use of ground, because he follows the spiritual tenet of his church ; nevertheless, he should non curtail his public use of ground, if he can do some utile offers and supply new cognition. In this respect, Immanuel Kant respects enlightenment as a uninterrupted advancement, but he states that â€Å"a public can accomplish enlightenment merely slowly† ( 84 ) . The philosopher acknowledges that some societal alterations can ensue in the riddance of certain prejudices or tenet, but these old biass can be replaced by new prejudices and regulations of behavior that may decelerate down the procedure of enlightenment. However, Kant points out that enlightenmen t can be delayed merely for a short period of clip, but â€Å"to give up enlightenment wholly, either for oneself or one’s posterities, is to go against and to tread upon the sacred rights of man† ( 86 ) . Kant considers that the 18th century is the age of enlightenment, as assorted spiritual issues are exposed to critical analysis by some persons who apply to ground to edify themselves. Discoursing the issue of enlightenment, Mendelssohn reveals that â€Å"reason could show the cardinal truths of natural religion† ( Arkush xiii ) . Mendelssohn claims that ground provides new apprehension of spiritual tenet, and it is this peculiar apprehension that contributes to people’s enlightenment. In this respect, Mendelssohn manages to set the Enlightenment’s reason with faith, although the philosopher realises that enlightenment provides people with free will and thought, while faith controls people’s actions and ideas. Career Development through International Mobility EssayThe differences between Kant and Mendelssohn are intensified even more when the philosophers discuss the morning of the age of enlightenment. Harmonizing to Moses Mendelssohn, the epoch of enlightenment would barely come, because throughout their history human existences have moved forth and rearward, forestalling further development of world. Moses considers that an single individual is able to get a certain degree of enlightenment ; nevertheless, full world creates changeless restrictions and Torahs, either spiritual or province, which hinder the procedure of enlightenment. In his analysis of enlightenment Kant expresses a different point of view ; in peculiar, he claims that world ever progresses in its development. Although the philosopher acknowledges the being of some restrictions and obstructions, he points at the fact that these bounds may merely decelerate down the procedure of enlightenment, but they can neer wholly d estruct it. As Kant respects enlightenment as a uninterrupted advancement, he realises that people, using ground and geting some cognition, will go on to endeavor for enlightenment. And it is this aspiration for profound cognition and apprehension of human being that Kant interprets as enlightenment. In this respect, Kant thinks that it is truly of import to pull a analogue between past and present coevalss, analyzing assorted phases of their development. On the other manus, Kant reveals an obvious obstruction to the advancement of enlightenment ; as people normally analyse merely separate parts of the existence, they fail to unite these elements into a complete image. As a consequence of this inability, human existences may happen it hard to act upon each other and to the full incorporate into the procedure of enlightenment. However, despite these obvious differences, both Kant and Mendelssohn in their reading of enlightenment brand efforts to keep the thoughts of rationalism without an unfastened rejection of the being of God. This is particularly true in respect to Moses Mendelssohn who does non dispute the being of God, but opposes the bing spiritual Torahs that create the unchanging truth for trusters, striping them of the possibility to accomplish enlightenment. Therefore, both Mendelssohn and Kant define enlightenment through the analysis of the practical ways to accomplish enlightenment ; nevertheless, unlike Mendelssohn, Kant bases his definition on certain negations, such as ‘dependence’ , ‘immaturity’ , ‘shortage of courage’ . In this context, Kant demonstrates that the first measure in geting enlightenment is the riddance of everything that deprives people of ground and freedom ; merely get the better ofing the first phase of riddance, a individual is able to continue to the 2nd phase of acquisition. Analyzing the definitions of the Enlightenment by Immanuel Kant and Moses Mendelssohn, the essay has revealed that Kant’s reading of enlightenment is based on the construct of freedom and mainly trades with a person’s ability to get the better of immatureness and interior frights. Discoursing enlightenment, particularly through spiritual facets, Kant provides two major constructs that represent his vision – ‘private’ and ‘public’ use of ground. Mendelssohn’s reading of enlightenment reflects a close connexion between enlightenment and civilization, but the philosopher’s differentiation of ‘civil enlightenment’ and ‘human enlightenment’ demonstrates the difference between a individual as a citizen and a individual as a human being. Although both Kant and Mendelssohn adhere to public and private facets in their apprehension of enlightenment, their readings well differ. In peculiar, Kant considers tha t the public use of ground should be kept free, while the private use should be exposed to certain restrictions ; unlike Kant, Mendelssohn thinks that in some instances the public use should be restricted, or otherwise it may bring forth some negative effects for society. In this respect, Kant’s definition concerns a practical side of the issue, although it is based on the rules of ‘escape’ , for case, flight from interior frights toward adulthood. On the contrary, Mendelssohn’s definition is created on a theoretical footing and interprets enlightenment through the rules of ‘achievement’ . However, both Immanuel Kant and Moses Mendelssohn point at the necessity of freedom in the Enlightenment, despite the fact that Kant tends to keep the thought of freedom from faith, while Mendelssohn supports the thought of freedom within faith. Plants CitedAltmann, Alexander.Moses Mendelssohn, A Biographical Study.Heart of dixie: University of AlabamaImperativeness, 1973.Arkush, Allan.Moses Mendelssohn and the Enlightenment. Albany, NY: State University of NewYork Press, 1994.Beiser, Frederick.The Fate of Reason: German Doctrine from Kant to Fichte. Cambridge andLondon: Harvard University Press, 1987.Belas, L. Kant and the Enlightenment. Filozofia.54 ( 2000 ) : 457-463.Kant, Immanuel. What is Enlightenment.Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals and What isEnlightenment. By Immanuel Kant. New York: Macmillan, 1990. 83-90.Lassman, Peter. Enlightenment, Cultural Crisis, and Politicss. The Role of Intellectuals from Kantto Habermas. The European Legacy.5 ( 2000 ) : 815-828.Mendelssohn, Moses. On the Question: What does To Enlighten Mean?Philosophic Hagiographas.By Moses Mendelssohn. Trans. and ed. Daniel O. Dahlstrom. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press, 1997. 313-317.Meyer, Michael.The Origins of the Modern Jew. Detroit : Wayne State University Press, 1967.Schmidt, James, erectile dysfunction.What is Enlightenment? : Eighteenth-Century Questions and Twentieth-CenturyAnswers. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press, 1996.Shmueli, Efraim.Seven Judaic Cultures: A Reinterpretation of Judaic History and Thought.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.Sorkin, David.Moses Mendelssohn and the Religious Enlightenment. Berkeley: University ofCalifornia Press, 1996.

Surface Judgments and Employability

Free Essays on Salem Witch Trails

The Salem Witch Trials What caused the Salem witch trials? This is a question that has been asked for the last three hundred years. There is no easy answer to that question. There were numerous factors and events that lead to the trials. â€Å"A recent small pox outbreak, the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter by Charles II and the constant fear of Indian attacks helped in creating anxiety among the Puritans and a fear that God was punishing them. This fear of punishment established a fertile atmosphere in which a case of witchcraft could easily be interpreted by the Puritans as the cause of Gods wrath† (Victims) Other factors were politics, religion, family feuds, economics, and the imagination and fears of the people. These factors brought about a climate of repression, religious intolerance, social hierarchy combined with fanaticism and oppression of women. The Puritan leaders used the trials as a way to control the community and prevent change in the strict social hierarchy. Ac cording to Woloch â€Å"historian Carol F. Karlson points out most New Englanders accused of witchcraft were middle aged or older women, who lacking brothers or sons stood to inherit. Such women impeded â€Å"the orderly transition of property from one generation to another†.† (Woloch, 30) Lets start with the political problems of Salem. The tension over land was growing fast. The residents were divided into two groups: those that wanted to separate from Salem town, and those that did not. The farming families in the Western part of Salem Village wanted to separate from Salem Town. The families located in the eastern part of Salem Village and therefore closest to Salem Town wanted to remain part of the town. (Sutter) There was much overcrowding in in New England communities. In 1632, the general court granted Governor Endicott three hundred acres of land. With subsequent land grants to others, the boundaries and borders that told the people wh... Free Essays on Salem Witch Trails Free Essays on Salem Witch Trails The Salem Witch Trials What caused the Salem witch trials? This is a question that has been asked for the last three hundred years. There is no easy answer to that question. There were numerous factors and events that lead to the trials. â€Å"A recent small pox outbreak, the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter by Charles II and the constant fear of Indian attacks helped in creating anxiety among the Puritans and a fear that God was punishing them. This fear of punishment established a fertile atmosphere in which a case of witchcraft could easily be interpreted by the Puritans as the cause of Gods wrath† (Victims) Other factors were politics, religion, family feuds, economics, and the imagination and fears of the people. These factors brought about a climate of repression, religious intolerance, social hierarchy combined with fanaticism and oppression of women. The Puritan leaders used the trials as a way to control the community and prevent change in the strict social hierarchy. Ac cording to Woloch â€Å"historian Carol F. Karlson points out most New Englanders accused of witchcraft were middle aged or older women, who lacking brothers or sons stood to inherit. Such women impeded â€Å"the orderly transition of property from one generation to another†.† (Woloch, 30) Lets start with the political problems of Salem. The tension over land was growing fast. The residents were divided into two groups: those that wanted to separate from Salem town, and those that did not. The farming families in the Western part of Salem Village wanted to separate from Salem Town. The families located in the eastern part of Salem Village and therefore closest to Salem Town wanted to remain part of the town. (Sutter) There was much overcrowding in in New England communities. In 1632, the general court granted Governor Endicott three hundred acres of land. With subsequent land grants to others, the boundaries and borders that told the people wh...

Religious Controversies on Contraception and Ethics Essay

Religious Controversies on Contraception and Ethics - Essay Example Religious groups such as Wheaton College claim that ACA policy that faith-based institutions should cover contraception is a violation of their religious freedom. However, these institutions forget that as much as a careful consideration is demanded by freedom of religion, so does the right of employees and students to obtain safe and affordable healthcare services. In other words, institutions like Wheaton College may be right to protect their religious freedom; however, they should consider the unethical bit of denying students their rights to medical coverage. Moreover, just as commented by Hollinger, there is much that can be commended in the Biblical teachings that sex is fundamentally procreative. However, birth control can be given defense through the use of contraceptive devices that are fundamentally not immoral. Wheaton College before exercising their complete removal of birth control coverage should consider this aspect. WHO estimates that provision of contraception to wom en living in developing nations can prevent 54 million unintended pregnancies, 7 million miscarriages, and 26 million abortions (whereby 16 million would be risky abortions). WHO therefore emphasizes that this would prevent infant mortality and maternal mortality (79, 000 maternal deaths). Generally, these statistics prove that most women rely on contraceptives for medical purposes, for instance, women may rely on birth control pills to help the lower menstrual pain, prevent migraines, and treat excessive bleeding.

Lyndon B. Johnson And The Tet Offensive Research Paper

Lyndon B. Johnson And The Tet Offensive - Research Paper Example Most of his concern however is in the president at that particular period of time president Lyndon B, Johnson and his contribution to the war after President Kennedy. In American history and survey, the story is the same but to some extent; they tend to support the war and the actions that took place during the war. In the first article, Rollins Glasser explains how hard it was for Vietnam during this time of the war. â€Å"If there is more to say it will have to be said by others, though I wonder how they will do it. There is no novel in Nam, there is not enough for a plot, nor is there really any character development if you survive 365 days without getting killed or wounded, you simply go home and take up again where you left off.† (Rollins, 233) by this, Ronald clearly showed opposition to the war that was in Vietnam. In his book, he clearly depicts the difficulties that the Vietnamese were going through. This was because the whole media and human rights grouped had moved in to bring the negative side of the war and forgot to focus on the positive side of the war. There were lots of films and books that various personalities published so as to oppose the events that led to the war. All these ideologies originated soon after the Tet offensive and the American people now had the true p icture of what was taking place in Vietnam (Ayers 89). The second article emphasizes that the Vietnam War was one of the bloodiest wars of all time with casualties going up to a million on both sides. The war began due to the common belief that Americans believed that communisms was spreading all through south-east Asia. Due to the nuclear power that both the united states and the soviet union had at the time, neither was willing to risk war with the other and as a result decided to finance the other nations to fight the cold war. The Vietnam War started soon after the struggle for the country had stopped by the French power. It was during this time that the country was