Brief History of the State of the Union Address

Brief History of the State of the Union Address The State of the Union address is a speech delivered annually by the President the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress. The State of the Union Address is not, however, delivered during the first year of a new president’s first term in office. In the address, the president typically reports on the general condition of the nation in the areas of domestic and foreign policy issues and outlines his or her legislative platform and national priorities. Delivery of the State of the Union address fulfills Article II, Sec. 3, of the U.S. Constitution requiring that â€Å"The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.†Ã‚   As a policy of the doctrine of separation of powers, the Speaker of the House must invite the president to present the State of the Union Address in person. In lieu of an invitation, the address can be delivered to Congress in written form. Since January 8, 1790, when George Washington personally delivered the first annual message to Congress, presidents have from time to time, been doing just that in what has become known as the State of the Union Address. The speech was shared with the public only through newspapers until 1923 when President Calvin Coolidges annual message was broadcast on radio. Franklin D. Roosevelt first used the phrase State of the Union in 1935, and in 1947, Roosevelts successor Harry S. Truman became the first president to deliver a televised address. Extreme Security Required As the largest annual political event in Washington, D.C., the State of the Union Address requires extraordinary security measures, as the president, vice president, Cabinet members, Congress, Supreme Court, military leaders and diplomatic corps are all together at the same time. Declared a â€Å"National Special Security Event,† thousands of federal security personnel- including a number of military troops- are brought in to guard the area. The Great State of the Union Controversy of 2019 The question of when, where, and how the 2019 State of the Union Address would be delivered became a hot political mess on January 16, when during the longest federal government shutdown in history, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) asked President Trump to either delay his 2019 address or deliver it to Congress in writing. In doing so, Speaker Pelosi cited security concerns caused by the shutdown. â€Å"Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29,† wrote Pelosi in a letter to the White House. However, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen stated that the Secret Service- then working without pay due to the shutdown- was fully prepared and willing to provide security during the address. â€Å"The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union,† she wrote in a tweet. The White House suggested that Pelosi’s action was actually a form of political retaliation for President Trump’s reluctance to negotiate with the House on the its refusal to authorize $5.7 billion in funding requested by Trump  for construction of the controversial Mexican border wall- the dispute that had triggered the government shutdown.   On January 17, President Trump responded telling Pelosi via a letter that her congressional delegation’s planned secret seven-day, secret â€Å"excursion† to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan â€Å"has been postponed† until the shutdown ended, unless she chose to travel using commercial aviation. Since the non-publicized trip included Afghanistan- an active war zone- travel had been arranged aboard a U.S. Air Force plane. Trump had earlier canceled his own upcoming trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, due to the shutdown. On January 23, President Trump turned down Speaker Pelosi’s request to delay his State of the Union Address. In a letter to Pelosi, Trump asserted his intention to deliver the address on Tuesday, January 29 in the House chamber as originally scheduled. â€Å"I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfilling my Constitutional duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union,† Trump wrote. â€Å"I look forward to seeing you on the evening on January 29th in the Chamber of the House of Representatives,† he continued, adding, â€Å"It would be so very sad for our Country if the State of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location!† Speaker Pelosi has the option of blocking Trump by refusing to call a vote on the resolution required to formally invite the president to before a joint session of Congress in the House chamber. Lawmakers have not yet considered such a resolution, an action typically taken for granted.   Speaker Pelosi quickly returned this historic struggle of separation of powers back to where it started on January 16 by informing President Trump that she would not allow him to deliver his speech in the House chamber as long as the government shutdown continued. President Trump responded by indicating that he would announce plans for an alternative State of the Union address at a later date. A White House spokesperson suggested options including a speech from the Oval Office of the White House or at a Trump rally away from Washington. In a late night tweet on January 23, President Trump conceded to Speaker Pelosi, stating that he would delay his State of the Union Address until after the government shutdown had ended. â€Å"As the Shutdown was going on, Nancy Pelosi asked me to give the State of the Union Address. I agreed. She then changed her mind because of the Shutdown, suggesting a later date. This is her prerogative- I will do the Address when the Shutdown is over,† Trump tweeted, adding, â€Å"I look forward to giving a great State of the Union Address in the near future!† The President continued that he would not seek an alternative location for the annual speech â€Å"because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber.† In a tweet of her own, Speaker Pelosi said she was hopeful that President Trump’s concession meant that he would back a bill already before the House that would temporarily fund the federal agencies affected by the shutdown. On Friday January 25, President Trump reached an agreement with Democrats on a short-term spending bill that did not include any funding for the border wall but allowed the government to temporarily reopen until February 15. During the delay, negotiations over border wall funding were to continue, with President Trump stressing that unless funding for the wall was included in the final budget bill, he would either allow the government shutdown to resume or declare a national emergency allowing him to reallocate existing fund for the purpose. On Monday, January 28, with the shutdown at least temporarily ended, Speaker Pelosi invited President Trump to give his State of the Union address on February 5 in the House Chamber. â€Å"When I wrote to you on January 23rd, I stated that we should work together to find a mutually agreeable date when government has reopened to schedule this years State of the Union address,† Pelosi stated in a letter provided by her office. â€Å"Therefore, I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a Joint Session of Congress on February 5, 2019 in the House Chamber.† President Trump accepted Pelosi’s invitation a few hours later. The Address At Last President Trump finally delivered his second State of the Union address on February 5th in the House Chamber. In his 90-minute speech, the president sounded a tone of bipartisan unity, calling on Congress to â€Å"reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution - and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good.† Without mentioning the record 35-day government shutdown that had delayed the address, he told lawmakers he was â€Å"ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans† and by working to â€Å"govern not as two parties but as one nation.† In addressing funding for his controversial border security wall that had caused the shutdown, the president came short of declaring a national emergency, but did insist he would â€Å"get it built.† Trump also stressed his administration’s economic success, noting that â€Å"no one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the new jobs created in the last year.† The president added, All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before - and exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than ever before.† The statement brought a standing ovation and chants of â€Å"USA!† from female lawmakers, many of whom had been elected based on their platforms opposing the Trump administration. On foreign policy, Trump touted his efforts to denuclearize North Korea, claiming that â€Å"if I had not been elected president of the United States we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.† He also revealed that he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a second summit on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.   Washington Hit the Essentials Rather than outlining his administrations agenda for the nation, as has become the modern practice, Washington used that first State of the Union Address to focus on the very concept of the union of states that had so recently been created. Indeed, establishing and maintaining the union was the primary goal of Washingtons first administration. While the Constitution specifies no time, date, place, or frequency of the address, presidents have typically delivered the State of the Union Address in late January, soon after Congress has re-convened. Since Washingtons first address to Congress, the date, frequency, method of delivery and content have varied greatly from president to president. Jefferson Puts it in Writing Finding the whole process of a speech to a joint session of Congress a little too kingly, Thomas Jefferson chose to carry out his constitutional duty in 1801 by sending details of his national priorities in separate, written notes to the House and Senate. Finding the written report a great idea, Jeffersons successors in the White House followed suit and it would be 112 years before a president again spoke the State of the Union Address. Wilson Set the Modern Tradition In a controversial move at the time, President Woodrow Wilson revived the practice of spoken delivery of the State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress in 1913. Content of the State of the Union Address In modern times, the State of the Union Address serves as both a conversation between the president and Congress and, thanks to television, an opportunity for the president to promote his partys political agenda for the future. From time to time, the address has actually contained historically important information. In 1823, James Monroe explained what became known as the Monroe Doctrine, calling on powerful European nations to end their practice of western colonization.Abraham Lincoln told the nation he wanted to end slavery in 1862.In 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke of the four freedoms.Just four months after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush shared his plans for a war on terror in 2002. Whatever its content, presidents traditionally hope their State of the Union Addresses will heal past political wounds, promote bipartisan unity in Congress and win support for his legislative agenda from both parties and the American people. From time to time... that actually happens.

Inca Star Worship and Constellations

Inca Star Worship and Constellations The stars in the sky were very important to the religion of the Inca. They identified constellations and individual stars and assigned them a purpose. According to the Inca, many of the stars were there to protect animals: every animal had a corresponding star or constellation which would look out for it. Today, traditional Quechua communities still see the same constellations in the sky as they did centuries ago. Inca Culture and Religion The Inca culture thrived in the Andes Mountains in western South America from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries. Although they started out as one ethnic group among many in the region, they embarked upon a campaign of conquest and assimilation and by the fifteenth century, they had achieved pre-eminence in the Andes and controlled an empire which stretched from present-day Colombia to Chile. Their religion was complicated. They had a pantheon of greater gods which included Viracocha, the creator, Inti, the Sun, and Chuqui Illa, the thunder god. They also worshiped huacas, which were spirits which could inhabit just about any remarkable phenomenon, such as a waterfall, large boulder or tree. The Inca and the Stars The sky was very important to the Inca culture. The sun and moon were considered gods and temples and pillars were laid out specifically so that heavenly bodies such as the sun would pass over pillars or through windows on certain days, such as the summer solstice. The stars played an important role in Inca cosmology. The Inca believed that Viracocha had planned for the protection of all living things, and that to each star corresponded a particular sort of animal or bird. The star grouping known as the Pleiades held particular influence over the lives of animals and birds. This group of stars was not considered a greater god but rather a huaca, and Inca shamans would regularly make sacrifices to it. Inca Constellations Like many other cultures, the Inca grouped the stars into constellations. They saw many animals and other things from their daily lives when they looked to the stars. There were two sorts of constellations for the Inca. The first are of the common variety, where groupings of stars are linked in connect-the-dots fashion to make images of gods, animals, heroes, etc. The Inca saw some such constellations in the sky but considered them inanimate. The other constellations were seen in the absence of stars: these dark blotches on the Milky Way were seen as animals and were considered living or animate. They lived in the Milky Way, which was considered a river. The Inca were one of the very few cultures who found their constellations in the absence of stars. Mach’acuay: The Serpent One of the major dark constellations was Machacuay, the Serpent. Although snakes are rare at the high altitudes where the Inca Empire thrived, there are a few, and the Amazon River basin is not far away to the east. The Inca saw serpents as highly mythological animals: rainbows were said to be serpents named amarus. Machacuay was said to oversee all snakes on Earth, protecting them and helping them procreate. The constellation Machacuay is a wavy dark band located on the Milky Way between Canis Major and the Southern Cross. The constellation serpent emerges head-first in the Inca region in August and begins to set in February: Interestingly, this mirrors the activity of real snakes in the zone, which are more active during the Andean rainy season of December to February. Hanp’atu: The Toad In a somewhat surprising twist on nature, Hanpatu the Toad chases Machacuay the Serpent out of the Earth in August as that segment of the Milky Way becomes visible in Peru. Hanpatu is seen in a lumpish dark cloud between Machacuays tail and the Southern Cross. Like the snake, the toad was an important animal to the Inca. The nocturnal croaking and chirping of frogs and toads were listened to attentively by Inca diviners, who believed that the more these amphibians croaked, the more likely it was to rain soon. Also like the snakes, the Andean toads are more active during the rainy season; in addition, they croak more at night when their constellation is visible in the sky. Hanpatu also had the added significance that his appearance in the night sky coincided with the beginning of the Inca agricultural cycle: when he showed up, it meant that the time to plant had come. Yutu: The Tinamou Tinamous are clumsy ground birds similar to partridges, common in the Andean region. Located at the base of the Southern Cross, Yutu is the next dark constellation to emerge as the Milky Way becomes visible in the night sky. Yutu is a dark, kite-shaped spot which corresponds to the Coal Sack Nebula. It chases Hanpatu, which makes some sense because tinamous are known to eat small frogs and lizards. The tinamou may have been selected (as opposed to any other bird) because it exhibits remarkable social behavior: male tinamous attract and mate with females, who lay their eggs in his nest before leaving to repeat the process with another male. Males, therefore, incubate the eggs, which could come from 2 to 5 mating partners. Urcuchillay: The Llama The next constellation to emerge is the llama, perhaps the most important of the constellations to the Inca. Although the llama is a dark constellation, the stars Alpha and Beta Centauri serve as its â€Å"eyes† and are the first to emerge when the llama rises in November. The constellation consists of two llamas, a mother, and a baby. Llamas were of great importance to the Inca: they were food, beasts of burden and sacrifices to the gods. These sacrifices often took place at certain times with astronomical significance such as equinoxes and solstices. Llama herders were particularly attentive to the movements of the celestial llama and offered it sacrifices. Atoq: The Fox The fox is a small black splotch at the feet of the llama: this is appropriate because Andean foxes eat baby vicuà ±as. When they foxes come by, however, the adult vicuà ±as gang up and attempt to trample the foxes to death. This constellation has a connection to earthly foxes: the Sun passes through the constellation in December, the time when baby foxes are born. Significance of Inca Star Worship The Inca constellations and their worship - or at least a certain respect for them and an understanding of their role in the agricultural cycle - are one of few aspects of Inca culture that survived the conquest, colonial era and 500 years of forced assimilation. The original Spanish chroniclers mentioned the constellations and their importance, but not in any great detail: fortunately, modern researchers have been able to fill in the gaps by making friends and doing fieldwork in rural, traditional Andean Quechua communities where people still see the same constellations their ancestors saw centuries ago. The nature of Inca reverence for their dark constellations reveals much about Inca culture and religion. To the Inca, everything was connected: The universe of the Quechuas is not composed of a series of discrete phenomena and events, but rather there is a powerful synthetic principle underlying the perception and ordering of objects and events in the physical environment. (Urton 126). The snake in the sky had the same cycle as earthly snakes and lived in a certain harmony with the other celestial animals. Consider this in contrast to traditional western constellations, which were a series of images (scorpion, hunter, scales, etc) that really didnt interact with one another or events here on Earth (except for vague fortunetelling). Sources Cobo, Bernabà ©. (translated by Roland Hamilton) Inca Religion and Customs. Austin: the University of Texas Press, 1990.Sarmiento de Gamboa, Pedro. (translated by Sir Clement Markham). History of the Incas. 1907. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1999.Urton, Gary. Animals and Astronomy in the Quechua Universe. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. 125, No. 2. (April 30, 1981). P. 110-127.

Global support for trade , mixed with some doubts Article

Global support for trade , mixed with some doubts - Article Example Firstly these countries started trading a long time ago and the negatives of trade have started to show prominently along with its positive. Its human nature that we give importance to the negatives more than the positives even if the positive points are more in number. Secondly terrorism has developed a negative mind frame in every person, which is very obvious due to the terrorist activities that have happened recently hence people of the developed countries have started to think that any contact with the outside undeveloped countries might bring in terrorists and terrorism in their own country. The second aspect of the article is that capitalism has been the preferred mode of running the system of the country. Majority around the World agreed to the fact that capitalism is a more authentic mode. In the same way people also emphasized that environmental protection should be given priority even if that slows down the process of development of a country, I agree with this statement as education around the world is changing the way we think and saving environment should be our first priority. Another important problem that has arisen due to Globalization is of migration. People tend to migrate to developed countries for a better living standard. Another reason for people migrating are the wars going on around the globe. The migration problem has lead to the implementation of harsher immigration rules by some countries. The overall population around the World is against immigration. The article also covers the area of culture, which is how many people in different countries think that their culture is superior to other cultures. From my point of view every person has the right to decide whether his or her culture is superior to that of others. In this sense the Americans were most culture oriented and the majority thought that their culture is superior to other cultures unlike residents of other countries. This is due to the high development and standard of the U.S. residents. The article also checked out the relation between wealth and religious beliefs. This was an obvious result, as people don't normally associate closeness to religion by their wealth. It is not necessary that a rich person would be religious and it comes from rational thinking. Coming to homosexuality, most of the people said it can be tolerated but can't be accepted. This was an expected result as people don't usually interfere in the matters of others in the Western Countries and all types of freedom are given to people. This is another factor why people of Western Countries think that their culture is superior to other cultures because it minimizes boundaries. Countries that are developed and do not face any major problems or threats to their economy favored immigration and were happy to have people coming from all over the world to work in their country. This is because under developed countries find it hard to cope with the immigrants and the government itself looks to avoid immigrants hence it tightens up the immigration rules. Talking about democracy and dictatorship, it is obvious and proved many times that democracy is the best policy but in certain situations when the stability of the country is at stake people thought that dictatorship was the best policy. People mostly rejected this idea of democracy being the Western way of doing things by the fact that it does work everywhere, which has been proven time and

Kidney trafficking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Kidney trafficking - Essay Example In many of the wealthier nations of the world, there are increasing numbers of citizens who are succumbing to bodily disorders that are related with affluence. For example, Type II Diabetes can result from gaining excessive weight. This disease could easily weaken the normal functioning of body organs such as the kidneys. The demand for kidneys has thus increased in many Western nations. Moreover, there are few donors of these precious organs. Many Western hospitals have long waiting lists of patients who have to survive through dialysis until they benefit from an organ. Their desperation spawns the activities of international criminal organizations that deal in the trade of organ transplants. Even though the trade in human organs remains illegal in many nations, the demand for these organs, particularly by wealthy people who are ready to part with exorbitant amounts of money to acquire them keeps the trade alive. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2007, approximately 15% of all the 63,000 kidney transplants that took place in various nations around the world involved financial payment between poor donors who were not related and rich patients from developed nations (Budiani-Saberi & Delmonico, 2008). This would be arranged by members of trafficking organizations who brokered the entire process. Usually, when kidney or other transplants occur, the organs will be acquired from deceased or living donors. Different nations have different laws on the waiting time for any human organ that is removed from a corpse. Moreover, most kidney patients are willing to receive a kidney from either a cadaver or a living person; and only insist on doctors ensuring that the organ is healthy. According to Budiani-Saberi & Delmonico (2008) 65,000 Americans in 2007 alone were documented in the kidney transplant waiting list. Even though there have been concerted efforts to increase the incidence s of live organ as well as cadaver donations,

The Theme of Love in Womans Novels Essay Example for Free

The Theme of Love in Womans Novels Essay My aim is to compare and contrast different kinds of love in the novels The Tenant of Wildfell Hall written by Anne Brontà « and The Mill on the Floss written by George Elliot. I am going to examine and determine a love of parents for their children, a love between siblings, a love between man and woman, and a love of literature and art in these novels. In the novel The Mill on the Floss the heroine Helen has a little son – Arthur and she loves him very much. She takes a good care of him, she is aware where he is and what he is doing, and if she is not around her, she asks about him: â€Å"What was Arthur doing when you came away?† (Brontà «, 55). She tries to provide him a good education and she wants him to become a good man one day. And when he is around his father who has a really bad influence on him, she does everything possible to protect him from the behaviour of his father. Even though his father is a bad person, she does not want her son to hate his father, she only wants him to see that his father is not a good person and that little Arthur does not have to be the same: â€Å"And when you hear such words spoken, Arthur, remember never to repeat them: it is wicked to say such things of others, not to have them said against you† (299). Even though it seems to be impossible to manage it, one day little Arthur sees it: â€Å" ‘I’m sorry papa’s wicked,’ said he mournfully, at length, ‘for I don’t want him to go to hell.’ And so saying he burst into tears† (300). Helen’s love for her son is selfless, patient, and never-stopping – just the way the love of a parent for her or his child is supposed to be. Maggie and Tom, siblings in the novel The Mill on the Floss, have parents who care for them as well. Their father Mr Tulliver wants to provide them with good education: â€Å"what I w ant is to give Tom a good eddication† (Elliot, 14). He knows that he is a bit illiterate so he wants his son to be better, educated, and independent as he has never been. His wife agrees with him: â€Å"Well, Mr. Tulliver, you know best: I’ve no objections† (14). When Tom is sent away from home to get his education, his father visits him when he has a chance: â€Å"It was Mr. Tulliver’s first visit to see Tom† (99). They have good parents-children relationship which is obvious from the actions of Tom and Maggie. After their education they help their father, protect him from bad news when he is deadly ill or when he hurts himself, or when he lost everything they obey him and help him: â€Å"When Maggie reached home that evening, in obedience to her father’s call, he was no longer insensible† (132). The love of Maggie’s parents is not acquisitive and selfless because they do for their children what they need to have better life and they are asking only for obedience. Helen has one brother who is called Frederic, but they are not really close as children, because she lives with her aunt and not with him. But when the trouble with Helen’s husband comes and she needs to run, he helps her without hesitation because blood is thicker than water. And thanks to their distant relationship her husband will never ask him about her: â€Å"Mr. Huntingdon would be the last person to whom he should communicate the intelligence; and that he need not trouble himself to bargain for the child, for he (Frederick) fancied he knew enough of his sister to enable him to declare, that wherever she might be, or however situated, no consideration would induce her to deliver him up† (326). But when she leaves her husband and starts living in Wildfell Hall, they grow closer and he is her regular visitor. And since no one knows who he is to her, everyone including Gilbert, the man who loves her, thinks that they are lovers. Gilbert overhears one of their conversations of loving each other and he misinterprets it: â€Å"I heard quite enough, Helen. And it was well for me that I did hear it; for nothing less could have cured my infatuation† (107). The love of Helen and Frederick for each other is selfless and caring. On the contrary, Maggie and Tom grow up together, they do everything together. Maggie follows Tom everywhere and he is an example for her. Her love for him during childhood is very sincere: â€Å"IT was a heavy disappointment to Maggie that she was not allowed to go with her father in the gig hen he went to fetch Tom home from the academy† (26). But their relationship is as most of the relationships of siblings are – they sometimes argue or tease each other, and sometimes they are impatient with each other, but they are glad to see each other: â€Å"Tom, in the gladness of his heart at having dear old Maggie to dispute with and crow over again, seized her round the waist † (100). Later, when Tom does not agree with the choice of her lover, they argue and he stops speaking to her. But she loves him unconditionally and wants to have a good relationship with him. In the end the stop their disputes and they come to terms with each other: â€Å"The boat reappeared, but brother and sister had gone down in an embrace never to be parted; living through again in one supreme moment the days when they had clasped their little hands in love, and roamed the daisied fields together† (333). The first love of the heroine of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was foolish, reckless, and it almost destroyed her. She chose a man with good looks, who made her laugh, but he was irresponsible and wild and she thought he would change. At the beginning their love was passionate, but soon she realized that he flirts with other women even though he was married and that he thinks of her as an object of his pleasure and does not treat her as an equal partner. His love for her is selfish. On the other hand, her second love, Mr Gilbert Markham, is more matured, but still very passionate and romantic: â€Å"just when I love you more than ever† (331). Their love began as friends: â€Å"Mrs. Graham and I were now established friends† (78). And while being friends, she realised that he is an opposite of her husband and that he treats her as an equal partner and is a good example for her little son. She knows that she cannot marry him so she tries to protect him from being hurt of unfulfilled love: â€Å"‘Now, Gilbert, you must leave me—not this moment, but soon—and you must never come again.’† (331). Their love for each other is selfless and self-sacrificing. Maggie Tulliver has two men in her life that she loves as well. Her first love is Phillip, Tom’s classmate. But at the beginning she pities him more than she loves him because of his deformity. But later they become friends, they talk about the books they read a l ot and their love for each other grows. She thinks of him as a brother, not a lover: â€Å"As if I were not grateful for any love. But—but I had never thought of your being my lover. It seemed so far off—like a dream—only like one of the stories one imagines—that I should ever have a lover† (214). But she soon realises that she can love him more than just as a brother: â€Å"but I don’t think I could love any one better than I love you† (215). On the contrary, her love for Stephen is based on the mutual attraction. Their love is passionate and everything that Phillip cannot give her. The first time she and Stephen are alone there is strong attraction towards each other they cannot explain: â€Å"Did she feel as he did? He hoped she did—not. He ought not to have gone. He would master himself in future. He would make himself disagreeable to her, quarrel with her perhaps. Quarrel with her? Was it possible to quarrel with a creature who had such eyes,—defying and deprecating, contradicting and clinging, imperious and beseeching,—full of delicious opposites? To see such a creature subdued by love for one would be a lot worth having—to another man† (262). One moment they run away together and want to get married, but Maggie comes to her senses, because their love is forbidden by society since Stephen is her cousin’s fiancà ©. Helen Graham is a woman who can play the piano, sing a little, she can dance and she really loves literature. But most of all she loves drawing. Sometimes drawing is the only activity she likes doing: â€Å"My drawing suits me best, for I can draw and think at the same time; and if my productions cannot now be seen by any one but myself, and those who do not care about them, they, possibly, may be, hereafter† (109). Her drawing is so good that she earns some money with her paintings, which she saves for the escape from her husband. When she comes to Wildfell Hall, she still continues drawing. It is one of her favourite past times and she draws the things she likes: â€Å"she left us and proceeded along the steep, stony hill, to a loftier, more precipitous eminence at some distance, whence a still finer prospect was to be had, where she preferred taking her sketch, though some of the ladies told her it was a frightful place, and advised her not to attempt it† (54). Helen also likes reading a lot, she and Mr Markham often lend each other some books and then discuss it. The love of art is fulfilling for her, it is calming her and helping her overcome bad moments of her life. It is Maggie’s love of literature that is fascinating. Her desire for knowledge and to know everything is never-ending. As a little child she reads a lot, she has read the books that other children have not and the books she should not have read at her age: â€Å"The ’History of the Devil,’ by Daniel Defoe,—not quite the right book for a little girl,† said Mr. Ri ley† (20). This desire for knowledge does not go weaker when she is older. Every time she visits Tom at his teacher she is fascinated by everything he is being taught. And it is books she and Phillip talk about every time they meet. They discuss if the books are good or if they would like to be like the main characters: â€Å"Take back your Corinne,† said Maggie, drawing a book from under her shawl. â€Å"You were right in telling me she would do me no good; but you were wrong in thinking I should wish to be like her† (213). When she spends time with her cousin Lucy she starts to like music, but it is books and literature she loves the most: â€Å"The mere concord of octaves was a delight to Maggie, and she would often take up a book of studies rather than any melody, that she might taste more keenly by abstraction the more primitive sensation of intervals. Not that her enjoyment of music was of the kind that indicates a great specific talent; it was rather that her sensibility to the supreme excitement of music was only one form of that passionate sensibility which belonged to her whole nature† (257). Her love of books and literature and all art is really passionate and never ending. To sum up, the theme of love is present greatly in both novels – The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and The Mill on the Floss. Parental love in both these novels is selfless and caring, while the love of siblings differs. Helen is distant with her brother at the beginning, but then they become close. Their love is the kind of love which does not want anything in return. The love between Maggie and Tom goes through several stages. While Maggie’s love is sincere and stable, Tom’s love goes through the stage of coldness. But in the end he still loves his sister. Both heroines have two men they fall in love with in their lives, and even though they are totally different they both know what it means to love passionately. Also the love of art and literature differs. While Maggie’s love of art and literature is passionate as she is passionate about everything in her life, the love of literature and art is calmer for Helen. The theme of love is depicted a bit differently in these two novels but it is portrayed in a big aspect. Work cited Brontà «, Anne. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. N.p.: Pennsylvania State University, 2003. Print. Elliot, George. The Mill on the Floss. Vol. IX. N.p.: Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction, 2000. Print.

Three Admirable Souls :: essays research papers

Three Admirable Souls There are different people that have certain qualities that make us admire them. Some people have their own admirable souls. The three nationally known figures that I admire and respect are Jackie Robinson, Billy Graham, and Condolezza Rice, due to all of their recognizable tributes that they have given not only to their families but to everyone around the world. The first person I admire and respect is Jackie Robinson there are many reasons for my admiration for Mr. Robinson. To begin with Jackie Robinson proved to be a man of courage and self respect. He earned and proved this courage and self respect by accepting a very challenging invitation to become the first African American to enter the Major League Baseball, where there was only Caucasian players. For example, when he first began to play he was faced with racism with this also came along, discrimination, physical, and verbal abuse. While facing this racism, Jackie Robinson held on to proving himself a man of self respect and looking forward to proving that a man should not be valued or accepted by the color of his skin, but by the inward person, which makes us who really are. Jackie Robinson behaved like a gentleman despite of all the challenges before him and so by doing this he gained respect by those around him and opened opportunities for other African American players to enter the National Baseball League. These are the qualities of Jackie Robinson courage, humbleness, and self respect that have come to make me admire and respect him. The second person that I admire and respect is Billy Graham. Billy Graham is a world famous evangelist that has been called to preach the Gospel according to his religious belief. Billy Graham began his ministry in the United States and England for the "Youth of Christ Crusade", which eventually led him to have large-scale evangelistic campaign in Los Angeles in 1949. I admire his dedication to his ministry because he has taken the gospel so that every one will have an opportunity to receive salvation according to his religious belief. Billy Graham is still obedient to the calling of his ministry because of his fifty six years of preaching and at the age of eighty seven his obedience is still having an influence on young and older people. Those who have had an encounter with Mr. Graham have had their faith stronger and have spiritually grown.

Compare and contrast Blake’s ‘London’ to Wordsworth ‘composed upon Westminster Bridge’ Essay

Both these poems were written at around the turn of the 19th century, in Georgian times, to illustrate the authors’ views on the City of London. At this time, the industrial revolution was underway and there was vast growth in the population, due to medical advances and people having more children. In my opinion, they are both mocking the City and its inhabitants. Both Poems use their structure to emphasise the words in them. William Blake’s ‘London’ is written in four, four line stanzas. Each line of each verse has the same number of syllables; this creates a regimented, almost mechanical effect. It uses alternate line rhyming to make the poem sound regular. This system also emphasises the last word of each line. Each verse of the Blake poem attacks a different aspect of London. It is clear that Blake found London a very corrupt and immoral place, providing a very bleak picture of the city. Whereas in contrast Wordsworth’s poem is written in the form of an Italian sonnet, of which describes the man made elements of the city, the last sextet refers to natural beauty. This poem also uses alternate line rhyming to create the effect of order. Bringing attention to emphasizes the meaning of the rhyming words. Both poets use different symbolism to convey their ideas to the reader. Wordsworth shows his feelings for London in a figurative way. He personifies the sun, river and the city. He allows them to perform human functions such as wearing clothes. He continues this simile giving the river ‘a will’, something which is unique to people. He says ‘The City now doth like a garment wear the beauty of the morning’. This gives the impression that the city is alive, not just an inanimate collection of buildings. I interpret this personification to mean that the city takes the beauty of the morning to disguise it dirtiness and ugliness. William Blake’s poem conveys his feelings in a more abstract style, when he uses the people and buildings of London to represent the institutions, which they are associated with. He uses the image of a church to criticise religious establishments and a palace to signify the state, and authorities that control it. He gives the image of the soldier’s sigh running in blood down palace walls. Here he is attacking the monarchy and government for condemning young men to death by sending them off to fight in foreign wars. Many of the words in Blake’s poem have more than one meaning. In the first line he talks of London’s ‘charter’d’ streets. Chartered can be interpreted to mean responsibility of the church or state or licensed; on the other side of the coin it can be use to mean licentious and freely immoral. Taken in context with the rest of the poem I consider it to mean freely immoral as further on in the poem he alludes to prostitution, and other such corrupt activities. According to traditional reading the picture of London we see in Wordsworth’s poem is an exaggerated tribute to the beauty of London. It uses imagery and praises both nature and mans achievements. It immediately sets out how the author feels in the first line saying ‘Dull would he be of soul who could pass by, a sight so touching in its majesty.’ Inferring that the sight of London would evoke strong views in everyone who sees it. It is left up to the reader to decide whether this is a compliment or a criticism. Wordsworth’s most famous works allude to the beauty of his beloved lake district. So it is not to imagine he would be shocked and repulsed by London. Wordsworth’s poem describes London as ‘glittering in the smokeless air’ and having a calming aura. These statements, I think prove that the words are sarcastic. At the time they were written the Industrial was happening and the chimneys of London would be belching out thick smoke. Also to describe London as calming is, in my opinion a blatant lie. London is the heart of the United Kingdom, a port and an important centre of commerce. It is near impossible for us to imagine it as ‘calm’ even in ‘The beauty of the morning;’ In contrast to this the Blake poem uses hyperbole to criticize London and the sadness and malice of the people who live there. Blake’s London brutally painted is a dark, dirty, disease ridden and deprived place Unlike the Wordsworth poem it leaves you in no doubt as to the authors feelings on the subject. In the last verse of the Blake poem there is a theme of sexually transmitted disease, leading to the end of society. This is most apparent in the last verse. It describes the ‘youthful harlots curse’ blasting the newborn infant. This is showing that the venereal disease affects everyone because of the promiscuity of the people in the society. The last line uses the image of a marriage hearse being blighted by sexually transmitted disease. Marriage is supposed to be a happy occasion though here it is shown to be an institution that carries people to their deathbeds. This is because marriage is usually seen as an appropriate setting for sexual intercourse, which spreads the diseases when infidelity is rife. Which are hinted to lead to the end of civilization. The Wordsworth poem is slightly less melodramatic in its outlook as it merely describes London at one moment in the morning. It has nothing in it that could be interpreted as relating to London’s people or what the future holds for them. The Wordsworth poem is made more charged in the penultimate line where he says ‘Dear God! The very houses seem asleep;’ He is so overwhelmed by the tranquillity of London that he feels the need to invoke gods name. In contrast nowhere in the Blake poem does he use direct speech to heighten any of the emotions. Both these poems, in my opinion, share feelings of concern and disgust for London. If I had to pick which one I preferred I would choose the Blake poem. This is because the meaning of the words is more clear-cut. I accept that the point of the Wordsworth poem may be to leave it up to the reader to decide whether or not the poem is sarcastic or not. But I don’t consider this device to be particularly effective; thought irritating maybe but not effective. The Blake poem is also more emotional and melodramatic.