Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The presidency of thomas jefferson

The presidency of thomas jefferson The Failures Of The Presidency Of Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson is generally regarded as one of the most popular and successful of the United States Presidents. In reviewing his Presidency, it is found that Jefferson had one of the toughest times as the nations leader. Jefferson made many mistakes during his two terms in office, some of which adversely affected the entire population of the United States. With an embargo that destroyed the homeland economy, and hypocritical negotiations with the terroristic Barbary pirates, Jeffersons few mistakes were some of the most detrimental and failed plots in the countrys history. These events and the specific actions taken by Jefferson while in office adversely affected the social and economical steadiness of the nation, creating a political imbalance that—by the end of Jeffersons second term—led to the War of 1812. The year was 1807, and the British and French had been at war with each other for around fifteen years. Jefferson was in his sixth year as President. Although the United States remained relatively uninvolved in the Napoleonic Wars up until this point, Britain announced that their naval fleet would be more aggressive in their policy of reclaiming deserted British soldiers who were now working on American ships. Around this same time, Napoleon Bonaparte, the French leader, proclaimed that because their country was at war with the British, their fleet would attack any ship carrying goods to or from Britain. These two threats required a response from Jefferson; shipping to and from Britain would have to cease because the French would attack American vessels, and ships could no longer travel around Europe because the British would reclaim their subjects. It was clear that the British did not want American trade to support the French, and the French did not want trade going to the British. This dilemma was considered an extreme priority; economy, foreign relations, and American lives were all at stake. Jefferson was convinced that he should act immediately. Jefferson consulted his cabinet and close officers and decided to ask Congress to pass an embargo. This embargo would not only bar all American ships from trading with Britain and France, it stopped trade overseas completely. Jefferson believed that while keeping Americans safe, he was also punishing Britain and France for their threats against America. Jefferson also believed that because the embargo blocked all trade completely, and because the United States was a part of the European economy, Britain and France would suffer from not having goods from America. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) Jefferson was clearly wrong. The great nations of Britain and France did not need American trade after all, as they could import from anywhere else. One of the only things that both countries learned from the lesson was that neither of them required trade from the United States to succeed. The second that the embargo took place, over 30,000 jobs were lost. Not only were jobs lost, but people who still had jobs suffered even more than those that didnt. Farmers, who were used to shipping materials overseas, could not sell surplus amounts of what they produced. Port and dock workers had no cargo to unload or ships to manage, and ship owners had boats that sat—empty. This was the same for every major port city. Hoping that the embargo would be repealed, producers piled American-made merchandise by the docks. All of these items ready for the European economy, with no way to get there—legally. Smuggling became an industry under the embargo, with people so desperate to make mo ney in this minor depression of trade and economy. Smuggling went from ships sailing across the Great Lakes into Canada to merchants and traders breaking the embargo altogether. With the market in clear struggle, trade being the forerunner in the American economy, Jefferson did nothing about a possible repudiation of the embargo. Jefferson even stated that it was â€Å"necessary to maintain the laws of embargo.† (Jefferson) Smugglers who were caught were not convicted of their crimes, as even grand juries disagreed with the ridiculous act. Smugglers became heroes to the American people, and Jefferson became a persecutor. The Embargo Act was the complete antithesis of the idea of â€Å"promoting the general welfare;† rather, the restriction denied welfare, oppressing many groups of workers and people. (Malone) A constant embargo with duration of fifteen months proved that Jeffersons actions had failed. Britain and France experienced no trouble or effect of the embargo. The Embargo Act smothered American economy, fortunes, and businesses. It created a new industry for criminal behavior, and ruined Jeffersons image as a hero. In a letter that Jefferson wrote while preparing to leave the White House, he stated, â€Å"Never did a prisoner, released from his chains, feel such relief as I shall on shaking off the shackles of power.† After leaving office, Congress replaced the embargo with the Non-Intercourse Act, reinstating trade with every nation save Britain and France. Although Congress eventually repealed the Embargo Act, it was too late for Jefferson himself to reverse the action that he took based on his originally good intentions. (WhiteHouse.gov) Moving backward into the first term of Jeffersons presidency, another major error is found. In 1801, the first year of Jeffersons first term, the First Barbary War broke out. This small war was fought between the United States and the Barbary States, a group of independent nations in North Africa. In the first few weeks of Jeffersons term, Yusuf Karamanli, a high-ranking official of the Barbary States, demanded $225,000 from Jeffersons new administration. Jefferson immediately refused the demand, and Karamanli declared war on the United States. Two other nations followed their Tripolitan allies and declared war as well. Jefferson responded to this declaration of war by sending a group of frigates to defend other American trade ships and people in the Mediterranean Sea. Congress never voted on the declaration of war, but they did approve Jeffersons request of sending the frigates. While the American navy was relatively strong, tensions increased and battles broke out. The fleet of Tri poli captured the USS Philadelphia. All of the crew, including the captain, was taken as hostages and the ship was turned against other American ships. (Toll) Almost nine months after the Philadelphia was captured, Stephen Decatur led the very first Marines to Tripoli and onto the Philadelphia. The men overpowered the Tripolitan crew and set fire to the ship, in order to ensure that the Philadelphia would not be used against American forces anymore. Jeffersons mistake of denying the ransom of around a quarter of a million dollars led to many deaths and unnecessary battles over a period of four years—but this was not the worst part of his decision. While Jeffersons position on paying ransom in 1801 was firm, he asked Congress to pay a ransom in 1805, thus ending the war. This hypocritical stance was not a fair way to end the war, as they had already been fighting for four years. Many of the members of the State Department believed that the honor of the United States was lost when it abandoned the crew of the Philadelphia in 1803, but paid a ransom for their release in 1805. The worst part of this decision was the fact that the sixty- thousand dollar ransom that was paid in 1805 only released the sailors, but did not create a peace agreement with the Barbary States. This mistake led to various fleets from the Barbary States seizing American ships and crewmen, starting back up a mere two years after the ransom had been paid. Clearly, the paying of the ransom did nothing but support the terroristic ways of the Barbary States. The way that the United States agreed to negotiate with the radical regime did not â€Å"secure the blessings of liberty,† but it led the leaders of the Barbary States to believe that the United States would pay ransom for hostages, which led to the Second Barbary War. All of the money, life, resource, and honor that were lost in both the paying of the ransom and the Second Barbary War would have been saved if the war would have been finished in 1805 and a treaty agreement signed, rather than Jeffersons agreeing to support the severely corrupt Ottoman Empire. (Gawalt) It is clear that in reguard to honor and heroism, Thomas Jefferson is one of the most popular and well-respected of the Founding Fathers, as well as the United States Presidents. Although Jefferson was a successful leader in American History, his presidency led to a decline in respect for him politically. The two fatal failures of the presidency of Thomas Jefferson are the relations with the Barbary Pirates and the Embargo Act, both directly stimulating American involvement with the war of 1812, thus ruining American neutrality. Jefferson did not have a failed presidency, but a flawed one. Jefferson made mistakes just like any other man, but his actions led to a decline in the economy, the loss of life, the inbalance of the infrastructure of the United States, and even another war with the tyrants of the Barbary States. â€Å"Action will delineate and define you.† – Thomas Jefferson Works Cited Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Embargo Act. 2009. Embargo Act (United States [1807]). 2 October 2009 . Gawalt, Gerard W. The Thomas Jefferson Papers. January 2009. America and the Barbary Pirates: An International Battle Against an Unconventional Foe. 1 October 2009 . Jefferson, Thomas. Eighth State of the Union Address. Speech. Washington, D.C., 1808. Malone, Dumas. Jefferson the President: Second Term 1805 1809 Volume V (Jefferson and His Time, Vol 5). Chicago: Back Bay Books, 1975. Toll, Ian W. Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy . New York: W. W. Norton Company, 2006. WhiteHouse.gov. Biography of Thomas Jefferson. 2009. 3 October 2009 .

Sunday, January 19, 2020

the Tao Of Pooh Book Review Essay -- essays research papers

THE TAO OF POOH Philosophy is a complicated subject. Since the beginning of human existence, many tried to come up with theories about life, happiness, reality and knowledge. From philosophical ideas different beliefs sprung, and existence of different religions followed. Every theory raised by a philosopher attracted different followers. In today's modern society aside from major religions, there are thousands of others that suggest that their explanations to universal questions are the only accurate ones, and all of these religions seek to gain more followers to join their "way". One of these religions is the religion/philosophy of Taoism. Taoism has it roots in China, where the founder of Taoism Lao-Tse was searching for a way that would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted his society during his lifetime. The result was his book: Tao-te-Ching. Lao-Tse described Taoism as a path or a way which one must follow in order to reach inner serenity and peace. In order to reach these inner goals one must live in harmony with nature and natural process that creates the balance in the universe. The novel, written by Benjamin Hoff embodies the spiritual beliefs of Taoism, through the famous cartoon character of Winnie-the-Pooh. In this novel, Hoff shows that the character of Pooh is amazingly consistent with the principles of Taoism. He brings about explanations of Taoism through Pooh and explanations of Pooh's behaviour through Taoism, which eventually shows that Taoism is not simply an old religion or ancient philosophy, but a practice that can be used by every individual here and now in their every day lives. In this novel each major principle of Taoism is followed by an explanation made though a humorous story staring Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends. -2- SUMMARY OF MAIN IDEAS The first main principle of Taoism that is presented in this novel is the idea that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily contaminated and lost when that simplicity is altered. This principle is also known as the Uncarved Block. Winnie-the-Pooh is very significant in this principle of the Uncarved Block, because he illustrates the perfect example of an individual that follows this principle. Pooh always exists in his "natural state", he is... ...oundation of all living things that exist in this world. The mission of Taoism is not to force its beliefs on people, but to help them realize their inner-self and guide into a happy life in harmony with nature. To best summarize Taoism a quote from Lao-Tse can be used: "We believe in the formless and eternal Tao, and we recognize all personified deities as being mere human constructs. We reject hatred, intolerance, and unnecessary violence, and embrace harmony, love and learning, as we are taught by Nature. We place our trust and our lives in the Tao, that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in this mortal life and beyond." There are thousands of religions that offer endless solutions to end suffering, to restore peace and unity in the world. For decades philosophers tried to come up with ways to find happiness, but in the end there was only one answer. The answer came from a some would call silly, others wise bear by the name of Winnie-the-Pooh, w ho discovered the secret for happiness in and old religion, founded by a great master Lao-Tse. This religion became the answer for the endless search for happiness and the answer was Taoism.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Naturalism

Naturalism is a type of literature that â€Å"exposed the dark harshness of life . . . were often very pessimistic and . . . blunt .† (Wikipedia).  Ã‚   Naturalistic writers do not moralize about the nature of human beings in their works, but view them with cold impartiality.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To them, nature is an indifferent force that adopts a hands-off policy vis-à  -vis human beings and the calamities that befall them.   Naturalistic works often depict an individual’s struggle to survive against the forces of nature.   At times, the conflict may be that of man against himself as he strives to maintain his humanity, to tame â€Å"the brute within† in the face of contending passions.     Ã‚  Characters in such works usually belong to the lower middle class or the lower classes.  Ã‚     (Campbell).Jack London’s The Law of Life depicts the indifference of nature to the impending death of an old man.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abandoned in the snow by his tr ibe,   nearly blind and lame, old Koskoosh lies beside a fire with only a handful of twigs to keep himself from freezing.   He is aware of his imminent end, but calmly accepts the fact that â€Å"all men must die†.  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the few remaining hours of his life, he reflects on the never ending cycle of life and death, on how even the most vigorous animal would fall prey to old age and its predators.  Ã‚   In all this, he concluded that â€Å"nature did not care.  Ã‚   To life, she set one task, gave one law.   To perpetuate was the task of life, its law was death.†Koskoosh recalled how the Great Famine ravaged his tribe, against which they were all helpless.  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Here, London brings into focus an indifferent nature, heedless of the wailings of the villagers until nearly all of them starved to death.  Ã‚   Koskoosh also remembered how the times of plenty awakened the blood lust in his people until they revived ancient quarrels and wage d war on their enemies.  Ã‚   In this case, the â€Å"brute within†, another frequent theme of the naturalistic work, is awakened and unleashed.Occupying the old man’s thoughts in his final moments was his memory of a moose that fought off wolves until it was overpowered and fell on the bloody snow.  Ã‚  Ã‚   That recollection foreshadowed his own death: wolves were closing in on him as his fire dwindled.  Ã‚  Ã‚   But unlike the moose which fought to the very end, Koskoosh gave up when he realized the futility of it.   â€Å"What did it matter after all?† he asked.   â€Å"Was it not the law of life?†An indifferent, hostile nature pervades The Open Boat by Stephen Crane.   Four men, one of them injured, sat on a dingy after their ship went down.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An angry surf separated them from the safety of the beach; they could not take the boat to shore lest she capsize.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Desperate and afraid, sleepless and hungry, the corre spondent ponders the indifference of nature to their plight.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The men spend the night at the sea, alternately rowing and keeping the boat afloat.The appearance of vacationers on the beach waving gaily to the men in the boat thus giving them hopes of immediate rescue is probably Crane’s way of emphasizing the nonchalance of nature in the face of human suffering, made more bitter by the realization that no rescue was forthcoming after all.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The cook’s â€Å"house of refuge†, deserted and lifeless, seemed to mock the men:   â€Å"There was the shore of the populous land, and it was bitter and bitter to them that from it came no sign.† (4).Crane focuses on the inner despair of the men as they wait and toil at the oars, aware that their tiny dingy might be swamped at the next wave, drowning them, or that they might be taken out to sea when the on-shore wind died.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the face of this uncertainty, Crane voices out, thr ough the correspondent, the pathetic rebellion of the ordinary mortal who could not believe, and yet could not overcome, the indifference of nature to his plight:Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny-woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the management of men`s fortunes.   .   . If she has decided to drown me, why did she not do it   in the beginning and save me all this trouble? . . . But, no, she cannot mean   to drown me. She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all this work. . . Just you drown me, now, and then hear what I call you! (4).The correspondent in The Open Boat saw the â€Å"abominable injustice† of being drowned after so much hardship.  Ã‚   The idea of fairness and justice is deeply ingrained in him that he finds it would be â€Å"a crime most unnatural† .  Ã‚  Ã‚   He imagined nature’s indifference similar to his own and that of his school-fellows who during childhood were taught a poem about a soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers: he did not care about him but now, faced with his own death, he felt sorry for the soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers   (6).The tall wind-tower is also an apt symbol of nature’s indifference.  Ã‚   â€Å"This tower was a giant, standing with its back to the plight of the ants.  Ã‚   It represented . . . the serenity of nature amid the struggles of the individual. . . She did not seem cruel to him, nor beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise.  Ã‚   But she was indifferent, flatly indifferent.† (7).The characters in The Open Boat are just â€Å"ordinary† persons but in their mortal peril each of them performed heroically in their battle against the sea: the wounded captain, vigilantly keeping watch, clinging with one hand to the keel of the dingy after it had swamped; Billie the oiler, mast erfully steering the craft, dying before he reached the safety of the beach; the cook and the correspondent, fighting desperately against the churning surf.Like Koskoosh, the correspondent in The Open Boat considered death a proper release from one’s pains, the former from his futile struggle with the wolves, and the latter from his struggle with the waves.  Ã‚  Ã‚   He thought that â€Å"when one gets properly wearied, drowning must really be a comfortable arrangement, a cessation of hostilities accompanied by a large degree of relief, and he was glad of it . . .† (7).A Deal in Wheat by Frank Norris tells about the plight of Sam Lewiston and his wife and thousands of other wheat farmers who were driven to bankruptcy due to the trickery of wheat dealers who gambled with the prices of grain, oblivious of the untold suffering caused by their machinations.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sam and his wife and the people who lined up at night at the bread line belonged to the lower c lasses of society: â€Å"workmen, long since out of work, forced into idleness by long-continued ‘hard times,’ by ill luck, by sickness.†The â€Å"interminable line of dark figures, close-pressed, soundless; a crowd, yet absolutely still . . .waiting in the vast deserted night-ridden street; waiting without a word .. . . under the slow-moving mists of rain†,   is as naturalistic as Crane’s and London’s stories set in a hostile sea and an abandoned camp in the snow:There was something ominous and gravely impressive in this interminable  line of dark figures, close-pressed, soundless; a crowd, yet absolutely  still; a close-packed, silent file, waiting, waiting in the vast  deserted night-ridden street; waiting without a word, without a  movement, there under the night and under the slow-moving mists of rain.From this line of hungry men there arose â€Å"a shudder of despair, an unformed, inarticulate sense of calamity† caused by the abrupt notice that the bread line was being discontinued owing to the increase in the price of grain.  Ã‚   This particular scene imparts to the reader Sam Lewiston’s and the crowd’s pathetic plight, their helplessness against the market forces that conspired to bring about their ruin.   Ã‚  The â€Å"white-aproned undercook† who posted the notice and disappeared within the bakery symbolizes an indifferent nature, perhaps an indifferent society, not caring whether or not the hundreds of people that have silently, patiently stood outside in the cold would go to bed hungry that night and for nights to come.These three stories represent the naturalistic genre: The Law of Life by Jack London showing the endless cycle of life and death as viewed in the last reflections of an old man, who resigns to accept his own violent death from hungry wolves; The Open Boat by Stephen Crane depicting the struggles of four men in a dingy to reach the safety of land; and A Deal in Wheat by Frank Norris, which brings into focus the grim silent suffering of people at a bread line.  Ã‚  Ã‚   In all these works the writers attempt to portray the lives of common persons as they grapple with the forces of nature and endure calamity caused by the manipulation of other human beings.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through these works, the writers drive home to our consciousness a world of harsh and cold reality: of ordinary human beings forced to contend with an uncaring, indifferent nature, yet bringing to the fore something heroic and extra-ordinary within them.WORKS CITEDCampbell, Donna M. â€Å"Naturalism in American Literature.†Literary Movements.      2 February 2007.   Accessed 2 March 2007..Crane, Stephen.   â€Å"The Open Boat†. 2 March 2007.London, Jack.   â€Å"The Law of Life†.   2 March 2007.Norris, Frank. â€Å"A Deal in Wheat†.   5 March 2007.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Naturalism†.   20 February 2007.  Ã‚   Accessed 2 March 2007. Naturalism Naturalism is a type of literature that â€Å"exposed the dark harshness of life . . . were often very pessimistic and . . . blunt .† (Wikipedia).  Ã‚   Naturalistic writers do not moralize about the nature of human beings in their works, but view them with cold impartiality.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To them, nature is an indifferent force that adopts a hands-off policy vis-à  -vis human beings and the calamities that befall them.   Naturalistic works often depict an individual’s struggle to survive against the forces of nature.   At times, the conflict may be that of man against himself as he strives to maintain his humanity, to tame â€Å"the brute within† in the face of contending passions.     Ã‚  Characters in such works usually belong to the lower middle class or the lower classes.  Ã‚     (Campbell).Jack London’s The Law of Life depicts the indifference of nature to the impending death of an old man.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abandoned in the snow by his tr ibe,   nearly blind and lame, old Koskoosh lies beside a fire with only a handful of twigs to keep himself from freezing.   He is aware of his imminent end, but calmly accepts the fact that â€Å"all men must die†.  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the few remaining hours of his life, he reflects on the never ending cycle of life and death, on how even the most vigorous animal would fall prey to old age and its predators.  Ã‚   In all this, he concluded that â€Å"nature did not care.  Ã‚   To life, she set one task, gave one law.   To perpetuate was the task of life, its law was death.†Koskoosh recalled how the Great Famine ravaged his tribe, against which they were all helpless.  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Here, London brings into focus an indifferent nature, heedless of the wailings of the villagers until nearly all of them starved to death.  Ã‚   Koskoosh also remembered how the times of plenty awakened the blood lust in his people until they revived ancient quarrels and wage d war on their enemies.  Ã‚   In this case, the â€Å"brute within†, another frequent theme of the naturalistic work, is awakened and unleashed.Occupying the old man’s thoughts in his final moments was his memory of a moose that fought off wolves until it was overpowered and fell on the bloody snow.  Ã‚  Ã‚   That recollection foreshadowed his own death: wolves were closing in on him as his fire dwindled.  Ã‚  Ã‚   But unlike the moose which fought to the very end, Koskoosh gave up when he realized the futility of it.   â€Å"What did it matter after all?† he asked.   â€Å"Was it not the law of life?†An indifferent, hostile nature pervades The Open Boat by Stephen Crane.   Four men, one of them injured, sat on a dingy after their ship went down.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An angry surf separated them from the safety of the beach; they could not take the boat to shore lest she capsize. Desperate and afraid, sleepless and hungry, the correspondent pon ders the indifference of nature to their plight.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The men spend the night at the sea, alternately rowing and keeping the boat afloat.The appearance of vacationers on the beach waving gaily to the men in the boat thus giving them hopes of immediate rescue is probably Crane’s way of emphasizing the nonchalance of nature in the face of human suffering, made more bitter by the realization that no rescue was forthcoming after all.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The cook’s â€Å"house of refuge†, deserted and lifeless, seemed to mock the men:   â€Å"There was the shore of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the populous land, and it was bitter and bitter to them that from it came no sign.† (4).Crane focuses on the inner despair of the men as they wait and toil at the oars, aware that their tiny dingy might be swamped at the next wave, drowning them, or that they might be taken out to sea when the on-shore wind died.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the face of this uncertain ty, Crane voices out, through the correspondent, the pathetic rebellion of the ordinary mortal who could not believe, and yet could not overcome, the indifference of nature to his plight:Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to    nibble the sacred cheese of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny-woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the management   of men`s fortunes.   .   . If she has decided to drown me, why did she not do it    in the beginning and save me all this trouble? . . . But, no, she cannot mean   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to drown me. She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all    this work. . . Just you drown me, now, and then hear what I call you! (4).The correspondent in The Open Boat saw the â€Å"abominable injustice† of being drowned after so much hardship.  Ã‚   The idea of fairness and justice is deeply ingrained in him that he finds it would be â€Å"a crime most unnatural† .  Ã‚  Ã‚   He imagined nature’s indifference similar to his own and that of his school-fellows who during childhood were taught a poem about a soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers: he did not care about him but now, faced with his own death, he felt sorry for the soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers   (6).   The tall wind-tower is also an apt symbol of nature’s indifference.  Ã‚   â€Å"This tower was a giant, standing with its back to the plight of the ants.  Ã‚   It represented . . . the serenity of nature amid the struggles of the individual. . . She did not seem cruel to him, nor beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise.  Ã‚   But she was indifferent, flatly indifferent.† (7).The characters in The Open Boat are just â€Å"ordinary† persons but in their mortal peril each of them performed heroically in their battle against the sea: the wounded captain, vigilantly k eeping watch, clinging with one hand to the keel of the dingy after it had swamped; Billie the oiler, masterfully steering the craft, dying before he reached the safety of the beach; the cook and the correspondent, fighting desperately against the churning surf.Like Koskoosh, the correspondent in The Open Boat considered death a proper release from one’s pains, the former from his futile struggle with the wolves, and the latter from his struggle with the waves.  Ã‚  Ã‚   He thought that â€Å"when one gets properly wearied, drowning must really be a comfortable arrangement, a cessation of hostilities accompanied by a large degree of relief, and he was glad of it . . .† (7).A Deal in Wheat by Frank Norris tells about the plight of Sam Lewiston and his wife and thousands of other wheat farmers who were driven to bankruptcy due to the trickery of wheat dealers who gambled with the prices of grain, oblivious of the untold suffering caused by their machinations.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sam and his wife and the people who lined up at night at the bread line belonged to the lower classes of society: â€Å"workmen, long since out of work, forced into idleness by long-continued ‘hard times,’ by ill luck, by sickness.†The â€Å"interminable line of dark figures, close-pressed, soundless; a crowd, yet absolutely still . . .waiting in the vast deserted night-ridden street; waiting without a word .. . . under the slow-moving mists of rain†,   is as naturalistic as Crane’s and London’s stories set in a hostile sea and an abandoned camp in the snow:There was something ominous and gravely impressive in this interminable line of dark figures, close-pressed, soundless; a crowd, yet absolutely still; a close-packed, silent file, waiting, waiting in the vast deserted night-ridden street; waiting without a word, without a movement, there under the night and under the slow-moving mists of rain.From this line of hungry men there arose â€Å"a shudder of despair, an unformed, inarticulate sense of calamity† caused by the abrupt notice that the bread line was being discontinued owing to the increase in the price of grain.  Ã‚   This particular scene imparts to the reader Sam Lewiston’s and the crowd’s pathetic plight, their helplessness against the market forces that conspired to bring about their ruin.   Ã‚  The â€Å"white-aproned undercook† who posted the notice and disappeared within the bakery symbolizes an indifferent nature, perhaps an indifferent society, not caring whether or not the hundreds of people that have silently, patiently stood outside in the cold would go to bed hungry that night and for nights to come.These three stories represent the naturalistic genre: The Law of Life by Jack London showing the endless cycle of life and death as viewed in the last reflections of an old man, who resigns to accept his own violent death from hungry wolves; The Open Boat by Stephen Crane depicting the struggles of four men in a dingy to reach the safety of land; and A Deal in Wheat by Frank Norris, which brings into focus the grim silent suffering of people at a bread line.In all these works the writers attempt to portray the lives of common persons as they grapple with the forces of nature and endure calamity caused by the manipulation of other human beings.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through these works, the writers drive home to our consciousness a world of harsh and cold reality: of ordinary human beings forced to contend with an uncaring, indifferent nature, yet bringing to the fore something heroic and extra-ordinary within them.WORKS CITEDCampbell, Donna M. â€Å"Naturalism in American Literature.†Literary Movements.   2 February 2007.   Accessed 2 March 2007..Crane, Stephen.   â€Å"The Open Boat†. 2 March 2007.  Ã‚  London, Jack.   â€Å"The Law of Life†.   2 March 2007.  Norris, Frank. â€Å"A Deal in Wheat†.   5 March 2007.â€Å"Naturalism†.   20 February 2007.  Ã‚   Accessed 2 March 2007.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Find out What the Pelagic Zone Is

The pelagic zone is the area of the ocean outside of coastal areas. This is also called the open ocean. The open ocean lies over and beyond the continental shelf. Its where you’ll find some of the biggest marine life species. The sea floor (demersal zone) is not included in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek word pelagos meaning sea or high sea.   Different Zones Within the Pelagic Zone The pelagic zone is separated into several subzones depending on water depth: Epipelagic zone (ocean surface to 200 meters deep). This is the zone in which photosynthesis can occur because light is available.Mesopelagic zone (200-1,000m) - This is also known as the twilight zone because light becomes limited. There is less oxygen available to organisms in this zone.Bathypelagic zone (1,000-4,000m) - This is a dark zone where water pressure is high and the water is cold (around 35-39 degrees).  Abyssopelagic zone (4,000-6,000m) - This is the zone past the continental slope - the deep water just over the ocean bottom. This is also known as the abyssal zone.Hadopelagic zone (deep ocean trenches, greater than 6,000m) - In some places, there are trenches that are deeper than the surrounding ocean floor. These areas are the hadopelagic zone. At a depth of over 36,000 feet, the Mariana Trench is the deepest known point in the ocean.   Within these different zones, there can be a dramatic difference in available light, water pressure and the types of species youll find there. Marine Life Found in the Pelagic Zone Thousands of species of all shapes and sizes live in the pelagic zone. Youll find animals that travel long distances and some that drift with the currents. There is a wide array of species here as this zone includes all of the ocean that is not either in a coastal area or the ocean bottom. Thus, the pelagic zone thus comprises the largest volume of ocean water in any marine habitat. Life in this zone ranges from tiny plankton to the largest whales. Plankton Organisms include phytoplankton, which provides oxygen for us here on Earth and food for many animals. Zooplankton such as copepods are found there and also are an important part of the oceanic food web. Invertebrates Examples of invertebrates that live in the pelagic zone include jellyfish, squid, krill, and octopus. Vertebrates Many large ocean vertebrates live in or migrate through the pelagic zone. These include  cetaceans, sea turtles and large fish such as ocean sunfish (which is shown in the image), bluefin tuna, swordfish, and sharks. While they dont live  in the water, seabirds such as petrels, shearwaters, and gannets can often be found above, on and diving under the water in search of prey. Challenges of the Pelagic Zone This can be a challenging environment where species are affected by wave and wind activity, pressure, water temperature and prey availability. Because the pelagic zone covers a large area, prey may be scattered over some distance, meaning animals have to travel far to find it and may not feed as often as an animal in a coral reef or tide pool habitat, where prey is denser. Some pelagic zone animals (e.g., pelagic seabirds, whales, sea turtles) travel thousands of miles between breeding and feeding grounds. Along the way, they face changes in water temperatures, types of prey, and human activities such as shipping, fishing, and exploration.