Of Mice And Men Language Essay Example for Free

Of Mice And Men Language Essay The importance of this passage, which introduces the closing section of the novel, is that it refers to what has happened earlier in the story and what is about to happen. It represents symbolically the characters, events and ideas of the story so far and prefigures the final tragedy. The setting is the same as at the beginning of the novel, a clearing on the banks by the deep green pool of the Salinas River. In the first paragraph Steinbeck conveys once more, now briefly, the beauty of the natural scene, the paradise from which mankind has been cast out. Now however the circumstances are very different and returning to the same setting suggests a circular movement of events, getting nowhere, but also as a downward spiral. Lennie is in trouble again and more seriously than ever before he has killed Curleys wife. The dream he and George shared is already dead. There is a disturbance to the scene, a far rush of wind and a scattering of leaves, the only sounds breaking the silence. The rivers surface is briefly disturbed, but as quickly as it had come, the wind died and the clearing was quiet again. By this Steinbeck reminds us of the smallness and insignificance of the events of the novel. They will quickly pass and be forgotten. A water snake glided swiftly up the pool, this represents Lennie, twisting its periscope head from side to side. Lennies vision is limited by his dull wits and he doesnt foresee the fate towards which he is blundering. A heron waiting in the shallows seizes the little snake by the head and swallows it while its tail waved frantically. Lennies size and strength are insignificant, uselessly matched against much larger forces, such as the society he lives in. This reflects another theme of the novel: the powerful dominate and prey upon the weak. This is the situation of the migrant labourers, who own nothing but their ability to work, in relation to the Boss who has wealth and land and who exploits his labourers. It is reflected too in the pecking order on the ranch: the weak ones Lennie, Crooks and Candy are at the mercy of the strong. Crooks dominates Lennie and Curleys wife dominates Crooks. Carlson, with Slims consent, dispatches Candys dog. Curly is ever present attempting to dominate everyone, except Slim, by physical violence and through his relation to his father. When Lennie appears out of the brush the heron flies off and a second little snake, representing George, finds refuge from the heron in the reeds. This signifies that George is clever enough to stay out of trouble, including that brought on by Lennie. Lennie has come to the river bank because George told him to meet him there if he got into trouble. This was in the opening section of the novel, where Steinbeck compared Lennie to a bear: he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. This suggests clumsiness, but now it is the bears stealth that he refers to: Lennie comes as silently as a creeping bear moves. He is directed now by his instinct, not just following George. The repeated bear simile reminds the reader again of the circular movement of the story; but Lennies soundless entry also makes us think of him as a spirit, anticipating his death. The passage reflects a number of ideas in the novel: the beauty of nature and the ugliness of human nature; the insignificance of human affairs; the futility of human effort and the fragility of dreams. The predatory nature of human existence, a major theme in the novel is represented symbolically in the action of the heron, reminding the reader of various episodes earlier in the story. The characters of George and Lennie are illustrated in the different fates of the two little snakes. Lennies death is prefigured in that of the first water snake, also in his spirit-like appearance on the scene. In this way Steinbeck sets the scene at the river bank in context. The reader sees the hopelessness of Lennie and Georges situation, their powerlessness in the circumstances they find themselves in and foresees the tragic end.

Problems of excessive meat consumption

Problems of excessive meat consumption PROBLEM Nowadays, meat consumption is becoming an uncontrollable problem. As a result of high consumption, different kinds of issues occurred. It is possible to sum these issues up in two major groups as health and environment. Red meat consumption linked to increase risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. Meat consumption also increases the risk of diabetes. According to new research from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) when people eat more meat than usual, their risk of getting diabetes will be increased by 50 percent. In fact, same study shows that people who decreased their meat consumption lowered their diabetes risk will increase 14 percent. On the other side environmental problems are also vital. For instance, it ought to be 60 pounds of water to produce one pound of potatoes while 2,500 pounds of water for a pound of beef. Health Issues: Cancer There are a lot of studies about the relationship between diet and Cancer. According to the searches in England and Germany, the meat consumers are 40 percent more likely to have Cancer than the vegetarians. Again Harvard studies show that people who eat meat everyday have almost three times the colon cancer risk, compared to other people. There are many reasons for this result. During the cooking meat, some mutagenic compounds are produced like HCAs and they are very dangerous for our health. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are another reason for Cancer. Especially broiling and grilling meat produce these kind hydrocarbons (Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk). So, these chemicals penetrate our body via meat. Breast Cancer: The fat comes from animal products, such as meat and dairy products increases the rate of breast cancer. For women who can eat meat daily has an 8.5 times higher risk of this cancer than poorer women who can eat make once a month (Hirayama, 1978). Colorectal Cancer: Red meat is a great factor for colon cancer. According to another Harvard research, consuming beef, pork or lamb have approximately three times the risk compared to people that avoid these meats (Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk). Mainly, colorectal cancer is another effect of meat consumption. Prostate Cancer: As with breast cancer, if a man takes dietary fat, especially from animal products, increases his testosterone product and this causes increasing of prostate cancer risk. There are two large studies at Harvard University about this issue. According to one of them, the men who eat red meat everyday have 2.5 times risk compared to the men who eat it once a week (Giovannucci, et al., 1993). Put simply, meat consumption also causes prostate cancer. Other Cancers: In addition to these cancers, there are several researches about kidney, pancreatic and other kinds of cancer. Commonly, similar reasons such as much meat consumption and much intake of fat increase cancer risk. Otherwise, the same sources claim that vegetarian diets protect us against the cancer (Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk). Thus people have to avoid meat consumption. Heart Disease Vegetarian people’s intake of calories and fat is lower than non-vegatarians do. Thus, they have lower risk of heart disease. Regular consumption of red meat especially processed ones, increase mortality risk directly (Mayo Clinic, 2011). Meat consumption clearly causes deaths. Indirect Factors People who consumed high levels of red meat have less-than-healthy body weights. Meat consumption makes them also want to smoke and drink (Sarich, 2013). All these factors are another way to die younger. Environment Issues: Meat consumption has a big impact on the environment. It is considered as the most important reason for the Global Warming. Animal farming is the major source of carbon dioxide. Unfortunately there is no such a thing as sustainable, humane meat production. Changing the source of your meat and preferring farms which seem to be care about ecology do not change the facts. Any farm cannot change the effect of farm animals. The combined emissions of animals are more than all transportation systems. Lindsay Wilson compares the carbon footprints of five different American diets in her article titled ‘The Carbon Footprint of 5 Diets Compared’. As stated in the article, studies allocate diets in five different ways: Meat Lover Diet, Average Person Diet, No Beef Diet, Vegetarian Diet and Vegan diet. It is an important factor that the studies only attach importance to the emissions rates. They do not include storage, transportation emissions. http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Plates.gif According to the article, ‘A vegetarian’s footprint is about two thirds of the average American and almost half that of a meat lover’. We can see that there is a huge difference between the vegetarian and meat lover life style in terms of carbon food print. On the other hand vegan diet leads the ecological nutrition as usual. The health secretary of U.K, Andy Burnham said that ‘Climate change can seem a distant, impersonal threat; in fact the associated costs to health are a very real and present danger’. He emphasizes that everyone should cut back on the amount of meat and meat products they eat. Even going meatless once a week (Meatless Mondays) has a big positive impact on the environment. Another ecological issue is the water consumption. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization’s report titled Livestock’s Long Shadow (2006) by the year 2050, 2/3 of the World population will lack clean water even for their basic needs. There is a hidden water use behind meat production. It takes 60 pounds of water to produce one pound of potatoes. On the other hand, it takes more than 20,000 pounds of water to produce a pound of beef. According to PETA, all but half of the water used in the U.S, used to raise the animals for food. We would save more water if we do not eat a pound of beef than we do by not showering for six months they say! As a result, in any case it is beneficial for us to cut back meat. Every small step is important. Graham Hill, the founder of TreeHugger.com states the importance of small steps in his Ted talk titled ‘Why I’m a weekday vegetarian’. At the end of his speech there is a very unique expression which give hope to us: ‘’If all of us ate half as much meat, it would be like half of us were vegetarians’’. SOLUTIONS At the present time, high numbers of projects have been developing about meat consumption in USA. Such as Meatless Monday, Eating Better, Tax Meat and Earth Friendly Diet Campaign. These projects are supported by society organizations, government and celebrities. Projects which are considerable are listed below: Meatless Monday: It is a project which encourages people not to eat meat on Mondays. The aim of this project is to improve peoples health. The project was founded by Sid Lerner in 2003. It is an association withJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The reason that they choose Monday is that people are not exactly living healthy during weekends, so not eating meat on Mondays would help them to get back to their usual eating habits. Monday also represents a fresh start. In order to give a support to this project some celebrities are going meatless on Mondays. Such as; Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group), Denise Richards (actress), Jessica Simpson (actress, singer), Oprah (TV star), Kate Moss (model). Eat Better (Live Better): This movement believes that living better starts with eating better. In order to eat better, you need to be informed about food according to them. They share recipes varying on different needs as vegetarians, Low Carb, Sodium and Gluten free diets. Tax Meat: This movement Tax Meat is started by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). They are trying to convince the government to put tax on meat because of two reasons. One of them is animal products contain remarkable amounts of cholesterol and it is unhealthy to consume by people. Secondly, studies show that there is a connection between cancer and the consumption of meat. Take Extinction off Your Plate (Earth Friendly Diet Campaign): Take Extinction off Your Plate aims to save the wildlife by helping to decrease the amount of meat consumption across the country. It was launched in 2014 in Tucson, AZ. They started a campaign called Earth Friendly Diet. It basically supports being a vegan and it is trying to attract people into being a vegan. They claim thatâ€Å"By cutting just one-third of the meat from our diets, we can each save as much as 340,667 gallons of water, more than 4,000 square feet of land, and the greenhouse gas equivalent of driving 2,700 fewer miles a year.† EVALUATION Meat Consumption is one of the oldest habits of human life. Therefore cutting or even decreasing meat consumption is a huge mountain to climb. To convince people not to eat meat, it needs to be put forward certain reasons. Since it is about convincing; taxing the meat or in another words forbidding meat in a way, is not a steady solution. Wealthy part of the society won’t be coaction by taxing while the other part will. So this situation can easily cause social problems. For this reason Tax Meat project maybe a little part of the solution but definitely cannot be the best. Take Extinction off Your Plate is a kind of limited movement. The project intends to make people vegan. Given this evidence it may sound that it is an agreeable idea but in real it is not. Forwhy to want people be a vegan is leaving an alarming impression. In simple the cure is worse than the disease. When people heard that offer they may remain at bay. Eat Better Live Better project seems not to be adequate. Although it has some actionary parts, turnout of the project is just advisory, it is not satisfying, not like Meatless Monday. The project of Meatless Monday has a certain message. Those who partaken know what to do, why they are doing it and beyond that it is very easy to do, they don’t eat meat Mondays. Most of the people accept Monday as an opportunity for a fresh start to a new week. Meatless Monday followers are increasing each passing day. It is easier to start a plant-based lifestyle via not eating meat once a week. It will be much easier for willing people to become a weekday vegetarian first, which can be followed by a whole vegetarianism. This simple idea achieves a considerable amount of benefits. Works Cited Giovannucci, E., Rimm, E. B., Colditz, G. A., Stampfer, M. J., Ascherio, A., Chut, C. C., Willett, W. C. (1993). A prospective study of dietary fat and risk of prostate cancer. Journal of The National Cancer Institute, 1571-1579. Hirayama, T. (1978). Epidemiology of breast cancer with special reference to the role of diet. Preventive Medicine, 173-195. Mayo Clinic. (2011, September 16). Meatless meals: The benefits of eating less meat. Retrieved from The Website of Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/meatless-meals/art-20048193 Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk. (n.d.). Retrieved from Physicians Committe for Responsible Medicine: http://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/diet-cancer/facts/meat-consumption-and-cancer-risk Sarich, C. (2013, July 21). Harvard Says Reducing Red Meat Consumption can Extend Life by 20%. Retrieved from Natural Society: http://naturalsociety.com/reducing-red-meat-consumption-extend-life-20-percent/#ixzz2zdnAhdzY

Adoph Hitler :: essays research papers

The young years: Adoph Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 and lived in south Austria. He left for high school at the age of twelve and did poorly and never did finish. In 1903, his father died when Hitler was only fourteen years old. In 1907, Hitler decided to leave for Vienna to attend the Academy School of Fine Arts. Due to his unsatisfactory drawings, Hitler failed to be accepted. Soon after that, he received a letter from his sister informing him of his mother’s illness, cancer. Hitler headed back home to stay with his mother until the end. His mother died in the year of 1907, and Hitler tried again at the Academy School of Fine Arts. He was, again, rejected due to severe competition of acceptance. Hitler sold his paintings on the streets in order to survive. In August 1914, Hitler volunteered for the army. Later in his army career he received two of the most honorable awards, the first class iron cross. A man told Hitler of a rumor stating the Bavarian government is going to break away from Germany and join Austria. Outraged, Hitler gave many persuasive speeches on why the government shouldn’t break away. Later Hitler took over a group and renaming it NSADAP, which is infamously known as the Nazi party. Hitler tried taking over the Bavarian government by force. This invasion caused his imprisonment of five years, but he happened to be released after about six months. While in prison, he began writing his book Mein Kamph (My Struggle). When Hitler was released from prison, he quickly found out that the Nazi party membership has fallen drastically. The party was no longer allowed to have private and public meetings and Hitler could no longer speak in public. Hitler was determined to bring the Nazi party back together. The party began to grow slowly and in secret, and after the stock market crash hundreds and soon thousands joined each month due to the public rallies produced by Hitler. With his popularity growing at an outrageous speed, Hitler decided to take over the whole country. Before the elections, he launched a major propaganda campaign. He soon won a seat in the Reichstag, German congress. Hitler had a chance at becoming Chancellor, but was beat out by the previous Chancellor, Charles Bruning. Now the Nazi was official the second largest party in the country, next to the Communist.

Two Points Against Naturalized Epistemology :: Epistemology Research Papers

Two Points Against Naturalized Epistemology ABSTRACT: My aim is to raise two points against naturalizing epistemology. First, against Quine’s version of naturalizing epistemology, I claim that the traditional questions of epistemology are indispensable, in that they impose themselves in every attempt to construct an epistemology. These epistemological questions are pre- and extra-scientific questions; they are beyond the scientific domain of research, thus, for a distinct province of inquiry. Second, I claim that no naturalistic account can be given as an answer to the traditional question of justification. I take Goldman’s and Haack’s accounts as examples to support my claim. The traditional demand of justification is to start from nowhere. Naturalizing justification is to start form somewhere. The two approaches are, thus, necessarily incompatible with each other. So, the accounts given by the naturalists are not answers to the traditional problem of justification. To remain compatible with themselves, t he naturalists should have conceded that the problem of justification is illegitimate or incoherent. The fact that they did not I take as additional evidence to support my claim that the traditional questions of epistemology are indispensable: they impose themselves and are, thus, hard to eliminate. Introduction: When Plato tried to distinguish in "The Theatetus" between mere belief and knowledge, as an attempt to answer the skeptical doubts concerning the possibility of our knowledge of the external world , he has created what has become known throughout the history of philosophy as "epistemology" and what has since then, become a distinct province of inquiry whose main concern is determining the nature, the scope, the sources and limits of human knowledge. These problems, which are known as the traditional problems are to be determined, according to the traditional approach to epistemology, as exemplified throughout the history of epistemology, by using a priori methods such as conceptual analysis, not by any kind of empirical investigation. Such view of epistemology was rejected, partially or wholly in different ways and for various reasons by the recent trend known. as "naturalized epistemology". (1) The aim of this paper is to raise two points against two versions of naturalized epistemology; the first is that epistemology can be restricted to doing science, as held by Quine who is cited to having held the strong version of naturalized epistemology, (2) the second is that justification can be given a naturalistic account, as held by A. Goldman and others, from which I conclude that traditional epistemology survives the attempt to naturalize.

Sense And Sensibility Book Review Essay -- essays research papers

Book Report - Sense and Sensibility 1.) In Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, the title is a metaphor for the two main characters Elinor and Marianne. Elinor represents sense and Marianne represents sensibility.We find out early that Elinor does not share her feelings. When Edward comes into the story, there was an immediate attraction. She tells no one of her feelings. It was just assumed that they are meant for each other. When Edward has to leave, Elinor says nothing. Edward does promise he will come down and give Margaret an atlas. When the atlas comes and not Edward, the one who ends up crying was Margaret and not Elinor. We do learn, however, that Elinor can get emotional too. When Marianne was playing the piano at their new cottage, Elinor cries as she listens. She said the song was her late father's favorite. Later on in the story, Marianne kept on nagging Elinor for not sharing her feelings. Finally, Elinor shows her emotions by telling her that she did have a broken heart after she found out that Edward had a fiancee - Lucy. Elinor would definitely represent sense. She keeps her thoughts to herself. Maybe it is because she thinks she will not end up hurting so bad as Marianne did. Marianne, on the other hand, represents sensibility. She follows her heart. She does not let anything come in the way of showing her emotions. When she first met Colonel Brandon, it is obvious that he was in love with her at first sight. Marianne, shows very clear that she was not interested in such an old man like him. However, when Marianne meets Willoghby, it was like a hero rescuing his princess. They fall in love with each other. Marianne does not hide her emotions about Willoughby to anyone, However, in the society that they were in, Willoughby did not think he could marry Marianne because of the social class. In the end, this almost kills Marianne. As Marianne realizes that the Colonel has always been there, she falls in love with him. 2.) My favorite character is Colonel Brandon. I think in a way he is very much like Elinor. He does not show his emotions a whole lot, but he does talk to people about his problems. There were so many instances when he asks Elinor about the relationship between Marianne and Willoughby. He was always depressed to hear and to know that there was no way of getting his lover from Willoughby. However, that does not stop his ... ...old. I also learned that when things do not turn out the way we expected, or when things all the sudden turn down-side, we should react with calmness and composure and not just cry and burst out with our immediate feelings. Patience is the keyword. With patience it is much easier to deal with painful situations. Most of the time, it turns out pretty well if you can think optimistically'. J6.) Yes, I am glad I read this book because it is one of the well-known classics. I see no harm only benefits in reading a book. Sense and Sensibility has given me a better understanding of the women and lifestyle during that time-period. Most of the women back then are pretty much like Elinor and Marianne. Education for them wasn't viewed as highly as now. It seems their parents just want to marry them off to some rich and upper class man so that they may lead a luxurious life without bothering their parents anymore. Also, women back then are a lot more artistic than women now. Most of them play the piano "really" well; if not, they have some sort of other artistic talents. Personally, I'm glad I am born late in this century. I do not know how I could survive if I lived back then!!

African-American Civil Right Movement

The African-American Civil Rights Movement During the frail moments in history there are times to be seen as a great movement. One of those moments in the history of America was the African-American Civil Rights Movement. This movement came by storm with different views on how civil rights should be fought. With the extremism of Malcolm X or the prolific voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There were key court cases Brown v. Board of Education and the world wide known Rosa Parks. This action by African-Americans to fight for equality was a battle which they had to endure.However, the African-American people would be able to succeed in the goals which they set. One of the greatest social movements within the United States was the African-American Civil Rights Movement. This movement wanted to rid or outlaw racial discrimination against African-Americans. The movement had a major campaign of civil resistance which were acts of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience that would create a disturbance to federal, state, and local governments. The segregation between â€Å"White† and â€Å"Colored† was the main cause for these protests. The segregation was nonsense.With separate drinking fountains, restrooms, and other miniscule areas the segregation between whites and coloreds kept the rift between these two races. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is known for his heroic speeches that describe that to thrive as a nation, a nation must be united. With his superior charismatic skills he was able to grab the attention of the nation. His most famous speech which is known by most as â€Å"I have a dream† speech was the high point of the 1963 March on Washington. Another leader during the African-American Civil Right Movement was Malcolm X.Though many peers viewed him as a advocate that charged racial issue, he undoubtedly brought the attention of racial injustice. An example of his actions was a New York Police beating on Johnston Hinton. Malcolm X went t o the police station to see Mr. Hinton and was denied. Malcolm then created a crowd of protesters and with the growing numbers of his peers the police station then allowed him to see Hilton. It was protests like these which lead the charge to equality throughout the nation. But there were also key law suits and court cases that would make justice history.During a movement there has to be examples to which are known, and can be used to show either the highest achievements of the movement or show how the old justice system is broke. It was the series of court cases known as Brown v. Board of Education. This case was brought to the attention of the court system to allow the education of Black and White Children. The lawyers of the NAACP stated that segregation of the school were unconstitutional and did not promote democracy. With this on May 18, 1954 Greensboro was the first city in the South to execute the ruling of the U.S. Supremes Court’s Brown v. Board of Education. This h ad a positive effect for the movement forward to equality. Another famous court case was the Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Due to her actions taken on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was dubbed â€Å"the mother of the Civil Rights Movement†. Rosa Parks refuse to leave her seat on a public bus to leave room for a white passenger. She was arrested, tried, and convicted for her actions that day. However, due to this incident 50 African-American leaders organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott.With the support of approximately 50,000 African Americans in the Montgomery area, the boycott lasted for 381 days. The results of this boycott lead to the local segregating of African-American and Whites to be lifted. With the mass amount of boycotters the revenue for the bus decreased 80% until a federal court ordered the Montgomery’s bus service to desegregate in November. Other legislative achievements during this movement were the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Ac t of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.With the African-American Civil Rights Movement being a concrete example of the determination of making a nation move forward to a more acceptable place, it was due to these key people which stood up a led a group whom wanted the same privileges as those whom already had. A movement with such importance must be taught and understood. During any movement in history there will always be those who emerge as leaders, sometimes those want to be a leader and some of those who are leaders unintentionally and lead by peaceful actions.These movement leaders: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made history which will be concreted into the books of history and will be forever known as leaders in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. End Notes 1. Henretta, J. A, Brody, D. , America a Concise  History, Volume 1, Fourth Edition. Boston: Bedfords/St. Martin’s, 2012. 2. Bruce, Perry, The Last Speeches, (New York: Pathfind er, 1998) 978-0-87348-543-2 (accessed October 8, 2012), 165. 3. Klarman, Michael J. ,Brown v.Board of Education and the civil rights movement: abridged edition of From Jim Crow to civil rights  : the Supreme Court and the struggle for racial equality, Oxford  ; New York  : Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 55 4. Chafe, William Henry, Civilities and civil rights: Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Black struggle for freedom, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1980) 0-19-502625-X (Accessed October 8, 2012), 81. Bibliography Henretta, J. A, Brody, D. , America a Concise  History, Volume 1, Fourth Edition. Boston: Bedfords/St. Martin’s, 2012. Perry, Bruce. The Last Speeches. New York: Pathfinder, 1989. 78-0-87348-543-2 (accessed October 8, 2012). Klarman, Michael J. ,Brown v. Board of Education and the civil rights movement: abridged edition of From Jim Crow to civil rights  : the Supreme Court and the struggle for racial equality, Oxford  ; New York  : Oxford Uni versity Press, 2007 Chafe, William Henry (1980). Civilities and civil rights: Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Black struggle for freedom. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-19-502625-X. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. J. A. Henretta, and D. Brody, America a Concise History, (Boston: Bedfords/St.Martin's, 2012), 828. [ 2 ]. Bruce Perry, The Last Speeches, (New York: Pathfinder, 1989)978-0-87348-543-2 (accessed October 8, 2012), 165. [ 3 ]. Klarman, Michael J. ,Brown v. Board of Education and the civil rights movement: abridged edition of From Jim Crow to civil rights  : the Supreme Court and the struggle for racial equality, Oxford  ; New York  : Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 55 [ 4 ]. Chafe, William Henry (1980). Civilities and civil rights: Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Black struggle for freedom. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-19-50262 5-X.

Compromise in the American Constitution

The United States Constitution is a bundle of compromises mainly because there were contending groups during its early stages of conceptualization and even during its formation. On one side, there were those who criticized the first constitution of America—the Articles of Confederation—for lacking several key provisions and adjustments that could give the government more power. Those who were for the reformation of the Articles and for the creation of a stronger national government are called the â€Å"federalists†.On the other hand, there were also those who feared that giving the national government too much power may result to the infringement on the welfare of the individual citizens of the country. Those who opposed the endowment of wider powers to the national government would later on accept the compromise of securing a â€Å"Bill of Rights† so that the government especially the Congress will not make laws that violate the rights of the citizens.App arently, the Bill of Rights came to be the first manifestation of a compromise that sought to resolve the contending issues at that time. While the Articles of Confederation was later on replaced by the United States Constitution, the Constitution did not entirely survive the years without plenty of changes to it. Part of the reason to it is the fact that there was a fear at the time that granting the national government full powers would allow the situation wherein the people are aggravated in exchange for expediency and productivity on the part of the government.The first amendment to the Constitution came to be known as the Bill of Rights which lists the essential rights that each American is entitled to. The Bill of Rights provides the first ten amendments to the Constitution as proposed by Thomas Jefferson. Although the Bill of Rights was eventually ratified, it did not easily pass through Congress without the criticisms of those who oppose it, one of whom is Alexander Hamilton , a leading figure among the so-called â€Å"federalists† (Chan, 2004).The federalists generally saw the establishment of a Bill of Rights as a constitutional amendment that could limit the rights of individuals because it merely protects the rights that are explicitly stated in it. That being the case, the rights that are not included in the Bill may not be acknowledged as part of the recognized rights. The opposition to the federalists—the so-called â€Å"anti-federalists†Ã¢â‚¬â€however claimed that it is not necessarily the case.As a result, the Ninth Amendment was included which sought to protect the rights that are not enumerated in the Constitution. In general, the significant issues raised by the contending parties were addressed through the Massachusetts Compromise. While the compromise paved the way for reaching the needed support for establishing the Constitution as proposed by the federalists, it also gave credit to the sentiments of the anti-federal ists, thereby securing the passing of the Bill of Rights as part of the condition in passing the Constitution.Another interesting aspect of the Constitution is the fact that slavery was not immediately abolished entirely after the Constitution was passed. It was only after the Thirteenth Amendment when slavery and involuntary servitude were finally abolished by the law. Moreover, the successful ratification of the Constitution would have hardly been realized had there been no compromises which sought to protect the interests of the slave-owners at the time when the Constitution was well on its way to being formally recognized.Concessions had to be made so that the framers of the Constitution would gather support from those who were pro-slavery. Otherwise, they would have been unable to pass the Constitution (Furstenberg, 2003). The compromises with regard to the issue of slavery during the debates over the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention include the proposal of those w ho were against slavery to count â€Å"slaves† as three-fifths of all other persons since the number of free persons determined the representation in Congress at the time.It was made clear, however, that the â€Å"three-fifths† count for every slave was not meant to dehumanize them but rather to penalize those who owned slaves. Another compromise reached during the Constitutional Convention is the protection of the slave trade; it was a concession that the delegates who were for slavery proposed. However, the compromise did not hinder the individual states from altogether outlawing or restricting the existing slave trade after the passing of the Constitution. Lastly, fugitive slaves were expected to be returned to the state from which they came from.It was a compromise that distinguished the federal government from the individual states in the sense that slavery practiced in some states was not to be sanctioned by the Constitution. To a certain extent, federal laws did not legitimize slavery as an institution although neither did it sanction slavery as far as the individual states are concerned. The compromise essentially permitted the return of fugitive slaves from the original states that they were held in labor without stressing the point that these slaves should be freed as part of the concession to the demands of the pro-slavery delegates in the Convention.Through the years, the Constitution of the United States of America has had several initial clauses and key amendments that underscored the urgent need to make compromises in order to complete the task of creating a Constitution that will embody the principles of the nation.ReferencesChan, M. D. (2004). Alexander Hamilton on Slavery. The Review of Politics, 66(2), 207-231. Furstenberg, F. (2003). Beyond Freedom and Slavery: Autonomy, Virtue, and Resistance in Early American Political Discourse. The Journal of American History, 89(4), 1295-1330.