Interpreting the First Amendment of the Constitution Essay Example for Free

Interpreting the First Amendment of the Constitution Essay The notion of being free to choose whatever religion a citizen wants to posses is notoriously known to be a liberty dictated by the first amendment. â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,† (A-18 Brinkley) are the famous words of the constitution. Yet, this same law also states that the legislative branch of the U. S. government does not have the authority to favor one religion over the other. In fact, it dictates that the government must remain secular when it comes to the affairs of religion as it cannot respect any one particular religion over another. Thus, there can never be a national religion, an American version of the Anglican Church, as it would hinder the government from preserving the freedom to choose between religions. The other liberties guaranteed by this amendment were the rights of speech, the press, â€Å"or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the Government for a redress of grievances† (A-18 Brinkley). These are all liberties that allow for the citizens of the nation to protest the government. Civilians can protest through their speech, which may hold accusatory claims against the government, in public areas. Americans are allowed the right to publish grievances in the press, free of censorship from a legislative body, as well. These are liberties that allow for organizations to spread information and knowledge over any form of tyranny they may feel the government bestows onto the population. These are also lubricating actions that more easily allow for assemblies to form and confront the government over such issues. Really, the amendment is a formula for allowing the civilian populous to restrain the authority of the government.

Procrastination :: Personal Narrative Essays

Procrastination It is Monday morning and I have slept in, thanks to Thanksgiving. In fact, it's twelve o'clock and I am free for the afternoon. As usual, I sit in front of the television after I clean myself up, staring endlessly at the screen with my finger clicking on the remote. I realize that I have a draft due on Thursday, but I justify my procrastination with reasons like: "there is still lots of time." Life is faster now, and people in the 00's are supposed to organize and plan in order to keep up; however, it seems to me that more people are procrastinating than ever before. When I ask people why they procrastinate, they often supply reasons like: this task won't take me a long time; the pressure makes me to work more efficiently; there were emergencies; and there were other important things. Some of these reasons sounds legitimate, but I think these reasons are just excuses for people's fear of failure, fear of lost security, and need for pressure. Back high school, I had a friend, Eric, who dropped out of school because of bad grades. As his friend, I knew he was doing fine until the period of final exams. He was a smart and responsible person which laziness is not a factor of his bad grades. Eric could not pick up the books soon enough before the exam because he was afraid of failure. Since Eric's older brothers had achieved excellence academic records and great careers, Eric' parents expected him to follow his brothers' foot step. As the result, Eric was afraid to try because he feared to fail his parents' expectation. When he realized the problem, it was too late. It is two o'clock in the morning. The computer is on, the coffee maker is cooking, and I am under a lot of stress. "There isn't a lot of time left," I keep telling my self as I watch the blank piece of paper in front of me. "I know I can do it," I keep encouraging my self while my mind generates zero ideas for my essay: which is due six hours from now. Everyone I know procrastinates, my friends, relatives, even people in government. Back in Taipei, the Mayor, Mayor Chen, delayed getting rid of gangs in the city. "I am going to issue a policy that will eventually stop gangs from spreading in our community," promised Mayor Chen of Taipei during his election campaign. Mayor Chen won the election, but he didn*t do anything about the gangs Procrastination :: Personal Narrative Essays Procrastination It is Monday morning and I have slept in, thanks to Thanksgiving. In fact, it's twelve o'clock and I am free for the afternoon. As usual, I sit in front of the television after I clean myself up, staring endlessly at the screen with my finger clicking on the remote. I realize that I have a draft due on Thursday, but I justify my procrastination with reasons like: "there is still lots of time." Life is faster now, and people in the 00's are supposed to organize and plan in order to keep up; however, it seems to me that more people are procrastinating than ever before. When I ask people why they procrastinate, they often supply reasons like: this task won't take me a long time; the pressure makes me to work more efficiently; there were emergencies; and there were other important things. Some of these reasons sounds legitimate, but I think these reasons are just excuses for people's fear of failure, fear of lost security, and need for pressure. Back high school, I had a friend, Eric, who dropped out of school because of bad grades. As his friend, I knew he was doing fine until the period of final exams. He was a smart and responsible person which laziness is not a factor of his bad grades. Eric could not pick up the books soon enough before the exam because he was afraid of failure. Since Eric's older brothers had achieved excellence academic records and great careers, Eric' parents expected him to follow his brothers' foot step. As the result, Eric was afraid to try because he feared to fail his parents' expectation. When he realized the problem, it was too late. It is two o'clock in the morning. The computer is on, the coffee maker is cooking, and I am under a lot of stress. "There isn't a lot of time left," I keep telling my self as I watch the blank piece of paper in front of me. "I know I can do it," I keep encouraging my self while my mind generates zero ideas for my essay: which is due six hours from now. Everyone I know procrastinates, my friends, relatives, even people in government. Back in Taipei, the Mayor, Mayor Chen, delayed getting rid of gangs in the city. "I am going to issue a policy that will eventually stop gangs from spreading in our community," promised Mayor Chen of Taipei during his election campaign. Mayor Chen won the election, but he didn*t do anything about the gangs

Romeo and Juliet Tragic Hero Essay

William Shakespeare is an English poet and play right. His plays mainly consisted of comedies, history, and tragedies. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare. For a play to be a tragedy there must be a tragic hero. In Shakespeare plays, tragedy is identified as a story that ends unhappily due to the fall of the protagonist, which is the tragic. In this play there are two tragic heroes. Romeo and Juliet are both the tragic heroes. To be a tragic hero they must be from a high estate, have a tragic flaw, and the tragic flaw is the cause of their downfall.A tragic hero must be from a high estate or well- known family. For a family to be of a high status means to be a well- known family of wealth. Both Romeo and Juliet are from high estates. Juliet is a Capulet a well- known family but not as high status as the Montagues. Romeo is a Montague a family of higher status than the Capulets. You know Romeo is of high status when it is said by Benvolio in Act 1, Scene 1, in Line 141: ‘†My noble uncle. â€Å"’ As mentioned in the prologue both families successful merchants, large houses, and many servants.Both of these families are of high estate and well- known by the people of Verona. Tragic heroes must also have a tragic flaw to them. Both tragic heroes have a tragic flaw. Romeo’s tragic flaw is that he does not think before he does something. He rushed to kill himself as soon as he believed that Juliet was dead. ‘†For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night. â€Å"’ -Said by Romeo in Act I, Scene V, in Line 52. The audience can quickly identify Romeo's flaw of falling in love too quickly and deeply when he forgets about his feelings for Rosaline and concentrates on Juliet.Juliet too realizes that Romeo's love for her was too fast when she said: ‘†It is too rash; too undvis'd, too sudden. â€Å"’ (Act II, Scene II, Lines 117-118). Juliet’s tragic flaw is that she i s too loyal to Romeo. When she wakes up she sees that Romeo has poisoned himself, so she kills herself with his dagger. ‘† I will kiss thy lips, haply some poison yet doth hang on them to me die with a restorative. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Said by Juliet in Act IV, Scene III, in Line 165- 167. Most tragic flaws are usually the cause of a characters downfall. Romeo’s tragic flaw was cause of his downfall.His tragic flaw was that he did not think before acted. He heard that Juliet was dead so he went and got some poison and drank it when he saw Juliet; thinking she was dead. While he is dying she had awaken and then he realizes he made a fatal mistake. Juliet’ tragic flaw was also a cause of her downfall. Her loyalty for Romeo drives her to suicide when she awakes and sees that Romeo is dying because of the poison he drank; she takes his dagger and stabs herself. As she stabs herself she says ‘† This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die. †Ã¢â‚¬â „¢ (Act V, Scene III, Line 170).Romeo and Juliet both let their tragic flaws cause their downfall. To be a tragic hero you must be from a high estate, have a tragic flaw, and the tragic flaw is the cause of your downfall. Romeo and Juliet are both part of high estate. Romeo’s family being of higher status. Both Romeo and Juliet have tragic flaws. Romeo’s tragic flaw being that he does not think before he does something. Romeo falls in love with Juliet upon meeting her therefore he did not think about it and just fell for her. Juliet’s tragic flaw was that she is too loyal to Romeo.She takes her life away because Romeo killed himself for her so she kills herself. Romeo and Juliet both let their tragic flaw be the cause of their down fall. Romeo let his tragic flaw of not thinking before acting; kill himself before he realizes that Juliet is not dead. Juliet let her tragic flaw of being too loyal to Romeo and seeing that he is dead she commits suicide and stabs he rself with Romeo’s Dagger. Both Romeo and Juliet portray all the characteristics of being a tragic hero in the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

A Psychoanalytical Approach to the Awakening

The psychoanalytic approach understands us from the point of view of our unconscious and early childhood experiences. The approach is based on Freud’s belief that that there is a structure of the mind that includes the id, the superego and the ego. The plot of The Awakening, revolves around Edna Pontellier and the awakening of her unconscious sexuality, the need for love and her desire of independence. Edna and her family go to a resort to spend their summer.Edna’s husband, Leonce, adores his wife but considers her to be neglectful as a wife and a mother. â€Å"He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. † (Chopin, 2005, Chapter 3, para. 6). At the resort she meets Robert, the owner’s son, and realizes that she can no longer pretend that she is happy with her husband and her children. This unconscious realization is triggered by the sight of the ocean one day. The sight made Edna think of simpler times when she believ ed that she could attain anything.Edna reminisced how about how looking at the ocean reminded her of when she was a teenager and would walk through a meadow that â€Å"seemed as big as the ocean,† (Chopin, 2005, Chapter 7, para. 15). She confided in Madam Ratignolle that â€Å"sometimes I feel this summer as if I were walking through the green meadow again; idly, aimlessly, unthinking and unguided. † (Chopin, 2005, Chapter 7, para. 20) I believe this was her first unconscious realization that she missed not having the responsibilities of being a wife and a mother.Later in the story, the sea becomes a symbol of empowerment. â€Å"As she swam she seemed to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself. † (Chopin, 205, Chapter 10, para. 10). It was after learning to swim that Edna began to stand up for herself, such as she did when Leonce demanded that she go into the house that evening and she refused. She recalled that in the past she had always succ umbed to his demands without a thought. This was no longer the case with her. Finally, Edna chose to end her life in the ocean.The thought of not being able to have Robert had pushed her to the edge. She also could not bear the thought of forgetting about Robert in the same way that she had forgotten the gentleman that she had crossed the meadow for so many years ago. As she swam out into the water, she was â€Å"thinking of the blue-grass meadow that she had traversed when a little child, believing that it had no beginning and no end. † (Chopin, 2005, Chapter 39, para. 28) References Chopin, K. (2005). The Awakening. Vitalsource Digital Version. Raleigh, NC: Hayes Barton Press.

The Odyssey Essays - Mythology, Greek Mythology, Religion

The Odyssey Essays - Mythology, Greek Mythology, Religion The Odyssey The Odyssey The great muses are called upon by Homer to tell the great adventure of Odysseus in his travel back to his home. Prayers are given to the Greek Gods and muses by Homer in order to proceed this story. The Greeks life revolved around the gods in a matter of fashion as we presently revolve around Christianity. The depiction of the roles the gods played in the Odyssey is both presented in good and evil. The Greeks portrayed their gods as powerful and merciful. However in the Odyssey the gods play a role in a savior like Jesus Christ and the tormentor like Satan. With the present role in the story of Odyssey the gods can be seen as a key role in Odysseus life. Odysseus alone cannot have escaped the treacherous Trojan War without the aid of the gods. However can it be reconcile that the gods were truly the ones who controlled our lives? In Odysseuss case the gods played a vital role. Throughout the entire story Athena was the crutch Odysseus and his family leaned on in the time of aid. Through the treacherous paths Odysseus traveled it was hope of seeing Penelope and his son Telemachus that brought him strength and wisdom. With the loves one left behind Odysseus fearlessly face the gods and tramples over their challenges. Without the help of Athena and her wisdom and devotion to Odysseus his challenges would be help with no boundaries. With Athena on Odysseus side, he was able to return home without any harms done to him or his family. With the gods in favor of Odysseus return all he had to fight was the challenges Poseidon threw at him. With the water being the only road back to his home this challenge was fare more difficult then the Troj an War itself. With the guidance of Athena Odysseus was safely returned to Ithica. Even though Athena played a key role in Odysseus life she was still unable to protect him from the challenges he faced with Poseidon, Calypso, and Helios. The gods can be seen as Odysseuss sub-conscience. Athena being Odysseuss wisdom, Helios the jealousy hidden in our curiosity, Calypso the temptation we face, and Poseidon the challenges in life we face everyday. These main Gods played a key role in Odysseuss life. Poseidon tormented blinded Polyphemus. Poseidon would have never tormented Odysseus if only he kept his boastful self-quiet. A lesson in life learned by Odysseus to keep him self- humble at all times. Odysseus faced other challenges that slowed his journey towards home seem longer. Calypso who kept Odysseus on her island for seven years offered him the impossible. Odysseus with his wife in mind declined the gift for a passage towards home. With temptation and challenges that blockaded Odysseus journey hom e. However Odysseus and his deceased crew could of made it home safely if it wasnt for the curiosity and jealousy of the crew to open the bag of wind and their evil temptation to kill and eat Helios cows. The gods playing minor roles it was human nature that brought the crewmembers to their doom and slowed Odysseus down from returning home. Homer portrayed human nature with the gods and goddesses. We are our own enemy. We are the ones who lay the path in our life and destination. However there are bumps in the word that slow us down and break us down. With hope we resist temptation and fight evil off. The gods in the Odyssey portrayed the good and evil in human nature. Odysseus being the hero of the Odyssey resisted and learned valuable lessons in life on his adventure back home.

Abraham  Lincoln  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the  statesman  of  the  USA,  one of the founders of the Republican Party, the 16th US president who freed the slaves, the national American hero – was born in village Hodgenville (Kentucky) on February 12, 1809. Due to the fact that he was born in a family of farmer with meager income, Abraham was unable to get a good education, he went to school for no more than a year and, from an early age, got used to the physical work. At the age of eight with his parents the boy moved to a district in the state of Indiana, where was no closer schools. Nevertheless, little Lincoln learned to read and write and was very fond of reading.For  him  itbecame  a  helper  in  a  zealous  self-education  and  favouritepastime  forever. The young Lincoln had a chance to try a variety of occupations – laborer, carpenter, postman, and woodsman. In 1830 their family moved to New Salem (Illinois), and Abraham worked as a surveyor, a clerk in a small commercial shop. During the Indian War of â€Å"Black Falcons† Lincoln went to volunteer in the militia, as Indians at one time killed his grandparents (paternal). He was chosen as a captain, but he did not serve for a long time and did not have a chance to take a part in battles. Working during the years of 1833-1836 as a postmaster, Lincoln simultaneously was studying law. He has passed an exam and in 1836 received permission to practice law, which he was engaged in the further years. In this field he succeeded and became one of the best lawyers in the state, at one time, he even worked for the railroad â€Å"Illinois Central† as a consultant. Qualities of wit, integrity, honesty contributed to his confident professional growth and strengthening of the authority. The political biography of Lincoln began in the early 30s with an unsuccessful attempt to take a seat in the State of the House of Representatives. However, in 1835 young Abraham Lincoln was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the State of Illinois, where he adjacent to the Whig party. Until 1842, he was a Chairman of the Finance Committee and one of the most known persons in their party. The next step in his political career was the election in 1847 to the US Congress. Lincoln fought for the expansion of political and civil rights of the broad masses of the population, for ensuring that women got the right to vote. Fighting with the slavery, the politician advocated the stop of the spread of slavery throughout the country. In 1854, Lincoln acted as one of the organizers of the Republican Party. In 1858, he became a candidate for the US Senate, but could not win the election. The end of the 50-th of the 19-th century was a turning point in Lincoln’s life. Actively participating in political disputes, he gained widespread popularity in the country. Giving speeches in different parts of the country, Lincoln showed himself as an intelligent and cautious politician. He did not support the request of the abolition of slavery and sought to prevent civil war by all means. At the meeting of the Republican Party in Chicago, Lincoln was nominated for president. Then, the tough struggle with candidates of Democratic Party, who supported the slaveholders of the South, began. Get high quality custom written essay just for $10 In 1860, Lincoln was elected for US President, he was at the head of country from March,1861 untill April,1865. South responded to his appointment by the separation, despite the fact that the new president had a moderate position against slavery ; the Civil War (1861-1865) has started in the country. Adopted in May 1862 the so-called homestead acts, granting US citizens land plots, has become a powerful blow to the slave system and helped to solve the agrarian question. December 30, 1862 the president signed the â€Å"Emancipation Proclamation†, thanks to which from the yoke of slavery 4 million man was released. In 1863, government troops have won big, turning victory, which allowed to finally break the resistance of the South and to restore the unity of the nation. In 1864, Lincoln’s re-election for a second term was held, even though he doubted the correctness of the decision to run his candidacy again, moreover, some political forces opposed this as well. In April 14, 1865 Lincoln, who was in Washington at Ford’s Theater on the play, was wounded: he got shot by the actor John W. Booth, a supporter of the Confederate slave-owners. Without regaining consciousness, in the morning of April 15th, Lincoln died and became the first killed US president. During his innings he was constantly exposed to harsh critical attacks, however, as the results of opinion polls, Lincoln is still ranked among the most beloved by people and the best, as well as intelligent, in his opinion, the country’s presidents. Death of Abraham LÃ'â€"nkoln literally shocked the whole World. An endless stream of people went to the White House to say goodbye to the man who led the country through the hardest crisis by uniting the supporters of the unity of the country and the abolition of slavery. Retaining the united country, the United States could eventually become a leading power in the world. In assessing the merits of Lincoln, the great Russian writer LTolstoy said: â€Å"He was the same as Beethoven was in music, Dante in poetry, Raphael in painting, Christ in the philosophy of life.† Rely on professional writers with your college paper and take a load off your mind. Relax while we are working on your essay. Your peace of mind is just one click away

Bilingual Education, Oil, and the Navajo Nation Research Paper

Bilingual Education, Oil, and the Navajo Nation - Research Paper Example Bilingual education is a form of education where information is presented to learners in two or more distinct languages. In the United States, though English has not been endorsed as the official national language, most schools if not all in the U.S.A use English in the teaching of schools not considering that America is also comprised of other various native languages that may get extinct as a result of only using English in teaching in schools (Romaine, 1995). Discussion The state of Arizona has in the resent past been the subject of discussion in matters relating to bilingualism in education since it is majorly populated by the people of the Navajo nation who have and would like to use their language in the education of their children. The people of Navajo who speak Athabaskan have been objecting the education of their children in English since this has saw the steady decline in the number of people who speak Athabaskan. The state of Arizona has since developed a proposition 203, which is an initiative that illegalizes the use of native language in instruction of learners who have a limited a proficiency in English in public schools. The proposition has also made sure that the new law is implemented to the latter by micromanagement of schools using the electoral process to implement the English only policy in public schools (Favela, 2008). In the recent discovery of oil in the territory that had been assigned to the Navajo, they might as well scrap this law off since they only demand for bilingual instruction in the education of public schools surrounding their nation. U.S.A has no territorial rights in the Navajo territory as this area is private property and belongs entirely to the nation of Navajo. The scraping off of this newly implemented law is likely due to the fact that the nation of U.S.A is really in great need of locating more energy resources within its borders; the prospect of a major onshore oil field in Arizona is very significant. As your leg al adviser, I have devised several policies that you would choose if you see fit to present to the council of the Navajo representatives to assess whether they would be swayed to consider their hard-line stand in regard to the reintroduction of bilingua