Forgiveness as a Tool in Healing and Combatting Social Injustice

In beginning this research, I was searching for an answer to an ongoing question that plagues this country. In previous research I've conducted, I have examined many issues regarding racial injustices in America and how they have plagued specific groups of people. From the school- to-prison pipeline to the ineffective War on Drugs that have continued the in the state sanctioned terrorism on African Americans and people of color in the United States. After reading countless journals and analyzing many texts that delve into the hate policing placed against minorities, I grew frustrated. In not wanting to negate history and ignore its effects, I am left asking, how do we move forward?

The idea of forgiveness can be used as a key piece in building peaceful societies as well as peaceful individuals. It works to establish a society and a culture of people who are willing to recognize wrongdoing for what they are and choose to not allow the hurt to multiply. By working forgiveness into the core of a society, we can empower individuals to examine their own hurt, work through it and eventually work towards social harmony. Forgiveness will be one of those human competences which although imperfect, may help us to build more peaceful societies, because in the same way that we have learnt to hurt each other, we can learn to forgive each other too (Robles). In can be a challenging phenomenon to overcome, or even ask of for individuals with years of targeted hurt. However, when are continuing in the conversation of 'how do we move forward', it is a key component in ending repetitive cycles of vengeance and fear.

In 2015, Dylan Roof, inferably unaware of the value and sanctity of human life walked into a South Carolina church to manifest the evil festered in his heart. He sat in service, an odd spectacle; an unknown white man in an all-black church. He gained their trust and arguably their love. In keeping with his preconceived plan, he aimed his gun at his first target, an unexpecting African American. He aimed his gun at the next and then the next, until nine members of the Emmanuel A.M.E Church were shot and killed. It was a horrific memory, a tragic event that will soon fill American history books around the nation. Innocent blood was shed for no other reason than to infiltrate his poisonous rationale that some life is not valuable. Roof's heinous acts were cruel and awful and immoral, undeniably so. But were his actions forgivable?

A few weeks after the horrendous act, Nadine Collier, daughter of Ethel Lance, who was killed by Roof spoke and offered hope to not only her enemy, but the world. She said, I forgive you. You took something very precious away from me. I will never get to talk to her again. I will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you, and have mercy on your soul. You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. If God forgives you, I forgive you. ____ These words, easier said than understood are the very words that can grant someone freedom. Understandably, forgiveness can make one cringe at the thought of pardoning someone for a hurt or loss or deep wound inflicted on to them. It has been said that this appears to be a form of weakness. However, this paper aims to advocate for forgiveness as the first step in healing, combating social injustices and moving towards desired social outcomes, such as racial reconciliation. It is only when we are willing to

It would be challenging to fully explore the depths of forgiveness without first exploring the womb in which forgiveness lives; compassion. The ability to release someone from their guilt and reestablish a relationship, to have the power to cancel the debt of another to experience the freedom that comes with giving a pardon to excuse somebody for a mistake, misunderstanding, wrongdoing or an inappropriateness is only possible through compassion.

In his book Adam and Eve in Scripture, Theology and Literature; Sin, Compassion and Forgiveness, author Peter B. Ely, explains that compassion means entering the weakness, or suffering, or distress of the other person and seeing it as my own. If I cannot see that the sinner who did this or that horrible deed against me (or against us) shares a common human weakness that afflicts all human beings -- including me, the offended-- then it's hard to be forgiving (Ely). To get to forgiveness we must be willing to see the human in our oppressor. It can be challenging when our oppressor is the face of terrorism, but, there is a healing that transpires that allows us to move forward in a healthy way. Joseph R. Canale argues in Altruism and Forgiveness as Therapeutic Agents in Psychotherapy that the act of forgiveness can be viewed as a prescription for a happier and healthier psychological existence during this lifetime, a prescription that through love brings a sense of fulfillment and through forgiveness, a peace of mind. (Canale) It is only when release resentment that we can focus and be free of peace hindering motives, such as revenge, anger and hatred.

Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. precedes in this notion of forgiveness as key in combatting social injustices. We must recognize that the evil deed of the enemy-neighbor, the that hurts, never quite expresses all that he is. An element of goodness may be found even in our worst enemy when we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. When we look beneath the surface we recognize that his hate grows out of fear, pride, ignorance, prejudice and misunderstanding, but despite this, we know God's image is ineffably etched in his being. Then we love our enemies by realizing that they aren't totally bad and that they are not beyond the reach of God's redemptive love.

It's compassion that allows us to forgive that grants us freedom. It is easy and probably within good reason to believe that one is not as bad as Dylan Roof. We might find ourselves saying that there is no way I could ever commit such an act. But this belief falls short of grasping the understanding that in what lies in the heart of one human has the possibility of finding a home in the heart of the same person who could never do such a thing. We can fall victim to the same transgression as our enemy neighbor. Indeed, there are wrongs that can never be made right again, but the pure essence of the act itself, but forgiveness is what allows us to be set free from the past. Again, it is the only way to cease the repetitive cycles that keep humans repaying hurt with another hurt.

When Nadine Collier, offered forgiveness to Dylan Roof, she continued in the process of healing that would make her time on earth bearable. Instead of harboring the pain Roof caused her, attempting to hold it against him, she released it. She released the countless nights she might otherwise have spent reliving the hate that might have stirred in her that tragic evening. She released the pain of recalculating all the ways she could find so that Roof could feel her grief and bear her pain. In a study by Neal Krause and Christopher G. Ellison, their findings reveal that older people who forgive others report they experience fewer symptoms associated with a depressed affect than older people who are unable or unwilling to forgive other people for things they have done. (Krause) To reiterate, she, in her forgiveness, continued the process of not allowing that soul-wrenching, hope-seizing event to keep her hostage or a slave. Because Collier chose to forgive, she can continue in that hopeful stride towards freedom.

This is, however, a key piece needed in not only understanding forgiveness as the greatest weapon for humanity, but in executing. We must understand what exactly forgiveness is and is not. As articulated by theologian Tim Mackie in a teaching on why forgiveness is so vital to the movement of the Kingdom of Heaven, forgiveness is not ignoring or forgetting the wrongdoing. It is not condoning or excusing it, nor is it tolerating or allowing further abuse. It is imperative to make clear that if someone is in an abusive situation, be it, mentally or physical, it is more important that they find a way out, rather than beginning the process of forgiving. Forgiveness is also not returning to the way things were before or allowing the offender to escape consequences (Archive). Understanding this can allow us to take therapeutic forgiveness as individual cases arise and possibly as a model for society.

Individually, when we choose to forgive, we are giving ourselves a specific place of power that allows us a better chance at make clear choice for moving forward. As said before, we are not fogged down with feelings of insecurity and anger that might cause hostility that can further ensure the disruption in the relationship. Instead, we are able to clearly decide if continuing in the relationship is best or not. As a model for society, when a hurt group of people choose forgiveness, whether the hurter makes amends towards contrition or not, that group can reestablish a sense of dignity and control over their position in society. This is in no way discrediting the continued systems that might actively be working against them, but it allows them to resist the friction peacefully, as Martin Luther King Jr practiced.

It has been said that this type of social practice, forgiveness, cannot lead to justice as it is potentially can only serve as an interpersonal act. However, the very nature of forgiveness is a socially constructive act that gives way to social justice. Hannah Arendt describes forgiveness as the only reacting which does not merely re-act but acts anew and unexpectedly, unconditioned by the act which provoke it(Arendt). Miroslav Volf takes this idea a bit further, claiming that knowledge of justice requires forgiveness. She claims that to agree on justice, you need to make space in yourself for the perspective of the other (Volf). This leads us back to compassion as the only way of truly achieving forgiveness. Forgiveness is in no way opposed to justice, as if to forgive meant to overlook the need to right the wrong done. It is rather the fullness of justice, leading to that tranquility of order which is much more than a fragile and temporary cessation of hostilities, involving as it does the deepest healing of the wounds which fester in human hearts. Justice and forgiveness are both essential to such healing (XXXV).

So, when we speak on forgiving, we are not saying that what is being forgiven is okay or excusable or even justifiable, we are saying though, for there to be true peace and genuine freedom that releases a person from the bonds of oppression, terrorism and dehumanization, forgiveness must take life. Yes, we want justice for the countless black bodies that have been wrongfully taken advantage of, abused and mistreated by a country that has and continues to step on and look down on people of color. Yes, we want justice for the innumerable violations of human rights taking place daily, for those incidents that make it to primetime and those that don't. Justice is an inevitable and undeniable demand for those who are far too familiar with the inability to feel sea in their skin for fear their esteem won't surmount their skin color. However, while are waiting for justice, we don't have to wait for freedom.

Our society, by the grace of God has long progressed past the inherent and super pronounced state sanctioned hatred that once made up the aroma of our country. The air is continuing to distillate the stench caused by our enemies next door. We are moving forward and can continue to do so if forgiveness is what leads us in our walk towards irrevocable freedom. Many psychologists that use forgiveness therapy on their clients emphasize to them that forgiveness is voluntary and unconditional and does not involve the offender's response. It is the replacement of negative feelings with prosocial feelings toward the offender by recognizing the essential human core that we all possess. This brings about a cumulative healing effect that is transformational for the client (Menahem). Understanding that forgiveness frees the person forgiving from mental pain influences how well a person and or society can move forward in a way that produces the great social outcome. In a study by Lorraine Toussaint, he concludes that conditional forgiveness of others is associated with risk for all cause mortality, and that the mortality risk of conditional forgiveness may be conferred by its influences on physical health (Toussaint). Forgiveness gives the hurt the power and willingness to go out and heal the hurts, right the wrongs and ultimately change society.

The chain of grievances ends with forgiveness. This model was used during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa where the participants adopted the idea that your actions do not fully define you. They called it ubuntu and Bishop Desmond Tutu said that in doing so, we are making each other human. When someone is wronged, he or she is dehumanized, but the one who committed the offense is dehumanized as well. Two people are dehumanized and in the process of reconciliation, the perpetrator becomes less than the victim but somehow the perpetrator is human, the goodness is still there so when the perpetrator confesses, his or her humanity is restored, and, on that basis, alone reconciliation is possible. If winner takes all, there can be no common future (Kane).

As Pope John Paul ii said in his message of His holiness for the celebration of the world day of peace, The is not peace without justice and no justice without forgiveness (XXXV) We see the forward moving idea of forgiveness through leaders with similar philosophies. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s non-violent approach for fighting injustice with love and forgiveness led to such triumphant victories as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which banned discrimination in employment and public accommodations based on race, color, religion or national original, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which restored and protected the right to vote, and the Immigration and Nationality services Act of 1965. All of these were achieved based on forgiveness as the wrench in unscrewing centuries of injustice.

In a speech Dr. King gave on forgiveness, he emphasizes that forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning (King). If both the offender and the offender harbor hatred, an unwillingness to forgive, it will result in both parties pulling a rope in opposite directions, attempting to take it as far they can until it snaps. Whereas, forgiveness means even if one party is walking away, the other must choose to stand firm, patiently, until the other party realizes he can go no further with the rope unless his counter walks with him.

Forgiveness through compassion is a strong tool in combatting social injustice. The healing that ensues within the individuals practicing forgiveness allows deeper impact to take place. The acts of forgiveness of the family members in Charleston after the tragic shooting drew focused attention to deeper issues of racial violence in the South, resulting in the removal of the Confederate Battle Flag from the South Carolina State House grounds after years of efforts to accomplish this (Jorgensen).

References

Canale, Joseph R. Altruism and Forgiveness as Therapeutic Agents in Psychotherapy. Journal

of Religion and Health, vol. 29, no. 4, 1990, pp. 297“301. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/27510618.

Jorgensen, Larry M. Forgiveness after Charleston: The Ethics of an Unlikely Act. The Good Society, Vol. 26, No. 2-3, Special Issue: On Reintegrating Facts, Values, Strategies (2017), pp. 338-353. JSTOR, JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/goodsociety.26.2-3.0338?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents

Krause, Neal, and Christopher G. Ellison. Forgiveness by God, Forgiveness of Others, and

Psychological Well-Being in Late Life. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol.

42, no. 1, 2003, pp. 77“94. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1387986.

Menahem, Sam, and Melanie Love. Forgiveness in Psychotherapy: The Key to Healing.

Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. 69, no. 8, Aug. 2013, pp. 829“835. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1002/jclp.22018.

Toussaint, Loren, et al. Forgive to Live: Forgiveness, Health, and Longevity. Journal of

Behavioral Medicine, vol. 35, no. 4, Aug. 2012, pp. 375“386. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1007/s10865-011-9362-4.

Izadi, Elahe. The Powerful Words of Forgiveness Delivered to Dylann Roof by Victims' Relatives. The Washington Post, WP Company, 19 June 2015,

Archives, Tim Mackie. 27. Forgiveness[Matthew] -Tim Mackie (The Bible Project). YouTube, YouTube, 20 Aug. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=c89o7NaR7zI.

XXXV World Day For Peace 2002, No Peace without Justice, No Justice without Forgiveness| John Paul II, w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/peace/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_2011211_xxxv-world-day-for-peace.html.

Ely, Peter B. Adam and Eve in Scripture, Theology, and Literature: Sin, Compassion, and Forgiveness. Lexington Books, 2018.

Arendt, Hannah, The Human Condition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1958), 241.

Volf, Miroslav, Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and

Reconciliation (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), 220).

Robles Jimenez, Juan Manuel, Forgiveness as a human ability for peace: Philosophy and Christian Theology in Dialogue, UNESCO Chair of Philosophy for Peace. Juame I University, Castellon de la Plana, Spain

Did you like this example?

Forgiveness As a Tool in Healing And Combatting Social Injustice. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

The Four Parts of Self Forgiveness

Contents

I. Societal Pressures
II. Guilt and Shame
III. The Burden of Self-Forgiveness

To forgive is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, to cease to feel resentment against (an offender).1 But what happens when the offender is oneself? Self-forgiveness is something that can be hard for a person to grasp. It can be easy to get wrapped up in wanting forgiveness from others, to make ourselves feel better about the actions committed, but when it comes to the wrongdoing that we do to ourselves, it can be the hardest to forgive. Per-Erik Milam, a professor at the University of Gothenburg, talks about the idea of self-forgiveness, as being something that is an uncontroversial part of our common psychological and moral discourse, 2 it is unarguable that self-forgiveness is detrimental to our society, without it we would not be able to function in our society. Self-forgiveness though, can be dangerous to oneself, because it can bring shame and unwanted guilt to you, as the wrongdoer. With bringing unwanted, harmful effects to a person, self-forgiveness can be a burden that we must deal with, in order to grow as people and mature within our lifetimes. To really understand self-forgiveness though, four categories must be stated. The first is going to be, societal pressures, followed by guilt and shame, next, the burden of self-forgiveness, and ultimately, importance of self-forgiving.

I. Societal Pressures

The influence of society can be crucial in relation to self-forgiveness. With norms being different around the world, we also add in a level of ethics to this topic. For example, in one society, it can be okay for parents to spank their children and not feel bad, whereas in another, it can be seen as child abuse. In the society where spanking as punishment, there should be no self-forgiveness, or the pressure of self-forgiveness because all around, it is an okay act. In the society where spanking is looked down upon, when a parent commits that act, they're going to have to look within themselves for forgiveness. With though, it being wrong, the pressure from society will make them feel bad about the act and force them to reflect on oneself as a person, not just the actions. The added pressure will also ensure that the wrongdoer will look at themselves as a morally bad person, even though the same act is deemed a norm in other societies.

The dangers of self-forgiveness can be derived from negative attitudes oneself portrays during the forgiveness process. Byron Williston outlines this in his article, The Importance of Self-Forgiveness, saying that Self-forgiveness is the forswearing of self-directed negative attitudes like contempt, anger, and hatred.3 Since we cater these negative thoughts, the way we respond will create a deeper self-loathing, one that will become a burden, since we as the wrongdoer, are already disappointed within ourselves. These thoughts will generate an anger that can surpass our original feelings, especially because we must note that we have to fix our feelings in order to forgive ourselves.

With this thinking of self-forgiveness though, it must be recognized that taking responsibility is a way of conforming to outside standards of right and wrong. The influence of others, in regard to self-forgiveness, should be non-existent, because they don't know what is going on inside the mind of the one seeking self-forgiveness, but since there are societal standards and moldings, the wrongdoer feels the need to look into others for advice or influence, to decide if they're being right. In order to self-forgive, the stigma of confiding in others and comparing to others must be taken away, because if not, it'll create a more negative mindset and framework for emotions.

Outside influence plays a key role in the negation of one's self, because they are the ones who will ultimately judge the decisions made by the wrongdoer. People live in society today to please one another, rarely do we see one completing acts for the greater of oneself, without the acknowledgement of the peers surrounding them. Zenon Szablowinski briefly touches on this in the article, Self-Forgiveness and Forgiveness, by stating, Further, a third party's assurance that the offence is forgivable may contribute considerably to the completion of the self-forgiveness process. 4The third party can strongly influence the forgiveness by bringing the element of judgment, adding pressure to forgive at a faster pace, or forgive in a way one is simply not comfortable with. When dealing with pressure, one can look at the third party and think to themselves, why can't I forgive like they can? or they must be better than me because they are able to overcome it. This thought process brings negativity, with comparing, since the wrongdoer fails to look at the positives within themselves, only seeing the negatives.

II. Guilt and Shame

Guilt and shame play off of each other in a relationship that directly effects self-forgiveness. When dealing with an act that one can deem wrong, such as committing an accident that ends in a fatality, or even committing a crime that wasn't accidental, both of these entities will be haunting. The effect of these is a moral conflict one plays inside, they play a pro-social behavior that can harm the act of self-forgiveness.

For example, a mother is struggling to provide for her family. She is a regular church goer, and active member of the community. One Sunday, while collecting donations in church, when counting the total, she takes $40 to feed her family. At first, she does not feel guilty for this act, but a couple of weeks later she is recognized for her outstanding work within the church.

The mother, who at first was fine with the decision she made to steal, is now overridden with guilt and shame, because she is seen as a leading figure. As this feeling grows, it is harder for her to forgive what she had done, even though it meant her family could eat for another couple of weeks.

The overriding guilt and shame the women in the example expresses can build up, making it harder for her to forgive herself. Even if she told the church what happened, and they were able to forgive her because of the situation, it would be impossible for the women to forgive. With the override of guilt and shame, it would almost be easier for others to forgive, especially because they are not directly affected.

Negative guilt and shame can bring forth and add unwanted self-esteem problems to a person. It can be unrelated, or even subconscious to the issue at hand, but the underlie will add detrimental consequences. This sort of guilt and shame causes the wrongdoer to hold anger and resentment toward oneself.

It can bring self-sabotage, and overall, take away from what you are trying to forgive. It creates a depression within and makes it hard to form relationships that can be meaningful, stops success, and stops the fulfilling of life pleasures.

The correlation between guilt, shame, and self-forgiveness, with its negativity, can also be seen as something positive. Guilt can encourage someone to feel empathy towards another person. It allows for self-forgiveness by opening a window for self-acceptance. As a person, when overridden with guilt, acceptance is a way to normalize the feelings one is having. By recognizing guilt, a window opens up for change. When changes are made, a person will be able to forgive easier, especially because they see how the guilt can hold them burdened.

It is though, important to distinguish shame from guilt. Shame leads a person to recluse into themselves, it makes one feel inferior and inadequate. With these feelings, a person will be pulled back and unable to forgive themselves for what they have done. Shame is a vicious cycle that is never constructive, and leads to greater feelings of failure and self-preoccupation, allowing for the back stepping of oneself and relationships held. One with issues regarding esteem or shame, will take guilt and twist it into a negative construct, that ultimately prevents growth.

Something that can change both of these into positives though, is acceptance. A person who finds acceptance within themselves will be the one who can forgive what has happened. They realize a mistake was made and they can learn why it was wrong, acknowledge how it made them feel, and eventually move on and grow. With acceptance, the wrongdoer's esteem is raised, and they are able to create a life that is more fulfilling, because they will know how to handle themselves, and forgive themselves when situations arise that present guilt and shame.

III. The Burden of Self-Forgiveness

Self-forgiveness is the hardest form of forgiveness, not just because it is hard to forget, but also because as people, we are our harshest critics. It brings emotions of guilt, sadness, shame, and anger. With normal forgiveness, the victim expects an apology, and it is almost assumed that one should apologize for the incident that had occurred. The apology brings power to the victim, because it allows for control of knowing that there doesn't have to be forgiveness. When the wrongdoer is oneself though, there is a grey area of forgiveness. There is a burden of not deserving the forgiveness, and even greater, the burden of living with whatever the action was at that time.

As people, we tend to hold onto things. We hold onto any feeling that we have ever experienced, whether it be a time where happiness was expressed, or a time of great sadness. The act of forgiveness when there is no possible way of forgetting is a huge burden within itself. How are you supposed to accept that a person forgives, when you yourself cannot? How can you cope with knowing that the victim has forgotten, when you yourself can't erase what happened? Maybe the answer isn't that the action should be erased but should be embraced.

When you forgive another, the judgement is gone, and healing can begin. When you forgive yourself, the same concept applies, here is acceptance and the ability to move on is set into place. The burden though, is when one simply cannot move on from the action. There is an underlie that as a person, there is an inability to house that forgiveness, because as a person, we are our harshest critics. Burdens can come when one cannot see the whole picture. People tend to focus on one thing at a time, on one situation or event at a time. When the focus becomes tunnel, it is hard to see what can become whole.

There is nothing else besides a trap of cyclical, degrading thoughts. Why wasn't I better? What could I have done differently? Why am I not good enough? These are just a few thoughts that can come up when dealing with forgiveness. These are burdensome because they focus on the negative, and not what was positive. Examples of positive, forgiving thinking are, it happened, its time to move on, or I can't change the past, but I can control how I act in the future. The burden here though, can be the refusal to forgive because one knows they will change, so why speak words when actions will be greater? This crosses into a realm that can be a burden as well, because it paints the wrongdoer as someone who refuses to take action and be accountable for oneself. Without the aspect of accountability, there cannot be any sort of forgiveness.

As we learn to forgive ourselves, it takes a sort of personal action to create the energy to admit our wrongdoings. The burden of not being able to forgive, is pride. Pride can be seen as something good, pride in an accomplishment, for example. What happens though, when someone has so much pride, they refuse to admit they are wrong? This fuels a fire that can break off relationships with others and even with the self. The burden here is that without the knowledge of forgiveness and acceptance, there is a void in which happiness cannot fill. Without humility in one's actions, there is an esteem that will paint the wrongdoer as someone who refuses to grow up and accept the situation. The harsh reality, and something that a majority of people find to be a burden, is that it is impossible to change the event that took place. There is no restoration of the harmed relationships, and anything said cannot be taken back.

Overall, the ultimate burden when it comes to self-forgiveness is self-love. Someone who has love within themselves is going to be quick to forgive what they did, because they can go into and come out of a situation knowing that no matter what, they will love themselves. Without self-love, we cannot self-forgive. How does one obtain self-love?

First, there is the idea of being mindful. With mindfulness, it is important to make sure that one is in an open, curious, and overall non-judgmental state of being. This is hard though, because as humans, there will always be a form of closed off judgement. Second, the wrongdoer must express a type of self-kindness. Here it is important to extend a sort of care amongst yourself, as you would a close friend or loved one. Once these two forms are acknowledged and achieved, it is possible to move on and realize the third aspect, humanity. Everyone is human, a struggle that is often portrayed is that as a person, no flaws exist. Once these flaws are recognized, the ability to open up and self-love is ever prevalent.

Self-love though, takes time and takes skills on top of the above mentioned. Let us say that one does love themselves, to put it all to practice, there must be recognition of experiences, whether they be joyful or contain suffering. Along with that, there has to be acceptance of feelings. One who self loves can tell what emotion they are protruding without question. Ultimately, the decision must be made if you can forgive yourself, and without self-love, that is simply impossible, making it the biggest burden all together.

IV. Importance of Self-Forgiveness

Did you like this example?

The Four Parts Of Self Forgiveness. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Forgiveness and Mental Health Practice

The article demonstrates the necessary understanding of the term forgiveness and practicing forgiveness in mental health practice. As determined through the previously conducted researches, forgiveness has been practiced and utilized in counseling. The aim of the article is to search for the ways following which the concept of forgiveness can further be used in practicing mental health and counseling tied to the Christian context. The article includes an overview of a number of definitions of forgiveness defined in psychological and theological ways. It further provides the necessary understanding of how forgiveness can facilitate and assist the spiritually sensitive counselor. The three dimensions of forgiveness reviewed in the article include forensic forgiveness, therapeutic forgiveness and redemptive forgiveness that have been used to develop a framework for using forgiveness that would facilitate spiritually accommodative therapy. In facilitating individuals, for practicing forgiveness, an important role has been played by the spiritually sensitive counselor. The counselor needs to be sensitive to the Christian tradition (Scott 2013).

The characteristics and skills of a Christian counselor must necessarily include having the ability to engage with the individuals, that have been victimized, in his/her sufferings. In this way, they would be able to encourage them in the most efficient way of utilizing forgiveness and providing them with the necessary empathy. The counseling would be done to make the people believe that they are sons and daughters of God. Further, the counselor, when aiding victims, must have such skills and characteristics that he resembles with the face of God (Parker 2011). The implications for the provision of Christian counseling would include allowing the individuals to become more like their Christ, provide them with the ability to face losses in life, and face one another thus building a sense of forgiveness. The Christian counselor is responsible for developing safe and respectful relationships with the victims. This would further help in redemption and liberation as the victim experiences a safe relationship with the spiritual Christian counselor.

As a result of the services of the counselor, He may be personified as a governor for encouraging the people to be forgiving. The counselor would further be responsible for ensuring and restoring safety at the places where victimization has occurred such as local communities, family, and the church as well. Following the services as provided by the counselor, of facilitating forgiveness from a Christian spiritual perspective, would further make the local communities and families help each other providing with the necessary counseling through the perspective of forgiveness, identifying the needs of the people and making efforts to fulfill the desired needs (McMinn, Staley, Webb and Seegobin 2010). Among the three types of forgiveness as discussed by the authors in the article, the therapeutic forgiveness or therapeutic intervention is considered as the only dimension facilitating forgiveness from the spiritual Christian perspective. The concerns, however, are also raised by the counselors using the approaches of the therapeutic use of forgiveness. The spiritually sensitive counselor would also be able to incorporate the redemptive dimensions of forgiveness.

Did you like this example?

Forgiveness and Mental Health Practice. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Forgiveness: Can you Imagine

It's a bright morning, the sun shining like a luminous beacon in the sky. Although it's fairly early, the streets are already alive with the hustle and bustle of people. A young woman walks towards a quaint coffee shop. Her name is Kierra. She stands in line, waiting to order her latte with a shot of kindness- you can never go wrong with kindness. A slight buzz attracts her attention. They are waking up. They are her imaginary friends, inside her head. Or so she thinks. They are not just imaginary friends, they are so much more. They are extensions of herself. You see, Kierra has dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder. A repeated trauma during someone's childhood can cause them to develop alters, or multiple personalities aimed to protect the child. They are like conscious thoughts in one's mind. However, they each have their own distinct voice. It's quite fascinating. As the alters wake up, one particular voice rises above everyone else. It's deep and masculine, but not the voice of a full-grown adult male. This is Cadman. He's fifteen years old, and perhaps, in a different world, in a different time, he would be a general- commanding, logical, ambitious. Inside Kierra's head, he pesters her to order an Americano, like he usually does. When she finally does get to order, she gets a latte with three shots of kindness- just to spite him. She walks back to her apartment on the cobblestone streets of Paris. She walks past a group of three people, who, at first, look like regular citizens, but upon closer inspection, they are all wearing mirrored sunglasses and the same pendant, of a sun and two crossed swords, around their necks. Of course, Kierra pays no attention to them, assuming that they're just citizens or tourists- albeit a bit strange. However, all three of them turn around simultaneously, staring at her retreating figure almost creepily. They glance at each other, the sunlight reflecting off their sunglasses.

In her apartment, Kierra gets ready to work when she notices a shriveled little paw lying on the kitchen counter. She has had this for awhile, but never knew where it came from, and neither do the alters. She has gaps in her memories, things she cannot remember. The alters keep a lot of her brutal memories away from her so that she is not hurt or traumatized even further. Her memories are like one, giant puzzle with a bunch of missing pieces; pieces that the alters have. Last week, she took the paw to a magic shop and the owner told her that it had once belonged to a powerful fakir and supposedly granted three wishes to whoever possessed it. As Kierra reaches for a glass of water, she suddenly feels her vision getting blurry, and she enters a state of unconsciousness. When this happens, it means that an alter has taken control of her body- but she doesn't know it. Now, Kierra is Cadman- in Kierra's body. The alters have been planning this for awhile. They want to test the necklace. If it truly works, they can be given more resources to protect Kierra. Cadman- well, Cadman in Kierra's body, but Cadman all the same- reaches over and grabs the paw.

I wish for more magic power so I can protect Kierra, Cadman speaks in an authoritative voice. The paw glows faintly, and it wiggles in Cadman's palm. Startled, he drops it but then places it back on the counter and allows Kierra to take control of her body again. As Kierra comes back in her own state of mind, and her body, she feels a strange sensation. Normally, she feels fine after one of these episodes, just a little confused. However, this time is different. Her ears are ringing and she feels dizzy, faint, and weak. She can barely stand, and has to lean on the counter for support. What is going on? I don't remember being this weak. Above the ringing, she can vaguely make out two voices shouting in her head: one is Cadman, and the other is a young female voice with a British accent. This is Athena. She's quite young, only ten, but a prodigy with a genius mind to rival Albert Einstein himself.

Are you crazy? Look what you just did! she says. She's drained of her energy and power!

Well, I didn't know! Cadman fires back. At least I have more power now!

Ugh. We have to fix this. Quickly, Athena takes over Kierra's body and wishes on the necklace.

I want to have more knowledge.

What?! How is that going to fix our problem?!

We will know how to fix it! Kierra regains control, but still feels faint- and very, very confused. For some reason, she feels as if she cannot comprehend anything. 2 plus 2 is wait. What? Why can't I remember? It's just simple math! Why can't I remember anything? Why am I so weak? Why?

What is going on?! she shouts frustratingly to an empty apartment. The birds that have perched on her window scatter into the breeze.

Wow, our problem is solved, Cadman quips sarcastically. Now she cannot think straight!

Shut up! I make mistakes sometimes! Athena says. I'll just wish to revert our wishe- Unbeknownst to them, Kierra grabs the paw and makes a wish.

I wish I knew what was going on! she shouts.

Uh oh. Cadman glances at Athena.

Well, I guess there's no hiding anything from her anymore. The paw wriggles and memories swirl around Kierra. It is like watching a movie- except it is a movie of her life.

A woman sitting with a little girl at a piano, her fingers dancing across the ivory keys while sunlight filters in through the window.

A man standing with a little girl, blowing bubbles in a beautiful garden with bright roses and fresh green grass.

A dark night. Screaming, blood, and a group of strange people with black masks and pendants of a sun and two crossed swords. A shriveled little paw, hung on a chain, pressed into a small hand.

A woman's breathy voice: Keep it with you, always. We love you, my dar-

Good. You've captured their daughter, I see. A cruel man's face, with gleaming red eyes.

A sharp, stinging pain. A whip, chains, blood on a cold grey wall.

Stop! Please! It hurts! More blood. Blurry eyesight, tears dripping onto stone.

Cadman, you'll always protect me, right? Like a big brother?

Of course. I am very powerful, and you'll be safe.

Kierra jerks back to the present, feeling even dizzier than before. The voices in her head have gone silent. Her face is as white as a ghost. Athena speaks up.

Sorry for keeping you from all this, but it was for your own good. Kierra doesn't say anything. Let me explain. You have dissociative identity disorder and we're your alters. That was all Kierra needed to hear. Her friend had taken a psychology course in high school, and told her about this rare occurrence. As she is trying to take it all in, a sudden explosion startles her- and the alters in her head.

Three people, heavily armed, stand in the remains of what used to be Kierra's front door. Wreathed in dust and smoke, they wear reflective sunglasses, and pendants on their necks.

We've found you. That magic signature is very distinct. Kierra and the alters recognize the pendants on their necks: a sun with two crossed swords. Fear claws its way up into their minds, smoky, inky, and dark. Kierra's thudding heartbeat increases, echoing in her ears. Thump. Thump. Thump.

No! Cadman screams. Kierra, let me take over! I have extensive military skill and black belts in five different martial arts!

Kierra, I can help you devise a strategy! Athena says, the gears of her mind already turning. The guy on the left seems to have a smaller stature than the rest, which means that he-

No, don't worry. Kierra cuts through both of them. She walks up to the three figures calmly.

Kierra, what are you doing?! Cadman yells. They're going to kill you! They hurt you!

Good, now come to us like a good girl. No more escaping. We'll take you and the paw back. The catacombs are waiting, the one in the middle says. Kierra smiles at them, sweet and charming.

It doesn't have to be this way, you know. I know that inside, you're good! Everyone deserves to have a second chance. She holds out her hand, as an olive branch, a peace offering. All three pause for just a second, gazing at Kierra behind their mirrored sunglasses.

It happens in a flash. The alters cannot do anything about it. Sunglasses reflect Kierra's limp form, a sword impaled through her stomach. The alters whisper their last word: forgiveness.

Did you like this example?

Forgiveness: Can You Imagine. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

The Power of Forgiveness

The Power of Forgiveness is a movie that goes in depth into horrific acts of terror, violence, and war. Throughout the movie you hear from survivors and victims of such acts. I can appreciate the magnitude of this film, after traveling to Belfast and seeing first-hand the clash of the two religious parties. The anger and contempt between the Catholics and Protestants are still there, still on two sides of a wall dividing a city. A religious conflict created by government. It is often said that the people of Belfast are the nicest to travelers but the meanest to their fellow neighbor.

In my many visits to various Amish communities, in both Pennsylvania and Ohio, I can tell what kind of forgiving people the Amish are. Whenever you interact with the Amish in their stores, you can see the kindness in their eyes. It is unfortunate what happened to the Amish in the school shooting, in their loss of family, friends, and neighbors. Filmmaker Martin Doblmeier says, "The word 'forgiveness' may be the most provocative word in our culture today. There is an underlying anger in our country that we see regularly in our movies, in the news, even on our highways.”

Culture is to blame for all the hate and anger in the world. The human person considers many acts throughout their day to be an attack. An attack on the world, on their country, on themselves, and on their friendships, just to name a few. In the movie, it talks about the infamous terrorist attack on our country, The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Surprisingly it was not all about the hate towards the terrorists but the hate toward New York City. Three relatives of victims of the attack spoke about their hate of the efforts to bury the remains of all the deceased. The City of New York, after 9/11, took the remains mixed with other debris from the scene and moved it to a local landfill.

During War, it is often said that what is necessary must be done for victory. During the Vietnam War, Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh was a developer of the under privileged. He built villages and within them were schools and medical clinics. The government of North Vietnam discovered Thich Nhat Hanh’s humanitarian work and quickly killed as many villagers as possible. Killing Innocent school children and Buddhist Nuns. Thick Nhat Hanh quickly moved to France to moderate the peace talks, and he developed a portion of France as his center. Every year hundreds of people go for a retreat to Thick Nhat Hanh’s center to learn his teachings of peace, kindness, and forgiveness. Today there are many services for people to cope with anger or hate.

In the last scene of the movie, we learn of Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix. Azim deals with the murder of his son Tarik who was murdered by Ples’s grandson Tony. Azim has learned to take his anger and turn it into forgiveness. Azim honors Tarik with a foundation that promotes forgiveness. Azim and Ples are both ambassadors for the foundation and ambassadors for forgiveness. The extreme proof of Azim’s forgiving power is represented in his forgiveness of Tony in his asking for reduced jail time. When Tony is out of jail, Azim has a job waiting for him.

Did you like this example?

The Power of Forgiveness. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Demand for Black Forgiveness

Forgiveness in itself is a process. A process that requires reflection, acknowledgement, and compassion from both the oppressor and oppressed. Forgiveness often requires a journey of grieving and healing that looks and feels different for everyone. Although, at times forgiveness seems like more of an obligation then a choice. Historically, black forgiveness of white violence has remained a form of self-protection for blacks. America celebrates and explicitly demands black forgiveness in the face of violence.

At a philadelphia Starbucks, two black men were arrested for trespassing when they decided not to order anything. propelled the issue of racial bias into the spotlight. Rashon Nelson, 23, said that he had asked to use the restroom and an employee told him it was for paying customers only. A witness at the incident, said another woman had entered the Starbucks moments prior to the men being arrested and was given a bathroom code without having to buy anything. insistence upon involving police in seemingly minor interactions puts black lives at risk. White people have made their fear and discomfort a weapon in otherwise peaceful encounters for years. Further, white people identifying themselves as the victim allows them maintain innocence.

Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, killed nine blacks during a prayer service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The families of the victims of the Charleston massacre publicly announced, less than 24 hours after the event, that they forgive Dylann Roof. The family members were embraced by the media for their compassion and fortitude. I would like to make it crystal clear I do not regret what I did, Roof wrote in the journal while in Charleston County's jail. The systems of white supremacy demand forgiveness from blacks even though white supremacists have done nothing to reconcile or promise stop their behavior. The expectation that black people will always and immediately forgive the violence done to them by the world, or individual people, is a demented ritual.

The relationship between blacks and white supremacy is one that lacks acknowledgement and reflection.

9-year-old Jeremiah Harvey was wrongly accused of assaulting a white woman in a corner store, although this incident was negated by security footage. "Young man, I don't know your name, but I'm sorry," Teresa Klein said. This is one of many incidents in which white people have called the police on black people for unobtrusive behavior. To many individuals, black kids seem older than they actually are. Harriet Beecher Stowe's, Uncle Tom's Cabin was one of the most influential books of the 19th century and was pivotal to this idea. Stoewe created the virtuous white character Ava, who contrasted with Topsy, the rogish black girl. In the novel, Harriet showed Topsy was at heart an innocent child who misbehaves because of the trauma she experienced during slavery. The success of Uncle Tom's Cabin encouraged the world of theatre to create adaptations of the novel by using minstrelsy. The ministry version of Topsy had transformed into the pickaninny, one of the most racist images ever made. The caricature often arrived beside saintly white kids. These destructive images altered America's perception of childhood inncocence using it as a tool of racial oppression. Now, black children are subject to scrutiny and skepticism. The adultification of black children in America has revolutionized the ways in which they are seen and heard.

Blacks in America are impacted by the ramifications of racism daily and expected to hold onto a forgiving heart. Popular media perpetuates the idea of forgiveness in hopes of trying to make sense of the event. The call for forgiveness is familiar when blacks experience tragedy under the gaze of the public.

Black people forgive in order to survive. We have to forgive countless times while racism and silence continue to flourish. We forgive not for the betterment of us, but for the sake of others. The media holds onto these black narratives about forgiveness so they can pretend the world is better than what it actually is, and that racism is simply apart of the past instead of a vital part of the world today. While stories of compassion are embraced by the media, the rage of blacks is nearly always condemned. Images of angry young black people are viewed as bad. News stations do on-site reporting of protests, where individuals who express emotions of anger and passion is rarely celebrated. These acts are seen, by most, as unforgivable, violent, and inappropriate.

Forgiveness is what blacks, specifically black christians, have been taught to do. A history of oppression both systemically and mentally deriving from slavery, with Christianity as one of it's foundations. During slavery, Enslaved blacks adopted the religion of their masters and used religion as a way to cope with the trauma. Modern day black Christians inherited faith from their parents, who inherited it from their parents, who inherited their faith from those who were introduced to Christianity during times of slavery. The notion blacks have around the act of forgiveness is grounded in the liberation of whites. Even in the midst of racial tension, police brutality, and transformational protests we are expected to remain civil. We are prompted to show compassion in response to hatred, and calmly work through trauma. Forgiveness is complex, especially when events with obvious racist motivations occur. The countless times blacks are covertly and overtly demanded to forgive is reminder of how far America has to go to address racism, one of its foundational wrongdoings.

Did you like this example?

Demand for Black Forgiveness. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

How did Edgar Allan Poe Influence Literature

Edgar Allan Poe, a writer who is most famously known for his gothic stories. Some believe he set the standards for scary stories and scary movies.

Edgar Allan Poe had left Richmond to attend the University Of Richmond. He excelled in his classes but racked up students debts while attending the University. Since Poe could not support himself, as a result of this he enlisted into the United States of America's Army. He later then pivoted his focus on his literary work. He then released multiple poems, and stories which created a new way of looking at scary stories. Mr.Poe released stories just by reading can give the reader goosebumps. He put a lot of creativity and imagination into the stories and still made them realistic.

Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849. Mr.Poe died a mysterious death, and what was even more mysterious is that it is said to say he was found dead in clothes that weren't his. The day Mr.Poe was buried an obituary was released in the New York Tribune signed Ludwig. This piece was soon published throughout the country. Ludwig was soon found out to be Rufus Wilmot Griswold. Rufus was known as a nemesis of Poe. Rufus would release propaganda of Poe to reduce his popularity. Some of the fake news was that he was a drunk and a addict to opioids. To this day his death remains a mystery some think rabies, heart disease, epilepsy, or cholera.

Poe was most famously known for his gothic themed stories. This really set the "standard" for scary stories and helped influence other artist. Beyond horror, Poe also wrote satires, humor tales, and hoaxes. For comic effect, he used irony and ludicrous extravagance, often in an attempt to liberate the reader from cultural conformity. Works with obvious meanings, he wrote, cease to be art. He believed that work of quality should be brief and focus on a specific single effect. To that end, he believed that the writer should carefully calculate every sentiment and idea. To this day he inspires people to be a great author just like him. Also his work is still read today in classes to show an example of literary work back then and the language used in this time.

Did you like this example?

How Did Edgar Allan Poe Influence Literature. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

The French Revolution: 1789-1799

Contents

Moderate Stage
Radical Stage
Final Stage
- Characteristics of History After 1799:

Moderate Stage

1788 - Louis XVI called for the Estates General. By 1788 the Kingdom of France was utterly broke. Conflicts like the Seven Years War and the American Revolutionary War had been more than France could afford while the tax system was heavily outdated where the French nobility and the Catholic Church (who control most of the land and wealth despite being a tiny percentage of the population) paid virtually no taxes. The king's summoning of the Estates General for the first time since the 1600s was a possible way to raise new revenue and reform the financial system.

May 5, 1789Opening session of the Estates General. While King Louis summoned the Estates General for tax reform it soon became clear that the majority pushed for more radical reform. The First Estate represented clergy, the Second Estate the nobility, and the Third Estate represented the remaining 98% of the population. During the opening session the members of the Third Estate (who represented the majority of the French population) made it clear that they had no love for the absolute monarchy and wanted a French constitution in addition to tax reform.

June 17, 1789The Third Estate broke away and forms National Assembly. The Third Estate consisted of Peasants and notables, even though they were the majority of the population and had twice as many total delegates as the other two estates. They also had only one vote in the Assembly and broke away because the other two estates kept on outvoting them despite representing the vast majority of the French population.

June 20, 1789The Oath of Tennis Court. When the King locked an increasingly vocal members of the Third Estate out of their meeting chambers the Estate instead chose to gather in a nearby tennis court. The members of the Assembly vowed not to disband until France had a constitution. This made it clear that the King would have to made concessions or risk a civil war.

July 14, 1789 - Storm of the Bastille. The Bastille was seen as a symbol of old monarchic tyranny and on July 11th the King dismissed his reformist minister of finance Jacques Necker, leading to fears that the King along with the nobility was moving to crush the National Assembly. The sans-culottes stormed Bastille in order to obtain weapons for the revolution.

July “August 1789A chain of peasant revolts known as the Great Fear. Peasants and villagers revolted against higher taxes, the local nobility, royal officials and the high price of bread. It is best described not as a single, national revolt but a series of revolts against local officials.

August 1789Nobles surrendered their special privileges. Nobles in France had an immunity from most taxes, the power to collect dues from local farmers, special status for the lands they owned, and other special privileges like exclusive hunting rights. These were all hated as it perpetuated a system where a small portion of the population was automatically seen as better for no reason other than birth. By August these privileges were stripped away and nobles were taxed as any other person living under the French monarchy.

August 26, 1789The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was published. The Old Regime meant the monarchy and aristocracy. It was called a death warrant because The Declaration of the Rights of Man declared that men are born free and sovereignty is residing in the nation. It also declared that all men were equal, peasants were no longer seen as lower than nobles or clergy and the King was now seen more as an executive, political leader as opposed to a divinely ordained absolute leader.

October 5, 1789March on Versailles. The poor women from the marketplaces of Paris marched on Versailles. They were anger rose from the rising prices of bread and the king's unwillingness to cooperate with the assembly but soon grew into a liberal demonstration demanding a monarch that answered to the people.

August 1789 - The National Assembly abolished tithe. Tithe was effectively a tax collected by the Catholic Church from local parishes. This meant that church was nearly a government of its own within royal France and it also meant that locals were often subject to a tax from the state, a tax from the nobles, and a tax from the church. This was hated and the church lost its ability to collect tithes at the same time nobles lost their privileges.

November 1789The National Assembly confiscated land belonging to the Catholic Church. 100,000 clergymen owned more than 10% of the land in France. This was seen as a symbol of tyranny where a tiny portion of the population had far too much land and power. The confiscation of Church land was a program of land reform to correct an imbalance of wealth.

July 12, 1790 - The Civil Constitution to the Clergy. The goal was to make the Church a national institution by making bishops and priest swear allegiance to the state. Because of the peasants who had catholic churches in their community were driven to revolt. Many people disliked the Church as a political institution with way too much power but many were also still very religious and didn't like the idea of God being restrained by some civil government.

June 21, 1791 - Louis XVI and his family fled Paris. King Louis and his family were stuck in Paris, still arguing over the future of the French state with the National Assembly. Still he was losing more support from the French population and was surrounded by a revolutionary city. His flight was not only for fear of his family's safety but the hope that he could link up with troops more loyal to the monarch than the national assembly outside of Paris.

August 27, 1791 - The monarchs of Prussia and Austria issued the Declaration of Pillnitz. A declaration in support of King Louis XVI against the revolutionaries. It led to a fear that Prussia and Austria would go to war to restore the power of the King and further alienated King Louis from the people of France who now accused him of plotting with foreign powers.

September 3, 1791France became a Constitutional Monarchy. France officially put a constitution into practice to limit the powers of the King. Louis XVI still technically headed the army and had the power to veto legislation but had his title changed from King of France to King of the French to show that he was king only with the support of the people.

Radical Stage

April 20, 1792 - The Legislative Assembly declared war against Austria and Prussia. There was fear that the Declaration of Pillnitz was a declaration of war by Austria and Prussia (it was only a declaration of support for the King) and the Legislative Assembly hoped to attack preemptively to avoid being overwhelmed. The also hoped to united France by giving a common foreign enemy.

August 1792A combined Prussian and Austrian army led by the Duke of Brunswick invaded France. The initial attack by revolutionary France was repelled easily and the Duke of Brunswick launched a counter-invasion, making it clear that he intended to restore the monarchy and restore order to France. He warned the French population not to resist. The invasion was slowed by disease, poor organization, and bad weather.

August 1792Sans-culottes invaded the royal palace of Tuileries and forced the royal family to seek refuge at the Legislative Assembly. The invasion angered the revolutionaries who stormed the royal palace to overthrow the king who they believed was colluding with the Prussians and the French. The King fled to the Legislative Assembly for protection but was soon arrested.

September 1792September Massacres. A wave of killings in Paris, mostly among prisoners as revolutionary leaders thought that royalists and foreign armies would use the prisoners to fight against the revolution. The radical Jacobins and Maximilien Robespierre took control of revolutionary fervor and gained power.

September 22, 1792 - The National Convention established Republic. The Legislative Assembly was replaced by the more radical National Convention who formally abolished the French monarchy, replacing it with the French Republic. This was an incredibly radical move at the time.

January 21, 1793 - Louis XVI was executed. The French had repelled Austrian/Prussian troops by late 1792, removing any incentive to hold the King hostage. The National Convention had Louis XVI executed with a majority vote on the charge of treason against the state via guillotine.

1793 - 1794 - A chain of counterrevolutionary insurrections at the Vendee. Many peasants were just as wary of the new French government than they had been of the King. In the Vendee there was less of a power difference between local nobles and peasants while the revolutionary government was implementing new taxes, attacking their religion, and trying to draft them into the military.

June 2, 1793 - The Montagnards (Jacobins) expelled the Girondins from the National Convention and seized control of the Convention. This removed any moderate opposition from the reins of government. Robespierre and the Jacobins were now unchecked to implement their radical agenda and much of this agenda included the violent removal of any who opposed (or who they thought opposed) the Revolution.

Summer 1793-Summer 1794The Reign of Terror. Robespierre and the Jacobins were responsible for the terror. With foreign war and pro-royalist revolt among much of the population away from Paris there was a fear the French Republic would simply collapse under the strain. The Reign of Terror started as a way to remove enemies of the Republic, but it soon grew out of control and many in the National Convention turned against the Jacobins.

July 27, 1794Thermidorian Reaction (July was renamed into Thermidor) was a revolt against the excesses of the Revolution. Moderate members of the National Convention expelled the radicals from the Convention. Maximilien Robespierre was arrested and executed. This was the final end to the Jacobins as a relevant political force.

Final Stage

August 1795Directory was created. The Directory was created to replace the National Assembly but it had the problem of being composed of many monarchists, despite being a republican institution. They tried to prevent royalist and Jacobin coups while bringing an end to the fighting in the Vendee. Their attempts to please everybody eventually alienated everybody.

November 9, 1799Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory. Napoleon was already a popular military figure for his many victories in Italy in the past few years (he managed to shift the blame for his less successful Egypt invasion). By this time the French Republic has gone through the terror plus years of instability and war. The French population now wanted a stable government and a strong figure like Napoleon appealed to this desire.

Three most significant dates of the French Revolution:

Storming of Bastille (July 14th, 1789)
March on Versailles (October 5th, 1789)
Reign of Terror (September 1793-July 1794)

Robespierre and the Jacobins were responsible for the terror. With foreign war and pro-royalist revolt among much of the population away from Paris there was a fear the French Republic would simply collapse under the strain (Cole 485). The Reign of Terror started as a way to remove enemies of the Republic, but it soon grew out of control and many in the National Convention turned against the Jacobins. Thousands of people were killed due to this conflict between the Jacobins and Girondins. Afterwards, the leader of the Jacobins arose as the new head of the Revolution.

Characteristics of History Before 1989:

Before the French Revolution, French society looked very different. This society was known as the Old Regime. During the Old Regime, there were three Estates (classes) with the 1st, the clergy, and the second, the nobles, having all the power and privilege. Meanwhile, the 3rd Estate, the bourgeoisie, sans-culottes, and peasants, had to pay taxes to support the Clergy and Nobles, while having no power or privileges (Cole 479). Power flowed from above, and the vast majority of France, the third estate, had no say. Furthermore, France wasn't France as one would know it today. The Catholic Church was intimately linked with the monarchy. The clergy, was (like the nobility) exempt from taxation. Going even further, the Church had the power to tax from it's parishioners; this was called a tithe, and it was widely unpopular with the third estate. Before the French Revolution, one was not loyal to their nation, they were loyal to their king.

Characteristics of History After 1799:

Just before the French Revolution, ideas from thinkers of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a challenge to the traditional views of religion and monarchy. Free thinkers such as Locke, Voltaire, and Montesquieu, spread the idea that people should use reason, not faith when running a government. These notions, as well as Abbe Sieyes' political pamphlet, What is the Third Estate, inspired the Third Estate to take a stand against the corrupt system of the Estates (Brophy 291). The ideas of the enlightenment made the Third Estate realize that a person was loyal not to a leader, but to a nation, and it removed the idea that some people in French society were ""above"" others. Thus, they removed themselves from the Estates General to become the National Assembly. This changed the structure of power, instead of flowing from the top, it started at the bottom. The French Revolution removed the aristocracy and removed the idea that nobles should have privileges the everybody else did not. The people had the power and the French Revolution started that idea

This also removed the role of the Catholic church from its place of power. There was a saying ""France is the eldest daughter of the Church"". The King had absolute power, but he was seen as getting that power from God. The Church also owned a lot of land, and they were seen less as a holy organization and more as a large group that lorded over and stole form the people. When the French Revolution changed society, the clergy and the church in general were hated along with the aristocracy. Where the old monarchy was tied to the Church the new France rejected the Catholic church, they said religion should have no place in public affairs. This was made evident when the National Assembly confiscated the land of the church in November 1789. This gave rise to the concept of secularity, where even religious holidays were criticized. Right after the French Revolution, there was a serious effort to remove Sundays because Sunday is the Catholic day of rest. France went from being one of the closest nations to the Catholic Church to trying to get rid of Sundays.

Did you like this example?

The French Revolution: 1789-1799. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

French Colonial Governance and the French Revolution in Pondicherry

Contents

The Establishment of Pondicherry: La Compagnie des Indes and The Chaudrie Court
L'Apogee: Joseph Francois Dupleix and the Zenith of French Pondicherry

By the late 18th century, the French presence in India was on the decline. Once the only serious challenger to British dominance on the subcontinent, by the 1780s l'Inde Fran?§aise had been reduced to a series of demilitarized and economically neutered stations on the subcontinent's east coast. Though all of these territories had experienced substantial decline since their mid-18th-century peak, none had fallen so far as Pondicherry. What had once been a thriving and cosmopolitan city had declined to a remote outpost with a fraction of its peak population. Largely to blame for this decline were the successive losses of the French during the Seven Years' War and the resulting political instability in the former possessions of the French East India Company. By 1788, Pondicherry was a marginal backwater of the First French Empire, a sorry remnant of what had once been a thriving French presence in India.

It is in this position that Pondicherry found itself when revolution consumed France in 1789. Already forgotten by Paris and more than two months removed from the French capital by boat, Pondicherry's French and Tamil inhabitants reacted with anxiety to the news of revolt in the metropole. To the Tamils, the Revolution raised questions as to their relationship with their colonial overlords and the true nature of their status in the French nation. To the small Franco-Indian population, the Revolution brought a chaos that threatened their precarious dominance over Pondicherry's economic and political life. To both groups, the Revolution threatened to topple what remained of the French Empire in India altogether. The stakes, in short, could not be higher. In a colony where European military and political dominance was so precarious, and where the colonial state had been substantially weakened by decades of war fatigue, one might expect the chaos of the Revolution to have induced a native uprising. Further, stronger French colonial presences in St. Domingue and elsewhere would succumb to similar power vacuums and ultimately be consumed by Revolutionary violence. But in Pondicherry, the Revolution did not produce violence. The uniqueness of La Revolution Pacifique is grounded in the stability of the political and cultural relationships built between the French and Tamil inhabitants of the territory, and the consequent goodwill that existed between the two populations when the news of revolution reached Pondicherry's shores in 1790.

The Revolution swept the French Empire when Pondicherry was at its weakest, forcing the French and Tamil populations to engage with one another to preserve the territorial integrity of their city in the face of a British Raj at the zenith of its power. However, while the directness of the conversations that took place might have been novel, the interactions themselves were notrather they drew on a tradition of political and cultural engagement between the French and the Tamils that had been developing in Pondicherry since the colony's establishment in 1674. And though the British would put an end to Revolutionary activities when they occupied Pondicherry in 1793, the three-year long conversation between the Franco-Indian and Tamil populations constituted an exceptional manifestation of what had already been an exceptional relationship in 18th century colonial South Asia. Examining primary and secondary literature regarding the Revolution in Pondicherry, it is clear that the anomalous upswing in peaceful political discourse that took place was due to the stability of the rapport between the territory's European and Indian populationsa stability that was formed over centuries in the unique conditions that existed at the margin of France's empire.

The existing secondary literature on this subject is sparse. The vast majority of sources that discuss the nature of French rule in Pondicherryof which there are still exceedingly fewfocus on the tenure of colonial governor Joseph Francois Dupleix in the 1750s and 60s, a period that is widely considered the zenith of French rule in India. The number of historical analyses available declines sharply as one enters the 1780s and 90s, and thus the unique conditions created in the territory leading up to the Revolution have not been as thoroughly analyzed, particularly by English-speaking authors. This is perhaps due to the fact that the vast majority of primary literature on this subject is written by French visitors to and inhabitants of the colony. These sourcesand analyses of themhave been monopolized by a small number of French-language secondary works. The flagship example of such French scholarship is Marguerite Labernadie's La Revolution Et Les etablissements Francais Dans L'Inde, which remains the only example of French or English scholarship that focuses on the revolution in French India and from which this paper will borrow heavily. However, like other French-language works, Labernadie's piece does not include references to the small number of crucial Tamil sources from 1790s Pondicherry. In combining analyses of pre-Revolutionary Pondicherry from both the English and French secondary literature with a renewed look at court and personal documents from the Revolutionary period, this paper will attempt to trace the roots of the French Revolution's peaceful manifestation in Pondicherry.

The Establishment of Pondicherry: La Compagnie des Indes and The Chaudrie Court

The French East India Company began its relationship with Pondicherry in 1674, when the Company made the coastal town the headquarter of their operations. Prior to the arrival of the Compagnie des Indes, Pondicherry had been a minor settlement in a series of great South Asian empires and had most recently fallen under the suzerainty of the Vijayanagar Emperor and the Sultan of Bijapur. At the time of Pondicherry's establishment as a colonial outpost, the mission civilatrice that would come to dominate the French Empire in the 19th century was not yet a priority for Paris' imperial projectthe French had established Pondicherry solely on strategic and economic grounds. Though its pre-colonial history and founding have not been thoroughly explored by historians, Pondicherry's position as a strategic outpost, rather than an economic colony, would prove essential to the nature of everyday life in the city. Unlike in St. Domingue or Quebec, where resource extraction in the form of sugar and fur would predominate, Pondicherry would remain an imperial outposta waystation for the spice trade and other goods flowing out of South and Southeast Asia. Thus, as the city was merely an imperial outpost, King Louis XIV established a Sovereign Council in 1701 to preside over basic municipal governance but excluded from its purview local legal issues. Though we cannot presume to know the exact motivations behind the decision, a pattern of French colonial governance suggests that Paris so completely considered Pondicherry a strategic outpost that the city's civil administration did not warrant attention or resources.

Though it came from a place of dismissiveness, this decision to procrastinate on the establishment of a local court would eventually lead to a degree of enfranchisement for native Tamils somewhat rare in 18th century imperial history. As Pondicherry began to grow and a spike in local disputes demanded the creation of a more active administration, the Sovereign Council would charter le Tribunal de la Chaudrie. The Chaudrie Court, as it is referred to in English secondary literature, would oversee cases of inheritance, marriage, property, and other disputes through indigenous legal interpretations. And as the colonial government recognized Frenchmen were not well equipped to rule on such cases, the court was made up of native Tamils. The importance of this decision can to be understated: a colonial government empowering indigenous justice is not a common sight in early 18th century global history. Though it might be nice to imagine otherwise, it is unlikely the move was informed by notions of racial equality or civic progressivism. Rather, as the docket of Indian civil cases had already grown dauntingly large, it became clear that local justices were clearly the best equipped to handle the cases quickly and without controversy. Thus the Tamils of Pondicherry experienced decades of devolved judicial administration, interrupted only briefly by English occupations of the territory, and this responsibility likely helped establish goodwill and ease tensions between European and indigenous inhabitants of the territory.

L'Apogee: Joseph Francois Dupleix and the Zenith of French Pondicherry

Such a laissez-faire approach, though its impact on intercommunal relations would be felt for years to come, was not to last. Under the leadership of Joseph Francois Dupleix, the political component of French rule in India took on an increasingly interventionist character. Though the transition from economic to political colonialism in South Asia is often viewed as a British phenomenon, there is bountiful evidence to suggest that the British learned this lesson from the French. Just as it would in the Raj, such an adjustment in imperial priorities during the Apogee, as Dupleix's tenure is referred to by French historians, demanded increasing intervention in local customs by the colonial authorities. However, it should be stressed that Pondicherry did not figure prominently in Dupleix's plans for a future French India, as he focused his attention on other cities on the subcontinent, and therefore he did not take pains to completely overhaul the intercommunal system at play in the territory. Further, whatever discontent was caused by increasing French intervention into local administrative affairs was likely offset by a convergence in cultural and religious values between Europeans and South Asians in the territory over decades of exposure and intermingling. By the arrival of Dupleix in the 1730s, there had already been profound social changes under previous administrators that had altered the social life of Pondicherry in a way that was amenable to positive intercommunal relations. Primary among these alterations were the religious transformations that preceded Dupleix resulting from the influx of French missionaries, who had flooded into l'Inde Fran?§aise in large numbers from its founding well into the 18th century.

This influx notwithstanding, the French had displayed remarkable levels of religious tolerance that had helped established goodwill with the local populations over the first half of the 18th century. The relative religious tolerance combined with prolific missionary activity in the early 1700s profoundly impacted Pondicherry society, converting large segments of the lower caste population into casteless Christians, whose new religious affiliation bound them to French culture and custom. This cultural and religious transformation had reverberations in the political relationship between the native populations and their European government. With the Catholic population steadily growing, particularly among marginalized castes, the authority of the Catholic church presented large segments of disenfranchised Tamils with the opportunity to appeal to a supremeand distantauthority in cases of discrimination and segregation. In both 1745 and 1761, lower caste Christians appealed to Rome to intervene on their behalf in caste disputes. Though the papal authorities expressed no sincere interest in pursuing a more equitable policygoing so far as to sanction discrimination in Catholic colonies in 1783the repeated instances of civil disobedience in Pondicherry were significant in the precedent they established if not in their actual effectiveness.

Extensive primary source evidence regarding the motivations behind the 1745 and 1761 unrests does not exist, but one can only extrapolate from their repetitive peaceful resolution that these interactions helped establish a relationship in which civil disobedience and peaceful acceptance of the results became normalized. It was the unique conditions of French Indiawhere caste, Catholicism, and benign neglect coexistedthat enabled this relationship to form over the 18th century. The relationship between the French and South Asians was further improved by the governing philosophy of Dupleix, who allowed for Tamils of all castes, religions and creeds to serve alongside Europeans in the colonial government. On the Eve of the Revolution: British Occupation and the Collapse of the Old Order In order to illustrate the unique character of the colonial project in Pondicherry, it is important to stress that much of these colonial governance strategies existed in direct contrast with the modus operandi of the neighboring British Raja contrast that is easily discernable due to the nature of the British occupation of Pondicherry in the 1780s. In the 1770s, the relatively liberal French colonial government had created a consultative Chamber of Indian Notablesa body that even further empowered segments of the Tamil population in Pondicherry. In 1778, when the British occupied Pondicherry during the Anglo-French war, this chamber was abolished as intercommunal relations were reconfigured along the British model.

This paper by no means intends to paint a picture of French colonial governance as the pinnacle of social progressivism and political liberalism. But such actions taken by the Raj during its brief occupation of Pondicherry at the very least illustrate the relative liberalism of the city's colonial government and highlight the ways in which the conditions in the city were unique among other South Asian colonies. More than just sharpening the contrast between British and French colonial governing philosophies, the occupation of Pondicherry by the Raj had a lasting impact on life in the colony in that it undermined any sense of security that was still felt among its population. Above all of these currents running through life in Pondicherrythe uncommon cultural exchange, judicial independence of the locals, and unique interplay of faithsit would be this element of instability that would inform Pondicherry's experience during the Revolution. Beginning in the 1760s, life in the colony would be rendered almost intolerable by a series of military skirmishes with English forces that would reduce the territory to only nominal independence. In 1763, Pondicherry was reduced to ruins by British forces in a conflict that ousted Dupleix and would end the period of L'Apogee. Then, during the hostilities surrounding the American Revolution, the British would occupy Pondicherry for 5 years from 1778 to 1783. Though it was returned to French sovereignty after the conclusion of the war, life in the city would never be the same. While French institutions abolished under British ruleincluding the Chamber of Notableswere restored, the entire city, and the French colonial project in South Asia more generally, had been irreparably traumatized. The total population of the city declined dramatically, with the number of European inhabitants declining even more precipitously. On the eve of the Revolution, only 260 French soldiers remained in the territory.

Government documents from the period show a desperate lack of resources on the part of the French military and government establishment. French primary sources from this period illustrate the dread and discontent among the Europeans who remained in the colony, with colonial administrators reflecting on their critical and unhappy position and disastrous circumstances in the aftermath of the British occupation. The secondary literature on this period draws similar conclusions from the evidence available, calling the conditions of poverty and disorganization nearly impossible to solve. It was in this environment that news of the French Revolution arrived in Pondicherry. Brought to the shores of South Asia by the French vessel La Bienvenue, news of the events in France were met with unease by the European population in particular. Complaints from the period declare that the incomplete and vague stories emanating from France had thrown the colony into the greatest worry, and the Europeans waited with great impatience for news of what sort of kingdom or state would emerge at the end of the rebellion.

Did you like this example?

French Colonial Governance and the French Revolution in Pondicherry. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

10 Years of the French Revolution

The French Revolution lasted 10 years (1789-1799). It began July 14,1789, when revolutionaries stormed a prison called Bastille. It all started because the King of France, Louis XVI, ran out of money. This happened mostly because due to France fighting two wars. The king couldn't raise money himself for the wars , and he didnt get money from the upper class of France because they were against paying for anything, so he began to tax the middle and lower class heavily.

Knowing that the upper class isn't being taxed at all, the middle and lower class began to fight back. These people had a lot to lose and they felt that they were being treated unfair. What made people mad was the in-equality. At the start of the revolution representatives from the lower class established the National Assembly where they demanded King Louis XVI to give them certain rights. Many suggested the king was intent on using military force to dismiss the National Assembly. On July 14, 1789, revolutionaries searching for gunpowder and arms stormed a Paris prison, Bastille, and this is when the French Revolution began. This group soon took over the whole country.

The National Assembly had changed their name over time to, the Legislative Assembly, and later to the National Convention. The darkest period of the French Revolution is called the Reign of Terror, which lasted from 1793-1794. During this time the National Convention was led by a man named Robespierre. He had wanted to take out any opposition to the revolution, so he called for a rule of terror. Laws were passed that stated anybody suspected of treason could be arrested and killed by guillotine, which is used to behead people. Thousands of people were executed including Queen Marie Antoinette, and many political rivals of Robespierre.

An Enlightenment philosopher would probably think that the French Revolution was unfair, dark, and messy. It lasted 10 years. The philosopher i chose was Charles- Louis Montesquieu. His basic beliefs about government and power was government should be kept under control through separation of powers. No part can have too much power. It guarantees balance in government. My views might be a little similar to his because no one should be in full control, especially in a society where people want more control or is tyrant. If this philosopher lived in this time period, they probably would've thought it was unfair and horrible. Advice he could've gave the King of France as people were beginning to rebel is to treat the citizens equal and to have separation of powers to keep peace among the society.

There are so many ways that the French Revolution could've been avoided. I think if they would have used enlightenment ideas from philosophers a lot could have went differently. If King Louis XVI would've just decided to tax everybody, and then have separation of powers things probably would've been more peaceful. The revolution completely changed the structure of France's government and political structure. Although the revolution ended with the rise of Napoleon it brought ideas to Europe such as liberty and freedom.

Did you like this example?

10 Years of The French Revolution. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Was the French Revolution Worth It?

The French Revolution was a period of political upheaval that occurred in France during the latter half of the 18th century. This revolution marked an end to the system of feudalism and absolute monarchy in France and a rise to democracy and new Enlightenment ideas. By 1789, when the revolution began, France was in a deep financial crisis due to the debt they had obtained over many years of reckless spending and France was nearly bankrupt. These financial issues fell almost completely on the bottom social class or the Third Estate which made up a majority of the country. Because of this financial trouble the common people were heavily taxed leaving many of them in poverty. In addition to the economic issues, France also held an Estate System that led to heavy social inequality. This oppression of the Third Estate along with the financial problems that fell on the common people would lead to the French Revolution. Overall, the people of France revolted against the monarchy because of the unsuccessful estate system and the inequality it led to, because of the new enlightenment ideas that inspired them, and because of the failures of the monarchy.

First, the French Revolution was a result of the failed estate system and the extreme economic and social inequality it led to. Under the rule of Louis XVI, the people of France were divided into three main social classes or estates as they are called. The First Estate featured wealthy members of the Church such as Bishops and Priests who held great political power due to their influence on government affairs. The Second Estate was a class comprised of the wealthy nobles and political officials who held all power in government affairs. These two estates made up only 3% of the French population and yet owned a good portion of the land and held all the political and social power. The Third Estate is the last of the estates and makes up 97% of the population. The Third Estates includes the Bourgeoisie or the middle class, the common workers, and the peasants. Despite being the largest of the three Estates, it held no political power and was forced to pay 50% income tax and an additional 10% of tax to the Church. Because the people were losing 60% of their overall income they were barely surviving and many were starving and destitute. Because of the heavy taxation of the largest population of people France's economy was not allowed to grow because of the heavy taxes on the working class. This led to widespread impoverishment and hunger among the common people. The Bourgeoisie was able to get by due to their minor wealth being at the top of the Third Estate but the workers and peasants did not have the money to support themselves. The people of France began to starve and could not pay to feed themselves or their families. This lack of food can be attributed to not only the drought that hit France but the Estate System which let the rich retain all their wealth while the poor lower class who needed the money the most was taxed leaving them almost penniless. The Estate System also led to heavy resentment by the Third Estate against the First and Second Estate. This resentment would play a large role in the outcome of the Revolution. In addition to being taxed heavily and the widespread economic inequality there was also social inequality because the Third Estate held no political power. The Third Estate had no say in political affairs and had no votes. This lack of representation in government led people to resort to the violent tactics of the French Revolution. The people revolted against Louis XVI because of the Estates System's heavy taxes that led to the destitution and starvation of the French people and the lack of political power they enjoyed in France's political sphere.

Second, the French Revolution can be attributed to the rise in Enlightenment ideas in France and the new views it led to. The Ideas represented in the Enlightenment were popular amongst the Third Estate and began to spread like wildfire. They took the ideas of Locke and Voltaire and put them to use by demanding more power and representation in government affairs. They began to questions the system of government that had ruled over them for hundreds of years and demanded the ideals given to them by great political thinkers of the enlightenment. Quoting Rousseau and Voltaire, they began to demand equality, liberty, and democracy.(pg. 652) They took the beliefs and ideals of freedom and democracy and began to demand them which led to calling of the Estates-General. They looked at the American Revolution as a model for their revolution and what they should demand from the government. As these ideas spread amongst the majority of the population the thought of revolution grew nearer until it culminated in the Court House Oath where the National Assembly officially declared their revolution against Louis XVI. In complete, the ideas born in the enlightenment from political thinkers such as Locke and Rousseau inspired the Third Estate to rebel against the monarchy by giving them a model for a better system of government and a new outlook on what government should be.

Lastly, the French Revolution occurred because of the failures of the monarchy. The French King at the time, Louis XVI, was a weak, indecisive leader who despite his benign intention failed to lead France due to his incompetence. Louis XVI ran up a hefty amount of debt during his support of the American Revolution and his military campaigns in the West Indies which were intended to regain territory lost in the Seven Year's War. Although Louis XVI inherited a good amount of debt from previous rulers his reckless spending and failure to address the financial issue at hand led to even greater debt and economic turmoil. The King's wife Marie Antoinette only aggravated the financial situation with her reckless spending on jewelry, gowns, and irresponsible gambling. She racked up so much debt that she was given the nickname, Madame Deficit by the people of France. Furthermore, Marie Antoinette gave poor advice to her husband Louis XVI that he would take heed to over his official advisors. Louis XVI solution to France's economic troubles was taxing the Third Estate heavily at almost 50% income tax. Comte D'Antraigues said, The Third Estate is the People and the People is the foundation of the state. (pg. 652) This quote gives insight into how if a leader taxes heavily the working class then the economy of that country will suffer because the Third Estate is the majority of the French economy. By taxing the common people business cannot grow and the economy begins to decline. Louis XVI's taxation of the Third Estate seriously hurt the French economy and only helped the debt on a small level. But by 1789, not even taxing the Third Estate was enough to help France's economic issues and Louis XVI summoned the Estates-General to vote on a new tax on the nobles. This last ditch effort to fix France's economic turmoil was too little and too late and would incite the revolution. In the years leading up to the French Revolution drought was widespread in France leading to famine in the Third Estate. Louis XVI was unable to provide the people with food that they badly needed and instead taxed them further to pay for France's financial debt. All of this led to anger amongst the Third Estate because they were starving and still being taxed above the wealthy First and Second Estate. The people were fed up with living in poverty and constantly being hungry and so they revolted in order to ensure a more fair system of government. Overall, the people revolted against the monarchy because they were unable to provide food and financial stability to the majority of the people and were unable to limit reckless spending and instead heavily taxed the poor Third Estate.

In conclusion, the French Revolution was a result of the failures of Louis XVI's rule, the estate system, and the enlightenment ideas. The Third Estate were oppressed and subject to economic and political injustice which led them to yearn for a better system of government and a better life supplied by the enlightenment ideas. Many of them were impoverished and starving, caused by the Estate System and the failures of the monarchy which led them to revolt for a better life. Overall, Leading issues that led to the French Revolution were the issues with the Estate System, the inspiration by the ideas of the enlightenment, and the failure of the monarchy to provide for the common people.

Did you like this example?

Was the French Revolution Worth It?. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

The French Revolution was Worth the Cost

I believe that the French revolution was worth the coast, this revolution needed to happen no matter the cost things needed to change. There wasn't one event or condition that led to the French Revolution, but, rather, a number of factors came together to cause a perfect storm leading to the revolt of the people against the king.1 It led to the end of the monarchy (a monarchy is a form of government with a monarch at the top) and an end to many wars.. One of the main reasons the french revolution needed to happen was political conflict between the monarchy and the nobility over the reform of the tax system led to paralysis and bankruptcy, The high price of bread, and believe it or not king Louis XVI was a very major part of it as well.

The high price of bread, bread was the lower classes main source of nutrition cards back then so without it many people began to starve and become very sick and week to this day in america bread is still a major part of our diet a much bigger part than it should be and low wages given to workers caused the ordinary people to suffer the families could not make enough to live. This made them dislike the rich nobles, who had the money to eat well and build huge houses.

King Louis XVI was a major reason that french revolution needed to happen. Louis XVI's policy of not raising taxes and taking out international loans, including to fund the American Revolution, increased France's debt, setting in motion the French Revolution. ""By the mid-1780s the country was close to bankruptcy, which forced the king to support radical fiscal reforms not favorable with the nobles or the people."" says Mr. Schwartz. Louis XVI went back to his earlier teaching of being uncommunicative, with no solution to the problem and not responding to others who offered to help him and his country. By 1789 the situation was getting very bad very fast.

Social antagonisms between two rising groups was a big part of it as well, The aristocracy and the bourgeoisie, The aristocracy general of finances, Charles-Alexandre de Calonne, arranged the assembly of notables (prelates, great noblemen, and a few representatives of the bourgeoisie). In February 1787 to propose reforms to try to eliminate the budget by raising the taxation of the privileged classes first and some of the second. The upper classes refused to take responsibility for the reforms and suggested they call the Estates-General, which represented the clergy, the aristocracy, and the Third Estate (the commoners) and which had not met since 1614.

The french revolution needed to happen no matter the cost things needed to change. High price of bread lead to people getting sick and even dieing. Low paying wages lead to starving families and poor families falling farther in and the rich to making more and more money. Louis XVI being a bad leaving made thing even worse when times were hard when the country was at its worse he didn't help he backed down. Social antagonisms between two rising groups the higher classes paid little to no tax and the lower class or the poor, paid almost their whole wage to tax this needed to change.

Did you like this example?

The French Revolution was Worth the Cost. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens and French Revolution

A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens that takes place during the French Revolution. It shows some of the events that led up to the Revolution and a few of the people leading it. The French Revolution changed the country and influenced other countries all over the world. A Tale of Two Cities shows how easy it is for people with a good cause to turn into the very thing they want to change.

Dickens shows the beginning of the French Revolution with the aristocracy’s oppression of the poor and their inhumane treatment. It was a bloody war. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens portrays the French Revolution as an ocean that’s quickly getting out of hand “the firm earth shaken by rushes of an angry ocean which had now no ebb, but was always on the flow, higher and higher, to he terror and wonder of the beholders on the shore” (Dickens, 287). It gets so out of hand that its main leaders are killed: Maximilien Robespierre, George Danton, and Jean-Paul Marat (“The French Revolution” History Channel).

There are many events that led up to the French Revolution. When Louis the XIV was king he lost the Seventeen Years War, the country faced bankruptcy (“The French Revolution” History Channel). Latter, after Louis the XVI is king, he spends money to help the American Revolution against England. Besides money spend on wars, Queen Marie Antoinette had a taste for expensive and extravagant outfits and parties.The shortage of money, along with a lack of food due to bad crops, droughts, and disease that killed a lot of the cattle led the poor to retaliate against the rich people (“French Revolution”).

Another thing that fueled the Revolution was the new Age of Enlightenment. People started thinking more for themselves and started turning away from the church. They didn’t like how society was set up. The political system was a house of three estates. The first and second estate going to the nobles and merchants, and they third estate to everyone else (Carlyle, xxxiv). The third estate—the poor— didn’t think it was fair that the majority of the country’s population had less votes in the government than the two estates that made up one third of the population (“The French Revolution” History Channel). They wondered why the king, queen, and aristocrats had plenty of food, while everyone else went hungry (“The French Revolution” History Channel).

In A Tale of Two Cities the third estate’s condition is the same; they are mistreated and starving. The aristocrats, like Monsieur the Marquis, are cruel and don’t do anything to even try to help them. They are disconnected from the poor and don’t really know what all they face. The aristocrats don’t view the common person as anything more than an animal (Dickens, 398). The revolutionaries in A tale of Two Cities only want to have equal rights.

The French Revolution began in 1789. Maximilien Robespierre is a lawyer, politician, and an elegant speaker. He writes against the king and the nobles’ rich lives. He is present at the States General, a meeting of the Estates. During the meeting the Third Estate gets locked out. They shut themselves into a court and make the Tennis Court Oath. The oath says that no one will leave the court France’s Constitution is redone (“The French Revolution” History Channel”). The people of the new constitution named in the National Assembly. Fearing the people may uprise, King Louis the XVI sends troops to Paris. The people of the Third Estate are scared and fight back. During this fight the people decide to attack the bastille. They murder several guards and the Governor of the Bastille is brutally killed and his head is stuck on a pike. The Revolutionaries tear down the bastille and create their own flag/colors (blue, red, white) a a symbol of their separation from the old constitution (“The French Revolution” History Channel). Their violence at the Bastille and the lack of punishment for it will lead them to more violence.

In A Tale of Two Cities the revolutionaries storm the Bastille. The book doesn’t mention Maximilien Robespierre, though. Instead, Monsieur Defarge and his wife lead the attack (Dickens, 264). The governor is beheaded by Madame Defarge. The Bastille is a symbol of the aristocrat’s cruelty and the unjust law system. By attacking it and tearing it down they are farther proclaiming their separation from the aristocratic ways. It’s like a warning to all the nobles of what’s going to come if something doesn’t change soon.

“‘Is it a revolt?’ asked the king. ‘No, Sire,he is answered. ‘It is a revolution.’” (“The French Revolution” History Channel, 30:00). The king was told about the raiding of the Bastille. After the Bastille, on August 4, the people write the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” which marks the beginning of the Republic Government (“French Revolution”). The Declaration calls for a constitutional monarchy, equal rights, justice, and freedom of press.

Jean-Paul Marat takes full advantage of the freedom of press and starts a paper called “The People’s Friend.” In it he voices his opinions about the aristocrats and nobility (“The French Revolution” History Channel). His paper is strongly against the king and queen. When the royals at the palace Versaille hear about it, King Louis the XVI sends more troops to Paris. This angers the people of the Republic. On October 5, 1789, sixty thousand people, mostly women, march to Versaille. The kill multiple guards, make Louis the XVI sign the Declaration, and they move the king and queen to the palace in Paris.

Did you like this example?

"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens and French Revolution. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Disconnect between the People of France and the Monarchy

The start of The French Revolution began due to the disconnect between the people of France and the monarchy, resulting in one of the bloodiest revolts in history. Economic, social and political conditions in France added to the discontent that was felt by many French citizens particularly those from the third estate. One of the main factors that lead to the contribution of the revolution was the crisis in the monarchy. This consisted of two decades of poor harvest, drought, cattle disease, and in increases of prices... Another big problem of the 18th century was King Louis the 16ths spending problem. This resulted into major debt which latter lead to bankruptcy for the whole country.

The French Revolution of the 1789 had some long-range causes. Economic, social and political conditions in France added to the discontent that was felt by many French citizens particularly those from the third estate. The thoughts of the scholarly people of the Enlightenment conveyed new perspectives to the society and the government. The American Revolution additionally impacted the happening to the Revolution of France. The Philosophes planted seeds for the Revolution. Their objectives were to destroy and expose the imbalances of the old regime (Aftalion, 180-181).

The France political discontent was one of the reasons for the Revolution. An absolute government managed France in the 17th and 18th hundreds of years. The King had all the political forces. Any individual who scrutinized the government could be captured and put in jail without preliminary. Louis XVI was king of the French Revolution. He was more keen on hunting than administering France. He and his Austrian queen, Marie Antoinette, carried on with a luxurious life at the Palace of Versailles (Aftalion, 182). They didn't generally think about the condition of their nation. The general population of the third estate felt a feeling of disloyalty when the king supported block voting over the head voting. The first two estates decided to cooperate and outvote the large third estate to shield them from turning into threat to power (Aftalion, 183).

Lord Acton, an Englishmen, states that the government being toppled wasn't the start of the Revolution. He perceives the American Independence as the start of the French Revolution. The French government was wasteful, out of line and degenerate. There were various government offices, different laws in various parts of the nation and authorities. Numerous individuals ended up enraged at the manner in which France was administered. The general population couldn't successfully achieve a change. The French Parliament was known as the Estates-General. It hadn't met since the year 1614 and could not without the consent of the king. It fundamentally had no power (Campbell, 16).

The economic issues made by the French kings additionally added to the Revolution. Amid the eighteenth century, the French government spent more cash than it gathered in expenses. By 1788, the nation was bankrupt. Arthur Young, an Englishmen, and spectator, who ventured out to France from 1787 to 1789 furiously portray the living conditions of the workers in his book Travels in France (Campbell, 18). The measure of expense every individual must pay is out of line. Landholders found in the honorability weren't exhausted much. The landholders found in the healthy people were saddled vigorously. There was the absence of bread. The cost of food was much higher at that point one's capacity to pay which caused incredible wretchedness for the general population of France. A large portion of the cash was spent on fights. France had been fighting for about fifty years out of the past one hundred years. France bolstered the Americans in the American War of the Independence. From that point forward, France was in money related remains. A substantial entirety of cash was additionally spent on royal residences, excitement, and endowments by the kings of France (Desan, 470).

The government spent a great deal of cash which set forth high taxes. The tax framework was crooked. The nobles and the ministry scarcely settled any government obligation. The Church possessed one-tenth of the land in France and did not make good on any government expenses. The laborers were the casualties of the overwhelming taxation (Desan, 471). Louis XVI attempted to change the taxation framework however the honorability and the ministry declined to acknowledge the new changes. Along these lines, the king was not able to make any money related changes. The gabelle, salt tax, was additionally imposed by the French Kings. At the point when Jacques Turgot endeavored to force the corvee, tax ashore property, he was contradicted by the honorability. He neglected to pass the corvee and was expelled by Louis XVI (Desan, 472).

Social issues were additionally a central point that realized the French Revolution. In the eighteenth century, France was the first nation with class divisions. Individuals were isolated into three estates ” the First Estate comprised of the ministry. The Second comprised of the honorability, and the Third incorporated the bourgeoisie, the city laborers and the workers ” the state you had a place with chosen your capacity and rights (Jones, 278). Record 2 demonstrates the social class qualifications. The first estate was comprised of one percent of the general population and possessed ten percent of the land in France. The second estate consisted of two percent of the general population and claimed 35 percent of the land. The third estate held 97 percent of the general population who claimed 55 percent of the land. The general population to-arrive extent was out of line looking at the measure of individuals in every estate (Jones, 280). The third estate held next to no land contrasted with the ratio of individuals it had. It was stuffed. The first and second estate was the special classes. The church and the honorability were excluded from many taxes. They needed to pay around four-fifths of their salary on tax. They additionally expected to make good on the land government obligation: likewise, the taxes on property, streets, and salt (LeBon, 121).

In conclusion, the French Revolution was caused by economic, political and social issues. Individuals were in discontent with the king. The first two estates were favored, and the third was exceptionally unprivileged and needed to cover substantial government expenses. The third estate did not coexist with the initial two. French kings spent a considerable measure of cash on wars. They paid more money than they made. It was the ideal opportunity for an adjustment in France (LeBon, 124).

Works Cited

Aftalion, Florin. ""The French Revolution: economic considerations."" The French Revolution, pp. 180-195.

Campbell, Peter. ""Rethinking the Origins of the French Revolution."" A Companion to the French Revolution, 2012, pp. 1-23.

Desan, Suzanne. ""The French Revolution and the Family."" A Companion to the French Revolution, 2012, pp. 470-485.

Jones, Peter M. ""Choosing Revolution and Counter-Revolution."" A Companion to the French Revolution, 2012, pp. 278-292.

LeBon, Gustave. ""The French Revolution."" The French Revolution and the Psychology of Revolution, pp. 121-286.

Did you like this example?

Disconnect Between the People of France and the Monarchy. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Pre-Revolution French Government

At the end of the 18th century, France was in ruins. The treasury was empty. The commoners were starving. The King, Louis XVI, the Queen, Marie Antoinette, and many high-ranking nobles lived a lavish lifestyle in a palace called Versailles. Versailles was set apart from the rest of France and because of this, the King and his nobles were out of touch with the common people. The result of this was a growing resentment in the common people for the French Monarchy and what it represented. Everything was pointing towards Revolution and the creation of a new government. The French Revolution was induced by the political and economic difficulties that plagued the French government. These problems would result in the revolution of the common people against the French monarchy which would have repercussions that are seen in modern times.

From 1774 until 1793, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette ruled France. King Louis XVI was born in August 1754 to the French royal family (Louis XVI (1754-1793)). While Marie Antoinette was born in November of 1755 to the Austrian royal family (Marie-Antoinette). In 1770, an arranged marriage was set to happen between Marie Antoinette and King Louis. The marriage was arranged so that a lasting alliance between Austria and France could be created. In May 1774, King Louis, at the age of nineteen, ascended to the French throne (Louis XVI). King Louis was fairly smart and recognized his responsibilities, however, he proved a mediocre king, relying excessively on his advisors and showing insufficient interest in the business of state. Louis preferred his regular leisure pursuits to reading dispatches, consulting ministers or considering policy (Louis XVI). In the French government, there were three social classes, the first, second and third estates. The first estate was comprised of all ordained catholic Church members. The First estate was responsible for, social policy and welfare and also carried out some functions of the state. Its clergy conducted and registered marriages, baptisms, and funerals; they delivered education to children and distributed charity to the poor (The First Estate). Because the Church was very powerful, they were able to gain a large amount of wealth quickly. In addition, during the 18th century, many French citizens had a growing dissent for the church. Many citizens believed that bishops acted on their own interests rather than the interests of God or the church (The First Estate). Next, the second estate was comprised of all French nobility. Members of the second estate mainly worked as financiers, administrators, magistrates, or court officials. The nobility were depicted as, an extravagantly wealthy and lazy group, disconnected from the realities of French society (The Second Estate). In addition, all members of the second estate were exempt from taxes. Lastly, the third estate was comprised of everyone else.

As time went by under King Louis XVI's rule, commoners became more enraged over the government and the church's actions. During this time, the third estate made up of ninety-eight percent of the French population (French Revolution). The third estate was the only estate that was taxed by the government. In addition, they were often poorly represented. It was their grievances that were the main causes of the French revolution. During this time, an event was going on called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a period between 1685 and 1815 where study areas such as politics, philosophy, science, and communications were greatly improved (Enlightenment). Another topic that came up during the Enlightenment was the questioning of the absolute rule of kings. Enlightenment thinkers such as Charles Montesquieu and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were very vocal in their belief that the certain parts of the government should not be more powerful than others. First, Charles Montesquieu was born in France in 1689 in France under the rule of King Louis XIV (Development in Democracy). He opposed the French monarchy and concluded that, the best form of government was one in which the legislative, executive, and judicial powers were separate and kept each other in check to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful (Developments in Democracy). This would set the precedent for the American government that would be formed after the American Revolution. Lastly, Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in 1712 in Switzerland, a democracy; however, he moved to Italy and France to get a better education (Developments in Democracy). First, he believed that, the powerful rich stole the land belonging to everyone and fooled the common people into accepting them as rulers (Developments in Democracy). He also believed that the problem:

was to find a way to protect everyone's life, liberty, and property while each person remained free. Rousseau's solution was for people to enter into a social contract. They would give up all their rights, not to a king, but to the whole community, all the people (Developments in Democracy).

His beliefs resulted in a form of a direct democracy in which everyone voted for laws or other ideas to show what the people wanted. These two men and many others inspired many people in France to revolt. Another way people, in France, were inspired to revolt was because they were starving from a lack of money in the treasury. Before King Louis XVI's rule, many French kings participated in many wars which drained the money in the treasury. Even though King Louis knew this, he decided to help the Americans in the American Revolution. This put France in a bigger debt than it had ever been before. All goods in France rose because of inflation, and many people started to starve. However, the rich still lived in luxury. Overall, the French people were done with the Monarchy, and they had only one choice; revolt.

The king, knowing of the commoners growing restlessness, sent troops to Paris to make sure nothing bad happened. However, at night, on July 14, 1789, the commoners, being fed up, decided to storm the Bastille. The Bastille was a place where the French government held ammunition. However, to the commoners, it was a symbol of the tyrannic French government (Bastille Day). First, the commoners surrounded the Bastille and sent delegates inside to tell the government their grievances. They took a long time talking making the commoners believe that their delegates had been imprisoned, so they were able to lower the drawbridge and enter the courtyard. They killed all of the soldiers in the Bastille including the governor (Bastille Day). This event was widely known as the beginning of the French Revolution. The next main event in the French Revolution was a few months later on October 5, 1789, and is known as the Women's March on Versailles. This event was when thousands of Parisians, many of them women, marched 12 miles from Paris to Versailles in a hope to bring their grievances peacefully straight to the King's palace (October March on Versailles). As they arrived at Versailles, they rushed into the hall where the national assembly met, mainly to escape the harsh rain. A few hours later, six women were sent to bring the people's grievances to the palace. At the same time, another group of women broke into the palace with the intent to kill the queen (October March on Versailles). Marie Antoinette had to run through the maze of bedrooms in the palace in order to escape the women. Eventually, the band of women were stopped by French soldiers. The pinnacle of the day was when King Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette, fearing for their lives, came out onto a balcony at Versailles and said, I shall go with you to Paris, with my wife and children. It is to my good and faithful subjects that I confide all that is most precious to me (October March on Versailles). Finally, on the afternoon October 6, the king, his family, his royal retinue and several deputies to the Assembly departed Versailles for Paris. Their carriages were accompanied by the crowd, the procession numbering between 30,000 and 40,000 people (October March of Versailles). When King Louis and his family arrived at Paris they were taken to Tuileries, an old royal residence. The King and his family thus became prisoners of the revolution (October March of Versailles). The last step in completing the revolution was creating a new Constitution. The constitution was written by the French government on August 4, 1789. It was titled The Declaration of the Rights of Man and was, a statement of democratic principles grounded in the philosophical and political ideas of Enlightenment thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau (French Revolution). The document gave the new government the power to replace the old monarchy with a new democracy. After many months of debating, the government finally adopted The Declaration of the Rights of Man on September 3, 1791 (French Revolution). The constitution established a constitutional monarchy where the king could veto laws and appoint ministers. However, many influential radicals such as Maximilien de Robespierre disagreed with the new constitution and began to gather support for a more republican form of government (French Revolution). This constitution had many flaws in it and would eventually be replaced by a different constitution a couple years later.

At the end of the French revolution, a period began called the Reign of Terror (French Revolution). The Reign of Terror lasted from April 1972 until July 1974. It was a period in which suspected enemies of the revolution, by the thousands, were executed. At the time of the Reign of Terror, a group of revolutionists called the Jacobins had taken control of the government and were led by Maximilien de Robespierre. The Reign of Terror ended when Maximilien de Robespierre was executed. On August 22, 1795, France's first real ruler after the revolution was instated. His name was Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon showed Europe how France could still be a powerful country even after the ravages of the revolution. Even after Napoleon's rule, the effects of the revolution affected Europe greatly. In the original French government, before the revolution, the church and the state were very intertwined. However, after the revolution, in 1905, the French government decided to separate the church and the state (Astier). Before the Revolution, many people were starting to have dissatisfaction for the amount of power the church had in France (The First Estate). Another influence that the French Revolution caused on the world is it inspired other revolutions across the world. These revolutions included the Haitian Revolution in 1791, the Irish Rebellion in 1798, the Russian Revolution in 1905 and the revolutionary wars in Latin America (Motadel). Many of these uprisings were founded on the same ideas as the French Revolution, the concepts of the Enlightenment.

In conclusion, Pre-Revolution French government was plagued by many problems and those problems were thus forced on the common people. The common people reacted by revolting against the French monarchy and that revolt would have many impacts that are seen today. First, Pre-Revolution French government, nobility and church were very corrupt. In addition, the government was close to bankruptcy after their ruler, King Louis XVI helped the Americans in the American Revolution, even though France was already poor. Second, The political and economic issues that plagued the French government supported the start of the revolution greatly. Third, in 1789 the commoners had enough. They finally revolted and overthrew the monarchy in order to instate their own government based on Enlightenment ideas. Lastly, The French Revolution left lasting effects on the world as a whole. Overall, the French government influenced the people into revolution which ruined the lives of many people and might have even led to a worse government.

Did you like this example?

Pre-Revolution French Government. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

French Agriculture and the Industrial Crisis of 1788

Brought about by the reforms in the taxation system, the agrarian crisis during the years 1788-1789 became the cause of disorder due to the resulting food shortages. Due to the food shortage, there was an increase in demand for food, which, in turn, resulted with a increase of prices. Because of the reformed tax system, the poor were unable to afford food, thus causing a mass hunger within their social class. As a result, the ones in poverty began forming their own revolutions against this crisis of hunger.

During the French Revolution, there was a wide gap between the social classes. While the middle class remained influential during these times, there were people known as the Revolutionaries in the Streets. Due to the wide gap between the rich and poor, the poor received low wages and had a fear of unemployment. Due to their dislike and distrust of the wealthy, the feared the possibility of conspiracy, whereas the rich feared the revolution of the poor and the abolition of the nobility. These revolutions further inspired more revolutions from the poor that would eventually re-shape the French.

Because of the troubled political and financial situation France was in at the time, King Louis the XVI summoned the Estates General in 1789, a general assembly representing the French estates of the realmthe clergy, the nobility, and the commonersto propose petitions and solutions to the government's problems (Wilde). This assembly last convened in 1614, which signified the severity of the matters to be discussed in 1789 (Chisholm).

The First and the Second Estates were the clergy and the nobility, who were generally exempt from taxes. The burden of the French government's financial problems therefore rested upon members of the Third Estate, who were required to pay taxes. King Louis XVI's plans of heavier taxation which generally affected members of the Third Estate were met with extreme dissent from the members of this assembly.

Before the session on 5 May 1789, it was already agreed upon that the Third Estate shall have double representation, meaning that they would have twice the number of votes as the other two estates. When the Estates-General finally convened at Versailles, however, it became apparent that this double representation would not be of any meritinstead, the vote of the Third Estate would be weighed equally with the vote of the other Estates.

This led to an impasse among the Estates, who instead of discussing propositions for taxation and the government's finances, debated and argued over their own structures and hold of power (The First Revolution). This eventually led to Abbe Siey??s urging members of the Third Estate (now named the Commune) to verify their own power, and to invite the other Estates to take part in this change. They declared themselves the National Assembly who were an assembly of the People, not of the Estates. Support eventually poured in from the clergy and the nobility.

One may say that France, before the revolution, is synonymous to 'extravagance.' The monarchy thrived in rich, luxurious lifestyles that eventually proved to be their downfall. To support their lifestyle, the upper class had to greatly tax the common people. Coupled with the debt their extravagant lifestyle gave them was the already tumultuous amount of debt that France had while participating in the American Revolution against the British. (The French Revolution) And so, even with the high taxes imposed on the peasantry, they needed more money to pay off all the debts they've incurred. Of course, high taxes on the already poor people and produce would crush and drive an economy to the ground.

As was mentioned before, the monarchy lived extravagantly while the rest of the populace struggled with the heavy taxes imposed on their produce. However, the clergy was exempt from taxes, due to a very impractical allocation of taxes. Hence all taxes were focused on the common folk, and ignoring the nobles and the clergy.

Louis XVI tried to resist this new power, closing down their meeting place at Salle des Etats. A furious National Assembly then assembled at the king's nearby tennis court (now known as the Tennis Court Oath) and pledged that they will not separate until they have given France a constitution. They reconstituted themselves as the National Constituent Assembly on July 9 1789.

The National Constituent Assembly gained tremendous support from the Parisian people. So much so that the King ordered troops to be present at the venues at which the Assembly convened; he also offered to move the Assembly to Noyon or Soissons, (notably in between two armies) where it would be far from the support of the people of Paris. This sparked outrage among the people which eventually led to the Storming of the Bastille, symbolically the start of the French Revolution (Mignet).

The Great Fear (Grande Peur) during 1789 in the French Revolution was a period of panic and distress by the people especially peasants. This was due to the rumors of a conspiracy by the aristocrats and the privileged which may result to the overthrowing of the Third Estate. The killing of the peasants and the seizing of their property were also part of this conspiracy. This resulted to fear among the Parisians but this fear also gave way to their revolt to prevent the conspiracy. They attacked Bastille to be able to get guns and gunpowder. During the attack, they were able to kill the commander and some of his men and frightened the king as well since he was not only opposed by the citizens but the military as well. In addition to this, feudalism and the Old Regime was also taking place during that time. However, the upheaval of the peasants also made the aristocrats realize that they could no longer protect the Old Regime. The nobles gave up their feudal rights one after another so on August 4, 1789, the National Assembly announced the end of feudalism in France. The Church's right to demand taxes and the nobility's right to take fees were removed. More reforms were implemented along with the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. With all of these, feudalism and the Old Regime reached its end.

The events that have transpired in the early years of the revolution caused tension between France and other countries that were considered to be its traditional rivals. One of these was Austria. They saw that the Revolution caused the weakening of France. However, not only these countries were still experiencing fear due to the revolution but France as well. France feared of a Counter-Revolution by Austria to support the emigres (nobles who fled the country). Their main aim was to restore the old way of government and to prevent their own governments to be destabilized. The prevention of rebellion beyond French borders was also one of the reasons why Counter-Revolution took place. So, on April 20, 1792, France declared war on Austria. Austria got support from Prussia and invaded France afterwards. They threatened to destroy Paris if ever the king and queen were harmed. Of course, France got angry due to this threat. The Parisians attacked the palace which killed hundreds of guards and servants. The birth of a temporary government called the Commune commenced. The king was imprisoned and the election of a new assembly took place.

During the course of the revolution, the French republic faced crisis. Conditions became desperate due to the jump in food prices. As an effect, the looting of stores took place. A counter-revolutionary movement by the nobles and the peasants also came about. Even among the revolutionaries themselves, conflict and violence became so apparent. So, the leaders of the Mountain lead by Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre from the political club Jacobins established the Committee of Public Safety. Although the leaders came from the bourgeoisie, a realization came about that they needed support from the common people that time since there were plenty of them. The committee that they established aimed to help the poor by regulating the prices and supply of the goods which are necessary. The regulation and setting-up of industries to produce weapons for the army was also established. This committee also called on the whole nation to partake in the war efforts. All able-bodied men were drafted for army service. This implies that the nation became more mobile since everyone had tasks to do. Women worked in hospitals and children helped by collecting old clothes to make bandages. There was efficiency present. Even the elderly helped by making sure that patriotism would arise by giving speeches. Overall, France became truly prepared for war and was more mobilized than before not only due to the participation of all the people but also the crisis was stopped from rampantly spreading further.

Feudalism is an idea that enforces a ruler that would have power based on the territory he has. And, with his power, he could employ workers that would work for him in the hopes of attaining land, thus, attaining power. This introduced a system that demanded the workers to work harder in order for them to attain power. This system could be abused by the rulers, or even those who attain power and give it to others. During the Revolution, this power was then put to challenge by those who were under.

The revolution introduced the people to different new things. Workers, who realized that they had more power than what they had thought, started to fight back and rebel against the nobility. The nobility, afraid of any more opposition, declared the August Decrees, which liberated the workers of any control of their landlords. Economy-wise, this step would pull down production of any landlord's plans of producing crops. Workers were freed and thus left the production of any agriculture.

Dominating Frane, the sans culottes were the laborers that created the foundation of the French Revolution from 1792-1794. As wage earners, they had to thrive with maximum effort for survivability. Inflation rose throughout the nation, making money even harder to come by. With their financial state at an all time, the sans culottes were forced to project more effort than they already gave to put bread on the table. The overload of work pushed them to the realization of the injustice of it all.

Their lifestyle was harsh but the state of it was caused by the monarchy. Of course, with the higher classes being given all their resources without even lifting a finger, the sans culottes were outraged at the fact. They wanted to be able to go through life without working till their deathbeds just to be fed. Jacobins also shared this idea but they were more radical, wanting more and demanding more. He then began to work with them, forming a group called the Mountain. They began taking control of the convention and reformed the state of monarchy. With that, they were able to put Louis XVI on trial.

In an attempt to reform the impractical measures of taxation, the Estates General was convened. This was a gathering of France's three main social classes. The first estate was the clergy, the second is the nobles, and the third is the rest of the population of France, peasants and the like. (REFERENCE) In a failed attempt to outvote the other two Estates for a fair form of taxation for all, the Third Estate refused to be treated as an inferior member and formed the National Assembly. They wanted a fair way of representing the vast majority of the French people, and sought to change the voting per delegate, not per estate, which would give the Third Estate more power over the two others. This did not bode well for the National Assembly and was locked out of the courtroom while drafting their constitution. The monarchy, sensing a possible power struggle, threatened to use force against the Third Estate delegates, but the people of France revolted, and what happened next was the sacking of Bastille. (REFERENCE)

As for the effects in culture, because of the revolutions, some beliefs have been changed. An example of this would be the empowerment of women. Before 1789, ideas such as women's rights for education, and taking active positions outside of the home were looked down upon and casted aside. However, even though women never gained full political rights during the French Revolution, they still actively participated through various forms such as: rioting over the price of food, joined clubs organized by women, attending meetings of political clubs, joining clubs organized by women, and taking part in movements against the Revolution. At the end of it, even though women's political activism were rising and falling, they were seen as symbols of revolutionary values. Most of the revolutionary values: liberty, equality, fraternity, reason, the Republic, were represented by female figures.

Another change of belief within the French Revolution would be the view of the people towards the monarchs. In line with the women's protests about food shortage, the mob managed to take the royal family to come with them two Paris and had Louis sign the Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789). Even still, though they had an eye on the monarchs, the people still remained suspicious of them. And at the end, in an act of misguided duty to the monarchies of Europe, Prussia's Duke of Brunswick wrote that he would raze Paris to the ground if the king were harmed. The Parisian press printed the letter for the whole city to see, enraging the people. The royal family were seen as traitors.

The Declaration of the Rights of Man showed its importance also in the cultural aspect as it gave the people ideals of liberty and equality. Though the declaration neither addresses women nor slavery, it is a precursor to international human rights. With this, the people have gained a natural right to property, liberty, and life.

In 1793-1794 however, there was a period called the Reign of Terror. The purpose was to eradicate France of enemies of the revolution and to protect the country from foreign invaders. In this period of nine months, seventeen thousand people were guillotined. This was seen as an emergency response to a crisis situation aimed at eliminating political crimes that threatened the state. With this and the passing of the ""law of suspects"" in September 1793, the government moved farther away from the liberal ideas of the early revolution, and more towards a police state.

Due to the Revolution, different ideologies and beliefs were conceived that helped with the unity of the country. One of these would be nationalism. Nationalism can be put in many simple manners. A strong definition would be a country in arms. This would be a united country with one goal. The revolution exposed different oppositions within and outside the society. This may consist of external threats that may capture or cripple the power of the military. The internal threats could cripple the system from the inside through corruption, disunity and opposing ideas.

Different personalities brought up the need to establish nationalism. Jean-Paul Marat, whose newspaper attacked the nobility and politicians, showed the internal fight between the people. Outsiders who threatened the country through invasion and war would be the external examples. The point is, nationalism was brought up in order to resolve the inner and outer threats of the country. And, because of the experiences of the people, the leaders then established nationalism as a solution and guide to unity.

The abolishment of absolute powers was a necessary action to be taken in order to balance the rights and privileges of the people. Absolute powers not only limited the power of the people, but also their spirit. It can be seen that the improvement of society began during the Renaissance, when the freedom of intellectual discovery was introduced to the common people. These made the majority open up and eventually conceive the greatest minds in modern society. Feudalism showed another limit for the common people. The advantage of rulers with land is that land was equal to the power that each ruler had.

The two ideas that were abolished showed one thing: monopoly - power that only FEW people could have. So, through the abolishment, power was then given to those the people had appointed and therefore gave the people a say to who is in power and why they wanted them to be.

Containing those who identify themselves as the middle class, the bourgeoisie unified as the National Guard the same time the sans culottes stormed Bastille. Seeing as how there were unable to defend themselves, the power passed on to the bourgeoisie. With power at hand, they became stronger with further events such as the marching of women on October 6. They reached the royal palace of Versailles and demanded bread. With force, they were accompanied back to Paris with the king himself. Since the power became strong enough to have administrations crash all throughout France, all regional and local power were then given the bourgeoisie.

They were able to abolish indirect taxes and all internal custom duties. With no financial revenue, they sought out help from the church. By the agreement, the church was then taken part of the counter-revolution.

The revolution had realized one of its goals by bringing down the monarchy, but the government with which they tried to replace it with was one with weak influence and power. Even in its early stages, the revolution's governmental body, the National Assembly, did not have enough influence to control the masses in chaotic times. Peasants in the countryside had taken matters into their own hands, which brought about the Great Fear, wherein manors were ransacked and burnt down by peasants intending to escape their feudal contracts (Reference). The Assembly was unable to control such violence, showing their weak influential power.

The Assembly eventually changed to a new body, called the Directory. However, the Directory lacked strong leaders as most of the leading personalities of the revolution were executed in the Reign of Terror. Due to its ineffectiveness as a governmental body, the Directory was eventually disbanded (Reference).

Without the aid of the government, the already poor economy of France continued to decline. In spite of the changes brought about by the National Assembly, the masses continued to experience poverty and hunger. The failure to address such issues was what had lead the women to march to Versailles (Reference). The quality of life in France after the revolution had not improved significantly, especially with the damage brought about by the wars against neighboring countries (Reference).

Did you like this example?

French Agriculture and the Industrial Crisis of 1788. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Edgar Allan Poe’s Life

Poe's life was very complicated and messy but isn't that what makes his life work so interesting? He wrote a variety of books like Black cat ,The tale-tale heart ,Fall of the House of Usher ,and the world famous The Raven.

Edgar Allan Poe's life was very complicated for multiple reasons. His father David Poe Jr , and his mother Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe died of Tuberculosis in 1811. After the passing of his parents Edgar Allan Poe was raised by his foster parents the Allens in Richmond, Virginia.On June 22nd 1815 Poe and the Allens moved to England where Poe went to go to school ,then five years later they moved back to the U.S. to Richmond ,Virginia.Then on November 1824 at the age of 15 Poe wrote his first poem Last night, with many cares & toils oppres'd,/Weary I laid me on a couch to rest.

On February 14th 1826 Poe Enrolled into college at the University of Virginia.Though he was a good student he dropped out due to gambling debt and left home to move in with relatives.On February 28th 1829 Poe's foster mother died of tuberculosis And out of respect Poe changed his middle name to Allen.April 15th 1829 Edgar Allan Poe enrolled into West Point we're a few months later he published his second book.But in 1831 get some self kicked out of West Point and publishes many short poems.But on May 16th 1836 he marries his 13 year old cousin Virginia Clemm in secret.Where Poe his wife and his mother-in-law moved to New York then Philadelphia.Where Poe publishes his first novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym In July 1838.

But there is no greater success of Poe then when he wrote the world famous The Raven .On January 30th of 1847 Poe's wife Virginia died of tuberculosis like many others in Poe's past .Is this what drove Poe insane into writing such dark and twisted novels such as The Raven?We still don't know to this day 4 on October 7th 1849 Poe was found in front of a pub where he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Did you like this example?

Edgar Allan Poe's Life. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

The French Revolution and the Politics of Government

Contents

Introduction:
Meeting of the Estates-General:
The Tennis Court Oath:
Storming of the Bastille:
March on Versailles:
The Reign of Terror:
The Rise of Napoleon:
Conclusion:

Introduction:

The Revolution started is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolt against the government. Many important parts of the revolution is what added up to end it. For example, Meeting of the Estates General, The Tennis Court Oath, Storming of Bastille, March on Versailles, The Reign of Terror, and The Rise of Napoleon.

Meeting of the Estates-General:

During the Meeting of the Estates-General King Louis XVI wanted to discuss taxes because of the financial crisis. While he is talking the Third Estate wanted more political power. The meeting contributed to the rise of the Democracy by Freedom of Speech and the Right to Vote by order and choose you own government. The meeting also talked about how to get the approval for the tax reforms.

The Tennis Court Oath:

The Tennis Court Oath was an indoor Tennis Court where the people of the National Assembly, and the third estate talked about having their own rights and wanting their own government. They had moved to the Tennis Court because of King Louis XVI had kicked them

out of their own meeting room. The third estate members/ peasants made a pledge to execute the King and Queen because they would not let them decide their own rights. They had so much hatred towards the King and the Constitution of 1791.

Storming of the Bastille:

On July 14, 1789 peasants stormed the prison known as the Bastille. These peasants wanted the rights to protest or assemble with gunpowder. Not only that, they also wanted gunpowder and the rights to have these firearms. The Bastille burned down was known as freedom for the revolution. Peasants also started panicking because they thought they had no one in control.

March on Versailles:

Angry woman had no bread or water and they were frustrated that they couldn't get any food because of the rise of taxes King Louis XVI had done. The King was so selfish he did not care. The woman started marching to the palace and started attacking the King and Queen. When these angry woman were attacking the King left to Austria and so did the Queen but the guards brought them back. The Queen and King got killed after they got caught.

The Reign of Terror:

The Reign of Terror is when the Guillotine which is a huge machine where they chop off people's head. The Guillotine line was used to chop off King Louis XVI head. 40,000 people were killed. 16,000 people including Marie Antoinette and Olympe de Gouges, died by the Guillotine. Maximilien Robespierre gained control of the new revolutionary government. Later on he was executed for treason. During the Terror people from all classes were killed and they made up almost 15 years of the victims. The Reign of Terror contributed to the rise of Democracy and Republic in two ways. One is the right to vote and the other is freedom.

The Rise of Napoleon:

Emperor Napoleon's reforms of the French Revolution is not that complex. When he came to power in 1799 he brought it to an end. He rose quickly through his military success, the year of 1792 he became captain. Two years later, at the age of 24, the committee of Public Safety made him a Brigadier General. The in 1796 he became Commander of the French Armies in Italy. He won a series of Battles with speed, and decisive action. His energy and initiative earned him the devotion of this troops. In 1797 he returned to France as a beloved hero.

Conclusion:

On November 9, 1799, the French Revolution ended. Napoleon was crowned king to power 2 years after he came back as a beloved hero in 1797. The French Revolution contributed to Democracy by all of the events that have to do with our rights or laws.

Did you like this example?

The French Revolution and the Politics of Government. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

The American and French Revolution: which is more Revolutionary

Revolutions have changed the world as we know it today. In order for a revolution to occur, you need to unite a group of people around a common purpose for which you are trying to achieve. Seeing as a revolution is defined as a period or instance of significant change or radical alteration and revolutionary being defined as involving or constituting radical change according to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (6th. Ed.), this leads us to ask, what so called revolutions are actually considered to be revolutions? The two revolutions I will be discussing are the American and French revolutions. From this information, I will be providing my opinion on whether the American or French revolution is more revolutionary. To start off, lets discuss the American revolution. This revolution took place between 1765 and 1783. The patriots of America, living in the Thirteen Colonies, fought against the British for their independence.

In the end, the colonies gained their independence, signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776 on July 4th, thus serving their political connections to the British. The benefits shown from this revolution were mainly the improvement of property and more equality. For the French revolution, this event took place in 1789 until 1799, lasting 10 years. The people residing in France overthrew the monarchy to take control of the government and abolish monarchy all together. They wanted to establish something other than a monarchy such as the First Republic of France. This republic was established in 1792 on September 22. Later, an emperor named Napoleon Bonaparte established not a revival of the monarchy, instead he established himself as the leader or an authoritarian, autocratic, and centralized republican government. The benefits shown from this revolution was an overthrow of an absolute monarchy, an emergence of the middle class, and rights to vote. There some similarities and differences that I'd like to point out between these two wars, there are far more difference than similarities I'll say. The main similarity between these two revolutions were that they both wanted a change from being ruled by an absolute ruler.

America was attempting to gain freedom the rules and taxes put on them by Great Britain. Whereas the French wanted an abolishment of the French monarchy and wanted to establish a government in which the people could have more of a say in society. The differences between these two, where that all in all, the American revolution was seen as a more positive revolution while the French revolution was seen as a bad one. It was also seen that the American revolution ultimately never had an aristocracy and never attempted to change the polarization of wealth, while the French revolution was aimed at the universality of its ideals.

The French were establishing laws made by citizens for the citizens and not by the king or gods and that those laws where to be applied to all citizens equally. After consulting my two choices, I have deemed that the French revolution is considered to be more revolutionary. Although this revolution was not as organized and far more brutal, this does not change the fact that this revolution provided and encouraged a more radical thought of revolution. When you compare the two, American and French, the American revolution didn't inspire as much of a radical thought of change as the French. You could even go as far as to say that the American revolution was just a secession and not really a revolution seeing as the 13 Colonies wanted to break away from the British rule. The French revolution caused a total upheaval in religion, government, the position and treatment of classes, and more. It was a complete revolution in my opinion, making it more revolutionary.

Did you like this example?

The American and French Revolution: Which is More Revolutionary. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Fascinating Facts about Edgar Allan Poe

Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe may have been named after a Shakespearean character? Me either! Did you know that he also got kicked out of West Point on purpose? This happened because he showed up to role call butt naked. He also was obsessed with cats. Everytime he wrote he would have a cat sitting on his shoulder. Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous writers from the 19th century. He is most known for his mystery, detective, and horror short stories. Edgar Allan Poe was a great American writer, editor, and literary critic and through his childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and his literary influence, which changed the American literary landscape.

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809 and died on October 7, 1849. He is the son of David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Poe. Both of his parents were professional actors. He had an older brother and a younger sister. By the time that Edgar was three years old, he and his siblings were orphans. Each of the children were sent to different families. Edgar then moved to Richmond, Virginia and lived with John and Frances Allan. He later took the name of Allan as his middle names. John and Frances Allan were wealthy people, because John was a industrious merchant. However, they never adopted him but he was always treated like a son until he entered his teenage years and wanted to become a writer. John Allan was disappointed and disapproved of him becoming a writer, gambling, drinking, and believed he wasn't living up to his potential. He was so against him becoming a writer that it seems that he may have cut Poe out of his will. It was a rough patch for Poe, and he turned to gambling when it came to needing money. In about eight months he had lost two-thousand dollars, or in today's value about forty-thousand dollars.

In 1827, Poe signed up for a five-year term in the United States Army. Not only did he enlist in the army, around the same time he published his very first book. A couple years later, after enlisting in the U.S. Army, he was given notice that Frances Allan was dying of tuberculosis. By the time Poe had arrived back in Richmond she had passed away. After he had come home, he made peace with John and John helped Poe get an appointment with the United States Military Academy at West Point. While Poe was at West Point, he had fought with his foster father about him getting remarried and not telling Poe about it. Even though Poe had excelled outstandingly at West Point, he ended up getting kicked out like I had recently mentioned earlier on. In between the years of him enlisting in the Army and getting accepted into West Point he had published his second book. After he had been kicked out of West Point, he published his third book. Along with publishing his third book, he went on to win a short story contest in the Baltimore Saturday Visiter. The Baltimore Saturday Visiter was a weekly periodical in Baltimore that published some of Poe's works. If it weren't for his great education he never would have become such a excellent writer.

Edgar Allan Poe was taken in by a wealthy family but not adopted as you already know. What most people don't know is that his foster family put him through private academies to give him the best education he could possibly get. Not only did he attend private academies, but he went and stayed in England/Scotland for 5 years and given a classical education. After being across the world for five years, he came back and attended the University of Virginia for eleven months, in 1826. During this time, he was having money issues as I mentioned earlier on and he got into gambling. This did not help him however as I have already told you. He enlisted in the U.S. Army again. After this, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. Along with his education helped him become a great literature influencer.

Edgar Allan Poe is a great American literary influencer. He was a writer from the 19th century but he is still a well known writer in the 21st century. Poe still has a great impact on writer of today's society. Edgar was one of the first writers to develop the genre of both detective fiction and horror, which set him off from different writers during this time. Poe's work is not only known by Americans, but became an influence overseas such as the French, Italians, and writers in Spanish and Portuguese in the Americas acknowledge and demonstrate their debts to Poe in technique and vision. He has many short stories that are still being read in today's english classes. Many people are still learning from his short stories and learning a whole lot.

Edgar Allan Poe was a great, American writer, editor, and literary critic due to his early life, his adulthood, his education, and his literary influence on the American literary landscape. Edgar is one of the most famous writers from the 19th century that we still learn from today. Poe wrote great mystery, detective, and horror short stories. He may not have grown up with his birth parents due to them passing away but he had a very well educated childhood and a very nice home to stay with. He had turned to gambling when his foster father took him out of his will when he found out that Poe wanted to be a writer. Edgar then enlisted into the army for 5 years. Around the time he enlisted into the army he had published his very first book. His foster father then helped him get into West Point Military Academy, which he ended up getting kicked out due to the fact that he showed up to role call butt naked. Poe may have died in 1849 but he will always be known as one of the greatest American writers and he will always be a great American literary influencer. He not only influenced in the Americas but all over the world. As Poe often said, Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear. This quote pretty much means what it says, believe only half of what you see no matter where it is at and don't believe anything you hear because people change stories around to make them more interesting.

Did you like this example?

Fascinating Facts about Edgar Allan Poe. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Life then before Edgar Allan Poe

Mysterious vibes flow with this name. Many of us heard this name before but not many know the kind of writing he has done. Edgar Allan Poe, most famously know for writing The Raven, has different writing than most poets we've heard about. Poets usually write about romance or the loss of a special dear one that was close to us, but not quite no one like Poe. Edgar A. Poe had a writing style of romanticizing death and how someone could go insane. Theres a lot of play with words like repeating the same words like Nevermore in The Raven to show how the mental decline of a person that is slowly going into madness. The most common themes in his writing would be typically like a very beautiful young lady that would die in like the poem Annabel Lee. Some of his writings would be about people that were close to him that had passed away for example To Helen. His dark themes are still appraised in modern literature that there is a whole museum dedicated to his life time in the earth and how he lived as a person in the house that he lived in for four years in Richmond, VA.

Edgar Poe was born in January 19, 1809 to actors Eliza Poe and David Poe Jr in Boston, Massachusetts. His home was a broken home. His father left his mother when he was a baby and his mother died of tuberculosis the very next year after David left them. Unfortunate events of how much he has lost when he was very young, but the best poets are inspired always by something in their life. Edgar then began to live with foster parents in Richmond, Virginia. Now this completed his famously renowned name Edgar Allan Poe. John Valentine Allan and his wife Frances owned a tobacco business that was very successful. Edgar Allan Poe grew up there and started to develop his poetic skills that by the age of 13, he was a very creative writer. His foster father didn't like him writing poems and stories so he would discourage Poe. John Allan would try to push Poe into the business world he created with tobacco, but Poe refused and continued writing. He sometimes would end up writing on the back of papers from the business his foster father owned.

The business excelled but John Allan didn't give much of the profits of the business for him to go to college. As Poe got older, he decided to go to the University of Virginia in 1826 and excelled in all his classes. Poe enrolled to study language. The only problem there was that there wasn't enough money to cover the costs of his tuition, so Poe turned into gambling to see if he could get money to cover the costs of his university. Edgar A. Poe started to drink a lot and soon after became an alcoholic. Things turned out badly for him and ended in debt. When things could just get worse, his fiancee Sarah Elmira Royster had cheated on him and decided to be engaged with someone else. In all the frustration and being heartbroken with the news, Edgar A. Poe dropped all his studies and decided to move to Boston..

Poe eventually decided to join the military in 1827 with a false name and age. He has nothing else left since he didn't finish college and neither had no prior job experience. He couldn't go back to his foster parents since John and Edgar didn't quite get along well, so he had no choice. Per usual, he did very well and was later ranked to sergeant major. His love of language was not forgotten and he ended up writing and publishing his first book Tamerlane and other poems under a simple pseudonym, a Bostonian. Edgar still wasn't satisfied but he was able to leave his position three years early under one condition. Poe got more news of his foster family and heard that Mrs. Allan was suffering from tuberculosis and was bound to her death bed. Sadly, Edgar didn't make it on time and Mrs. Allan passed away. John Allan finally started to soften up and wanted to reconcile with Edgar. John's condition was for Poe to attend the West Point Military Academy. John helped Edgar apply to the United States of America Military Academy in West Point. While waiting to get appointed and to be accepted in the Academy, he lived with his grandmother, aunt, brother Henry and youngest cousin, Virginia.

Virginia started to become Edgar's love interest, besides being so young. Mr. Poe had to leave already to star this new journey at the Military Academy by 1830. Edgar Poe was a cadet in the military academy but had to leave because John Allan had started to refuse to send Poe any money to pay the Academy. In his time there, he was quarreling with his foster father because he had remarried without telling Poe. Rumor says that he stopped doing on what he was being told so he could be dismissed from the Academy because he hated John. He was then disowned from his foster father by 1831 and went to continue on living with his family in Baltimore. By 1834, John Allan died.

Now Poe was so in love with Virginia at the age of 26, so he decided to marry his cousin that was only at the age of 13 (she was practically half his age). It's weird now, but before that happened frequently. It was purportedly a loving relationship with some debate that it was either romantic or them just being great pals who were married and related. They got married in May 16, 1836.

His writing career was pretty average. It wasn't like this explicit tragedy like Van Gogh who never got to sell a single piece but there wasn't a rock at the stardom like Mozart or Justin Bieber. Poe suffered like many authors at the time, at the hand of the publishers who were happy to publish but not so happy to pay. This means that although Poe was one of the first in America to make a living as a writer, it was just barely a living, but his luck started to change when he landed a job as a critic for Richmond newspaper. Maybe it was just bitterness from his past that he had, but Edgar Allan Poe was hard on everyone. He was nicknamed The Tomahawk Man And he literally came after everyone. This made him a lot of enemies but also brought some level of fame. He was like a 19th century Keemstar (I know it's a bad metaphor). He left the newspaper place in 1837. It was said that his problems with alcohol was a contributor for Poe leaving. Poe also was publishing works like The Tales of the Grotesque and Arabasque which explored the gruesome and thrilling writing style he is best known for today. Poe also published The Murders on the Rue Morgue which is well credited as the detective fiction genre. I honestly just think it's just a whole lot of monkey business.

Poe moves to New York in 1844. He published a story in the New York Sun that he was on a hot air ballon that went all across the Atlantic Ocean. Edgar then confessed that the whole story was fake, but something much bigger brought him to the raving sensation of the public eye. He reached the peak of his fame in 1845 with his famous poem The Raven that was featured in the New York Evening Mirror. At the same time, Poe was disputing with a fellow poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poe was accusing him of plagiarism, which with the accusement, there was backlash on Poe. The joy and his newfound fame was short lived as it came with no real change in wealth. He started to fight for the wages of writers to be raised and a copyright law. Worse of all, his wife cousin was dying. She caught the consumption, which is old speak for tuberculosis that everyone got apparently.

There was some gossip going around 1845, the year of The Raven, Poe was rumored to be flirting with another poet, Frances Osgood. Virginia was well aware who Frances Osgood was and she actually liked Osgood. The happy love triangle turned into a quarrelsome quadrilateral. There was another poet, Elizabeth Elliot, who was obsessed with Poe and Poe was like Eww. He literally could do nothing but repeal with scorn. Elliot couldn't even get into the friend-zone. Elliot was jealous of Osgood and threatened to blackmail her using her flirtatious letters with Poe. Elliot was also sending some letters but getting no response. Poe was like Please, leave me alone and just returned all of her letters to Elliot. Nonetheless, Elliot sent her brother to go get the letters back from Poe, which are letters that she already had. Poe requested some backup from his friends. Considering his history as a flop and a bit of a weirdo, his friends just though that Poe was lying. Then Elliot, the master of spin and home wrecking, said that all of the letters were actually written by Poe.

As ridiculous as the events sound, it put a lot of strain on Virginia Poe while she was sick . It was to a point that as Virginia was on her deathbed, she declared that Elliot had been her murderer. When Virginia died in January 1847, Poe's life went to a down spiral that never stopped. He later on went to Rhode Island in 1948 to try and flirt with another poet, Sarah Helen Whitman. They were engaged for some time but later broke off the engagement. He did have another triangle between Annie Richmond and Sarah Anna Lewis that helped Poe financially. Poe later on wrote poems about his entanglement for the two woman. In the same year, he published Eureka that was a suppose explanation on the whole universe. Some people found it to be an absolute masterpiece, but others had different opinions of Eureka. September 27, 1849, he left New York to Philadelphia to take up an editing job, but he got safety to Baltimore instead. He reconnected with his childhood love and ex fiancee Elmira Royster. She was a widowed Mrs. Shelton, And spent the rest of his time with her with a few road bumps here and there with his alcoholism.

With all the happy thoughts and happy endings, things got crazy again for Mr. Poe. He was found on a ditch by Joseph W. Walker, a former writer for the Baltimore Sun, was walking to a local tavern to cast his vote. He found Poe in clothes that weren't his and delirious on October 3rd. Joseph was concerned for the health of the writer, so he asked him if there was anyone that Poe could contact for help. Edgar A. Poe gave him the name of Joseph E. Snodgrass who was a magazine editor and an American Physician. Joseph wrote a letter to Snodgrass for his assistance. The letter said:

Baltimore City, Oct. 3, 1849

Dear Sir,

There is a gentleman, rather the worse for wear, at Ryan's 4th ward polls, who goes under the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe, and who appears in great distress, & he says he is acquainted with you, he is in need of immediate assistance.

Yours, in haste,

JOS. W. WALKER

To Dr. J.E. Snodgrass. (Quinn, 638)

He was taken to the Washington College hospital but he never had enough consciousness to explain what had happened to him. He spent his final days suffering with hallucinations. According to Dr. John J. Moran, Mr. Poe would call out the name Reynolds repeatedly on the night before he died. The name still remains a full mystery. On October 7th, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was pronounced dead. They said that his last words were Lord, help my poor soul.(Meyers, 255) He was buried on the next day of October 8th, 1849 in an unmarked grave that was in the back corner of West Minster Hall and Burying Grounds in Baltimore. His cousin Neilson Poe, purchased a white marble Italian headstone (Quinn) for Edgar, but was later on destroyed after a train derailed and crashed into the monument yard where it was standing. Poe was placed in a cheap coffin that lacked handles, a name plate, cloth lining, and a cushion for his head (Meyers, 256) Not many showed up for his ceremonies since he really didn't have many friends or relatives anymore. It was a very short burial that only lasted three minutes. The preacher decided not to give a sermon since the crowd was so small. All medical records have been lost, including his death certificate (Bramsback, 1970) Later on, Dr. John J. Moran was proven to not being a reliable source since he would change his story a lot more often than you think.

His death was really mysterious. It was so mysterious that a lot of people speculating and trying to figure out how Edgar Allan Poe died. There are a few theories on what actually caused his death. It ranges from illness to beatings to carbon monoxide poisoning, but one of them is especially interesting. It requires you to know that October 3rd was an Election Day and the ditch that Poe was found in was by a polling station. The 19th century had this form of fraud called cooping, where a victim was kidnapped and forced to vote multiple times under different disguises. These victims were given alcohol or drugs as a reward. This theory explains why Poe was found in new clothes and out of his mind. There was also other theories that he died of rabies which explained why he was so delirious but it just didn't cover the story well enough. Others said it was a heart attack or the drinking problems that led him to where he was.

1849 saw the end of Edgar and the world didn't really care much. Even his obituary was really short. It read Edgar Allan Poe is dead. He died in Baltimore on Sunday, September 7. This announcement will startle many but few will be grieved by it. (R.W. Griswold) Poe named R. W. Griswold his literary executor, which means that he owned all of Poe's work. This has to be up there in terms of terrible decisions which Poe made a lot of. Griswold hated Poe so much. In 1850, Griswold published this memoir of Poe, painting him as this depraved drunkard and immoral womanizer. Griswold did everything in his power to destroy Poe's reputation. Now Griswold didn't realized that people love a train wreck. He made Poe so much more interesting than this dude with a tiny mustache who likes birds and isn't Tesla. It is very possible that those memoirs helped solidify Edgar Allan Poe's place in literary history to this very day.

His legacy is still alive today, his gothic, dark, and romantic poems are still famous today. No, Edgar Allan Poe wasn't emo, but poe Edgar went through a lot (see what I did there). He was just a poe boy from a poe family ( I did it again, I need to stop). Some people may not enjoy his poetry since most of Poe's poetry has a lot of metaphors and isn't straightforward. That's the fun of poetry.

Bibliography and references

- Miller, John C. Text: John C. Miller, The Exhumations and Reburials of Edgar and Virginia Poe and Mrs. Clemm," Poe Studies, December 1974, Vol. VII, No. 2, 7:46-47. Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Articles - E. A. P.: A Critical Biography (A. H. Quinn, 1941) (Chapter 01), Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, Dec. 1974, www.eapoe.org/pstudies/ps1970/p1974204.htm.

- Quinn, Arthur (1988). Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography' (Paperback ed.) Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

- Bramsback, Birgit. The Final Illness and Death of Edgar Allan Poe: An Attempt at Reassessment. Taylor and Francis Online, Tandfonline, 21 July 2008, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00393277008587456.

- Poe's Lost Tombstone. Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Articles - E. A. P.: A Critical Biography (A. H. Quinn, 1941) (Chapter 01), 1998, www.eapoe.org/balt/poegravs.htm.

- Text: R. W. Griswold, Death of Edgar A. Poe," New-York Daily Tribune (New York, NY), Vol. IX, No. 156, October 9, 1849, p. 2, Cols. 3-4. Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Articles - E. A. P.: A Critical Biography (A. H. Quinn, 1941) (Chapter 01), www.eapoe.org/papers/misc1827/nyt49100.htm.

- Meyers, Jeffrey (1992). Edgar Allan Poe: His Life And His Legacy (Paperback ed.) New York City: Cooper Square Press

- Geiling, Natasha. The (Still) Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe. Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 7 Oct. 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/still-mysterious-death-edgar-allan-poe-180952936/.

- Giordano, Robert. Biography of Edgar Allan Poe. Poestories, poestories.com/biography.php.

- Mercier, Matthew. You Don't Know Poe: 10 Weird Things About Edgar Allan Poe. Tor.com, 11 Apr. 2018, www.tor.com/2012/05/02/you-dont-know-poe-10-weird-things-about-edgar-allan-poe/.

- Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, et al. Edgar Allan Poe. Encyclop?¦dia Britannica, Encyclop?¦dia Britannica, Inc., 4 Oct. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Allan-Poe.

- Poe's Biography | Edgar Allan Poe Museum, www.poemuseum.org/poes-biography.

- Edgar Allan Poe. Google Search, Google, www.google.com/amp/s/www.biography.com/.amp/people/edgar-allan-poe-9443160.

- Edgar Allan Poe. Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 23 July 2015, m.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/edgar-allan-poe.

Did you like this example?

Life Then Before Edgar Allan Poe. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe

We have fought with our internal identities, yet we never envisioned it getting as worst as William Wilson. William Wilson is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The story is about a man that thinks he no longer has a purpose on this earth. William struggles to understand his identity in the story. He states Let me call myself, for the present, William Wilson. The fair page now lying before me need not to be sullied with my real appellation. (Poe line 1-2). Poe describes the tale of a fight between a man and his conscience, one can only think, what did he do to end up along these lines.

William Wilson is the principal character in Poe's short story William Wilson. Poe handles various types of things all through his story revolving around human instinct and society when all is said in done. A key point in the story is when the narrator pointed out that "... my rival had a weakness in the faucal or guttural organs, which precluded him from raising his voice at any time above a very low whisper. Of this defect I did not fail to take what poor advantage lay in my power" (Poe). The fact that William Wilson always whispered is an important clue that suggests that he is the narrator's conscience. Here, Poe investigates the subjects of doppelg?¤nger. Toward the end of the story, we discovered that William Wilson double is certainly not a genuine individual, but his dark side. Poe actions to show in his composing is that we have opposite sides to our identity. Despite this, we may not indicate them, not at all like he did, we have different parts of us that think unexpected.

All through his story we visit numerous timeframes in Wilson's life, from his childhood into his passing. At first Wilson's modify sense of self gives off an impression of being his still, small voice, giving him guidance; however, before the finish of the story, his double ends up being to a greater degree a judge. All that he did was affected by his opposite side, he was not completely mindful of it. He ventures to the far corners of the planet attempting to get away from his double, restricting him from progress; however, he was never ready. Until the point that his unavoidable passing arrived.

Oddly enough, Wilson appears to understand what similarities are between the two characters. For Poe, the feeling of good and the feeling of the terrible are clear. It is something we realized when we were children. Be that as it may, William developed all through the story. His relations with his double are private, considering this, association with love and hate we can see the expected advancement of Wilson's mortality all through the story by watching his crumbling association with his doppelg?¤nger.

Society here is spoken to by the schools he visits, his betting partners in Oxford, toward the finish of the disguise ball in Rome. These components don't have a critical influence in Williams life, they are displayed more than a foundation to the examination of Williams identity. The ending of the story is very discouraging for the goals of the double's character issue: rather than the two sections away is his identity being accommodated, we witness the success of one over the other.

Did you like this example?

William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Discuss the Impact of the French Revolution in Isle De France

On the last Sunday of January 1790, a boat debarked at Port-Louis harbor from France, soaring a current emblem, the 'Tricolor' that conveyed the announcement about the revolution in France. Then the residers of Isle de France came to know about the French revolution.

The inhabitants of Port Louis were delighted about all the advancements and progression which had taken place in France. Mahe de Labourdonnais was a great French governor. He changed Port Louis from a small village to a big town. He built the harbor. He also built important buildings. Such as; grain store, state house. He also set up the ship yard to repair ships, a canal to allow the inhabitants of Port Louis to get fresh water and quays that enable loading and unloading of goods. In order to develop the country, he brought masons, carpenters, dock workers and sailors from Pondicherry and Bengal in India. A road was built to link Port Louis to Pamplemousse to Moka. He lived at Pamplemoussse in his residence and called it Mon Plaisir.

Additionally, during the French rule, Port Louis was a very important harbor in the Indian Ocean. Many types of goods were imported and sold to ships which came from different countries. Cotton cloth and spices were imported from India, silk and porcelain from China. Goods were kept in warehouses, cereals and other types of food in grain stores. There were strong fortifications to protect the harbor from attacks.

There was a new constitution in 1791 which made Governor Cossigny the head because an Executive council was assigned with full power. Prior to this there was a Colonial Assembly which came into force to make some relevant changes at all levels. The members of the council were selected from among those of the Assembly who had been elected by the free citizens. Hence, the state of Isle de France started doing away with a variety of old stuffs which reminded of French Monarchy. The planters were excited beyond measure. The French also developed agriculture to provide food to the inhabitants and to sailors. They brought many crops to Isle de France. Such as; coffee from Arabia, tea from China, spices from India and East Indies.

Henceforth, the French immigrants requested for more power over decision making and disliked the authoritarian attitudes of Royal administrators. However, the assumptions of 'Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite' were not seen to apply to the entire people living in Mauritius. Yet, in 1794, when the French senate passed a law about the abolition of slavery, the French colonies were not happy and were totally against the French Government. Thus, they were not prepared to accept the law of 1794. Basically it was mostly the planters who were against the French Government. Moreover, the state in Paris, was not ready to eliminate the law of the abolition of slavery just because of some local inhabitants. In order to accomplish the law of 1794, soldiers and sailors headed by Baco and Burnel was sent to the island. Also, two authorized members was sent in order to liberate the slaves with or without the approval of the planters.

Furthermore, all representatives of the council were integrated in their opposition to liberate the slaves. During that period, Malartic was the governor. Actually, both Baco and Burnel were motivated to go for the liberation of the servants. They became extremely angry and voted for their urgent banishment of this country. The governor had no courage to deny the assembly and thus, allowed the planters to go further with their decision. Sooner or later, they established such situations that the two leaders had to leave the country.

Captain General Charles Decaen was the last French Governor of Isle de France. He made new legislations to control the island. He also set up the first college in the country. At first it was known as the Lycee Colonial. Later it became the Royal College. Decaen also built a new village at the mouth of River La Chaux, in the south-east of the island. The village was named Mahebourg and it was not far from the old Dutch and French settlement at Vieux Grand Port. There was a barrack for soldiers, large roads with drains for rain water. The villagers built houses and shops. There is a monument for the French at Robert Edward Hart Garden in Port louis ( Jardin Les Salines). In fact ,England and France were implicated in a war that's why, they could not help Charles Decaen to overcome issues facing the island. Therefore, Decaen still required the aid of his native state. Unfortunately, the war between England and France was still going on and this country was divulged to some sedate attacks. Lamentably, he could not obtain any expected support and even lost Isle de France to the British.

Bibliography

Moonindra Nath Varma, The making of Mauritius
-Sydney Selvon, A new comprehensive, History of Mauritius, from the beginning to this day
-Vijayalakshmi Teelock, Mauritian History, from its beginning to modern times

Did you like this example?

Discuss the Impact of the French Revolution in Isle de France. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

A Short Biography of Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was a distinguished American writer of short stories and poetry. He was a controversial literary editor as well as critic. Poe was best known for his Gothic literature and his association in the American Romantic Movement. His creation of “detective stories” influenced many authors today. Poe was a literary genius and possessed natural talents to write, even at a young age. The tragic occurrences during his childhood and early years, shaped him to be one of the most acclaimed men in American literature.

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the second child of three siblings: William Henry Leonard Poe - the eldest - and Rosalie - the youngest. Both his parents, Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins and David Poe Jr., were actors. Although they struggled financially, Poe’s mother was a well-known and praised actress. A few months after Poe was born, the family moved to New York (“Edgar Allan Poe” TheFamousPeople.com). Soon after, David abandoned his family when Poe was only two and a half years old (Meyers 5). The apostasy of Poe’s father was most likely due to his feelings of jealousy towards his wife’s successful career, heavy drinking, short temperament, and lack of responsibility to take care of his children (Meyers 5-6).

Left alone to take care of two sons, Poe’s mother - pregnant at the time - carried many hardships. Residing in New York, Elizabeth struggled to provide for her children and sustain the family financially (“Edgar Allan Poe” TheFamousPeople.com). Additionally, she had to deal with the constant moving to cheap houses and the demands of her career. As a result of the misfortunes in her life, she gradually became severely ill. Poe and his siblings, would have to just stand there along their mother and observe the sacrifices she had to make for her beloved children. Poe would be a witness of the gruesome scenes of his mother slowly dying. He observed the strained and bloody coughs, the abrupt hemorrhages, and his young mother’s body laying on her deathbed. On December 8, 1811, she died of Tuberculosis at the age of twenty-four, leaving her young sons and a daughter behind (Meyers 6-7).

After the death of his mother, Poe was separated from his siblings. Rosalie was adopted by a Richmond merchant, William Mackenzie, and his wife, Jane Scott Mackenzie. William Henry was taken in by their biological grandparents. Lastly, Poe was taken in by the Allans: John Allan, his godfather, and Frances Valentine Allan, his wife. Subsequently, Poe would acquire the middle name of “Allan” (“Edgar Allan Poe” TheFamousPeople.com). Allan, in contribution with Charles Ellis, exported Virginia tobacco, which was a profitable business at the time (Meyers 8). Tragically, two weeks after the passing of his mother, several people died in a devastating fire at Richmond Theater - where Poe’s mother would perform. The whole city mourned together, along with Poe, to remember those in the accident and one of the finest contributors to the theater… Elizabeth (Meyers 7).

Considering that Poe lost his mother at a very young age, he possessed great affection for his foster mother and father. Poe was praised as a child and would be exhibited to guests to recite poetry. He attended the finest schools and was brought up as an Episcopalian. In addition, he would visit luxurious resorts with his foster parents and never lacked materialistic things. Despite being raised like a son, Poe was never officially adopted by the Allans. Thus, always felt a void in his heart for a sense of family and paternal figures (Meyers 9).

By alternately being spoiled and scolded, Poe was a confused child. When he was punished at school for being disobedient, he was forced to wear a vegetable around his neck to face humiliation (Meyers 9). His family and him later moved to London in 1815. Around the same time, the United States was at war with Great Britain. Poe studied grammar school at Irvine and Scotland for a short period of time. He was later separated from his parents when he was sent to a boarding school at Chelsea in 1816. A year later, he attended Manor House School at Stoke Newington and finally returned to Richmond in 1820. (“Edgar Allan Poe” TheFamousPeople.com). At Stoke Newington, he described the claustrophobic environment as well as the dismal daily routine he had to endure. Additionally, many teachers would characterize him as a brilliant young boy, but would heavily criticize his parents for spoiling him. They would explain how the Allans allowed Poe to acquire considerable amounts of money, thus, become mischievous. Overall, they would feel pity for the young boy (Meyers 12-13).

In 1820, Poe entered the school of Joseph Clarke. There he learned an abundance of skills, including Greek and advanced math. After years of study there, Poe - eleven years old at the time - wanted to publish a manuscript volume of poems. However, Clarke advised him not to continue with the publication because he did not want to adulate Poe’s egotism and possibly, add on to the child’s misbehavior (Meyers 14-15).

Although Allan supported Poe financially, he discouraged his literary talents in his teenage years. Tensions between the two developed into a problematic relationship. Allan condemned of Poe’s ambition to become a writer. He believed Poe was not appreciative of his well-being and seemed compelled to take him out of his will. Instead, his foster father wanted him to pursue the family business. As a result, Poe would write poems on the back of his father’s important work papers to persevere his natural calling for writing (“Edgar Allan Poe” Biography.com).

In 1823, Poe entered William Burke’s school at the age of fourteen. Although he possessed great skill for athletics, some peers viewed him as There, he was involved in a fight with a massive boy. A friend revealed that Poe was beaten brutally until the guy was weary enough to hit him back. He would explain these situations in such a way that it would amaze his schoolmates. Later on, he got into other minor fistfights throughout the years, and soon would become reticent and despised by his peers (Meyers 16).

A year later, in October 1824, Poe had his first military experience when he became a soldier during his second year at Burke’s school. He joined General Lafayette’s company after being chosen to attend the parade in Capitol Square. As a cadet, he was assigned as a bodyguard and accompanied the General himself in a parade. That same year, Poe met Jane Stanard. When his happiness could not be fulfilled, he desired her sympathy. Hence, he constantly received her compassion and benevolence. Due to insanity, Jane died in April of 1824 at the age of twenty-eight. Soon after, Poe suffered of eerie nightmares and confessed to have horrifying visions (Meyers 17).

A year after Jane’s death, Poe fell in love with his neighbor's daughter, Elmira Royster. She was fifteen at the time and was secretly engaged with Poe. Her father, however, did not see fit their engagement. Her father defined Poe as financially and socially unfit for a husband, not to mention that he also believed that they were too young to get married. As a result, Elmira later on married someone else, yet, claimed to still love Poe (Meyers 18). Heartbroken, he moved to Boston (“Edgar Allan Poe” Biography.com).

During this time, Poe’s relation with his foster father intensified to a point where they would separate their family ties. Although Allan was asked about the publication of Poe’s poems, he acknowledged the fact that his foster son was impetuous and erratic. Due to an economic depression in 1824, Allan was forced to quit his job, leaving him with not much money. Overall, Poe was greatly criticized by him. Allan wrote a letter to Poe’s older brother, Henry, where he described how badly he treated the family and questioned the way he raised Poe. He would recall the money put into Poe as well as the superior education he offered him and the opportunities given to him to become a prosperous man. Instead, he would be described as a rebellious adolescent and ungrateful son. This was a turning point in his life because Poe was already going through the death of Jane and the abandonment of Elmira (Meyers 19).

When Poe attended the University of Virginia in 1826, he had many financial problems. As a result, he became in debt and resulted to gambling in order to raise money. He soon fell prey to an addiction to bet money while playing cards, digging himself even further in a gambling debt. Not meeting ends meets, he demanded money from his foster father (“Edgar Allan Poe” Biography.com). Not willing to pay, Poe found himself returning home and abandoning his studies in 1827. This angered Allan, however, that Poe would throw away his exceptional academic excellence due to his addiction and lack of self control (“Edgar Allan Poe” TheFamousPeople.com).

Poe’s childhood was an occurence of unfortunate events. With the abandonment of his father, the death of his mother, the separation from his siblings, the movement of schools and homes, his conceited demeanor, the discouragement of his writing, the loss of his first love and romances, the criticisms from peers and family members, gambling addiction, and the long-lost sense of belonging, all contributed to shape Poe to the writer he is recognized today. His traumatic infancy and isolation from the world made him a notable individual. Poe will be remembered for his dark and tragic life and continue to amaze future generations through his literary legacy.

Did you like this example?

A short biography of Edgar Allan Poe. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Jean Baptiste Colbert

The cost of building Versailles and other palaces, maintaining his court, and pursuing his wars made finances a crucial issue for Louis XIV. He was fortunate in having Jean Baptiste Colbert as controller general of finances. Colbert sought to increase the wealth and power of France through general adherence to mercantilism, which stressed government regulation of economic activities to benefit the state. To decrease the need for imports and and increase exports, Colbert founded new luxury industries, such as the royal tapestry works at Beauvais; invited Venetian glass makers and Flemish cloth makers to France; drew up instructions regulating the quality of goods produced; oversaw the training of workers; and granted special privileges, including tax exemptions, loans, and subsidies, to individuals who established new industries. To improve communications and the transportation of goods internally, he built roads and canals. To decrease imports directly, Colbert raised tariffs on foreign manufactured goods directly. Colbert raised tariffs on foreign manufactured goods and created a merchant marine to carry French goods. The French Revolution was caused as the French were going broke which made the peasants lose more money which made the government change and brought violence.

The immediate cause of the French Revolution was the near collapse of government finances. France experienced a depression from 1778 to 1787 as a result of a loss of overseas markets and overproduction. Prices of grain and wine fell by forty and fifty percent. Peasants faced increasing uncertainty as rent prices remained high due to a rapidly growing population. Poor harvests in 1788 and 1789 sent prices of wheat and rye soaring leaving many desperate. At a time when France was experiencing economic crises, the government was drastically short of money. Yet French governmental expenditures continued to grow due to costly wars and royal extravagance. The government responded by borrowing. Poor taxation policy contributed to the high debt, with most of the monarchy’s funds coming from the peasantry. Unlike Britain, where the Bank of England financed the borrowing of money at low interest rates, France had no central bank and instead relied of private loans.

Since France was in such a financial crisis and didn’t have any money they turned to the peasants. They forced the peasants to pay them money so that they can have money to use because they didn’t have a central bank to rely on. The peasants were getting so tired of paying so much money to France they went on rebellions. From July 19 to August 3, peasant rebellions occurred in 5 major areas of France. In some placed peasants simple forced their lay and ecclesiastical lords to renounce dues and tithes; elsewhere they burned charters listing their obligations. France changed the government because of all the rebellions that were occuring. They changed it by abolishing tithes, quitrents and dues. The King agreed but he said that the peasants had to support the public authorities by going themselves to demand the destruction of titles.

The most famous of the urban risings was the fall of the Bastille. The king’s attempt to take defensive measures by increasing the number of troops at the arsenals in Paris and along the roads to Versailles served not to intimidate but rather to inflame public opinion. Increased mob activity in Paris led Parisian leaders to form the so called Permanent Committee to keep order. Needing arms, they organized a popular force to capture the Invalides, a royal armory, and on July 14 attacked the Bastille, another royal armory. The Bastille had also been a state prison but now held only seven prisoners. There were few weapons there except those in the hands of the small group of defenders. The Bastille was an imposing fortress with eight towers connected by nine foot thick walls. It was easily defended, but its commander, the marquis de Launay, was more inclined to negotiate. Although fighting erupted, de Launay refused to open fire with his cannon, and the garrison soon surrendered. The fall of the Bastille was a great victory, and it quickly became a popular symbol of triumph over despotism.

The French Revolution was caused as the French were going bankrupt which made the peasants start to go bankrupt as well which changed the government and brought a lot of violence. Today we still do see some riots because people do not agree with some of the stuff that is going on in the world today like the president for example. If he does something there is usually a group of people who don’t agree with it and they start a riot. We also do see bankruptcy and debt today for example people say that Obama brought America into a huge dept.

Did you like this example?

Jean Baptiste Colbert. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Edgar Allan Poe Examination of Writing Style

It cannot be denied that few writers can manage to match the prodigiousness of a work of the late, great Edgar Allan Poe. This is primarily due to Poe's distinguishing style. Style can be defined as a combination of many literary elements that serve to individualize a writer's work from that of others. The examination Poe's use of symbolism, diction, and figurative language in some of his most famous works, including The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Masque of the Red Death, lead one to conclude that Poe has quite a distinct style.

To begin, Poe relies heavily on the use of symbolism to add depth and relatability to his short stories. For instance, The Cask of Amontillado illustrates the use of symbolism in the quote, A huge human foot d'or, in a field of azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel. Although this quote is describing Montresor's (supposed) family crest, it also describes and represents the conflict between Montresor and Fortunato. Another instance of symbolism in Poe's work can be found in The Raven: And the raven...still is sitting/On the bust of Pallas just above my chamber door/...the lamplight o'er him throws his shadow on the floor;/My soul from out that shadow.../Shall be lifted”nevermore! The many symbols embedded in the quote above assist more in the cementation than the creation of the story's ominous mood, but nevertheless contribute to it; they also illustrate the overall meaning of the poem and what Poe is attempting to communicate to the reader (that the memories of his lost love are obstructing his would-be impending joy, leaving him ravaged by a fierce depression that, according to the raven, will not cease). The quote helps the audience to visualize the raven atop the statue and connect that physical situation to the conceptual one of the symbols mentioned. In addition, The Masque of the Red Death, being an allegory, obviously contains symbols left and right, many of which are exhibited in the quote, ...he summoned...a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, ...retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys...a strong and lofty wall girdled it in...Prince Prospero entertained his friends with a masked ball.... In a nutshell, the symbols mentioned correspond as follows: the prince's guests represent the human race, the abbey and the wall are physical barriers against the Red Death, Prince Prospero stands for the wealthy and/or privileged portion of society, and the masked ball symbolizes the guests' denial of their imminent deaths to the pestilence. This contributes to the story by creating the allegory, i.e. giving most objects/concepts in the story a double meaning.

Next, Poe's particular use of diction serves to create the eerie moods of his stories. For example, in the first two stanzas of The Raven alone, there are numerous instances of this, including midnight dreary, weak and weary, bleak December, each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor, and Nameless here for evermore, which add an ominous atmosphere to the already mysterious mood. As for The Masque of the Red Death, it is believed by some to be unique among Poe's work as it is not entirely dark on the surface. Examples of words and phrases that exhibit this are extensive and magnificent, eccentric yet august, masked ball of the most unusual magnificence, voluptuous scene, irregularly disposed, windings of the suite, multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances ghastly in the extreme, gay and magnificent revel, bold and fiery, barbaric lustre, much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm, arabesque figures with unsuited limbs, delirious fancies such as the madman fashions, and beautiful...wanton...bizarre...terrible...not a little of that which might have excited disgust. But then, there are periods of darkness, displayed via the use of words such as the redness and the horror of blood, gigantic clock of ebony, dull monotonous clang, the giddiest grew pale, uneasy cessation of all things, a stiffened corpse, Darkness and Decay and the Red Death, and illimitable dominion over all. The mood is quite varied; it seems to the reader that at one moment they are reveling with the revelers and all their strangeness, and at the next worried about how much time they have left, which one might suppose is the intention. Navigating the lines of Masque is an experience comparable to walking through a funhouse; there is such description of the bizarre and unorthodox that it seems all is distorted, and this, of course, plays a part in determining the story's overall mood as well. Finally, diction is used in The Cask of Amontillado to aid in constructing its suspenseful mood as Montresor and Fortunato descend deeper and deeper into the catacombs and Fortunato's imminent death looms nearer with each line. A few examples of this are through several suites of rooms, long and winding staircase, for many minutes, I paused again, and descended, passed on, and descending again. Although these three works and their individual moods are varied, Poe uses similar techniques to create the mood in each, thus piecing together his overall style.

Finally, Poe uses figurative language, such as imagery, irony, allusions, etc., frequently throughout his work in order to enhance his audiences' understanding of his stories. First, in The Masque of the Red Death, the most impactful uses of figurative language are when Poe uses juxtaposition by writing, All these and security were within. Without was the Red Death to illustrate the stark contrast between the masquerade inside the abbey and the outside region beaten into submission by disease, and when he foreshadows the climax by saying, They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress, hinting at the possibility of someone entering/leaving the synthetic and supposed safe haven. Next, important instances of figurative language in The Cask of Amontillado include the use of irony in that the character who is murdered has the name Fortunato (which, ironically, means fortunate) and the various instances of imagery throughout the story, an example of which is the entire 68th paragraph, which describes the situation of bones and crypts in one area of the catacombs, assisting the reader in understanding the layout of the vault.. Lastly, in The Raven, the most critical of the numerous instances of figurative language lie in the multiple allusions to mythology (Perched upon a bust of Pallas...; Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore), which serve to illustrate both the raven's wisdom and hellishness.

In conclusion, based on the analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's use of symbolism, diction, and figurative language throughout his stories, it is clear that his style is fairly varied between his works, but he uses the same literary elements for different effects in each. He generally uses symbolism for depth, but how that depth affects the individual story it is being in used in is various. The diction he utilizes throughout his stories help to create their moods and even add suspense, and his use of numerous types of figurative language simply assist in enhancing a story as a whole. Overall, Poe writes in the same way that people of his time spoke, he uses extremely descriptive language, and his work is quite advanced; when these elements are displayed alongside one another in his stories, it is obvious that he is an extraordinary writer with a distinguishing style that will not be forgotten

Did you like this example?

Edgar Allan Poe Examination of Writing Style. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Edgar Allan Poe Bioscript

January 19, 1809, this was the time of birth to the creator of detective fiction, the alcoholic gambler, and literary pioneer, Edgar Allan Poe. With his birth came a new era for literature. An era filled with happiness, sorrow, and success. His birth parents, Elizabeth and David Poe, despite them being his parents there relevance would fade when his care fell to the Allans. This was due to his deceased mother and fathers abandonment, one year later. This sparked his tramatuce life and poor decisions with alcohol and gambling. Which then lead to his lifelong struggle with depression. Even though the Allan's treated Edgar as their own, he didn't feel as though he belonged. At the age of six Edgar temporarily moved to Scotland with his parents and attended Irvine Old Grammar school, then switched to Manor House boarding school for eight years. After he attended the University of Virginia. He then started drinking heavily and quickly became in debt. Attempting to attain money from John Allan results with no sympathy and anger at Poe for dropping out of school With no money left he had to quit school and join the army in Boston.

After the death of Mrs.Allan he returns home. It is only them when he and his father make amends and his fathers sponsors his attendance to West Point. This endeavor was quickly put to death when he realized he was in no shape to participate .He dilbritley got kicked out of West Point in 1831. Following his recent pattern of dramatic decisions, he becomes a full time writer and literary critic after struggling to make a living for several years.Seaking the help of Mr.Allan again results in no aid. Trying to support himself, he submits stories to magazines and is rejected again and again. In this time his adopted father dies leaving nothing to Poe in his will.

In 1835 after winning a literary contest he lands a job as an editor of the Southern Literary Messenger . He began looking for a job to support his newly wed wife who was his thirteen year old cousin. Despite this being negatively viewed on in modern times having a wife( despite her being thirteen and being related) it served as a source of encouragement for finding a job. Poe's complete lack of mercy when criticizing made him many enemies but the controversy attracted higher rates of purchase so he was allowed to continue. Poes contervitionalailty in criticism gained him such a high raise in awareness that he felt over qualified for Richmond so he left for New York. Within a duration of two years Poe publishes two more books the first Ligeria and the second which was published a year after the firstThe fall of the house of usher.After that publication he published Tales of the grotesque and arabesque . The Fall of the House of Usher was one of his most famous works and gave momentum to his career. This momentum led to his birth to the detective fiction genre. Its creation was phausable through the publishment of The Murders in the Rue Morgue which surpassed The Fall of the House of Usher in achievement to its name.Both works had popularity and were the start to his name once shadowed but when the works it authored were read it was envied by all. Poe's life shifts before his next notable work is published.

In New York he began working for a new magazine called Rams. He published Murders in the Rue Morgue the magazine had an additional 34000 in circulation within a year of Murders in the Rue Morgues' publication. This brought him praise for its uniqueness in its time. While this praise was very high and the poem gave him fame he ceased to believe his worthiness. Around this time he was interviewed about his life and provided false information. This false information included a fake age and background. Edgar moved to Philadelphia in 1838. He continued to write classic pieces of detective literature like the raven in 1845, but his soon found happiness with his wife and his job as a literary critic came to end when his young wife died at the age of 24, this struck poe with griff and anger. This was going to be their 11th year of marriage but it was cut short because of her. Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe died of tuberculosis. Her death caused poe to struggle with his already bad depression and chronic alcoholism. With this he moved back to lowell, massachusetts and settled into his new life.

His poems became more and more obsessed with his wife and her death. They also became more obscure like Lines on Ale and For Annie. He fell in love with Nancy L. Richmound, a married women. In 1849, he finally confessed his feelings for in a poem called For Annie

Did you like this example?

Edgar Allan Poe Bioscript. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Louis XVI and the French Revolution

Louis XVI was one of the rulers during the French Revolution. He was not an impactful leader for the people. He wanted to run from issues instead of facing them head on and he made some promises that could not be kept and had poor decisions. In time of crisis he could not take charge. The rebellion of the Third Estate showed that they felt unrepresented and did not have equal rights as the other estates did, and Louis XVI felt he could make it better for them during the Estates General. When the Third Estate stormed the Bastille they were on a mission to get ammunition and make a statement to Louis XVI that they were going to get answers and solution to their problems (Ockerman). The women's march and revolt showed that all genders were going to show that they would fight for what they wanted. They wanted a better chance of surviving and being able to provide for their family. Due to the way Louis XVI handled the rebellion of the Third Estate, the storming of the bastille, and the women's revolt, Louis XVI was an insufficient ruler during the time of the French Revolution.

The rebellion of the Third Estate was a long coming process. The first event that had happened was Louis XVI had called together the Estates General (Cole and Symes 479). This was a group of 3 people from each social class, the First Estate was the nobles, the Second Estate was the clergy, and the Third Estate everyone else (Cole and Symes 479). The First and Second Estate was the highest classes and they used their power to their advantage. The nobles were the ones that were the closest to Louis XVI, this also included the assembly, the clergy were the religious that were affiliated with the church, and the Third Estate was the peasants, lawyers, anyone who was not part of the clergy or a noble (Cole and Symes 479). Louis XVI had called together this meeting because he did not know what he should do about all of the terrible weather and the food issues and crisis that was happening with the people. This lead to other issues when he had called the meeting, the Third Estate believed that they were not getting equal representation like the other estates considering they were the majority of the population (Cole and Symes 479). No matter what the Third Estate tried to get equal representation they would always get out voted by the First and Second Estates, because Louis XVI would not give the Third Estate equal representation they decided to take matters into their own hands. (Cole and Symes 479).

They decided to meet on their own and take matters into their own hands because they were done with the way they were being treated and represented. They were locked out of their original meeting place by Louis XVI so they found tennis courts and met there from then on (Cole and Symes 482). They wrote an oath for anyone to sign that was part of the Third Estate to be a part of the National Assembly, which they also created (Cole and Symes 483). The National Assembly would be soon be the highest power in their government (Cole and Symes 483). A lot of other people from other estates supported the Third Estate because they saw that their points for separation were valid and realized that Louis XVI could not do anything by himself and needed advice from others which we will see again from him. The Third Estate also demanded that Louis XVI write a written constitution and give the Third Estate equal representation and the power to vote on matters that would affected them (Cole and Symes 484). The demand for the written constitution lead into the storming of the Bastille.

The Third Estate attacked the Bastille because of the need of ammunition because they had been able to acquire firearms and canons, this lead to other events and symbolism of the storming. (Ockerman) The Bastille was a prison that had ammunition (Cole and Symes 483). The Third Estate knew that the Bastille would have ammunition and this would be a warning to Louis XVI that they wanted change and they were willing to make that happen. After they had stormed the Bastille the rest of the prisoners that had not escaped when they fired at it were let go (Ockerman). They guillotined the prisoner governor and his officers for the way they had treated the prisoners (Ockerman). The symbolism was different for all parties that were involved in it and knew about the storming. The royalty was confused by the meaning of the storming, they did not initially think that it was a storming. Louis XVI was the most confused because he first thought that is was a revolt but he was then corrected and that it was a revolution (Ockerman). Louis XVI also thought that it was a revolt against the government and not a violent event (Ockerman). Others saw this as the beginning of the French Revolution. This was the first major public event the Third Estate had put together. The storming of the Bastille soon became a national celebration to celebrate the constitutional monarchy and the unity of the people of France (Ockerman). The storming of the Bastille inspired the women that had been struggling for a long time an idea to make it better for the women during the time of Louis XVI reign.

The women's march and revolt had a lot of back story leading up to it and the effects of the women's march showed that some of the major events of the French Revolution had a good impact of the people but it was all done by the people. There was a lack of food supply because it had been the coldest winter that they had seen in years (Connelly and Hembree 46). This made it so they weren't able to get the basic necessities of food, especially bread which was a staple of their diet because it was the cheapest before the winter. The canal that let them get supplies from outside of Paris had been frozen over so the supplies were not able to be brought in. (Book) Since there was a lack of supplies the price of bread rose which made it very difficult for the people in the Third Estate to pay all of the taxes to the First and Second Estate and then they were not able to even get bread to feed the family (Connelly and Hembree 46).

The women in the market had enough with the way that Louis XVI was not sympathizing with them and wanted for them to be heard. The women started at Les Halles and they marched to Hotel de Ville, when they reached the hotel they were redirected by Stanislas Maillard to go to Versailles because they would find Louis XVI there (Connelly and Hembree 47). They were on a journey to persuade Louis XVI to help them out and lower the price of bread or not have to pay the ridiculous taxes to the other estates. It was a 12 mile voyage from the hotel to Versailles (Connelly and Hembree 47). As they walked to Versailles they smashed shop windows, took whatever they wanted, seized carriages, the national guard's caissons, and other means of transportation to get to Versaille quicker (Connelly and Hembree 47). Once they had gotten Versaille they interrupted the assembly and Mirabeau treated them as they were important and took care of them (Connelly and Hembree 47). Millard spoke for everyone about the lack of the food and the Archbishop starving the Parisians (Connelly and Hembree 47). A few of the women were then able to meet with Louis XVI because they wanted him to know that they wanted answers and solutions to these issues (Connelly and Hembree 48). Louis XVI at the time sympathized for the women and promised them bread and to the sign the bill of rights and veto bill, for Louis XVI to sign the bill of rights the Third Estate would be able to vote and have a voice for them (Connelly and Hembree 48). Other people encouraged Louis XVI to flee from France but Lafayette thought that Louis XVI should please the people and make them happy because then all of these issues would be able to be solved (Connelly and Hembree 48). The people thought he should flee because they thought he shouldn't face the people and their rebellion. This is a good example of why Louis XVI could not be able to take charge during the French Revolution and make his own choice of what to do.

The events that followed women's march and meeting with Louis XVI would be a chain reaction in the rest of the French Revolution. The next morning screaming Parisians stormed Versailles planning on eating the queen's liver, but the queen heard of this and was able to escape to the king's apartment so her liver would not be eaten (Connelly and Hembree 48). They then decided to take the body guards that had been protecting the queen and they had them killed, they cut off their heads and carried it around for all to see and send a message to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette that this could be them if they do not make changes and take charge (Connelly and Hembree 48). The people also demanded that they return to Paris. Once they returned to Paris they were put on house arrest because they wanted them to always be present and take charge of issues they had formed (Cole and Symes 486). The nobles decided to flee because they thought Louis XVI was finally going to have to answer to the people and the assembly that there were major issues that needed to be taken care of(Connelly and Hembree 48). All of the events that happened that day lead to important things and are important to the way women are treated in society and how it made a difference.

The importance of the women's march and revolt lead many chain reactions that were good to the people of the Third Estate and the royals who did not understand what had been happening to them for years. They made Louis XVI and the assembly face issues that had been rising up and what had started some of the events of the French Revolution. The rest of the French Revolution was mainly led by the people of Paris for the rest of the French Revolution (Connelly and Hembree 49). Some of the people included the people of the Third Estate and they were also other people that joined them in making Louis XVI to take action and progress was finally made and the French Revolution continued on.

In conclusion, Louis XVI was a terrible king. He was given only given the power as king because it was passed down to him by blood he was the next in line. This shows that it should not always be just the next person that is line that it should be someone that is qualified for the position. In the storming of the Bastille he did not completely understand that it meant the people were angry and getting ready to rebel against him and the way they had been treated at the Estates General. He realized that even the women were going to make a change for themselves even if they may not get support from him. He did sympathize for them but is it wondered if he actually did. When Louis XVI was trapped in Paris and had to face peoples issues that was the first time that he took charge for what he need to and showed that he would do something for the people of the Third Estate, the ideas he had taken from them to eventually make the government a republic and to right a constitution. Louis XVI was enlightened by all of these events and saw that he was not a good king during his rule.

Works Cited

Cole, Joshua and Symes, Carol. Western Civilizations Their History and Their Culture. W.W.

Norton, 2005.

Connelly, Owen and Hembree Fred. The French Revolution. Harlan Davidson, Inc, 1993.

Ockerman, Emma. What Actually Happened on the Original Bastille Day. 13 July 2016,

https://time.com/4402553/bastille-day-history-july-14/

Did you like this example?

Louis XVI and the French Revolution. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Reflection on Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe

The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? This quote shows how Edgar Allan Poe was obsessed with life and death because in it he explains that life and death is best left shadowy and vague. This means that life and death should be left a mystery. His obsession started when he lost all of the important people in his life. Edgar was born January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was an orphan at a young age and taken in by his foster parents John Allan and Frances Allan. Poe grew to become one of the most known and respected writers in American history. Edgar Allan Poe mostly wrote horror and mystery stories and poems which were mostly inspired by his tragic life. In the poem Spirits of the Dead Poe questioned where people go when they die. However, in the poem The Raven Poe questions whether he is going to hell and if he will ever see his family members again. In the story The Masque of The Red Death, Poe writes about how you cannot cheat death. Poe was a misunderstood man who was constantly questioning the concept of Heaven and Hell.

Edgar Allan Poe lost many people in a short time including his mother, his foster mother, and his wife. This influenced Poe to write poems and stories about his loved ones, one story being Spirits of The Dead. This poem questions where people go when they die. One quote from Spirits of the Dead is be silent in that solitude which is not loneliness-for then This quote shows that dead people are in solitude and that death, loneliness, and solitude are all different state of being. The poem is about how the main character is at a graveyard and missing his loved one. He questions where the loved one is and when will he see them again. The main character says how the people in earth are around you again in death, when The spirits of the dead who stood In life before thee are again In death around thee This poem relates to Poe when his mom died. When Poe's mother died, he was only adopted because of Frances. Shortly after he was adopted in 1812, Frances became very ill. John Allan started not to like Edgar because he thought of Edgar as ungrateful. In the book Edgar Allan Poe The Strange Man Standing in the Shadows by Charlotte Montague, John Allan was described as impulsive and quick tempered This often affected Poe when John took his rage out on him. John Allan was a tobacco merchant but Poe had no interest in it. In the article from poemuseum.com it explained that early poetic verses scrawled in a young Poe's handwriting show how little interest Edgar had in the tobacco business. As Poe grew up, John Allan liked him less and less and soon disowned him after he was discharged from West Point. Edgar then started writing some of his first poems and stories. Poe then heard the news of his foster mother's death. This was devastating for Poe because Frances was a very important person in his life. She was the only reason Edgar got adopted. She was always kind to him unlike John Allan. Therefore, her death was one of the reasons he wrote Spirits of the Dead. The poem Spirits of the Dead also states that where people go when they die is a mystery of mysteries. When Poe got older he got married to his cousin. He loved his wife a lot but money was always tight as stated in Edgar Allan Poe Museum. However, Virginia, his wife caught tuberculosis which was a disease that infects your lungs. Virginia eventually died, which left Poe devastated and unable to write for months according to poemuseum.com. Therefore, Edgar Allan Poe's writing was inspired by the death's of the people closest to him.

Another poem that is about the death of his loved ones is The Raven. In this poem, the setting is the main character's chamber or bedroom. The poem starts, Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary. This line explains how the day is dreary and that the main character is very tired. It was in a bleak December and he eagerly I/he wished the morrow;-vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Lenore- This line from the poem explains how the main character is trying to distract his mind with a book so he will not think of Lenore's death. He was disturbed by a knocking on the window and thought it was Lenore, his dead wife. The main character was terrified when he heard the knocking. The main character thinks, And the silken, sad, uncertain, rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; This line from the poem shows how the main character is thrilled by the curtains. The main character is thrilled because he likes to be scared since nothing exciting happened to him. However the It was a raven that was actually at his window. The main character is very lonely since Lenore died. A line in the poem that supports this is, For the rare and radiant maiden who the angels named Lenore- Nameless here for evermore. The main character starts to ask the raven if he will ever see Lenore again. In the poem Lenore is actually Virginia, Poe's dead wife, and wants to know if he will ever see Virginia again. The raven says, Nevermore which enrages the speaker. Near the end of the story, he yells at the raven, prophet! Said I, thing of evil-prophet still if bird or devil- This shows how the main character is scared and enraged at the raven, and in this case, death. In the story, the raven symbolizes death. The raven hints that the main character is going to hell, and will never see Lenore again when, Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door! Quoth the raven, Nevermore. This shows how the raven will be with the main character even when he dies. At the end of the poem, the main character dies and writes, And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating in the floor Shall be lifted-nevermore! Poe wrote this poem to question if he will ever see his loved ones again. Poe wanted to know this because he missed all of his loved ones including his mom, his foster mother, and his wife. His writing subjects were based off his hard life. An example being The Tell Tale Heart when the main character takes his rage out on an old man just because of his eye. This rage symbolizes the rage that Poe had on the men in his life. His life affected the way he dressed, which was very formal but very dark. His past life also affected the way he criticized other authors writing. During Poe's life, he always thought that he was a bad person and was afraid to die. He thought that he was going to hell because of his life choices such as drinking and being very critical to other people's writing. Poe wrote this poem to express his feelings of never seeing his family again. According to HomeCivicNational News, One by one, everyone he loved (including his foster mother, his older brother, and his young wife Virginia) died before him. This passage shows how Edgar lost all of the important people in his life.However, Edgar Allan Poe wanted to know if he will ever see his loved ones again and if he was going ro hell in The Raven.

The Masque of The Red Death is a story that talks about how you cannot cheat death, because it will come and take you eventually. The story starts off by explaining what the red death was, There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. However, the red death was not real. Poe based it off of the black death and tuberculosis. The story continues by describing Prince Prospero, Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. However, Prince Prospero was selfish because he tried to avoid the red death when he, summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court When the people he called were in his castle, he held a masquerade. The story then explains Prince Prospero's castle and the different colored rooms, These windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. The different colored rooms represent your lifespan, blue being your birth, purple being your young years, green your teen years and going into adulthood, orange being your early adulthood, white your older years of adulthood, dark purple being your last years of life, and red being death. The waltzers all danced in these rooms but they tried to avoid the red room, But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all There was also a giant ebony clock in the red room.

(conclusion)Poe was found outside a tavern six days later after he left for Philadelphia. He was delirious and drunk. Poe was not in his own clothes when he was found. He was rushed to the hospital and was in and out of consciousness. Four days later he died. There are many theories of why he died. One of the most common theories is he died of a brain tumor. Another theory is that he died of too much alcohol. No one knows the true cause of his death. Despite his untimely death, Edgar Allan Poe brought to light the darkness of his thoughts and his opinion of the afterlife. He questioned concepts that many people are afraid of, and that is why he is one of the most famous writers in American History.

Did you like this example?

Reflection on Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

France and Transatlantic Slave Trade

From the late 1700's and into the 1800's, slaves were considered one of the most important economic commodities that an individual, or country, could possess. Like many European countries of the time period, France played a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade. The Old Regime of France is what dictated their participation in the transatlantic slave trade. Revolutionary France began the process to abolish slavery in the French Colonies and it then became official in 1794. This was primarily due to an uprising in the French Colonies of the Caribbeanspecifically the Haitian Revolution. The French Revolution continued to go great lengths in determining where slaves fit within the newly formed France and its National Assembly. When Napoleon Bonaparte came into power, he did his best to turn France into an empirethis included reversing the decision to abolish slavery. In 1804, by the hand of Napoleon, slavery was made legal once again. It was not until 1848 that slavery in France and its colonies was abolished for the second and final time. From the late 18th-century to the mid-19th-century, the enslaved peoples of France and their rights was a topic of great discussion in both the time following the Revolution and the end of Napoleon's reign.

Under the Old Regime, France held onto the ideology that there are no slaves in France. The French prided themselves that they may be one of the only European countries not to have slavestheir Caribbean colonies were not noteworthy when they made the no slaves statement. While the Black peoples on France made up less than 3% of the population, these were not all free men. As part of the transatlantic slave trade, France was the third largest contributor to the slave trade in the late 1700's to the mid-1800's. Slaves were sent in large numbers to the French Colonies of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Tobago, San Lucie, and San Martin, though France gained the rank of third because of the sheer amount of slaves that were sent to the French Colony of San Dominguewhat is now known as Haiti. San Domingue was viewed as the New World's most profitable eighteen-century colony. Economically, slavery was vital to the French colonies where the main exports were sugar and coffee. Frequent voyages were made from the French ports of Nantes, Bordeaux, and La Rochelle. The ship Marie Seraphique was one of the many slave ships that sailed from Nantes (pictured above is the plan, profile, and layout of the ship). It is estimated that 1,400,000 Africans were taken by France as part of the slave trade, though only 1,165,000 survived the Middle Passagethe journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Slavery was a normal part of life for individuals of the time; it was not until the Revolution began that there were discussions concerning the slaves of France.

The French Revolution began in the Spring of 1789in which there were a series of uprisings across Franceand with the Revolution a new government was introduced. The National Assembly was now the governing body in France, and in of August of the same year, they embraced The Declaration of the Rights of Man as the new composition of the land. It stated that, Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Yet did not give any thought to the enslaved peoples of in the Caribbean. There were many individuals and groups who came to the National Assembly to either speak against abolition or for it. One of the various groups that petitioned to speak for abolition in the wake of the Revolution was the Societe des amis des Noirs. The Society of the Friends of the Blacks formed in 1788. They followed the lead of English and American abolitionists, with Enlightenment-influenced rhetoric, and began to speak of emancipation. They spoke of how King Louis XVI, in 1788, he abolished serfdom on all royal lands, of how the last French serfs gained their freedom and rights with the National Assembly in 1789, and why should this right of freedom not be extended to the Negroes who live under [the] Law? which included the slaves in the Colonies. The Society of the Friends of the Blacks defined their main goals as granting full rights to Africans and biracial people in the colonies who were already free and [the abolition] of the slave trade two goals they hoped would be received well and not seen as too controversial. Many others spoke out against slavery as well.

Why are Black people enslaved? The color of people's skin only suggests a slight difference. There is no discord between day and night, the sun and the moon and between the stars and dark sky. All is varied; it is the beauty of nature. Why destroy nature's work?

Even free Blacks from the Colonies addressed the Assembly. They told of the conditions that one must endure while in slavery and that while they had their legal freedom, they could not do enjoy full rights as a citizen of France. Despite mush political debate, the marketable interest of the plantations won out, and the slaves of the French Colonies did not receive their much wanted freedom. It was not until the slave revolution in San Domingue that there began to be sincere consideration concerning the rights of the slaves of France.

As is known with any slave plantation, the conditions are brutal and the work intensethis was no different for the slaves that resided at San Domingue. The revolts began when the French Republic would not recognize the rights of the slaves. Vincent Oge, one of the leading members of the first revolt, who the was sequentially executed for his part, often took it upon himself to go to Paris and plead the case of civil rights, but alas this did not prove fruitful. In October of 1790, the first of many revolts happened in San Domingue. Three hundred and fifty mulattos rebelled, and while the rebellion was put down, on May 15th the National Assembly yielded to the pressure and granted political rights to all free blacks and mulattos who were born of free mothers and fathers. This did not affect many individuals of San Domingue, but those in charge of the plantations were furious and would not uphold the decree. On August 22nd, 1791, the slaves came together and rose up once againthis became the first successful slave revolt in history. Not even a month later, the National Assembly reversed their decree in retaliation. The slaves revolted once again; they showed their outrage by burning plantations and killing the plantation owners. The new Legislative Assemblywhich had replaced the National Assembly in October of 1791met at the end of March 1792 and voted to reinstate the rights of free blacks and mulattos, yet nothing was decided regarding slavery. It was also at this time that Toussaint L'Ouverture (pictured above) became leader of the rebellion. Toussaint was the son of an educated slavehis father was taken from the shores in Africa, while he was born into slaverythat later became a free man. He assembled a group of slaves and mulattos, and successfully fought the Europeans forces that threated the San Domingue. The rebellion had greatly weakened San Domingue's economy and thus the National Conventionthe Legislative Assembly's replacement as led by radical Jacobinsdecided in to abolish slavery in all the French Colonies on February 4, 1794.

Slavery was of great significance to France and the French colonies in the late 18th century and the early to mid-19th century. It began with France being the third largest supporter of the transatlantic slave trade. This was part of France's Old Regime. Slavery was abolished for the first time in 1794. This was because of both the Haitian and French Revolution. There were then many decisions to be made about where the former slaves would fit in with French society, as well as part of the National Assembly. It was when Napoleon Bonaparte came into power that there was a significant reversal in French society. Napoleon wanted to transform revolutionary France into an empire, and with this came many changes. One of the changes was that slavery was deemed legal once again in 1804. It would not be for another forty-four years that slavery would be abolished once again. As with many European countries of the time, it is important to learn about the economic impact of slavery as it was such an important factor of the time period.

Did you like this example?

France and Transatlantic Slave Trade. (2019, Jun 26). Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/06/page/3/

Forgiveness as a Tool in Healing and Combatting Social Injustice

References

Cite this page

The Four Parts of Self Forgiveness

I. Societal Pressures

II. Guilt and Shame

III. The Burden of Self-Forgiveness

Cite this page

Forgiveness and Mental Health Practice

Cite this page

Forgiveness: Can you Imagine

Cite this page

The Power of Forgiveness

Cite this page

Demand for Black Forgiveness

Cite this page

How did Edgar Allan Poe Influence Literature

Cite this page

The French Revolution: 1789-1799

Moderate Stage

Radical Stage

Final Stage

Characteristics of History After 1799:

Cite this page

French Colonial Governance and the French Revolution in Pondicherry

The Establishment of Pondicherry: La Compagnie des Indes and The Chaudrie Court

L'Apogee: Joseph Francois Dupleix and the Zenith of French Pondicherry

Cite this page

10 Years of the French Revolution

Cite this page

Was the French Revolution Worth It?

Cite this page

The French Revolution was Worth the Cost

Cite this page

“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens and French Revolution

Cite this page

Disconnect between the People of France and the Monarchy

Works Cited

Cite this page

Pre-Revolution French Government

Cite this page

French Agriculture and the Industrial Crisis of 1788

Cite this page

Edgar Allan Poe’s Life

Cite this page

The French Revolution and the Politics of Government

Introduction:

Meeting of the Estates-General:

The Tennis Court Oath:

Storming of the Bastille:

March on Versailles:

The Reign of Terror:

The Rise of Napoleon:

Conclusion:

Cite this page

The American and French Revolution: which is more Revolutionary

Cite this page

Fascinating Facts about Edgar Allan Poe

Cite this page

Life then before Edgar Allan Poe

Bibliography and references

Cite this page

William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe

Cite this page

Discuss the Impact of the French Revolution in Isle De France

Bibliography

Cite this page

A Short Biography of Edgar Allan Poe

Cite this page

Jean Baptiste Colbert

Cite this page

Edgar Allan Poe Examination of Writing Style

Cite this page

Edgar Allan Poe Bioscript

Cite this page

Louis XVI and the French Revolution

Works Cited

Cite this page

Reflection on Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe

Cite this page