Month: October 2019
The Development of Monotheism in Judaism
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The Development of Monotheism in Judaism. (2019, Oct 30).
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The Emancipation Proclamation – a Freedom for Slaves
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The Emancipation Proclamation - a freedom for slaves. (2019, Oct 30).
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Beethoven’s 5th Symphony
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Beethoven's 5th Symphony. (2019, Oct 30).
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Beethoven and Schuman
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Stevie Wonder and Ludwig Van Beethoven
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Stevie Wonder and Ludwig Van Beethoven. (2019, Oct 30).
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China’s Energy Productio
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China's energy productio. (2019, Oct 30).
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About Solar Power Technology
Energy has been in use by people for everything from walking to sending astronauts into space. The growth of technology over the years has done some amazing things for mankind and the technology is only evolving as the years go by. One of the most innovative but the most under used technology of all the great evolution is solar power technology.
There are two types of energy:
- Stored (potential) energy
- Working (kinetic) energy
For example, the food a person eats contains chemical energy, and a person's body stores this energy until he or she sues it as kinetic energy during work or play (USEIA, 2017). Potential energy is stored energy and the energy of position. Kinetic energy is the motion of waves, electrons, atoms, molecules, substances, and objects. Chemical energy (Potential energy) is energy stored in the bonds of atoms and molecules. Batteries, biomass, petroleum, natural gas, and coal are examples of chemical energy. Chemical energy iKens converted to thermal energy when people burn wood in a fireplace or burn gasoline in a car's engine. Radiant energy (Kinetic energy) is electromagnetic energy that travels in transverse waves. Radiant energy includes visible light, x-rays, gamma rays, and radio waves. Light is one type of radiant energy.
Sunshine is radiant energy, which provides the fuel and warmth that make life on earth possible. The two main benefits of using solar energy:
- Solar energy systems do not produce air pollutants or carbon dioxide.
- Solar energy systems on buildings have minimal effects on the environment.
The main limitations of solar energy:
- The amount of sunlight that arrives at the earth's surface is not constant.
The amount of sunlight varies depending on location, time of day, season of the year, and weather conditions. Solar photovoltaic costs are declining, but estimates vary across sources (EIA-860 Annual Electric Generators Report)
The amount of sunlight reaching a square foot of the earth's surface is relatively small, so a large surface area is necessary to absorb or collect a useful amount of energy. Costs for utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have declined in recent years most sources show that system costs on a per-watt basis have fallen about 10% to 15% per year from 2010 through 2016. The level of those costs in certain years often varies across sources for reasons largely attributable to the way these costs are estimated. To estimate capital costs of generating technologies, analysts use one of two common methods total reported costs or aggregated component costs.
Both approaches help explain the cost of utility-scale solar PV systems. Reported costs: Using actual project data provides an empirical analysis that captures a large range of reported project costs in the market and accounts for the substantial variability in project design, location, and timing observed in the real world. Challenges with this approach include uncertainty about whether certain cost components are included in reported system costs, such as interconnection costs and the treatment of financing expense. Also, the data for each year reflect projects completed in that year, which do not necessarily reflect the costs of projects initiated in that year. When people use electricity in their homes, the electrical power is probably generated by burning coal or natural gas, by a nuclear reaction, or by a hydroelectric plant on a river, to name just a few sources. When people fill up a car's gasoline tank, the energy source is petroleum (gasoline) refined from crude oil and may include fuel ethanol made by growing and processing corn. Coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydropower, petroleum, and ethanol are called energy sources. Crude oil, natural gas, and coal are called fossil fuels because they were formed over millions of years by the action of heat from the earth's core and pressure from rock and soil on the remains (or fossils) of dead plants and creatures such as microscopic diatoms (USEIA, 2017).
Most of the petroleum products consumed in the United States are made from crude oil, but petroleum liquids can also be made from natural gas and coal. On the other hand, as one of the major alternatives to silicon, thin-film cadmium telluride cells represent 5% of PV production they are a lot cheaper to make, but also a lot less efficient (they convert less sunlight to power) and have struggled to compete with silicon on overall cost. In 2014 a scientist Professor Jon Major from the United Kingdom went in search of an alternative to cadmium which would be Tofu. The chemical used to make tofu and bath salts could also replace a highly toxic and expensive substance used to make solar cells, a new study has revealed. Cadmium chloride is currently a key ingredient in solar cell technology used in millions of solar panels around the world. This soluble compound is highly toxic and expensive to produce, requiring elaborate safety measures to protect workers during manufacture and then specialist disposal when panels are no longer needed (Greenpeace, 2017).
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About solar power technology. (2019, Oct 30).
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The Future of Solar Power
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The future of solar power. (2019, Oct 30).
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Efficiency of Solar Energy
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Efficiency of solar energy. (2019, Oct 30).
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Using Solar Energy to Save Money
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Using solar energy to save money. (2019, Oct 30).
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Multilingualism is the Phenomenon of Speaking
Multilingualism is the phenomenon of speaking and understanding more than one language. In the United States of America, the Act of Bilingual Education was adopted in 1968 providing federal funding to encourage local school districts to try approaches incorporating native-language instruction. ???? Bilingual education has many advantages in lifeit provides better job opportunities, more effective communication, raises cultural awareness and develops skills. ?? Therefore, it is essential to introduce bilingual education early on at school.
Speaking another language is seen as a sign of more educated and intelligent person, giving greater access to higher-paying jobs while also broadening job opportunities. For a bilingual person, there are more job opportunities, they can change jobs more easily, and often their jobs are higher paid. A study shows that bilinguals have more analytic orientation to language and they do better at school by having higher test scores. In many areas, like retail and sales, knowing another language is an enormous plus, and usually bilinguals are favored by employers. With the spread of online industries, many businesses are becoming global and multicultural which make employers hire multilingual employees to broaden their horizon. Bilinguals can communicate with more costumers making them a greater asset to the company. A report released by New American Economy (NAE) in 2017 showed that over the past five years there has been a growing demand for bilingual employees. While in 2010 around 240 000 job postings targeted bilinguals, the number grew up to 630 000 by 2015. As it turned out in the same report, the fastest growth in bilingual listings from 2010 to 2015 was for so-called high prestige jobs, a category including financial managers, editors, and industrial engineers. (https://www.newamericaneconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NAE_Bilingual_V9.pdf) Bilinguals definitely have advantages on the job market and they can often communicate with their employers and customers better than monolinguals.
Bilingual education allows to communicate more effectively, widely, and makes people more creative. Language is strongly connected with thoughts, meaning that bilinguals have divergent thinking and higher verbal intelligence. A study between Nigerian and Welsh monolinguals and bilinguals found that the latter were significantly better in the verbal creativity tests (Okoh, N. (1980)). Not only makes bilingual education kids more creative in language use but it gives them another personality. Almost all multilinguals agree that speaking another language gives you a new personality and often a new way of seeing life and problems. There are not a lot of studies have made to find out how and why do we change when we speak another language. Susan Ervin-Tripp conducted a survey where she gave Japanese-American women sentences to complete and the endings were very different in different languages. To the sentence When my wishes conflict with my family, a woman's Japanese response was ..it's a time of great unhappiness while she finished the same sentence in English I do what I want. Speaking more than one language, gives you parts of that languages culture, ethics and believes. It is unexplainable why do we change the endings of our sentences in different languages or why do we turn a little bit more passionate and energetic while speaking Spanish butn remain silent and restrained while speaking Japanese but almost every multilingual agrees that they have as many personalities as many languages they speak. Speaking another language also expands your communication circle and allows to talk with more people from different cultures. Communicating directly with different cultures helps bilinguals to communicate more freely, develop their thinking and creativity but also accept cultural differences.
Bilinguals are more aware of cultural differences and have higher social and emotional skills. Metacultural awarenessunderstanding of the distinctiveness of cultures, and diversity towards cultural diversity, is very important and it is highly essential to be tolerant towards other cultures, their traditions, and beliefs. With higher cultural awareness amongst bilinguals, they have more knowledge, understand feelings and behavior better, and are more tolerant towards others. Comfort with diversity and different cultures is becoming more and more important in the world and we should do everything to raise the next generation to be more tolerant and culturally aware.
Bilingualism has a significant positive effect on children's linguistic, cognitive and educational development. Speaking two or more languages is associated with increased abilities to concentrate, solve problems, and focus. Therefore, bilingualism changes the mindset and brain activity. Being multilingual is also associated with better mental flexibility and attention skills since they need to constantly pay attention when to speak what language. The study amongst group of monolingual and bilingual 10-year old children from six Montreal French schools were administered verbal and nonverbal intelligence tests showed that bilinguals performed better and they seemed to have better mental flexibility and diversified set of mental abilities. Also, they performed better at school.
https://psycnet.apa.org.eres.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/fulltext/2011-17952-001.pdf
Considering all the advantages mentioned above, America should advance its bilingual education programs and introduce it more actively in the elementary school. The author of Teach Knowledge, Not Mental Skills brought out how he heard a Lebanese man complaining that the average high school graduate in his homeland can speak fluently in Arabic, French, and English while Americans are mostly monolingual and that is seen as a negative sign amongst foreigners. Multilingualism is highly advanced in Europe and in most parts of Asia, but United States is largely monolingual. The European Commission survey in 2006 shows that only about 15-20 percent of Americans consider themselves bilingual, compared to 56 percent of Europeans. The Arabic professor Mahmoud Al-Batal said that the inability to speak a foreign language makes it difficult for Americans to compete globally on a linguistic and cultural level. It would be very beneficial for America to advance the bilingual education system and help young children get better social and cognitive skills and therefore prepare them for future helping them.
Bilingualism shapes minds for lifetime and gives many advantages, including more job opportunities, cultural and communicational benefits, and developed skills. America should approach to multilingualism as a good tool that helps to develop its country and people.
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Multilingualism is the phenomenon of speaking. (2019, Oct 30).
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Analysis Bilingual Education
Do you know that there is an inaugural language immersion program at two elementary schools of Blue Valley School District, KS began in the 2017-18 school year? Blue Valley's immersion program begins in kindergarten. The families which want to enroll into this program need to make a K-12 commitment with the school. Not only Blue Valley School District, but more and more American people realize the importance of bilingual education. By the end of 2018, Google Assistant would understand and speak more than 30 languages. That shows the how important the multilingual communication is for the private sector. When a minority language is in danger of dying out, the whole USA education system, should take some great measures, just like Google and Blue Valley School District did, to preserve that language and not let it die. Bilingual Education should be allowed across the country , because in linguistic growth, cultural enrichment, cognitive development and effective development areas, Bilingual Education preserve the minority language, and help to improve the minority student's life-long learning skills.
In linguistic growth and cultural enrichment areas, Bilingual Education preserve the minority language. First, in linguistic growth area, bilingual education preserve the minority language. Studies in language development show that the children who have exposure to more languages at the early age, will have more linguistic advantage throughout their life. The children who get the bilingual education would be more concentrated on the topics they have and avoid distractions from academic pursuits. Second, in cultural enrichment area, bilingual education preserve the minority language. For enriching the minority language culture, valuing is very important, but using them at school is more essential. According to Cantoni, Gina P in his article titled Keeping Minority Languages Alive: The School's Responsibility,he claims that "All teachers should develop an integrated approach to language across the curriculum, building on what the learners bring to the classroom from their out-of-school experiences and from other classes,especially those on Native language and culture." In brief, through Bilingual Education, in linguistic growth and cultural enrichment two areas, school can preserve the minority language.
In cognitive and affective development areas, Bilingual Education preserve the minority language. First, in cognitive development area, bilingual education preserve the minority language. According to Yoon Kyong Kim in his article titled Bilingual education in the United States: an historical overview and examination of two-way immersion,he claims that "The United States is concerned with its standing in the global market, but remains less concerned with providing children with the foreign language tools necessary to be competitive in that market (Kim, 2013)." Bilingual Education could provide students with the personal experiences at studying, and help the children create the foundation of a better life through the foreign language tools.
Second, in affective development area, bilingual education preserve the minority language. Usually, the children couldn't care about the cultural issues, immigration problem, or same-gender marriage, they just care about how to make friends, enjoy the life and face the challenge at school. Bilingual education offers a great chance at affective development, and help the kids overcome the fear and learn something from differences. In brief, through Bilingual Education, in cognitive development and affective development two areas, school can preserve the minority language.
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Analysis Bilingual Education. (2019, Oct 30).
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Bilingual-Bicultural Approach in Schools
An educational philosophy known as, Bilingual-Bicultural approach in ASL and English, began to emerge in schools during the late 1980s in the United States and in other countries such as Denmark (Hansen, 1994) and Sweden (Svartholm, 2010). The ASL/English bilingual-bicultural approach aim to support academic success and provide education to DHH students that emphasizes various language abilities. In other words, this model promotes the development of ASL as a medium for acquiring English literacy skills (Hoffmeister & Caldwell, 2014). Bilingual“bicultural philosophy argues that acquiring sign language as their first language can influence acquisition of reading skills. Cummins (1981) proposes a theory of Linguistic Interdependence which also argues that acquiring sign language as a first language can influence acquisition of reading skills as many literature show there is a correlation between ASL and English skills (Hermans, Knoors, Ormel, & Verhoeven, 2008; Hoffmeister, 2000; Padden & Ramsey, 1998, 2000; Strong & Prinz, 1997; Israelite et al., 1992; Rodda, Cumming, & Fewer, 1993).
Lange, Lane-Outlaw, Lange, and Sherwood (2013) examined DHH students whom were exposed to the model for at least 4 years and compared academic growth, using the Northwest Evaluation Association's Measure of Academic Progress Literacy assessment, among a nationally normed group consisting mostly hearing students. They found that students who attended Bi-Bi school for approximately 8 years caught up and outperformed the comparison group consisting of mostly hearing students. Similarly, Geeslin (2007) found that reading comprehensions and language subtests scores of DHH students between ages 13 to 18 years old significantly improved when their school introduced the bilingual approach as opposed to before school switched to the bilingual model. Several other additional studies have also shown support for bilingual programs promoting literacy growth and achievement in DHH students (Hrastinski & Wilbur, 2016; Knoors & Marschark, 2012; Mayer & Akamatsu, 2003; Mayer & Leigh, 2010).
Current study
In the current study, DHH students in our sample are educated in curricular areas using the ASL/English bilingual model. While other studies limited the inclusion criteria such as students must have had exposure to bilingual model for a minimum amount of years, this study will compare variability of students' length of time they attended the bilingual school. The school psychology team, over the years, have stored all academic assessments and school records in their archrivals. For researchers, an archival database like this offers a unique method for studying and collecting secondary data. This study will use archrival longitudinal data to investigate progress of DHH students' academic achievements, particularly in the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) in English literacy. The MAP is a research-based assessment system administered to nearly 10 million students from more than 7,400 school systems (MAP fact sheet PDF). These assessments are important for teachers because they can track growth in basic skills and see where students' strengths and weaknesses are in specific subject areas. Teachers use these assessment reports to help them develop instruction plans.
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Bilingual-Bicultural Approach in Schools. (2019, Oct 30).
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Bless me Ultima a Coming-of-age Movie
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Bless Me Ultima a coming-of-age movie. (2019, Oct 30).
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About Rudolfo Anaya
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About Rudolfo Anaya. (2019, Oct 30).
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The Supernatural and Ordinary Reality
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The supernatural and ordinary reality. (2019, Oct 30).
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Details in the Book Bless me Ultima
He is one of Antonio's friends that does not believe in God or is religious. Even though he is not religious, he still attends catechism just so he can be with his friends, including Antonio. He can be described as young, upset, and cloudy. The feeling of being upset and upset is because both of his parents are dead and his sister's are prostitutes which is the main reason that he started to question the Catholic religion. This can affect a child dramatically because he does not have the love and support he needs from his family members.
Florence is a bad influence to Antonio in a way because he starts telling him that religion is not always reliable and can fail. Alsom he tells him that the Catholic religion is not perfect. This was the start of Antonio questioning religion. A key quote about Florence is, Why do you punish Florence? Why doesn't he believe?In this phrase Antonio is asking God why he punished Florence about not believing in religion. Miss Maestas is Antonio's first grade teacher that is very nice to her students. She notices that Antonio is very intelligent even though he does not know english. With three words, she can be described as generous, loving, and patient. She is very patient when teaching Antonio in school. By the end of the year, she advances Antonio to third grade because she believes that he is smart and is capable of moving up. Even though she is a minor character, she has a huge impact on Antonio education wise.
Setting:
The novel takes place in Guadalupe, New Mexico, and the area around it. Also, World War ll in the late 1940's was happening when Antonio was narrating his story. Basically, Antonio and his family were alive during war. This progresses to about two years in the future. Bless Me, Ultima takes place at Agua Negra in New Mexico where Ultima teaches Antonio more about land, freedom, and nature. Then, Ultima lifts a curse from the land by using her curandera powers. This specific setting is symbolic for the overall book because it makes the story authentic and includes the Native and Spanish culture. It also takes place in the Llano which is the Land of the Marez. Including beautiful land of hills, clusters of adobe huts, and dark plains. As said in the book, Antonio's father enjoys being free and the Llano is where he prefers to be. This land symbolizes freedom and the spirit of the vaqueros.
Diction:
The writing of the author for Bless Me, Ultima can be said to be somewhat colloquial. Most phrases are something that we might hear everyday since there is a lot of dialogue between characters. On each page, there is some sort of dialogue amongst the characters. As shown, ?so it is. Be respectful to your teachers,' he said to us. ?And you Antonio.' he smiled, ?suerte.' It made me feel good. Like a man.'(page 54) This is an example of the familiar conversation because it is something out parents would tell us on our first day of school.
Ultima came to stay with us the summer I was almost seven. When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth. The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood.(page 1) In this brief passage, a lot of descriptive imagery is given which gives the reader a clear idea of what is happening. The tone of this phrase is calming and Antonio's emotions are really clear to understand. Also, it is lyrical because the llano is described in a very beautiful way that brings the reader peace and tranquility.
?"But I want to know, there are so many things I want to know," I insisted.
"A curandera cannot give away her secrets," she said, "but if a person really wants to know, then he will listen and see and be patient. Knowledge comes slowly™(page 33-34) In this phrase, it is a conversation between Ultima and Antonio. This was when Tony wanted to seek knowledge and wanted the answers to all his questions. Ultima refused because she did not think he was ready yet to learn about certain topics. This is formal because in order for individuals to learn certain things, they have to be patient until the time comes. The dialogue between characters is that one is more sophisticated while the other is being more concentrated.
God was not always forgiving. He made laws to follow and if you broke them you were punished. The Virgin always forgave.(page 44) The sentences in this phrase are short and it creates it more informative to the reader. Antonio is trying to show how the Virgin Mary forgives while God does not. This is educational in a way for those who are catholics. It contains no imagery because it is not being descriptive about any topic. Also, the phrase has a more serious tone since religion and catholicism was important to Antonio's family.
Syntax:
A variety of different sentence and phrase patterns is used in the novel. This is used to enhance the complexity of the reading and make it more interesting for the reader. The sentences vary from being simple short sentences to long complex sentences that include a lot of information. Also, most of the novel is written in english but some words or phrases are in spanish to bring out the Mexican side of the book. An example is that the names of the characters are mostly traditional mexican names such as Maria and Antonio. Some other words used are vaquero, llano, and curandera. The sentence structure of the book is not that formal because it is basically telling a story about someone's childhood; therefore, there is a lot of dialogue. As in diction, God was not always forgiving. He made laws to follow and if you broke them you were punished. The Virgin always forgave.(page 44) This statement can pass as repetitive because it is explaining how God does not forgive but the Virgin Mary does. This is an example of the book that does not include any sort of dialogue and is formal since religion is an important thing to all Catholics.
Concrete Detail/Imagery:
In the book, Bless Me, Ultima, there are a lot of vivid details, such as our five senses, that cleary gives the reader an idea of what the narrator is living. An important section in the novel that gives concrete details is the golden carp passage. Antonio describes what he is seeing so vividly that the reader can clearly imagine the emotions he was feeling and what he was looking at through his own eyes. Also, this is very significant to the overall book because it is the first time that Antonio encountered with something religious without it being related to catholicism. As shown in the passage, ?The orange of the golden carp appeared at the edge of the pond. . . . We watched in silence at the beauty and grandeur of the great fish. Out of the corners of my eyes I saw Cico hold his hand to his breast as the golden carp glided by. Then with a switch of his powerful tail the golden carp disappeared into the shadowy water under the thicket.' This phrase is an example of when Antonio described what he was seeing for the first time. Another example of concrete details was towards the beginning of the chapter one when Antonio was describing the appearance of Ultima and what he first thought of her. As shown in the passage, She wrapped the black shawl around her hair and shoulders. Her face was brown and very wrinkled. When she smiled her teeth were brown. I remembered the dream. From this phrase, it is obvious that Ultima is old. Also, previously Antonio had mentioned the dream he had in which Ultima had an appearance in and reminds Tony.
Symbolism:
Since the novel incorporates religion a lot throughout the chapters, it is clear that there are a lot of different symbols. The most important symbol is Ultima's owl. Wherever she goes, so does the owl. Also, the owl calls out a warning whenever they are in danger. It is said that the owl is actually her spirit and soul.This is shown when Tenorio says, ?It is the owl! Do you hear, little bastard! It is the owl that is the spirit of the old witch. Also, when, the owl is killed, Ultima dies shortly after. They are both buried together. Ultima is thought to be generous and the best person one can imagine but once being compared with owl, the script changes. This is shown when the owl rips out Tenorio's eye when Ultima is being intimidated. During this situation, the darker side of Ultima is given to the reader. Since the owl and Ultima are basically the same spirit, the owl enhances the revenge side of Ultima. In other words, a new layer of her personality has been discovered by the reader.
The last names of Tony's parents are Marez and Luna and when translated to english mean the moon and the sea which represents the background story of the lifestyle of each individual. Another symbol is the golden carp which symbolizes a religious topic that it not connected to Catholicism in any way. Instead of believing in Virgin Mary or god, the golden carp is another from to feel guidance, wisdom, and comfort. This religion involves a magical fish in which Antonio relies on when feel abandoned by God. Last, the Virgin Mary is an important symbol thought out the novel because Tony's mom, Maria, is devoted and a firm believer of this saint. This catholic figure represents forgiveness, trust, and moral support when someone is in the need of it. Most Mexicans rely on her and is very important in religion. Antonio finds comfort in the Virgin Mary when he feels left by God and does not feel like he has a forgiving God. Symbols is something important that needs to be added in a book because over the course of the book, the reader finds out about the meaning behind what something symbolizes.
Figurative Language:
A variety of figurative language is present to develop a more sophisticated mood to the book.
An example is personification. Being pretty obvious, Ultima's owl is an example of a human characteristic in a nonhuman object. The owl has human traits such as being able to detect danger and warn Ultima. In reality, animals can detect trouble but are not always able to communicate it to humans, unless it is a trained service dog. As shown in the text, "The owl was the protective spirit of Ultima,- The owl was her soul!"(page 255) Another example of personification is when the fish represented more than just an animal was was to be good luck. When comparing to real life, it is quite obvious that a fish cannot be magical but can be a good luck sign. In addition, allusion was also present throughout the book. An example of the allusion is how Antonio represents a christ figure.
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Details In the book Bless Me Ultima. (2019, Oct 30).
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Characters in the Bless me Ultima
Luckily, Rudolfo has not died and was born on October 30, 1937, which makes him eighty-one years old at the moment. Married to Patricia, who had sadly passed away, helped with scholarships for students with the need for financial support. He was born and raised in New Mexico, US, and attended school in this area. After graduating from the University of New Mexico, he became a public school teacher for seven years which was between 1963-1970. Not only that but he became director of counseling at the University of Albuquerque. After this, he started teaching at the University. It is quite noticeable that Rudolfo Anaya was a busy man. He has written many books and most involve Mexican American traditions.( Britannica)One of which being Bless Me, Ultima which was actually the first novel he ever wrote but continued writing new books which also became very successful. Later on, Bless Me, Ultima became a national best-seller because it describes another form of religion and Mexican traditions. This book was published in 1972. Rudolfo has received many awards due to all the well-written books he has made.
These awards being, NEA National of Arts Lifetime Honor, Kellogg Foundation fellowship, the American Book Award, two Governor's Public Service awards from New Mexico, and last, two National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) literature fellowships.(Formalities) Just because of all the awards he received, he did not take all the credit. As said by Rudolfo Anaya, ?I've been thinking a lot about what this recognition means, and I've decided it's not just about methis award is about the people of New Mexico.' This clearly shows how his confidence did not increase and remained humble. Instead, he actually gave some credit to the individuals from New Mexico for his writing. After reading a biography about Rudolfo Anaya, it was understood that a lot of the inspiration for Bless Me, Ultima came from his own family. While his mother, Rafaelita Mares, was Catholic and enjoyed of a stable house, his father, Martin Anaya, would rather move on from area to area as a nomadic herder. Just as in the book, Antonio's parents would have discussions due to having different opinions on lifestyle and where to live. Also, the book includes many religious themes and spiritual healing. Because of the great writing structures he had, it was really clear for the reader to understand the main point of the novel and acknowledge different forms if religion.(Rudolfo)
Form, structure, and plot:
The text, Bless Me Ultima, is not to lengthy and is 262 pages (without counting the Reading Group Guide, Q and A with Rudolfo Anaya). Also, it consists of veintiuno chapters, as said in the book, which when translated to english, means twenty-one. The chapter's numbers in this book are written in Spanish rather than English due to the Mexican traditions throughout the text. Overall, this is significant because it gives an additional way to represent the latin background behind the chapters. Like most other books, Bless Me, Ultima, is written in a chronological order of events from when Ultima was introduced in the book until after all of the problems were solved. Flashbacks of other events are also presents in some areas in the text here and there. In the book, the main character/narrator, Antonio, has dreams in which important characters that have passed away show up when he is sleeping. Rudolfo Anaya also switches between different ideas such as questions, thoughts, and stuff that has happened in the past. These ideas usually come from the characters in the book, one of which being Antonio, the boy narrating the story. From the reader's point of view, it is inferred that the plot of the book is complex because many risky events are present. Throughout the whole novel, the main characters, Antonio and Ultima, struggle to conquer many issues with society due to the fact that individuals believe Ultima is a witch when in reality she is a curandera, a person who cures with magic and herbs. This is the main reason that makes the plot complex because this characteristics causes a lot of problems in the book that later get solved. Even though the book is said to be fictional, it can pass as real because of all the vivid details present page after page and all the clear details about religion and Mexican heritage. A noticeable change was present from the beginning of the book to the end of it. Towards the beginning, Ultima is introduced and moves in with Antonio's family but as the book continues, she causes a lot of issues due to her magic.
Point of view:
In this case, the book is written in first person. Antonio Marez is narrating the story about his family and himself. Also, it is referring to events that occurred throughout the youth of Antonio which is mainly about magic. Bless Me, Ultima is written about events that happened throughout Tony's childhood. Antonio, the narrator, is the protagonist of the book. It is not clear to the reader the age of Antonio when narrating the story but he is able to look back and give vivid details to explain what he went through. Over the course of the book, Tony changes his perspective about religion and his belief. He starts questioning it and does not know what to think about it. Also, other characters influence Antonio majorly so he changes his point of view several times. While some people say one thing, some say another this so he starts to question more about life. With the author's point of view, he achieves that the reader clearly understands what is happening and makes it seem like we are living the book. Also, since it is is said in Antonio's point of view, it seems like we are put in his shoes and it is easier to understand his emotions and what he is going through. If it was not written in first person, then we would have seen the story through the perspective of many characters rather than just one and it would be more confusing. Also, this would have caused the reader to be puzzled and not understand the real story. First person was the best way to go because we read the book about what one person went through and not several others.
Character:
Many different characters show up throughout the novel but not all have a big role as others. This leads us to the conclusion that some flat characters are, Antonio's friends, father Byrnes, Lupito, Cico, Tenorio and his daughters, Tenorio, Narciso, Antonio's sisters, Jason Chavez, and Chaves. These individuals show up in the book but do not make the a drastic change to the story. On the other hand, Ultima, Antonio, and Antonio's parents are round characters because they are involved in most sections of the story and are put in tough positions that makes the story more interesting to the reader. If it was not for these characters, than the novel would have been more boring in a way because not a lot of suspenseful things would have occurred. Ultima can be a static character because she provides trust and characters can feel comfort around her because they can rely on her. She does not change while all of the other individuals she's around do. Gabriel, Antonio's father, is a dynamic and complex character because he has to change some of his ways in his lifestyle in order to keep his family members and loved ones together. In this case, was to enjoy of a farming life instead of being a vaquero like his descendants. The characters in the novel are believable because the book took place in the older times and all of the characteristics go along with the setting. All were revealed over the course of the novel when Ultima was introduced. When Ultima was introduced, she started to affect other characters which was when they started to appear. As an estimation, there is around thirty-nine characters in the novel. Some being important, and others only making an appearance a couple times.
The protagonist of Bless Me, Ultima is Antonio Marez because he was the main character and was narrating the story. On the other hand, the antagonist is Tenorio because he cause a lot of problems to Antonio and his family. Some minor characters include, father Byrnes, catholic priest and teaches Antonio and friends in catechism, Miss Maestas, Antonio's teacher and see a lot of potential in him education wise, and Antonio's uncle which is his mom's brother. An important character of the book is Ultima. While age is not given, it is know that she is elderly; therefore, is very respected. She is a curandera which is a healer that uses magic and herbs (spiritual power). Often times in the book is confused as a witch. Ultima is very complex and wise and knows a lot about life. She develops an important bond with Antonio which is needed for the overall book. Her name is significant because it is in the title which gives the reader a hint that she will be important throughout the novel. When describing her in three adjectives, she is old, wise, and calm. A key quote said by Ultima is, ?It is because good is always stronger than evil. Always remember that Antonio.' This is a piece of wisdom that Ultima gives Antonio since she knows a lot about life. Also, it shows the impact that she has had on Tony and how she gives him advice. Another character is Antonio Marez who is six years old when introduced in the book. He is the protagonist and is narrating events that occurred in his youth.
For his age, he is really smart and is able to understand a lot of adult topics. Also, when going to school, his teacher, Miss Maestas, noticed huge advancement academically in a short period of time. He has a very special bond with Ultima and learns a lot from her. Lets just say that he learns a lot for his age and is able to understand certain subjects. At one point, he starts to question a lot about religion and life. In three adjectives, it can be said that he is bright, serious, and thoughtful. He goes through a lot of issues and has to solve them by either doing the right or wrong thing. Also, he switches from being a child to an adolescent and has learns that actions result in suffering through consequences. A key quote is, God was not always forgiving. He made laws to follow and if you broke them you were punished. The Virgin always forgave. This phrase, is the start of Antonio incorporating religion into the book. Later on, he will start questioning and affects the overall novel. Florence is another character in Bless Me, Ultima and is a young blond boy.
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Antonio in the Bless me Ultima
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The French Revolution and Napoleon
Introduction
People believed that the French Revolution will start an age of freedom and equality. In the end, it only caused death and the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte They ended up killing the king and making a republic. The influence of the nobility died out, the middle class became wealthy. and influential, the peasants became more civilized, and also during that time, the Roman Catholic Church most lost its religious monopoly. There are 3 sections in the French Revolution. First: from 1789 to 1795, everyone pretty much hated the ruling class (nobility). Second: from 1795 to 1799 everyone was still cautious, yet started to move on. Third: Around 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte becomes the ?first consul', then becomes the emperor in 1804.
The aims and domestic problems of French politicians 1789-91
- Long-term causes of the French Revolution
France was governed by a monarch for most of its existence. Louis XIV, also known as the ?Sun King' (1638-1715). Louis XV, who didn't support reform (1710-74).
- The power of the king, the nobles and the Church
After Louis XV died in 1774 he passed the throne to his grandson. Even though new king, Louis XVI (1754-93), was more enlightened about society, the same social construct was still in place. Nobles had many privileges like paying lower taxes. Although the middle class was well educated, they weren't included in politics (the middle class was also small). The peasants were the ones that were primarily taxed. -Regional divisions and financial troubles One of the main issues with France was that it had many regions with diverse costume. There were important cultural and language differences between the North and the South. Some towns and cities would have different laws like voting for officials while some other towns and cities wouldn't. There were even some differences in the laws between the North and the South. Around 1789, Louis XVI had a problem with the country's debt. Ministers like Viscount Calonne and Jacques Necker recommend putting taxes on the wealthy, however, they were brought down by the church and powerful nobles. Bad harvests over many years caused the price of food to rise; many people couldn't afford the food so they ended up starving. The gigantic difference between the nobles and the common folk caused the citizens to rebel. They also disliked the queen, Marie Antoinette, because she was Austrian and unsympathetic.
- The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment gave way to new ideas about social structure, government, and civil rights. Many historians believe that the enlightenment was the main driving force behind the French Revolution, however other historians believe that poor conditions of the economy and heavy taxation due to battles were the biggest causes of the revolution.
- Short-term causes of the French Revolution
Probably one of the biggest causations of the French Revolution was the fact that nobles didn't want to lose the privileges that they had before. The French were getting closer and closer to bankruptcy due to constant wars. Because of the country's debt, Louis XVI called for a meeting of the general estates. The Estates General was consisted of representatives from three classes (Estates). First Estate: Clergy (Church) -- 10,000 These Clergy (Church members) ended up coming from the higher levels of the hierarchy, and were those who were informally chosen by other clergy instead of elected officially. Second Estate: The Nobility -- 400,000 Those who took part were informally elected. Not many nobles liked reform at all, and the majority of nobles flat out wouldn't accept it. Third Estate: Bourgeoisie -- 50 mil Even though the third estate was primarily made up of peasants, the members of the General Estates were, for the most part, middle class.
- The start of the revolution
Louis XVI told the Estates to create lists of stuff that they wanted to be changed called cahiers. They all agreed that they should add a constitution, give people liberty of the press, and end international trade barriers, but, the nobles and clergy refused to change their tax privileges. Things would get out of hands at some points because the king was week in terms of leadership. The king didn't really strongly support the First or Second Estates, but also did not show his imut on most of the topics.
- The National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath
People from the Third Estate started to break apart from the General Estates, and then created the National Assembly (or Constitutional Assembly) so they could address the demands of the lower class better. Also a few clergies and nobles who supported what the bourgeoisie joined in too. The king was influenced by the nobles to shut down what the middle class was doing. On June 19, 1789, the king ordered the hall which the middle class held the assemblies to be locked with armed guards standing outside preventing entrance. Louis decided to overturn any decisions that the Third Estate made, and also dictated any of the reforms the he would implement. After their previous meet up area was shut down, the next day, the Third Estate moved to a tennis court in the Saint-Louis district in Versailles. There were 576 members who took place in the oath not to disperse until there was a new constitution was made. This was called the Tennis Court Oath (because they did it in the tennis court) This was the first time the people made a decision about the government. Mirabeau (Honore Gabriel Riqueti,Count of Mirabeau) served as one of the noblemen who backed the National Assembly, and he mentions: ?We shall not stir from our places save at the point of a bayonet.'
- The storming of the Bastille
On July 14, 1789, a lot of french citizens attacked the Bastille (fortress) in Paris. This was primarily to get guns, and ammo for their guns because they had none. However it was also for the growing fear that the king would destroy the national assembly with the army. Almost everyone defending the building died. As the Bastille fell, the governor was captured, beheaded, put on a pike, and then was displayed around town. Sans-Culottes were one of the revolutionaries that wanted democracy and equality, and were even willing to resort to violence to achieve it. They took property from landlords. Some nobles fled to other countries to try to convince them to help them stop what the sans culottes were doing.
- The August Decrees and the Declaration of the Rights of Man
The National Assembly created the August Decrees, which were a bunch of laws that sought to end feudalism\ The decrees got rid of compulsory services by peasants such as repairing roads while not being paid. They got rid of law courts run by the nobility. Churches also gave up taking payments from the rest of the population. The National Assembly also made the ?Declaration of the Rights of Man. This was based off of the Declaration of Independence and was one of the first steps to establishing the constitution of France. IT STATES: All men were born free, and had the right of equality, liberty, and ability to own property. Imprisonment without trials would be banned. Taxation should be fairly applied to everyone based on their wealth. No individual or group should be allowed to make any decisions that conflicts what the people want. October 5-6, 1789, the March of the Women took place. Out of nowhere (cough cough), the peasants run out of bread, and the women get angry. The women, who are in the fishing business, carry many weapons, and even bring a cannon to Versailles. They storm the castle, and force King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, to move to Paris. Once there, the king formally acknowledged the reforms made by the Assembly compared to when he informally acknowledged them before.
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Immigration and the 2016 Presidential Election of the United States
To what extent did cultural, political, demographic, socioeconomic, and historic factors concerning Mexican immigration affect voter turnout and outcome of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election?
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Presidential Election of 2016 was perhaps one of the most complex and polarizing elections in U.S. History. Political ideologies between Americans were strained to the extent that relations between the peoples of the U.S. were slowed or destroyed entirely: especially on the stance of Mexican immigration more specifically. Looking back on past perspectives of Mexican immigration from American citizens, opinions have fluctuated and often during times of national economic hardship or war. For example, “the American public adopted a more [welcoming] outlook on international migration following World War II” (Morris). Today, Americans are torn apart by the underlying and complex factors behind immigration such as the economics behind the labor force, humanitarian ethics for those seeking political asylum, and the cultural elements that immigrants bring to the United States. Moreover, immigration attitudes also differ by national origin group, citizenship status, and region of the country (Espenshade & Hempstead). Using research and comparative analysis of data, the following questions will be addressed. How might the past attitudes affect today's? To what extent did cultural, political, demographic, socioeconomic, and historic factors concerning Mexican immigration affect voter turnout and outcome of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election?
A HISTORY OF MEXICAN IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA
As an outcome of the Mexican-American War, Mexico suffered massive amounts of lost territory including Texas and soon to be states: California: New Mexico: Arizona: and Nevada. Under the ideals of Manifest Destiny, Americans were looking to expand westward as it was seen to be God’s intentions. The creation of the Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 made this possible, thus creating the first transcontinental railway enabling thousands of Americans to migrate west. At the same time, President Diaz of Mexico was looking to expand the Mexican population into the north by also building his own system of railways. As a result, “the almost simultaneous development of railroad networks in both countries, as well as agricultural expansion in the United States, gave birth to a bi-national labour market in which an increasing accumulation of Mexican workers with experience in both sectors sustained a large portion of the expansion of these activities in the neighbour country to the north, the U.S.” (Sicremi). Furthermore, the U.S. would see more Mexican labourers working on these farms and railways in the developing west. This initial impression of the strong Hispanic workforce appealed promising to Americans. They saw the potential of these workers and their capabilities to expand the American economy and began to utilize Mexican migration.
For instance, The first program allowing contract workers to enter on a massive scale was between 1917 and 1921 in response to World War I, exempting them from the literacy tests that applies to most immigrants from other regions, like Asia for example (Aguila, et al.). As a result, Mexicans dominated the labour workforce due to a lack of ethnic competition. These workers would remain in the United States until the The Great Depression hit. Jobs became more competitive and white Americans began to feel threatened by immigration as they did before with the Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882. The total number of Mexicans deported for this reason is calculated to be more than half a million (Durand & Massey; Carreras). Following up to World War II, Americans again “adopted a more liberal outlook on international migration” (Morris). Thereby, instituting the Bracero Program of 1942: “a binational treaty for the temporary employment of Mexican farmworkers in the United states” (Aguila, et al.). As an increase in demand for agricultural workers began to grow, the temporary World War II measure was extended up until 1964. As a result, the Bracero Program of 1942 allowed about 5 million temporary migrant workers into the United States (Aguila, et al).
However despite this program, undocumented immigration was still a major source of Mexican labour in the United States. In fact, the amount of arrests made by United States immigration authorities was 5.2 million, greater than the amount of the admitted (Morales). In order to stop this, the U.S. instituted the quota-based Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965; their first attempt to stall Mexican immigration. The INA would restrict legal immigration under the ideal that only 20,000 visas should be granted to the countries of the entire western hemisphere: thus forcing Mexican immigrants to compete with neighboring nations for admission (Aguila et al.) As a result, undocumented immigration increased rapidly. According to Morales, “Apprehension of these migrants tripled in the first five years after the termination of the “bracero program”; going from forty thousand annual incidents during the first five-year period of the 1960’s to 120 thousand in the second five-year period; it was five-fold during the 70’s (670 thousand incidents), and reached almost one million incidents or more between 1977 and 1985, reaching 1.6 million in 1986” (Morales). To counter this, the United States produced the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. The IRCA cracked down on immigrants by increasing immigration enforcement by 50% and imposing sanctions against employers of the undocumented. However, it did grant amnesty to long term aliens, increased budgets for worksite inspections, and even granted programs for the legalization of agricultural workers. (Aguila, et al). This was necessary to gain the political support of the liberals by making compromises such as amnesty and workplace benefits in order to pass the legislation. In order to fight against liberal lawmakers and illegal immigration a "wave of 'neo-restrictionist' [conservative] sentiment emerged late in the 1970's and early 1980's" as public opinion began to oppose immigrants and refugees (Espenshade & Hempstead; Simon).
In 1971, Richard Nixon declared drug abuse “public enemy number one” and later the “war on drugs” as illegal drug smuggling through immigration began to worsen pressuring the Federal Government to take further action. With little effect on slowing illegal immigration, the Federal Government revised and instituted domestic laws in the 1990's, including The Immigration Act of 1990. The new immigration act took significant action by increasing the number of U.S Border Patrol Agents, providing funding for fencing in San Diego, developing new military technology, wiretapping, and increasing penalties for smugglers and aliens alike (Aguila et al). As the United States grew further into the 21st century, neo-restrictionist sentiment would grow stronger under the Republican party as the image of Mexicans began to worsen under the public eye due to drug criminalization. In addition, Liberals started to become the political vehicle for immigrants, legal or not, to push for pro-immigrant agendas such as amnesty, government assistance, and protection in workforces where Hispanics are populous.
THE ECONOMICS OF MEXICAN IMMIGRATION
According to Hainmueller & Hopkins, “one approach to immigration attitudes takes economic self-interest as its starting point. In this view, the native born perceive immigrants as competitors and will oppose immigrants if they have skill profiles and occupations similar to their own,” (Hainmueller & Hopkins). Furthermore, “one’s job security is the crucial source of opposition to immigration. The threat of economic competition from today’s immigrants is generally seen as greatest in the low-skill, low-wage occupations, such as agriculture and entry-level positions” (Citrin, et al). Historically, Mexican immigrants have dominated in these areas, in fact ever since these immigrants arrived on U.S. soil they’ve been agriculturally invested. The argument continues by the belief that native workers may lose their jobs or opportunity and that in these industries wages may depress. Many argue that illegal Mexican immigrants impose increasingly heavy fiscal burdens on state and local governments concerning taxes through government programs such as welfare. The Federal Government itself has been sued by several state governors with claims concerning the costs of providing services to illegal immigrants (Brinkley). Thus anti-immigration preferences can be predicted by one's anxiety over the amount of taxes one pays, whether they reside in states with high taxes, or whether one lives in areas where there are large concentrations of immigrants (Citrin, et al). It is found by Kluegel and Smith that “even low-skilled and uneducated whites have been found to express racism because of the glut of unskilled immigrants” (Kluegel & Smith). According to Hainmueller and Hopkins, “immigration policy will be decided on the basis of peoples’ racial attitudes… [and] that economic insecurity may manifest itself in racial prejudice” (Hainmueller & Hopkins).
Immigrants may also pose a threat to other voting minorities such as African-Americans who operate under the same workforce. In contrast to those who are of lower socioeconomic class, economically successful natives may view continued and/or increased influxes of low-skilled, less educated immigrants as a potential economic drain among the upper class considering taxes and government funded programs for Mexican immigrants (Hood & Morris). It is noted that when the economy appears to be doing well, civilians are more open to immigration while on the contrary is also common for these immigrants to be blamed for economic hardships. According to Gimpel & Edwards, “many investigators have noted that opposition to immigration rises during recessionary periods (Gimpel & Edwards). Simultaneously, increased restriction of legal immigration, if it has any effect on undocumented migration, is likely to generate an increase in the level of undocumented immigration; hence, an even greater increase at the expense of the documented population through taxes” (Hood & Morris). In a 1992 study by the American National Election Study (ANES), it was detected that “fully 80% of [a] sample favored a residency requirement of at least one year before immigrants would be eligible for many government benefits” [including welfare, medicaid, and food stamps] (ANES). Leading up to the 2016 election, opinions became increasingly polarized between the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats stood representing the immigrants while the Republicans refused to tolerate illegal immigration no longer. Moreover, “taking all into account [when considering the differences between the two primaries], pessimism about the national economy, beliefs about the negative consequences of immigration for jobs and taxes, and relatively “cool” feelings towards Hispanic are statistically significant predictors of support for reducing the level of immigration and delaying benefits for those admitted” (Citrin, et al.).
THE CULTURAL DYNAMICS OF MEXICAN IMMIGRATION
As immigrants have settled over the generations and assimilated to American culture, the fear of xenophobia and nativism still exists in the hearts of many Anglo-Americans today. Cultural aspects of the Mexican immigrant population may appear to be harmful to the ideals of Americans and may sway many to oppose welcoming immigrants. In recent years, “the immigrant population has grown rapidly, and it now stands at over 40 million” according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011. Motivated by this statistic, scholars and researchers have attained the desire to further understand immigration attitudes and whether these attitudes are primarily influenced by "economic competition, ethnocentrism, concerns about norms, and national identity (Hainmueller & Hopkins). Anecdotal evidence is provided by Huntington during the U.S.-Mexico soccer match in Los Angeles of 1998, where the U.S. national anthem was booed and American players were assaulted by Mexican-Americans. This behavior indicates a "dramatic rejection of American identity, which is an integral feature of the supposed cultural threat posed by Hispanic Immigrants to American society (Huntington). From speaking English to celebrating American national holidays, assimilation to the American culture is essential for an immigrant to survive and be accepted. A study by Hainmueller and Hopkins found that there are “two types of explanations [to justify attitudes towards immigration]- sociotropic explanations and norms-based explanations-[and these] receive strong support” (Hainmueller & Hopkins). When considering immigration, Americans approve of immigrants who are well educated, highly skilled, and who are planning to work and contribute to the progression of society. The notion of a productive immigrant is based on the idea that these individuals will survive on their own without draining resources such as government aid: American tax dollars (Hainmueller & Hopkins). In contrast, the majority of Mexican undocumented immigrants do not have one of these qualities, suggesting why many Americans are opposed to immigration.
In order to appeal to the fear of Americans, Trump paints his own image of Mexican immigrants and goes as far to say, “[Mexican immigrants] are rapists… but some, I assume are good people… [Mexico takes] advantage of the United States by using illegal immigration to export the crime and poverty” (Make America Great Again! Donald J. Trump for President). Trump was able to gain substantial support from these claims (refer to demographics) as well as critical skepticism in the eyes of opposing political opponents and liberals. Trump’s language and rhetoric became very damaging to the reputations of the Mexican populous, legal or not. In fact, according to Burns & Gimpel, “the more the term ‘immigrant’ becomes associated with negatively-stereotyped minority groups, the more likely immigration policy will be decided on the basis of racial attitudes and this is exactly what happened” (Burns & Gimpel). Furthermore a study by Kteily and Bruneau found that “Latino residents- one of the groups regularly on the receiving ends of dehumanizing rhetoric in the United States during the 2016 election cycle- perceived that their group is strongly dehumanized in the eyes of Republicans, especially Donald Trump”(Kteily & Bruneau). A justified prediction can be draw from this: "the fear of immigrants would urge Americans to vote but those who felt attacked or dehumanized were also ushered to the polls in an attempt to combat oppressive Republicans" (Kteily & Bruneau). However, the undocumented Mexican population cannot exercise the right to vote but instead must advocate for representation at the polling boxes to gain political support.
THE POLITICS OF MEXICAN IMMIGRATION
Donald Trump’s plan on handling immigration is to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border and deport 11 million unauthorized immigrants (Make America Great Again! Donald J. Trump for President). Trump also plans to reverse Obama’s executive orders that provide temporary legal status to some unauthorized immigrants in order to “put American workers first” (Martin). On the other hand, Hillary Clinton wanted to push for comprehensive immigration reform that protects families while still protecting borders and national security (Winders). When Donald Trump brought up the idea of deporting all immigrants, it sparked controversy of pro-immigration vs anti-immigration and essentially the political divide between Republican and Democrats. In other words, the conservative agenda of preserving American culture combats the progression and modernization of a novel culture. Division to this extent has been brought up in similar ways throughout our past known as the Minutemen Project. The Minutemen Project was an anti-immigration organization made by citizens to, “serve as part of a blocking force against entry into the U.S. by illegal aliens” (Mastro et al.). The Minutemen believed that immigrants caused cultural, economic, and security threats to the United States and would retaliate by utilizing local and state governments to limit immigrant rights or by using violence like the Garden Grove incident in 2005. Similar to the Minutemen project was Proposition 187 of Los Angeles California.
Throughout most of the 1990’s, the political battle lines of the immigration debate were largely drawn in states bordering Mexico. Within these states, pressure mounted among citizen-activists for local and state leaders to address issues posed by the increasingly large immigrant population (Branton, et al.). This action denied illegal migrants access to government aid and social services; thus, making life in America very difficult. One commonality between these two anti-immigration ideas is the tremendous media attention, that resulted in rallies and protest on both sides. Looking at Donald Trump’s point of view, it can be determined that controversial issues brought up by them have resulted in cultural issues as well. One example of this is when he “...linked immigration and terrorism, asserting that several terrorist attacks in the U.S. were carried out by immigrants, or the children of immigrants” (Martin). This depiction of immigrants being said by someone who is now considered a national representative creates the idea that all immigrants are “terrorists”. Research has proved and examined the ability language and communication of stereotypes has on creating unconscious biases that can perpetuate stereotypical notions (Maass, et al). This can be explained by the News Coverage of Immigration where “...attitudes toward immigration are interconnected with people’s perceptions of the ethnic minority group as a whole...media coverage of Latino Americans and Latino immigrants… echo this trend, as media portrayals of both groups emphasize stereotypes such as drugs and criminality, depicting Latinos as a threat to the White majority group.”(Mastro et al.).
This supports the notion that when people hear the word “terrorist” associated with immigrants, they perceive all immigrants as terrorist rather than looking at the individuals that cause the terrorist acts. It also limits perspectives on Hillary Clinton’s side because it was mentioned that people did not want to be supportive of immigrants that were apart of terrorist acts. According to a peer reviewed article A Call for Sanctuary it says, “Trump’s campaign strategy, notably the misogynistic demonization of Clinton...Clinton was the face of Washington elitism and corruption, the establishment that had forsaken American jobs. It all worked, to stunning effect” (Ngai). Surprisingly, this strategy flirted with the problems of immigration in Trump’s favor. Not only did he create an image of Latino immigrants as destructive, he managed to target the other candidates to elicit fear in the minds of voters. This essentially proves that people were subconsciously making stereotypic biases against immigrants because of the words Donald Trump used to portray immigrants. Here are the statistics behind this.
VOTER TURNOUT AND DEMOGRAPHICS
Results by county
Republican >= 40%
Republican >= 50%
Republican >= 60%
Republican >= 70%
Republican >= 80%
Republican >= 90%
Democrat >= 40%
Democrat >= 50%
Democrat >= 60%
Democrat >= 70%
Democrat >= 80%
*Dubuque, Ray, et al. “2016 US Presidential Election Map By County & Vote Share.” Brilliant Maps, 29 Nov. 2016, 20 November 2018, brilliantmaps.com/2016-county-election-map/.
Electoral Results by State
*“2016 United States Presidential Election.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Jan. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election.
States closer to the border as predicted would vote in favor of Trump as the issue of illegal immigration was very close to home and a great issue.For example, non-border states in the 1990's experienced massive Hispanic population growth, especially in the south and southeastern states, where populations of Hispanics grew up to 70% (Branton et al). Due to these higher concentrations of Hispanics, these states were awarded to Trump as the majority population was comprised of mostly conservative anglos who feared immigrants would not culturally assimilate or take American jobs as Trump imposed. According to Pew Research, “on the contrary compared to Trump’s voter turnout, Hillary managed to achieve 66% of the Hispanic participating vote” (Pew Research).
Drawing this into conclusion, it was found that Hispanics make up the majority (70-91%) of undocumented populations from the states bordering the U.S.-Mexico border: California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It was also found that states with greater Hispanic populations tended to lean more democratic and those with lower Hispanics populations belonged to the Republicans due to overruling Anglo population. From this information, it can be determined that states along the U.S.-Mexico border did experience a significant undocumented Hispanic population which proves the ability to accurately predict a state’s popular vote.
CONCLUSION
Trump played a vital role in the polarization of the nation between the downsides of immigration and the questionable language used to describe immigrants. The economic and social anxieties on immigration were perhaps the driving forces of Trump’s argument which was supported by tariffs and tax cuts in order to stimulate the economy. Grasping to remain in power, blue-collar white Americans went to the polls to protect their beliefs on immigration as so did those in favor of immigration. Political debate between Republicans and Democrats on neo-restrictionism and economic disputes would lead to a greater voter turnout. In effect, factors concerning economics and neo-restrictionism prompted the majority of Americans to oppose Mexican immigration; hence, to otherwise agree with Trump's agenda leading to his Presidency. As well as his own person greed coming to politics, Trump believed that Mexican immigrants were taking American jobs, while asking for government welfare and assistance. In reality, most immigrants never ask for government assistance, because of their culture. In most Mexican families, they take care of their own from child to grandparent, whether it's money or a roof over their head.
Also, the statement of Trump saying that Mexican immigrants is further disputed through the evidence provided in the recent paragraphs. Trump uses the fact that the few blue collar workers left in America are operated by mostly immigrants and a few low income American citizens. That argument of “taking jobs” is only relative to the hard jobs that most Mexican-Americans don't even have. Blaming Mexican immigrants for “taking American jobs” was not only a false scare tactic, but instead a cover up for Trump’s fear. He fears non-assimilation and economic burden from Immigrants. Thus, he must preserve the traditional anglo-American culture because immigrants will destroy it otherwise. In effect, factors concerning economics and neo-restrictionism prompted the majority of Americans to oppose Mexican immigration; hence, the agreements with Trump's agenda and why he won Presidency.
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Presidential Election of 2016
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Niccollo Machiavelli the most Influential Theorist of Political Philosophy
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What would Machiavelli Do?
The Ends Justify the Meanness is a satirical work by author Stanley Bing, written to answer the titular question; what would Machiavelli do in order to achieve greatness over others and work his way to the top? The answers vary, but all intertwine into one main point; what he would do is he would play to win, and he would justify his meanness through what happens in the end (Bing, p. XXII). This book is a roadmap for people who want to get to the top, to crush their competitors and everyone else that stands in their way (Bing, XXVII). It is about, and for, those who may not have the smarts or the influence right off the bat, but have the courage to exploit others more than themselves, become mean, cold, and calculating, gain many enemies, and do whatever it takes to climb up to the top and stay there, having fun all the while. It is, ultimately, a satirical look at and a critique of the foolishness of those who try to be mean and unforgiving in order to get what they want and where they want.
It exaggerates and laughs at those trying to be successful by following in the great prince Niccollo Machiavelli's footsteps, even giving examples of people today that seem they might be using these methods, such as Martha Stewart, who did what Machiavelli would do and made it to where she wanted. It talks about the obstacles that you must overcome to be this way, such as sentiment and feeling or caring about other people and what they think, which are things that any normal person should feel, and it paints the race to the top as only being able to be won through using these ridiculous pieces of advice (Bing, XXIII). Every chapter creates a clearer image of an insufferable human. Sociology is the study of how human society functions, this class specifically studying relations between people. This book takes a well-known aspect of human 3 society, the desire to get to the top of that social ladder and overcome others, which very much involves human relationships, and delves into it, while also ridiculing it. It gives an interesting perspective on how people lie and cheat and harass others to get to the top when they cannot get there through legitimate means, and shows how they must interact with others while channeling Machiavelli's scheming nature to be able to overthrow competitors, all of which would fall under the study of human relations.
The author doesn't necessarily outright offer any suggestions to improve society, but through using sarcasm and satire throughout the work, and hoping that people are intelligent enough to understand that the advice he gives is not serious or legitimate, he presents the follies of following Machiavellian methods to overcome others and criticizes them, showing that they are what the dregs and scummy humans would use to raise their ranks. I believe the author wants the reader to think about how much better they are than these people, the people who do whatever is necessary for their own gain, and whose personal power is the ultimate goal (Bing, XXV). He wants readers to realize that the Machiavellis of the world, those who do things like cripple those who disappoint them, feed on others' discord, ruin peoples' plans, and always oppose others and create wars, are the people who we should not thrive to be like, as they are the asinine people who we who may have legitimate means to overcome, such as intelligence, should want to overcome.
Obviously, the author is not a Machiavellian follower himself, and he is not trying to follow the methods outlined in the book to get to the top. He indicates that these methods and qualities are the only real way to get where everyone wants to be, but he 4 obviously isn't a heartless cruel human who is actually going to try to be a Machiavelli. His perspective, shown through how satirical he writes, is that these traits are bad and will only create jerks, and that these are the less desirable qualities of people who try to make a name for themselves. These are the people who will ruin normal peoples' days. I definitely feel this way, and I don't think my opinion is biased because of the author's opinion. He laughably and satirically writes these characters with these traits to be hated, but also make them seem like inspirations and people to look up to and follow in the footsteps of, but hatred is exactly how I feel about them. These are people I would never want to come across in real life, and the pedestals that they put themselves on are depressing and show the problem with trying to climb the societal ladder.
Personally, I very much enjoyed reading this book. The satire made it very fun to read, and it was interesting to analyze the advice that was given, as it conveyed just how cutthroat the competition in business is when trying to get to the top, and also painted a realistic, yet exaggerated, picture of humanity. I enjoyed being able to apply the examples of what Machiavelli would do, to people in our society today who somehow rise to the top and stay there. It was interesting to read this satire, which highlighted the nastiness of people who are like that; however, it was also interesting to have to agree that the qualities that the author provides, that follow how Machiavelli and many others see life and live life, are a legitimate way to rocket yourself to the top of your company or business and make a lot of other people hate you, but give you the power that you desire.
Those who want to follow their desires to go from ordinary to extraordinary, rising to the top of their corporation and taking controls of others, and people who want 5 to have power and have no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get what they want would benefit from reading this book. In a legitimate sense, however, these are the people that should not be reading this book, as, honestly, if they already have that type of personality, they would probably take all of the advice provided seriously, and even though the examples given in this book are surefire methods to get to the top, they aren't the makings of a good person. People that could actually benefit from reading this book are those who the author probably intended to target, who will take the examples and advice given, and try their hardest to achieve what they want without taking the advice and being the completely soulless, amoral, selfish human being as described through the qualities in the book.
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Machiavelli’s Perspectives on the Relationship between a Prince and his Army
Civil-military relations in The Prince are marked by collaboration between the prince [or statesman] and his army; the prince must make sure to retain the respect and admiration of his soldiers, who he shall command to defend the principality and lay siege to the towns of adversaries. However, this is not a partnership of equals. The military is a tool that may be utilized for the acquisition of political power by princes who hope to upend a state's existing political structure or by princes who hope to consolidate their power; soldiers may be jettisoned by princes who deem that the tactical value they provide is no longer commensurate with their political aims. This notion is evident in Machiavelli's discussion of soldiers and their utility to an enterprising prince. He posits that a prince may defend his state with his own army, the support of a mercenary army, an auxiliary army, or some combination of these; mercenary and auxiliary armies are pesky and are unlikely to be loyal to the prince's regime forasmuch as they lack the unity of spirit and the discipline necessary to act in a manner that is faithful to the prince's aims.
Mercenaries and auxiliaries are disloyal, Machiavelli writes, because their services have been retained through the payment of a stipend and they have no real motivation to sacrifice themselves in service of the prince's agenda. This notion illuminates Machiavelli's realist views on the treatment of soldiers and the chief objective of the army; the army exists to do the bidding of the statesman, and casualties are justified inasmuch as they advance his aims. A prince must remain cognizant of the designs of mercenary and auxiliary troops and leverage them prudently. When the emperor of Constantinople leveraged auxiliary support to antagonize the Greeks, the result was the eventual relinquishment of his control over those soldiers forasmuch as they were in thrall to another leader and thus had no incentive to obey the emperor. Thus, a prince must consider not only what an army might accomplish, but whether or not that army might one day challenge the prince's authority. For Machiavelli, the means by which an army's support was acquired carries dire implications for its ability to imperil the prince's political position. He writes that laziness is a vice in dealing with mercenaries because they are not united when their support is bought and a failure to dispose of them swiftly will be ruinous for the prince, and virtue is an impediment in dealing with auxiliary arms because an unsuspecting prince's faith in such an army will later be exploited.
Inasmuch as virtue and laziness are to be considered ineffectual in a prince's efforts to administer foreign armies, the prince must value another skill in his dealings with these groups. He must recognize the utility of politically expedient decision-making and be willing to employ cruelty to achieve his ends. When the unison and faith of the populace, military or otherwise, are in question, a prince should not care about the infamy of cruelty, writes Machiavelli.
Expedience lies at the heart of Machiavelli's realism and he alludes to it in his assessment of Cesare Borgia's treatment of auxiliary armies. He writes that Cesare entered Romagna with auxiliary arms and leveraged their capabilities to conquer Imola and Forl? he later acquired the support of mercenaries, the Orsini and Vitelli, and upon discovery of their seditiousness, assassinated them. In Machiavelli's view, whilst Cesare's expedient leadership and willingness to readily eliminate threats to his authority enabled him to consolidate power in Italy, he was never more respected than when the populace observed that he was the commander of his own army. In such a fashion, an army comprised of a statesman's own men enacts a dual-function in bolstering the statesman's mandate and wherewithal to rule. For one, an army owned and commanded solely by the prince ensures that the prince's directives shall be executed faithfully and judiciously; moreover, citizens, as the aforementioned evidence has shown, could be more likely to accept a new prince's role as the administrator of the state and a fiduciary of their interests if they saw that he commanded his own army. Hiero of Syracuse, in Machiavelli's view, represents another exemplar of expedient leadership. He writes that when he was made the leader of the army by the Syracusans, he suspected that the military would fail to serve his aims due to a lack of fealty to his agenda and elected to eliminate them and procure an army of his own. The employment of cruelty, as the foregoing cases have indicated, was necessary for the preservation of authority over subjects whose fealty would bolster the stability of the prince's reign.
The equation of expedient decision-making to virtue is central to the articulation of Machiavelli's realism. Machiavelli, in describing the reign of Hannibal and his treatment of soldiers, comments on the leader's expedient employment of cruelty as crucial to his success as a commander; he first posits that no prince can unite and command his forces if he preoccupies himself with an aversion to cruelty. The lack of opposition to Hannibal's reign by his large and diverse army may be attributed to his cruelty, which always made him venerable and terrible in the sight of his soldiers. In this way, it is posited that Hannibal's cruelty was justified insofar as it enabled him to retain control of his armies and conquer foreign lands without encountering subterfuge.
Machiavelli's perspectives on the relationship between a prince and his army illuminate his criticism of the idealist position. The evidence has shown that for Machiavelli's prince, soldiers exist merely as an appendage of the state, to satisfy the prince's political objectives. While having one's own army is preferable to using mercenary and auxiliary armies, the latter armies can still be used to consolidate political power and then eliminated when it is determined that they may no longer be relied upon. Thus, it may be argued that Machiavelli's prince should not preoccupy himself with enabling soldiers to strive for goodness. They are tools to be exploited in the pursuit of power and it is important for the prince to engage in posturing to curry their favor when necessary; Severus, for instance, was able to rule without significant challenges because he was viewed as admirable in the eyes of his soldiers and satisfied them. Hiero of Syracuse, contrarily, resorted to violence to gain control of his armies and instill reverence for his rule in the eyes of his servicemen. Machiavelli's realist view does not see men as capable or deserving of empowerment and trust; he writes that men are ungrateful, fickle, pretenders and dissemblers, and eager for gain.
For this reason, a prince must not hesitate to be cruel and ought to be willing to manipulate his men to deter internal strife. Machiavelli's realism is rooted in a utilitarian calculus that rewards expediency above naivete; he writes that a prince will win praise by working to achieve his ends because men value appearances and artifice. It may be argued that Machiavelli's beliefs align closely with Mearsheimer's contemporary realism. Mearsheimer holds that states make decisions with security and survival as their highest goals; uncertain of the intentions their rivals and fearful of being subjugated by aggressors, states endeavor to develop offensive military capabilities and alliances with willing collaborators to ensure their safety. Machiavelli's prince behaves in a similar manner by utilizing the military as the vessel for his expansionist, security-focused aims. His relationship with soldiers is one marked by exploitation and manipulation because he is the sole decision-maker.
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About the Prince by Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli was born in the country now known as Italy, by the time it was Florence as its own independent nation. On May 3, 1469 and had an amazing childhood that any children could ever ask for. He was educated at a very nice school and grow up in the middle-class family. While growing up, he spent two years studying business mathematics; he was fortunate enough to work approximately eight years in Rome for a Florentine banker. After returning to Florence in 1494. When he came back to Florence, there was a massive conflict that overthrown the ruling family who has been ruling Florence for decades. The current ruler was religious based ruler.
During the 1500s Machiavelli got married to Marietta di Lodovico Corsini, after getting married and lived together, they built a family and were fortunate to have six children. Machiavelli wrote The Prince as a book that the people in power will have to follow if they want to maintain their power. By the time when he wrote the prince it was not published and never got to be ready by many people because it did get a lot of criticism by some scholars and people actively involved with politics by the time; they argued against it saying that his intention for writing this book was not to help guide how to rule but instead how to not rule.
In chapter one he talked about the types of government and how they are established. He specifically mentioned republics and monarchies as the types of government that were alive this time. While he was specifically writing this volume to the new prince, I still don't know why he included the part of chapter one, because based on my interpretation, If I was the new prince or the ruler I would feel like, the whole chapter one was written to tell me that I am newly monarchy that I got my authority through power and that would make me feel threatened by the Machiavelli and I would not even try to bring him through my government, because soon or later he could be the one betraying the ruler.
In the second chapter, since he had lived in mostly monarchy society and he was dealing with the monarchy and not republic he did not talk about it because he had no reason to mention republic since the ruler was not under republic, but monarchy and his intention really was to maintain the monarchy. Machiavelli believed that hereditary monarchy was way easier to maintain because who gets to rule in the hereditary monarchy are those who are in the nuclear family and sometimes to extended families but extended families only for reasonable circumstances. The newly established monarchy was not as easy to maintain.
It's very reasonable to say that Machiavelli was right because the newly established monarchy always has the opponents, who are trying to get the monarchy out of power. And the opponents might be several people who are on different groups or those who have a different political party. This type of monarchy is similar to the U.S. political party system, where the Democratic party and the republican party do switch the presidency back and forth and the party that doesn't win the presidency is the party that is always criticizing the other party deeply. Hereditary monarchy is like the ruler who is ruling under the divine right, because when is the hereditary monarchy not a lot of people question the legitimacy of the ruling family and so is the divine right, the ruler always claim that his/her ruling power came from God.
That response minimizes the number of people who question and to try to go against them ruler because he/she (the ruler) uses God to maintain the power. And even if he be thus deprived, on the slightest mischance happening to the new occupier, he will be able to regain it (Machia, 05). Machiavelli strongly believed that those monarchies that are heredity when they lose their ruling power are more likely to regain back again. This is how Machiavelli differentiate the newly established monarchy and the ones that are heredity.
The following chapter Machiavelli describes how maintaining a new monarchy is more exhausting than maintaining a hereditary monarchy. When there are a monarchy people are willing to change than monarchy to a recent one or the opponent, hoping that a new ruler will be better than the present one. This mentality of hoping a better state will always make people act against the prince or any monarchy that is not providing what people are asking at that time. For instance, France before the revolution and after the revolution, most of the conflicts and even revolution the people reacted against the government in place, but they never get what they wanted but they always go with the next alternative, that they think might lead them to prosperity. When the revolution took place, Napoleon was highly preferred by the French people because, he represented the French working class, but the soon he assumed power he was seemed worse than the monarchy that was previously there. Machiavelli in this chapter was trying to explain that no matter how much people might know that their decision is wrong they will always disorder the ruler.
In this case, the prince might find himself in a position of fearing the people that have put him in power that they might acts against him again. This fear appears when the prince reaches to the point of seeing that he cannot maintain the support of these people because not being able to meet their expectations that their situation will better than the how the previous prince kept them. In this case, Machiavelli is telling the new prince that, people will take revenge if he is not strong enough to make them fear of him.
Machiavelli demonstrates two ways to keep the state without conflict. The first which he mentioned, was through the appointment of the ministers, where those ministers will be governing but all the loyalty still remains to the prince, who appoint those ministers. And the second one that Machiavelli mentioned was the nobles. These nobles are not appointed by the prince, but they all still obey the rules of the prince and they take him as the ruler of the entire country. Although that this might sounds off track, but I found these ideas are similar to the American system of a three branch of government. It made me wonder while drafting the constitution of the United States if the founding fathers of the United States followed Machiavelli's way of setting up a lasting government. The reason why I said that is very similar is because, the idea of the president nominating the supreme court justices, and the people who serve in Congress to be elected by the people and the President to be elected by the electoral college, this is very similar to what Machiavelli is using an example of why the Kingdom of Darius, occupied by Alexander did not act against the successors after his death.
Machiavelli explains some of the ways to hold to rule in the state that has been used to live in freedom using their own set of laws. The first thing he mentioned is to destroy those people. The second thing is to make sure that prince who takes full control and then after that the prince should make sure that the state keeps its own laws but to charge taxes and establish an oligarchy to keep the state in a friendly way. Machiavelli strongly believed that destruction is the only way to secure a state that has previously enjoyed the lifestyle of freedom and liberty. And he argued that the prince or the ruler who doesn't admit this has a reality puts himself in the danger of being destroyed by the people he rules. Personally, I strongly disagree with Machiavelli, because I believe by nature people are generally nice and when people are treated with fairness and respect are more likely to respond with kindness and to respect the ruler. But if the ruler uses the destruction as a way to rule and to make people fear him, soon or later people seek acts of revenge and might not only be people who have been destroyed even those who are working by the side of that ruler or prince might seek revenge in the behalf of those people whom they helped to destroy.
In the Prince volume, Machiavelli provides actual advice on the different ways that someone can get to power. More specific, chapter IV through XIV is the heart of the content in which Machiavelli wrote this volume for. He mentioned how to gain and to rule the newly established states, how the prince should do to maintain his power and control over the people, and how to maintain a strong army.
Overall, Machiavelli wrote the prince as the symbol of guidance to the prince and he wanted to work for the Florentine government, unfortunately, it did not work. His volume was received as a ridiculous idea by people who first read it. But most people have actually used his argument to create a political argument and government regime.
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Organic Foods Vs. Non-Organic Foods
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Analyzing UK Consumers Motivations in Purchasing Organic Food
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