The Development of Monotheism in Judaism

The idea that there is only one god, monotheism, is shared by over half of the world's population today. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, or Jewish you believe in monotheism. Where does this idea originate from though? Many scholars believe that the origin of this idea dates back to the Babylonian exile of the Jews from Jerusalem around 600 BCE. During this time the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the first temple built by Solomon. This is significant as at the time the Jews believed that God, or Yahweh, physically lived in the temple. So when the temple was destroyed, and subsequently the Jewish exile, the Jews were faced with questions surrounding Yahweh. The argument I will be making in this paper is how and why slowly over time, in answering those questions, the Jewish community created the idea of monotheism. The idea that the Jews created monotheism following the subsequent Babylonian exile overtime signifies that at one time Jewish religion was polytheistic. Proof of this can be found from the Old Testament Bible or the Torah. One such example found in the Bible is in Exodus chapter 15 verse 11 which states: Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? In the events leading up to this part of scripture, we find that, according to the Bible, Moses and the children of Israel have just successfully crossed the red sea and fled from Pharoah's army with the Lord, or Yahweh, being responsible for freeing them from Egyptian bondage. After those events, Moses and the children of Israel start praising Yahweh, and the passage of scripture shared is one of the statements they make while praising him. This is one example of an instance in the Bible where we see the ancient Jews acknowledge the existence of other gods. Along with this are other verses in the Book of Psalm. Psalm 135 verse 5 states, For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods. This again shows that while they believed Yahweh to be above all other gods, they still acknowledged the existence of other gods. Even one of the ten commandments within the Bible implies the existence of other gods when it says in Exodus chapter 20 verse 3, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. This implies that there are other gods in which they could worship. All of these verses were written before the Babylonian exile, and they show that Jews were indeed at one time polytheistic. Once we have established that the Jews were at one time polytheistic, the question now is when Judaism developed into a Monotheist religion, and whether they developed it themselves or adopted the idea from somewhere else. To start with, let's look at a verse written after the Babylonian exile. Isaiah chapter 44 verse 6 states: I am the first, and I am the last, and beside me, there is no God. This shows the change in belief over time in the Bible from the acknowledgment of other gods to now stating that there are no other gods but Yahweh himself. Why is this though? When looking at the time periods of these verses written we can see that the change from polytheism to monotheism within the Bible occurs following the Babylonian exile. Although it's not until after the exile that you see Isaiah stating that Yahweh is the only god, the groundworks for the change to monotheism evolved slowly over time according to the book, No Other Gods: Emergent Monotheism in Israel, written by Robert Karl Gnuse. In his book, he states that the idea of Monotheism developed over time through certain events, and the culmination of these events following the Babylonian exile resulted in the change to Monotheism. Such events leading off to the change to Monotheism include when King David made Yahweh the national high god above Baal (page 101). Another development leading to monotheism was the prophets overtime pushing for the worship of only Yahweh and the claims of Yahweh having power over the other gods. An example of this is can be found in 1 Kings chapter 18 when the prophet Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to see which god will be able to provide fire for them first. Elijah does this to prove that Yahweh should be followed instead of Baal. This is shown in biblical scripture when he says to the people, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. Following this is when he challenges the prophets of Baal. Elijah wins the challenge, proving to the people that Yahweh is the superior god. Following this, the people slaughtered the prophets of Baal and worshiped Yahweh above Baal. Others followed in solidifying Yahweh as the god to be worshipped in Israel, and all of this helped develop the idea of monotheism following the Babylonian exile. Why then did it take the exile for Judaism to officially become monotheistic? The growing belief that Yahweh was more powerful than the other gods and subsequently deserved to be worshipped above other gods led to political and social conflicts. Due to this, the state hindered the growth of Yahwism into becoming monotheistic in order to relieve those conflicts according to Gnuse's book (page 104). Gnuse's book also states that The full development of monotheism also was connected to a fight against the emergence of social classes. Hence, true monotheism could arise only in the exile after the collapse of society with all the attendant social structures and the political-national religion of Judah (page 105). Thus the Babylonian exile was necessary for Judaism or Yahwism to fully convert to monotheism, being free of the state and societal issues from hindering this growth. After concluding all of this it may be wondered what necessitated the complete change to monotheism. Following the exile the Jews were faced with being surrounded by foreign cultures, and to avoid being assimilated into those other cultures, and to keep other gods from being worshipped in their culture, they needed to develop their own distinctly Israelite culture. The result of this was the cultural change to Yahweh being the only true deity, which meant the denial of all gods of other groups of people around them. Another factor that could have played a role in the complete change to monotheism would be the desire to keep different sub-groups of Jews from developing. Gnuse talks in his book about the fact that there were Jews who only believed in and worshipped Yahwey prior to the exile, while there were others that worshipped Yahweh along with other gods. Jews having different theological beliefs could have led to splits into sub-groups following the exile, which would have weakened them and their culture as a whole, and eventually could have led to the assimilation into other cultures around them. All of this was avoided by the change to monotheism, which is why I believe that these problems could have been a contributing factor to the change to monotheism. Along with that, the questions that arose from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem led to a change in thinking from believing that Yahweh physically lived in the temple, to that he could be anywhere at any time. Also with the destruction of the temple, under their prior belief of other gods, the logical conclusion to be made was that either Yahweh had lied to the Jews, or that he was weaker than the Babylonian gods. Neither of those answers gave any hope to Yahwism or the Jews, and neither answer was a satisfying conclusion to their questions. That is when the idea of monotheism came to fruition as the only satisfying answer to the questions brought up due to the destruction of the Temple were that he is the only God and that he doesn't physically live only in one place, and these ideas brought about the full transition to the idea of monotheism. In conclusion, we can see through biblical text that predates the Babylonian exile that Jews in ancient Israel were originally polytheistic and that the idea of monotheism developed over time, resulting in the change to monotheism following the Babylonian exile. We can also see that the reasons for the development of monotheism within Judaism resulted from the questions following the destruction of the temple, and the new surroundings they were presented with due to the exile. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, you believe in monotheism. And the Babylonian exile is the reason why you do.
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The Emancipation Proclamation – a Freedom for Slaves

On January 1st, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as the nation approached its third year of the Civil war. The proclamation declared “that all persons held as slaves, within the rebellious states are, and henceforward shall be free.” But the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways, it only applied states that was untouched by slavery. It also exempted some parts of the Southern states they were under the control of the Northern states. The freedom that was depended on the Union military victory. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery, it gave some hope to the Africans Americans that were fighting in the war. “In the army black soldiers received counterparts. Organized into segregated units under sometimes abusive white officers, they initially received lower pay.” ( Give Me Liberty An American History: Chap 14). The African Americans were treated unfairly. This is so because they were assigned to do manual labor rather than fight in combat, and they were confined to ranks below that of a commissioned officer in the armed force. In this quote “and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.”( American Battlefield Trust: Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation). This demonstrates why the African Americans were so eager to join the fight in a war. Joining the armed forces would guarantee ones freedom from slavery. Unfortunately, it was freedom for a small number of slaves. Prior to the American Civil War in 1860, there were about 14,000 African Americans residing in Washington D.C. Of that number, approximately three thousand of them were slaves. In 1861 seven Southern States succeed from the Union and created their own government. President Abraham Lincoln did not initially plan to free the slaves in rebelling southern states. The Congress passed a Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862 that paid slave owners to release their slaves. After two years of war, President Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves in rebelling Southern states. He was concerned that freeing all slaves would disrupt the slave-holding border states. President Lincoln repeatedly stated he had no intention of abolition. President Lincoln also stated he wanted to avoid military emancipation of Southern states. This factor leads me to believe that the Emancipation Proclamation was intended to be a political movement against the rebelling Southern states rather than an act of advocacy for African American rights. President Lincoln was concerned that the total rejection of slavery would alienate border states. Because so many border states had slaves, Lincoln wanted to use a gradual, compensated, and most importantly voluntary emancipation. The Emancipation Proclamation did not bring an effective end to slavery, but it did initiate the process and established a way for minorities to attain equality. The Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment went hand in hand because of the Civil War. It was the major turning point in history that brought the long process of ending legal slavery in the United States. On April 8, 1864, the US Senate passed a resolution that would bring an amendment to the Constitution that would end slavery, but the House of Representatives failed to pass it. A month later on Jan 31st, 1865 the resolution was succeeded. The Amendment force Congress to enforce the amendment with the appropriate legislation. The amendment was sent to the states ratification office on Feb 1st, 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation was a firm Demonstration of President Lincoln war powers. At first, he didn’t get the support from his advisors, it wasn't until the success of the Battle of Antietam that he gain the support of his cabinet members. The battle between the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil war was the Bloodiest day that the day nation has an ever seen. After the Union victory, it resulted in Pres. Lincoln the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on Sep 22nd, 1862. The impact of the Emancipation Proclamation was not in full effect until after Jan 1st, 1863, because the rebelling states were not under Union control. However it did add a purpose for fighting in the war, the Union was now fighting to end slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t have many accomplishments but it was a stepping stool for the more major events that took place after. It did not put an end to slavery but it was a turning point. It freed the enslaved, but slaves that ran away were held as contraband with no guarantee that they won't be returned to slavery. But they were held and paid for their labor. It opens the door to black soldiers volunteering to fight in the army. Lincoln declared that African Americans would be received into the armed services by the end of the war African Americans would serve in the navy and the Union army. The Emancipation Proclamation helped lifted the ban on enticement and put in place the Confiscation Act. Which was put in place to liberate slaves in seceded states, It's stated that Confederate military official or civilian, who did not surrender within the 60 days of the act would have their slaves freed. Which weaken the Southern states. It pushed the slave-holding border states loyal to the Union. The proclamation declared “That all persons held as slaves “ within the rebellious states” Are, and henceforward shall be free. But the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways, it only applied states that was untouched by slavery. In 1861 the Southern States succeed from the Union and created their own government. President Lincoln did not initially plan to free the slaves in rebelling southern states. After the war, President Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves in the Southern states.
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Beethoven’s 5th Symphony

Beethoven's 5th Symphony is a piece with lots of elements with numerous movements. I have to say my first emotion was a deep shock of anxiety and fantasies. I realized after listening over and over and over again that the intro note is what was played in almost all the piece but in different movement or variation. The opening da-da-da-dum was quite fascinating and just made my adrenaline rush like alas!!! I am stunned by that sound and just suddenly, it descends into a decrescendo through some soft strings that softly or gently surfaced after the strong motif. This is a substantial contrast for a few reasons: One being a dynamic contrast to the forte V-theme. The second being a rhythmic contrast. The rhythmic difference between the V-theme which opens with the whole orchestra playing such a simple rhythm to then the response by the individual sections as the play a complex series of repeating variations that descends down and down until the V-theme is again released, this time on higher notes. It's a pattern of starting simple then it becomes more and more complex until it summons the terrible V-theme. Then after the third or so time of this a clarion call of a French horn ushers in the development in the dominant key. The development starts out so tranquil. It plays a happy melody for a bit, although there is still that contentious motif from the exposition which looms underneath. When put back into the historical context for this piece it puts me in mind of the merry Aristocrats of France living their happy baroque lives perhaps attending a ball. While they are living the high life the mounting of pressure on the lower classes is starting to build up pressure until it erupts into revolution. The merry waltz the aristocrats are enjoying is interrupted by that ominous V-theme, and they are pulled out side - so to speak - to view the dark sorrowful state of things. Its building sadness and worry until the thematic degradation slips in before the recapitulation The degradation takes place after somewhat of the epicenter of the development. All the strings and brass joined in an intense unison on a complex rhythm, again the contrast of volume and rhythmic complexity is exploited. The thematic degradation induces a sinking feeling, as the quiet notes become ever fainter. Things become still. It is here where it's as life itself is slipping away. It is as the breathing of a dying man. It becomes so still, and the pathos so pronounced. Then a fury of activity quickly escalates into the V-theme. At this moment when the V-theme sounds it's almost like declaration or cry. In my mind I imagine an aristocrat holding the peasant who pulled him from the party and showed him their pain and suffering as he dies. The V-theme comes from the aristocrat as he makes angry resolution for justice. The ensuing oboe cadenza is like the personal grief of the individual. Which is only caught up and drowned in the tide of strings that leads the to second capitulation. Where unchanged the aristocrats are back at it. Again, the uneasy motifs press in on the happy themes. The unhappy themes are pressed aside into the swelling grand displays by the orchestra. As if the aristocracy is flexing its muscles. The coda is clearly the resolve and conflict. Where all the themes are brought together, and it's almost like a great discourse, turned into conflict where it is resolved when the V-theme comes back in and it's concluded. My overall emotional reaction to the piece is anxiety as I wasn't sure what next will happen or hear in the course of the play. It is a back and forth a cat mouse of contrast. It's not one that I will listen to when I need to rest or be calm or even study. It really triggers uncertainty in me. I felt like thrown around like I was rambling with my eyes bounded with a black cloth
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Beethoven and Schuman

As a result of the structural changes made, Beethoven was able to better project the type of emotion that he had intended to while composing. Gordon goes on to explain that the overall effect that is ultimately produced by these slow, repetitious triplets is an emotional one: One mood is thus sustained and unbroken throughout the movement, thereby establishing a serene but intense emotionalism. 24 Op. 27, no. 2 provides evidence suggesting the possible beginnings of Beethoven's attempt to clearly project a specific emotion or a definite state of mind in his sonata. The structure of Moonlight Sonata and the majority of the sonatas composed afterwards became subjected to the emotional content that was being projected. After the Moonlight Sonata, Op. 53 and 57, and Beethoven's usage of experimentation has become all but uncommon, Beethoven's late period of sonata compositions begins to take place. Beethoven has now broken so far away from the traditional, classical sonata form that his works are now widely considered by many to be romantic. It is no longer as simple to examine one of Beethoven's sonatas which once so easy to compare to the other sonatas of the same time period. It is also interesting to note that some of these late compositions including Op. 109 are considered by some modern musicologists to not be sonatas at all. 25 In this final section of Beethoven's sonata analysis, only a brief overview is offered. Most of Beethoven's final piano sonatas all contain very detailed directions regarding tempo and expression that were written in German rather than the traditional ?at ease' and ?sustained'. In doing so, Beethoven, as a composer, is communicating to the performer the way in which the music should feel in a very clear and understandable way rather than including the standard, often vague allegro or allegretto. As mentioned in the introduction, the attempt to express emotion or lyricism better is definitely an aspect of romantic music. Many of the sonatas composed in the late period contain a type of lyricism that separates them from the earlier and middle sonatas and placing them into the romantic era of music. Similar to the problem we encountered when explaining the Moonlight Sonata, it is very difficult to explain how this type of lyricism is produced in Beethoven's later piano sonatas. The opening movement of Op. 101 (1816) is an excellent example of Beethoven's usage of musical lyricism. Gordon compares Op. 101 to Beethoven's earlier Moonlight Sonata by explaining that both sonatas have an uninterrupted melodic intensity that is sustained from beginning to end. However, the musical structure of the first movement and those that follow it are very different from those found in his early and middle sonatas. Such structural differences include but are not limited to: a short development in the introduction of the second and last movements, abrupt changes in tonality and, most importantly, the usage of a style similar to the fugue of the baroque era. These final changes made to the sonata lead many people to consider them to be romantic. It can be understood from the evidence given in the previous section, concerning the musical changes that Beethoven made in his sonatas alone, that he was indeed a catalyst in the development of romantic music in Europe. This point can be found in countless essays, articles, and books on Beethoven and the role that he played in helping the transition. Many sources pay little or no attention to other pre-romantic composers. For example: The Development of Western Music, a text book in which the chronologically progression of western music is examined, dedicates the entire section on the transition from classical music to romantic music to Beethoven only. But, should Beethoven alone receive credit for sparking the transition into the romantic era of music? Should the studies of the transitional period be limited to only Beethoven's works? Is the time in which Beethoven composed the only time period that can be considered the transitional period? My answer to all of these questions is easy to anticipate: no. Beethoven's significant contributions to the transitional period from classical to romantic music should not overshadow the contributions of other composers, Schubert in particular, working in the same time period and slightly after most what most would consider ?transitional.' It can also be argued that the transitional period extends slightly beyond the time in which Beethoven was composing. Beethoven is necessary in understanding the development of romantic music but, studying his compositions, alone, is not sufficient in fully understanding the musical progression from classical to romantic. The first questions that this argument raises are, Who can also be credited with having helping move western music forward into the romantic era and when did this take place? The time period in which we are most concerned with in this situation will not be the period before Beethoven was composing but the period during and immediately after. The Sonata Since Beethoven, in a chart depicting the production spans of romantic composers , provides us with an idea as to when the most important composers of the now romantic era were producing their works. In the short time period before the greatest composers that we now recognize as romantic began writing” Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Wagner”and during the same time in which Beethoven was composing, we see afore mentioned Austrian composer, Franz Schubert. Of course, as is to be expected, there is a slight overlap between Schubert and these romantic composers. However, it is clear that Schubert was composing before all of them. This leads us to consider the possible influences that Schubert may have had on these composers and, quite possibly, Beethoven himself. In order for us to begin to understand the possible influences that Schubert had on the composers of the romantic era and the involvement that he had in creating the transition, it is important to very briefly examine some of Schubert's compositions. Unlike the previous section in which Beethoven's sonatas were analyzed more specifically, however, a much broader, less specific overview of the changes that Schubert created is offered. Rockstro's remarks that Schubert's method of working differed entirely from Mozart's and Beethoven's. He never prepared a perfect mental copy, like the former.[He] wrote almost always on the spur of the moment, committing themselves on paper, as fast as his pen could trace them.Taking this into consideration, it is perhaps easier to understand why the works Schubert are considered to be different from those of Beethoven and the former composers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century composers. It also helps further suggest that many of the changes brought forward by Schubert were, for the most part, very original thus making his contributions more meaningful. From the beginning of Schubert's compositions until the very end, we can view a type of evolution or progression similar to that of Beethoven's as viewed in the prior analysis. The difference lies within what the two composers experimented and contributed during the evolution. One of the major contributions made by Schubert during the transition into the romantic era which is not found so much in Beethoven's compositions pertains mainly to harmonics. Gordon comments on the contributions of Schubert by saying that Schubert's musical style contains a mixture of the traditional and the forward looking. When Gordon mentions the traditional he refers to the traditional musical structure established in the classical era; looking forward refers to Schubert's new harmonic experimentations. The other aspect of Schubert's musical compositions that has proven to be a critical part in the development of romantic music and very unique to his style is his creation of lyrical or songlike melodies in his piano and other non-voice compositions. Schubert went beyond Beethoven in creating very lyrical themes or melodies. Songs without words they are often referred to as. Similar to Beethoven's case, it is difficult to analyze and explain exactly why these piano pieces and other works have such attractive, sweet melodies. W. H. Hadow (1859-1937), a critic of early and late romantic music, writes: In clarity of style [Schubert] was inferior to Mozart; in power of musical construction he was far inferior to Beethoven, but in poetic impulse and suggestion he is unsurpassed. Schubert's later piano sonatas present his lyrical melodies and unique harmonic experimentation and progression better than his early ones. His seventeenth piano sonata (D. 845, composed 1825) contains these strange harmonies and his romantic melodies. D. 845 received great attention in the beginning of 1826 with positive reviews by Schumann and Fink, a music critic from Frankfurt. Fink comments on sonata No. 17 in an article written in 1826 by saying, it moves so freely and originally within its confines, and sometimes so boldly and curiouslyIt is easy to see that these [original melodic and harmonic] inventions are often somewhat odd and that their exposition is even more curious.
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Stevie Wonder and Ludwig Van Beethoven

This paper is going to compare the hardships and careers of Ludwig Van Beethoven and Stevie Wonder. Both of these men are exceptional musicians whom of which had to deal with physical disabilities during their careers. Stevie Wonder's condition is attributed to a dislocated nerve in one eye and a cataract in the other. He was born prematurely which exposed him to a condition known as Retinopathy of Prematurity. It is an eye disease where the blood vessels in the eye don't grow properly for an unknown reason. During the 1940s there was an outbreak of this disease with close to 12,000 premature children as a result suffering from blindness this included Stevie Wonder. Being premature by one month, as a baby he was put into an incubator which also may have contributed to his loss of sight. Stevie Wonder's life was hugely impacted by his impairment, but his spirit was never restrained by it. He often quoted that he was glad he was blind as it gave him the gift of never judging a book by its cover. However, whereas Stevie was born with is disability Beethoven gradually became deaf in his mid-life. Although the cause was never fully proven, it was considered it could be from either arterial disease or to contracting typhus in 1796. A discredited theory of lead poisoning has also been recently noted. A finalized cause for his mid-tile loss of hearing has never been defined. Wonder began to develop his ear to the sounds of the world as a young child. Being blind forced Wonder to adapt and focus on his ability to hear and fine-tuned it. His mother and brothers helped him to pay close attention to sound and develop skills to decipher its origins. As a result of the help of his family Wonder's hearing became extremely good at a young age. Music had become a very important aspect of Wonder's life as a child. His mother sang gospel music at the local church and encourage her son to participate. At age 2 Wonder's rhythm skills were noted when he was using spoons as drums. He was able to create a complex rhythm and play it persistently. As he grew, drums continued to be an interest along with many other instruments. His dedicated interest in the harmonica became a "gateway to excellence as he was able to find the impressive range on the instrument. In order to improve on the harmonica, he began to listen to blues records and imitate their sounds. It wasn't long before the music began to take over his life. Wonder used to practice singing with a friend named John Glover, cousin to Ronnie White (founding member of recording music group Miracles). Glover contacted his cousin to come to hear Wonder sing and this is where he was first discovered. His career took flight at age 11 thanks to friend Ronnie White, who introduced him to the record label "Tamla Records". He was signed under the name Little Stevie Wonder and was coached by many of the senior musicians at the label. After trying out many different styles, Stevie Wonder released his first album in 1962 called The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder. It was an instrumental album with no vocals. It showcased his musical talent towards several different instruments. His next album was named Tribute to Uncle Ray and was a homage to Ray Charles. Neither of these albums were big hits as he hadn't developed his own sound yet. In order to make his name known, the label put Wonder on the countrywide Motown River tour, where a tutor joined in order to fulfill his educational requirements. This tour is where he developed his stage persona and skills. On tour, Wonder found his first hit single, entitled "Fingertips- Part 2". This was the song that made him famous and entitled him as a boy genius in music. Musical talent ran in the family, especially in Beethoven's grandfather. He had a fantastic singing voice and at the age of 21 was a court musician. His grandfather was a Kapellmeister (the head of all court music) before age 50. Beethoven's father was also a good singer as well but fell victim to alcoholism. His grandfather had hopes of Beethoven achieving the Kapellmeister position just like himself. so he began his musical education at a young age. They discussed great composers of the time and sang together. This ended at age 3 when Beethoven's grandfather passed away. After his passing, Johann took over the musical teachings and hired a piano, oboe and flute musician to teach Beethoven. This teacher taught with Beethoven for a year but then moved out of the country. Another teacher named Christian Gottlob Neefe was Beethoven's new teacher. He was a composer himself and helped Beethoven note on paper his first compositions. The first performance Beethoven ever gave was on the 26th of March, 1778 at 7 years old where he played various pieces of the piano. Within the first year that Neefe started teaching him, he published his first work. This composition was called Variations on a March by Dressler. Although good, these variations produced very little attention. In 1783 at age 12, Beethoven published his first composition that was entirely his own. These three piano sonatas were called Kurfursten Sonatas Wo0 47. Shortly after, Johann was unable to manage his alcoholism and provide income for his family. Beethoven formally requested an official appointment as Assistant Court Organist, and despite how young he was, he got the job. In 1787 the court decided to send Beethoven to Vienna to study with Mozart. A few short weeks into the study he learned that his mother was ill and rushed back home. His mother died a short few months later which put him into a depression. Therefore Beethoven and Wonder both has very similar starts to their careers and both battled with adversity in the form of a disability. They were both successful and have become legends in the musical world and are still discussed today and will be forever.
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China’s Energy Productio

China's energy production intensely depends on coal and while there are a lot of pros that come with coal, there are also a lot of cons that are so significant that it has to be changed. In China because they have a big coal supply, nearly 80% of its power generation originate from coal (ChinaFAQs). This has a lot different factors. This essay is analyzing different factors of why Solar Energy is the best source of energy production in China. The pros and cons will be evaluated and justified further with arguments and verification. Body Coal is served with an abundant supply, which is concentrated in industrialized countries, which helps China a lot (TriplePundit).It is also very cheap compared to alternative energy sources like solar energy. Another pro of coal in China is that the clean coal technology is being used in China. Clean Coal says that it doesn't enter the atmosphere but so far it didn't have great success and is not safe for the environment(InsideEnergy). Clean coal is also not carbon free. The problem of using coal in fossil fuel power generation is that coal is a non-reusable energy source. Coal is also responsible for more than the quarter of the nations global warming emissions. It has very significant and harmful consequences to the environment and coal mining degrades the surrounding landscapes. Burning coal releases a lot of toxic substances into the atmosphere, while coal produced power puts substantial requests on water assets. Everything signifies a gigantic and expensive effect. Another aspect of using coal is that it isn't very healthy because coal emissions are linked to increase the rate of asthma and especially lung cancer and burning coal emits mercury and and other very heavy metals that could potentially present major health risks and issues. Coal produces electricity by thermal coal which is either black or brown and also has been pulverised to a fine powder, is burned. The heat that results gets is utilized to transform the water into steam. The steam with high pressure is then used to turn a turbine, associated with an electrical generator. Then the spinning turbine makes expansive magnets to turn within copper wire coils, also called the generator. The moving magnets then cause electrons in the wires to move starting with one place then onto the next, creating an electrical current and producing a lot of electricity. The alternative energy source is Solar Energy which is a renewable energy generator. Solar energy can be harnessed everywhere in the world and is available for everyone every day. This could also be a huge advantage for China, fixing their problems with pollution and coal. Another advantage of solar energy is that it has diverse applications. It can be either used for heat (solar thermal) or to generate electricity (Photovoltaics). Solar energy can also produce energy in places where there is no energy grid. When you generate electricity with solar energy, you also save a lot of electricity bills depending on the size of the solar system and the usage of electricity. If you generate more electricity than you use, the surplus made will be exported back to the grid and you will receive extra payments. Solar energy has very low maintenance costs and solar energy is constantly developed in Technology, which means improvements will intensify in the future. One of the cons of Solar Energy is that it has a high initial cost. This incorporates paying for solar panels, batteries, inverter and wirings. Although this is a negative, solar energy is developing, so the price will go down accordingly. Solar energy pollutes far less than other alternative sources, but it still pollutes. Transportation and establishment of solar panels have been related to the emission of greenhouse gases. There are also some toxic materials used during the process of generating electricity. Toxic materials are a danger for the environment as citizens could be affected by getting lung cancer or other death threatening diseases. Another con of Solar Energy is that it is weather dependent, but not so heavily that it affects a lot during the generation of electricity.
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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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The Future of Solar Power

Solar energy is one of the most widely known forms of energy. This power is energy produced from the sun that then is converted into thermal or electrical energy. Solar energy is the most abundant renewable energy source. This means that this energy is rapidly replaced by the power made from the sun. Solar energy can be used as a heat source or an energy source. Solar energy is used as a heat source in two ways: Passive heating and passive cooling. Passive solar energy is using the sun's energy to heat or cool a building or home. Passive heating occurs when sunlight collides with an object that can absorb heat. There are five main elements that make up a passive solar design in a building or home: Collector, Absorber, Thermal Mass, Distribution, and Control. The collector is the area where the sunlight enters the building. Usually this a large glass window. Next, the sunlight hits the absorber or a dark surface, usually the floor or a wall, which absorbs the heat. Then, the heat is further absorbed by materials that can store the heat. This is the thermal mass or the material found underneath an absorber. Next, the heat is distributed throughout the building using a distributor. These different forms of transportation are known as, conduction, convection, and radiation. Finally, objects such as roof overhangs or differential thermostats are used to control under or overheating the building. The main objective of passive solar heating is to collect and store heat. Passive cooling is the process of reducing unwanted heat. Passive cooling works in 4 main ways: Shading, Thermal Mass, Ventilation, Convective Cooling. Shading is using overhangs, awnings, or shutters to lessen the amount of heat that enters the building. Thermal mass is used to absorb and moderate the heat that enters the building and is cooled down at night so it can reabsorb more heat the next day. Ventilation helps to maintain a similar temperature on the inside of the building to that outside of the building. Lastly, convective cooling is used to shift the hot air inside the building to the outside and bring in the cool air from outside into the building. Overall, people use passive cooling to reduce the amount of heat in a building without using any energy. Another way that solar power is used is as an energy source. One form of energy that it takes is electrical energy. Sunlight can be changed into electricity using solar photovoltaic devices or solar cells. Electrons become attracted to the surface of the photovoltaic cell which in turn causes a voltage to form. An imbalance of electrical charges is formed between the top and bottom of the cell and produces electricity that can power equipment. A well-known form of photovoltaic devices is a solar panel. These panels can be positioned together to produce electricity for a building or home. They can even be arranged into plants, where thousands of them are positioned together to provide electricity for a whole neighborhood or more. A smaller form of photovoltaic cells is seen in watches and calculators. The research on solar energy has an extensive history. Alexandre Edmond Becquerel first discovered the photovoltaic effect in 1839. Not too long after the discovery of the photovoltaic effect the first cell was created by Charles Fritts in 1883. In 1887 Heinrich Hertz discovered the photoelectric effect which Albert Einstein wrote a paper about in 1904. From there cells began to be used on spacecraft, cars, and homes. Developments on solar energy haven't stopped and scientists even recently discovered sunless solar power. Solar energy is a neverending topic and discussion that has a considerable amount of history. There are many advantages and disadvantages that come with solar power. A tremendous advantage is that solar power is pollution free and is a renewable source that is clean and available at any time. Solar power helps to reduce the need for nonrenewable sources like fossil fuels and oil. Solar panels require low maintenance and the installation of them creates much-needed jobs. Considering all of these advantages there are still some key disadvantages. Solar cells or photovoltaic cells can be expensive to produce and install. These cells also require a good amount of space that some areas may not have. A considerable disadvantage is that solar power is not available at certain times of the day, year, or certain weather conditions. Despite the disadvantages, solar power continues to be utilized throughout the world on a daily basis. The future of solar power seems to be extremely prosperous. Solar power is cheaper than ever before and is said to be the lowest cost option for power in some parts of the world. Many companies are aspiring to create devices like stick on solar tiles or solar roof shingles that'll make solar power more accessible. Car companies are also utilizing solar power in the creation of new models like Tesla. There was also recent development of a solar window which is a glass window that can produce electricity using the sunlight. So far they have been developed for commercial buildings but the company is working on creating them for homes. Solar energy is the fastest growing source of energy and has an exceptionally bright future ahead.
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Efficiency of Solar Energy

For centuries humans have used the sun as a source of energy. When people talk about solar energy, it reminds me of my childhood growing up in a small remote village. We had no access to electricity. Most of our energy source was paraffin, wood, and charcoal. However; the sun was very resourceful, water was poured in metal containers and set them in the open field to absorb radiation from the sun. We used the hot water for laundry and bathing. Additionally, we used the sun to accomplish simple household tasks such as drying laundry, lighting, heating, cooking, pasteurizing or drying food to preserving it. With advanced technologies, utilities use sophisticated ways to tap solar energy and convert it to electricity. According to Environmental Protection Agency, solar is energy derived from the sun's radiation. Solar energy is the most reliable and an effective source of energy because of government subsidies, low maintenance costs, and its health benefits. Government subsidies are offered to encourage homeowners to switch to renewable solar energy and lower their energy usage. State and federal government offer incentives such as investment tax credits, state tax credits and property tax exclusions to owners of solar installations. The federal government allows a deduction of 30% of the solar power system costs off federal taxes through an investment tax credit (ITC). Sometimes, the value of solar panel system is excluded in the property taxes assessments, which means even though the value of the property has increased by the addition of the solar power system, the property tax bill remains the same. Also available are subsidized solar loans offered by the state, NGOs or utility companies to finance the purchase of the solar panel system at reduced interest rates. In addition, installation owners through net metering credits can sell excess power back to the utility company if they have the grid. These financial supports help to further reduce the initial installation costs of system, making it affordable to many homeowners. Solar panels require low cost of maintenance after installation. However; to keep the panels working effectively, basic annual maintenance and cleaning are needed. There are no repairs and replacements necessary because the solar system does not come with any moving parts. The panels stand up well against destruction. SolarWorld USA, a reputable solar panel manufacturer offers 20-year product warranty, and a 25-year performance guarantee covering defects that affect functional capability during this warranty period. Belur, a contributor of solar power world article, talks about the smart PV inverters that can automatically detect and repair faults therefore eliminating the need for onsite maintenance crew. This increases efficiency lowering the operations and maintenance costs. Producing electricity from solar energy rather than coal brings significant health benefits. Once solar panels are constructed and delivered to the work site, they produce no harmful gases whatsoever and do not require any fossil fuel to operate. The air and water pollution discharged by coal plants are harmful to human health. These emissions are associated with causing illnesses such as asthma, neurological damage, and cancer. Unlike coal, solar energy plants do not require water to operate. They do not pollute water resources or strain supply by competing with agriculture, drinking water systems, or other important water needs. Solar energy is the most efficient and clean source of energy that will benefit to our community in the long run. With government financial support and minimal operating costs, homeowners and solar system renters will afford to install the solar energy. Electricity utility bills will be reduced significantly. Also, solar being a clean source energy will create a safer environment for the future generations.
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Using Solar Energy to Save Money

According to Encyclopedia, We use solar energy to save money even though it is expensive to use the sun's energy. Solar energy is the most abundant renewable energy source that is still useful in the United States today. The reason to why it's abundant is because the sun comes up every day and it generates from the light. Although it is expensive to have heating through thermal energy, it's useful for long periods of time until the sun runs out technically. Solar power is renewable because it saves greenhouses when electricity is producing itself. The sun itself is renewable because of light and heat, so by solar using sun for power we use less of coal, gas, and oil that's used on a daily basis for most people doesn't save you much money. This type of energy is considered to be one of the best resources that replaces fuel. Its infinite and helps out not only just houses but buildings too. Panels are safe and clean, have zero wastes or emissions its an energy that can be used for a lifetime. So many different companies, countries, and other places use solar for the quality of better living. The companies that use this form of power are places like Target, Walmart, Apple, Costco, Macy's and more. It benefits well by showing other ways to help the environment which can be passed onto others who might still be using fuel gasses for electricity that aren't natural. To have solar energy power costs about 25,000-35,000 or more depending on the location. However we question why its so expensive to have it if it helps us save money? That's because it is natural and last longer than gases which eventually burn out. The most expensive part is just paying for the panels itself and the material that comes along with it. There are ways the cost can go down in the long run it'll reduce and help eliminate the high electric bills every month someone pays. Not everyone can really start to only use solar for their power because it is competitive and the expense will go up higher to put up millions of solar for people around the world, and those get scared about the sun dying out quicker that way. In 1839 is when solar started, Alexandre Edmond discovered certain materials that had small particles of electric current when its around light. 1953 Calvin Fuller, Gerald Rearson, and Daryl Chapin all founded in the silicon solar cell such as photovoltaic cell for light source. The history of solar energy didn't just start by only one person different people back then discovered different things that made it an impact in today's environment. Also then discovered that solar cant be used at night or in shady areas, which is a great thing. Because it saves so you can have power during the day so that its useful when needed and saves twice as more than just from the sun being close to infinite. I believe that the future of solar energy will widespread and change a lot of people's worlds. Even though its costly to get the material the thought of people saving for the better is remarkable. A lot of times we see those who don't really care about saving or helping the environment and even times don't know the right reasons to want to save. Eventually fuel and gasses that run electricity now wont work too well, so we would have to start using solar power more and getting used to gaining energy from the sun as needed.
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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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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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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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Bless me Ultima a Coming-of-age Movie

Bless Me Ultima, is a coming-of-age movie that is centered around a young child named Antonio. In this movie, Antonio is torn between three fortunes in his life. His mother wants him to become a preacher while his father wants him to explore life and find himself. Ultima, an old woman who works with herbs and exchanted powers and other claims she is a witch, comes to visit Antonio and his family on the Ilano. With her, she brings her wizardry, her outlooks, and her different perspectives on life and has chosen to pass these things down to Antonio before she passes away. It is clear throughout the movie that Ultima and Antonio have special powers. It is uncertain if Antonio's powers were given to him from Ultima or if he has had the magic ability since he was born. Up to the this point where Ultima has regular visits, Antonio has it in his mind that it is his life calling to become a preacher. He has to follow his mother's belief ideology which is made up of strict, accustomed rules that must be obeyed at all times. This belief system is jolted when Antonio not only a bystander but becomes a part of, Ultima's antidote for Uncle Lucas. Uncle Lucas health is declining, and the Priest's past attempts to save him fell shirt. So, the family Ultima for as their last resort. This goes to show healers are not the first resort anymore because . Ultima agrees to help him, but wants Antonio come with her. During the practice. Antonio has these weird feelings most of these feelings are somewhat painful and distasteful. It is like he has taken some of the difficulty of the pain off of Uncle Lucas, helping him fight through his pain. Ultima's remedy ends up saving Uncle Lucas' life. As a result of the Priest failing, where Ultima succeeded, this really rattles Antonio's whole belief structure. At this moment, Antonio begins to doubt his futre of becoming a priest. Ultima moves Antonio one step closer to her belief complex, and it is necessary for Antonio to accept Ultima's belief entity in order for him to gain her powers. When Antonio becomes part of Uncle Lucas' recovery.
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About Rudolfo Anaya

Rudolfo Anaya was born on October 30, 1937 in Pastura, Mexico, but moved shortly after he was born. For about the first 14 years of his life he lived in a small town called Santa Rosa. In 1952 him and his family moved to Albuquerque where he was introduced to many cultural changes, including racism, which he had not previously experienced. He had six other siblings. He was not taught English until he started going to school. In his home there were no books so when he went to school it was interesting to him. He was finally able to read stories and often read books like Nancy Drew and other western stories. He worked very hard and his mother encouraged him to excel in his studies. When Anaya was 16 he was with friends swimming in a ditch. He decided to dive into it. This resulted in him breaking two vertebrate in his neck and being temporarily paralyzed. After this, he had a new outlook on life. He realized how valuable life is and it gave him more motivation than ever before. He initially went to business school but quickly realized his heart was not in that and switched to a liberal arts program. He went to the University of New Mexico. Anaya worked hard to get his masters degree in literature and met his wife during the process. She was there learning to be a guidance counselor which she accomplished. It took him a while before he had found his own style. He says that for a long time he was just copying other authors styles because he wasn't sure he was good enough to try his own. He wanted to ask for help from his family to help him find how he should write. Ultima was a mentor both in the story and for him in real life. She was this random old woman that helped inspire him. He was learning to write when he wrote Bless Me Ultima, and he realized he should use his own culture to help inspire him while writing this novel. When he finally finished it he tried to get it published but was rejected many times because it was half spanish and english. Eventually TQS Publications agreed.
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The Supernatural and Ordinary Reality

The supernatural and ordinary reality are worlds that exist side by side. I don't believe the truth is out there, I believe it is within. To discover the truth and power within is to walk in the supernatural.-Rudolfo Anaya. The supernatural and magic are strong essences presented throughout Anaya's captivating novel. There are many ways the characters of Bless Me Ultima and even the state of New Mexico reflect his comments. One of my favorite ways Ultima reflects Anaya's comments is when she gives her final blessing to Antonio, I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful, Antonio. Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you” (Bless Me Ultima, pg. 247). This beautiful statement signifies her spiritual being that connects all living things and she assures him that her spirit will prevail with him and the lessons she has taught him will continue to help guide him. Another example that reflects Anaya's comments is a conversation Antonio has with his father Gabriel. Understanding does not come that easy, Tony”. You mean God doesn't give understanding?'' Understanding comes with life, he answered, as a man grows, he sees life and death, he is happy and sad, he works, plays, meets people”sometimes it takes a lifetime to acquire understanding, because in the end, understanding simply means having a sympathy for people, ( Bless Me Ultima, pg. 237). In that conversation Gabriel also mentions, Ultima has sympathy for people, and it is so complete that with it she can touch their souls and cure them” . That is her magic” Ay and no greater magic can exist. But in the end, magic is magic, and one does not explain it so easily. That is why it is magic. To the child, it is natural, but for the grown man it loses its naturalness”so as old men we see a different reality. And when we dream, it is usually for a lost childhood, or trying to change someone and that is not good. So, in the end, I accept reality. (Bless Me Ultima, pg. 237). Ultima is wise and mysterious. We are torn between whether she is an ordinary woman with extraordinary power or if she may be of the supernatural world. A way Antonio reflects Anaya's comments is when he sees the Golden Carp for the very first time. As he describes, the story Cico told him was unbelievable but it made perfect sense. He then goes home and shares the story with Ultima, and she smiles because she knows. He questions whether he should believe the story or not and Ultima replies, I cannot tell you what to believe... As you grow into manhood you must find your own truths. (Bless Me Ultima, pg. 111-112) Another aspect that I think really reflects Rudolfo Anaya's comment, To discover the truth and power within is to walk in the supernatural., are the vivid dreams sequences Antonio has foreshadowing the events that take place in the novel. The dreams help put things in perspective for Antonio as he transforms through his journey. Ultima teaches that things are not always as they seem, and they cannot be accepted that way. The whole must be looked at in order to truly understand. Antonio learns much from his experiences and uses Ultima's teachings to stay open minded and gain wisdom. In the end, however, Antonio learns that he must go his own path to reach total peace of mind and have the control over his dreams, not letting his dreams control him. Lastly, when thinking about the supernatural and the ordinary reality of the world, the state of New Mexico provides a great example of how those two things interact. New Mexico has been and is still greatly influenced by the Catholic Church. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the Indigenous people who lived here worshiped very differently. Ultima is also a perfect example of blending cultures. Even though she practices indigenous beliefs she is still respectful of the Catholic Church. She attends mass and never tells Antonio that the things the church professes are wrong. She always encourages him to look within and come up with his own opinions/decisions. Bless Me Ultima has many themes and shares so much magic and history. Its super natural essence brings a powerful dynamic to the reading and makes it unforgettable. I enjoyed this book and I am glad I was given the opportunity to read it. In conclusion, these a few ways in which the characters of Bless Me Ultima and even the state of New Mexico reflect Rudolfo Anaya's comments.
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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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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

Life has many twists and turns and some are meant to be a learning experience and help shift our perspective on daily life. When one allows events to shape their life it can be beneficial or detrimental. Betrayal, respect, negligence, and defiance can all have a significant role on the development of one's life, whether someone chooses to believe or be in disbelief truth will always prosper. Narciso, Ultima, and Florence all perish, facing defeat. Antonio young and naive to the world deals with so much misfortune. Death has significance to Antonio and to the afterlife that awaits and the loss of a soul as Narcisos death was not in vain. Narciso chooses to be valiant, courageously facing Tenorio all at once. His actions show him to be an honest man running to protect Ultima from Tenorio when she was defenseless. When confronting Antonio's older brother he shows concern for Ultima's safety,and gets declined due to his drunk nature leading to his demise. After Antonio notices that his brother had betrayed Narciso's word, he goes to seek help holding his head down. Now with facing and seeing death through his own eyes he begins to believe there is no good in this world. All the above shows that death of a close friend has affected Antonio's value of life. Someone's company can come in a great amount of ways, friends, enemies, alies, animals and all can influence oneself in a good and bad way, they can do as much as pursue one to believe in themselves. Antonio had a couple of friends when he went to communion, all but one of his many friends seemed abnormal to him, Florence was a boy who usually stayed quiet and was hardly noticed. Florence did not believe in religion therefore did not believe someone would save his soul after he died, not believing in a God while Antonio had been raised in a devout catholic home worried and lead to the distaste in his friends behavior. Florence did believe in something and that was himself ,despite his non belief in practicing religion. When Antonio saw Florence define all others opinions on him, he sought for to acquire that quality for himself. After going one day with friends and witnessing his friend drown and come afloat a river changed Antonio and made him realize that his friend had died without confession and that he would burn in hell. As well made him question himself, why if there is an all knowing god there was still so much evil in the world. He now recognized that one does not need to believe in anything to believe in oneself. Though this event changed Antonio in a detrimental manner he still believes that life is not always good but there is a balance in the universe. Death is inevitable in life and at times leaves messages for others to follow, life flourishes across the world and as one grows one learns from it. The elderly live among us and are wise with knowledge and some seek for that knowledge that is shared from old to young. Ultima gives young Antonio a necklace filled with protective herbs as he continues to grow more and more attached to her she begins to look after him more then his mother. Through the time he first welcomed her to his home she took to immediately go and help his uncle Lucas who had been cursed by the trementina sisters saving his life and showed that she has a good heart. The compassion shared between Ultima and Antonio is strong as she teaches him after Tenorios daughter dies that good outweighs evil. Through all the time Ultima spent with Antonio she watched over him through the owl and her spirit embedded inside of it. When Ultima's spirit is killed she begins to slowly die and tells Antonio that she has lived her life and that he needs to destroy all her belongings and does so obediently as he respects her in her final minutes, In the end he never quite understood why everything had to happen the way it did and affected him in a beneficial way. The majority of things that happen to Antonio are during the summer and have seemed to mature him and shape his view on the world. He began to learn that change is sad and inevitable to escape, that it must happen to progress. Antonio's father cannot seem to cope with the changes in his own life and still neglects the fact that it is his actions to pursue freedom and inspired his children to make a life of their own and not pursue his dream. Through evil shines Light, and hardships, tribulations, and death are obstacles one must overcome in life to do good.
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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

The presidential election of 2016 between democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump was a barbarous and crude feud between not only the nominees but the citizens of the United States. This race was touted as one of the most hostile and cut-throat contests for the presidency, from the back and forth social media insults, the bickering at the presidential debates, and the unsportsmanlike conduct throughout their run. It seemed as a country divided, voters were almost split 50/50 between Trumps campaign to Make America Great Again and his focus on traditional Americana values, opposed to Hillary Clintons progressive agenda. These paradoxical views on how America should abide ensued chaos between not only the two candidates but, the Democratic and Republican parties. Although this election has been hailed as one of the most hostile races in the modern era, it doesn't hold a candle to the back and forth smack-talk to some past elections pre-civil war. Acts of political belligerence in the U.S. date as far back as the election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Both sides engaged in personal, mean-spirited insults and false accusations throughout their campaigns, from Jefferson claiming Adams as a hermaphrodite, and an adulterer to Adams stating that Jefferson is an atheist, to then going as far to say that he is dead. Though Trump and Hillary both had accusations such as Hillary being a criminal or Trump committing sexual misconduct, these claims had a little more validity than the farfetched allegations dished out during the election of 1800. Adams and Jefferson, (both founding fathers and lifelong friends) used ridiculous banter to harass each other into submission. The mudslinging for presidency doesn't end here, 25 years later and we face the Era of the Common Man. The citizens of the U.S. are tired of the elitist running society and want a man cut from their cloth in office, a national hero and poor man's president, this man is none other than Andrew Jackson. Jackson ran first ran for presidency in 1924 against John Quincy Adams, though Jackson won the popular vote, he had lost to Adams after Speaker of the House Henry Clay cast a tie-breaking vote. When Adams chose Clay as his Secretary of State, Jackson was furious and accused the two of a "corrupt bargain." This sparked the chaos of the election of 1828. This electoral race was so abhorrent and despicable that it left Jackson's wife Rachel dead with a broken heart, literally. John Quincy Adams before this election was accused of merchandising an American woman to the Russian Czar, in retaliation he called Rachel Jackson a convicted adulteress due to her marrying Jackson before finalizing her divorce with her previous husband. Shortly after Andrew Jackson was elected Rachel died, at Jackson's inauguration he blamed Adams for her death and stated that God may forgive him but that he never can, after his speech at Jackson's inauguration party (which was public) a mob scene ensued. A lady that attended this party named Margaret Smith wrote Ladies fainted, men were seen with bloody noses, and such a scene took place as is impossible to describe. Though there was drama after trump was elected, there is no relocation of severe mobs ensuing at his inauguration. The United States takes another step toward a nation divided. Our last contentious and hostile election before the civil war is the election of 1860. This election was less belligerent between the two candidates as it was the entire nation (North vs. South). Unlike Jackson vs. Adams which seem to be more of a conflict between classes, this election was referendum of slavery. Republican Abraham Lincoln defeated Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell. The electoral split between Northern and Southern Democrats was symbolic of the severe sectional split, and in the months following Lincoln's election seven Southern states, led by South Carolina seceded, setting the stage for the American Civil War.
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The Media Trump and the Presidential Election

This paper explores the way that the media influenced the 2016 presidential election. More specifically the way news sources reported on Trump's jarring and obscene language, easily digestible for click-bait audiences instead of policy positions. This paper will identify how reporters focused on Donald Trump's tailored comments that were purposely meant to attract media attention. The author of a Harvard study, Thomas Patterson said, the mainstream press highlights what's wrong with politics without also telling us what's right,. It's a version of politics that rewards a particular brand of politics. When everything and everybody is portrayed as deeply flawed, there's no sense making distinctions on that score, which works to the advantage of those who are more deeply flawed, Patterson said. This paper will explore the effect that influenced voters had on and attributed to the election of Donald Trump.

The way media outlets comment and report on candidates has a large impact on public opinion. During the 2016 election, coverage of candidates was focused on the negative. The phrases lesser of two evils and they're all bad options were frequently used when describing the candidates. Patterson hypothesized that negative news stories have a corrosive effect and also a neutralizing effect. If negative news stories are featured about all candidates then it levels the playing field and allows for charlatans to enter the arena. The study found that over the course of the general election Hillary Clinton was the target of fewer negative news stories than Donald Trump. However, over the course of the whole campaign Hillary was targeted more than Donald Trump. This coverage has huge effects on public opinion of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The platform Donald Trump created, backed by the media, allowed him to win over the minds of Americans he wouldn't have otherwise. The nationwide, 24/7 coverage, click-bait news stories about Donald Trump was reversly used to his advantage. The provocative things that Donald Trump said gained him news coverage and ended up helping his campaign more than hurting it.

Julia Azari, associate professor of Political Science at Marquette University, believes the news media aided the election of Donald Trump by being anti- establishment. She argues that the news media works within the political institutions and has major effects on political decisions. Azari sees the election of Donald Trump as the president as a direct action of the news media. Donald Trump's vague and nonspecific anti-establishment and anti- government driven messages were reported on by every major media outlet. Though Trump was a businessman, television icon and unfit as a political candidate, Azari claims by simply by covering Trump, the media made his behavior seem presidential. Coverage of Trump, perhaps unwittingly, places him squarely within our expectations of the presidency, Azari said. The media also gave the office of president unrealistic power by covering Trump's claims that he was going to perform all of these actions that a president cannot perform alone. Media tropes present a false picture of the presidency, presidents can rarely shape policy alone, Azari said. The cause and effect relationship between the media and its influence on elections requires background knowledge on the functioning of political institutions and how partisan media affects the electorate. For some voters, headlines on social media had the most influence.

An article from NPR outlines how the social media boom created a political uproar and changed the tone for discussing politics. It describes how on Facebook people would delete their friends who had different political values from them in friend purges. On twitter, negative re-tweets and sarcastic messages were a similar defense to people with different views. The article points out that political strife was taboo but now it is encouraged. The way Donald Trump uses social media was one of the large focal points of the public throughout the election season. Pictures of his tweets could be found on any social media website, subjecting anyone with Internet access to a constant barrage of political arguments and happenings. It is this constant coverage that allows people to slowly become normalized to the outrageousness of Donald Trump's campaign. Because of how common it was for an incendiary tweet to be put out by the presidential candidate, it became normal. A major reason that these stories were clogging up people's news feeds and dashboards is because of the format of social media sites. The article notes that no thoughtful political conversation can happen in one tweet of 140 characters, and those who attempt at such a conversation end up in a loud mess. The article shows a particular interaction between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, over twitter.

This type of interaction happened daily during the election season. Sarcastic and aggressive types of political arguments made Donald Trump's hateful messages less shocking and this type of language normal for politicians. Another issue seen in the social media age is the use of bots to stir political arguments and perpetuate a sense of tension between ideologies. Bots spouting out hateful messages such as crooked Hillary and Donald Trump the puppet created a false political environment for the regular people browsing social media sites. Glen Smith, a political researcher, published an article describing how the timing of certain partisan news stories affects a presidential election. Smith wanted to understand at which point voters were most susceptible to partisan biased media. It is known that the effect of partisan media input weakens as an election period continues. However, Smith focused on exactly how, and among what populations, this effect weakened. The primacy effect occurs because new information is processed based on prior opinions. In a process termed hot cognition, Smith said. The feelings brought to mind by one's prior affect toward the candidates influences their motivations when processing new information. Smith finds in his study that a politically uneducated person is more likely to continue to be affected by partisan media throughout the election process. Whereas a politically educated person is more likely to follow the trend and not be as affected later on in the election. Donald Trump had the more votes from politically uneducated and previously politically inactive populations. One can draw the conclusion that the media may have influenced these populations more than others. News stories from fake media sources surfaced near the end of the election and the convenient timing of the re-opening of a FBI investigation. A false news story that Donald Trump was endorsed by the pope was seen across the nation.

According to Smith, the education level and political affiliation of individuals determines how affected they are by media at different points throughout the election. The large amount of uneducated people who voted for Donald Trump may have been solidified in their support due to a false news story or clickbait headline. The re- opening of the investigation into Hillary Clinton days before the election also would have a huge effect on these populations even though it was late in the election. The presidential election is hard to understand and complex to determine the causes because of how many factors and different types of people participate in elections. Each election has its own set of variables as society continues to change. In this particular election the evolution of the ways people communicated changed the way elections are won and the political establishment suffered a loss to Donald Trump. Donald Trump's campaign used lack of trust with government and negative campaign methods to their advantage. Donald Trump won the election however without the indirect help of the news media institutions that did not understand the effect they were having by covering Donald Trump so closely, he may not have. Politics as a whole was so shaken by the victory of Donald Trump a lot of research has gone into exactly how he was elected. This media- centered research will be in mind during the next election cycle.

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Niccollo Machiavelli the most Influential Theorist of Political Philosophy

Niccollo Machiavelli was one of the most influential theorists of political philosophy. He was known as an Italian diplomat, philosopher, historian, and politician of the Renaissance period (Rubio, 2016). However, his notoriety stems from being known as the father of modern political theory, and his theory inspired the term Machiavellian (Rubio, 2016). The world in which Niccollo Machiavelli lived, surprisingly enough, resembles modern-day society to some extent. Even though city states have been replaced with nation states, empires have permanently collapsed, and modern warfare is now unimaginably waged with weapons and tactics, there are still similarities that remain the same (Stratford, 2015). Although Machiavelli died hundreds of years ago, he would likely be able to expertly navigate the political sphere of today, as if it was his own, seeing as how the principles that prevail remain the same (Stratford, 2015). Even though some of his teachings justified and inspired tactics involving dishonesty, immorality, and murder, there are still many positive takeaways from his teachings that have impacted modern-day society. As a result, his theories have become a guide for contemporary policymakers of all types across the world. Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469 in Florence, Tuscany during the Renaissance movement (Borghini, 2017). He was the son of a lawyer from a rather distinguished family, and he spent hours educating himself in his father's library (Borghini, 2017). As a result, there is reason to believe that he was exceptionally educated. In 1498, he accepted a political career covering two governmental roles in Florence, Italy (Borghini, 2017). He was assigned with diplomatic missions to local European courts which required a sophisticated understanding of politics along with great diplomacy (Borghini, 2017). In 1509, he was responsible for establishing the Florentine militia and leading the troops to recapture the town of Pisa (Borghini, 2017). Machiavelli was indeed a Renaissance man successful in most endeavors, leaving a lasting mark on history as a writer of short stories, histories, and plays. In 1513, in he was imprisoned, tortured, and exiled. He later retired to his country house, where he began writing his famous works including a classic masterpiece that is still read today, The Prince (1513) (Borghini, 2017). According to Machiavelli, in order for an individual to maintain one's state and achieve great things, one must be powerful, bold, flexible, resolute, and be prepared to break promises against charity, truth, religion, and humanity (Machiavelli, 1810). One must have the cunning of a fox and the strength of a lion (Machiavelli, 1810). This also means that in order to be successful, one must be willing to act deviously, ruthlessly, violently, and cruelly when deemed necessary. In today's politics, actions are judged by their success, which means one will be praised regardless of their wrong so long as the end justifies the means (Ratner, 2018). This message seems cold and calculating; however, it is one that many politicians live by. Machiavelli believed that rulers and citizens should not shrink from setting aside every scruple if the survival of the republic is at stake (Ramsay, 2017). In other words, political success excuses any unjust, cruel, or disgraceful deed, regardless of how harsh the consequences may be. Admittedly, this is a cold way of dealing with society, and even though it does in some places exist to this extent today, this generally leads citizens to strike back. Even though the mere utterance of Machiavelli's name has become synonymous with treachery and deceit, one of his main concerns was security of the state as well as the welfare of its people (Demack, 2012). When taken in correct context, his theory of leadership has some common sense to it. In Chapter 21, for example, he explains what leaders must do in order to be esteemed (Demack, 2012). Roughly transposed to today's way of thinking one could say that presidents who attend the Olympics and CEOS acting as philanthropists are actually following his counsel. Machiavelli admired Borgia but in his book depicted his weaknesses using brutal honesty (Demack, 2012). He identified the unpleasant truths of human nature in a straightforward manner. (Demack, 2012). The most successful politicians of today seem to be the ones who have an edge to them, the ability to get step outside the normal parameters of niceties. Jimmy Carter was a good example of one who totally lacked this sort of ability. Donald Trump is quite the opposite in his tactics, speaking and acting brutally at times. President Carter was an ineffectual president in some ways due to his clutching so closely his values. We have yet to see what the outcome will be for President Trump. Thomas Cromwell, the mastermind behind the English reformation, was said to have specifically admired Machiavelli and Roman Emperor Charles V and Henry VII were both found owning copies of The Prince. (Stratford, 2015). His works ended up inspiring Henry VII to defy the Pope and seizing religious authority (History Channel: Machiavelli, 2018). Machiavelli was also cited as the murderous Machiavel according to Shakespeare (History Channel: Machiavelli, 2018). Philosopher Edmund Burkes believed the French Revolution bore evidence of the odious maxims of a Machiavellian policy (History Channel: Machiavelli, 2018). Later, during the 20th century, his works were blamed him for the rise of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin because a book was kept by their bedside, and they were known to have read the book before (History Channel: Machiavelli). Business leaders also use Machiavelli's theories in their aspirations of getting. Others go as far as to call it the Mafia Bible for gangsters like John Gotti (History Channel: Machiavelli, 2018). There are those who question his work and propose that it is a warning of what could potentially happen if power is not checked. However, a majority of individuals are said to think of it as a blueprint for how to gain power and hold onto it. (History Channel: Machiavelli, 2018) Cesare Borgia in The Prince is Machiavelli's example of a prince with great prowess; however, this young man was also known to be the enemy of the Renaissance period (Demack, 2012). He was the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, who ravaged Northern Italy, seized towns, and murdered many of those who attempted to stand in his way. (Demack, 2012). This meant no one was safe and anyone was liable to be strangled, stabbed, or poisoned with impunity. Niccollo Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat during this time, therefore, he spent four months in Borgia's court, writing dispatches to his superiors which helped inspire The Prince (Demack, 2012). In The Prince, he uses Borgia as an example to explain the dangers of acquiring principality by virtue of another got to change these words (Demack, 2012). Since Borgia was given power by virtue of his father, he ruled Romagna with overall skill. However, once his father died, a rival to his family gained influence, and Cesare was overthrown (Demack, 2012). This event having occurred hundreds of years ago may seem like an isolated moment in history, but the abuse of power is not peculiar to Renaissance politics. This abuse can occur anywhere, any time, and with anyone. Along with the brutality of war and politics, it seems that principles espoused by Machiavelli apply to not just today's society but to various time periods leading up to this. The Prince was intended to be a royal advice book explaining in detail the virtues that a good prince should possess (Machiavelli, 1810). The Prince gives instruction as to how a leader gains power and stays in power. In this book, he described how to run a principality without regarding what is traditionally right or wrong (Littell). Even though he did gain power in Florence, when the leadership changed, he also lost his political influence. The Prince, however, has become known as one of the best examinations of politics and is studied by political thinkers to this very day. Francis Bacon, British statesman and philosopher, wrote that We are much beholden to Machiavelli and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do, meaning that he wrote about the reality of politics rather than the theory (Littell). Even though The Prince had many practical insights on human behavior, it is also known to display a very pessimistic view of human nature and condones unethical ways of manipulating others (Littell). The Prince also teaches the inner workings of power. In his book, he asserts the importance of properly judging one's relationship with people of power (Demack, 2012). Misjudging these types of relationships, he reasons, can only jeopardize one's career, health, and bank balance. Power is usually abused when both the perpetrator and the victim share dysfunctional beliefs concerning power (Demack, 2012). Oftentimes, there are those who abuse their power and those who become victims, both of which act out of fear (Demack, 2012). The victim fears humiliation and the perpetrator fear the loss of power. Thus, Machiavelli tells us that the key to effective leadership is one's self-acceptance and self-knowledge. This was portrayed when men in The Prince, like Cesare Borgia, were destroyed simply because they lacked self-knowledge (Demack, 2012). Machiavelli asserted that if Borgia had recognized his weaknesses, he could well have ended up being far more successful. Self-acceptance, according to Machiavelli, is important because once one accepts their imperfections, they lose their power and others cannot manipulate them (Demack, 2012). This then gives one the courage needed to speak the truth to power and accept imperfections in others. This means that self-knowledge and self-acceptance are indispensable regardless of leading or following (Demack, 2012). In this sense he expresses the importance of individuals taking responsibility for their relationship with power. Machiavelli states that an appreciation for human nature allows one to foresee problems, defuse dangerous situations, and make wiser decisions (Demack, 2012). Applied to today's politics, these characteristics are very important in traversing the political playing field. To be able to understand what drives others and to have the objectivity to assess situations are both vital skills if one is to be successful. Machiavelli is said to have broken from politics in pursuit of a unified public and private good life (Stratford, 2015). This gave one the notion that politicians can operate according to the demands of the state as an entity independent from civil society and its moral imperatives (Stratford, 2015). He believed that in private morality the means matter just as much if not more (Stratford, 2015). However, in public morality, the ends are fundamental under all circumstances (Stratford, 2015). This means a leader who shows off their own moral imperfections to the public is more virtuous. In other words, he believed that to show one's imperfections was not a liability but an asset. Again, if we look President Trump, he definitely uses this philosophy. To his credit, he has garnered an admiration for his brutal honesty. Those who truly support him do not waiver, and much of this is, indeed, due to his unapologetic nature of telling it like it is. Machiavelli was the first to argue persuasively rules that constitute a morality as legitimate as that of one's everyday lifestyle (Stratford, 2015). His persuasiveness of the case rests in its relation to the world rather than its philosophical expansiveness (Stratford, 2015). Machiavelli's writing came to life and even shaped the way generations of political leaders, publics, and philosophers understand how politics work. It also shaped the way that statesmen and politicians practice politics. This means that his legacy requires one to look at what he wrote and refer it to the world it was written about because that world involved the beginnings of the modern state. The term Machiavellian is used to characterize politicians who are evil because of the behaviors he is known to justify himself in his famous book, The Prince which turned Aristotle's theory of virtues upside down and shook the European conception of government at its foundations (Borghini, 2017). Toward the end of the Sixteenth Century, The Prince was suddenly translated in all major European languages (Borghini, 2017). The Prince had also been a new subject of heated disputes into the many courts of the Old Continent. Unfortunately for Machiavelli, his main ideas have been misinterpreted at times. This led to the term coined as Machiavellianism, which would refer exclusively to his type (Borghini, 2017). Today, the term indicates a person with a cynical attitude, who is justified to do anything if the end requires it so long as they are a politician (Borghini, 2017). Again, an example of how this philosophy has sustained. One does not need to have read his book to understand the meaning of the word Machiavellian. Machiavellianism has also made its way to the business world. This term used in the setting of the workplace means the employment of deceptive behavior in a business setting (Greenberg, 2003). Machiavellianism has even been studied as a personality characteristic sharing features with manipulative leadership tactics (Greenberg, 2003). Recently, however it has been applied to the context of the workplace and other organizations in a different way. Machiavellism, psychopathy, and narcissism, have been identified as the dark triatic personality traits (Greenberg, 2003). The Machiavellian generally manipulates individuals in pursuit of achieving his or her goals. A newer model of Machiavellianism is based on maintaining power, manipulative behaviors, and harsh management tactics (Greenberg, 2003). Studies have shown there to be a positive correlation between Machiavellianism and workplace bullying. The groups of bullies and victims were said to have a higher Machiavellianism level compared to those who were uninvolved (Greenberg, 2003). Machiavellians are known to manipulate and exploit individuals to advance their own personal agendas and maintain power over all. The guiding principles of Machiavellianism include that one must never show humility, arrogance is more effective when interacting with others, ethics and morality are for weak individuals, powerful people have the right to deceive others when necessary, and it is much better to be feared than to be loved (Greenberg, 2003). This means these individuals oftentimes neglect to share important information, fail to meet their own obligations, find ways of making others in management look bad, and spread false rumors. Research has shown Machiavellianism to be positively associated with subordinate perceptions of abusive supervision which includes workplace bullying (Greenberg, 2003). However, if one looks deeper, Machiavelli actually addresses this issue. Bullying seems to be the only strategy known for individuals who can't lead. These individuals are weak, which means one will only become a victim if they cower. In the end, neither stance brings true happiness and one must always remember to watch their backs. Machiavelli addresses the danger of this. For example, most of the Roman emperors in The Prince died tragically before their time (Demack, 2012). Everyone is given the opportunity to lead others at work, in politics, in the community, or within one's family. Once one becomes a leader, however, they will be challenged which also means if there are any self-doubts, they will become very evident to those around them. Despite ones many strengths, often trying to hide one's weaknesses will only lead to them becoming exposed. (Demack, 2012). Machiavelli encourages strength and does say that the ends justify the means, but he also addresses the virtues of cunning and prowess, the ability to be a statesman. Bullying on its face would not be something that he endorsed but would rather warn against as an excess and a weakness. Through Machiavelli's teachings, a very basic yet difficult question for politicians arises: Is it better to be fear or loved? According to Machiavelli, one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with (Machiavelli, 1810). This is because fear is easier to maintain for a ruler than love. Machiavelli believes that fear is the most reliable emotion that can be most easily controlled. One cannot rely on love because it is unstable. Fear, however, is constant and will remain true no matter what the circumstances are. Love creates a bond of obligation while fear encourages obedience. It is always difficult to rely on being loved because people can be ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, dissimulating, hungry for profit and quick to evade danger (Machiavelli, 1810). These are all very valid points that be interpreted the wrong way. Machiavelli never said it is better to be feared than loved, instead he only said it was safer (Machiavelli, 1810). This, again is another facet of his philosophy that has carried over to today's politics. Throughout the world, we have despots that reign with terror, not so many with compassion. This remains a question still pondered by today's politicians as they attempt to establish and maintain their position. Again, President Trump comes to mind as an example of this facet of Machiavelli's theory. He admittedly uses fear as a political tactic to get what he wants. Again, we will have to wait to see if this proves to be an effective tool. Machiavelli changed the course of world history by his revolutionary philosophy. Perhaps it was really nothing new, but the fact that he defined his thoughts so clearly gave the politician a tool with which to traverse the political environment. This book has been translated in different languages and is still used today in other fields (i.e. business). Good or bad, Machiavelli changed the way the game of politic has played to this very day.
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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 was Influenced by Plato and Aristotle

In Machiavelli's writing, it gives the reader a window to see into what he perceives as virtue. He was a philosopher who believed in the ideals of an authoritative figure being there to guide, or uphold his followers similar as a pillar, with respect and leadership. Although, Machiavelli's theory is quite different, and in some way contradicts, from other philosophers, it is still respected and at times, proven by people of high authority. Machiavelli was influenced by philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, and it is for that reason he is able to make theoretical arguments. His influence from philosophers before him is quite different due to the way that he rejected Aristotle's theory of virtue completely. Although, his opinion based on his knowledge and understanding of virtue differed greatly, he did create his own definition of what he believed virtue to be. Machiavelli rejected Aristotle's philosophy of virtue. He, instead, believed that virtue was strength power, excellence and rigor. He, too, held a strong rejection of traditional morality. There was an idea that a man concerned with the future should always follow in the footsteps of men who were excellent for if he does not succeed at the very least, he was on the right path. Imitation of those who were in power, no matter how good or bad they ruled, was how someone achieved excellence. He also spoke of Brother Girolamo who could not make the unbelievers believe in his new orders. If he would have overcome the difficulties in conducting his affairs then he would have showed a great deal of virtue. a n example referred to is a dominican friar by the name of Savonarola, praised for his accomplishment of convincing Florentines that he spoke with God, by Machiavelli even though it led to his terrible end. He then continues to say that once they were held in great respect with no more concerns for those who envy them, they remain powerful, secure, honored, and happy (Machiavelli 24-25). Respect was what held them in power, but also what kept them content. Once there was no more respect from the people who followed them then they lost their virtue of strength. Aristotle's theory of virtue was that good habits of the soul by which we act attain happiness. The approach Machiavelli took of virtue was quite different from Aristotle's theory. Throughout the text, Machiavelli expressed his belief that virtue was based on the power and strength of an individual. His use of virtue can cause issues in how his theory of virtue is used. His theory of virtue can be problematic depending on the situation. For example, in the story of Alexander VI after all was said and done, Machiavelli said that his choices when using his power and trying to accomplish more led to his ruin. The intentions to gain control of other states through disorder led the duke to have many unresolved issues that eventually caught up to him. In the text he says whoever believes that among great personages new benefits will make old injuries be forgotten deceives himself' (Machiavelli 33). Part of his theory of virtue is the rejection of traditional morality which can be interpreted as even the strong and powerful are not immortal. Even the strongest people can be too confident in their strength that lead to issues for those in authority or other positions. Alexander VI was the first relevant figure that Machiavelli employs to express his idea of virtue. The situation of Alexander VI started with making his son, the duke, great. He then wanted to make his son the lord of a state of the church, but he knew it was not possible due to the circumstances. The power was long under the protection of individuals that would not consent to it as well as to those who feared the greatness of the pope that he could not trust. His use of his own power was to create disorder in the states so he could make himself lord over them. There was some effort that was needed on his part which led him to create friendships with other places. Although, his intentions did seem to be wrongful by the way he chose to achieve his goal, Machiavelli did make sure that he was praised for helping others. Machiavelli begins by saying And because this point is deserving of notice and of being imitated by others... which is in reference to the duke creating a place of peace and control in Romagna (Machiavelli 29). Eventually, Machiavelli does say he did believe that some of his other choices led to his ultimate ruin. Specifically referring to the issues he left behind that eventually caught up to the duke no matter how much he tried to escape them. Most philosophers hold their own theory of what virtue really means and Machiavelli is no different. His theory differs most noticeably from Aristotle's although both philosophers have reasons to believe their theories. The theory of virtue that Machiavelli believed in was expressed through many individuals. There was also multiple of other characteristics that Machiavelli praised besides the use of strength of those in power. For instance, in some cases it seemed better to praise the accomplishments of the men who used the power they had to help others such as it was for the case of the duke. He clarified that they were still capable of making mistakes that could ruin the progress they made, because they were not immortal. In other cases, it appeared that devious behavior was praised for gaining more power over others. In the case of Alexander VI he wanted to use disorder to accomplish his goal. Machiavelli's theory of virtue overall incorporates many possibilities of what good and bad power and strength can be interpreted as along with what it can do to a person if not used logically.
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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

Has there ever been a thought about the difference between organic food and nonorganic food. Of course there has, statements have been made saying organic food is better for the environment than non organic food. The controversy here is the environmental effects between these two types of food and which of the two are better for man to eat. Organic foods are made by conventional farming using natural pesticides while non-organic foods are made by chemicals and human made pesticides. This report will argue why organic foods are better than non-organic foods for the health of mankind. When organic food travels long distances to market it creates pollution that may offset any positive environmental effects of organic farming. However, buying local food, which may or may not be grown organically helps reduce the environmental costs associated with food miles. Organic food is food that has been grown or processed without chemicals. Pesticides may be used on organic food as long as is not synthetic. Organic can change perceptions of tastes calories, and value regardless of whether the food is organic or not. Organic food producers have a special certification based on government defined standards to market food as organic. Organic products can be a greener and healthier option. Remember, no type of food or novelty is a magic solution to your health. Consider whether organic foods are right for the environment. To start off organic foods show a higher concentration of antioxidants and other nutrients than they do in non-organic foods. According to research these antioxidants help to reduce diseases such as Alzheimer's and even cancer. It is also proven fact that organic food is grown without pesticides, hormones, and even antibiotics. A major fall back is that organic foods like the vegetables and fruits have a shorter shelf life due to the produce not being made with waxes and preservatives to help keep instock longer. This one down fall has been argued that this causes more of a food waste around the world. One additional fun fact is organic farming has been proven to be more profitable to the country. Organic foods have different nutritional values. Some are more nutritious than their non organic versions. Others have the same value. For example organic fruits and vegetables may have more minerals. This is due to the way in which organic products are grown. Organic snacks ,such as cookies or ice cream, do not contain extra nutrition. Organic foods do not have preservatives. Local producers buy them so it can tend to be fresher. Also do not have any chemicals and artificial flavors so it has more natural flavors. The organic label does not guarantee a better flavor or freshness, but some humans may discover that it taste much better. Taste organic products and dairy products to see if the flavor is better. Organic agriculture is destined to be good for the environment it helps reduce pollution, save water and resources and reduce soil erosion. Organic farmers do not use pesticides that can harm animals and plants. Also provide livestock with more humane living conditions organic foods are often sold at local stores. This reduces the contamination of the shipment through the country. Organic product usually do not last as long as non organic ones this is because it does not have preservatives. Food especially agriculture products can spoil faster. Some humans may have noticed that organic foods are more expensive than non organic foods. This is due to the higher costs of organic agriculture, as well as limite supplies. As more people use more organic products, prices tend to decrease. This is already happening in the areas of the country where people buy organic products more frequently. Nonorganic food items are usually cheaper than non organic counterpart because farming and growing methods yield more food per acre. Most of the food available in supermarkets is not certified organic and consumers are familiar with these brands. Nonorganic foods are feed by more people and more easier in a productive manner because it can be harmful to our health leading diseases that we face today, obesity,cancer,heart diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Among the advantages of organic foods, we emphasize that are completely natural type of product and free of any type of chemical or toxic product that once, digested, would pass to our organism in the way that were present in the body of the food. When dealing with foods that include artificial processes of any kind of more expensives foods, since it takes longer to produce and production is carried out on a smaller scale with ultimately results in a higher price when reaching the customer final. Organic agriculture has two main objectives. The first is to reduce the negative impact on the environment. The second is to increase sustainability. This means that agriculture practices take care of the land to make sure it is useful for a long time. Meat and organic animals products must come from animals raised in a natural habitat. Farmers must provide them with organic food, clean housing and access to the outdoors. Farmers can use growth hormones or antibiotics. These products are often given to non organic animals. Organic foods typically contain the same amount of the nutrients, vitamins , and minerals as non organic foods. Non organic foods are basically like water and minerals. Organic and conventional foods have the same quality and safety standards. The organic foods differs that conventionally food in a way it is grown ,handled and processed with no scientific evidence that suggest it has more nutrients or safer than conventional foods. Organic refers to the process of how certain foods are produced. Organic foods have been grown or farmed without the use of chemicals and hormones or genetically modified organisms. In order to be labeled organically. A food product must be free of artificial food additives. Some humans buy organic food for the environmental. Organic foods can be healthy. Organic foods are much better for the environment than non organic. Organic foods are just tastes better. For all things being said organic food is better for the environment conventional farming is controversy. Organic foods is the way to go for the environment. For all these reasons it is advisable to take a complete and and varied diet that includes both organic and nonorganic foods to improve the quality of life and prolong it as much as possible.
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Analyzing UK Consumers Motivations in Purchasing Organic Food

In Recent decades, organic agriculture has been the central attention of every part of the society such as the government, marketers, consumers and this phenomenon is happening in the majority countries of the globe. Many people have perceived the benefits it could provide for both production front and marketing front (Chang & Griffith., 2003). Organic agriculture offers solutions to some problems that the environment may have faced which have been related to industrial agriculture, a farming system which comprises the exploitation of synthetic chemicals, pesticides and other inputs in order to maximize the yield of a specific or set of crops, resulted in a genetically modified products (Chang & Griffith, 2003; Lampkin, 1990). According to a study by Stony Brook University (N/A), conventional farming involves not only a great amount of chemical but also energy input hence leading to deteriorating the landscape's ecosystem. Taking this problem into consideration, the government has started to play an active role in encouraging organic agriculture and some significant change was apparent in production in several countries, especially in Europe (Yi & Lin, 2014). On the other hand, from the marketing perspective, the demand for organic products has seen an increase due to different reasons with some already discussed above: for example, the increasing awareness for environmental concerns and impact linked to the conventional farming practices will be reduced on health and food safety (Coleman, 2018). As suggested by Willer & Yussef (2004), Australia has the biggest areas of organic with 12.1 million hectares, following with China of 3.5 million hectares and Argentina with 2.8 million hectares, however, the highest percentage is in Europe. To sum up in percentages the world's organic land, Oceania accounts for 39%, Europe with 21% and Latin America 20%. Additionally, results from FiBL survey (2017) showed that within the European countries the largest markets for organic products are Germany (8.6 billion Euro), the following is France (5.5 billion Euros), the UK (2.6 billion Euros), Italy (2.3 billion Euros) and Switzerland (2.1 billion Euros). A few terms have been used such as bio, eco and organic to refer to organics involving a farm management and production that is a sustainable agriculture to protect the environment, human, animals, health and welfare. However, it is important to note that organic food cannot be confused with food sold as natural (GreenFacts,2018). A study by Hartman Group (2009), found that consumers who buy organic food can be divided into three groups: firstly, periphery consumers accounting for 21% of organic consumers and these people are just starting to purchase organics but this group does not make any important behavioral changes; secondly, the mid-level organic consumers making up of 66% and they are changing both their attitudes and habits while buying organic products; the final group is only 13% with consumers who are truly invested in organics through their attitude and behaviour and they often talk and purchase these type of products. Organic customers have different values and beliefs compared to those of non-organic consumers and Kim (2014) said that the personal health values (food safety) motivate shoppers in purchasing organic products in order to prevent processed and artificial elements. The author further added that non-organic consumers are more indifferent and sceptical about values and beliefs: 23% of applicants do not believe that organic products are better; 23% of people say they have not much information about organics and 19% indicate they do not care about organics. Several studies have examined the role of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) regarding people's intention to consume organics: including attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (Donahue, 2017; Dean et al., 2012). The theory is the most commonly used for consumer behaviour linking an individual's belief and behavior while stating that these constructs altogether shape someone's intentions and behaviours in purchasing. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate how British consumers are motivated to purchase organic food by applying the Means-End Chain (MEC) theory. MEC suggests that consumers will think about the characteristics of the goods or attribute in terms of personal consequences and give a possible link between their needs, product characteristics to consequences and values (Zanoli & Naspetti, 2002). MEC theory consists of product attributes which are associated with consequences (benefits and/or risks) and to personal values and these three categories will drive consumer's choice. MEC will be applied through a ladder interview: a qualitative method that encourage participants to verbally describe their responses (Woodall, 2013). The results from the interviews will be expressed on a hierarchical value maps (HVMs), an association networks of attributes, consequences and values. By understanding the hierarchical map of organic consumers consumption, it may help marketers and manager develop processes for ameliorating organic market in the UK and have a better understanding of their organic consumers. Five sections are presented in order to guide readers through this dissertation. The first part consists of the introduction by providing a global background on the organic system with definitions about organic food and organic consumers, research objective and structure. The second part involves the literature review by starting with a detailed presentation about the UK organic market. Following up is a clear explanation and analysis of the mean end chain theory with previous researches according to consumers' perceptions and motivations. The third section is the methodology: this work will be carried out with a qualitative method known as ladder interviews where questions will be designed specifically to discover the link between attributes, consequences and value of an individual. Findings/results and analysis/discussion will be the essentials of the fourth section. Finally, the last part will be dedicated to a discussion, review research questions and results derived from the in-depth interview and as well as outlining the limitations and what else can be done to improve or for future research.
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