I Became Her Target Essays

I Became Her Target Essays I Became Her Target Essay I Became Her Target Essay Essay on I Became Her Target by Roger Wilkins Growing up black and living in a prejudicial and racist society is how these two authors â€Å"Shame’† by Dick Gregory a young boy whose peers continually to ignorant to him because of his color, poverty and not having a father. In â€Å"I Became Her Target,† by Roger Wilkins a young boy is the only black child in and all white, upper –class school. He dealt with racism when his parents moved to a white community. They both share similarities dealing with racial issues from their teachers and classmates. Both authors experiences different formality dealing with poverty, racism, and ignorance beyond their control. Both men went on with their lives, but still live with memories they faced growing up. They carried out their experience to help other youngster to understand what they went through and how to rise above their disappointment. Gregory knew he was poor, but he was not aware how different he was compared to his classmate. His family was living in poverty, wearing brown, orange and white mackinaw that welfare gave out. He would get good from the neighbor and take the long way home because he didn’t want anyone to see him leaving the food truck. Wilkins didn’t have any worries about poverty; his mother had married a physician but he also faced racism because his parents moved to a white community where blacks didn’t belong. In â€Å"Shame,† Dick Gregory’s teacher was so crudely and abruptly pointed out that he was less than the other children in class. He was placed in the â€Å"idiot† desk in the back of the classroom. She would refer him as a troublemaker. He would make noise and poke people to try and draw attention. The thought of being stupid, he couldn’t spell, read or do arithmetic made him feeling a shamed about not being wanted by the other classmates. In, â€Å"I Became Her Target,† Roger Wilkins traced back to his unforgettable memories of hatred but also with memories of a remarkable teacher. Wilkins teacher started off being pleasant to him. She let him answered the first question in class which made him feel important. His teacher knew how to make a lonely child fell welcome and accepted. Then one particular day the teacher threw an eraser at him which causes his pencil to fly across the room. Wilkins claims â€Å"Old Deadeye Bean,† by being the only black boy in the classroom was when he was accepted by his classmate. Dick Gregory, he was innocent and unaware of social difference. His innocence was replaced by a sense a shame when his teacher humiliated him in front of the class. As the teacher was going around the room asking how much their father were donating for the community chest the teacher skipped over him. He wasn’t happy and decides to say something to her and the teacher proceed to tell him. â€Å"We are collecting money for you and your kind’. His teacher told his classmate he doesn’t have a father. It made him be shameful; he was embarrassed by being poor and fatherless. Roger Wilkins, he was the only black boy in the school. They threw stones at him when he would walk home and spat on his bike seat while in class. Coming from Harlem to Grand Rapid, he felt ashamed for being different; he was lonely, friendless and sometimes frightened of the kids. A life lesson which dealt with the authors at an early age, prejudice shouldn’t be carry out by society because they are different. Both men went on to write about their experience with racism, poverty and ignorance so others would understand what they went through.

Examine the Causes of World War II

Examine the Causes of World War II Many of the seeds of World War II in Europe were sown by the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I. In its final form, the treaty placed full blame for the war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, as well as exacted harsh financial reparations and led to territorial dismemberment. For the German people, who had believed that the armistice had been agreed to based on US President Woodrow Wilsons lenient Fourteen Points, the treaty caused resentment and a deep mistrust of their new government, the Weimar Republic. The need to pay war reparations, coupled with the instability of the government, contributed to massive hyperinflation which crippled the German economy. This situation was made worse by the onset of the Great Depression. In addition to the economic ramifications of the treaty, Germany was required to demilitarize the Rhineland and had severe limitations placed on the size of its military, including the abolishment of its air force. Territorially, Germany was stripped of its colonies and forfeited land for the formation of the country of Poland. To ensure that Germany would not expand, the treaty forbade the annexation of Austria, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Rise of Fascism and the Nazi Party In 1922, Benito Mussolini and the Fascist Party rose to power in Italy. Believing in a strong central government and strict control of industry and the people, Fascism was a reaction to the perceived failure of free market economics and a deep fear of communism. Highly militaristic, Fascism also was driven by a sense of belligerent nationalism that encouraged conflict as a means of social improvement. By 1935, Mussolini was able to make himself the dictator of Italy and transformed the country into a police state. To the north in Germany, Fascism was embraced by the National Socialist German Workers Party, also known as the Nazis. Swiftly rising to power in the late 1920s, the Nazis and their charismatic leader, Adolf Hitler, followed the central tenets of Fascism while also advocating for the racial purity of the German people and additional German Lebensraum (living space). Playing on the economic distress in Weimar Germany and backed by their Brown Shirts militia, the Nazis became a political force. On January 30, 1933, Hitler was placed in a position to take power when he was appointed Reich Chancellor by President Paul von Hindenburg The Nazis Assume Power A month after Hitler assumed the Chancellorship, the Reichstag building burned. Blaming the fire on the Communist Party of Germany, Hitler used the incident as an excuse to ban those political parties that opposed Nazi policies. On March 23, 1933, the Nazis essentially took control of the government by passing the Enabling Acts. Meant to be an emergency measure, the acts gave the cabinet (and Hitler) the power to pass legislation without the approval of the Reichstag. Hitler next moved to consolidate his power and executed a purge of the party (The Night of the Long Knives) to eliminate those who could threaten his position. With his internal foes in check, Hitler began the persecution of those who were deemed racial enemies of the state. In September 1935, he passed the Nuremburg Laws which stripped Jews of their citizenship and forbade marriage or sexual relations between a Jew and an Aryan. Three years later the first pogrom began (Night of Broken Glass) in which over one hundred Jews were killed and 30,000 arrested and sent to concentration camps. Germany Remilitarizes On March 16, 1935, in clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler ordered the remilitarization of Germany, including the reactivation of the Luftwaffe (air force). As the German army grew through conscription, the other European powers voiced minimal protest as they were more concerned with enforcing the economic aspects of the treaty. In a move that tacitly endorsed Hitlers violation of the treaty, Great Britain signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in 1935, which allowed Germany to build a fleet one third the size of the Royal Navy and ended British naval operations in the Baltic. Two years after beginning the expansion of the military, Hitler further violated the treaty by ordering the reoccupation of the Rhineland by the German Army. Proceeding cautiously, Hitler issued orders that the German troops should withdrawal if the French intervened. Not wanting to become involved in another major war, Britain and France avoided intervening and sought a resolution, with little success, through the League of Nations. After the war several German officers indicated that if the reoccupation of the Rhineland had been opposed, it would have meant the end of Hitlers regime. The Anschluss Emboldened by Great Britain and Frances reaction to the Rhineland, Hitler began to move forward with a plan to unite all German-speaking peoples under one Greater German regime. Again operating in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler made overtures regarding the annexation of Austria. While these were generally rebuffed by the government in Vienna, Hitler was able to orchestrate a coup by the Austrian Nazi Party on March 11, 1938, one day before a planned plebiscite on the issue. The next day, German troops crossed the border to enforce the Anschluss (annexation). A month later the Nazis held a plebiscite on the issue and received 99.73% of the vote. International reaction was again mild, with Great Britain and France issuing protests, but still showing that they were unwilling to take military action. The Munich Conference With Austria in his grasp, Hitler turned towards the ethnically German Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Since its formation at the end of World War I, Czechoslovakia had been wary of possible German advances. To counter this, they had built an elaborate system of fortifications throughout the mountains of the Sudetenland to block any incursion and formed military alliances with France and the Soviet Union. In 1938, Hitler began supporting paramilitary activity and extremist violence in the Sudetenland. Following Czechoslovakias declaration of martial law in the region, Germany immediately demanded that the land be turned over to them. In response, Great Britain and France mobilized their armies for the first time since World War I. As Europe moved towards war, Mussolini suggested a conference to discuss the future of Czechoslovakia. This was agreed to and the meeting opened in September 1938, at Munich. In the negotiations, Great Britain and France, led by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and President Édouard Daladier respectively, followed a policy of appeasement and caved to Hitlers demands in order to avoid war. Signed on September 30, 1938, the Munich Agreement turned over the Sudetenland to Germany in exchange for Germanys promise to make no additional territorial demands. The Czechs, who had not been invited to conference, were forced to accept the agreement and were warned that if they failed to comply, they would be responsible for any war that resulted. By signing the agreement, the French defaulted on their treaty obligations to Czechoslovakia. Returning to England, Chamberlain claimed to have achieved peace for our time. The following March, German troops broke the agreement and seized the remainder of Czechoslovakia. Shortly thereafter, Germany entered into a military alliance with Mussolinis Italy. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Angered by what he saw as the Western Powers colluding to give Czechoslovakia to Hitler, Josef Stalin worried that a similar thing could occur with the Soviet Union. Though wary, Stalin entered into talks with Britain and France regarding a potential alliance. In the summer of 1939, with the talks stalling, the Soviets began discussions with Nazi Germany regarding the creation of a  non-aggression pact. The final document, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was signed on August 23, and called for the sale of food and oil to Germany and mutual non-aggression. Also included in the pact were secret clauses dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence as well as plans for the partition of Poland. The Invasion of Poland Since  World War I, tensions had existed between Germany and Poland regarding the free city of Danzig and the Polish Corridor. The latter was a narrow strip of land reaching north to Danzig which provided Poland with access to the sea and separated the province of East Prussia from the rest of Germany. In an effort to resolve these issues and gain  Lebensraum  for the German people, Hitler began planning the invasion of Poland. Formed after World War I, Polands army was relatively weak and ill-equipped compared to Germany. To aid in its defense, Poland had formed military alliances with Great Britain and France. Massing their armies along the Polish border, the Germans staged a fake Polish attack on August 31, 1939. Using this as a pretext for war, German forces flooded across the border the next day. On September 3, Great Britain and France issued an ultimatum to Germany to end the fighting. When no reply was received, both nations declared war. In Poland, German troops executed a blitzkrieg (lightning war) assault combining armor and mechanized infantry. This was supported from above by the Luftwaffe, which had gained experience fighting with the fascist Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The Poles attempted to counterattack but were defeated at the Battle of Bzura (Sept. 9-19). As the fighting was ending at Bzura, the Soviets, acting on the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, invaded from the east. Under assault from two directions, the Polish defenses crumbled with only isolated cities and areas offering prolonged resistance. By October 1, the country had been completely overrun with some Polish units escaping to Hungary and Romania. During the campaign, Great Britain and France, who were both slow to mobilize, provided little support to their ally. With the conquest of Poland, the Germans implemented Operation Tannenberg which called for the arrest, detainment, and execution of 61,000 Polish activists, former officers, actors, and intelligentsia. By the end of September, special units known as  Einsatzgruppen  had killed over 20,000 Poles. In the east, the Soviets also committed numerous atrocities, including the murder of prisoners of war, as they advanced. The following year, the Soviets executed between 15,000-22,000 Polish POWs and citizens in the  Katyn Forest  on Stalins orders.

Sex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sex - Essay Example Kant considered sex outside of marriage as immoral and perceived it as fulfillment of sexual desires. Kantian ethics however dictate that a sexual union is needed merely for self-preservation and procreation.  Kant’s theory is based on a  categorical imperative, which regards it as something necessary with some association to pleasure. Kant’s has complex views about sexuality, and views a sexual union in a bizarre way and insists that when one makes another individual their spouse; they are harming the society since they take that particular individual away. Kant saw marriage as acquisition of another human being for society. The sexual union of marriage nonetheless seems bit absurd as it Kant just extends it a transfer of â€Å"bodily fluid.† The question remains- why is sex permissible and possible? Utilitarian ethics dictate that sex should be taken as strict sense. A Utilitarian argument tends to produce overall happiness than doing anything else. The Uti litarian is not a moral theory that believes everything should be done for moral reasons. Since an egoistic person only cares about himself, utilitarian argument proposes that pleasure and pain arises form actions. However, utilitarian ethics possesses a very absurd view.

Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Diversity - Essay Example Although UCSB has the least level of statistics as concerns diversity when compared with other campuses of university of California, there has been increased integration and interaction among the student community. The University has endeavored to make every other person welcome and comfortable regardless of such criteria s race, sex, gender, sexual affiliation or economic well-being (The Facts: Diversity 1). In 2007, the University Of California Board Of Regents adopted a policy statement aimed at making the university achieve diversity among both the students and the human resource personnel in all its campuses including UCSB. This is in the form of Principles of Community statements and policies that control the behavior of both the staff and the students and each campus must inform the persons attending or working in it through any suitable mode including newspapers or through notices. The campuses including Santa Barbara must distribute and reaffirm its commitment to the policies and the principles as well as the initiatives to enhance embracing of diversity within the campus. All campuses of the University of California including the campus at Santa Barbara encourage the setting up of a diverse workforce and student population as well as the diversification in faculty ranks. For example, the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program encourages students who pursue doctor al studies that are aimed at contributing to diversity are usually rewarded with more scholarships (The Facts: Diversity 2). All the campuses have centers that deal with the affairs of gays, lesbians and transgender studies while most campuses including Santa Barbara have ethnic studies centers to embrace different communities of the student population. At the University of California, Santa Barbara, there is a program to assist freshmen who come from underrepresented groups to meet their academic objectives as well as integrate properly within the campus. The UC Santa Barbara

Mirror :: essays research papers

The Mirror Steam rose from the water and filled the bathroom with ghostly, swirling eddies, and phantasms of white, transparent ribbons of vapor. Tracy basked in the water, relishing the prickly fingers of hot water as it soothed the muscles of her body. Her red hair lay in wet, matted strings over her shoulders and breasts. Her eyelids were closed, hiding her deep, emerald green eyes. Tears squeeze from her eyes as the memory of the phone call echoed through her mind. It had been a woman’s voice on the other end of the line, and she had asked for Justin, Tracy’s husband. Tracy was high strung with emotions and the sound of that woman’s voice sparked the thought that her husband was cheating on her. The hardest part of it all for her to believe was that when Justin got home that night, Tracy confronted him with her fears. Justin didn’t hesitate in telling her that, yes, he was having an affair. She was so distraught over the news that she had kicked him out of the ho use after a lengthy screaming match. Now, Tracy sat in the tub, water to her chin, and her right hand on the ledge of the tub, fumbling lightly with a single edge razor blade. She opened her eyes and delicately ran her finger over the shinning blade. She’d teach Justin. One swipe of the blade and he’d be regretting ever sleeping around on her. She lifted the blade and brought it over to the opposite wrist. As her hand lifted off the edge of the tub, she notices something odd in the mirror. The mirror was completely steamed over with a white, hazy mist, and on the surface of the mirror, written in the condensation, was a short statement that made Tracy’s breath catch in her throat. DON’T DO IT, TRACY! Tracy jerked out of the water, splashing a bunch onto the floor. The statement was written in a loose, looping, and broken script, almost as if it had been written by a child. Before her eyes, the mirror steamed over again and the words disappeared. The razor drops into the water, forgotten. â€Å"Who did that?† she asked the room, knowing that nobody could have done it, she was alone in the house. â€Å"Who’s there?† She carefully gets out of the tub and wraps herself in a large, blue towel.

Racism and White People Essay

According to Roscoe & Hight, parodies are engaging works, that present themselves as documentaries but are not, and contain non-factual text. They work on several levels creating humor, sparking anger and sometimes critical reflection in the viewers. Both parodies and satires rely on the sophistication of its audience and a general familiarity with its content. Their comic elements can only be appreciated if one recognizes the objects are being mocked. The mock-documentary can only develop inherent complexity as seen in parodies, if its viewers are familiar with the documentaries codes and conventions and it serious intent. The use of parody is well established in the film â€Å"Babakieueria†. The film begins with a group of Aboriginal people arriving by boat on the Australian foreshores and attempting to communicate with a group of white people. When the new arrivals manage to communicate an enquiry as to the name of this place, the white people respond with ‘Babakiueria’ (BBQ area). The humor highlights the patronising approach taken by white people to Aboriginal Australians over the centuries and captures many of the issues surrounding racial inequality and racism. Through humor, it invites viewers to participate in its reversal of events and to find humor in the insight into white Australian culture one gains by seeing it through the eyes of an audience. For example, the interviewer queries an Aboriginal man getting out of his car, â€Å"Excuse me sir. What do you think about white people? † The man answers: â€Å"White people? You’ve got to be joking. † The film thus employs a desire to know more about the other in a slightly different way (humor). It puts viewers momentarily into the position of the contemporary descendants of colonized people—minority, disempowered, misunderstood—and uses humor to perhaps make viewers more receptive to this increased self-knowledge. By the use of humor, It really encourages you to think about racial inequalities and the stereotypes, assumptions and opinions that are still prevalent in society and the media today. Moreover, it tests the viewer’s abilities to distinguish between truth and fiction by presenting them in a satire style that makes it difficult to decipher between the two. The audience is given the opportunity to decide whether they will accept what they are shown or ignore it as a joke. From the way I see it, the jokes are primarily aimed at particular public figures, sending the overall message that racial views are still rampant in our society today, and that there is not much we can do about it except feel superior. This type of humor is not ultimately about how useless it is to care about racial issues; rather it is premised on the feeling that there are racial issues out there that we should care deeply about.

The Themes Of Death And Death - 1282 Words

Cambridge Hinds Big Question Paper The Meaning of Death The themes of life and death are used frequently throughout many ancient and modern stories, and specifically, thoughts on death and what it means differ from author to author, time period to time period, and circumstance to circumstance. Many works of ancient literature address the meaning of death directly; examples include the drama Medea by ancient Greek playwright Euripides in 431 BCE, and the Decameron by Italian Giovanni Boccaccio in around 1353. As well as being popular themes in ancient literature, however, death is used for significant meaning in modern novels, movies, TV shows, and other forms of storytelling and entertainment. A good example of this is the movie The Book of Life, directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez. Dictionary.com defines death as: â€Å"...the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.† In many religions, death is a transition from this world to another, whether it be for better or worse. In our modern western society, death has many different views; it can be a bittersweet occasion as well as a tragic one, depending on circumstances. As seen in Medea, the Decameron, and The Book of Life, death always means an end to life, and an ultimate severance from the living. However, these texts provide very different views of death, as well. Respectively, it means tragic revenge, a feared end, and reconciliation as well as separation. In the tragedy Medea, death is central toShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Death In Death Of A Salesman1102 Words   |  5 PagesDeath is often seen as a frightening and dreadful reality that everybody must face. Many people believe that suicide is a selfish and cold-hearted action. What about somebody who commits suicide for the benefit of others? Arthur Miller depicts this harsh actuality in the play â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. Miller experienced and overcame loss and devastation throughout his life. By experiencing these hardships, he created a heartfelt collection of literature that became iconic over time. â€Å"Death of a Salesman†Read MoreThe Theme Of Death In Slaughterhouse Five And Death1656 Words   |  7 PagesSlaughterhouse-Five and Death There’s a recurring theme throughout Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut which permeates throughout the story from beginning to end. It’s the idea that death is just that. Death. One can argue that Vonnegut attempts to desensitize death through the Billy Pilgrim and the Sci-Fi story of the Tralfamadorians, but what if he is instead using these examples in order to justify the exact opposite idea? By planting us into Billy Pilgrim’s surreal and insane story filledRead MoreThe Theme Of Death And Death In Shakespeares Hamlet862 Words   |  4 Pagesleads to his death. The use of death in storytelling offers many pathways to character development and can also carry the theme of the story. Many stories can also be centered around death. In the story of Hamlet, the story begins with the young prince depressed about the death of his father. Prince Hamlet was ordinary boy just like any other. He was a smart and clever young man and was probably very kind to have many friends and a girlfriend, but after the news of his father’s death, he had changedRead MoreThemes in Poetry: Death761 Words   |  4 PagesThemes in Poetry: Death There are many frequently occurring ideas in poetry. The basic message of a poem is called a theme. All poems have a certain theme that they revolve around, such as love, nature, life, and confusion. In different poems by different poets, the same themes correlate with each other because they all revolve around the same subject matter. Although seen through different angles and viewpoints, the same message is present and intertwined within the poems. One of the mostRead MoreTheme Of Death In Beowulf1097 Words   |  5 Pagesthat the poem is bookended with two very meaningful deaths. At the beginning of the poem the death of Scyld Sheafson, founder of the Scyldings, and towards the end the death of our hero, Beowulf. However, it is quite ironic that this poem is very much a celebration of a heroic life, one that encompasses glory, strength, and bravery. This contrast of celebrating life and the prevalent nature of death in the poem begs me to ask a question: is death necessary in t his society, and is the narrative essentiallyRead MoreHamlet Theme Of Death1278 Words   |  6 PagesBeyond the Wall of Death (A analysis of the theme of death in Hamlet, Acts 3-5) â€Å"The undiscovered country, from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will,† (Shakespeare 144 Act 3 scene 1 lines 86-87). The question that still plagues humanity today. What is after death, where do we go? No one of this earth can answer this question. In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the theme of death is one of the main themes of this famous play. The theme of death continues throughout the entireRead MoreThemes Of Death Of A Salesman1286 Words   |  6 PagesA Blanketed Illusion Death of a Salesman is a tragicomedy centered on the events that take place at the end of Willy Loman’s life. From the opening act, we learn that Willy and his family struggle to behave as a united front when they face financial pressures and strained familial bonds. This causes Willy to become desperate for success and validation. Death of a Salesman has commonly been interpreted as an analysis of the American dream. Within the ideal American society, citizens believe that theRead MoreTheme Of Death In Beowulf952 Words   |  4 PagesEvery man must expose himself to the reality that death is unescapable. There is no amount of human strength, shiny armor nor treasured sword that can always prevent the inevitable. Any character in literature that is being portrayed immortal is fiction. Beowulf as often as not regards himself as the one who can conquer all. Beowulf like others is ignorant towards his own mortality. Even though, Beowulf is successful in his earliest battles he still remains careless to the understanding that heRead MoreTheme Of Death In Eveline2012 Words   |  9 PagesDeath comes up in every good story one way or another. Every novel or story that is a well known classic has some type of death in it whether the main character’s parent dies, the main character dies, and so forth. So authors want to have a good selling book so they are going to incorporate death in the story. James Joyce, the author of â€Å"Eveline†, throws death into the story more than once. Eveline’s mother dies, Tizzie Dunn dies and Eveline’s love dies, therefore death plays a humongous part ofRead MoreThe Theme Of Death In Arthur Millers Death Of A Salesman1064 Words   |  5 PagesDeath is often seen as a scary and dreadful reality that everybody must face. Suicide is perceived as selfish and cold-hearted by many. What about somebody who commits suicide for the greater good? This harsh actuality is depicted in the play â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller. Miller overcame loss and devastation and created a heartfelt collection of literature that became iconic. â€Å"Death of a Salesman† unveils the unfortunate reality that many households experience of chaos disrupting harmony