In the lake of the woods free essay sample

In his novel In the Lake of the Woods Tim O’Brien paints a vivid image of the horrors of the Vietnam War, particular the savagery of the Thuan Yen massacre. While prior to reading the novel readers instinctively blame the soldiers themselves for their immoral actions, as the novel progresses, O’Brien shows that while the soldiers may have physically committed the brutal acts of murder, blame cannot solely be placed on them. O’Brien depicts the Vietnam landscape as one that, due its elusive and chaotic nature, was partially responsible for the horrors that the men committed. Furthermore, the very nature of man and our innate capacity for evil suggests that while the soldiers themselves committed the physical acts of terror, our capability to commit such atrocities when placed within the scenario of war means that any individual would have been taken over by the insanity of the conflict. We will write a custom essay sample on In the lake of the woods or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Ultimately, O’Brien demonstrates that while the horrors of My Lai are unforgivable, there are extenuating circumstances which suggest that blame cannot solely be placed on the soldiers who themselves were at times victims to the nature of war. While O’Brien depicts the nature of war as chaotic, he never denies the individual responsibly that each soldiers had for the evils they committed while at war. Sorcerer comments that â€Å"this was not madness, this was sin. † By differentiating between â€Å"sin† and â€Å"madness† O’Brien shows the immorality of the soldier’s actions, rather than simply blaming the evils they committed on the Vietnam landscape. While â€Å"madness† suggests a lack of control and that the soldiers were unable to make moral decisions, â€Å"sin† is associated with a conscious decision to commit evils and thus an understanding of one’s immoral actions. The fact that in between the savage killing and sexual perversion of the Thuan Yen massacre solders were able to take smoke breaks suggests that the soldiers knew of the â€Å"pure wrongness† of their actions and yet never made the moral decision to stop the killings. If soldiers did in fact understand their actions, O’Brien asks whether they can ever be forgiven. â€Å"Justifications are futile† states O’Brien – the total disregard for the mores of our society means that we cannot justify nor excuse the ultimate acts of savagery that were exhibited in Thuan Yen. Such evils committed by men are unforgivable and thus, the soldiers who partook in the massacre must accept responsibility for their actions, at least to some extent. However, within a landscape as chaotic as that of the Vietnam War, O’Brien asks whether any individuals could have retained his sanity. If not, O’Brien suggests that some blame can be placed on the insanity of the environment of war that warped the moral codes of those who fought in there. Vietnam is depicted as a â€Å"the spirit world dark and unyielding†; a hellish environment in which the line between good and evil, moral and immoral and right and wrong had been blurred to such an extent that soldiers who had to endure the war landscape were sucked in by the chaos and the amorality. The question of whether any individual, let alone any soldier, would have been able to make moral decisions during war is one that is ever-present in O’Brien’s text. As readers witness the total disregard for human life that was the Thuan Yen massacre, it is hard to believe that any person, no matter how sane and morally upright one may have been before the war, could have retained their sanity within an environment that appears to reach into the soul of every soldiers and dislodge the part that enables us to make moral decisions. Varnado Simpson, a member of the Charlie Company states that â€Å"we simply lost control we killed all that we could kill. † In his court trial, Simpson defines the very nature of war, with its aimless shooting, elusive enemy and constant paranoia, as a scenario in which any individual would have been taken over by the hysteria that war created. Ultimately, O’Brien graphic depictions of the war landscape allow readers to sympathise with the soldiers and thus allow the blame to shifted, however not excused, from the soldiers themselves. In light of the very nature of war, O’Brien suggests that despite the atrocities of their actions, the inability to make moral and ethical decisions within the world of â€Å"ghosts and graveyards† means that the evils committed by the soldiers must be, at times, viewed with sympathy as well as the scorn that readers naturally thrust upon them. Furthermore, O’Brien demonstrates that it is the very nature of man and our innate capacity for both undying love and unbelievable destruction that ensures that, while their actions are unforgivable, soldiers can be viewed with sympathy. The â€Å"impossible combinations† of the war depicted by O’Brien reflect the ability of man to express both the dichotomies of love and destruction equally and at the same time – a seemingly â€Å"impossible combination† of its own. However, the very fact that these two traits are not mutually exclusive suggests that it is in our very nature to commit acts of evil when placed within a landscape such as that of war. John Wade did not go to war to kill or brutalise or even to â€Å"be a good citizen. † O’Brien ensures through repetition of the statement that â€Å"it was in the nature of love† that Wade went to war. How then, O’Brien asks, can Wade be solely blamed for his actions when his intentions in going to war were pure? While we cannot simply forgive Wade for the massacre in which he partook, O’Brien leads readers to view Wade not â€Å"as a monster, but a man. † Despite the horrors that he committed while at war, it appears as if John Wade was a victim not only of the war landscape, but of ultimately of human nature. In the concluding pages of the novel, as Wade slowly loses himself within the tangle of his own deceit, O’Brien asks if Wade was â€Å"innocent of everything but his own life. † The more poignant question, however, is whether Wade and the rest of the Vietnam veterans are innocent of everything but human nature and our innate ability to commit acts of evil. It is thus that O’Brien suggests that while the actions of the soldiers at Thuan Yen cannot be excused completely, the soldiers themselves cannot solely be blamed. â€Å"Can we believe that he was not a monster, but a man? † It is with this open ended question that Tim O’Brien draws to a conclusion the enigmatic story of Vietnam veteran John Wade. Despite the horrors that he committed throughout his life, most notably the Thuan Yen massacre, O’Brien asks whether humanity can view Wade as a man who was a victim to the chaos of war, to the capacity of human nature to commit evil and ultimately, to his own reality. The actions of soldiers at war cannot be justified – it is with this sentiment that O’Brien writes this antiwar protests – however there are undeniably extenuating circumstances which lead soldiers to commit acts of evil. While culpability should not be lifted from the soldiers completely and their actions should not be excused, O’Brien ensures that we sympathize with the soldiers as many of them were simply swept away in the amorality of the landscape. Ultimately, O’Brien explores human nature and the capacity that man had for destruction. It is this weakness, rather than that of any individual soldiers, that is ultimately responsible for the evils of war.

The Weight Of Real Wrestlers Essays - Sports Rules And Regulations

The Weight Of Real Wrestlers Essays - Sports Rules And Regulations The Weight Of Real Wrestlers High School Wrestling has always been thought of as the hardest and most enduring sport that takes place in high school. Only the toughest Jocks try out, and the weak are quickly discarded. Young women showing school spirit come to watch as the arms of young men in spandex are mingled about. During matches, coaches yell and scream at their young apprentices while they desperately battle to pin their opponent of equal weight. But, how equally are the two enemies matched? How much weight did one person have to lose, and how fast did he have to do it to be able to wrestle in that weight class? Once the wrestler makes his weight does he really have any physical energy left to wrestle? Losing an extraordinary amount of weight in a short amount of time is dangerous and unhealthy, and should be regulated for the safety of the athletes. Coach James Derek Donoho is now in his third year of being head coach at Don Lugo High School. He says wrestling is a very dangerous contact sport that always has the risk of injuries, and people get hurt everyday. He believes it's a good experience for young men and he is glad he went through it when he was in high school. Physical injuries come with the turf, and every person knows it when they join wrestling or any other sport. It's the un-implied risks that are not seen until commitments are made, that are the most dangerous to young athletes. Donoho is pro losing weight and says its good to loose weight and move to a lighter weight class, because it's a little easier on the wrestler. It feels to them that they are wrestling someone lighter then they are. That is a tactical advantage, however people also move up to wrestle in higher weight levels to fill spots. That makes it unnecessary for teens to lose weight because they are already wrestling someone lighter then they are. We don't pressure our players to lose a lot of weight, says Donoho, they chose which weight class they want to wrestle in. If that's true, then there are a lot of young athletes who are willing to lose a tremendous amount of weight in a short amount of time just to make Varsity. Do people really put themselves in such danger to achieve the pride of being on a varsity team? Brandon Frescas, a third year wrestler on the team, says coaches just flat out ask us if we could get down to a certain weight by a certain time to fill spots. Sometimes it's moving up a weight class, sometimes it's losing a little weight, and sometimes it's a lot of weight. Losing 10 to 15 pounds in a week is a lot of weight to lose. 10 to 15 pounds in a week is an absurd amount of weight to lose. On T.V advertisements say their diet can help people lose 10 to 15 pounds in a month, but never does it say one week. 15 pounds is about the size of a medium dog. Could anyone imagine stuff about the size of a dog leaving ones body in only one week? Michael Nava, also a third year wrestler, says coach asked me what weight I thought I could get down to, and I told him 135 pounds. I weighed about 137 pounds and he asked me if he could count on me to get down to 130 pounds. I thought about it and told him yes because I didn't want to let him down. Pressure from the coaches exists and every pl ayer knows its there. Although the coaches won't admit it, Michael Nava says, it's dangerous if you have to lose a lot of weight. Losing an enormous amount of weight such as 10 to 15 pounds in one week seems impossible to an everyday person. But, according to the wrestlers it's only almost impossible. There is an entire process wrestlers go through and it's different depending upon how much weight needs to be lost. The secrets are passed down and taught to the younger wrestlers by the more experienced ones. The first thing taught is

Describe the best tactics and techniques for message presentation, Essay

Describe the best tactics and techniques for message presentation, regardless of medium - Essay Example People spend their time reading blogs, and they end up trusting bloggers. It is important to know how to pitch a campaign to bloggers. Bloggers always require the right approach from any prospective client (Eberhart, 2012). Firstly, they require the client to formulate an exciting offer. The client should assure the blogger of some benefit from pitching the campaign on his or her blog. Secondly, the theme of the message should be simple and straight to the point. The subject should not sound as if the blog is trying to promote sales. Third, when pitching a campaign to bloggers, always bear in mind that the blog is about them. Bloggers strive to be successful, and the message ought to deliver value. Lastly, the most important point is that the pitches should always be as personal and customized as possible for a specific blogger (Townsend, 2009). Individuals should exhibit readership qualities if they are willing to identify the best blogger. An individual who has been active in reading the blogger’s work would know their recent blogs and what they prefer to write about. Such an individual would have some opinion towards the blogger’s work. A blogger should maintain a high ‘post frequency’ to be relevant and to maintain an engagement with the audience. The blogger’s relevance would be evident if his or her blogs maintain a strong social presence and receive comments, and he responds to the comments. Identifying specific blogs would entail evaluating their potential reach. A blog’s potential reach should be directly proportional to its amount of subscribers. There are numerous avenues on the internet where people can find specific blogs or bloggers to pitch their campaigns. Social media sites are the readily available and easily accessible online platforms where to search for specific blogs or bloggers. They include; Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Wordpress, and Linkedln Influencers. There exists a link between the presentation of the

Paul and Elder Critical Thinking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Paul and Elder Critical Thinking - Assignment Example Intellectual courage is also another very important trait that an intellect should have. This is having a conscious to face and address presented ideas and believes or points of views of other individuals. One should not just take believes and theories from people irrespective of their educational background. All the ideas presented should be subjected to questioning so that facts can be extracted from the claims presented. Critical thinking involves people analyzing thoughts of other people to find out if there is an error of reasoning in the thinking aspects. We should not consider anything said or written to be true because there might be a given form of information distortion and hence it’s our obligation as listeners to determine that particular distortion and correct it through meaningful questioning and giving the possible answers. The third and very important intellectual trait discussed is the intellectual empathy. This is the conscious that is brought out during a thinking and imagination process. Errors in imagination should not be taken lightly. This can be described as a way of putting oneself in the imaginative shoes so that one can exactly understand the feeling and the meaning of a given imagination presented to the public. This trait also reminds one at a given past when the thinking to a given issue that was not all as what was expected. Each person must at one point differ with other individuals especially colleagues in the thinking process. Hence remembering is an important factor presented by this trait. Other traits include intellectual integrity, intellectual perseverance, faith in reasoning and fair-mindedness. All these traits once adopted, an error in reasoning cannot occur. Hence each individual should struggle to think rightly to avoid any form of miscommunication or distortion of the intended message that is to be passed

The Virginia Department Essay Example for Free

The Virginia Department Essay The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice is the state agency responsible for handling juveniles in the state of Virginia. This department operates a number of group homes (22), detention centers (24), and correctional centers (5). The Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center is capable of housing and providing services for 264 males to the age of 21. This facility offers high school classes, GED programs, and college correspondence courses so that the juveniles can continue their education. Treatment services include the following: substance abuse, sex offender, anger control, and independent living skills. This facility has both medium and maximum security buildings. The Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center is capable of housing and providing services for 193 males and females. It is in fact the only co-ed correctional facility operated by the DJJ. Education programs include high school classes and courses leading to the GED. Treatment programs include the following: substance abuse, aggression management, sex offender, and an intensive therapeutic program. This facility provides mental health services. The Culpeper Juvenile Correctional Center has a budgeted capacity of 144. This maximum security facility handles the 18-20 year-old Circuit Court male offenders. It offers educational programs leading to the high school diploma or GED. Treatment programs include the following: sex offender, substance abuse, and anger management. Mental health services are not provided on a regular basis, but psychiatrists and counselors are on staff in case of emergency. The Hanover Juvenile Correctional Center has the budgeted capacity of 120 males aged 12-18. Educational programs leading to the high school diploma or GED are offered, as are vocational programs. Treatment programs offered at the medium security facility include the following: sex offender, substance abuse, and anger management. This facility also offers the Junior Reserve Officers Training Program. Social workers and psychologists offer individual, group, and family therapy. The Oak Ridge Juvenile Correctional Center houses 40 juvenile males with severe behavioral disorders and developmental disabilities. As such, this is the primary facility for juveniles with mental health issues. Treatment programs include sex offender, anger control, life skills, and substance abuse. Residents are able to continue their education at the facility, and special education curricula are offered. In addition to the correctional facilities, the Department manages three halfway houses: Abraxas House, Discovery House, and Hampton Place. These locations provide juveniles just leaving correctional centers with programs designed to help their transition and to reduce the risk of re-offending. References Department of Juvenile Justice. (2010). Residential Programs. Retrieved from http://www. djj. virginia. gov/Residential_Programs/Default. aspx

Charles Dickens Hard Times Essay -- Charles Dickens Hard Times Essays

Charles Dickens' Hard Times Many characters in the novel are victims of hard times as a result of many factors. These include the lack of money, the education system, the industrialisation in the area and the social injustices of the Victorian era. The novel is divided into three books: sowing, reaping and garnering. The names of these books have biblical references. ‘Ae ye sow, so shall ye reap’ New Testament This means that there are consequences to all your actions, this idea features strongly in the novel. In the first book ‘sowing’, the actions of the characters were described for example the pragmatic education system. In the second book ‘reaping’, the consequences of these actions are described, and in the third book ‘garnering’, the consequences are explored more, along with the final outcome of these events. In the novel, Mr Gradgrind causes and suffers from hard times. He is a very rigid character in addition to being ‘a man of fact and calculations’. He causes hard times for others, including his family, with his pragmatic education system. We discover his attitudes to schooling from the very first chapter when he says: ‘In this life, we want nothing but facts, sir; nothing but Facts’ This concept is based upon utilitarianism. This is the idea that nothing except useful and practical things are wanted in life, and this causes many of Dickens’ characters hard times. They thought these concepts would provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people but it only benefited the rich, the poor sill suffered. He tries to inflict this system onto Sissy but he ends up learning a lesson from her. Towards the end of the novel he realises that he has not given his children what the... ...e goes on to become a very famous author who was very critical of lives, industrialisation and money; all of these are explored in hard times. Finally, Dickens’ experiences as a child came out in a convincing portrayal of what was wrong with the Victorian society. He was a critic to his time and from his novels we can learn a great deal about the Victorian era. Many of the characters in the novel experience hard times as a result of many factors. Stephen Blackpool is the innocent victim in the novel; he suffers greatly through no fault of his own. He is kind and trustworthy yet he is abused. Other characters such as Mrs Sparsit and Bitzer enjoy causing hard times for others. Some suffer more than others; but Dickens uses his characters to explore the hard times of the era. In conclusion, many of Dickens’ characters suffer as a result of numerous causes.

Saving Energy

As globalization makes the world become smaller, it becomes increasingly easy to see how the lives of people everywhere especially on our OU’s campus synced up with one another. The truth is that every single thing we do every day has an impact on the planet—good or bad. The good news is that as an individual you have the power to control most of your choices and therefore, the impact you create: from where you live to what you buy, eat and use to light your dorm/apartment, to where and how you travel to classes. Today when something is broken, or worn out, it is thrown away.Recycling conserves our natural resources, saves landfills space, conserves energy and reduces water pollution, air pollution and the green house gases emissions that cause global warming. Many may not understand the real benefits of recycling, four things are most important when it comes to recycling including Saving Energy, Reducing Pollution, Saving Natural Resources, and Saving Space. On our col lege campus, there is almost endless variety of programs, weather academic or administrative, that require information to be collected and stored on a regular basis.These can include admission or job application request and RSVP’S for training events, among others. While all these forms are being used, do people have in mind how many trees they are using and how they can give back to the environment and to the university by daily recycling. There are many ways of recycling and going green on campus. By the end of this paper you’re going to want to live green and recycle for the cost of the earth and you’re on campus environment.Saving Energy is one of the major concerns here on Oakland University campus. After doing some intense research I came to find out that OU’s campus spends over six million dollar a year on heating, cooling, and electricity. Many times students take living on campus for granted and don’t realize how expensive things are, beca use they don’t have a direct electricity bill. So when you’re in your dorm and leave the television, the light, and your cell phone plugged in you wasting electricity which is causing harm to your campus.One way of saving energy is to simple cut off your laptop, and when you’re not using your phone charger, television, toaster, microwave, and so forth just unplug the appliances and keep in mind it’s for your campus, earth, and not to mention your pockets; when it comes to tuition payments. Another way of saving energy is compact fluorescent light bulbs. They use about seventy five percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. I would recommend that Oakland University adopts saving energy through lighting every dorm, apartment, bathroom, and hallway with compact fluorescent light bulbs.Reducing pollution is the second issue that needs to be addressed on OU’s campus. People go on their everyday daily routine wit hout noticing the environment surround them. I must say Oakland University campus is very clean but there are some underground pollutants that you just don’t see walking to class. However, there are diffidently some changes that can be made by everyone to even better our OU’s community. In order for this school to reduce or eliminate the amount of pollutant and waste it generates, an attitude of â€Å"less is better† should be adopted.All students, teachers, administrative staff, and janitors must ask themselves â€Å"Is there a different way to do this that generates less waste or uses safer materials? † This is the part of recycling that is fun and for everyone to take apart in. First, dispose of all litter in trash cans so that the litter does not get washed into near-by storm sewers. Next, use recycle products on campus as much as possible, such as paper and other environment-friendly products. Water based paints, and non toxic floor and desk cleaner would be good idea to bring forward to the janitor.