The History of American Freedom Essay - 1331 Words

The American Ideological Consensus is that â€Å"†¦the American people have shared much of the same ideals, the same basic principles, and the same patterns of belief† (McClenaghan 104). When America filled itself with ideologically homogenous people, their beliefs started to define our nation and became American identities. If asked what they think of America, peoples of other nations would say that the roads are made of glass, opportunity is in the air, and civil rights are plentiful. These accounts maybe accentuated; however, the underlying message is that the American people have more freedoms then the peoples of other nations do. The most widely known American identity is freedom, and even though that American identity has been tried and†¦show more content†¦The people who immigrated to America in the 1800’s and 1900’s came because â€Å"In the United States, individuals craft their own definition of success† (Friedman). Immigrants were given the opportunity to succeed, something they probably never had back home. Here immigrants were given free education, welfare, and healthcare, freedoms only given in America at the time. This freedom to succeed has given many people rags- to- riches stories. â€Å"Americans respect the self- made man or women, especially when he or she has overcome great obstacles to succeed† (Friedman), especially because immigrants who came from nothing were able to utilize their freedoms in order to make something for themselves. Even though freedom has been our nation’s identity for its entire existence, our nation has suffered â€Å"dark ages† when the freedoms of African Americans were repressed. During the period of slavery, African Americans were forced to labor under often cruel and gruesome conditions, for their white masters. Solomon Northup, a free man forcefully made a slave, describes his thoughts on slavery in his 12 Years a Slave: There may be humane masters, as there certainly are inhuman ones - there may be slaves well-clothed, well-fed, and happy, as there surely are those half-clad, half-starved and miserable; nevertheless, the institution that tolerates such wrong and inhumanity as I have witnessed, is a cruel, unjust, and barbarous one. (127) ThisShow MoreRelatedHistory: Slavery and American Freedom1104 Words   |  5 PagesSummary I American Slavery, American Freedom written by Edmund S. Morgan captures the history of Virginia while keeping focusing on the social and political elements that uplifted the way of slavery. With the focus on Virginia, the book also probes the central paradox of American history: how a people could have developed the dedication to human liberty and dignity exhibited by the leaders of the American Revolution and at the same time have developed and maintained a system of labor that deniedRead MoreFreedom And African American History Essay1680 Words   |  7 PagesFreedom And African American History 1 XIN LI The United States is a immigrant country, which faces varieties of problems. The African American problem is one of the most serious one. Racial segregation is a deep-rooted social problem, which reflects in every field in the United States. For example, education, labor market and criminal justice system. In the aspect of educationRead MoreAmerican History: Fighting for the Freedom of Choice763 Words   |  3 Pagesover a thousand of those women died each year as a result. It wasn’t until the civil rights and antiwar movements in the 1960’s that women began to fight more actively for their rights. One of these rights was the freedom to do as they wish with their bodies. By fighting for the freedom of choice, women were also fighting for a safe medical procedure that would abort their pregnancy with a lower death rate. Then, On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, stated that the ``right of privacy institutedRead MoreThe War Of The United States1412 Words   |  6 Pagesfor a period of four years, was among the worst events ever to occur in American history. The casualties marked by far, the bloodiest in America’s involvement in wars at six-hundred twenty-thousand military soldiers dead. To this day, it is known as one of the most memorable wars in our history. But is that why this war is so well remembered? The strikings of terror and death hold a heavy grip throughout the course of history worldwide, and in fact is one of the key elements that make drama, mysteryRead MoreWhy Did Jefferson Argue That Religious Freedom Is Needed?893 Words   |  4 Pagesreligious freedom is needed? The Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom is an announcement composed by Thomas Jefferson and went by the Virginia General Assembly on January 16, 1786. Jefferson believed in religious freedom and exerted himself to separate state and church. He argued that religious freedom was more than needed in America, a nation of immigrants. Thomas Jefferson succeeded in overcoming problems like religious discrimination. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom is a resultRead MoreThe Freedom Of Struggles By Adriane Lentz Smith1250 Words   |  5 PagesLentz-Smith wrote the book called the Freedom of Struggles, Who is an associate Professor of History at Duke University. Adriane had studied history and African American studies. She was successful in everything Adriane did, she had many goals to achieve. One of the goals were to get across one point about how war world 1 and African Americans goes to Europe with American expeditionary forces in World War 1. How the story was a critical movement in the book â€Å"freedom of struggles†. Adriane was an aggressiveRead MoreEssay on African American History in America1064 Words   |  5 PagesSlavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that â€Å"the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas† (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since.Read MoreEssay Freedom: America’s Biggest Lie1437 Words   |  6 PagesFreedom: America’s Biggest Lie The bells of liberty and freedom have become symbols that characterize the patriotic nature of America. Our precious country was founded on these universal principles that have become â€Å"unalienable rights† of our Constitution. Freedom is more than the ability to express oneself – it is a manifestation of individualism, creative thought, and the inborn desire to think freely and innovate. While Americans cherish their fundamental right to freedom, the definition of freedomRead MoreEssay on The First Amendment556 Words   |  3 Pages America was built on freedom. Freedom to speak, freedom to choose, freedom to worship, and freedom to do just about anything you want within the law. America’s law was designed to protect and preserve these freedoms. The reason the United States of America came to exist was because the colonists fled Great Britain to get back the freedoms that were taken away from them by the Monarchy. In countries where Monarchies and Dictatorships rule, there is little if any freedom to speak of. Citizens ofRead MoreWhat Was Freedom For African Americans?961 Words   |  4 PagesAfrican American with no property, little training, and few rights; which made the definition of freedom for African Americans the central question on the nation’s agenda. The big question of the time period was, â€Å"what was freedom for African Americans?† (Give me liberty! An American 550) From 1865 to 1900 African Americans, despite being presumed free; blacks quickly realized they were only free from was the whippings, break-ups from their families, and sexual exploitation. (Experience History 457)

Statutory Disclosure Analysis of Annual Report Free Essays

Below Is the analysis of annual report of consumer product (Hub Seen) and instruction company (Sunday) in compliance to the financial reporting standard. FRR 107 statement of cash Flows Sunday is using direct method while Hub Seen is using indirect method in presenting their Cash Flow Statements in the respective Annual Reports. Direct Method is preferable since this method shows the cash payment and receipts which are this Information are useful to the users of the financial statement In predicting future cash flow. We will write a custom essay sample on Statutory Disclosure Analysis of Annual Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now Thus Sunday is using method that more relevance to the user while Hub Seen is using method that less relevance for the users. FRR 121 The Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates Both Sunday and Hub Seen are exposed to the foreign exchange difference. For Sunday, it is arises from operation of its subsidiary that located outside Malaysia. While Hub Seen foreign currency difference Is mostly due to the purchases that denominated In other currencies from Its functional currency. But Hub Seen did not engaged with any formal hedging activities since the transaction is at an acceptable level where as, Sunday is applying natural hedging which is to reduce its risk in foreign currency by borrowing in the country they invested so that they can match he borrowing cost to the revenue earned. Therefore, the foreign exchange risk is reduced. So this information Is useful for the users since the Information Is relevant to predict the future In safeguarding their Investment In the respective companies. FRR 118 Revenue Both companies recognized its revenue according to the approved standard to the extent that it is probable economic benefits flow to the companies. Similar revenues that recognized by both companies are sale of goods, dividend, interest and rental income. The deferent is that, Sunday have more source of income which is sales of repertories under development, land and property Inventories; sale of services, rights and enjoyment; club subscription fees and time share revenue. It Is useful to the users of financial statement when they want to make decision in which industry to invest in or when they want to diversified their portfolios. FRR 119 Employee Benefits Both companies are compliance to the standard in disclosing the defined contribution plan and short term employee benefits to the users. But Sunday have another employee benefit that Is share based compensation that allows the employees to acquire share of Sunday at net of directly attributable transaction cost. Sunday is volunteering in providing such benefit to the employees. So this kind of benefit may improve the motivation of the employees in discharging their duties exceed expectation. Thus, this motivation will lead Sunday in higher performance which is this relevant information is useful to the users in predicting future performance of the company. FRR 124 Related Party Disclosures Key management personnel are considered related party to the company. Therefore, the companies need to disclose the total compensation paid to them. Hub Seen only provided short term employee benefit and defined contribution plan to their key management personnel while Sunday also providing share based payment in addition to the other two types of compensation. This shows that Sunday are more concern with the compensation paid to their key personnel since the key personnel are involving in decision making of the company which determine the company future performance. Therefore, by providing extra compensation compared to other company like Hub Seen, the key management personnel will be happy and motivated n discharging their duties diligently and with due care. FRR 124 Inventories Both companies stated their inventories at lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business less the estimated costs of completion and the estimated costs necessary to make the sale. But Sunday is using weighted average method while Hub Seen is using first in first out method (FIFO) in determining their cost. For Hub Seen, using this method will show the highest profit compared to weighted average method (WA) and last in first UT method (LIFO) because of the nature of inflation. Even though higher reported gross profit is seem to be favorable to the investor, still this will resulted in higher tax to be paid by Hub Seen. Maybe one of the reason Hub Seen adopted FIFO instead of other method is that, they are engaging in selling perishable item which is not suitable to use LIFO since the left inventories will be obsolete and thus, invaluable. How to cite Statutory Disclosure Analysis of Annual Report, Papers

Characteristics of Gothic Literature free essay sample

The Gothic In 1798 an anonymous author published a commentary that revealed exactly how some writers received the Gothic during this time: â€Å" Take—An old castle, half of it ruinous A long gallery, with a great many doors, some secret ones. Three murdered bodies, quite fresh. As many skeletons, in chests and presses. An old woman hanging by the neck; with her throat cut. Assassins and desperadoes, quant. suff. Noises, whispers, and groans, threescore at least. † (1-7) After reading many of the selections in the anthology, I found this poem on a Gothic’s â€Å"recipe† to be quite true (602). However, in the case of this anonymous writer, he considers all of these characteristics to be negative. I, on the other hand, find it very intriguing that this type of novel developed in a time ruled by writers whose main focus was politics and poetry. Many influential writers including Coleridge and Wordsworth criticized the characteristics, morality, purpose, and significance of these novels; however, I believe many of the features they disliked actually broadened the scope of literature. The Gothic novel was often attacked for being too formulaic. Although the specifics of the plot changed from novel to novel, the characteristics were often similar, which is something that is pointed out repeatedly by the Gothic’s critics. The similarities encountered in the characteristics of these novels include the setting, mystery, and characters to name a few. The setting of this type of novel is usually in a castle of sorts, or in some other mysterious place that produces suspense and terror within the reader. Although these settings were often alike, they â€Å"exist to convey the atmosphere† and are used â€Å"for ends that are fundamentally psychological† (Hume 286). This characteristic is one that set up the entire feeling of the novel, one of suspense, horror, and mystery. The setting of various novels was not uniform because it was the easy or obvious choice like many critics believed, but because it created a certain atmosphere that was needed for the plot. If the story had been set on a sunny beach, the atmosphere would have been much different and the reader would not get the same affect. Like the settings, the mysteries that develop within Gothic novels are usually somewhat similar. From what I have come across, many include a murder or deep, dark secret that is unraveled by an ordinary person. While this may support Wordsworth’s claim that these novels are â€Å"sickly and stupid German tragedies† because of their straightforward plot, I find them to be quite interesting (266). These mysteries create suspense, and were the first â€Å"page-turners† that were ever written. Readers no longer had to decipher long and complicated meanings from pieces such as the â€Å"Lucy Gray† poems; instead, they could sit back, relax, and enjoy these novels that created an escape into a mysterious world. Another piece of the â€Å"formula† that was important to the genre were the characters that were used throughout the novels. The characters were often simple people who were thrown into a situation that required extraordinary actions. While the simplicity of the characters was often criticized by writers who considered themselves to be â€Å"high culture,† these characters had the ability to â€Å"involve the reader in special circumstances† (Hume 286). Unlike the pieces that came before them, the Gothic novel had the capacity to draw the reader in, and put them in the shoes of the main character. For me, it was very hard to feel for the personas in earlier poems that we came across. I think the main reason for this is that the characters tended to be somewhat generic, but interesting. They allowed for anyone to understand the character and immerse themselves within the character’s thoughts. They also allowed for people to sink in to a particular character and feel the terror that they were feeling. Another aspect of the Gothic that was often called into question was the morality of the characters and authors. There are many instances in which these novels incorporated grotesque scenes that included rape and murder among many other things. In The Monk by Matthew Lewis the main character, Ambrosia, is a virtuous and ethical man who seduced by the demon Matilda. In one scene â€Å"his desires were raised to that frantic height by which brutes are agitated†¦ and [he] hastily proceeded to tear off those garments which impeded the gratification of his lust† (598). Ambrosia is obviously an immoral character, and he is criticized for not being so. To me, it seems like critics were getting to the point where they were trying to find anything and everything to criticize about the Gothic novel. While this genre may involve some unseemly characters, they are needed in order to create an interesting plot. Having some sort of villain is necessary in any type of writing that has a mystery or murder involved. Without villains, we cannot have heroes, and both are very important aspects of literature. Coleridge, for example, not only attacked The Monk as a novel but also attacked Lewis as a person for having the ability to create such an immoral character. He believed that â€Å"the merit of a novelist is in proportion†¦ to the pleasurable effect which he produces (604). I highly disagree with this statement because I believe controversy affects change, and change is needed in order to forward society. Novelists and poets were no longer writing poems that had the sole purpose of making a person feel good or empowered; instead, they were writing for entertainment. Also, many of the writers before The Monk addressed political issues that were not considered pleasurable, but controversial and hard to confront. Coleridge’s statement seems to contradict everything that literature stands for. Authors and the literature they create are unpleasant at times, and that is not wrong—it is merely a necessity for the forward movement of society and evolution of literature. Another important issue to address when it comes to these novels is their specific purpose. It seems that every literary movement in history had some sort of motive or driving force behind them. For the Gothic, this driving force or purpose seems to be to induce terror while entertaining. Before this movement, we never really encountered works of literature that were straightforward, suspenseful, and enjoyable all at the same time. In an essay by Aikin and Aikin, they claimed that people would â€Å"rather chuse to suffer the smart pang of a violent emotion than the uneasy craving of an unsatisfied desire† (584). By this, they mean that terror is pleasurable, and that is exactly what these novels delivered to their readers. It was not an emotion that was regularly produced when readers came into contact with the typical works of this time. For a piece of literature to induce such error was something novel and interesting that affected many of their readers. Because terror is an emotion that is hard to come by, these novels were, like I said, an escape for readers. Terror is not something that a person wants to encounter in their real life, but is something they can enjoy and acquire through reading these novels. Their purpose was not to confuse the reader with complicated meanings full of allusions. Instead, these terrifying novels have the ability to â€Å"render the poorest and most insipid narrative interesting when once we get fairly into it† (584). Although many of the authors of Gothic novels may not have been the best composers compared to standards during this time, they were still able to draw in a huge audience because they gave the people what they wanted. I would not consider the narratives â€Å"insipid,† but compared to the works that came before them, they were much simpler and used language that was not considered to be as articulate. This simplicity that is encountered when reading a piece of Gothic work, though criticized, says much about how society was changing during this time. These novels significantly altered the way in which literature was composed and whom it was available to. Instead of being read by the elite few, it was accessible to pretty much anyone who could read. During this time, the percent of literate people was rising rapidly, especially in the middle class. These books appealed to these people, and sold millions upon millions of copies because of this. I think that much of the distaste that so-called â€Å"high culture† writers had for these novels is because of their success. They were extremely popular, more so than the most popular of the poets during this time. For example, Wordsworth was said to be a commercialized version of â€Å"real† poetry because it was easier to understand than many other pieces out during this time. However, he never even came close to selling as many copies of Lyrical Ballads as the Gothic writers did with their own works. For Wordsworth to criticize a genre that feeds off of the readers’ ability to comprehend seems to be extremely hypocritical of him. Also, I think that when something appeals to the masses, it is a good thing. Change cannot occur unless everyone is on the same page, and that is what the Gothic provided to the people. Finally, I would like to confront just how significant this movement is to the literature we have today. This was the first time we encounter a genre that is similar to the types of genres we see today. The Gothic genre was criticized because the novels were too alike—but that is exactly what a genre is, according to today’s standards. One could argue that the novels that are published today are not of the same caliber as novels published 50, 100, or 200 years ago. And maybe that is true, but is it necessarily bad? In my opinion, having novels that are more accessible to more people makes for a better, more unified society. Having works of literature that are too complicated, wordy, or abstract leads to more ambiguity, and eventually creates a divide among social classes. I am not saying that all written works should be easy to understand, but I do think that the Gothic novel was the first in a wave of works of literature that helped society grow more literate. Finally, scholars and everyday people were able to read and talk about the same kinds of things. Although scholars who thought they were better writers were constantly criticizing it, they could not appeal to the masses. Gothic literature had the ability to do this, and you can still see its influence in novels on shelves today. It has a definite place in literary history, and should not be overlooked. It may not have had the deepest plots or the most complicated characters, but the genre had an impact during the 18th century, and continues to have an impact today.