glory essays

glory essays GLORY The movie Glory tells the history and the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. It became the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War. The Regiment was made up of black soldiers some were Northern freemen, some were escaped slaves. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists. The men of the 54th Regiment proved themselves worthy of the freedom for which they fighting, and the respect of their fellow white soldiers. Glory is told mainly through the eyes of Shaw, played by Matthew Broderick. At the beginning of the movie, Shaw is fighting in a battle, and manages to survive, despite heavy Union losses. He is horrified with the violence of the war, and returns home to recover from his wounds. Shaw is recruited to lead the newly formed black regiment. Although he has grown up and still retained his abolitionist opinions, he still has doubts about the capability of black troops. The 54th Infantry was comprised of a very divers e group of men. An older gentleman, John Rawlins (played by Morgan Freeman), is the fatherly-type man of the group. He watches out for the others. Another man, Trip (Denzel Washington), is an escaped slave. Trip is a very vindictive young man he is disrespectful, even to his own comrades. Another character, Thomas, also referred to as Snowflake, is a well-educated, free black man. At one point, Tripp calls Thomas a nigger, in response to Thomas quiet, respectful and educated demeanor. Meanwhile, Rawlins replied to him, dont forget where you came from, boy, because if you can call him a nigger, then you must be one too. During the civil war, white soldiers were paid wages of thirteen dollars per hour. When it came time to pay the black soldiers, they received a wage of only ten dollars. The men realize this is because of their skin color, and wonder if they should quit the...

Timeline of Hernan Cortes Conquest of the Aztecs

Timeline of Hernan Cortes' Conquest of the Aztecs 1492: Christopher Columbus Discovers the New World for Europe. 1502: Christopher Columbus, on his Fourth New World Voyage, meets with some advanced traders: they were likely Mayan vassals of the Aztecs. 1517: Francisco Hernndez de CÃ ³rdoba expedition: three ships explore the Yucatan. Many Spanish are killed in skirmishes with the natives, including Hernandez. 1518 Jan. - Oct.: The Juan de Grijalva Expedition explores the Yucatan and southern part of Mexicos Gulf Coast. Some of those who took part, including Bernal Diaz del Castillo and Pedro de Alvarado, would later Join Cortes expedition. November 18: Hernan Cortes Expedition sets out from Cuba. 1519 March 24: Cortes and his men fight the Maya of Potonchan. After winning the battle, the Lord of Potonchan would give Cortes gifts, including a slave girl Malinali, who would go on to be better known as Malinche, Cortes invaluable interpreter and mistress. April 21: Cortes Expedition reaches San Juan de Ulua. June 3: Spanish visit Cempoala and found settlement of Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. July 26: Cortes sends a ship with treasure and letters to Spain. August 23: Cortes treasure ship stops in Cuba and rumors start to spread of the wealth discovered in Mexico. September 2-20: Spanish enter Tlaxcalan territory and battle the fierce Tlaxcalans and their allies. September 23: Cortes and his men, victorious, enter Tlaxcala and make important alliances with the leaders. October 14: Spanish enter Cholula. October 25? (exact date unknown) Cholula Massacre: Spanish and Tlaxcalans fall on unarmed Cholulans in one of the city squares when Cortes learns of an ambush awaiting them outside the city. November 1: Cortes expedition leaves Cholula. November 8: Cortes and his men enter Tenochtitlan. November 14: Montezuma arrested and placed under guard by the Spanish. 1520 March 5: Governor Velazquez of Cuba sends Panfilo de Narvaez to rein in Cortes and regain control of the expedition. May: Cortes leaves Tenochtitlan to deal with Narvaez. May 20: Pedro de Alvarado orders the massacre of thousands of Aztec nobles at the Festival of Toxcatl. May 28-29: Cortes defeats Narvaez at the Battle of Cempoala and adds his men and supplies to his own. June 24: Cortes returns to find Tenochtitlan in a state of uproar. June 29: Montezuma is injured while pleading with his people for calm: he will die shortly from his wounds. June 30: the Night of Sorrows. Cortes and his men try to creep out of the city under cover of darkness but are discovered and attacked. Most of the treasure collected thus far is lost. July 7: Conquistadors score a narrow victory at the Battle of Otumba. July 11: Conquistadors reach Tlaxcala where they can rest and regroup. September 15: Cuitlahuac officially becomes the Tenth Tlatoani of the Mexica. October: Smallpox sweeps the land, claiming thousands of lives in Mexico, including Cuitlahuac. December 28: Cortes, his plans in place for the reconquest of Tenochtitlan, leaves Tlaxcala. 1521 February: Cuauhtemoc becomes eleventh Tlatoani of the Mexica. April 28: Brigantines launched in Lake Texcoco. May 22: Siege of Tenochtitlan formally begins: Causeways blockaded as the brigantines attack from the water. August 13: Cuauhtemoc is captured while fleeing Tenochtitlan. This effectively ends the resistance of the Aztec Empire. Sources Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. Trans., ed. J.M. Cohen. 1576. London, Penguin Books, 1963. Print.Levy, Buddy. New York: Bantam, 2008.Thomas, Hugh. New York: Touchstone, 1993.

Method of chemical strengthening Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Method of chemical strengthening - Coursework Example   A glass has low tensile strength compared to other solids. Glass is considered to be a liquid solid, an amorphous solid. It lacks crystalline structure which other solid used to have. Lacking crystalline structure, a glass has a very slow moving set of molecules with no definite arrangement. There are several techniques to strengthen tensile strength of a glass material. One technique is strengthening by means of so much heat and cold. The glass material is first heated at an extremely high temperature and then suddenly cooled. The effect of heating is by loosing more the molecules and the sudden cooling is to compress it thereafter. Another method of strengthening is called chemical strengthening. This is where the glass material is submerged into a potassium nitrate solution. The high-mass potassium molecule, which is bigger, then replaces the sodium molecule in the glass material. It compresses the surface of the glass material and thus, making it more tough. 3. Griffith is co ncerned not for the strength of a material but for more, the defects. His equation is to know the ability of a material to resist a flaw and fractures. He used Young’s modulus or the stress over strain ratio to get how much stress energy is needed for a material to rupture from a certain length of fracture. Needless to say, the less stress over strain ratio a material has the little stress energy it will need to rupture and collapse. Now steel in general has 200 GPa and a glass only has 90 GPa.

You can choose a topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You can choose a topic - Assignment Example ch as television broadcasting and radio entertainment, marketing advertisements in newspapers and magazines and advertisement using banners and billboards (Baines, Fill, & Page, 2011). The Russ All construction limited company located in California United States is to produce steel products, design process and produce high quality components and machinery that exceed the consumer requirements. This is by employing appropriate art technology and highly skilled work force. This is to ensure production of quality goods to meet the demands of the consumers. It is also in line to ensure a healthy competition with other steel and manufacture companies. The company vision is to be the regional and international market leader in production and designs of steel products and components. Core values incorporated include customer focus, integrity, teamwork, social responsibility, professionalism and environmental responsibilities. The area to be involved for the survey is California area in United States to determine their view and perception of the products produced by the Russ All construction limited company. The reason for conducting the survey is determining the awareness among the residents of the company. The survey will also determine preference of customers to buy the products produced by the company over other companies producing similar products. The survey will later be used by the company improvement on the production, marketing process, and meeting demands of consumers for the company, to reach the desired target market (Leung, 2001). The method to be used to collect data is the use of questionnaires to the sample identified. Members in the company have been selected to conduct the survey. They are divided to groups, and they are to provide residents with the questionnaire papers to fill under guidance (Kruschke, 2010). Data for the survey was collected analyzed, and the finding presented. ‘The Russ All construction limited company produces steel products,

Solvency ratio indicates Essay Example for Free

Solvency ratio indicates Essay The solvency The solvency ratio indicates whether a company’s cash flow is sufficient to meet its short-term and long-term liabilities. The lower a companys solvency ratio, the greater the probability that it will default on its debt obligations. Current ratio The ratio is mainly used to give an idea of the companys ability to pay back its short-term liabilities (debt and payables) with its short-term assets (cash, inventory, receivables). The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio under 1 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. While this shows the company is not in good financial health, it does not necessarily mean that it will go bankrupt as there are many ways to access financing but it is definitely not a good sign. Current ratios for Sports UK For year 2012 For year 2011 Acid test ratio A stringent indicator that determines whether a firm has enough short-term assets to cover its immediate liabilities without selling inventory. The acid-test ratio is far more strenuous than the working capital ratio, primarily because the working capital ratio allows for the inclusion of inventory assets. Acid test ratio for Sports UK For year 2012 For year 2011 Performance ratio Calculates a measure of a specific aspect of performance, which might involve things which you can attach a number to, or an indicator that something did or did not happen in the requited way. Ratios are very good way to measure them using only a financial record. This record bellows shows performance of sports UK. 2011 Stock turn over= 72215 = 3.05 times 23611 2012 Stock turn over= 23611 x 365 = 119.3 days 72215 2011 debt collection period = 9024 x 365 = 962 days 34212 2012 debt collection period = 9098 x 365 = 904 days 36696 2012 asset turnover= 153487 = 0.64 237028 2011 asset turnover= 159921 = 0.73 219013 Profitability ratios Measures that indicate how well a firm is performing in terms of its ability to generate profit. Those ratios measure financial metrics that are used to assess a businesss ability to generate earnings as compared to its expenses and other relevant costs incurred during a specific period of time. For most of these ratios, having a higher value relative to a competitors ratio or the same ratio from a previous period is indicative that the company is doing well. Profitability ratios of Sports UK for 2011 Gross profit margin =81272 x 100 =52.95 153487 Net profit percentage = 6741 x 100 = 43.9 153487 ROC E= 10753 x 100 = 21.9 49097 Profitability ratios of Sports UK for 2012 Gross profit margin =83199 x 100 =52.02 159921 Net profit percentage = 6742 x 100 = 39.0 159921 ROC E= 10310 x 100 = 20.9 49227

Curiosity Killed a Friendship Essay -- Personal Narrative Essays

How many people wonder about holes in the ceiling and cracks on the floor? When did they happen? What caused them? Or what about when you see a cigarette in someone’s hand and ask yourself how do they feel about smoking even though they know it’s dangerous. And even if people do think about these things, why? For what purpose? I guess I do it out of boredom. But is boredom really an excuse? I mean, really, how bored can a person get? I don't believe it is boredom after all, probably curiosity, which can build to all sorts of lengths, and I believe it most certainly starts there. How else can you explain why I want to know what happened to a certain somebody when a certain somebody else, punches them in the eye? I am almost positive it isn’t boredom, but curiosity and that is where and how I try to make sense of this story. It begins on a nice hot October morning, with birds singing and flowers in full bloom, ok, not really. I live in Washington for crying out loud. But how awesome would it be if it worked out that way. It really would put something beautiful into this mesh of words. Actually it really didn't have a starting place, but starting people. A group of friends. All the people in this group and all the people that surrounded this group were a part of my life and some still are. I don't really understand why, but at first I really did enjoy hanging out with these people. I guess maybe because they were 'cool', but I mean we never really did anything cool. So basically we sat around pretending to be cool, because we were considered cool. Or maybe it was just the others that were considered cool. I really don't know, but pretending to be cool was just not all that cool to me. I don't understand how people can hang out w... ...re. Sadly, the infection, the disease had taken over me too. I had officially become part of the crew, in fact that one conversation, everything I hated about myself and anything else bestowed upon me had been poured out, through words on my phone. The girl I told this to was very upset and lost a friend. I went from the loved to the hated in a matter of a fifteen-minute conversation. And quite frankly I was so upset that I really didn't care to speak to any of them again. I decided not to do anything mean (wow, I really had become a bad person if I had to decide not to be mean). So maybe my story was pointless and you don't understand why I think curiosity is the cause of all things and why it kills all, but it killed my friendships, it killed my personality, it killed my life. But then she changed, a little, and we became friends again. Or at least I hope... ï Å'

Personal Protective Equipment and Good Personal Hygiene

Unit ICO1 The principles of infection prevention and control Outcome 1 Understand roles and responsibilities in the prevention and control of infections The learner can: 1. explain employees’ roles and responsibilities in relation to the prevention and control of infection 2. explain employers’ responsibilities in relation to the prevention and control infection. Outcome 2 Understand legislation and policies relating to prevention and control of infections The learner can: 1. utline current legislation and regulatory body standards which are relevant to the prevention and control of infection 2. describe local and organisational policies relevant to the prevention and control of infection. Outcome 3 Understand systems and procedures relating to the prevention and control of infections The learner can: 1. describe procedures and systems relevant to the prevention and control of infection 2. explain the potential impact of an outbreak of infection on the individual and th e organisation.Outcome 4 Understand the importance of risk assessment in relation to the prevention and control of infections The learner can: 1. define the term risk 2. outline potential risks of infection within the workplace 3. describe the process of carrying out a risk assessment 4. explain the importance of carrying out a risk assessment. Outcome 5 Understand the importance of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the prevention and control of infections The learner can: 4. tate current relevant regulations and legislation relating to PPE 5. describe employees’ responsibilities regarding the use of PPE 6. describe employers’ responsibilities regarding the use of PPE 7. describe the correct practice in the application and removal of PPE 8. describe the correct procedure for disposal of used PPE. Outcome 6 Understand the importance of good personal hygiene in the prevention and control of infections The learner can: 1. describe the key principles of good per sonal hygiene

Extras Book Summary

EXTRAS Scott Westerfeld Extras by Scott Westerfeld fits into the Juvenile Science Fiction genre. It is narrated in first person by the protagonist of the story Aya Fuse. It is the fourth volume in the Uglies trilogy, and unlike the first three books we are guided through this adventure by Aya Fuse a fifteen-year-old Japanese girl whose one ambition in life is to be popular by kicking an interesting story about something important. It’s been over three years since the cure for the brain lesions was released and the world is slowly regaining what it has lost. They now live without those strict roles and rules from the past, and the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. The story follows Aya and her friends in a world not far from our own where popularity is literally money and people must discover what matters most to them and what they are willing to do to overcome life as an extra. Popularity is everything and will buy you the most luxurious house, the most lavish clothing, and popular friends. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules. Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself. She is the protagonist of the story. Throughout the story she gets help from some other characters such as her friends. She meets the Sly Girls who are seemingly ordinary girls who live on the wild side by riding on top of a super fast mag-lev train while trying to stay away from the kickers. Aya has some help getting it right from her famous brother Hiro, her tech friend Ren, her boyfriend Frizz, the always-helpful David, and the Cutters: Shay, Fausto, and Tally. These eight people discover the truth behind the metal shortage and the inhuman freaks, while once again trying to save themselves and the world from destruction. Aya Fuse, accompanied by her hover cam Moggle, crashes a party hoping to track down a group she saw surfing a  mag-lev  train, a story which she believes will make her famous. She follows one of the group's members, Eden Maru, out of the party, but they nearly get away when she is distracted by Frizz Mizuno. Aya leaves without telling Frizz her full name. She then follows Eden into an underground cave, where she is ambushed by the mag-lev riders, who call themselves the Sly Girls. The group's leader Jai gives Aya a chance to join them, but to do so she is forced to drop Moggle into an underground lake. The next day, she visits her brother Hiro. Hiro and his friend Ren Machino refuse to believe Aya's tale of the Sly Girls because they are an urban legend  in the city. Ren agrees to help Aya retrieve Moggle. Aya also happens upon a story about Frizz, discovering that he started a clique based around  brain surgery which enforces honesty. That evening, Aya goes mag-lev surfing with the Sly Girls. During the journey, the girls are surprised when the train stops, and they see inhuman figures loading the train up with a variety of items hidden within a secret underground room. Aya retrieves Moggle, and uses him to film her next excursion with the Sly Girls. They go on another mag-lev surfing trip which ends in exploration of the underground room they had discovered. Inside are many large cylinders of metal and a large chute leading to the top of the mountain, neither of which are understood by the Sly Girls. They plan to return to explore further, but Aya's credibility is ruined by the kicking of a news story about Frizz Mizuno coming to talk to her by her dorm. Aya is forced to break off contact with Frizz in order to lose fame. The story leaves her disillusioned by the hateful comments of the kickers. However, she does have the chance to tell Hiro and Ren about the Sly Girls story. Ren guesses that the chute inside the mountain is a  mass drive  which, combined with the steel projectiles, could be used to launch an attack on the city. When Aya next meets the Sly Girls they reveal that they knew she was a kicker, and have decided to allow her to kick the story of the mass driver. They launch themselves and Aya out of the mass driver with homemade parachutes. This gives them one last thrill before they part ways, and also giving The Sly Girls time to move on to a different city. Aya kicks her story and becomes instantly famous, but is concerned when she receives a message from Tally Youngblood. The message tells her to â€Å"run and hide†, and Aya is nearly captured by the inhumans while trying to do so. Eventually, Aya uses her fame to take control of a high-security apartment, and waits there until Tally arrives accompanied by Shay and Fausto. After talking, the Cutters go hover boarding with Aya, Hiro, Frizz and Ren. Aya has a signal up for her hover cam, and the Cutters boost it so the inhumans could find them. They are soon captured, and on the inhumans ship Frizz ruins their plan. The Cutters knock out the inhumans and put the hover car on autopilot. The Cutters, Aya, Frizz, Hiro, and Ren jump out of the hover car. They then have to travel through a jungle to meet David. After deciding Aya, Ren, Hiro, and Frizz would get in the way, Tally, Shay, and Fausto plan to leave them where they were. Meanwhile the Cutters, would go to destroy the ships of the inhumans. After they have left, Aya says that she is going as well. Ren, Hiro, and Frizz come with her. Soon, they are caught by the inhumans and meet Andrew Simpson Smith. He mistakes Aya for Tally. The inhumans explain what they were doing with the metal, and then they hear explosions. Aya, her friends, and brother rush over there and tell Tally what the ships are for. Soon, everyone is fighting against the fire that the Cutters had started. Aya, Frizz, Hiro, and Ren all become famous in their city. Aya then becomes the 3rd most famous person. Aya, her friends, and the Cutters then go to the Thousand Faces Party. There, Aya meets up with Lai and tells Aya a secret about the cake. After, Frizz tells Aya that he might leave Radical Honesty because he didn't need the group to tell the truth. In the end Aya sees Tally and David together in the dark.

Siege of Leningrad in World War II

Siege of Leningrad in World War II The Siege of Leningrad took place from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944, during World War II. With the beginning of the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, German forces, aided by the Finns, sought to capture the city of Leningrad. Fierce Soviet resistance prevented the city from falling, but the last road connection was severed that September. Though supplies could be brought across Lake Ladoga, Leningrad was effectively under siege. Subsequent German efforts to take the city failed and in early 1943 the Soviets were able to open a land route into Leningrad. Further Soviet operations finally relieved the city on January 27, 1944. The 827-day siege was one of the longest and costliest in history. Fast Facts: Siege of Leningrad Conflict: World War II (1939-1945)Dates: September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944Commanders:AxisField Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von LeebField Marshal Georg von KÃ ¼chlerMarshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheimapprox. 725,000Soviet UnionMarshal Georgy ZhukovMarshal Kliment VoroshilovMarshal Leonid Govorovapprox. 930,000Casualties:Soviet Union: 1,017,881 killed, captured, or missing as well as 2,418,185 woundedAxis: 579,985 Background In planning for Operation Barbarossa, a key objective for German forces was the capture of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Strategically situated at the head of the Gulf of Finland, the city possessed immense symbolic and industrial importance. Surging forward on June 22, 1941, Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leebs Army Group North anticipated a relatively easy campaign to secure Leningrad. In this mission, they were aided by Finnish forces, under Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, which crossed the border with the goal of recovering territory recently lost in the Winter War. Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. Â  Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-L08126 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 The Germans Approach Anticipating a German thrust towards Leningrad, Soviet leaders began fortifying the region around the city days after the invasion commenced. Creating the Leningrad Fortified Region, they built lines of defenses, anti-tank ditches, and barricades. Rolling through the Baltic states, 4th Panzer Group, followed by 18th Army, captured Ostrov and Pskov on July 10. Driving on, they soon took Narva and began planning for a thrust against Leningrad. Resuming the advance, Army Group North reached the Neva River on August 30 and severed the last railway into Leningrad (Map). Finnish Operations In support of the German operations, Finnish troops attacked down the Karelian Isthmus toward Leningrad, as well as advanced around the east side of Lake Ladoga. Directed by Mannerheim, they halted at the pre-Winter War border and dug in. To the east, Finnish forces halted at a line along the Svir River between Lakes Ladoga and Onega in East Karelia. Despite German pleas to renew their attacks, the Finns remained in these positions for the next three years and largely played a passive role in the Siege of Leningrad. Cutting Off the City On September 8, the Germans succeeding in cutting land access to Leningrad by capturing Shlisselburg. With the loss of this town, all supplies for Leningrad had to be transported across Lake Ladoga. Seeking to fully isolate the city, von Leeb drove east and captured Tikhvin on November 8. Halted by the Soviets, he was not able to link up with the Finns along the Svir River. A month later, Soviet counterattacks compelled von Leeb to abandon Tikhvin and retreat behind the River Volkhov. Unable to take Leningrad by assault, German forces elected to conduct a siege. The Population Suffers Enduring frequent bombardment, the population of Leningrad soon began to suffer as food and fuel supplies dwindled. With the onset of winter, supplies for the city crossed the frozen surface of Lake Ladoga on the Road of Life but these proved insufficient to prevent widespread starvation. Through the winter of 1941-1942, hundreds died daily and some in Leningrad resorted to cannibalism. In an effort to alleviate the situation, attempts were made to evacuate civilians. While this did help, the trip across the lake proved extremely hazardous and saw many lose their lives en route. Trying to Relieve the City In January 1942, von Leeb departed as commander of Army Group North and was replaced by Field Marshal Georg von KÃ ¼chler. Shortly after taking command, he defeated an offensive by the Soviet 2nd Shock Army near Lyuban. Beginning in April 1942, von KÃ ¼chler was opposed by Marshal Leonid Govorov who oversaw the Leningrad Front. Seeking to end the stalemate, he began planning Operation Nordlicht, utilizing troops recently made available after the capture of Sevastopol. Unaware of the German build-up, Govorov and Volkhov Front commander Marshal Kirill Meretskov commenced the Sinyavino Offensive in August 1942. Marshal Leonid Govorov. Public Domain Though the Soviets initially made gains, they were halted as von KÃ ¼chler shifted troops intended for Nordlicht into the fight. Counterattacking in late September, the Germans succeeded in cutting off and destroying parts of the 8th Army and 2nd Shock Army. The fighting also saw the debut of the new Tiger tank. As the city continued to suffer, the two Soviet commanders planned Operation Iskra. Launched on January 12, 1943, it continued through the end of the month and saw the 67th Army and 2nd Shock Army open a narrow land corridor to Leningrad along the south shore of Lake Ladoga. Relief at Last Though a tenuous connection, a railroad was quickly built through the area to aid in supplying the city. Through the remainder of 1943, the Soviets conducted minor operations in an effort to improve access to the city. In an effort to end the siege and fully relieve the city, the Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive was launched on January 14, 1944. Operating in conjunction with the First and Second Baltic Fronts, the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts overwhelmed the Germans and drove them back. Advancing, the Soviets recaptured the Moscow-Leningrad Railroad on January 26. On January 27, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin declared an official end to the siege. The citys safety was fully secured that summer, when an offensive began against the Finns. Dubbed the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, the attack pushed the Finns back towards the border before stalling. Aftermath Lasting 827 days, the Siege of Leningrad was one of the longest in history. It also proved one of the costliest, with Soviet forces incurring around 1,017,881 killed, captured, or missing as well as 2,418,185 wounded. Civilian deaths are estimated at between 670,000 and 1.5 million. Ravaged by the siege, Leningrad had a pre-war population in excess of 3 million. By January 1944, only around 700,000 remained in the city. For its heroism during World War II, Stalin designed Leningrad a Hero City on May 1, 1945. This was reaffirmed in 1965 and the city was given the Order of Lenin.

Joan Didion, Essayist and Author Defined New Journalism

Joan Didion, Essayist and Author Defined New Journalism Joan Didion is a noted American writer whose essays helped define the New Journalism movement in the 1960s. Her sharply etched observations of American life in times of crisis and dislocation also played a role in her novels. When President Barack Obama presented Didion with the National Humanities Medal in 2012, the White House announcement cited her works of startling honesty and fierce intellect and noted she had illuminated the seemingly peripheral details that are central to our lives. Fast Facts: Joan Didion Born: December 5, 1934, Sacramento, California.Known For: Helped transform journalism in the 1960s with her sharply crafted essays that evoked America in crisis.Recommended Reading: Essay collections Slouching Toward Bethlehem and The White Album.Honors: Multiple honorary degrees and writing awards, including the National Humanities Medal awarded by President Barack Obama in 2012. In addition to her novels and literary journalism, she wrote a number of screenplays in collaboration with her husband, the journalist John Gregory Dunne. A documentary on her life by her nephew, actor Griffin Dunne, introduced her lifes work and its influence to the Netflix viewing audience in 2017. A critic interviewed in the documentary, Hilton Als of The New Yorker, said, â€Å"The weirdness of America somehow got into this person’s bones and came out on the other side of a typewriter.† Early Life Joan Didion was born December 5, 1934, in Sacramento, California. World War II broke out days after Didions seventh birthday, and when her father joined the military the family began moving about the country. Life on various military bases as a child first gave her the sense of being an outsider. After the war the family settled back in Sacramento, where Didion finished high school. She hoped to attend Stanford University but was rejected. After a period of disappointment and depression, she attended the University of California at Berkeley. During her college years she exhibited a strong interest in writing and entered a contest for student journalists sponsored by Vogue magazine. Didion won the contest, which secured her a temporary position at Vogue. She traveled to New York City to work at the magazine. Magazine Career Didions position at Vogue turned into a full-time job which lasted for eight years. She became an editor and a highly professional writer in the world of glossy magazines. She edited copy, wrote articles and movie reviews, and developed a set of skills which would serve her for the rest of her career. In the late 1950s she met John Gregory Dunne, a young journalist who had grown up in Hartford, Connecticut. The two became friends and eventually romantic as well as editorial partners. When Didion was writing her first novel, River Run, in the early 1960s, Dunne helped her edit it. The two married in 1964. The couple adopted a daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne, in 1966. Didion and Dunne moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1965, intent on making major career changes. According to some accounts, they intended to write for television, but at first they continued writing for magazines. Slouching Towards Bethlehem The Saturday Evening Post, a mainstream magazine remembered for its frequent cover paintings by Norman Rockwell, assigned Didion to report and write on cultural and social topics. She wrote a profile of John Wayne (whom she admired) and other pieces of fairly conventional journalism. As society seemed to change in startling ways, Didion, the daughter of conservative Republicans and herself a Goldwater voter in 1964, found herself observing the influx of hippies, Black Panthers, and the rise of the counterculture. By early 1967, she later recalled, she was finding it difficult to work. It felt to her like America was somehow coming apart and, as she put it, writing had become an irrelevant act. The solution, it seemed, was to go to San Francisco and spend time with the young people who were flooding into the city just before what would become legendary as The Summer of Love. The result of weeks of hanging about in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood was perhaps her most famous magazine essay, Slouching Towards Bethlehem. The title was borrowed from The Second Coming, an ominous poem by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats. The article appears, on the surface, to have little or no structure. It opens with passages in which Didion evokes, with carefully chosen details, how in the cold late spring of 1967 America was in a time of bleak despair and adolescents drifted from city to torn city. Didion then described, with novelistic detail, the characters she spent time with, many of whom were taking drugs or seeking to acquire drugs or talking about their recent drug trips. The article departed from standard journalistic practice. At one point she did attempt to interview a policeman who had patrolled the neighborhood of the hippies, but he seemed to panic and stopped talking to her. She was accused of being a media poisoner by members of The Diggers, an anarchic group of hippies. So she hung out and listened, not interviewing anyone so much as just observing in the moment. Her observations were presented starkly as what was said and seen in her presence. It was up to the reader to draw deeper meaning. After the article was published in the Saturday Evening Post, Didion said many readers didnt grasp that she was writing about something more general than a handful of children wearing mandalas on their forehead. In the preface to a 1968 collection of her articles, itself titled Slouching Towards Bethlehem, she said she had never gotten feedback so universally beside the point. Didions technique, coupled with her distinct personality and mentions of her own anxiety, had created something of a template for later work. She continued writing journalistic essays for magazines. Over time she would become known for her observations of distinctly American events, ranging from the Manson murders to the increasingly bitter national politics of the late 1980s to the scandals of Bill Clinton. Joan Didion and husband John Gregory Dunne. Getty Images Novelist and Screenwiter In 1970 Didion published her second novel, Play It As It Lays, which was set in the world of Hollywood in which Didion and her husband had settled. (They collaborated on a screenplay for a 1972 film adaptation of the novel.) Didion continued to alternate writing fiction with her journalism, publishing three other novels: A Book of Common Prayer, Democracy, and The Last Thing He Wanted. Didion and Dunne collaborated on screenplays, including The Panic In Needle Park (produced in 1971) and the 1976 production of A Star Is Born, which starred Barbra Streisand. The work adapting a book about ill-fated anchorwoman Jessica Savitch turned into a Hollywood saga in which they wrote (and got paid for) numerous drafts before the film finally emerged as Up Close and Personal. John Gregorys Dunnes 1997 book Monster: Living Off the Big Screen detailed the peculiar story of endlessly rewriting the screenplay and dealing with Hollywood producers. Tragedies Didion and Dunne moved back to New York City in the 1990s. Their daughter Quintana became seriously ill in 2003, and after visiting her at the hospital, the couple returned to their apartment where Dunne suffered a fatal heart attack. Didion wrote a book about dealing with her grief, The Year of Magical Thinking, published in 2005. Tragedy struck again when Quintana, having recovered from a serious illness, fell at Los Angeles airport and suffered a serious brain injury. She seemed to be recovering her health but again became very ill and died in August 2005. Though her daughter died before the publication of The Year of Magical Thinking, she told The New York Times she hadnt considered changing the manuscript. She later wrote a second book about dealing with grief, Blue Nights, published in 2011. In 2017, Didion published a book of nonfiction, South and West: From a Notebook, an account of travels in the American South constructed from notes she had written decades earlier. Writing in The New York Times, critic Michiko Kakutani said what Didion wrote about travels in Alabama and Mississippi in 1970 was prescient, and seemed to point to much more modern divisions in American society. Sources: Joan Didion. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 20, Gale, 2004, pp. 113-116. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Doreski, C. K. Didion, Joan 1934- . American Writers, Supplement 4, edited by A Walton Litz and Molly Weigel, vol. 1, Charles Scribners Sons, 1996, pp. 195-216. Gale Virtual Reference Library.McKinley, Jesse. Joan Didions New Book Faces Tragedy. New York Times, 29 August 2005.

Individualsm and collectivism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individualsm and collectivism - Assignment Example Collectivism advocates for the importance of social groups always having cohesion. Therefore collectivists will focus mainly on the society or the nation or even the community and not on individuals (Donohue, 1995, p.7). In the United States, individualism and collectivism can be seen in many ways. Individualism can be dated back to the 17th and 18th century in United States. A perfect event of individualism in American history was the frontier. A person was believed to fail or to succeed based on their own individual effort. Many people actually died during this period trying to prove to them that they can be individualists in the frontier farms and the forests. Certain people like Franklin and Washington succeeded based on their own intelligence and ambition and they are perfect examples of individualism (Kim, 1994, p.23). Collectivism is something that was mainly practiced in United States after the world war. Events like United States gaining its independence from Europe in 1776 also shows that individualism worked really well for America. Today, United States wants to be a bigger part of something by practicing collectivism. An event of collectivism in United States was the political system whi ch happened to be representative democracy. In such an event when a president is elected by the majority the people are all expected to embrace their new leader. An ideal case in point would be the choice of Barack Obama as the president in 2012. The totality of the votes casted in the college showed the collectivism of the people in the election of the president (Kitayama, & Cohen, 2007, p.259). In the real world experience some people believe that individual work is what will make them successful while others believe working collectively in a society is what will bring about success. These two aspects help one understand the cultural differences of people. In individualist culture they put the