The French Revolution :: essays research papers

The French Revolution had many causes. According to the historian, French people revolted because they were, â€Å"intelligent, free, and prosperous to be critical of the existing conditions.† In other words, this historian is saying that the people of France knew what was going on in their country. I agree with this historian and this quote. There were conditions that existed in France the people were aware of. The ideas of the Enlightenment, social classes, and tax system contributed to the French Revolution. The French Revolution was based mostly on the Third Estate’s desire to obtain liberty and equality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third estate (made up ninety-eight percent of the population) was the people who wanted to be equal to the nobles and clergy. The clergy and nobles made up the First and Second Estate. They first two estates had overruling power in the government than the Third Estate. This was one of the reasons of the Storm of Bastille. They were knowledgeable of the ‘existing conditions.’ The social class was the main thing separating the people of France. There was a lack of social mobility also, causing people to be based on lineage, rather than wealth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people of the Third Estate were also being treated unfairly and unjustly. The tax system was another contribution of the revolution. The nobles and clergy would tax the rest of the people by voting. Since the people were divided into sections, each section would count as one vote, despite the fact that the First and Second Estate was only made up of two percent of the population. Also, the nobles and clergy were usually exempt from paying the taxes. This made the people angry. The tax system resulted in the Tennis Court Oath. Members of the Third Estates met there to gather and talk about the problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last contribution to the French Revolution was the ideas of the Enlightenment. The bourgeoisie had learned to read and write about the teachings of Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. Most of them had the basic idea, to have a limited or constitutional monarchy.

A Shadow in the City

â€Å"A Shadow in the City: Confessions of an Undercover Drug Warrior† is a well-known book written by Charles Bowden. As evident by the name, the book deals with drugs, the drug war and an under cover drug warrior.The author of this book has touched a subject which has generally always been considered dark by many; and for that he has put forward the picture of a man who has worked extremely hard nearly all his life to put an end to the war against drugs.The author has gone deep into the mind of a person namely Mr. O’Shay and has put forward many such things which go by ignored by a vast number of people. The reason behind writing this book evidently is to gain awareness and make the people give attention to the problems faced by the people who work on the front end of this problem.These are the people who begin working as people with good hearts and even better intentions, and then they are forced to consign acts of pure evil or just simple lose at their work. Every s ingle evil act wounds the mind and the soul of that person to the extent that nothing is left except pain, wounds, and a guilty feeling that agonizes a man who at his heart may be a good person.Another thing which the author has tried to convey is the fact that anyone involved in the drugs business would either go up or go straight down. He will loose all signs of humanity along with all his morals and values (Bowden, 2005).Summaryâ€Å"Joey O'Shay is not the real name of the narcotics agent in an unnamed city in the center of the country. But Joey O'Shay exists. The nearly three hundred drug busts he has orchestrated over more than two decades are real, too; if the drug war were a declared war, O'Shay would have a Silver Star†.–Charles BowdenThis well-known book which has been written by Charles Bowden presents an image of the life of an undercover drug agent and the effects of his work on the agent’s sanity and sense of right and wrong. In this book the author has presented to his readers the unseen world of the drug wars where wicked crimes occur nearly all the time; where unfaithfulness and dishonesty are the only two things that one can depend on; and where alcohol and drugs are the only thing that people are concerned about.In the book, the author has archived a career-making drug deal for pure Columbian heroin which is being coordinated by Joey O’Shay, a drug agent who has been working under-cover for more than twenty years.The drug agent has made a vast number of drug deal busts without ever being identified by any of his targets; nevertheless, his purpose as an agent and that of America’s war on drugs has grown more difficult to understand with each bust. O’Shay is at a point where he wishes to retire from his job. He wants to walk away from what he has been doing since a very long time—getting close to his enemies and then destroying them, but the way out is not easy.He stands at a point where he does not know himself; he has become an entity trying to understand his own self. In the words of the author, â€Å"he becomes a shadow in the city. He remains unknown to the life moving around him. He answers no questions. He grows, thrives, slides silently down the streets.He acts. He loves. He loses. He kills. He is the law but few remember this fact. Sometimes, he forgets himself† (Bowden, p.5). The problems faced by O’ Shay, him losing his personality, losing interest in his work and doubting his line of work, O’ Shay trying to find ways to get out of this drug business but failing at it and also failing at dying is what this book is basically about.While working for the war on drugs, the police men or let’s say the drug agents face a lot of things which play with their minds. Horrific images, brutal realities, harsh lies are all part of the game. These things make the person doubt his own job just like O’ Shay doubts his by thinking whether this w ar is ever going to end or not.Friendship and loyalty play a major role in this field. In the book, Bobbie is a girl who owns a hotel and has always been helping O’ Shay. She always listens to him and according to the author, â€Å"Bobbie obeys no one, she is proud of this fact. But she always obeys Joey. Even in her dreams† (Bowden, p.7).The author also addresses the problem of cops having to face crimes being committed in front of their eyes in order to remain under cover. At times, these people see so much of these crimes being committed that they become unsympathetic and get used to it just the way O’ Shay does in the book, but deep down inside, as the author has tried to portray, these people are anxious to undo all the things they have ever seen and known throughout their lives and careers. Yet, the author also goes on to remind the reader that such a thing is nearly impossible.These under cover agents go through a number of personal changes in the way the y think and perceive events and things around them. The war against drugs perhaps is a never ending war, as according to the author, the people who the under cover agents put away are immediately replaced by their successors, hence getting to the root of the problem is the main task here, which is not easy to be done.Author’s position on the Drug WarAs evident by the portrayal of O’ Shay as a man who wishes to give up on his job, the author certainly believes that the war against drug is not as easy as some of us may think it is.   It is a tough job which requires nerves. The author believes that the war on drugs might even turn out to be never ending, which is extremely bad.This issue must be dealt with great strategy. Not only should small drug deals be busted, but the bigger much worst deals should be dealt with as well, but for that the under cover agents must be fully prepared and should not weary of their jobs just as O’ Shay and a vast number of other u nder cover agents in real life do so. The war on drugs is a hard task and would take a long period of time to finish if it ever does. But as stated earlier, it requires thinking and strategic planning for the war to end and bringing about an end to drugs.Influence of the book on my personal views of the drug warReading this book has brought about a slight change in the way I had previously perceived the war against drugs. I had thought that perhaps the life of an under cover agent is not all that scary or disturbing, but this text proved me wrong.I thought that maybe if the authorities worked harder the problem would be finished in a very short period of time, but no; the text changed my view over that as well. I now think that the war against drugs might not end but even if it does it would require a very strategic plan.ConclusionIn the light of the above discussion we can hereby culminate that â€Å"A Shadow in the City: Confessions of an Undercover Drug Warrior† is a well- known book written by Charles Bowden. The book deals with drugs, drug deals, under cover agents and the way busting drug deals and dealing with thugs effects the way they think and perceive things and at times they also wish to retire from their jobs.BibliographyBowden, Charles. (2005). A Shadow in the City: Confessions of an Undercover Drug Warrior.   United States of America. Harcourt. ISBN: 0151011834.   

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Society vs Self - 1013 Words

The Effects that Society has on Individuals are Negative Society is, by definition, a group of people who live in the same area who tend to follow the same standards. Society influences people to follow their expectations, because it is thought of as the right way to live. Due to this influence, society has a negative impact on the individuals who are a part of it. Society forces conformity on others, has individuals acting selfish, and lowers self-esteem which ultimately has a negative effect on individuals. Society influences people into conformity. Conformity means to be or become similar in form, nature, or character. A huge type of conformity is peer pressure. Like a student being coerced into trying marijuana. In the†¦show more content†¦One of the major self-esteem issues that individuals suffer with is body image. People today look at celebrities in magazines and usually wish that they could look like them. Or, they see their friend with the nice muscles, or the ton ed legs and feel that since they do not have them, they are not as good as them. Because of this, it causes their confidence to drop. Along with body image, bullying is another way to lower an individual’s confidence. For example, a nerdy kid gets made fun of when walking into class because their back pack is very big. Since he feels that he is different from everyone else, his appraisal of himself decreases and he starts to feel like he is worthless. And finally, a way that society can reduce someone’s self-esteem is excessive criticism. Such as when a child is repeatedly told that they are no good. Because they are always being told that they are worthless, consequently, they soon start to feel this way. When society is constantly pushing a body image that makes individuals lose confidence, or when someone is being bullied or being excessively criticised, then an individual’s self-esteem will decrease, which is negative because they feel like they do not be long in this society. In summary, society’s effect on the individual is negative. Society influences its members to conform to its ideals through peer pressure and segregation, is selfish in thinking that only their corrupt actions are acceptable, and lowersShow MoreRelatedSelf Reliance : Individualism Vs. Society Control850 Words   |  4 PagesSelf-Reliance: Individualism vs. Society Control Ralph Waldo Emerson, author of the motivational narrative Self-Reliance was written to teach the readers to follow their individual will instead of conforming to social expectations. 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All of these conflicts show the internal or external struggle of the main characters in the stories. Of the conflicts found in the stories the most frequently used are human vs. human, human vs. society, and human vs. self. The conflict involving human vs. human means there is an external struggle with another person or people. Of the storiesRead MorePsychology997 Words   |  4 Pagesone’s self. his scientific process has been study by many pioneers throughout history who has shared their own belief and explanations for people behavioral issue and the way in which they act which is mundane to one’s society. One pioneer who has contributed his opinion to Psychology is Erikson, a German Psychologist who created eight psychosocial stages that humans encounter throughout their life, the stages are: Trust vs. Mistrust, Autonomy vs. Shame Doubt, Initiative vs. Guilt, Industry vs. InferiorityRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Mcadams 1154 Words   |  5 Pagesinvestigation of self-understanding, personal memory, personality structure and change, and the relations between the personal lives and cultural. The article provides a numerous of psychologist stories and the contributions they have made in the psychology fields. McAdams, 1985 has argued that personal life takes form of a story, in which involve the environment, character, setting and the theme. He commented that in late adolescent and young adult, people living in modern societies start the conceptionRead MoreSigmund Freud s Theory Of Human Development1712 Words   |  7 Pagesas well as traumas or stressors that influences the stages. Erickson s Lifespan Development Theory -----Header for all pages The Eight Stages of Child Development Stage 1 Trust vs Mistrust Is the world a reliable, trustworthy and safe place? Or is it an unpredictable world full of danger? The first stage (Trust vs. Mistrust) is made specifically for infants during their first few years of life. During this stage, an infant has no idea of what to expect of the world they live in. Since the infant

Jourody Journey of Life in Homers Odyssey Essay - 2527 Words

Journey of Life in The Odyssey In the ultimate story of love and hate one man was torn between two lives as he watched the shores of the mighty world get swept away in a swift act of fate. With only destiny on his side to return home, he pushed on and tried to leave the life he had lived for so long. In order to achieve his destiny Odysseus had to first achieve loyalty, overcome temptation, and take revenge upon his enemies. Plagued by constant attacks of self-doubt and reinforced by guile, Odysseus conquered what became to be known as a one of the greatest odyssey’s ever written. Love is a strong bond that is shared between two people. In The Odyssey not even time and war could separate the bond that Odysseus and Penelope†¦show more content†¦This is not a only a show of love on Odysseus part for his wife but is also a show of love on Calypsos part because she loves him so much that she is willing to do what is in the best interest of Odysseys, even if it means letting him go. Staying loyal to Odysseus was one of the hardest things Penelope ever did, but it was because of the love that they shared that she did. When suitors came to offer her gifts in return for marriage, she refused with a single shred of hope that her husband would return home and once again regain his estate and life. The reward for her loyalty is finally paid when she finally reunites with her long-lost husband. The happiness and love that is shared is shown in this quotation, So she spoke, and stirred still more his yearning after tears; and he began to weep, holding his loved and faithful wife. As when the welcome land appears to swimmers, whose sturdy ship Poseidon wrecked confounded by the winds and solid waters; a few escape the foaming sea and swim ashore; thick salt crusts their flesh; they climb the welcomed land, and are escaped from danger; so welcome to her grazing eyes appeared her husband. From round his neck she never let her white arm go(226). It takes a great man to have a wife that will wait so long for him. Not only does this quotation show that Odysseus has achieved loyalty but it also

“Changing Our Lives” Free Essays

After graduating high school, I thought I had all my decisions in place of what I wanted to do with my life. I later found myself letting the choices of my younger days affect what is happening in my life now. I’ve now taken the right steps into getting my life back on track, starting with obtaining the goals that I once motivated myself to achieve after high school. We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"Changing Our Lives† or any similar topic only for you Order Now That is why I’ve chosen to further my education beyond a high school diploma to obtain financial growth, my college degree, and successful career opportunities. In the world today, it seems that financial issues are taking their tolls in people’s lives more often than it use to be when everyone thought that their job offered exactly what they wanted. Later they found out that they were not getting the pay needed to support their household with the job that is being maintained with hard work, long hours, and poor benefits. Now after me giving careful consideration as to what I wanted to do in life, I found that with the right degree by my side I could benefit so much more in pay options, family support, and not just be in a job working hard but a career where I am actually making a difference one day at a time. With my degree in hand, it not only paves the way for my financial growth, but it helps me be able to show my children how important education can be in the world today. It helps me to feel so much better knowing that I reached my goals, with all the hard work and dedication that came with being a college student. I can truly say that it was not easy day to day trying to keep up with the work, have a job, and raise a family at the same time. But, when I look at the reasons as to why I am doing this all I have to remember is that my family depends on me! Not only does this benefit your family, but it also adds to your list of achievements a long with my high school diploma. I can just imagine when I walk across the stage how great it will feel when I walk away with degree in the field of study of my choice to success! Once I create so much opportunity for myself with a degree, it will be time to put it to work with getting the job I always wanted. Now, I am the only one who could stop me. There is also now the choice of hours that could put me right where I want to be, and that’s with my family. I would not be constantly working late, missing school programs, lunches, conferences, and more because I made a choice to better myself and my surroundings. Because I chose to get a degree and move into a new line of work of helping others, somebody may actually have a chance of being helped in the ways that I have always imagined giving to someone else. That is now what it is mostly coming to in my heart of how can I put this hard work that I did to work in the most positive way in someone else’s life. I’ve found now that once these achievements are reached, I’m not only inspiring myself, but also my wife and children. Once they see the hard work that I’ve put in to giving them a better way of life and how it was done, it could make way for their success and family once married and faced with the ways of real adulthood. Some children think that it’s okay just to stop at just a high school diploma because some parents aren’t too interested in furthering past what they have been taught by their parents. So as for me and my family, I’m taking the necessary steps to show my children that education does matter and dreams do come true! How to cite â€Å"Changing Our Lives†, Essay examples

Political Behavior free essay sample

Every nation exhibits different political behavior. Political behavior depends on the political system adopted by the state and it is through this system that citizens develop political culture and political socialization. Some governments dictate the political culture and socialization of their citizens so that programs and political ideologies can be implemented and structured properly with total support from the people. These types of government usually resort to violence in enforcing reforms and do not tolerate dissent among its people. Though political cultures are dependent on the political system, these are not static. They do change overtime as people acquire new political perspectives based on the experience they developed inside their own political organization or through the political issues encountered by other people in other parts of the world. In the Philippines, political behavior is influenced by many factors and one of the dominant factors is our colonial history. The strong cooperation between the state and the church during the Spanish era left a remarkable deep seated belief to Catholicism that affects our political culture and socialization. Even our political perspectives are attached to the doctrine of Catholicism. The political arena is combined with religious affiliation and political affiliation. The other influence of political behavior which shaped our political culture and socialization is the system introduced by the American government. The republican ideology adopted by the Philippines during the American regime help developed our concepts of what a government should be, its political process and the political participation of people. After the independence, we struggled to keep the ideals of American political behavior but the successions of political leaders have changed or altered our acquired political values. This module will discuss political culture and socialization, its levels and classifications and agents of political socialization. Political behavior Political behavior explains the influences that define the political participation, political views and ideology of a person or group of people in a society. Political behavior is heavily dependent on the political system which in return shapes the political culture and socialization. Political culture Political culture can be defined as the orientation of the citizens of a nation toward politics, and their perceptions of political legitimacy and the traditions of political practice. In addition, political culture is a public attitude which defines the level of role of the individual within the political system. How the people recognize the importance of participation in the political process will greatly affect the political system. Three levels of political culture 1. System level – attitudes towards the organization of the system   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Examples: National pride, national identity and legitimacy of government 2. Process level – what the public expects from the political process Examples: Principles of government, role of citizens, perceptions of political rights    The level of involvement of the citizens in the political process. How citizens view their political roles. Types of political culture 1. Participant – citizens are involved in the actual political process and because of their active participation they are able to influence the government in various ways. 2. Subject – citizens are passively involved in the operation of government and because of passive involvement there is little scope for dissent. 3. Parochial – citizens are not aware or hardly aware of government and its policies and live regardless of the decisions taken by the state. 3. Policy level – attitudes and expectations towards policy and implementation Examples: Role of government and government policy priorities 1. Cultural congruence – it rests on the idea that political system depends on the culture of a nation and that some political structure may not be acceptable to other nations. Cultural congruence may be possible if leaders and citizens alike respect the diversity of culture and political ideologies. 2. Consensual political culture –citizens tend to agree on the appropriate means of making political decisions and on how to solve problems that may arise out of the decisions 3. Conflictual political culture – citizens are sharply divided on both the legitimacy of the regime and the solutions to major problem. 4. Political subcultures – often emerge when deeply divided political conflict persists over time. Classifying political cultures 1. 1. Democratic political culture * Tolerate diverse points of view including unpopular or dissenting opinions * Respects political rights of the citizens * Backs up moderation, accommodation, restrained partisanship system loyalty and trust 1. 2. Consensual culture * Citizens tend to agree on basic political procedures * Citizens support government policies and how to solve them 1. 3. Conflictual culture * Highly polarized by fundamental differences * Deep ideological divisions Other cultural classifications 1. Revolutionary or Marxist political culture 2. Confucian political culture 3. Hindu culture 4. Islamic culture Philippine political culture For decades Philippine political culture has not improved in a level that other Asian nations have improved. Though we prided ourselves as having a highest literacy rate in Asia, Filipinos displayed illiteracy level when it comes to their expression of political participation and selection. The manner to which they exercise their political rights is uncivilized as evident of the electoral fraud and other political killings. Political leaders are elected on the basis of family name, popularity and social status and political institutions are dealt with by political leaders and the elites as if they owned it or part of their business empire. Leon Ma. Guerrero expressed his analysis of Philippine political culture: The experience of the Filipinos†¦had been of parties that were not parties but unprincipled coalitions of the rich, the powerful and the unscrupulous; of elections that were essentially meaningless exercises in fraud, terrorism, bribery and demagoguery; of politicians who represented no one but themselves. The people’s capacity for self-government had been trapped in a political mechanism they had not learned to work or control, and their capacity for indignation and generosity, sacrifice and service to the country, left to wither and decay. Lewis Gleeck’s view The Philippine political culture is†¦personalistic but violent, religious but superstitious, corrupt but tolerant, hierarchical but distributionist, solicitous of form but not of content, legalistic but careless of equity, media obsessed and nationalistically vociferous with respect to rights but negligent to obligations. American author David Timberman (1991; 22) also explained his observation of Filipino political culture: The exclusiveness of the Filipino family, the importance of patron-client ties, and the strength of regional and linguistic affinities cause Filipino politics to be highly personalistic and particularistic†¦Most Filipinos believe that the decisions and events that shape their lives are determined more by particular individuals that by impersonal systems and institutions. Consequently, the maintenance of good personal relations with those in powers is critical. As a result of the personalization of public life there has been relatively little concern with institutions or ideologies on the part of leaders or the public. Political socialization It is the process whereby individuals become aware of tenets of political culture, political facts and political values. Active and direct political socialization of individuals must be properly supported by the state because it is the state that is responsible for teaching, and shaping the political attitudes of the citizens.