Free Essays on The Great American Author

The Great American Author The word â€Å"American† has a definition that can almost never be found twice. Part of the reason behind this is because the American can hardly define himself. Is he a person born on the soil of this nation, or is he a person who resides here regardless of his birth place? Is an American someone who believes that freedom is a right, or is it someone who thinks freedom is a privilege? These definitions, and many others, are the thoughts of Americans and non- Americans alike. The great writers of America can be confined by literary boundaries. He does not have to be a poet or even a novelist. He does not even have to be a he for that matter. The great American writers do not have meet at a common ground about what America is or what it is supposed to be. In this paper the reader will be given several examples of how two different American writers go about defining this country and its people, whether they try to or not. To some people, being American is a state of mind. Many would argue that any thoughts of freedom and democracy are American no matter where they originate from. Others may say that the American is an endangered species. The way the great American writer Mark Twain saw America was different from all of the above. Twain thought of the America as a great and vast canvas waiting to be painted by anyone who would be willing to try. He also thought no one was taking advantage of this great opportunity. To him America was a great jackpot waiting to be claimed. In his writings it seems like some things are obvious like his awareness of the state of society in his country and other things are not so obvious, like society’s awareness own awareness of its state. In the classic novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain has already set the pace for his interpretation of America and what it means to be American with the title itself. The title uses the name of the main character,... Free Essays on The Great American Author Free Essays on The Great American Author The Great American Author The word â€Å"American† has a definition that can almost never be found twice. Part of the reason behind this is because the American can hardly define himself. Is he a person born on the soil of this nation, or is he a person who resides here regardless of his birth place? Is an American someone who believes that freedom is a right, or is it someone who thinks freedom is a privilege? These definitions, and many others, are the thoughts of Americans and non- Americans alike. The great writers of America can be confined by literary boundaries. He does not have to be a poet or even a novelist. He does not even have to be a he for that matter. The great American writers do not have meet at a common ground about what America is or what it is supposed to be. In this paper the reader will be given several examples of how two different American writers go about defining this country and its people, whether they try to or not. To some people, being American is a state of mind. Many would argue that any thoughts of freedom and democracy are American no matter where they originate from. Others may say that the American is an endangered species. The way the great American writer Mark Twain saw America was different from all of the above. Twain thought of the America as a great and vast canvas waiting to be painted by anyone who would be willing to try. He also thought no one was taking advantage of this great opportunity. To him America was a great jackpot waiting to be claimed. In his writings it seems like some things are obvious like his awareness of the state of society in his country and other things are not so obvious, like society’s awareness own awareness of its state. In the classic novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain has already set the pace for his interpretation of America and what it means to be American with the title itself. The title uses the name of the main character,...

Religious Spiritual Autobiography Essays

Religious Spiritual Autobiography Essays Religious Spiritual Autobiography Paper Religious Spiritual Autobiography Paper Essay Topic: 8th Grade Autobiography I guess growing up for me religion was never forced on me, but still encouraged. My parents urged for us to trek to service on Sunday morning regardless of anyones schedule that day. I once even had to miss an 8th grade basketball tournament in order to attend Sunday school. Growing up I never was a very big church-gore, but I felt like I had a good relationship with God, which is kind of redundant because of the whole lesson were currently discussing. I always felt that I could be spiritual with having an institution to initiate the fellowship with God. I guess I kind of thought that as long as I maintained an emotional relationship with God, and talked with Him on occasions where I wasnt asking for anything, I felt like I could then be considered an upstanding Christian. I know now that this is very unlikely, and that this was not the most efficient way to maintain a fellowship with God. Church is more than institutions in which you are suppose to be exposed to the gospel; it is an opportunity for people to connect and harness one anothers love for their religion and their everlasting love for God. I never looked at my church this way, and often on Sundays, found myself repeatedly looking at the clock to see when 10:30 rolled around and we could go to brunch. I regret this past sentiment and outlook on religion and to this day wish I would have taken more advantage of the resources made available to me in my first encounters with church life. Even now I try to maintain a relationship with God, and look to Him when I am in a time of duress or eel like I need guidance. On occasion I feel guilty when doing this because I feel like I am only talking to God because I am in need. This is a great example of one believing they are spiritual without being religious. If our only purpose to having a fellowship with God is to ask for his guidance and favor in a time of need, then we are straying as far from the purpose of religion as possible. I hope this class will give me a better understanding of how I can expand my relationship with God, whether it is through obtaining knowledge in the course or having an unexplained epiphany or connection that exposes me to my ideal path. I feel recently, since my transfer to a public school and declining exposure to religion, I have strayed from a strong fellowship with God, and even though I identify as a Christian and have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I occasionally feel as if I dont deserve the responsibility and privileges obtained when having a fellowship with God. Religious Spiritual Autobiography By Speakeasies

World War II as a Just war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

World War II as a Just war - Essay Example The countries were divided into two groups: The Allies and the Axis. Germany, Japan and their allies formed the 'Axis' while US, Britain and its allies as the 'Allies'. This essay would validate this claim that the war fought by the 'Allies' was a just war, by describing the true nature and criteria required to name a war as a 'Just war'. The basis of the 'Just war' is the point that no matter what the circumstances become, the prospect of war certainly means death and slaughter but at a certain point war becomes inevitable. This could be seen since the wars in the olden times. Though the criteria differ in nature but the moral considerations of the war are the same. Under these conditions, a certain criteria should be met before waging any war to make that war a 'Just war'. Just war theory is actually a collection of moral considerations which limits the devastations caused by warfare. This may involve the fair treatment of women and children treatment to maintaining an honorable code of conduct during the war. 'Just war' theory could be subdivided into two sets: The first being the jus ad bellum which actually means right to wage a war and the second being jus in bello which signifies proper conduct during the war. Jus ad bellum and jus in bello are further divided so we would look at them separately. (Coates) Jus ad bellum: The most basic part of jus ad bellum is that any war which would be fought should have a just cause. Just cause actually implies that war must be initiated in order to defend one's country or another country from another violent or oppressive country. The reasons for going to a war must not be to gain material gain, to capture lands or to punish people. The reasons should be humanitarian; a war should only be fought to protect the innocent lives which are in danger and not to put more innocent lives at stake. This is however difficult to determine which side of the conflict has a 'just cause' because every side considers its cause as just. Even though the Nazis are considered to be brutal and murderers, they themselves considered their cause of war just. If we come back to the World War II, we can easily make out that the Allies fought the Axis to put an end to their monstrosities and it was due to their efforts, that many countries, for example Poland and Australia did not fall to t he Nazi regime of Germany. The best example in this regard is the holocaust of the Germans against the Jews which was ended as a result of this war. The Allies therefore had a just cause of fighting because they wanted to put an end to the war provoked by the Axis. Another important part of the jus ad bellum is the 'just intention' which means that the intentions behind going to a war should be just. This is often confused with the 'just cause' concept because both speak of the aims and goals of a war but the basic difference between the two is that a war may be fought with a 'just cause' but not with a 'just intention'. This could be illustrated by the example that to attack a country in order to put an end to the oppressive government is a 'just cause' but by toppling that government if the intention is to form a government which is inclined towards the attacker country is not considered a 'just intention