William Blount Essays - Blount County, Tennessee, William Blount

William Blount WILLIAM BLOUNT William Blount's great-grandfather, Thomas Blount, came to the Americas from England in 1660. He first resided in Virginia, then moved to North Carolina, and started his family. William was the eldest in his family, and was born in 1749 while his mother was visiting her father-in-law's Rosefield estate. This was near Palmico Sound, present day Windsor. William was said to have received a good education although little is known. He also apparently had intrest for government since he was little. When the war started in 1776, Blount was appointed paymaster, who was in charge of wages, in the army of North Carolina. Then in 1778 he married Mary Grainier. They had six children, and one became active in Tennessee's govern- ment. He spent the rest of his life in public office. Blount represented North Carolina in Congress. He sat in the lower house of the legislature for 4 years, from 1780-1784. During those years, he was the speaker of the house, and was a public speaker. He served in the upper house from 1788-1790, and spoke for them as well. Blount also took part in national politics, including two Continental Congress sessions in 1782-1783 and 1786-1787. Here he also represented his state of North Carolina. The next highlight in Blounts life, was being apppointed to be a delegate at the Constitutional Convention. At this time, he was 38 years of age. Although he already had a prior commitment to represent his state at the Continental Congress, He attended the Constitutional Convention for all but one month. He was a very quiet person who let other members take part in debates and and arguements, and kept his opinions to himself, whether they were follow- ing or opposing the crowd. He signed the Constitution with hesitation, and said only to make it the unanimous act of the States in the Convention. Although when it reached his state for ratification, he signed it without reluctancy, and gave his full support. Later in 1789, wanted to be elected to the Senate. This was inportant because it was the first United States Senate ever. After failing to achieve this goal, he moved out west past the Appalachian Mountains. While out west, William tried to get some of the Indians land, and claim it for America. This area later became Tennessee, where he resided for the rest of his life. In 1790, George Washington appointed Blount the first territorial governor Tennessee, and the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the South. Then in 1796 Tennessee became a state, and he was appointed one of the two United States Senators. During his term as Senator, Blount was struck by a stream of bad luck. In 1797, his speculations out west led him to very serious financial problems. After this he started to plot to help British troops conquer Louisiana and Florida. He wrote a letter reffering to this plan, which fell into the hands of President Adams. The President gave it to the Senate who voted to dismiss Blount from office. This happened on July 8th 1797. After this episode, it was up for debate whether of not he should be alowed to hold office again, but the charges were later dropped and he resumed his position in the Tennessee Senate in 1798. He died in 1800 in Knoxville, Tennessee at the age of 51. I picked William Blount for two reasons; One because North Carolina is my favorite state, and the other because I have a cousin in California with the last name of Blount. When I first started researching his name, he seemed like just an ordinary signer, nothing of interest to his name. But then I was reading about the serious problems he encountered, I give him credit for being strong. Even though he wasn't particularly a very loudly outspoken man, he must have had some views and arguements that got him to the places he got to go. American History

My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover Essay Example

My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover Essay Example My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover Paper My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover Paper Essay Topic: Literature In Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess, Browning explores the male psyche by portraying two men so obsessed by domination and control that they are finally driven to kill their lovers. Written in the 19th century, these poems are set in a patriarchal society in which female subservience was expected and male supremacy absolute. In Advice to a Husband Cobbett states that A husband under command of his wife is the most contemptible of gods creatures. And it is this proclamation, viewed by many of the time that drives the protagonists of the two poems to the extremes. Despite the fact that the poems are written in dramatic monologues, the text contains certain clues which voice Brownings judgment and condemnation of the drastic actions taken by the male figures and thus societys role of trapping women under the rule of men. Neither the Duke nor the lover meet the expectations that the reader has of a protagonist of a Romantic poem. Instead Brownings presentation of flawed men as opposed to romantic heroes suggests that Browning is playing against his readers expectations. The Dukes description of his wife quickly reveals that he is a paranoid character; his speculative suggestion of what Fri Pandolf might have chanced to say reveals that he even suspects his wife of flirting with a monk. The lover is also a jealous character. He thinks that Porphyria is weak as she will not free herself from pride and vainer ties dissever, / And give herself to me forever. When the lover realises Porphyrias affections for him he becomes so crazed by power that he strangles her with the long yellow string of her own hair. In contrast to My Last Duchess, the poem makes completely clear to the reader that Porphyria is cruelly murdered by her lover. However the reader is led to suspect that a similar crime also occurs in My Last Duchess. The Dukes language is clinical and free from emotion as he declares I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together. In both poems, the men blame Porphyria and the Duchess for their own deaths due to what is deemed to be inexcusable behaviour. Browning however allows the reader to oppose the perspective of the male personas. In Porphyrias Lover the lovers descriptions of vainer ties are vague, so could be anything from another man to a social life excluding him. But as the reader is morally judgemental, no reason would be sufficient for murder. Even the lover himself feels the need to reassure himself of his action by saying No pain felt she; / I am quite sure she felt no pain. He also seems to fear Gods judgment as he says And yet God has not said a word! In My Last Duchess the Dukes reasoning for his wifes death shows irrational jealousy. He not only feels threatened by other men but of things, animals and even of the sunset which he describes as The dropping of the daylight in the West. As in Porphyrias Lover the reader does not believe the Duchess deserves her fate despite the fact that it is told from the Dukes point of view. His broken sentences show elements of self-doubt and he cannot clearly convey his argument for his partners death. Somehow I know not how It also appears that he senses his irrationality because he first states Whod stoop to blame / This sort of trifling? yet he continues to do just that. The Duke kills his wife in order to stop her looking as her looks went everywhere. This is because her role as wife is to be looked at, not to look at others. In death she is immortalised by means of a portrait in which she is trapped looking as if alive purely showing her husbands success through her beauty. The Duke regains the control that he thought he had lost by keeping his wife hidden: since none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you but I. The Duke murders his wife because he refuses to lower himself: I chose / Never to stoop. This idea of hierarchy between men and women is also portrayed in Porphyrias Lover. Porphyria feels she has to provocatively offer herself in order to cheer her lover which is described by the male persona as stooping. The lover also states Porphyria worshipped me which conveys his heightened sense of ownership similar to the Dukes emotions when viewing the portrait of his wife. The lovers proclamation That moment she was mine, mine shows the power he holds over Porphyria and subsequently he kills her. In her death Porphyria becomes perfect to him as now he has total control. The Lover uses Porphyrias corpse like a puppet, positioning her to create different scenes: I propped her head up as before / Only, this time my shoulder bore / Her head And thus we sit together now / And all night long we have not stirred. These grotesque actions give the reader the impression that the Lover is dramatising their lives together singlehandedly, perhaps to ensure that nothing will ruin their eternity together. He even continues to create her emotions and wishes for her. When doing this he objectifies her further by referring to her as it. So glad it has its utmost will Although the Duke does not literally use his wifes body as an object like Porphyrias Lover, he uses the portrait he commissioned as a means of enjoying the visual aspects of his wife without having to deal with soul underneath. I call / That piece a wonder now shows clearly how the Duke believes his wife merely to be a possession of his. However unlike Porphyrias Lover, The Dukes perfection is somewhat tainted by the fact that another man painted her with a look of depth and passion which reveals the personality underneath the face. In this patriarchal environment in which My Last Duchess was set women and paintings were often considered to be the same as they are both commodities which show the wealth and success of a husband. Beautiful paintings showed that the husband could afford a talented artist and beautiful women came with smaller dowries thus showing that the male figure could meet the expense of his wife. The personas justifications for the murder of their partners are so weak that it is clear that Browning clearly deemed the male view that the best wife is a dead woman to be immoral. The characters personalities and the radical action taken provoke anger and shock within the reader and cause pity for the deceased women as Browning allows the reader to draw the conclusion that they were undeserving of their death. Not only does the murder seem unjust, but the way the male personas treat their dead lovers after their death stimulates bitterness. The Lovers manipulating of Porphyrias body presents a grotesque image whereas the Dukes use of his wifes portrait as a means of showing his power and success shows his character to be egotistical.

Indefinite Article Forms

Indefinite Article Forms â€Å"Chiamerà ² UN medico!† This means, â€Å"I’ll call a doctor.† But since we don’t know which doctor it is, we use the indefinite article â€Å"un,† which can be translated as â€Å"a.† The Italian indefinite article (articolo indeterminativo) indicates a generic, indefinite thing, which is considered unknown. Italian Indefinite Article Forms 1) Un The form â€Å"un† precedes masculine nouns beginning with a consonant except s consonant, z, x, pn, ps, and gn and sc, with usage corresponding to the article il: un bambino - a childun cane - a dogun dente - a toothun fiore - a flowerun gioco   - a game The form â€Å"un† also precedes masculine nouns that start with a vowel (including u): un amico - a friendun elmo - a helmetun incubo - a nightmareun oste - an innkeeperun uragano - a hurricaneun whisky - a whiskeyun week-end - a weekend Note that in front of a vowel the indefinite article â€Å"un† is never apostrophized since it’s not an elided form: unanno, unosso would be equivalent to una anno, una osso, both of which are incorrect. For the same reason un idea, un ora cannot be written without the apostrophe. Note the difference between un assistente (man) and unassistente (woman). 2) Uno The form â€Å"uno† precedes masculine nouns beginning with s consonant, z, x, pn, ps, and gn and sc, with usage corresponding to the article lo: uno sbaglio - a mistakeuno zaino - a backpackuno xilofono - a xylophoneuno (or also un) pneumatico - a tireuno pseudonimo - a pseudonymuno gnocco - a dumplinguno sceicco - a sheikhuno iato - a hiatus For words of foreign origin beginning with h, the same rules apply as lo. 3) Una (un) The form â€Å"una† precedes feminine nouns and is elided to â€Å"un† before a vowel (but not before the semivowel j), to be used with the article la: una bestia - a beastuna casa - a houseuna donna - a womanuna fiera - a fairuna giacca - a jacketuna iena - a hyenaUnanima - a soulUnelica - a propellerUnisola - an islandUnombra - a shadowUnunghia - a fingernail TIPS: Sometimes the indefinite article refers to a type, category, or variety and is equivalent to the word â€Å"ogni - each, every, any, all.†In the spoken language the Italian indefinite article is also used to express admiration (Ho conosciuto una ragazza!- I knew a girl!) or in the superlative sense (Ho avuto una paura!- I was fearful!).It may also indicate approximation and correspond to circa, pressappoco (about, approximately): dista un tre chilometri. (distance of three kilometers).In the example below, the use of the indefinite article overlaps with the definite article (articolo determinativo). Il giovane manca sempre desperienza. - All youngsters always lack experience.Un giovane manca sempre desperienza. - All youngsters always lack experience. Is there a plural? The indefinite article does not have a plural. However, the forms of the (articoli partitivi) dei, degli, and delle or of the (aggettivi indefiniti) qualche (followed by the singular), alcuni, and alcune can function as plurals: Sono sorte delle difficolt. - Difficulties have arisen.Ho ancora qualche dubbio. - I still have some doubts.Partirà ² fra alcuni giorni. - I will leave in a few days. or even: alcune difficolt - some difficultiesnumerosi dubbi - many doubtsparecchi giorni - many days Another alternative is to use neither the partitive nor the indefinite adjective, and instead express the plural noun without any description: Sono sorte difficolt. - Difficulties have arisenHo ancora dubbi. - I still have doubts.Partirà ² fra giorni. - I will leave in a few days.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Racial and Ethnic Diversity - Essay Example is rise in diversity so much of a problem This is an imperative question, for by viewing growth in racial and cultural diversity as a problem, policy makers, educators, and journalists, have set the stage for how societies will respond to this change. This does not mean that a change in the ethnic and racial structure of a school or community does not throw up new challenges or necessitate a change in approach as regards the part of educators. New immigrants palpably speak languages other than English, and in several California school districts, it is not unusual for over 40 foreign languages to be there among the student population. The arrival of racial minorities time and again leads to racial clashes and the venting of several kinds of bias and intolerance. Those receiving the new arrivals feel endangered and apprehensive and counter with antagonism and resentment. Finally, and most significantly, diversity is deemed as problematic because American schools have traditionally seen cultural incorporation of immigrants and non-whites as essential to their mission. One of the biggest concerns of politicians and educators during the nineteenth century was how new immigrants would be integrated into the American mainstream. Public schools were often considered the most rational place where task of converting foreigners into Americans could be executed. Still, "Americanization" was not restricted to foreigners. In the southwest it was routine for Native American children to be separated form their families and sent to boarding schools. The point was to convert them into Christians. As far as African American and many Mexican American children were concerned, segregated schooling actually saved them from being subjected to... According to the report findings diversity is deemed as problematic because American schools have traditionally seen cultural incorporation of immigrants and non-whites as essential to their mission. One of the biggest concerns of politicians and educators during the nineteenth century was how new immigrants would be integrated into the American mainstream. Public schools were often considered the most rational place where task of converting foreigners into Americans could be executed. As the paper declares today de-segregation has changed that too. As a consequence, the spoken language of children – be it Ebonics or Spanish - has frequently been subject to eradication. In addition, the cultural variations of these children are associated with cultural inferiority far too often, and not unpredictably, children from these groups are likely to fare poorly in school, get into serious trouble, or for that matter even drop out. Given America’s history, and given the authentic challenges that escort an increase in diversity, several educators and communities would treat this as a problem. Small towns and rural areas are showing that diversity is the country’s future and there is a concerted effort being shown in fostering diversity in the years to come. There is another option. Instead of reacting to rising diversity with apprehension and insecurity, it is feasible to treat diversity as an asset and work out ways of responding to it which facilitate the society to reap benefits from this pluralism.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-unit 3, question #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-unit 3, question #2 - Essay Example Solar panels are made from special materials, which absorb the heat from the sun. For instance, solar panels have black bottoms, which absorbs heat at a faster and more efficient rate. This heat is used to boil the water that is inside a series of tubes within the solar panel technology, and this water basically traps the energy that lies within the heat(Wright, 2008). In simpler terms, solar energy is able to create energy by collecting heat from the sun, converting the heat into energy through the process of boiling water, and stores this hot water/energy in a tank for later use(Wright, 2008). This energy is then used for the same purposes as energy derived from fossil fuels, including heating a person’s home and running appliances. According to Wright, solar energy is an extremely good alternative to fossil fuels. â€Å"Just 40 minutes of sunlight†¦yields the equivalent energy of a year’s expenditure of fossil fuel†(Wright, 2008). Solar panels do not harm the environment like fossils fuels do because, unlike fossil fuels, solar energy is a natural source which does not trap high amounts of carbon within the environment. An added benefit to solar energy is that it will save money on electric bills for those who utilize it. This economic aspect makes it an attractive option for certain people. Solar panels and solar energy have become a lot more popular in recent years as people become more aware of its overall efficiency. In nations such as America, which uses a lot of energy and resources on a daily basis, utilizing renewable energy is a great way to cut down on humanity’s overall footprint on the environment. Although solar panels may be a bit pricey in terms of the setup, it essentially pays for itself in the amount of money saved on energy because of the fact that, as fossil fuels become more scarce, prices will continue to rise, but the Sun’s existence, on the other hand, is guaranteed for thousands of

Frank Sinatra Essays -- Essays Papers

Frank Sinatra Howard Cosell, a legendary commentator, spoke words about this legendary man that more or less sums up his legendary career. He said "Frank Sinatra, who has the phrasing, who has the control, who understands the composers, who knows what losing means as so many have, who made the great comeback, who stands still, enduringly, on top of the entertainment world. Ladies and gentlemen, from here on in it's Frank Sinatra!" Frank Sinatra, the only singer in history to have hit records in five consecutive decades, led a lot more distinctive life than people were led to believe. It all began December 12, 1915, when a boy named Francis Albert Sinatra was brought into the world. He was the son of Dolly and Anthony Sinatra, a pair of Italian immigrants. He was born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey where he spent his teenage years unloading trucks for the Jersey Observer newspaper. He then became a copy boy where he found a passion to strive for, journalism. However, the editor at the newspaper said, â€Å"copy boys don’t know enough to be reporters.† So, Sinatra went to secretarial school. He studied English, typing, and shorthand. The newspaper’s editor eventually promoted him to cub sports reporter After achieving his goal to be a journalist, Frank had another passion to strive for, singing. In his spare time, Sinatra appeared in on Major Bowes Amateur Hour, which was a popular radio talent show back in the day. Frank had never been taught to sing he taught himself. He was a natural. So the head of the Major Bowes Amateur Hour promoted Frank. For $25 a week he sang, waited tables, was the master of ceremonies, and a comedian at The Rustic Cabin. In 1939 a man by the name of Harry James discovered Frank while visiting The Rustic Cabin. He immediately signed Frank to sing for his new swing band. After touring with Harry James, Frank started to sing for with Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra. After recording more than 90 songs with them, Frank moved on. He then moved to the popular radio show The Lucky Strike Hit Parade, where he worked as the MC. Frankie was a hit! Everyone loved him. He was the first teen model the country had ever seen. Amazingly enough, he almost caused a near riot at New York’s Paramount Theater in 1944.He then signed a contract with Columbia Records in 1943 and left in 1952. So in 1953 he signed another contrac... ... a severe tragedy, a heart attack. It was the first heart attack Frank had ever had. For the next couple years Frank had not been seen in public. In 1998, Frank was back in the news. Unfortunately, it was about Frank’s Health. Sinatra had died of a heart attack at age 82 on May 14. The nation was astounded. This was the biggest music celebrity news since TuPac’s death. News channels everywhere interrupting their broadcasts for this special bulletin. The first teen idol that the country had ever seen was dead. The most ingenious singer the country had ever seen was dead. It was the second time the music had died. His life has touched the world and has forever changed the art of singing, as we know it. Works Cited William, Dean. â€Å"Sinatra, Frank.† Internet. March 14 2000. Available WWW.http://articles.eb.com. Schoemer, Karen. â€Å"The Kid from Hoboken.† Newsweek. May 25 1998: 57. â€Å"Sinatra, Frank.† Internet. March 14 2000. Available WWW. http://search.biography.com. Wilson, Jeff. â€Å"Sinatra outspoken†. Internet. March 14 2000. Available WWW http://www.nj.com. â€Å"Sinatra, Frank†. The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 17 S-Sn. World Book Inc. 93’.

The Comedy in Chivalry

Jordynn Barnes April 16, 2013 The comedy in Chivalry The historical adulteration of chivalry in Don Quixote by Cervantes ties in to its literary parody. Don Quixote parodies the anticipation of chivalric affection: lone knights had lost their military essence. The dominant classes still served the ideology of chivalry. The loss chivalry can be tied into the War of the Alpujarras. The knights, the caballeros de cuantia, were obligated to keep their horse and armor ready for serving the king, but slowly and shamefully they were unprepared.The knight’s individual language of knightly service represents the parody realism of chivalry as foolish as Don Quixote could fantasize about. Also, The knight’s materialistic behavior and desire of self-interest represented the character Sancho Panza. Don Quixote has read about chivalric romance and he tried to imitate the knights-errant. This is comical, because he had such a since of mission. These knights that he was trying to imita te were so far from being chivalric, yet he thought otherwise.The armor that the knights used to wear was for military purposes, but while going on his missions through La Mancha, he made sure to have his armor on. This was strange to the La Mancha town’s people, because wearing armor did not necessarily mean that knight was chivalric. Chivalry was long dead, and people only knew of it through books; it was not a practice they were used to. Don Quixote attempted to bring back this practice, and this draws attention to the interlude between social hierarchy and the principles that it sustained. This story of Don Quixote is a burlesque epic of the chivalry romance.Cervantes tried to teach the readers the sincerity by creating a ridiculous comedy my mocking and ridiculing the time period. Cervantes first shows how the protagonist’s noble knightly manner is old fashioned. The comedy is easy to understand, because the dynamics of the story are simple. Don Quixote tries to a ct out what he has read in the stories, for example, he lets prostitutes pamper him, because he says that they are princesses. In chapter three, he lets the innkeeper properly knight him, because he has not yet been knighted yet.Don Quixote thought that it was a knight’s duty to protect the citizens, so another comical scene in the novel is when Don Quixote tries to save a boy from being beaten from his master. Don Quixote tried to revolve the conflict, and he felt satisfied when he rode off on his horse; but little did he know is that the master beat the worker boy even worse after Don Quixote had left. â€Å"We can define comedy as something that entertains the reader and that makes us want to laugh out loud and Cervantes succeeds in doing this through his use of parody and satire and burlesque, slapstick and simple self-reflexive comedy. Along with the comedy, Cervantes uses adventures and shock through Don Quixote’s character to further entertain. Don Quixote had intervals of lucidity and moments of insanity. A moment of insanity is when he used the galley slaves to help fight off the guards so that he could reach his princess. Don Quixote freed the galley slaves, and in return the galley slaves beat Don Quixote, and left him. â€Å"Cervantes places particular emphasis on the comedy of appearance, comedy of situation and the comedy of action during Don Quixote’s adventures and it is the use of these devices that makes the story so humorous from beginning to end. The theme of appearance is used to show the burlesque role of chivalry in the story. The material appearance of Don Quixote and his horse Rocinante, as well as Don Quixote’s vision on the banal places he stumbles upon proceeded to generate the foundation for laughter. The fact that Don Quixote had used cardboard as a visor showed in itself the humor from the description of his appearance. Not only did he use cardboard, he held his helmet together by green ribbons, and when the innkeeper had asked him to take his helmet off he said no, because taking it off would make the helmet fall apart.