Recent orders
T’ien-an-men Square massacre
(Name)
(Instructors’ name)
(Course)
(Date)
Review of Diary of a Young Girl by Frank, Anne
This is an engaging real life story and account of and by a young Jewish girl who spend a lot of her time hiding in small and squeezed quarters from the Nazis during the Second World War. The author of the novel is Anne frank who begins putting together her diary on her thirteenth birthday when she receives it as a present and keeps on writing it for two more years until her story is shortened by her capture by the Nazi troops. At a level that is surprisingly intimate, the young writer reveals in her story how many people of Jewish descent tries to cope with the new reality of the oppressive Nazi regime.
Through her story, the readers are able to see how members of the well- educated and affluent Jewish families are forced to spare their lives with the rest of the Jewish people in cramped quarters. Facilities become rare, food becomes scarce and the environments outside become inaccessible. In such scary and bleak circumstances, the young writer attempts to stay spirited occupying herself with several activities. This paper will analyze and review the major themes in this book to indicate whether it is worth reading or not.
Several themes become evident upon reading of this book. Some of the main ones include suffering, war and duty. Suffering is an obvious theme in this book. All of the residents of the annex struggle with guilt feelings for those of them they have left outside to suffer under the persecution of the Nazi troops. While some of them try to forget or ignore it like Mrs. Van Daan. Other feel bad and suffer for it but choose to remain cheerful like the young writer, the issue of how these residents deal with their feelings about the suffering going on outside of the annex is intimately associated with their own fear of suffering the same fate as the others who have been captured.
All of these residents also struggle with the idea of duty, the duty they have to their country, fellow residents, and friends. Life in the annex is marred with petty conflicts most of which have to do with feelings of sense of duty towards fellow residents. War is also another major theme in the story. Though most of the Jewish families try hard to ignore politics, they are eventually caught up in the war. The war is responsible for the way the annex residents are living. The phrase ‘after war’ is repeatedly used by the adults to indicate a wish of the annex residents that is never fulfilled.
When I read this book, I could not help it but empathize with the Jewish families caught up in the war. The book has a voice of itself and it gives one a new perspective or view of the happenings of the Second World War, other than the one we know. This is a true story of a number of individuals living in unspeakable fear and hoping that soon the war will be over. Although the writer is young, her observations are also intelligent and mature. The book is highly recommendable especially for those individuals with an interest in the events that happened during this war. The book is a firsthand retell of experiences of people who lived those events, it could, therefore, be extremely knowledgeable and intriguing.
Response to Peer Articles
(Name)
(Instructors’ name)
(Course)
(Date)
Response to Peer Articles
The first article on western and eastern educational philosophies implies that both the eastern and western sides differ greatly in their educational philosophies. The author implies that the eastern educational philosophies are mainly based on the role of the teacher being built on power and authority. Schools in the western side do not necessarily require their students to comply with the authority and power of their tutors and school. I agree with the author when he says that teachers are in a position and power to conform societies through education. What the author did not add is that teachers must not focus on this power and authority rather they should focus on the ability to instill knowledge in their students.
The second response is by Suzan who writes in response to an article by Ford whose main argument is that education in the west is the best. The author uses the kind of discrimination that occurred between the poor and the rich in the past to make a point. She argues that the eastern and western cultures are still divided by the fact that many people usually deem the west to have the best of everything from education to food to lifestyle than the east. I agree with the argument she makes that though the wall that divides these two cultures has been brought down, there still remains an imaginary wall that indicates that the west is better than the eastern cultures. I agree with the argument made in this response that prejudice can be done with if people did not view each other in the light of wealth, and if people viewed each other as equals. It is extremely true that the gap can be closed through education, though the probability of discrimination and prejudice being reduced to zero is extremely low.
Laura responds to an article on differences in culture and gender in Internet use, which explores the differences in ways in which students from China and Britain utilize the Internet. The article concludes that there are differences in the way the British and the Chinese students use the Internet. The British students were found to have more Internet experience, usage, attitude and self confidence than the Chinese students because they had been using the internet for a longer time. The boys in Britain were found to utilize the Internet more. I agree with the author when she concludes that different individuals have different expertise and experiences when it comes to the Internet.
The forth article is by Cassandra which indicates that the education system in the US has several shortcomings. The country was ranked 19 out of 24 nations in a study that aimed to find out the educational standings of various countries. The author expresses concerns that the future generations might be affected by the current educational standing of the country. I agree with the argument of Cassandra that more focus should be put on education because if children perform poor then adult learners will not be available at the post- secondary education levels. I also agree with her argument that it is the responsibility of educators to ensure that children have a renewed interest in studies. Cassandra argues truthfully that it is there is a communication gap between the homes of the students; the schools and the students which make the student perform poorly.
Response Paper. Why believe Mary Toft
(Name)
(Instructors’ name)
(Course)
(Date)
Response Paper: Why believe Mary Toft
In the 1720s, a number of authors took part in a pamphlet disagreement over the power maternal imagination had on the outcomes of a pregnancy. Some of these authors were James Blondel and Daniel Turner. Turner agreed with the traditional conviction that the imagination of a woman with child could be reflected in her unborn child, imprinting the resulting fetus with numerous deformities. Blondel, however, did not see how this would happen, and, as a result, tried hard to refute this argument with anatomical and rational arguments (Wilson 63-85). The issue that sparked this argument and brought it to a new level was the matter of Mary Toft, and her claims of birthing rabbits. Mary Toft was a pregnant woman who lost her child in a miscarriage. The woman managed to convince a number of physicians including the surgeon to the King that she had given birth to various body parts of a rabbit and a cat. The woman craved fortune and fame, which she eventually achieved from her, accounts (The several depositions of Edward Costen 6- 10).
Mary’s story came up in 1726, and King George the first was the king then. The woman was aided by her accomplices to insert the body parts of a rabbit and a cat in her womb after her miscarriage and summoned John Howard, a local surgeon to witness the events. The surgeon was completely fooled and was convinced that he had participated in an extraordinary medical occurrence worthy of widespread fame. Eventually, the events that followed made the king sent his surgeon St. Andre to investigate what was happening. Toft told them of her story and how she had given birth to rabbit parts after she became obsessed with the animals. She told the king’s surgeon and secretary how she craved of rabbit meat; how she dreamed of them and the time, she spent trying to catch them in the garden (The several depositions of Edward Costen 6- 10).
To fully carry out such a hoax apparently did not require a lot of technicalities just immense ingenuity, and the ability to act, on the part of Mary. She kept on lying even after she was brought to London for further examination, but eventually she admitted to her lies and was later sent to prison for lying and fooling people (The several depositions of Edward Costen 6- 10). Though this is a strange and an extraordinary story, one is inclined to believe in it. There are numerous reasons as to why one might be inclined to believe the story of Mary Toft.
For instance, Mary managed to fool medical professionals who also became convinced that the woman had conceived and given birth to rabbits. Howard, the local surgeon was the first to see the woman giving birth to body parts of a rabbit. He later reviewed this in his letters in which he wrote that he had delivered the woman of other three rabbits from the fourth instance to the sixth. He claimed that the last of the rabbits leapt in the woman’s belly for about 18 hours before it died and that after it was taken away, another was struggling for birth (Saint André 9). Though the act of a human being giving birth to a rabbit is utterly unlikely, one is likely to believe Mary’s story because the rabbits were coming out of her womb as if she was giving birth to them. She gave birth to rabbit parts. Another reason why we are inclined to believe her story is the fact that the authorities let her go without prosecution after a short while. She was not prosecuted for her crimes, and for this one might argue that the authorities would not have let her go if there had been any reason to prosecute her. These two arguments show how one might be tricked into believing Mary’s story.
Works cited
Saint André, Nathanael. A short narrative of an extraordinary delivery of rabbets, perform’d by Mr. John Howard surgeon at Guilford. Published by Mr. St. Andre. The second edition. London: Printed for John Clarke, 1727. Print.
The several depositions of Edward Costen, Richard Stedman, John Sweetapple, Mary Peytoe, Elizabeth Mason, and Mary Costen; relating to the affair of Mary Toft, of Godalming in the county of Surrey, being deliver’d of several rabbits. London: Printed for J. Pemberton, 1727. Print.
Wilson, Philip K. “‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind?’ The Daniel Turner-James Blondel Dispute Over the Power of the Maternal Imagination,” Annals of Science 49.1 (1992): 63-85. Print.