Michael D. Healy

The Outcomes of Some Actions or events that occur in a person’s life can dramatically shape their outlook on life, whether positively or negatively. To illustrate, on the television show , Revenge, the plot surrounds a young woman seeking revenge on those who wronged her father; which caused her to have an extremely troubled childhood. This narrative is not only for Hollywood, it can happen with everyday people. In Tim O’Brien’s, “The Things they Carried,” he has two short stories that detail the changes a person can undergo due to life-changing events. In his story, “Speaking of Courage” and “Notes”he tells of a man trying to readjust to life after the Vietnam War. In another story, “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong,” the transformation of a young woman flown over during the war and how she evolves as a person during her stay. While under slightly different circumstances, both of these characters must navigate their own personal growth and change because of the lasting effects of war. The protagonist of “Speaking of Courage” and “Notes” has more of decline in life due to the war, meanwhile Mary Anne from “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” unearths new skills and interests she never expected to learn from herself. “Speaking of Courage” and “Notes” center around a Man named Norman Bowker from a small Iowa town. He is presumably in the same platoon mentioned throughout the book. His narrative primarily focuses on his life after he returns to his hometown from war. Bowker is depicted…

“No doubt exists that all women are crazy; it’s only a question of degree,” W. C. Fields once said. Well what’s the highest degree? Are women really crazy, or do they just change? In the chapter “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” in the book The Things They Carried, author Tim O’Brien lets us answer these questions ourselves. The chapter is a sweet one, we think in the beginning. It’s about a young soldier flying his sweetheart out to the war in Vietnam for a visit, since he can’t visit her. She…

Three Gorges Dam Built on the historical Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest and most controversial dam to be built. The dam has been the cause for the displacement of an approximated 1.3 million people and is currently wreaking havoc on the environment. The question is, however, was it right for the Chinese government to do this? This question can easily be answered using the Australian method of SHEEP factors; social, historical, economic, environmental, and political. …

There are several of people in our society that have undergone some sort of tough time during their lifetime and have had to rely on the government and their partners for assistance. Over the past couple of decades there have been a number of incidents occur that have led to citizens in dire need of assistance, while some people in our society arguing that the government isn’t doing enough for these individuals and others claiming that it takes time to see results when handling incidents these…

No Firemen Invited On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Ground Zero, many people, families, and even politicians were invited to remember the ones lost on that devastating day. But a group of the most important people on that day weren't. Firemen and first responders were not invited to the anniversary at Ground Zero because there “was not enough room for them” (Burke) according to the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Instead they were sent to an off site location to watch the anniversary…

Isaac Cline, along with everyone else in the weather bureau, were the reason that there were so many deaths in the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston. The Law of Storms was referred to repeatedly throughout the book stating that storms would never enter the gulf. This thought was relied on too heavily and was pushed on the civilians as truth leading the the whole hearted belief that they were safe. “...but said his office had received no notice of anything of the kind.” Dr. Young said about the…

This paper annotates five sources that I will use for my final research paper on Hurricane Sandy. These sources focus on the following criteria: (a) the emergency operations center at the federal level, (b) the areas and populations effected by Hurricane Sandy, (c) the media’s role in dispersing disaster information to the public, (d) the interface between all levels of government, and (e) stress management after the hurricane. The sources listed below will provide a framework for an in-depth…

In light of recent events down in South Carolina it has been brought to my attention that we have a serious problem and that problem is, flooding. Now there is absolutely no excuse for flooding, it can and should be prevented. It’s not like an earthquake, where you have no warning and it’s not like a tornado where it swoops down and suddenly destroys everything. A flood has a warning, sometimes weeks in advance. It starts out slow and builds but don’t let that fool you. Water is patient and it…

When Satan set’s his eyes upon Adam and Eve, it is doubtful they he knew how easy it would be to corrupt their minds. Eve, in my opinion was probably the easiest to manipulate and that is why Satan was delighted to come upon her first rather than Adam. Eve, is just like any other woman, so it is quite easy to distinguish what one needs to do to get on her good graces. Due to it being Eve, Satan tempted her with his evil offer by using flattery on her. Apparently flattery will get you anywhere.…

But when the door to the hall, into which no sound from the noisy Metropolis could penetrate, closed behind her, the ore voice of the angel of the cathedral struck at her breast like a steel fist, and she stood still, stunned, raising her hands to her head. Why was Saint Michael crying out so angrily and wildly? Why was the roar of Azrael, the angel of Death joining in so alarmingly? She stepped into the street. Darkness, like a thick layer of soot, lay over the town, and only the cathedral…