Pacifism

Heinrich Böll was one of the best known German authors of the 20th century (Michaels). He became internationally known around 1971 when he was elected president of the International PEN Club. He went on to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. Some of Böll’s most acclaimed works are Billiards at Half-Past Nine and And Never Said A Word. Like any author, Böll’s works are influenced by his own experiences. In Billiards at Half-Past Nine, the inspiration from his life impacts the novel in…

Have you ever read any of Allen Ginsberg’s poetry about Vietnam?” Ferlinghetti asked. “No, I haven’t.” “In his poem Wichita Vortex Sutra he says: McNamara made a “bad guess” chorused the reporters in 1962 “8000 American Troops handle the Situation” Bad Guess in 1954, 80% of the Vietnamese people would’ve voted for Ho Chi Minh “And here I thought most of Ginsberg’s poetry was about sucking cocks,” I said, risking insulting his friend.…

Nothing Left Unsaid Passion, sometimes shown in rage, allows us to explore an idea with zest and excitement. Malcolm X, an African American figure who was known for being quite passionate, yet angry, about his cause, is a prime example of how passion can give people the push to pursue causes that are meaningful to them. While he could be very crass and rude, it was only out of this angry passion that he found success as an activist, and gained recognition for his differences. John MacWhorter,…

There were two very distinct views of shell shock within British society, when the first shell shocked men returned from the war they were condemned for being too feminine. In the home front, society strongly believed it was every British man’s duty to enlist for the war, it was the manly thing to do. So, when numerous of men returned with a mental illness it was huge a shock to society. Here were these men who did the manly thing and went to war but returned as weak, unstable, emotional, and…

All throughout my life, I was ridiculed, always beaten, always hated. If I can’t do it through pacifism, if I can’t show you through the displaying of intelligence, then I will do it with a bullet. Murder is not weak and slow-witted, murder is gutsy and daring” (qtd. in Tough Guise 2). This young man believes that because he is unable to accomplish…

The American Revolution officially began in 1775 and lasted until 1783, spanning the course of eight years. However, what sparked this Revolution was the aftermath of the French and Indian War, which ended in 1763. King George III spent a substantial amount of money to supply and defend the colonists. After the end of the war, it only seemed reasonable to have the colonists pay for the debt, so taxes were administered without their consent. This, of course, angered the colonists, who were not…

There is an ongoing feud as to if censorship is appropriate to incorporate in governments, schools, and other institutions. Governments or other forms of authority engage in censorship in order to protect people from concepts they consider to be corrupt or immoral. Censorship eliminates evil mindsets and can help to prevent major conflicts from arising. On the other hand, censorship slows down creativity and innovation, violates citizens’ rights, and hides the truth. The Nazi Regime incorporated…

In 1903, British philosopher G.E. Moore wrote the groundbreaking work Principia Ethica. Moore applied logic to ethics and promoted the ideals of friendship and love towards others, as well as aesthetic enjoyments. Moore’s work and philosophy was believed to have inspired members of the Bloomsbury Group. This philosophy freed them from the materialistic, utilitarian, and morality of the Victorian era to their more desired, idealistic and logical philosophy. John Maynard Keynes stated, "It was…

There are many social theories which attempt to break down crime and criminality. Two of those theories are Marvin E. Wolfgang and Franco Ferracuti’s theory of subculture violence and Travis Hirschi’s social control/bond theory. There are significant ways that both social control theory and subculture theory addresses the problem of crime. While one focuses on a collective level of analysis the other focuses on an individual level of analysis. Wolfgang and Ferracuti’s theory on the subculture…

Slaughterhouse­Five has been criticised by many sources on how the author wrote the book and the details that was presented. Here are what some critics have said “Wesley Scroggins, a Republic resident and professor at Missouri State University, saw the book differently, and urged the school board to ban Slaughterhouse Five.” "In a column for the Springfield News­Leader headlined "Filthy books demeaning to Republic education," he wrote: "This is a book that contains so much profane language, it…