Webster Thayer

What is a Muckraker? The dictionary defines it as, “one who inquires into and publishes scandal and allegations of corruption among political and business leaders.” The term Muckraker has been surrounded with a negative connotation since the term came about in 1902 under the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. Some synonyms of the term Muckraker include Mudslinger, nitpicker and even hellion. But what most do not understand, is without the work of a Muckraker, those in which I prefer to recognize…

As depicted by the countless sold copies of this sort, tragedies appeal to the pathos of human pity. Having been distinguished from their beginning in ancient Greece, when authors such as Sophocles and Homer wrote rhetorics that are still being taught today. In fact, famous, talented Elizabethan playwright, William Shakespeare is best known for his tragedies including the acclaimed Romeo and Juliet. Therefore, it is no surprise that he exquisitely produced the play “Othello”, illustrating the…

Justice Everyone holds their own definition of what justice is, though the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it, as the process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals (Merriam Webster). Although the idea of justice is connotative to good intention, Marcus Tullus Cicero author of The Defense of Injustice, shares a different perspective to the notion of justice. In a persuasive dialogue, Laelius gives Philus the challenge to defend the idea of injustice, in which…

A novel is “an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events”, according the Merriam Webster Dictionary. In the novel Bel Canto, Ann Patchett portrays human experience by exploring the concept of isolating people from their normal lives and the world they know, to comprehend how this effects their perception of the world. Bel Canto revolves around the lives of a group of terrorists and their…

Behind the Curtain As said best by Margaret Wolfe Hungerford “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” This empowering quote basically says that you hold the power to decide for yourself what you think beauty is. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of beauty is the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses of pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit. Beauty is not the only thing people value in them. It is not defined by the way you look, clothes…

live in that utopia, and can it even exist. Omelas is not a utopia because it is not a perfect city because a child is suffering. A utopia is defined as “an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). A perfect civilization would entail happiness for everyone. The stipulation that keeps the child from being happy. Neither is Omelas a dystopia, the majority of citizens are happy. Omelas teeter in between which makes it all the…

When you look at what the importance of leadership is you first must answer the question of what is a leader. A leader by definition is “a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.” (Merriam Webster Dictionary) this defines a leader but a leader is so much more. A leader is a person who can inspire others to do things they never thought they could. A leader is able to engage with others to provide purpose, motivation, and direction. My personal belief is that this…

whether it were African Americans, Hispanic, and even Anglo. These were just few of the many events going on during this time period. General Douglas MacArthur starts his Farewell Address by stating how proud and humble he is to receive the Sylvanus Thayer…

Compared to the Romantics, Puritans had no connection between their writing and the reader. An abundance of examples can easily be found throughout Irving’s The Devil and Tom Walker, Bonet’s The Devil and Daniel Webster, and Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. Each of these stories was written to humanize the writing so the readers could connect to it easier. The humanization helped the reader to connect to the characters that were able to defeat evil without God’s help, using the human power…

Jarl Erik looked over his papers with an angry look. "Felix why are we losing money!" Erik yelled at his steward. "Sir the harvest wasn't good because of the raiders from the east valley, so we didn't have a good trade this year" Felix said in a quivering voice. Felix never liked it when his master got mad because it alway ended bad. "Well then it looks like we need more money so this month we will charge them a 1/4 more than usual" said Erik. "But sir the harvest means the people don't have…