In the first scenes of Mulan the stereotype of subservient women, good housewives, and beautiful women who are married off is immediately is present. When we meet the heroine of the movie she conforms to the Asian race appearance, she has the common sexual identity of heterosexual, she is able-bodied, and she is young. However, upon second look, Mulan goes against the Asian culture of how women are supposed to be: Mulan is a terrible housewife, clumsy, and has a hard time being subservient. She only tries to fit in to the stereotype in order to please her parents. When her father is drafted into the military, however, Mulan confronts the gender box. She cuts her hair short, joins the military, becomes a strong woman who is capable of fighting, develops a sense of independence, and learns how to follow her own beliefs as opposed to the beliefs of society.
The 1998 movie Mulan was directed by two men (Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook), written by several people (although a large majority are men), produced by two women and a man (Pam Coats, Kendra Haaland, and Robert S. Garber), and music was done by a man (Jerry Goldsmith). Despite the large presence of men involved in the production of this movie, Mulan confronts several stereotypes.
In the first scenes of Mulan the stereotype of subservient women, good housewives, and beautiful women who are married off is immediately is present. When we meet the heroine of the movie she conforms to the Asian race appearance, she has the common sexual identity of heterosexual, she is able-bodied, and she is young. However, upon second look, Mulan goes against the Asian culture of how women are supposed to be: Mulan is a terrible housewife, clumsy, and has a hard time being subservient. She only tries to fit in to the stereotype in order to please her parents. When her father is drafted into the military, however, Mulan confronts the gender box. She cuts her hair short, joins the military, becomes a strong woman who is capable of fighting, develops a sense of independence, and learns how to follow her own beliefs as opposed to the beliefs of society.
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In my Women's Studies class we talked about the gender boxes, yes both of the gender boxes. During the activity we were asked to give words or phrases that described the "stereotypical" or "expected" gender. Here were just some of the examples of words and phrases that we suggested.
The next task we were given was to find two ads and analyze them in respect to the gender boxes.
I almost grew up with no privileges. For a year of my life I lacked the food that would have helped me grow strong, I shared a crib with three or more babies, and I lived in a building where large rodents would have been very common. For all I know, I may have been put up for adoption because of the sexist culture of China. When I was put up for adoption there were no records or reasoning for it, I was simply another baby in the orphanage. If I hadn’t been adopted I would have been left to struggle in the sexist culture of China where “female infanticide, domestic slavery, and sexual bondage were commonplace” (Spurling, 2011).
Instead, I was adopted one day before my first birthday and grew up with a much more privileged life than I would have had in China. I have had the privilege of living in Germany, Oregon, South Korea, and Japan. I have the privilege of having sufficient food, water, and shelter. I have the privilege of being an able-bodied young adult. But most importantly, I have had the privilege of gaining an education and having civil liberties that I wouldn’t have had in China. My parents both work in education: my mother as a teacher and my father as a principal. Because they work in education they both know how important a good education is. I was privileged because I grew up being encouraged to learn more and keep an open mind. In order to stay focused on education while I grew up, I didn’t hold a steady job as many teenagers have. Instead of work I took several AP classes, was involved heavily in community service, and was involved in sports. Although there are not many women in the inner circle of power in the U.S., there are at least some women. In China however, “there is no woman in the inner circle of power” (Tatlow, 2012). This is an example of how many more civil liberties I have in the U.S. compared to China. I have the right to vote, I am able to speak my mind about what I believe is right, and grew up feeling that I can do, say, or be anything that a guy can. Unfortunately, there are instances in which I do not benefit. Although there are many more women’s rights in the U.S. than in China, there is still much progress to be made. Women are entering all kinds of careers, however, it is still unevenly distributed. For example, while there are women entering the engineering field, there are still not many women in mechanical, industrial, and manufacturing engineering (MIME), nor in civil, or construction management engineering (CCE). When divided into subsections of which engineering women are in, the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) provides information that shows that the average percentage of women in MIME and CCE is only 17.16% whereas the average percentage of women in chemical, biological, and environmental engineering (CBEE) is 37.1%. People who don’t have the benefit of parents who so strongly encourage education most likely would think that I was spoiled. They may see me as a girl who simply gets what I want from my parents without having to work for it (as they may be having to do). On the other hand, children who are still in China, waiting to be adopted, would probably see my civil liberties as I do: as a privilege. Although there are many other privileges I don’t have, I am glad to have the privileges that I do. On a first reading, it appears that Gregor goes through a literal metamorphosis, from a hard-working man to an animal. However, upon an analytical reading, Gregor experiences a psychological metamorphosis, declining from fully functional and independent to weak and desiring his family’s attention. Although Kafka doesn’t directly address Gregor’s life prior to the transformation, he does hint at Gregor being over-worked, paranoid, and isolated. Not only does Gregor “only ever think about the business…he never goes out in the evenings…just reads the paper or studies train timetables” (616), but he also dedicates numerous hours to his job, beginning every day at four in the morning and spending the whole day traveling. Finally, Gregor gets home and “throw[s] himself, exhausted” (632), into bed, but only after locking all of the doors. Despite Gregor’s claim that his experience as a traveling salesman encourages him to lock his doors before going to sleep, the fact that he locks the door even in his own home, exhibits his paranoia. As well as being paranoid, Gregor is isolated, lacking friends or companions. Even co-workers and his boss are disliked by Gregor, which leads him to isolate himself at work as well. The gradual deterioration of Gregor’s mental state (urged on by his working habits, paranoia, and isolation) intensifies in Part I, to the point that Gregor himself, believes he has transformed into an animal. Gregor’s agitation increases as he struggles to open his bedroom door and explain his absence to the Deputy Director, amplifying his mental deterioration and resulting in a “voice of an animal” (617) and the loss of communication. Mrs. Samsa appears insightful at this point, declaring that “he might be seriously ill” (617), and that the pressure of their presence could be “plaguing him” (617). But upon seeing Gregor, Mrs. Samsa sinks “to the ground in the midst of her billowing skirts, her face completely hidden” (618), and Mr. Samsa balls up his fists “with a fierce expression…then…[covers] his eyes with his hands, and [sobs]” (618-619). Rather than respond with shock and disgust, which one would expect if Gregor had been physically transformed, both parents respond with sorrow because they realize that his mental health is unstable. Later, as Mr. Samsa drives Gregor back into his room, Gregor hears his father “spitting out hissing noises like a wild beast” (621). (However, if Gregor believes that he is an animal, the hissing noises may actually be coming from Gregor himself.) Gregor’s partial awareness that his mental state is deteriorating, and that his transformation is psychological rather than physical, is very noticeable in Part I. During the late nineteenth century, the time period that this book is set in, the subject of whether to put Gregor into a mental hospital or to keep him at home would have been an immediate concern; mental hospitals were well-known for treating patients like animals and treating them cruelly. It is not unexpected, then, that Gregor hears “consultations at every meal about what they should do” (624). The first time that Gregor receives food, he initially appears normal and is awoken by “the smell of something edible” (622). Once he is fully awake, however, he reverts to believing he is an animal and he finds the food unappealing, preferring instead “old, half-rotten vegetables…bones…[and] a cheese that [he] had declared inedible two days before” (623). When Grete enters the room to retrieve the food, Gregor notices that she comes “inside on tiptoe, as if she were in the presence of someone severely ill” (623). Later, as the women attempt to move furniture out of Gregor’s room, Gregor realizes that “the course of the past two months…must have deranged his mind” (628), and he experiences a moment of restoration by indicating that he wants to improve his condition. The most pronounced point where Gregor questions the metamorphosis occurs while his sister is playing her violin for the lodgers. Although the lodgers appear unpleased by her playing, the music grips Gregor and he asks himself directly, “was [I] then an animal” (636)? Gregor’s gradual deterioration is revealed in part II, as well as in the beginning of part III. For a short time after his transformation, Grete does a lot to make Gregor comfortable, bringing him food that she thinks he will like, cleaning his room every day, and arranging a chair near the window so that Gregor can look out of it. In return, Gregor sustains his consideration for the family. For example, one day, Gregor drags “a sheet onto the sofa-it took him hours to do so-and [arranges] it in such a way that he was completely covered” (626); another day he refrains “from spying out from under the sheet” (627), so that he does not frighten his mother. However, when Grete starts coming home “exhausted from her work, [and can] no longer manage to care for Gregor as she had earlier” 634), her close attention declines, and so does Gregor’s condition. Gregor soon adopts the habit of “crawling across the walls and ceiling” (627), most likely using the furniture to hang from the light fixtures, and begins to pass “the days and nights nearly without sleep” (633), eating almost nothing. As time goes on, Gregor becomes “filled with rage at the poor care” (633) his family takes of him, “tired to death, and full of sorrow” (634). When Gregor dies, giving into his illness, he releases the family from their burden and the stress caused by having to take care of him. Immediately after Gregor’s death, Mr. Samsa takes control of his household, kicking the three lodgers out and deciding that the family should “spend the day resting and taking a stroll” (640), something that they haven’t been able to do lately because of their responsibilities to Gregor and work. The Samsas talk about future prospects and the “great potential for the future” (641), while on the trolley, headed to “open air beyond the city…drenched with warm sunlight” (641). Upon seeing their daughter acting lively despite their recent struggles, Mr. and Mrs. Samsa recognize that while Gregor went through his degeneration, Grete went through her own metamorphosis. No longer is Grete the child “whose lifestyle…had consisted of dressing herself neatly, sleeping late, helping out in the household, [and] taking part in a few modest pleasures” (625), for she has “blossomed into a pretty and well-developed young woman” (641). A link to an online version of Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" can be found here: http://history-world.org/The_Metamorphosis_T.pdf
*citations may not match up* Three great philosophers of Athens: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Although their ideas seem to differ, Aristotle’s method of categorization was based on Plato’s world of ideas, which was in turn, based upon Socrates’s emphasis on reason. Despite the fact that Plato’s world of ideas can be rebutted by Aristotle’s method of categorizing, Plato appeals to me more than the other two. Aside from the world of ideas, Plato’s views on government and women, and his ideas about true knowledge are appealing and inspire deep thought.
The first great philosopher was Socrates who focused on a quest for truth and “clear and universally valid definitions of right and wrong” (70). By entering into discussions with citizens and feigning ignorance, Socrates forced citizens to recognize the weaknesses in their own arguments, allowing them to have an understanding from within (reasoning), which Socrates believed came from to insight and knowledge. The next great philosopher was Plato, who had been Socrates’ student; he took Socrates’ connection between reason and knowledge, and came up with the theory of ideas or a world of “molds” and “perfection” as Gaarder calls it. This theory of ideas was the method by which people are able to identify different objects, whether they had been seen before or not. Aristotle, the third great philosopher of Athens and an attendee of Plato’s Academy, took Plato’s theory of ideas and reversed it. Instead of a world of ideas allowing us to identify everything, Aristotle believed that people identified through the characteristics of an object which fell into a general category, and then, an even more detailed subcategory. Through his world of ideas, Plato presented an intriguing idea of what happens after a person passes away. In addition to the basic concept of the world of ideas, Plato believed that a person’s idea of the body comes from the world of senses (a world where nothing is permanent) and a person’s soul comes from the world of ideas (a world where everything is perfect). When the soul combines with the body it forgets about the world of ideas; however, when it comes upon things that it saw in the world of ideas, it begins to remember its true realm. By saying that the soul “yearns to fly home…to the world of ideas…freed from the chains of the body” (89), it can be implied that the world of ideas represents a heaven for those who may not be religious. Many people believe that heaven exists, but nobody actually knows if it does and the fact that there is no way to find proof is intriguing to me. In addition, Plato’s ideal state where reason is the ruling virtue, is very realistic and makes a lot of sense. To illustrate the connection that Plato made between the body, soul, virtue, and state, Gaarder created a simple table, (91). Through the table, the reader can see that the rulers go along with reason and wisdom, warriors and soldiers go along with will and courage, and laborers go along with appetite (desire) and temperance. When choosing a leader, the ideal person is someone who has the ability to think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic; someone who has reason and wisdom. In all different cultures warriors and soldiers are indeed seen as courageous and able to initiate action. Laborers often express desire when they see the wealth held by people in a higher social class and, due to a lower amount of money, may have to exercise temperance. All of the connections that Plato makes can be found in nations that exist now. Another thing that makes Plato appealing, is the equality that Plato shows toward women and his opinions on how women should be treated. Since rulers should be characterized by reason and wisdom, and women can reason just as well as men, Plato believed that women could govern just as effectively as men. While he did at one point restrict women’s freedom, he still held the belief that “a state that does not educate and train women is like a man who only trains his right arm” (92). Due to the way that my parents have raised me, believing that I can do anything a guy can, equality between men and women is very important to me. Aristotle’s view of women as “an unfinished man” (115), was one of the main reasons why he did not appeal to me. Finally, true knowledge, and the lack of it, is fascinating because it forces people to doubt their own senses. Perceiving colors differently is not a new concept, however, the idea that you “cannot have true knowledge of anything you can perceive with your eyes” 87, broadens the spectrum and increases the amount of doubt that is already in people’s minds. Reason, or true knowledge, exists almost only in the world of ideas where everything is perfect and nothing can change. Therefore, in reality, can we even rely on our reason to solve every day problems that we face? Although all three of the great Athenian philosophers have made a large contribution to society, Plato’s is the most appealing since it encourages people to think on a deeper level. His dialogues should be read more often by students and there should be more discussions in class about the great philosophers in general, especially Plato. Whether it is dependency on someone else for money, food, or clothing, it all creates a feeling of resentment in a person. Upon taking this into consideration, the ideals of individualism and self-sufficiency begin to appeal to someone. Self-sufficiency takes the weight of dependency completely off one’s shoulders and the idea of individualism takes the guilt of their shoulders as well. No longer would you need to depend on others, and you wouldn’t feel obliged to help other’s either. Instead you can focus on your own aspirations, both political and social. However having a community of people based on the virtues of individualism and self-sufficiency would cause some problems. The first issue is if it could even be considered a community. Dictionary.com defines a community as “a group sharing common interests.” However, if that common interest is the pursuit of an individual interest, rather than common or collective interests, then is it still a community? Either way having virtues of individualism and self-sufficiency would jeopardize the community as history has proven during times when communities experienced a bad economy, came under attack from an enemy, or had conflicting aspirations. In America’s history, the basic ideas of individualism were applied in other ways: states’ rights. Less than 30 years into our country’s history, issues with states’ rights had already appeared. Having just gained independence from a nation that controlled almost all aspects of life, America was eager to pick up the idea of individualism. Even upon writing the constitution, each man who arrived had ideas that would benefit the state he was representing.
Leading up to the Great Depression, the idea of individualism had taken root regarding large corporations and businesses. Each corporation pursued methods that would be in the best interests of themselves and their capital. Because of this, when the Great Depression broke out in 1929, many corporations cut back severely fearing that their own industries would be ruined. Rather than unite together and stimulate the economy, corporations covered their own backs, unwilling to spend even a little bit of the capital they had amassed. Instead the economy continued to spiral downward as the cuts lowered demand even more which, in turn, led to more cuts. One of the most prominent examples of the failure of a community based on individualism and self-sufficiency is the Civil War. In 1861 the South seceded from the North and established another nation: the Confederate United States of America. Whereas the North had relied heavily on the federal government and communal powers, the South relied heavily on each state’s individual rights. Ironically, in order to beat the North, the South would have had to combine their power in order to win their right for individual rights. Of course, this did not happen and the inability of the South to work together was one of the reasons that they lost the war. As the Confederates showed, it is nearly impossible to fight for individual rights and win against a force that is unified and fighting for a common reason. While one may argue that the community’s common reason would be maintaining their own rights, the issue would still remain of what was to happen after the fight. There would be difficulties in going back to each individual house and returning to their individualism; either they would change their ideals or one person would try and establish their ideals as the “correct” method. My final example is the takeover of Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company. During this time, individualism was prominent as well, leading to vertical and horizontal integration. Vertical integration was the takeover of all productions related to one product from beginning to end. Horizontal integration however, was the takeover of the market for one product in particular. The Standard Oil Company became one of the first large trusts and relied heavily on horizontal integration. Rockefeller used many different tactics to ensure that his own prominence and success were achieved. He made deals with railways that other producers couldn’t, he sabotaged other producers, and he ended up taking over the whole market for oil. Now imagine the oil producers in a community; as the ideals of individualism go, a person would end up taking over the whole community eliminating the possibility of any other member’s prominence or success. As you can see, having a community based on the virtues of self-sufficiency and individualism would actually weaken the community and possibly even disband it. They wouldn’t be able to protect themselves, from both foreign threats and economic threats, and they would conflict with each other’s goals. Both Roosevelt and Truman were originally elected as vice presidents however, when their presidents died, William McKinley from an assassin in 1901, and Franklin Roosevelt from natural causes in 1945, they had to step up and run the country lacking a vice president. While Truman had less experience with politics, he ultimately did a better job when faced with the sudden presidency. In addition to having less experience and still succeeding, Truman also had much more demanding problems.
1945; World War 2 was in its final year of fighting and by the end of April, Hitler had committed suicide, the Ustasa regime was toppled, and Truman was the new President of the United States. Before his unexpected death, Franklin Roosevelt had been constructing an atomic bomb to use on Japan and failed to inform his vice president about this. This lack of communication between the two was most likely based upon Roosevelt’s worries for if citizens found out about the construction; there was the fear of opposition as well the fear of failure in the face of the nation. The decision of whether to drop the atomic bomb or not, was Truman’s first and greatest conflict. Coming in to presidency at age 42, Roosevelt was 5 years and 29 days younger than President Grover Cleveland, who was previously the youngest president. Roosevelt’s young age was the first conflict he faced. In general, the age of 42 is seen as having much to teach whereas in regards to presidency, age 42 is seen as having much to learn. Conflicts of age could have been much worse for Roosevelt. He had also been the youngest man ever elected to the New York State Assembly and overcame that, which made his age less restricting than it could have been. People still were weary at first of Roosevelt becoming president because they felt that he still had to mature and might not make decisions that would most benefit the country. Both men got over their first hurdles but making a decision on a controversial topic, such as the atomic bomb, is a much bigger feat than overcoming the worries of having a young mind in office. While the two presidents’ ideas on foreign policy were different, they both stood their ground and accomplished what they said they would. Roosevelt approached foreign disputes as diplomatic negotiations that he would put force behind only if necessary. Truman on the other hand, made quick decisions and did what was necessary whether it was using force or negotiating. Part of the reason that the two men’s foreign policies differed was based on the time period that they were in office. During all of Roosevelt’s time in office, there was only one major war: the Russo-Japanese War. Even then, the United States wasn’t on a certain side, fighting for their lives and their rights. Roosevelt actually had the opportunity of negotiating whereas Truman’s situations didn’t always give that opportunity. Truman was directly involved with World War 1, World War 2, the Cold War, the Korean War, and the creation of Israel. Not only did Truman face more war, but also war on a much larger and intimate level. His most famous moves in foreign policy were the atomic bomb decision and his fight against the expansion of communism. Despite the controversy over his decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Truman stuck to his decision and in turn, ended the war in the Pacific. A majority of people would have opposed the decision for the same reason slavery was opposed; people found it immoral. Atomic bombs held not only an immediate threat, but also a long lasting threat. Between the two bombs, 90% of people within 500 meters died and radioactive rays caused disfigurations, blood abnormalities, various cancers, and chromosome changes even years after the bombs had been dropped. During his fight against communism he created the Truman Doctrine which he used to help justify the rebuilding of Europe, and the construction of the hydrogen bomb. The Truman Doctrine was the first step in the fight against communism, it was created in March of 1947 and stated that “it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures.” In April of 1948 the European Recovery program, also known as the Marshall Plan, was designed in order to help Europe restore their nation. War was of course the cause of the Marshall Plan; after World War 2 industrial and residential areas were destroyed, agriculture production was disrupted, transportation infrastructures were rendered unusable, and millions of citizens had been killed or wounded. Being the only major power in the world that hadn’t been significantly damaged, the U.S. stepped up to the plate. Considering how much money would have to be spent, Truman used the fight against communism to avoid opposition. “Communism will thrive in economically depressed regions,” was the excuse that he used and it worked, the U.S spent billions of dollars in aid in order to help European nations recover economically. Another time Truman used the fight against communism as justification was when he ordered the hydrogen bomb to be created. After dropping the atomic bombs on Japan, Truman had hoped that the development of atomic energy would be under the U.N.’s control however the Soviets didn’t like this idea and began to build their own atomic weapon. When the Soviets’ weapon was successful, Truman authorized the development of the hydrogen bomb which would end up being more powerful. Many people opposed the creation of this bomb, including Robert Oppenheimer who was one of the fathers of the atomic bomb. Opposition was due, once again, to the feeling of it being immoral since the effects were along the same lines as the atomic bomb, but on a larger scale. Citizens had seen the effects of the atomic bombs for seven years already and the hydrogen bomb would produce an explosion 500-1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb. Although it was never used against anyone, it was tested and, thanks to Truman, the U.S. created the world’s first thermonuclear weapon. On the other hand, Roosevelt’s most famous moves in foreign policy were the secession of Panama from Colombia and negotiations that led to the end of the Russo-Japanese War; it was the second that won him the Nobel Peace Prize, the first ever given to a president. [why was this an accomplishment?] During the year 1900, Roosevelt realized how important it would be to have a naval route connecting the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. At first he attempted to get Colombia to accept a treaty allowing the U.S to build a canal, but they were denied. In order to gain access to the strip of land in Panama where the U.S wanted to build the canal they turned to a group of revolutionaries. The refusal of America’s offer as well as the impressment of Panamanian men during a civil war and the requisitions of property were too much for some citizens and with help from the U.S, Panama was soon able to declare its secession. Panama signed a treaty and the canal was built over the course of 10 years from 1904 to 1914. Creation of the Panama Canal allowed America to transport goods from California to the East Coast. As can be expected, Panama didn’t get hardly any benefits that they thought they would; the Americans who took over simply used them as a means to get to something that would improve their own country. Shortly after the canal began to be built, fighting between Russia and Japan occurred, lasting for about a year and a half, February 1904-September 1905. Fighting between the two was due to both countries’ desire for dominance in Korea and northeastern China. Upon arriving at Oyster Bay Japan had plans to demand recognition of Japan’s dominance in Korea, the withdrawal of Russian troops in Manchuria, cession of three different areas, a promise not to base a Russian fleet in the Extreme East, and payments for the loss/damage suffered. Russia on the other hand, arrived determined to win peace in a method that would prevent, or at least delay, the revolution that was brewing in Russia. To do this, they refused to admit they were conquered and wouldn’t consider any indemnity payments. Both of these things were done to prevent their reputation from being damaged, although it was already too late due to the numerous battles they lost to the Japanese. Over the course of the conference delegates from Russia and Japan traveled to Oyster Bay in order to seek advice from Roosevelt. The final settlement was agreed upon and signed at Portsmouth’s U.S. Navy Base September 5, 1905. No indemnity would be paid, however Russia did agree to cede the southern half of Sakhalin Island in the Treaty of Portsmouth. 40 years later, Koreans would gain their independence, 8 years after that they would split into the North and South, and 2 years after that the North would invade the South. Also the Soviets would once again become a threat to America this time by attempting to spread communism. Truman was the President at this time and was the first to react to the threat of the Soviet’s and North Korea’s communism. As is the situation with almost any action of the president, there was opposition to this. Since Russia was losing the war, many Americans were most likely angered that Roosevelt had given Russia (a contending world power) a chance to get out without damaging their reputation too badly. Another reason people would have opposed Roosevelt’s actions are that a continuation of war would have prevent Japan from having the potential to become a great world power. Regardless of the opposition, Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and instead of keeping the cash award, put it in a fun where it grew by nearly $10,000 and was used during World War 1 for war relief efforts. Roosevelt’s foreign policies brought America into the mix of international power politics and got his reputation as a “trust buster” through all of the negotiations, and mediations that he took part in. Treaties were no doubt Roosevelt’s strong point and resulted in commercial benefits for America, however they were minor achievements compared to Truman’s work preventing the downfall of America in World War 2, the war in Asia, and the Cold War. Foreign policy standards and basic ideals, for the rest of the twentieth century, were based on Truman’s foreign policy that a president must be able to negotiate as well as succeed during times of war. This fact shows that Truman’s foreign policy was one superior to Roosevelt’s and was favored by citizens as well as future politicians. When discussing foreign policy there is no doubt that Truman was a stronger and better leader however, in domestic policy Roosevelt actually seemed to stand out a little; but not enough to outshine Truman. Naming of domestic programs, regulation of big businesses, and conservation work were Roosevelt’s largest contributions to America’s future domestic policies. The variety and challenge of obstacles Truman faced while trying to change the American economy, from one of war-time to one of peace-time, took almost all of his attention during both terms that he served. Despite that he still managed to make his voice heard in the civil rights movement as well. Much like how the two men’s foreign policies greatly differed, so did their domestic policies. This too led back to the war because while Truman was faced with changing a nation, Roosevelt was faced only with preventing businesses from becoming monopolies. Roosevelt had the opportunity, once again, that Truman wasn’t given due to the immediate attention needed from the nation’s economy. Fall of 1945 came around and Truman was faced with leading a nation that wasn’t filled with the trauma and stress of war for the first time in almost twenty years. Faced with the challenges of increased production of consumer goods, full employment, higher wages, lower prices, and peace between labor unions and industrial management, Truman didn’t give the power to someone else; instead he faced it front on and put in the amount of hard work he had become famous for. Economic control became the leading difficulty in regressing to a nation of peace. This was most likely due to the increase in citizens unemployed from the war; more people were available to work and so production of consumer goods went up however so did prices and the amount of control that businesses were gaining. Three times Truman called for price and economic control, once in 1945, again in mid-1946, and finally in 1949. He was granted price control in 1945 however controls began to disappear mid-1946, causing prices to shoot upward. Immediately, the government responded by reinstating price controls in order to protect the welfare of the common man. Three years later, after being re-elected Truman presented his agenda which included economic controls as well as eight other items. Of those eight, only two are not still topics discussed in modern day politics. Truman’s eight topics called for changes in minimum wage, the Social Security program, the federal role in mortgage insurance and construction, health insurance, and immigration laws. The fact that these eight topics have lasted 63 years shows that they are topics that are difficult for every president and Truman did a good job in fighting for these changes. While he only saw change in the housing bill, an increase in minimum wage, and an expansion of Social Security, he also managed to overcome the economic slowdown in 1949. At first, Truman had hopes for a balanced budget however, seeing that there was only one way to get the economy growing again, he gave some tax breaks to businesses and saw exactly what he had expected. The economy picked back up and his actions showed that while he found it important for everyone to have a chance at a successful business, his primary concern was maintaining a healthy amount of economic growth. For the third time during his presidency, Truman set a standard that several presidents continued to follow. Having three policies and actions stick for many years is a sign of success and accomplishment; after all the greatest form of flattery is imitation. Two times Truman fought for civil rights of African Americans, once September of 1945 where he called for “no discrimination in hiring practices of government and defense agencies,” and again in 1949 where he called for “ambitious civil rights legislation.” Neither was granted due to the Southern Democrats who adamantly refused to pass the policies. Despite the rejection Truman kept fighting and once, while speaking to a crowd of 10,000 Truman announced that "the only limit to an American's achievement should be his ability, his industry, and his character." Truman was also the first President to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and even announced that in the future he would issue executive orders prohibiting discrimination. Determination to gain civil rights for African Americans was spurred on mostly by the opportunity of winning votes but also by the realization that blacks were becoming part of the American culture. While Truman’s main focus was on the economy, Roosevelt focused on conservation, the first president to do so. Before his presidency the United States only had 5 National Parks and a total of 42 million acres. Eight years later, an additional five national parks, 18 National Monuments, 150 National Forests, four National Game Preserves, 51 Federal Bird Reservations, and 24 Reclamation Projects had been created, all due to Roosevelt. In the past, Americans had exploited natural resources with no second though, most likely due to their egocentric attitude. Growing up as a child Roosevelt was very susceptible to illness and often was taken out into the country to get some fresh air. Having nature as an escape from illness, which so often occurred to him, would have made a large impact on his decisions regarding conservation. No hesitation was shown by Roosevelt when he decided to create a system that would allow the United States to carefully manage them. He knew that the federal government was the only one who could afford to fund the creation of all the parks and monuments and so, paired up with Gifford Pinchot the head of the Forestry Bureau, he began to act on the need for conservation. Unlike past presidents, Roosevelt felt strongly, that the government had the right to regulate big businesses. Early in life Roosevelt found interest in natural sciences, something that was completely opposite to his father’s interest in business and money. Because of this, it isn’t surprising that Roosevelt had a strong desire to appeal to the common man instead of the wealthy business men, like his father whom he admired. Another reason it isn’t surprising is because unlike Truman, Roosevelt was a Republican, which meant that he trusted and respected the common people. Northern Securities Company, a huge railroad company, proved to be Roosevelt’s first opponent in the fight to protect the welfare of society. The Department of Justice filed suit in early 1902 claiming that the Northern Securities Company had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by being a monopoly. Two years later, the Supreme Court agreed with the government and the company was dismantled. While waiting for that decision Roosevelt had been busy working on more railroad regulations. In 1903 Roosevelt established the Elkins Act which was supposed to end the practice of railroad rebates to certain companies; companies were able to undermine the act preventing smaller companies from succeeding. As a response to this, Roosevelt created the legislation called the Hepburn Act, which allowed the Interstate Commerce Commission the ability to regulate shipping rates on railroads. Senate approved the legislation after Roosevelt turned to the people and the press for support. Roosevelt’s actions in regulation showed the business community that the government would not allow them the ability to operate without regard for the welfare of the public. Overall, you can see that both men accomplished great things such as winning wars, negotiating treaties, participating in civil rights movements, and increasing conservation efforts. The thing that makes a president great is how much they accomplish with what they’re given. Truman was given a few brief times of war and the huge task of changing the nation from a war economy to a regular economy. Roosevelt was given peaceful times and many opportunities to stand out from other presidents. As you can see, Truman was the better president because of all he accomplished despite the troublesome times he faced. “I am only one man in the world; nothing more and nothing less.” The ship rocks back and forth as Odysseus finally nears the end of his journey. It has been nearly twenty years since he has seen his family and his homeland of Ithaca. For all twenty years, Odysseus has been trying continuously, to return to Ithaca. His son is a grown man and his wife has aged and is desperately trying to put off remarrying. Although almost everyone believes him to be dead at the bottom of the sea, his family believes that he is still alive somewhere out there. It took everything he had to get to this point, and although things looked grim many times, he never gave up. His most important qualities were very openly shown in the story of the Odyssey. He has shown bravery, perseverance, and intelligence along with many other qualities that helped Odysseus in his quest to return home. A lesson is to be learned and once he knows it, he gladly embraces it and is able to return to his beloved family. One big question though is what were the qualities that defined Odysseus as a hero for the rest of his life? |
what's this?just another nerdy Asian who writes essays and actually ends up liking some of them. type of writing
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way back when...
July 2017
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