Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence Essay Example for Free

Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence Essay Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence are two important and popular persuasive documents in American history. Both documents were written in 1776 about the same subject (Famighetti 512; Independence Hall Association 1999). However, as one reads the different documents one would observe the difference in tone and styles adopted by each author to express their ideas. As persuasive works both presents the current problems that they were facing, both give reasons as to why the problem was occurring and both presents a solution to the problem. The subject of both documents was Great Britain’s relationship with the American colonies. Both documents were written at a time when Great Britain was pressuring the American colonies to pay unreasonable and unfair taxes to her (Perry 431). Paine had felt that Great Britain was abusing its power while Jefferson argued that Great Britain was a tyrant. Then each author proceeded to enumerate their own reasons why they think it was so. In view of the current circumstances, both authors had felt that the colonies should free itself from Britain’s rule. In communicating his ideas, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was written more in the direction of an editorial persuasive essay that aimed to make the people become aware of what was really going on between Britain and the American colonies. In the opening paragraph Paine clearly admit that what he was about to say may not be the general belief or views of his readers, â€Å" perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor†( Independence Hall Association1999 ). He was merely presenting his opinion regarding a certain situation. On the other hand, Jefferson’s works was already a call to action as if the people already knew what was going on. The assumption that he was addressing to people who already knew the real situation was in the statement, â€Å"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another† (Fameghetti 512), as if implying that certain events of which the people were aware of is now leading them to separate from Britain. In other words, Common Sense was educating the people while The Declaration of Independence was largely calling the now â€Å"educated† people to action. Thomas Paine’s discourse was merely voicing his opinions and informing the people of the real situation, his tone of voice was more of calm persuasion as if he was waking up the general American public from a long sleep of indifference and ignorance when he observes that the Americans were in â€Å"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong† which â€Å"gives it a superficial appearance of being right†( Independence Hall Association 1999 ) . Paine then ended his document with a suggestion of what the American people should do. Jefferson on the other hand, adopted a more confident, assertive and with a sense of urgency tone in his work, with the goal of rallying more sympathizers and followers to the cause of independence and urging them to make an immediate action. This can be supported by the fact that by the time the document was conceived and read, not all Americans agreed to the separation (Perry 431). Yet Jefferson used the â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident†, using the word â€Å"we† to mean that he was assuming that all Americans was sharing his views and with this regard he was playing the role as the voice of the American people (Fameghetti 512). Unlike Paine, Jefferson ended the document not with a suggestion but with a bold announcement for the need of separation (Fameghetti 513). Moreover, the organization of both documents was different. Jefferson took a rather direct and abrupt approach in communicating his views. He immediately introduce his ideas in the beginning few paragraphs citing John Locke’s â€Å"inalienable rights† as the main basis for his argument and without much hesitation supported his view on separation by listing Britain’s faults. The theme of his works was more to justify American acts of rebellion so that other nations such as Spain and France from which they hope to gain support for their cause will not consider their revolutionary actions as illegal acts of rebellion (Maier 43). Paine, on the other hand, adopted a storytelling format in presenting his views. He took pains in providing background information about his subject (Independence Hall Association 1999). He examined every detail and favorable examples and presented them as logical explanations in support of his views of why it is better for a nation to be independent of Britain. When one examines each documents, one can conclude that in Common Sense, Paine acted as a persuasive educator, whose role was only that of a man who had the task of arousing the interest of his readers to side with his views while Jefferson acted more as an active leader of rebellion, whose main goal was to inspire the people to make immediate action in response to their belief that Great Britain should not rule over them. Works Cited Famighetti, Robert. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1996. New Jersey: Funk and Wagnalls Corporation, 1995. Independence Hall Association. â€Å"Common Sense by Thomas Paine†. 1999. US History Organization Website. Accessed April 4, 2008 http://www. ushistory. org/paine/commonsense/singlehtml. htm Maier, Pauline. American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. Perry, Marvin. A History of the World. New York: Houghton and Mifflin, 1988.

The Ethical Considerations of Genetic Screening :: Science Genes Biology Papers

Ever since Watson and Crick deciphered the biological code of life, scientists have been busy unraveling the mysteries of life. A recent development in the area of genetic research has been the Human Genome Project (HGP). The HGP is a massive international effort to map and sequence the entire human genetic code. The primary goal of this research is to link certain diseases with abnormal genes that may be possessed by certain people. This would allow researchers the ability to screen individuals for certain diseases. This has already been a success with a number of conditions. PKU is a condition that causes severe retardation in children if nothing is done to prevent it, but by genetically screening the infants, doctors are able to tell who has the disease (Davis 1990). By simply altering the diet of these children, the mental retardation effects of the disease can be prevented. In addition, diseases such as Huntington’s disease, breast cancer, and muscular dystrophy are prese ntly being screened for in humans (Jaroff, 1996). How researchers are able to screen for genes New developments have given researchers the ability to decipher the genetic code of organisms. Some of the techniques that researchers use are RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis and DNA probes. RFLP analysis utilizes enzymes from bacteria that are thought to be used as defense mechanisms against invading viral DNA. The enzymes fragment foreign DNA at specific locations depending on the base sequence (Griffiths, 1996). In order to analyze an organism’s genome a researcher will add a certain restriction enzyme to DNA. This produces small restriction fragments of DNA that vary in length. Electrophoresis is then used to separate out the various fragments of DNA. This is accomplished by subjecting the fragmented DNA to an electrical charge after it has been placed onto an agarose gel plate. Due to differences in length, the DNA restriction fragments will be separated in the gel plate. Another useful tool for scientists has been the DNA probe. A DNA probe is a piece of DNA that binds to certain sequences of the hosts DNA (Devore, 1998). The probe is able to do this because the DNA strand of the probe only binds to the appropriate DNA with a complementary sequence. Scientists label the probe with florescent markers or radioactive markers so that the gene of interest can be visualized. Often probes are used in conjunction with RFLP. After the organisms genome has been fragmented and electrophoresed, an absorbent membrane is placed over the gel and the DNA bands are "blotted" onto the membrane (this technique is called Southern Blotting).

Authoritarian Methods of Control in Brave New World & V for Vendetta Essay

People should not be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people. The right to rule. What gives someone such a power you ask? Well there is a variety of different factors and qualities one must have such as strength and leadership but there is a single item that all need and that is control. Without the obedience and submission of the people governments will fail. The film â€Å"V for Vendetta† and the novel â€Å"Brave New World† both comment on the issue of misuse of technology and the control of the people. V for Vendetta is the 2006 film adaptation by the Wachowski’s of the comic book of the same name created by Alan Moore. It is set in a futuristic dystopian world in which Britain is ruled by a totalitarian-fascist party, and follows the events triggered by a masked shadowy revolutionary known only as the letter V. Brave New World is Aldous Huxley’s controversial masterpiece, published in 1932 and is about a futuristic-dys topian world where the government has outlawed free-speech and individuality and uses psychological conditioning to control the people. Now let me refocus on the theme at hand: control. The Norsefire party in V for Vendetta rises to power by offering the solution after a string of biological attacks on various establishments: a school, water plant and an underground train station. The fear inspired by these attacks was what made people give them the power to rule. The Wachowski’s have compared and likened the Norsefire party to the Nazi’s the world’s most famous fascist regime. The symbol of the Norsefire uses the same colours and a similar symbol to that of the traditional swastika. The Norsefire also had a similar rise to power as the Hitler regime. First Chancellor Sattler was seen as the saviour before revealing his true colours as a villain â€Å"fear became the tool of this government†. The Norsefire also engaged in genocide of homosexuals, Muslims, and ethnics. Rather than concentration camps those captured were placed in detention centres with the aim of testing biochemical and vir uses. The Norsefire government represents what V is rebelling against and that is oppression and the abuse of power. Similarly in Brave New World, the World State is built upon from the devastation of the Nine Year War, fear and confusion were the aid of both these governments and let them create and enforce their ideals. Both governments have destroyed and banned any material that goes against party policy. Brave New World has taken this to the extreme with all literature and arts having been destroyed since the  beginning of the World State. The tool of control used by the World State is science, children are born from laboratories and are conditioned, and their lives are predetermined to create a unified machine. The motto of the World State accurately reflects this ideology â€Å"Community, Identity, Stability†; it calls for each class to identify within their ranking and to support the community with the aim of achieving stability. Characters like John and Valorie rebel and detest the notion of conformity. John wishes to experience the world as it truly was meant to be â€Å"But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.† He hates the protected and sheltered state of the people of the world state and their dependency on soma. â€Å"Valorie is proud of being a lesbian and was captured because of it throughout her time at the detention centre she continues to fight whilst trying to stay true to herself and her identity. She leaves a note which becomes a source of inspiration for both V and Evey as she says â€Å"it was my integrity that was important†¦we must never lose it, or sell it, or give it away. We must never let them take it from us†. By using the number of his room at the Larkhill detention centre V becomes a living symbol of Norsefire’s genocide and a motive for his vendetta beyond V’s rebellious goals, he also wishes to remind the people of Valerie’s message a bout their identity, their integrity and that they have the freedom to be themselves, no matter what anyone tells them they can or can’t be.

The Land Of Opportunity By James Loewen - 956 Words

In his excerpt entitled The Land of Opportunity author James Loewen highlights the invisible struggles of the middle class. Loewen’s chief complaint is that the segregation and exploitation of the working class has been marginalized by the American social elite and all but erased from high school history books. Mr. Loewen posits that the authors of our children’s textbooks â€Å"construe labor history as something that happened long ago, like slavery, and that like slavery, was corrected long ago† (Loewen). While it may be seen as insensitive to compare the labor movement to slavery, Mr. Loewen is joined by other authors and activists who argue against rewriting or marginalizing our history in order to preserve our â€Å"national identity†. In order for our nation to continue to excel, we must learn from our mistakes not hide them. American history has been tumultuous and rife with conflict; which has led to a shift in ideals, and thus aided in the elevati on of the people as a whole – this struggle is necessary and must continue. The price of liberty is high, and in the pursuit of freedom from oppression the cost of war does not end when the last shot is fired. Today, children are taught about how the Colonists cast off the shackles of the Crown for the promise of â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness†. What these children may not be learning however, is the enormous cost of liberty, mostly to indigenous peoples and the labor force. As activist Elizabeth Martinez discusses inShow MoreRelatedLoewen The Land of Opportunity990 Words   |  4 Pagesof social class in America James W. Loewen, essay â€Å"The Land of Opportunity,† discusses how many times Americans don’t know about social classes and the effects they have on society. Loewen argues that the common American people aren’t given equal opportunity in this day in age. He says that American history books have great influenced what we see about the class system because a great deal of history is often left out. James Loewen begins â€Å"The Land of Opportunity† by saying that teenagers haveRead More The Decline of Education: Social and Economic Inequality Essay1193 Words   |  5 Pages and therefore people would be back to the starting block positions of hard manual labor. However, according to James Loewen’s â€Å"The Land of Opportunity,† even the educational system is slipping, stating that when he asked questions like, â€Å"why are people poor?† he got woefully inadequate responses. In both â€Å"The Land of Opportunity† and â€Å"Lies My History Teacher Told Me,† both by Loewen, the root cause of most of the problems in schools and their lack of adequate education are the textbooks. TheRead MoreThe Importance of Gaining Knowledge Essay838 Words   |  4 Pagesmany examples that concentrate on the connection between social class and the ability to gain knowledge. In the â€Å"Land of Opportunity†, James W. Loewen emphasizes the tie between class systems and knowledge by arguing that many times individuals in a higher class system have more opportunities to learn and become successful, while those in a lower social class have fewer opportunities to gain knowledge. In contrast, Frederick Douglass disputes this generalization by expressing his personal experienceRead MoreA World of Opportunity Essay617 Words   |  3 Pagescivil rights movement, and immigrants who were looking for new opportunities by moving to the United States of America, were stuck, and could not escape from the adverse environments they were in. One man with the same opinion is James Loewen. He thinks that the social class that one is born into will be their social class when they di e. He thinks that one’s destiny is decided for them. While Loewen writes in â€Å"The Land of Opportunity† that he believes â€Å"social class is the single most important variableRead MoreArgument Essay : The Land Of Opportunity 1146 Words   |  5 PagesArgument Essay: Affirmation of Lies my Teacher Told Me The Land of Opportunity is what the United States of America has long stood for in the eyes of many, though in this day and age, can we really agree that the so-called opportunity everyone shares is truly equal? James Loewen, who has a PhD is sociology, is also the author of The Land of Opportunity, which comes from his book Lies My Teacher Told Me. In Loewen s excerpt, he discusses how many of his first time college students answerRead MoreSummary : Indoctrinate Blind Patriotism 1151 Words   |  5 PagesElizabeth Tolentino Dr. Andrea Johnson Loewen Paper 29 September 2014 Question 1: What is your interpretation of the statement on page six that includes, â€Å"†¦indoctrinate blind patriotism†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Answer 1: In Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen asserts that American history texts are harmful to students because of nationalism and books that â€Å"†¦are often muddled by the conflicting desires to promote inquiry and to indoctrinate blind patriotism† (Loewen 6). Loewen argues that American history texts areRead MoreThe Land Of Opportunity By James W. Deming763 Words   |  4 Pagesessayist and writer, James W. Loewen, in his essay, The Land of Opportunity, argues that the common American people aren’t given equal opportunity in this day and age. Loewen effectively convinces his readers, high school teachers and history buffs that, social class and inequality is an important thing for students to learn and understand. Through convincing logical arguments he proves that American history books are giving students across the nation false information. According to Loewen, â€Å"social classRead More The Lies My Teacher Told Me and People’s History of the United States1462 Words   |  6 Pages either adding or subtracting certain details from the story. James Loewen, in The Lies My Teacher Told Me, reveals how much history has been changed by textbook writes so that students studying the textbooks can understand and connect to the information. In Howard Zinn’s, People’s History of the United States, the author recounts historical tales through the point of view of the common people. Mainstream media, as proven by Loewen and Zinn, often pollutes and dilutes history to make the informationRead More The Development of Racism Essay1259 Words   |  6 Pagesslavery, racism is not over yet. (Loewen 143) Racism can be defined as any set of beliefs, which classifies humanity into distinct collectives, defined in terms of natural and/or cultural attributes, and ranks these attributes in a hierarchy of superiority and inferiority (Blum 5). It can be directly linked to the past and still, centuries later, serves as a painful reminder that race continues to be one of the sharpest and deepest divisions in American life (Loewen 138). What were the causesRead MoreIn January 2013 a prominent national US newspaper quoted former Secretary of State, Condolezza800 Words   |  4 Pageswhere you are going.† However, In â€Å"The Land of Opportunity,† James Loewen discusses how significant inequality is in America. The social class that you are born into will influence your outlook on social class and will also be the social class you stay in (Loewen, 1995. 322). Your social class will determine the opportunities available for you including health, fitness, nutrition, education, SAT scores, medical resources and more (Loewen, 1995. 321-322). Loewen also proposes that the education system