Post Modernism "Midland"

My favorite writing was "Midland" from the Post Modernism era because the writings had a lot to do with small towns and "people", real people going through life as if they were on a global schedule, the feeling of reading the Post Modernism stories entertained me a great deal. I read the Short story "Midland" By Rick Bass, and I really got into it, in this story there was more than just a story of two people, the story gave a feeling of presence, of other people going through their own lives, as these two people went through theirs. In most stories I've read there is just Something happening somwhere, but in this Short story, there is something happening in a place where there are other things happening also. Throughout the story of Midland there were two people named Claire and Richard, and it was about betrayal and manipulation through foolhardy emotions, but also along this story there was something else happening, a football team. The football team made the story believable to me because it gave life to the story.


Also Ricks Descriptions of the characters made the story more believable, he gave Claire a History, personality, emotional issues (Always the most entertaining :)...) and a goal. Rick gave Richard many different dementions of descriptions, such as, a occupation, EMOTIONAL ISSUES!!, a passion for work, and for Claire. Indavidualy Richard and Claire were elegently descirbed, but they were also beautifully portraid together as a couple, even if they were, creepy, lustfull, and Taking advantage of eachother.

MAH FINAL THAT I FINALY GOT ONTO MY BLOG!

This is my abstract for my final essay!! The question was "what was required of leadership to guide the colonies through a revolution, war, and into a working constitution of laws?" I am using pod casts by my history teacher Mr. Viles, and information given by “The Founding Brothers”.
Before we can say anything, we must ask, what is leadership? Is it the ability to affect human behavior so as to accomplish a mission? Or is a leader someone able to influence a group to move towards a goal setting or goal achievement? In truth there are many definitions to leadership, from the lifting of people’s vision to a higher sight, the raising of their performance to a higher standard, or the building of their personality beyond its normal limitations, to a critical requirement for any quality initiative; the individual or group of individuals, who assumes the role of providing the guidance and resources necessary for an organization to accomplish a mission.

In the various cases of American leadership during the founding of the country, it was not only one man who lead our country through its many toils, but many men, some play more important roles than others.
In rare occasions such as the case of America’s history, it is not just one man’s leadership that was required have lead the country through it‘s many, but many. With only one man at the head of our country, there would be no doubt that the revolution against England would have failed. Without the support of all the founding fathers the country would have crushed under the weight of its own emptiness.

"Nothing can be more hurtful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army the superiority over another." -George Washington
Looking at the different unique qualities that defined these American men we can see that their different skills in leadership complemented each others different traits. For example George Washington was able to hold the British at bay with his unique war tactics, which what is now called the “Hit and Run” technique. George Washington’s military tactics and complemented every other politician. Since the government in America wasn’t quite set up yet, and there were many different discussions at the time which meant there were a whole lot of arguments going on and arguments can go for a long time.

“Democracy... while it lasts it’s more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy.
Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself.
There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” - John Adams
John Adams was at the backbone of the revolution, he drove everyone forward even when it seemed that everything was about to die out, he helped the cause with his strategy in politics, along with the help of Ben Franklin they ripped up the floor with their mad skills in politics.
Even though George Washington may have been the of the revolution, and John Adams the backbone, Benjamin Franklin was the man behind the curtain.

“I've lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth — That God governs in the Affairs of Men” - Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was the father figure to all of the Founding Fathers. Many looked up to him, but not everyone saw him as a figure of power but as an advisor and like John Adams. Franklins mind didn’t work like the other politicians unlike Adams (Franklin knew when to shut up), he also had a very peculiar way of thought. Ben’s voice and opinion was very powerful and had a lot of influence on the floor, many would change their vote just to be on the same side of “Big Ben“. He was either a great ally or your worst enemy, luckily for Adams, He and Franklin shared the same views on the revolution. Franklin Believed that they must have gone to war, and the only way they could win, was if everyone pro war.

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." - Big Ben Franklin.

“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” - Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson also played a large role in the revolution, even though he wasn’t always on board with the revolution the whole way through. Jefferson was a middle man, in many cases throughout the history of the revolution Thomas was just another hurdle that Adams had to jump over, and in others he helped Adams through hard times.

The required leadership that was needed for the strenuous task of building a country from bits and pieces of a so called “empire”. John Adams and Ben Franklin were a perfect team for starting a revolution and maintaining a steady progressing government. Even though Jefferson may have been a royal pain in the hind quarters during the revolution, He along with Adams were able to hold the government together after the long revolution was over. George

Washington also played a huge role in the quest of liberty, he was the face of the revolution, the hero of the war, and there is no doubt that George was a genius along with the rest of them.
The leadership that was required to guide the country though the hardships and toils where exactly what the founding fathers had, if there had been anything less, anyone not as good as these men, the country wouldn’t exist like it does today. The leadership required was exactly what the founding fathers had.

The Line Storm By John Steuart Curry

Exam 3

Ethan Brown
Honors History 10
Mr. Viles




Thesis Statement- Contact between native Americans and Europeans between the founding of Jamestown (1607) and the outbreak of the American revolution (1776) constituted a continuous cultural revolution for native people.







When the Europeans came over to North America they didn’t just bring ships, men, weapons, and a will to create a new civilization, they brought a change that caused a cultural upheaval for the native people.




One the changes of the Native Americans was influenced by the European people moving into their lands and claiming it as their own, every piece of the land was sacred to the Native people but the Europeans still kept taking more and more it either through diplomacy or force. This required the Native Americans to either become allies with the Europeans move or fight. This changed their culture immensely because a new people came into their lands and started to settle into where they lived and started asking them to leave the place that they found sacred.





When the Europeans came over they also brought epidemics that started doing damage to the Native Americans instantly. Over a short period of time over ninety percent of the Native American population was killed. The Native Americans were dreadfully vulnerable to these diseases such as small pox. These sicknesses were used in war against the Native Americans in years to come. This also changes their culture, because when everyone started dying around them they turned to their gods and witch doctors and they couldn’t do anything. They started questioning their religion when their gods couldn’t do anything, and they saw that the English didn’t have many casualties from the epidemic.




Some of the Native Americans conformed into the Christian belief either by choice or by force. Some Indians saved themselves from the English’s death sentence by accepting the Christian belief and had themselves sent to a nearby praying town. Others that refused were either killed or sold as slaves.
Many Native Americans learned from the English. The Indians learned a different way to farm, using plows and different assorted tools. They also learned how to use firearms. Earlier the Spanish taught them how to ride horses.




The Native American’s cultures altered a great deal when the Europeans came over, but still a large part of their cultures remained the same as before. Their pride fighting styles, religious beliefs, and their love of their land
Their fighting styles are one of the practices that the Indians kept in their culture, their guerrilla tactics in battles were unique to the English who prefer head on fighting the Indians like to set up ambushes and snipers to be able to take out a larger army with a smaller amount of soldiers.
The Native American’s love for land never changed throughout the ages. They see themselves as part of nature and that if their land was in danger of being taken from a different people, they must defend it. Their Religion is in their land, their ancestors had lived their and they had no intention of leaving it.




The Native Americans went all the way through a ton of terrible experiences but even through all of the turmoil their pride survived. It is the Native Americans pride that defines them, even being killed, sold as slaves, forced to change their religion, and used in war, their pride survived.

Sem. 2, Essay 2.

Ethan Brown

Mr. Viles Honors History

Abstract

The following paper will compare and contrast Plymouth and Jamestown. It will show that even though they came from the same country and culture they were different because their backgrounds and religions were different. This paper will use the following sources: 1. The Earth Shall Weep by James Wilson 2. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk 3. http://www.britannica.com 4. Classroom discussions from Mr. Viles' Honors History, 5. Homeschooling Information

Background of Jamestown

The settlers that founded Jamestown were a group of Englishmen who were on an expedition to start an English colony. Once they got to America one of the captains, John Smith, was elected as one of the seven men in the governing council. In December, 1607, Smith was captured by the Powhatan Indian tribe. He was going to be executed until the young Powhatan princess "Pocahontas" rescued him. She did this by putting her head upon his to prevent him from having his skull crushed . Smith was elected president of Jamestown in 1608. He also conducted military training and continued to secure corn from the Indians by compulsory purchasing the corn. One of the main purposes why Jamestown settlers were in America was to keep the Spanish, who were already in Florida, from expanding further into North America.

Background of Plymouth

A group of Separatists called the Pilgrims were the settlers of Plymouth Colony. This group was lead by a man named William Bradford. In England the Pilgrims had to hold their church services in secret; they were arrested and put in prison for it. The Pilgrims heard that the Dutch were lenient to dissenters so they immigrated to Holland in 1608.

In 1620 Bradford, John Carver, Edward Winslow, William Brewster, and other Separatists in Holland decided to immigrate to America. One hundred and two people boarded the Mayflower. After crossing the Atlantic they landed on Cape Cod and established a settlement in Massachusetts Bay. They named it Plymouth. John Carver was elected governor. The plan was to eat fish from the ocean, nevertheless by 1621, half of the people had died due mainly to starvation or disease. This included Bradford's wife who had drowned in the bay. John Carver died in 1621 and Bradford was elected governor.

Religions

Jamestown was in America for a commercial endeavor to profit English investors. This was unlike the Pilgrims who came to America to worship their God freely. Members of the Virginia Company and Jamestown settlers were members of the Anglican Church of England. If any were of Puritan persuasion, they were not Separatists and remained conforming members of the Church of England. The Jamestown settlers contained an Anglican minister who took part in communion after landing. When King James and King Charles were kings, England had a Puritan revolution. However, Jamestown remained loyal to the King and the settlers remained conforming members of the Anglican Church even as the church went through an intense change in England.

Plymouth's people came over because they were trying to escape the Anglican Church. The Pilgrims believed that the Bible was the true word of God and that the government should not interfere with their way of worship.

The main reason that Jamestown was established was to put a permanent English presence in America and to block off Spanish expansion. The reason that the Pilgrims came to America was that they wanted to worship God they way they wanted and still remain English. Because it was so important that their children did not take on Dutch culture and the Dutch language, they left Holland for America.

"Our greatest strength as a human race is our ability to acknowledge our differences our greatest weakness is our failure to embrace them." – Judith Henderson

Honors Exam #1 (Sem. 2)

Ethan Brown
Honors Exam #1 (Sem. 2)
Honors 10 History, Mr. Viles

Support or refute the following statement:

Essay Question :The primary cause of conflict between Native America and Europe was due to conflicting Myth narratives (and all the resulting consequences).

The conflict between the Native Americans and the Europeans was due to the misunderstanding between their cultures and religions. Much of this information has been taken from The Earth Shall Weep by James Wilson.

One of the greatest causes of conflict between Europe and Native America was the fact that they both trusted in their religions very strongly, and the religions they believed in were so very different.

The Europeans were Christians. Christians think that a single god made everything over “seven days”. Christians also believe that their god is omnipresent –a god that is everywhere but is not everything. Some time after everything was created, there was a breaking of relationship between people and god, called the “Fall of Man.” Years later, their god sacrificed himself so that people could have a relationship with him again. Christians believe that wherever they go, their god goes with them.

Not the Native Americans. They believed that their gods put them where they were supposed to be. They thought that they had always been in their lands and they didn't want to move. Their ancestors were there, their gods were there. Native Americans were pantheistic. This means that they believed that their gods were in everything around them. They believed if they left their place, they left their gods.

Another problem that caused conflict was the fact that Europeans believed in linear time, which moves forward. Native Americans believed time was cyclical.
Also, the Europeans came from a civilization with an economy. Coming to the new world, they saw that the people here farmed and hunted for no personal gain. This seemed abnormal. Europeans looked at farming and hunting as occupations, not just a calling to help one another or to survive. Europeans were more interested in large farms, factories and surplus, so they could trade and earn more money for a finer existence. Native Americans were content with what they had, and didn't seek anything else than what they needed. This is what was the scholars in The Earth Shall Weep meant by saying the Native Americans weren't “Real Farmers”.

The primary reason why there was conflict between the Europeans and Native Americans, was because their cultures were so immensely different. They didn't understand each other. Their religions, way of life, and ways of thinking all contradicted each other. Because of all the misunderstanding, there was conflict.

Sacred Power

I really want to learn more about sacred power, because it's a new idea that I havent heard of before Mr. Viles mentioned it in class, It sounded like a interesting subject to learn about, and it should help me understand the earlier indians more.