Reflections on Night, by Elie Weisel Essay -- Reflection Essay

Night, by Elie Wiesel, is an autobiographical novel which tells the story of Eliezer, a Jewish teenager from the small Transylvanian village of Sighet. He is 15 when transported to Auschwitz, Buna, and finally Buchenwald with his father during World War II. Eliezer loses his faith, argues with God, and is sustained only by the need to care for his father. As well as the appalling memory of the Holocaust resurrected in this novel, Night bears with it the unforgettable implication that this atrocity must by no means be permitted to occur again. However, what if it is possible that these horrors could be carried out again in present day? Furthermore, have we really learned enough from this tragedy to be sure nothing like the Holocaust could ever happen? I believe after the world has witnessed the wickedness of the Holocaust during World War II, it is very unlikely that such a mass slaughter of innocent people could ever happen again. Nevertheless, that does not mean that I think it is i mpossible for any group of people to try and make history repeat itself. My first reaction when reading this book was simply â€Å"How could the world have not known about the crimes being committed by the Nazis?† In the novel, Elie Wiesel describes his first night in Auschwitz as â€Å"†¦life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke†¦the faces of the children†¦the flames†¦silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live†¦never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself.† Amazingly, the world had no notion of what the Nazis were doing, and didn’t stop them until over 11million people were killed. This was because the Nazi party did not make it known to t... ... them responsible? Not to mention the people of Germany who supported Hitler and allowed their Jewish friends and neighbor’s be subjected to such oppression. Could they also be responsible? I suppose there can never be a right answer to this issue. In conclusion, Night by Elie Wiesel is a spectacularly written and thought provoking novel. Not only does it tell of one young man’s struggle to survive, but it tells a story for all of those who suffered and died in the Nazi death camps. It brings up maddening thoughts that cause the reader to think and truly understand the outstanding terrors upon those not worthy of the Aryan race. Most importantly, it teaches the reader of the lessons of the tragedy that took place and how we must never allow another Holocaust to ever happen again which is what I believe is the main proposal Elie Wiesel tried to convey in his novel.

Lewis and Clark Journal Entries

Lewis and Clark Journal Entries Monday 25th November 1805 Today was a really nice day. We had several Indians come up to us today. Later we loaded and set out to the river. We then continued to Shallow Bay. But the waves were too high. So we couldn't cross the river. For dinner we ate dried pounded fish. Then we continued up the North Side of the river near our camp. The evening was cloudy and windy today. That we could see from our last campsite at Mount Rainer bearing. The wind was blowing too hard for us to cross the river from our campsite, but we were determined to proceed up to where the river was narrow. We set out early in the morning. We were accompanied by 7 people. We stopped for a few miles, then a few Indians left us and crossed the river through the immense high waves. We then ate at Shallow Bay. We had dried pounded fish. When we were done eating we proceeded to the North Side of the Columbia, and then we started camping again a little after sunset. Near our campsite at some distance into the river. The evening was cloudy, but the winds were really nice and we can also see Mt. Hillmans from the mouth of the river. May 25, 1804 We decided to set out early. At about two miles passed a willow tree. By the bend in the creek called Wood River. At three miles passed the mouth of another creek called La Que Ver this same course continued for a while. About two and a half miles further on one side we passed a creek called La Freneau at this point we were at least four miles away from a small French Village called La Charatt there were only five families in this village. It has been raining all night. The river rose several inches. I hope we find some islands tomorrow. We plan on passing Wood River again. We will go about two miles passed La Que Ver. At five miles passed La Free Au. At eight miles we set up camp at the mouth of a creek called Charrette above a small French Village that only has seven houses. We will settle there to hunt and trade with the Indians. While we were are here we will meet with Louis immediately. We will get situated at Sioux and he will give us some good of information and letters.

Failure Analysis/Change Strategy Essay

While there is no guarantee of the success of a business, there are indicators that can be learned from analyzing organizations that have failed to those that succeed. In this paper, we compare two organizations, Blockbuster Video and Netflix that exemplify effects of leadership, vision, strategy and planning, and the importance of customer satisfaction that influence the success or failure of a business. Mission, Vision, and Objectives The mission, vision, and values statement defines an organization’s brand, culture, and customer experience. Blockbuster was founded by David Cook in 1985 and quickly went public a year later. In 2004, Blockbuster had up to 60,000 employees and over 9000 stores that provided home movie and video game rental services through video rental shops (Forbes, 2011). It’s mission and vision was to â€Å"provide our customers with the most convenient access to media entertainment, including movie and game entertainment delivered through multiple distribution channels such as our stores, by-mail, vending, and kiosks, online and at home† and to â€Å"offer customers a value-priced entertainment experience, combined with the broad product depth of a specialty retailer with local neighborhood convenience† (Farfan, 2015). Its objectives were to provide a large number of copies and broad selection of movie titles, operative conveniently located highly visible stores, offe r superior and consistent customer service, optimize pricing to local market conditions, and nationally advertise and market the brand name (Farfan, 2015). Netflix was founded by Reed Hastings in 1997 is now the world’s leading  entertainment network of streaming movies with over 57 million members in 50 countries (Netflix, 2015). Its mission statement is to â€Å"grow our streaming subscription business domestically and globally. We are continuously improving the customer experience, with a focus on expanding our streaming content, enhancing our user interface and extending our streaming service to even more Internet-connected devices, while staying within the parameters of our consolidated net income and operating segment contribution profit targets (Netflix Company Profile, 2015). Co-founder and CEO expressed Netflix vision for the future and objects to become the best global entertainment distribution services, license entertainment content around the world, create markets that are accessible to film makers, and help content creators around the world to find a global audience (Netflix Company Profile, 2015). Indicators of Business Failures and Success Comparing successful organizations, such as Netflix, to a failed organization, such as Blockbuster, allows us to identify predictors and understand critical elements that lead to the success or failure of a company. In our case, the role of leadership, strategy and planning, vision, and customer service played a role in the failure and success of both companies. A recent survey by the Turnaround Management Society indicates that most crises are caused by top management and include management continuing with a strategy that was no longer working for the company, underestimation of changes in the market and lack of adaptation, a loss of vision and a disconnect with customers (Lymbersky, 2014). The Blockbuster Board, made several poor choices in hiring incompetent leadership who did not understand their business. The company had a lack of vision and could not decide whether they were in entertainment or retail. Most detrimental to the Blockbuster brand, was the refusal to recognize and adapt to changing technology that affected their market. All these poor choices compounded on Blockbusters problem of disengagement with their customers by not attending to customer demand and their un-customer friendly policies of charging late fees. During the same period, Netflix provided continuity in leadership, had a strong strategy built around adapting to rapidly changing technology that supported video streaming, created a strong  sense of vision and connected intimately with its customer’s demands and incorporated customer friendly pricing strategies of fixed monthly pricing with no late fees. Organizational Behavioral Theory Netflix and Blockbuster were companies with a vision one that had a vision of the future and one that did not understand how fast technology was vastly approaching. Netflix saw that technology was coming and wanted to stay ahead of the game with video streaming, DVD-By-Mail, and producing popular series only seen through Netflix similar to a cable network. Blockbuster started with video rentals and ended with video rental, and expanded their stores into outlets for books, toys, and other merchandise. When YouTube erupted in 2005 Netflix realized that they need to jump on the video streaming and allow customers to get the movies they wanted directly to TV’s, computers, mobile phones, and other devices. Blockbuster did try a similar outlet as Netflix but failed to understand customers did not like late fees, are hidden costs. Blockbuster forgot to adapt to the changes in technology, and this is what ultimately caused the company to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy and close its doors. Technology within the movie and movie rental industry has been a significant factor since VHS tapes, and Netflix saw an opportunity and ran with it. With the ability to see the future and adapt to changes within their industry they are succeeding. With Blockbuster not understanding technology, consumers wants, and industry changes they failed. Decision making of management and leaders with in an organization is how Netflix succeeded and how Blockbuster failed. When a business loses focus on what business they are in they are doomed to fail. Blockbuster did not keep its focus on movie rental they started to think and make decisions like a retailer and that was the beginning of an end of the blockbuster era. Netflix knew the future of DVD-By-Mail was going to short lived and decided to focus on the internet and technology to succeed in the industry. If Blockbuster would have stayed focused on movie rentals and not retail they would still be in business. The Role of Leadership The leadership and corporate structure of Blockbuster and Netflix were identical however each organization demonstrates the critical component of an organization to adapt and change its strategy and build a culture that supports a clear vision. When leadership makes decisions, or neglects to make the right choices, then the company will fail. Blockbuster’s leadership was dysfunctional and refused to adapt their strategy or have a clear vision of their business. Netflix Netflix organizational structure is the same as a matrix and consists of the board of officers. The key component that made Netflix a success was the leadership and their ability to take risk, adapt, and have a solid vision that understands consumer demands. â€Å"We compete very broadly for a share of members’ time and spending, against linear networks, pay-per-view content, DVD watching, other Internet networks, video games, web browsing, magazine reading, video piracy, and much more. Over the coming years, most of these forms of entertainment will improve.† (Netflix, 2015). As a company grows, their culture allows freedoms in leadership, management, and innovation. Evidence of this is displayed in Netflix’s insight to move from mailing out DVDs to embracing the streaming world, on the World Wide Web. The introduction of this opened profits for Netflix that Blockbuster refused to embrace. Blockbuster â€Å"The irony is that Blockbuster failed because its leadership had built a well-oiled operational machine. It was a very tight network that could execute with extreme efficiency, but poorly suited to let in new information† (Satell, 2014). As a company grows it’s business and a great customer base, there is always a need for growth and adaptation. Netflix even gave Blockbuster a chance to merge with them when the internet streaming hype hit, but Blockbuster declined. Better and faster connections, transactions, and easier purchases on-line, are what made Netflix blossom and Blockbuster fail. Blockbuster refused to adapt or take advantage of opportunities that would have aligned them for the future. The Change Process Vital Areas of Change Vital areas of change include strategy and planning that supports a growth platform, establishing a strong sense of vision, and reconnecting with the  needs of the customer. The first vital area of strategy and planning includes embracing innovation and adapting to a changing business environment. When the advent of something new, such as the Internet, introduces itself into the business world, all businesses must be able to manage their existing business force and integrate the new concept. The company should be keeping stores open in areas that are profitable, while leveraging its marketing and brand to introduce new streaming distribution channels. The second concept of change is to establish a strong vision and culture that supports the vision of the organization. When a company fears growth in any direction, whether it is expansion or introduction of a new idea, it will only lead to failure. The company needs to examine its market space and see where some finely tuned execution might provide another business opportunity for growth and success. One must analyze the impact the change is going to have on the organization as a whole and embrace that change. One must incorporate into the business all changes that will positively affect the future successes of the company. Finally, is to never forget about the customers and their demands. Policies should be implemented that are customer friendly and meet customer demands. For example, a better pricing strategy would be something to initiate immediately and the organization should make changes based on customer desires. Customers will end a relationship with a company who does not supply or cater to their needs and wants. All businesses need to realize that a growing customer base leads to success. Power and Political Issues (Whitney) John Kotter’s 8-Step Plan (Mirsada) Conclusion (Melody) Reference Baskin, J. S. (November 8, 2013). The Internet Didn’t Kill Blockbuster: The Company Did It To Itself. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathansalembaskin/2013/11/8/the-internet-didn’t-kill-blockbuster-the-company-did-it-to-itself/ Farfan, B. (2015). Blockbuster Company Mission Statement. Retrieved from

Linguistic Changes of an Individual in Migration Essay

As the world becomes increasingly globalised, we observe a rising trend where individuals migrate for educational and economic opportunities. The prestige of being educated in a highly ranked university and the prospects of higher paying jobs are definitely important pull factors for both internal and international migration (Welch, 1970). When people move, they also transfer the use of their existing linguistic repertoire to their host country. However, what might have been effective at home might be interpreted differently when placed in different socioeconomic contexts. Hence, the relative value of linguistic repertoire one possesses and how mobile are one’s language skills in the world determines how a migrant interacts with a new community. Consequently, this paper seeks to provide insight on how the relative value of linguistic resources affects one’s mobility and decisions in community interactions. Drawing on Blommaert’s study on the sociolinguistics of globalisation, this discussion will focus on how an individual’s linguistic repertoire is being used to one’s advantage within the community. It also highlights the changes which occur when one attempts to transfer the same linguistic repertoire as the shift to a place of varying cultural and linguistic ability. As Blommaert suggests, â€Å"placed resources are resources that are functional in one particular place but can become dysfunctional as soon as they are moved to other places† (Blommaert, 2003). Essentially, this essay seeks to expound on the changes of one’s linguistic repertoire and how it affects one’s interactions with new communities resulting from migration. Linguistic repertoire refers to linguistic varieties acquired by an individual to different degrees of proficiency and for different uses (Crystal, 1990). The acquisition of linguistic repertoire thus extends not only to the procurement of different types of language codes like English and Hindi, but also the speech styles and genres within each language. In light of this definition, this paper chooses to trace how one’s use of language repertoire might change in the context of internal migration and international migration. With this in mind, a migrant from India who experienced both types of migration was chosen. India boasts twenty-two official languages as per the Constitution of India, where English is determined as the secondary official language and is used as lingua franca throughout India. Within the context of this paper, the experiences of the migrant serve to provide personal insight on language mobility within the transmigrational arena. Research methodology and background of interviewee With this in mind, a fifty minute interview was carried out on 16th October 2012 to gather substantial data in order to provide a comparison between internal and international migration. The sole participant is Joshua Cherian, aged 24 who is currently pursuing a postgraduate education in Singapore. He was born and raised in Kerala, Southern India, after which he moved to Jamshedpur, Northern India to pursue a tertiary education before working in New Delhi. He was taught English at a young age and learnt Hindi during university, while his mother tongue is Malayalam. During the interview, questions were asked ranging from the interviewee’s experiences of language acquisition and his experiences in India and Singapore to language policies in India. Utilising his personal insights on adapting to different communities and observing it through the concepts provided in Blommaert’s study, the relative value of linguistic repertoire consequently becomes more obvious not only from country to country but also within different areas of the community. Language repertoire in internal migration Within India, it is said to have a de-facto three plus minus one language policy. Those who neither speak the language of the state nor the two official languages, English and Hindi, now have to grapple with learning four languages in order to pass the school systems and secure jobs within the modern sector (Laitin. D, 1989). Consequently, many people who migrate in the pursuit of education or jobs find it necessary to expand their language repertoire in order to compete for the chance of upward socioeconomic mobility within India. Joshua notes that: â€Å"There is a divide between the corporate world and industrial world, where managers and people in multinational companies speak in english, but those in manufacturing speak Hindi in work. In the north of India everyone speaks Hindi, so I had to learn Hindi. When I worked in Delhi, I spoke mostly Hindi in my workplace, because I am a manager of labourers and those who just passed tenth standard, they just need to make something so they don’t need English. People who do software need to interact with clients overseas, so it is important for them to speak English.† Due the demands of his job, Joshua was required to expand his language repertoire to include fluent Hindi in order to communicate with his subordinates effectively. Although English could have sufficed in interacting with white-collar professionals, learning Hindi would have enabled Joshua to ensure a smooth running of operations that he was in charge with. As such, it is observed that migrants tend to expand their language repertoire within internal migration according to which languages are most functional within their community. Furthermore, an expansion of linguistic repertoire also affects one’s interaction the community. As immigrants acquire proficiency in more languages, there is a tendency to broaden their participation in various communities within the area that they have settled in. This is especially evident in Joshua’s recount: â€Å"In India you would have to know many languages in order to fit into different communities. University students will use English because it is prestigious. It shows you are well educated. Outside of the education system, everyone speaks their own dialect or their own state language. I used to hang out with many friends when I was studying in Jamshedpur who came from all over India. I also managed to become my student governing body’s president, so speaking the many languages helped me reach out to a lot of people.† Even though migrants who migrate within their home country experience a new environment, there are common cultural familiarities that they can relate to by being in the same country. Naturally, this allows them to assimilate into the communities easily since they already share similar cultural and national identities. Rather, this pre-existing factor enables immigrants like Joshua to interact with different groups of people. Such a preference is also extremely beneficial to an individual within a new community as they are able to called upon a large network of acquaintances should they need help in the future. Hence, the broadening of one’s interaction with many communities would be positively correlated to the acquisition of language repertoire because both serve the same purpose of helping the migrant assimilate well into the new environment they are in. Language Repertoire in International Migration In contrast to internal migration, one’s use of language repertoire might decrease across different geographical spaces. It is noted that international migration denotes a shift to a foreign culture in which the values placed upon certain languages is different from one’s original country. As such, many migrants would utilise a language within their repertoire that is widely used in the world. Joshua relates his experience moving from India to Singapore: â€Å"When I first arrived in Singapore, everything was easy for me to get used to because I was already proficient in English. Even if I needed help, I could just approach anyone and they would reply me in English. I don’t even Hindi anymore because the friends and people I meet with speak only in English. Perhaps it is because there are so many races here so communication needs to be in a common language. Although I have friends from India here, they never speak in their mother tongue! Everyone would rather speak in English than Hindi! Despite Joshua’s extensive language repertoire, he only speaks in English in Singapore, thereby showing a decrease in language repertoire employed in daily life. In most cases of international migration, migrants often move from the ‘periphery’ to the ‘core’ of the world system. As one attempts to transfer one’s language repertoire from one country to another, the languages employed more frequently within the core global system would be more mobile compared to other languages. In particular, because Singapore is a multi-racial community, it requires English as a lingua franca in order to achieve cohesiveness and efficiency. Consequently, rather than expanding one’s linguistic repertoire to gain access to every community, a migrant in Singapore need only focus on speaking proficient English, which subsequently narrows his language repertoire within the host country. Parallel to one’s decrease in language repertoire, it is observed that migrants narrow their participation to a few communities that they are comfortable with. While migrants who migrate internally tend to broaden their participation in a wide array of communities, people who migrate internationally prefer to focus their efforts in interacting with a particular community where they feel most comfortable with. Joshua, expresses that: â€Å" I like to be in a place where I can interact with people well. When I came to Singapore, everybody spoke â€Å"Singlish†. It was especially hard for me to understand the jokes of my Singaporean friends. Thats why I wanted to be in a Christian group, so I went around to look for churches and even joined the varsity christian fellowship. Then I found a church cell group to be in and we could talk about common things, at least everyone there understands what I am going through when I talk about my struggles and life. I don’t meet with the Indian community much because everyone here speaks English anyway and I am more comfortable speaking in English, so when I talk about God and faith, I don’t get any puzzled looks when I am with church people† For most immigrants, being in a foreign community could be unsettling because there exists stark differences in culture that they might not understand. In Joshua’s case, not being able to understand Singlish hindered his active participation in various communities, especially in understanding humour within the sociocultural context of Singaporean society. As such, by participating in communities with specific shared beliefs that the migrant can identify with, it could be easier for him to assimilate into a new environment. Communities with shared beliefs also tend to share a similar use of register in their daily speech. Drawing on Joshua’s case of finding a christian community, a christian setting could be more comfortable for him because he understands the semantics of words such as â€Å"communion† and â€Å"faith† used frequently in that community. Additionally, by narrowing one’s participation to few communities, individuals would have more time to spend more effort on forging closer relationships within a particular communities. This in turn could be more beneficial to the migrant as this niche area of society provides a source of emotional support for the migrant in order to cope with the anxiety of being away from home. Conclusion What Joshua has experienced demonstrates the constant change of the value of language resources as he shifts between places in migration. This relative value of one’s linguistic resources is largely due to cultural and socioeconomic factors that have shaped the community to place emphasis on certain languages and speech styles. As such, an immigrant’s increase or decrease language repertoire is largely affected by the placed importance of certain languages within their host communities. In conclusion, this paper has asserts that language mobility is profoundly affected by the changing values of linguistic resources which vary from place to place, especially when there is a shift of resources from the periphery to the core of the world system. Whether one participates in a wide number of communities or chooses to focus their efforts in a single community depends on a change in one’s use of his language repertoire. References 0. Blommaert, J. (2003). Commentary: A Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Journal of Sociolinguistics 7/4, 2003: 607-623 0. Crystal, D. (1990). A Liturgical Language in a Sociolinguistic Perspective. In D. & R.C.D. Jasper (eds),Language and the worship of the church (Basingstoke: Macmillan), 120-46 0. Laitin D. D. (1989). Language Policy and Political Strategy in India. Policy Sciences, Vol. 22, No. 3/4, Policymaking in Developing Countries (1989), pp. 415-436 0. Welch F. (1970). ‘’Education in Production’, Journal of Political Economy, 78 (1), January/February, 35-59

Scanning Electron Microscopy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Scanning Electron Microscopy - Coursework Example Secondary Electron images (SE) Vs. Backscattered Electron images (BSE)Secondary electron images are formed from the low energy electrons that are formed near the surface of the sample (Johnson). The brightness is affected by the surface topology of the specimen. For backscattered electron images, higher energy electrons formed deeper in the material are used to form the image. The result of these images is less contrast due to surface topology and more contrast due to different chemical composition (Johnson). This explains the 3D nature of the SE image in comparison to the flat BSE image, and the higher contrast of the BSE image in comparison to the SE image.Secondary electrons have lower energy compared to backscattered electrons, and so, they interact with the outer regions of the specimen by inelastic collisions. Therefore, only the surface topology of the specimen is clearly defined. This is the reason why the fibers in the SE looked clumped.The contrast in the BSE image is becau se of the production of backscatter electrons produced due to collisions of high energy electrons of the specimen. Parts of the specimen with higher atomic number cause higher backscatter than the lighter atomic number elements, resulting in a greater contrast, enabling a better study of the chemical composition of the specimen.The greater edge highlight in the SE image is because raised surfaces yield more secondary electrons.... The greater edge highlight in the SE image is because raised surfaces yield more secondary electrons. Images of a tilted TEM grid are provided showing a large difference in depth of field (file names DOF 1, 2, 3). 3 Calculate the depth of field from the images provided. Explain how you arrived at your answer. Compare SEM figures with the depth of field that would be available from an optical microscope for the same magnification. Large depth of field is one of the most important characteristics of SEM. The sharpness of the images recorded at low magnifications depends more on depth of field available than on small beam size (Lyman 1990). We know that depth of field, Where, d = minimum resolution of SEM W = Working distance D = aperture size Accordingly, the depth of field from the given images is computed as follows: Taking the following assumptions, d = minimum resolution of SEM= 3.5 nm = 3.5 ?10-9 m W = Working distance = as given in image in mm ?10-3 m D = aperture size= 200?m = 2 00?10-6 m Depth of field for first image with WD=13.0 mm= 13.0?10-3 m = 0.455?10-6 m = 4.55?10-7 m Depth of field for second image with WD=14.3 mm= 14.3?10-3 m =0.5005?10-6 m = 5?10-7 m Depth of field for second image with WD=44.3 mm= 44.3?10-3 m =1.55?10-6 m Comparison of SEM figures with the depth of field that would be available from an optical microscope for the same magnification The depth of field of SEM can be as great as 300 times that of the optical microscope. At low magnifications, below 300 to 400X, the image formed by the SEM is inferior to that of the optical microscope (Abbaschian et al 2008). At the same magnification, the depth of field that would be

Explore how Ken Loach articulates social concerns in( Kes.) Assignment

Explore how Ken Loach articulates social concerns in( Kes.) - Assignment Example It is undoubtedly a momentous occasion for not just the British economy but for British politics, culture and social life as well. In many ways the old bastion of solidarity and nationalism was coming to an end. The coal mining communities that are portrayed in Kes were perhaps that of the last generation of miners. In a span of a decade the complexion of British industry would change from manufacturing-based to that of finance. The heart-beat of British economy in 1969 was industrial towns of North in which the film is set. In a matter of a few years, London would become the nerve-centre of British economy with its transformation into a global financial hub. A central social theme in Kes is that of alienation. It is about how an individual feels cut off from emotional or moral support even when he has relatives and social institutions to call upon. Billy Casper signifies that individual, whose troubled life is a metaphor for a whole generation of the British working class. The film is successful because Loach manages to invoke a strong representation of this collective pathos through the character of Casper. The author of the novel upon which the movie is based, Barry Hines, was instrumental toward this end, for his very visual style helped Loach. Together the two artists were able to project the powerful central image of Kasper’s Kestrel – â€Å"that lowest of the hawks – its an eagle for an emperor and a kestrel for a knave – is a wonderful image for the boy’s life and prospects. This central image not only helps hold the whole piece together but stays in people’s minds†. (Macnab, 1999) To boot it is socially relevant and resonant even today. For example, Loach never allows us to forget â€Å"the social and economic circumstances which underpin Billys existence. He lives on a rough estate and looks destined to end up working in the mines. Billys prospects wouldnt be any better today.† (Macnab,

Paris in 1792 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Paris in 1792 - Essay Example The events of this year thus, also heralded a new form of governance, complete democracy as the major form of governance. Even though democracy was followed in varying degrees in many parts of Europe, it was the French Revolution that gave the impetus for its establishment as the sole form of government acceptable to the people of a nation. As is the case with any historic event, the actual event is preceded by a build up consisting of mounting tensions, resentment and dissatisfaction on the part of certain communities. The involvement of the French government in the American Revolution and the huge expenditure that this interference had cost had created widespread dissatisfaction among the middle classes of France, who felt that this expenditure was needless and could have been avoided, had the government been more astute in the evaluation of the situation. The refusal of the nobility to have helped out the government had meant that an unfair share of the taxes required for the expe nses were extorted out of the bourgeoisie. This bred a lot of resentment amongst them, not only against the monarch, Louis XVI, but also against the nobility of France. France’s unsuccessful attempts to defeat England in war had also placed a heavy burden upon the exchequer that fell largely upon the French bourgeoisie whose standards of living dipped drastically. The constitution of the National assembly, a body of people who were picked out of the middle classes was an important development during the year of 1792. This led to an understanding on the part of both the king and the bourgeoisie of the power of a collective. Michael David Sibalis remarks upon this understanding of the power of the collective as an outcome of the class-consciousness that had seeped into the minds of the middle classes of France, as is seen in the emergence of â€Å"mutual aid societies† in Paris before 1789. These societies enabled the mobilization of the masses during the constitution of middle class citizens during the creation of the National Assembly that was created for the purpose of the creation of a national constitution for France that would invest the bourgeoisie with more powers that it had till then. This constitution of the National Assembly represents, for Sibalis, an attempt on the part of the Parisian middle classes to â€Å"provide themselves with some minimal economic security through their own efforts† (http://fh.oxfordjournals.org/content/3/1/1.extract). Many of these efforts were frustrated by later events of the Revolution but the events of 1789 displayed a passion and fervor on the part of the Parisian middle classes to rise above their petty divisions and fight for the causes of equality that the French Revolution stands for, even today. The fight was also against what Barry M. Shapiro refers to as an â€Å"irrational and inhumane judicial system† (Barry M. Shapiro, Revolutionary Justice in Paris, 1789-1790, ix) that refused to treat every subject of the state equally. The embodiment of this passion and fervor and one of the turning points of the revolution, according to historians like Eric Hobsbawm, was the storming of the Bastille on the morning of the fourteenth of July in 1789 (Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of