American Privateers in the Revolutionary War

American Privateers in the Revolutionary War American Privateers in the Revolutionary War Before the Revolutionary War began, the Continental Congress showed little interest in creating a navy for the new nation (Nelson 62). Congress was reluctant to supply the funds to purchase or build ships, purchase supplies, or pay sailors to man the ships. When the Revolution began, however, Congress realized it was important to have American ships patrolling the coasts of the new nation, especially because Britain’s naval force was the most powerful at the time (Frayler). Consequently, the Americans turned to privateering. Privateer ships were privately owned vessels and were similar to pirate vessels. Unlike pirates, privateers were authorized by the government to attack ships belonging to an enemy. Privateering during the Revolution financially benefited both sailors and colonists alike and it assisted the Continental Army by providing supplies. American privateers, commissioned by the Continental Congress and the colonies, played an important role in the development of the United States and the outcome of the Revolutionary War. Beginning in 1775, soon after the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress and individual colonies began commissioning privateers (Konstam 148). In November of 1775, the Massachusetts General Court approved â€Å"An Act For Encouraging the Fixing out of Amed Vessels† (Patton 27). This act allowed citizens to â€Å"equip any vessel to sail on the seas, attack, take and bring into any port in this colony all vessels offending or employed by the enemy† (qtd. in Patton 27). Additionally, it outlined the proper procedure for obtaining commissions and creating prize courts to distribute the captured wealth. The Continental Congress passed an act on March 23, 1776, which formalized the commissioning process and established rules of conduct for privateers (Frayler). The act required owners of privateering vessels to post monetary bonds in order to verify that they would adhere to Congress’s regulations. (Frayler). Applications for commission required the applicant to supply a sum of money as much as $10,000 as a promise to treat captives with â€Å"the greatest humanity and tenderness† (Patton 98). Applicants were charged $5,000 if the vessel weighed less than 100 tons and $10,000 if it was larger (Kuhl 86). In another act, passed on April 3, 1776, Congress issued instructions for the commanders of privateering vessels. The act authorized the commanders to â€Å"by Force of Arms, attack, subdue, and take all Ships and other Vessels belonging to the inhabitants of Great Britain on the High Seas,† and â€Å"by Force of Arms, attack, subdue, and take all ships and oth er Vessels whatsoever carrying Soldiers, Arms, Gun powder, Ammunition, Provisions, or any other contraband Goods, to any of the British Armies or Ships of War employed against these Colonies† (qtd. in Salem Maritime National Historic Site). As Massachusetts’s act suggested, any vessel could become a privateer (Patton 27). Although this quickly increased the number of privateers on the seas, it made it possible for ships of any condition to become privateering ship. When Washington, a large Continental schooner, was captured by the British, the Royal Navy deemed it to be unsuitable for sea or for war, suggesting that not all privateer ships were in the best condition when they were commissioned (Patton 32-33). The physical state of a ship was important, but the size of a ship was equally significant. The largest ship was the Caesar, a 600-ton, 26-gun ship and the smallest was the 8-ton Defense (Frayler). The most prevalent ships were two-masted schooners and brigantines. By early 1776, ships of all sizes were cruising the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Canadian coast (Konstam 148). In order to become a privateer, the owner of the ship had to be issued a letter of marque and reprisal. These documents promised that the bearers would not be prosecuted as pirates by their home nation (History Channel). If a ship attacked another ship but did not have a letter of marque, the attackers were considered pirates and could be hung for their crimes (Kuhl 12). Letters of marque provided extra protection to the bearer because it guaranteed that captured privateers would be treated as prisoners of war rather than criminals by the foreign nation (History Channel). The documentation from this time is incomplete, but about 1,700 Letters of Marque were provided on a per-voyage basis to Revolutionary privateers (Frayler). Although letters of marque were supposed to protect the privateers, the promises made by the Congress were never fully accomplished because the British passed the Pirate Act in March of 1777 (Patton 34). Under this act, privateers were regarded as pirates, and were denied both due process in British courts and the opportunity for prisoner exchange. As a result, many captured American privateers were jailed and had only three options to get out: join the Royal Navy, escape, or die. Even before the Pirate Act was passed, the British often treated their prisoners poorly (Kuhl 43). However, it is worth noting that many British citizens disagreed with the poor conditions that American privateers were subject to and many opponents called the Pirate Act â€Å"cruel, persecuting† and â€Å"shocking to humanity† (qtd. in Patton 142). In December of 1777, about one hundred Londoners met together and raised  £1,300 to be allocated to American inmates so they could purchase goods that were otherwise unavailable to them (Patton 143-144). Three members of the House of Lords also contributed money to the cause and charities and churches donated food and other supplies. The risk of capture, imprisonment, or death did not deter sailors and citizens from rushing to become privateers. Men continued to join privateering vessels because of the promise of riches. Although privateers received no pay for their service other than the spoils they stole from British ships, many men signed up to become privateers because they could quickly earn a large sum of money (Konstam 148). Privateering was so lucrative that it was possible for a man to make more money in a month as a privateer than he could earn in another occupation in an entire year (Patton xvii). There is at least one known instance of a sailor, Joseph Peabody, who rose from a lowly deckhand to a privateer investor by participating in just nine voyages between 1777 and 1783 (Patton 115). In August of 1776, John Adams observed, â€Å"Thousands of schemes for privateering are afloat in American imaginations. Out of these speculations many fruitless and some profitable projects will grow† (qtd. in Patton 113). When a ship was captured by privateers, it was usually taken to a friendly port (Kuhl 33). Crews on a privateer tended to be larger than normal because part of the crew was required to board the captured ship and sail it. Goods captured by privateers, called prizes, were usually subject to judgement in an admiralty court (Kuhl 12). The admiralty court decided if the captors were eligible for payment and if they had followed the correct protocols (Kuhl 87). In order to receive payment, the prize had to arrive in port with the correct paperwork and whole cargo; it had to have been captured from an enemy; and the prisoners could not be harmed and their personal belongings could not be confiscated. However, in some cases of extreme need, supplies could be sent to the Army without being invoiced (Patton 120). In the case of the cargo ship Lively, the load of clothing and blankets were sent directly to American troops, and the captors did not receive payment for the supplies, which were estimated to be worth  £25,000. When the admiralty court decided that the crew had followed the correct protocols, the prize would then be auctioned off and the crew would be paid (Patton 121). Once they were paid, privateers tended to equally divided the payment between crew and owners (Kuhl 51). In some cases when the military was bidding on supplies, the public would sometimes refrain from bidding (Patton 121). Although this saved the government money, it lessened the payment that the crew would receive. Once the auction had ended, the winning bidder was usually required to immediately pay five percent of the purchase price (Patton 118). In its infancy, Revolutionary privateering was a disaster. The first privateering ship, the Hannah, would cause numerous problems for Congress (Nelson 87). The captain of Hannah was reluctant to sail far from port so he frequently seized merchant ships belonging to fellow Americans (Patton 30). The first ship captured by Hannah was Unity, a continental transport belonging to a member of Congress. Although Unity had been captured by the British, Hannah’s crew received no payment for the recapture of the transport ship. As a result, thirty-six members of the angry crew mutinied and were punished when the mutiny was eventually subdued (Patton 31). The next seven ships captured by Hannah also belonged to Americans, and damages had to be paid out of Continental funds for the merchandise that the crewmen stole. Another early privateer ship, Washington, captured only one legitimate prize (a load of hay) before being captured by the British after only eight days of service (Patton 3 2). Despite the discouraging beginnings, not all privateering ventures were disastrous. Lee, a small schooner crewed by 50 men, was able to capture Nancy, a transport ship that was four times the size of Lee (Patton 35). Despite Nancy’s size, Lee was able to capture the transport ship because Nancy’s crew was disoriented after sailing through a storm and they had mistaken the Lee for a Royal Navy ship. The British ship was loaded with precious supplies: tons of ammunition, thousands of weapons, and a three-thousand-pound mortar were all seized for use by the Continental Army. The cargo had an estimated worth of  £10,000 to  £30,000. In 1776, the Continental schooner Franklin intercepted the three-hundred-ton British transport, Hope (Patton 44). Hope carried numerous cannons and muskets as well as seventy-five tons of powder, making it the most valuable prize captured during the Revolution. When Hope and the cargo were finally auctioned off, they would be sold for more than $1.5 million (Patton 118). A Salem privateer ship named the Rattlesnake captured more than $1 million worth of prizes in a single cruise (Konstam 148). The Connecticut privateer Defence successfully captured two British transports, George and Annabella, and a third ship within a period of a few days (Kuhl 41-42). The captured ships carried necessary equipment, including tent supplies, blankets, cooking supplies, clothing, and small arms and bayonets (Kuhl 44). Washington immediately demanded that these supplies be sent to the Continental Army stationed in New York. Sailors were not the only people to profit from government-endorsed piracy against British fleets. Many ports, including the ports at Salem, Baltimore, and particularly Boston, benefitted from the privateers that operated off their coasts (Konstam 148). General Washington praised Bostonians for â€Å"the valuable prizes that have been lately brought into your port. We stand in need of all your activity to increase our supplies by these means† (qtd. in Patton 107). Rhode Island benefitted as well, and an estimated  £300,000 worth of prizes were brought into Providence between April and November of 1776 (Patton 91). Sailors of privateer ships often pledged future earnings to creditors as a way to settle debts (Patton 79-80). If the sailor’s earnings exceeded the debt amount, the agreement allowed the creditor to keep the difference. Investors earned money by owning and trading privateers shares (Patton 80). The value of these shares depended on the quality of the ship and the competency of the crew. A sixteenth of a share in a small privateer ship cost  £56 during the war (Patton 91). Manufacturing companies in the colonies profited as well. One cannon company owned by the Brown family in Providence, Rhode Island, sold their cannons for  £35 per ton (Patton 88). Congress ordered sixty twelve- and eighteen-pound cannons for their privateering vessels and a former member of Congress ordered twenty-six cannons (Patton 89). However, because many of the guns manufactured by the Brown’s company were set aside for private ships who would pay in advanced and pay extra for weapons, customers like Congress had to wait a long period of time for their guns to be produced (Patton 90). Although privateers helped the American cause by supplying the Continental Army with goods and weapons, privateering had a downside: privateers were owned by individuals, rather than the Navy or government, so they were not obligated to fight enemy ships (Nelson 285). While this helped maximize profits for the privateers, it limited their usefulness in the war. However, targeting merchant vessels did help the Revolutionary cause by applying financial pressure to English merchants (Kuhl 51). The Americans knew that if they harassed the British merchants enough, the merchants would in turn pressure Parliament and the king into ending the war. The popularity of privateering also decreased the number of men fighting in the Continental Army (Patton 124). Naval sailors were especially attracted to privateering, and they frequently deserted the Navy. While the Continental Navy offered many of the same benefits as privateers (such as a doubled prize share for the first sailor to spot an enemy vessel and a tripled share for the first sailor to board an enemy vessel), privateers had no regulations against cursing and did not require sailors to attend a religious service twice a day (Patton 78). As a result, the government began to place embargoes on the privateering industry (Patton 124). Before a privateer or merchant ship could leave its home port, the town had to fulfill the military manpower quotas for the town. Unsurprisingly, businessmen openly protested the embargo. John Adams opposed the embargo as well, stating, â€Å"I am sorry the embargo was ever laid. I am against all shackles upon trade. Let the spirit of the peo ple have its own way† (qtd. in Patton 124) As the Revolutionary War progressed, the success of the privateers began to dwindle. In 1777, British Parliament authorized their own anti-American privateers (Patton 107). Parliament had been initially been reluctant to authorize anti-American ships because it would acknowledge America as a legitimate country. As a result of Parliament’s decision, more than a thousand loyalist ships were launched from Britain and the West Indies and another one hundred warships launched from New York. Some estimates claim that admiralty courts in New York were inundated with up to 2,600 requests for privateer commission and letters of marque (Patton 147). It is difficult to calculate the number of American privateers killed, but records show that 832 Continental seaman (not including privateers) had died at sea during the Revolutionary War (Patton 111). During the Revolution, American privateers had captured more than three thousand British merchant ships (Konstam 148). Other sources state that eight hundred vessels that were commissioned as privateers have been credited with capturing or destroying about six hundred British vessels (Frayler). The British lost an estimated  £6 million annually as a result of privateering during the war (Patton, 43). Maritime diminution in the West Indies alone by mid-1777 were calculated at  £2 million (Patton 135). Additionally, American privateers caused an estimated $18 million (a little more than $302 million today) worth of damage to British ships (Frayler). In fact, shipping losses caused by privateers were a part of the reason in Britain’s decision to surrender (Konstam 148). Privateering was initially a disaster but many ships were very successful in capturing British vessels. Although privateering was dangerous, it was an extremely profitable venture that many Americans benefitted from. Sailors benefited by quickly earning money, merchants supplied weapons and other necessary items to privateers, and investors could earn money by trading stock in privateer ventures. Most importantly, privateers helped supply the Continental Army with captured British goods, such as clothes, blankets, weapons, and gunpowder. Privateers, regardless of their successes and failures, played a crucial role in the development of the United States and the outcome of the Revolutionary War.

Communication in the Corporate World Research Paper

Communication in the Corporate World - Research Paper Example The survey found that 96% of the executives reported that today's employees must have good communication skills to get ahead (Ann Fisher, Fortune Magazine, December7, 1998. pp. 244) New studies show there is a high correlation between communication skills and income. Even among college graduates, those with higher scores in literacy (use of printed and written information) earn 47 percent more than lower scoring graduates earn (Paul T. Decker et al., Education and the Economy: An Indicators Report (Washington, DC Government Printing Office. 1997, pp. 131) "The ability to write and communicate your thoughts clearly in a presentation is the most essential skill you need to achieve any success in business. If you have a great mind and great thoughts, but you are not able to express them, it's very hard to be successful." The Wall Street Journal comments additional support to the importance of communication, "To stand out from the competition, you must demonstrate the unwritten requirements that are now most in demand: leadership and communication skills." (D. Perry. "Do You Have the Skills Most in Demand Today" Career Journal from 'The Wall Street Journal', 2002) Peter Drucker, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and one of the most respected management consultants, educators, speakers, and writers of our time, made those observations about communication: "Colleges teach the one thing that is perhaps most valuable for the future employee to know. But very few students bother to learn it. This one basic skill is the ability to organize and express ideas in writing and speaking. As soon as you move one step from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the spoken or the written word. And the further away your job is from manual work, the larger the organization of which you are an employee, the more important it will be that you know how to convey your thoughts in writing or speaking. In the very large organization..the ability to express one's own is perhaps the most important of all the skills a person can possess" Peter Drucker They are just a few quotes and researches. The list is long. From this point onwards, it should be clear that good communication skill is one of the most important reasons for achieving success in your professional life. Whatever position you have in business, your performances will be judged largely by your ability to communicate. If you perform (and communicate) well, you are likely to be rewarded with advancement. And the higher you advance, the more you will need your communication ability. Communication enables human beings to work together. In a business, it is the vehicle through which management performs its basic functions. Managers direct through communication, coordinate through communication, and staff, plan, and control through communica

US covert action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

US covert action - Essay Example programs and policies abroad that are not apparent or acknowledged publicly. Whether it is a realistic expectation for U.S. to continue with covert action? There is no realistic expectation that U.S. can continue with covert actions without been discovered. Covert action remains a third option for American foreign policy beyond the initial two options of diplomacy and combat. On covert action, the CIA can be regarded as damned when they do, and damned when they do not. Can one expect the U.S. hand to remain "hidden" even if the action is discovered? Covert actions details activities of the U.S. government to influence political, military, or economic conditions abroad. The U.S. government conceals its responsibility based on the justification that the U.S. responsibility would render an operation infeasible. The core objective of covert action rests on influencing events overseas secretly and in support of U.S. foreign policy.2 The U.S. would be overly optimistic for its hand to rema in â€Å"hidden† even if the action is discovered.... For instance, if Israel was to admit having a nuclear program, such an action can trigger a nuclear arms race within the Middle East, who may feel threatened by Israel. Plausible deniability or the non-attribution to the U.S. for its covert operations makes it impossible to trace back to their point of origin. Plausible deniability is pertinent in protecting the U.S., and it operatives’ from the consequences of disclosures. Measures to make covert action a continued viable policy? Covert action is a necessary, but controversial instrument for U.S. foreign policy. The government should undertake covert actions only if: the intentions and objectives are concisely spelled out, just, and reasonable; there is a reasonable possibility of success; the methods envisaged are commensurate with the objectives; and, due deliberation undertaken with the full knowledge and concurrence of appropriate constituents. Question 2: (A) What was the objective of each operation? The overthrow of Mos sadeq in Iran (1953) arose when Kermit Roosevelt and few other CIA operatives orchestrated a successful coup against Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq the U.S perceived as becoming allied with Iran’s Soviet-dominated Tudeh Party. Roosevelt secured the hesitant support of the Shah dismissing Mossadeq. Zahedi, a highly ranking officer, selected to lead the coup.5 In the wake of the success of the Iranian operation, the CIA also orchestrated a combination of both military and psychological pressures to force leftist Guatemala president, Jacobo Arbenz from office in 1954. The operation (labeled as Operation BPSUCCESS) utilized an invasion by a ragtag â€Å"liberation† army, fictional arms drops, psychologically effective CIA air attacks, and disinformation disseminated to prompt

Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Acne Essay -- Medicine Medical Birth Control Pape

Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Acne What does Ortho Tri-Cyclen do for the treatment of acne and how does it work? In 1960, the medical world of the United States was revolutionized by the introduction of The Pill. For the past forty years, The Pill has been the most popular form of reversible birth control. But beside the stellar contraceptive effectiveness rate ranging from 97-99.9% (when taken as directed), many other non-contraceptive benefits exist in conjunction with this method of birth control. Studies have proven that a women’s incidence of ovarian and endometrial cancers, benign cysts of the ovaries and breasts, and pelvic inflammatory disease, all decrease with pill use. Heavy bleeding and severe cramps are also minimized (www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00027.html). Recent claims state that birth control may also effectively treat some types of acne. Though, back in 1966, The Rocky Mountain Medical Journal published an article illustrating the effectiveness of estrogen-progestin combination in the treatment of stubborn acne, and maintaining that the cyclic admin istration of oral contraception is a useful measure for many women. It was not until January 2, 1997 that marked another big step in the world of the birth control pill when, for the first time, an oral contraceptive was approved for marketing by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an effective treatment for acne. Ortho Tri-Cyclen, originally introduced in 1992 by the Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Corporation, is the first low dose birth control pill approved for a noncontraceptive indication. (www.pslgroup.com/dg/fa6a/htm.) Ortho Tri-Cyclen is the only birth control pill that has been clinically proven for the treatment of mo... ... acne vulgaris. Journal of American Acad Dermatology, 37(5Pt1), 746-54 Olson WH, Lippman JS, Robisch DM, (1998). The duration of response to norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Internal Journal of Fertil Womens Med, 43(6), 286-90 Redmond GP, (1998). Effectiveness of oral contraceptives in the treatment of acne, Contraception, 58(3 Suppl), 29S-33S Redmond GP, Olson WH, Lippman JS, Kafrissen ME, Jones TM, Jorizzo JL, (1997). Norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol in the treatment of acne vulgaris: a radomized, placebo controlled trial. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 89(4), 615-22 Van Hoff MH, Hirasing RA, Kaptein MB, Koppenaal C, Voorhorst FJ, Schoemaker J, (1998). The use of oral contraceptives by adolescents for contraception, menstrual cycle problems or acne. Acta Obstetrics and Gynecol Scand, 77(9), 898-904

Phaedra vs Hippolytus

Euripides vs. Dassin The classic Greek legend of Phaedra probes the tragic consequences that occur when a woman becomes sexually obsessed with her stepson. In Phaedra (1962) director Jules Dassin presents Phaedra as a woman overwhelmed by passions she cannot control. This follows the interpretation of Phaedra developed by Euripides, who broke with older versions in which Phaedra was an evil sensualist seeking to corrupt her innocent stepson. Dassin adds political punch to the film by exploring the luxurious lives enjoyed by elite shipping families. Where as Hippolytus takes place in Troezen, a city in the northeastern Peloponnese.In the Hippolytus, Phaedras husband is serving a year of voluntary exile for murdering the Pallantids. Where as in Phaedra, he is a very wealthy and free man. A majority of Hippolytus revolves around the goddess Aphrodite. Where as in Phaedra there is no gods or goddess’s. Euripides’ play Hippolytus was written in 428 B. C. , and ever since it has been regarded as one of the great classical works. In his treatment of the Phaedra myth, Euripides presents Phaedra in a state of mental anguish and exhaustion brought about by her love for Hippolytus, which she strives to conceal.Euripides frames the events of the human characters with the presence of the gods Aphrodite and Artemis. Euripides’ Athenian audience was therefore provided with prior knowledge about Phaedra’s guilty secret, for her ‘passion’ is described as being imposed by the god Aphrodite. Euripides portrays Aphrodite as a terrifying and vindictive deity, unlike the voluptuous woman often depicted in visual art. Her opening monologue conveys an imperious attitude, and she sees the world and its people as her domain.Because Aphrodite is the goddess of love, her perception of the world seems reasonable, since her power extends to the everyday lives of the mortals over whom she rules. This is not, however, the benign emotion that today we m ight associate with the word â€Å"love. † Rather, Euripides depicts erotic love as a consuming and destructive force. As Aphrodite states, those who fail to accord the proper respect to her will face obliteration. The terrifying power of love is essential to understanding Aphrodite’s anger at Hippolytus and the development of the play.Aphrodite directs her fury at Hippolytus because he refuses to worship her. He is, as he explains in Scene I, not interested in erotic love and consequently reveres the goddess of love â€Å"from a long way off. † He instead remains chaste and worships Artemis exclusively. This, of course, infuriates Aphrodite who vows to punish him for his blasphemy. Because he will not honor erotic love, she decides that its power will destroy him, thereby proving her supremacy over humanity to all those who hear of Hippolytus’ destruction.Her vehicle for punishing him is Phaedra, his stepmother, who thus becomes a victim of love. Phaedra ’s position in the play as the agent through whom Aphrodite exacts her revenge creates an ethical problem. According to Aphrodite’s scheme, Phaedra must die, but unlike Hippolytus, she has not committed any offenses against the goddess of love. Phaedra therefore becomes a victim of love’s power, a pawn bewitched into loving her stepson who then commits suicide out of shame. Yet as Aphrodite explains, â€Å"Her suffering does not weight in the scale so much that I should let my enemies go untouched. Reconciling Aphrodite’s need for revenge and Phaedra’s innocence is an interpretive challenge of the play, and Euripides does not provide an easy answer. Out of this tension arises a central conflict of the play, specifically concerning the relationship between men and gods during the period in which Euripides wrote. This relationship seems tenuous at best and bears little resemblance to modern perspectives on religion. As such, an essential question to consider is what responsibilities gods had to people and people to gods.Euripides’s tragedy offers a few insights into this relationship. As evidenced by Aphrodite’s reaction to Hippolytus’ exclusive devotion to Artemis, humans were to worship all of the gods. This relationship, however, does not seem reciprocal. Rather, Aphrodite’s manipulation of Phaedra indicates that the gods had few obligations to humans. Free from the burdens of protecting men, the gods used men as their playthings while humans had to worship the gods to placate them and avoid incurring their wrath.Dassin’s Phaedra is the forty-something, second wife of shipping magnate Thanos Kyrilis, who wishes to reconcile with his estranged son Alexis, an art student living in London. The athletic and handsome Thanos is a cunning businessman involved in international commerce, but he is likable and adores his wife. He gives Phaedra expensive gifts and names his new prize ship in her hono r. Phaedra is not ignored or abused by an unattractive or deceitful husband. Dassin adds political punch to the film by exploring the luxurious lives enjoyed by elite shipping families.This is not done in a heavy-handed manner. The lavish villas, yachts, and fashionable attire of the super rich are simply allowed to speak for themselves without any editorial grumbling by Greek commoners. Dassin takes a further jab at the Greek shippers by setting up marital relationships between his characters that parallel real-life marriages involving the Onassis and Niarchos shipping clans. The tragedy takes form when Thanos cajoles a reluctant Phaedra to deliver a message to Alexis in London that his father wants his twenty-four-year-old son to be at his side.From their first encounter, Phaedra and Alexis engage in a playful flirtation inappropriate to their relationship. Alexis invites Phaedra to meet his â€Å"girl,† which turns out to be a pricey sports car in a dealership window. Thei r empathy, however, leads to Alexis meeting with his father in Paris. When business needs require Thanos to leave for New York City, Phaedra, persuades Alexis to remain. The supposedly mounting passion between Mercouri and Perkins lacks chemistry. All the sexual energy comes from the sultry Phaedra and her attraction to the bland Alexis is inexplicable.Nor is Dassin’s camera effective in addressing this sexual void. The film’s big sex scene is an unimaginative sequence of blurred shots of the embracing couple punctuated by shots of a rain storm at the window, a blazing fireplace, and glowing candles. After living together in Paris for more than a week, Alexis asks Phaedra to declare her love openly and return with him to London. Phaedra, however, feels compelled to rejoin her husband on the island of Hydra. Fearful of her lack of self control, she tells Alexis, â€Å"Don’t come. † Greece brings no respite to Phaedra’s emotions.Although still yearni ng for Alexis, she is tormented by her sense of shame and deceit. Her only confidant is Anna (Olympia Papoudaka), her aging personal maid, who is distraught by Phaedra’s anguish. Anna’s emotions have homoerotic aspects that feel far more genuine than the emotions Alexis has projected. The women take siestas together, but their sexual intimacy remains limited to the adoring Anna’s caresses. Thanos informs Alexis that the car he so admires is waiting for him in Hydra. Alexis demands to know what Phaedra desires him to do.The increasingly unstable Phaedra reverses what she had said earlier and implores Alexis to come as soon as possible, but her plans go awry when Alexis hews ever closer to his father while becoming ever more wary of her. The sexual dynamics intensify when Ercy, Alexis’s beautiful second cousin, a woman his own age, falls in love with him. Thanos and his circle are delighted at the prospect of a marriage that would further unite the shipping families. A now sullen and possessive Phaedra stands between Alexis and all that is â€Å"normal. Alexis reacts by playing the role of a carefree party boy at the local seaside tavern. He goes off with the first available woman, an act designed to cool Ercy’s ardor and belittle Phaedra. The film reaches its climax when the luxury ship named Phaedra, seen launched in the film’s opening scenes, sinks, killing most of its crew. Phaedra, obsessed by her own agenda, arrives at Thanos’s offices in the midst of the crisis. Ironically clad in white, she pushes her way through black-clad women anxious to know the fate of their men. Oblivious to the grief around her, Phaedra-in-white reveals her secret love to Thanos.An enraged Thanos manages to restrain himself from striking her, but beats Alexis viciously, ordering him, as he did Phaedra, to leave his sight forever. The blood-soaked Alexis returns to the family villa for a last embrace of his â€Å"girl. † Phae dra appears at the garage door and tells him they can now live openly as lovers; he replies that he wishes Phaedra dead. The rejected Phaedra returns to the main house where she takes an overdose of sleeping pills while the now frenzied Alexis, listening to music by Bach, drives his â€Å"girl† over a cliff.

Analysis Of John Proctor s The Crucible - 1223 Words

Grover, Katie No Teacher Yet Honors Sophomore English August 8, 2016 TITLE GOES HERE DO NOT FORGET In common vernacular, a crucible is used to heat substances in order to become more pure or perfect; however, when a town with strict theology and no tolerance is subject to the grueling torture of innocent lives dying for a false cause, the result is anything but perfect. Though John Proctor does find some relief in his redemption at the end, by no means does the drama have a happy ending. Though it is somewhat plausible to define Arthur Miller’s drama, The Crucible, as a comedy, there is overwhelming evidence in favor of the drama being labeled a tragedy. John Proctor’s inability to overcome his moral weakness of lust, the town’s tragic flaw of intolerance and jealousy, and Proctor’s inability to rationalize his life and the world around him combine in a heartbreaking way to form a tragedy. Moral weaknesses, especially John proctor’s, play a key role in classifying The Crucible as a tragedy. John struggles with his ma ny emotions and his brutal honesty in a grueling fight to clear his name. Proctor’s anger at having committed such a sin leads him to tell Abigail, â€Å"‘You’ll speak nothin’ of Elizabeth’† (Miller 22). His quick, harsh words to a girl that he once regarded fondly reveal his internal battle, as well as his newfound distaste of Abby. He wishes for Abby to forget what they did so that he might try to fix his suffering marriage. Proctor’s regret is amplified when heShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of John Proctor s The Crucible 1344 Words   |  6 PagesAn Examination of John Proctor In 1692, Salem Massachusetts was overridden with mass hysteria. Allegations of witchery were widespread and people were killed for crimes they never committed. It seemed as if the theocracy no longer upheld the principles of Heaven, but rather submitted to the wild impulses of the New England mobs. Arthur Miller delivers a heart-wrenching account of these trials in his play The Crucible. Amidst the struggle is Miller’s protagonist, John Proctor, a well-respectedRead MoreAnalysis Of John Proctor s The Crucible 899 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is the protagonist s (main character s) main objective? John Proctor is a man living in distress after cheating on his wife Elizabeth with a former servant Abigail. He believes that him committing adultery is a sin big enough to damage his character, Elizabeth becoming less trusting of him and publicly exposing his infidelity would only add insult to injury. As the play progresses however, John Proctor capitulates, acknowledging his affair thinking it would clear his and his wife’s name fromRead MoreAnalysis Of John Proctor s The Crucibles 1212 Words   |  5 PagesCeline Christiansen Mrs. Evans English III H November 23, 2015 The Crucibles â€Å"I have given you my soul; leave me my name!† bellowed John Proctor to Danforth in Act IV. The Crucibles was written by Arthur Miller reminiscent of McCarthyism in the 1950s. Reputation and integrity is set forward in the story, as it causes the plot to develop and advance, and it is discernible all throughout the story, especially the end. Reputation is tremendously significant in theocratic SalemRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller998 Words   |  4 Pageswith confessions of a meeting with the devil, continuing with declaring a reunification with Jesus, and ending with of course, accusing others of witchcraft. The false confessions favor the dishonest and are motivated by jealousy and spite. The Crucible is a four-act dramatic play production that was first performed on January 22, 1953. Arthur Miller used dialogue within the characters to cover the multiple themes; conflicts and resolutions, plus the few directions for the different actions ofRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1138 Words   |  5 Pages Arthur Miller’s The Crucible takes place in a puritan 17th century Salem town, where a distinct line separates right from wrong. Puritan ideals define the individuals living in Salem, and John Proctor, the protagonist, finds himself struggling to realize and act on these ideals. Miller portrays Proctor in different lights throughout the course of the play, as Proctor often finds himself engrossed in the heat of the hysteria driven town. His character starts out lacking any heroic or admirable featuresRead MoreAnalysis Of Arthur Miller s The Crucible 1052 Words   |  5 Pagesfor the Federal Theatre, which provided work for unemployed writers, actors, direct ors, and designers. Miller s creative writing career span was over a sixty year span and during this time, Miller had written twenty-six plays. He wrote The Crucible in 1953 then later wrote the screenplay for the movie version which was produced in 1996 (CliffNotes, Authur Miller Biography). Miller s first play to make it to Broadway was in 1944. It was The Man Who Had All the Luck but it was a disheartening failureRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials869 Words   |  4 Pagesand corruption, have always reverberated throughout American history and people need constant reminders to stay vigilant and aware. As a writer, I am able to reach a large audience with this reminder and I saw my play The Crucible â€Å"as a vehicle for political commentary† (Crucible Drama Critism). I paralleled my experiences during McCarthyism with the tragedies of the Salem Witch trials to not only remind the public that history can repeat itself, but to also demonstrate my disgust with the hypocrisyRead MoreThe Crucible By John Proctor849 Words   |  4 Pages The Crucible Analysis: Is John Proctor a tragic hero based on Aristotle`s definition of a tragic hero An array of Aristotelian tragic heroes can be found throughout American literature. One of which includes John Proctor, main character farmer in mid-30s, from Arthur Miller s play, The Crucible. Yet, in order for him to obtain such a title he must possess specific characteristics. Five of which include possession of hubris, a flaw or decision leading to desire for revenge, a reversal of goodRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1606 Words   |  7 PagesOur English II class approached Arthur Miller’s The Crucible from a way unique to any previous English assignment. We decided to operate as an unified ensemble to generate a singular and complete project that demonstrated our growth as readers, writers, and thinkers. Originally we were scared at the prospect of this unorthodox assignment; as Jada put it, â€Å"[we] thought it was gonna be a hot mess† (Jant). But in the end, I believe it was correct to do it as an ensemble. We were able to work as individualRead MoreThe Crucible By John Proctor1134 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Crucible, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor are arguably the most important characters. The affair between Abigail and John drives the plot of the play. Abigail begins accusing societal outcasts as witches and gradually works her way up the social ladder until she is able to accuse an upstanding citizen like Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch and having people believe the accusation. She accused Elizabeth of being a witch so that Elizabeth would be hanged. Then, Abigail

Minority Representation Of Minority Minorities - 1558 Words

The insufficiency in the representation of minorities in higher education administration and tenured faculty remained consistently problematic in spite of the existing and growing awareness within the higher education community (Nye Maxey, 1994). According to McKenney and Cejda (2000), minority representation in the American higher education system has generally been a major issue for the academic community as a whole. Racial and ethnic diversity has become increasingly more challenging throughout colleges and universities across the United States. Little progress has been made, for instance, for minority faculty members to move up through the leadership ranks. There are large disparities for minority faculty members when data and â€Å"demographic trends† in faculty and institutional leadership are examined. Higher education institutions, argued Gibson-Benninger (1995), must increase their efforts in the appointment of women and minorities because these two groups have been severely underrepresented in leadership positions. Higher education institutions have not achieved much success with regard to minority recruitment to leadership positions by failing to aggressively recruit minority applicants (Gibson-Benninger, 1995). Since its inception in 1987, the diversity program that was aiming to â€Å"link† academic excellence and social diversity at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor campus has shown some improvement in the number of their minority faculty members of tenured andShow MoreRelated The Representation of Minorities in American Cinema Essay2440 Words   |  10 PagesThe Representation of Minorities in American Cinema As the semester progressed and we continued learning how Latinos have been misrepresented through American cinema during the twentieth century, I began to wonder about my own heritage and how Jews were portrayed in films of the same era. I grew up learning about the various stereotypes that have been associated with Jews throughout history, but never have I explored the portrayals of Jews through film history in the United States. My curiosityRead MoreRepresentation Of Minority Groups : Special Education1693 Words   |  7 PagesTo: Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education From: Evan Sadrakula Date: April 15, 2016 Subject: Disproportionality of Minority Groups in Special Education Introduction Some students are subject to unequal representation at school, particularly those in a minority group. In the past, there were vast amounts of racial biases that spread across the United States. Unfortunately, racial bias still exists today, in the 21st century. There are those who feel that certain groups of people should notRead MoreThe Evolution Of Comedic Self Representation Of Minorities Essay1543 Words   |  7 PagesThe Evolution of Comedic Self-Representation of Minorities Over the past 70 years, there has been great change in comedy especially for African-Americans and other Non-American races. During the early days of comedy, many of these people were considered to be minorities during that era. This influenced many comedic stints of that time which over the years have evolved to catch up with the modern day society. Some of these include the humor, the topics discussed and also epithets. Over the years manyRead More Controversial Minority Representation in the Film, Birth Of a Nation1068 Words   |  5 PagesControversial Minority Representation in the Film, Birth Of a Nation       Birth of a Nation was a film that broke several artistic boundaries in the film industry yet was seen as the most racist film of any generation. This has caused it to be a film under heavy debate since its release in 1915. One can never look past the racist depictions that this film portrays in it. However, to truly understand the film and explore its importance in the study of minorities in film, one must look at thisRead MoreMinority Trope Representation in AMC’s The Walking Dead Essay2032 Words   |  9 Pagesdwindle; however, the minority ratio in the group remains below the average number of majority characters in the show. The â€Å"token minority† trope follows the concept of a minority figure that has little or no significance to the plot line of the story and is placed there for possible racial discussions or as a source of drama later in the film or show (â€Å"Token Minority†). So what relation does this have to a larger role in films? Over time, there is a progression of how a minority fits within any genreRead MoreGender Representation Of Female Gender Roles Affect Society Through Social Oppression Of The Minority Group1110 Words   |  5 Pagesoppression of the minority group. Throughout the film, it is obvious that, although it is possible to have gender performativity, there is disempowerment of women and a man’s life is that which is more significant than a woman’s. For the duration of the movie, the idea of masculinity is emphasized and its ideas are reinforced. Notably, when Shang, the captain of the army, sings the song I’ll Make a Man out of You (Wilder et al., 1998a), the portrayal of the stereotypical representation of masculinityRead MoreGiving People A Vote Does Not Mean That A State Would Have A Government?1538 Words   |  7 Pagesvote would lead to a government â€Å"by the people†. This essay will aim to illustrate how giving people a vote does not mean that a state would have a government â€Å"by the people† by analysing the problem in three areas: majority, minority and real-world statistical representation. Majority The term government â€Å"by the people† can be seen as being too vague. One issue is determining who are â€Å"the people† being referred to? In the literal meaning one can assume that it implies that the government is chosenRead More The Marginalization of Minority Groups in The Electoral System1362 Words   |  6 PagesThe marginalization of minority groups in the electoral system impedes a comprehensive representation by further entrenching and aggravating ethnic division. The lack of minority representation in political-decision making has limited the ability of a true representative democracy to come into fruition. The inconsistency of elected assemblies mirroring the population has decreased the representation of ethnic minorities and deepened the racial and ethnic cleavages. Reforming the electoral systemRead MoreAffirmative Actions1078 Words   |  5 PagesRunning Head: AFFERMATIVE ACTION Affirmative Actions Affirmative action is an action taken by an organization to select on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity by giving due preferences to minorities like women and races being not adequately represented under the existing employment. To make the presentation of all these compositions almost equal in proportion to do away the injustice done in the past. The Supreme Company need to design an affirmative action program in the lightRead More Diversity in the Newsroom Essay1680 Words   |  7 Pagesclass sessions, it became a noticeably important issue for me, especially as I am an aspiring journalist. As a top editor at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, a student-run newspaper at the University of Massachusetts that has almost no minority representation in the newsroom, I’m realizing that the problem is increasingly important, yet increasingly ignored. Diversity in the newsroom is an important issue in corporate-owned newspapers, private-owned newspapers, and at university and college