Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Essay Example for Free

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Essay Bridge to Terabithia is an ambitious, thrilling, and at times heartbreaking story about childhood, friendship, and individuality. Paterson begins the story by introducing Jess Aarons, an eleven ­year ­old boy living in a rural area of the South who loves to run. He dreams of being the fastest boy in the fifth grade when school starts up in the fall, feeling that this will for once give him a chance to stand in the spotlight among his five sisters, and win him the attention of his constantly preoccupied father. Jess is very insecure in his identity. He loves to paint and draw, but he knows that this labels him a sissy in most eyes, particularly his father. As Katherine Paterson said â€Å"Jess drew the way some people drink whiskey.† I enjoyed reading about Jess’s confliction between his masculinity and effeminacy. With his family stretched so tight by poverty he has little chance to really explore his own identity during this crucial period of adolescence. He is determined to win in doing something masculine that will rid the undesired label of â€Å"sissy† or â€Å"Girl† in the eyes of his father and schoolmates which will allow him to shine in his own right. He practices each morning, always dreaming of his upcoming victory. However, when the races come around at recess, a new girl, Leslie Burke, who just moved next door to Jess, boldly crosses to the boys’ side of the playground and beats everyone.

The English Bildungsroman Essay -- Literature Essays Literary Criticis

The English Bildungsroman      Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel has a strong tradition in English literature. In Great Britain, it can trace its roots back to Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe in 1719 (Kroll 23). Since then, the British novel has grown in popularity. It was especially popular in Victorian England. The type of novel that was particularly popular in Victorian England was the novel of youth. Many authors of the time were producing works focused on the journey from childhood to adulthood: Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre, George Eliot wrote The Mill on the Floss, and Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield and Great Expectations. All of these novels trace the growth of a child. In this respect, some of the most popular novels of the nineteenth century were part of the genre called the Bildungsroman. In the simplest sense of the word, a Bildungsroman is a novel of the development of a young man (or in some cases a young woman). In fact, the Webster's College Dictionary definition of Bildungsroman is "a novel dealing with the education and development of its protagonist". The Bildungsroman as a genre has its roots in Germany. Jerome Buckley notes that the word itself is German, with Bildung having a variety of connotations: "portrait," "picture," "shaping" and "formation," all of which give the sense of development or creation (the development of the child can also be seen as the creation of the man) (13-14). Roman simply means "novel." The term Bildungsroman emerged as a description of Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. This was the first Bildungsroman, having been published between 1794 and 1796 (Buckley 9). The word "lehrjahre" can be translated as "apprenticeship" (Buckley 10). "Apprenticeship" has many connotations, mos... ...sroman. It is these differences precisely that make each novel its own story. After all, even though every person's story is different, they must all go through stages of development in order to reach maturity and find their personal niche within the larger world. The basic formula of the Bildungsroman is universal and especially appropriate to the growing world of the Victorian age where the kind of opportunities presented to the hero of the Bildungsroman echoed the actual experiences of those growing up in that era. Works Cited "Bildungsroman." Webster's College Dictionary. New York: Random House, 1996. Buckley, Jerome Hamilton. Season of Youth: The Bildungsroman from Dickens to Golding. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1974. Kroll, Richard. "Defoe and Early Narrative." Columbia History of the British Novel. Ed. John Richetti. New York: Columbia UP, 1994.

Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland ! Stephen Grover Cleveland was born on March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey. Cleveland's father was a minister, originally from Connecticut, and his mother was from Baltimore. He was the ? fth of nine children, named Stephen Grover, but he did not use the name â€Å"Stephen† in his adult life. ! In 1841, his family moved to Fayetteville, New York where he spent most of his childhood. In 1850 Cleveland's father took a pastorate in Clinton, New York , and the family had to move to accommodate for his job. They moved once more in 1853 to Holland Patent, New York. Soon after the move Cleveland? s father past away. After the death of his father Cleveland dropped out of school to help support his family. A elder in his church offered to pay his college tuition if he promised to be a minister like his father, Cleveland declined, and instead decided to move West.On his way West, Cleveland stopped by his uncles house in Buffalo, New York. While there he was given a clerical job at his uncles law ? rm. Cleveland uncle was an important person in New York, and he would introduce him to a lot of in? uential men there. Cleveland later took a clerkship with the ? rm, and then became a certi? ed lawyer. Leaving his uncle? s ? rm in 1962 to start his own ? m. He built a reputation for himself as being committed and dedication to hard work. ! Cleveland stayed out of politics until 1970, where he ran for sheriff of Erie County, which he won. After his two year term as sheriff he returned to the ? eld of law, opening law ? rm with his two friends. There he found himself at the top of Buffalo's legal community. !In 1881 the democratic party leaders approached Cleveland and asked him if he would like to run for Mayor of Buffalo, he took of? ce January 2, 1882. His term as mayor gave him the reputation of being an honest politician, the reputation soon spread beyond Erie County. As Cleveland? s reputation grew, the democratic party began to consider him a p ossible nominee for governor. When the democratic convention could not decide between their two leading candidates Rosewell P. Flower, and Henry W. Slocum, Cleveland emerged as the compromise choice, and on January 1st 1883, he took of? ce winning the election by a landslide. Cleveland's blunt, honest ways as governor won him popular acclaim. ! In 1884 Cleveland was seen as a leading contender for the presidential nomination. And due to failing health of other contenders he was nominated to be the democratic nominee for the 1884 election.While the popular vote was close, with Cleveland winning by just one-quarter of a percent, the electoral votes gave Cleveland a majority of 219–182. And is sworn in as president of the United States on March 4th, 1885. ! Cleveland's ? rst term was uneventful, but was marked by ? rmness on his part to the principles which he deemed productive to the nation. He made large use of the veto power upon bills passed by Congress. On June 2, 1886, Cle veland married Frances Folsom, in the Blue Room of the white house. He was the second president to be married in the White House. After his ? st term was up the democratic party renominated Cleveland, but he lost the election, receiving 168 electoral votes, to Benjamin Harrison? s 233 votes. Even though Cleveland had lost the electoral votes, he had won the popular vote by more then 100,000 votes. Cleveland retired to private life and resumed the practice of the law in New York. ! In 1892 Cleveland was nominated for president a third time in succession. He won receiving 277 electoral votes to Harrison? s 145 (22 were cast for James B. Weaver of Iowa, the candidate of the â€Å"People's† party). Cleveland's second term included some important events.The most important was the repeal of the silver legislation, which had been a growing menace for ? fteen years. ! Cleveland's second term expired on the 4th of March 1897, and he then retired into private life. He was well respecte d, and constantly consulted on his knowledge. He was a trustee of Princeton University and Stafford Little lecturer on public affairs. And lived in New Jersey, until his death on the 24th of June 1908. Major Event During Administration ! Grover Cleveland? s ? rst term (1885-1889) was uneventful.Cleveland used his veto power sparingly. Vetoing 413 bills in his ? st term, more than two-thirds of which were private pension bills. Cleveland reduced taxation upon American citizens, due to the growing surplus of money in the United States Treasury. Cleveland was also a advocate of the tariff reform. He believed that the tariff should be reduced, this con? ict was never resolved in Cleveland? s 1885-1889 term, and would remain a problem for the upcoming elections. During his ? rst term, Cleveland appointed two justices to the supreme court. The ? rst, Lucius Q. C. Lamar in 1887, and the second Melville Fuller a few months later. ! Grover Cleveland? s second term (1893-1897) contained some notable events.The most important was the repeal of the silver legislation, this had been creeping up for the past 15 years. People would turn their coin notes in for gold, instead of silver, causing a depletion of the United States gold reserve. Cleveland repealed the act to prevent the depletion of the country's gold reserves. The problems for Cleveland didn? t stop there though. A strike began against the Pullman Company (manufacture of railroad cars) against low wages and long work hours, and by June 1894, 125,000 railroad workers were on strike, paralyzing the nations trade. Cleveland felt that a federal solution was needed.So he sent federal troops to the rail centers to insure the commerce of the united states continued. ! Having reversed the silver legislation, Cleveland? s next goal was to reverse the effects of the McKinley tariff. The Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act was ? nally passed in 1894 after many reforms by the house, this slightly reduced the United States tariff rates, and imposed a 2% income tax. Cleveland was outraged with the ? nal bill and criticized it as disgraceful product of the control of the Senate. Still he believed it was an improvement over the McKinley tariff and allowed it to become a law without his signature.Goals and Initiatives Election of 1884 ! Cleveland? s campaign for his 1884 election was focused mainly on the corruption in politics. His reputation as an opponent of corruption proved to be one of the Democrats strongest asset for the 1884 election. His opponent James G. Blaine was known to be a corrupt politician, he would corruptly in? uenced legislation in favor of the success of companies , later pro? ting on the sale of bonds he owned in them. This level of corruption made some people crowd over to Cleveland? s side, because they were more concerned with morality than with party. ! Cleveland preached honesty and ef? iency in government. Even when Cleveland was charged with fathering an illegitimate child, he immediately admitted the possibility of himself being the babies father.Election of 1888 ! Cleveland? s renomination in 1888, against Republican nominee, Benjamin Harrison, was focused mainly on the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act. The republicans aggressively defended protective tariffs, where as Cleveland felt the tariff cost? s should be reduced. ! Cleveland was certain that he would be able to pull another victory in this election, and even though he had won the popular vote 48. 6 percent to Harrison? s 47. percent he lost the electoral vote due to slightly losing in the major game changing states. ! Election of 1892 ! The election of 1892 was a rematch of the year before, with the democrats nominating Grover Cleveland, and the republicans nominating Benjamin Harrison.Additionally, a third party had emerged on the scene: the People's Party, they had given their nomination to James B. Weaver of Iowa. ! This election was according to Cleveland biographer Allan Nevins, â€Å"the cleanest, qu ietest, and most creditable in the memory of the post-war generation† this was mostly due to the fact that Harrison? wife was dying of tuberculosis. Harrison did not personally campaign, and Cleveland followed suit out of sympathy to his political rival as not to use Mrs. Harrison's illness to his advantage. ! The issue on tariffs had worked to the republicans advantage the election before, but over the past four years the price of imported good had gotten higher and higher. So many voters who sided with Harrison the year before had turned their views to either Cleveland or Weaver of the People? s Party. In the end Cleveland won by wide margins in both the popular and electoral votes, and was elected the 24th president of the United States.Achievements ! Grover Cleveland had many achievements during his presidential career. He stopped the abandonment of the gold standard, saved land from Hawaii and to this day is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms. Cleveland had earned the trust of the people due to his struggles to remove corruption from the political system. He is also one of the eight presidents of the United States to be printed on a bill (Paper Currency, $1,000 Bill) Evaluation ! Grover Cleveland seem? s to be the perfect politician. He was honest, fair, and experienced. I am not the only one who thought so as well.In the three times Cleveland had run for president, he had won the popular vote every time. The choices he made seemed to be very smart and evoked little hostile actions from the people of the United States.Bibliography â€Å"American President  Reference Resource: Campaigns and Elections. † Millercenter. org. The Miller Center, n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"American President. † Millercenter. org. The Miller Center, n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Grover Cleveland. † Www. nndb. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Presidents On All US Dollar Bills, Presidents On Money. † Www. marshu. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. .

Minimum Wage Persuasive Essay - 1106 Words

Do you believe that all jobs that require little to no skill deserve more than the federal minimum wage? If you said yes then perhaps you are unaware of the many negative effects surrounding a higher minimum wage and after reading this you will be educated on why the minimum wage should not be raised. In the beginning, the minimum wage was created with good intentions. It was originally established in 1938 and was $.25 an hour (Sessions). It was created to make sure that businesses would not take advantage over workers. While the minimum wage was and still is a good concept, it has some flaws. The major issue is that the minimum wage continues to be raised. The main reason for the increasing of the minimum wage is because people who make†¦show more content†¦This is turn causes unemployment for the very jobs the new minimum wage was created for. The federal minimum wage is set at $7.25 an hour (Calvert, Scott, and Morath). Unfortunately, there are states that have decided to raise the minimum wage. The state with the highest minimum wage at $11.00 and hour is Massachusetts (Wuttke). All states should be required to revert back to the federal minimum wage and not have the ability to raise it whatsoever. Doing this would ensure that inflation would not rise because of anything minimum wage related, lower unemployment, guarantee safety of the middle class, and create a fair and level playing field among workers across America. But, reverting the minimum wage in places where it is higher will not necessarily be an easy task. There are many advocates for it, and most of them being minimum wage workers themselves. To act upon this problem a bill would have to be placed forward into Congress. In order for the bill to be passed it has to receive a majority vote, and this could be difficult because many Democrats support a higher minimum wage. However, if they took the time to look at the opposing view and realize the negative effects it causes, their minds wil l change. The minimum wage has a long history. It was first introduced with the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (Bose). This act declared that employers must pay eachShow MoreRelatedMinimum Wage Persuasive Essay1067 Words   |  5 PagesRandy Oczkowski Mrs. Kenny March 25, 2013 Persuasive Essay $7.25 equals two gallons of gas, one fast food meal, or a simple school supply. With the minimum wage at the current rate you must work one hour to earn the seven dollars and twenty-five cents that only supply you with small necessities for everyday living. This problem was encountered before and was resolved with the agreement to higher the minimum wage from $5.85 to the current $7.25. Although that was a big increase in salariesRead MorePersuasive Essay Outline :Minimum Wage964 Words   |  4 Pages Persuasive Essay Outline :Minimum Wage 1 Intro - I want you to think about your very first job .Were you a Bellhop ,cashier ,bartender ,cooks(fast food ),lifeguard, .Now how about your second job were you a airport worker or child care worker.About how m uch were youRead MorePersuasive Essay On Minimum Wage1526 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum wage is defined by the dictionary as â€Å"the lowest wage paid or permitted to be paid; specifically: a wage fixed by legal authority or by contract as the least that may be paid either to employed persons generally or to a particular category of employed persons.† Minimum wage is also referred to as the living wage. For many in and out of the political arena, minimum wage, is a topic of debate. The discussion involves the fairness of the current wage and the need to raise this wage to correlateRead MoreMinimum Wage Persuasive Essay1424 Words   |  6 PagesI. Position Statement Is increasing minimum wage beneficial to society? I believe the United States Federal government should increase the minimum wage. Minimum wage has been a controversial topic in the United States for numerous years. Experts are constantly doing studies and finding emotional and logical appeals to support their arguments. Accordingly, when discussing minimum wage, long-term and short-term effects need to be brought into consideration. Throughout my research, I have found a multitudeRead MorePersuasive Essay On Minimum Wage1174 Words   |  5 Pages The US minimum wage should not be raised to $18.00 an hour for adults by 2020. Raising our minimum wage is just as good as destroying our economy and all the work our government has done to lower unemployment rates. Jamie Richardson, MBA, VP of the fast-food chain White Castle, stated that the company would be forced to close almost half of its restaurants and let go thousands of workers if the federal minimum wage was raised to $15. Peter D. Schiff, an investment broker and investor, stated inRead MoreMinimum Wage Persuasive Essay1870 Words   |  8 PagesRaising minimum wage is a very controversial topic. Minimum wage became a federal law in 1938 and only it was only twenty-five cents. Today minimum wage has increased and is currently ten dollars and fifty cents. As one can see minimum wage has increased dramatically and will continue to increase. Minimum wage should not continue to increase at this rate because many businesses will be affected, the price of living will increase and it will alter the way people live. With this minimum wage is hurtingRead MorePersuasive Speech Draft (Minimum Wage) Essay745 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Kirsten Burroughs Professor Hart Persuasive Speech 04 December 2013 Intro: People of the middle class all know that the minimum wage of $7.25 is not sufficient to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. There is considerable evidence to show that the current generations comfortable lifestyles require a more luxurious price for standard living. The cost of living over the years has dramatically increased due to high consumer demands of products. As that being said, $7.25 is just not enough forRead Moreminimum wage1601 Words   |  7 Pagesfor the low-income workers and their families whenever the government increases the minimum wage. The United States Congress adopted the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. Congress created the minimum wage toward the end of the Depression era to ensure a minimum standard oPremium 2048 Words 9 Pages Macroeconomics: Should the Minimum Wage Increase? Should the Minimum Wage Increase? Minimum wage is the lowest wage permitted by law or by a special agreement that can be applied for an employee or putRead MoreWal Mart : A Necessary Evil? Essay975 Words   |  4 PagesWal-Mart: A Necessary Evil? It does not take a large amount of funding and private studies to see that Wal-Mart is a widely successful corporation that offers cheaper prices than their competitors. In Jack and Suzy Welch’s essay they argue that we should support businesses that help individuals, communities and whole economies prosper, they claim that, â€Å"Wal-Mart helps individuals, communities, and whole economies prosper† (161), so we should support Wal-Mart. On the other hand, Paul Krugman arguesRead MoreGoodmans Arguments Against Relativism in Some Moral Minima979 Words   |  4 Pagesrelativism Given the increasing globalization of modern society, combined with the influence of postmodernism, the philosophy of moral relativism has become increasingly popular and accepted within the academy. However, according to Lenn E. Goodmans essay Some moral minima, some things are just wrong. Goodman writes: All living beings make claims to life (Goodman 2010: 88). In other words, to protect the sanctity of human life, sometimes it is necessary to lay down certain absolute ground rules