The Road Not Taken Essays (802 words) - The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken The Road Not Taken - An Analysis Do not follow where the path may lead... Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -Robert Frost Everyone is a traveler, choosing the roads to follow on the map of their continuous journey, life. There is never a straight path that leaves one with but a sole direction in which to head. Regardless of the original message that Robert Frost had intended to convey, his poem, The Road Not Taken, has left its readers with many different interpretations. It is ones past, present and the attitude with which he looks upon his future that determines the shade of the light that he will see the poem in. In any case however, this poem clearly demonstrates Frosts belief that it is the road that one chooses that makes him the man who he is. And sorry I could not travel both... It is always difficult to make a decision because it is impossible not to wonder about the opportunity cost, what will be missed out on. There is a strong sense of regret before the choice is even made and it lies in the knowledge that in one lifetime, it is impossible to travel down every path. In an attempt to make a decision, the traveler looks down one as far as I could. The road that will be chosen leads to the unknown, as does any choice in life. As much he may strain his eyes to see as far the road stretches, eventually it surpasses his vision and he can never see where it is going to lead. It is the way that he chooses here that sets him off on his journey and decides where he is going. Then took the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim. What made it have the better claim is that it was grassy and wanted wear. It was something that was obviously not for everyone because it seemed that the majority of people took the other path therefore he calls it the road less travelled by. The fact that the traveler took this path over the more popular, secure one indicates the type of personality he has, one that does not want to necessarily follow the crowd but do more of what has never been done, what is new and different. And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black. The leaves had covered the ground and since the time they had fallen no one had yet to pass by on this road. Perhaps Frost does this because each time a person comes to the point where they have to make a choice, it is new to them, somewhere they have never been and they tend to feel as though no one else had ever been there either. I kept the first for another day! The desire to travel down both paths is expressed and is not unusual, but knowing how way leads on to way, the speaker of this poem realizes that the decision is not just a temporary one and he doubted if I should ever come back. This is his common sense speaking and acknowledging that what he chooses now will affect every other choice he makes afterward. Once you have performed an act or spoken a word that crystalizes who you are, there is no turning back, it cannot be undone. Once again at the end of the poem the regret hangs over the traveler like a heavy cloud about to burst. He realizes that at the end of his life, somewhere ages and ages hence, he will have regrets about having never gone back and traveling down the roads he did not take. Yet he remains proud of his decision and he recognizes that it was this path that he chose that made him turn out the way and he did and live his life the way in which he lived. I took the road less trvaeled by and that had made all the difference. To this man, what was most important, what really made the difference, is that he did what he wanted, even if it

King Leopolds Ghost

King Leopolds Ghost Free Online Research Papers In the book by Adam Hochschild, â€Å"King Leopold’s Ghost† Hochschild coveys the story of a Belgium king who strives for expansion in the race to colonize the Africa state today know as Congo. King Leopold is a manipulator of his peers; a tyrant to those he forced his reign upon, a man centralized on power, wealth, and a murderer of the innocent. His actions in the Congo disregarded the wellbeing of his followers, compelled Africans into forced labor, and drained the wealth of his own Belgium state all in efforts of Leopold’s own benefit. The paper will answer the questions what is the ghost in King Leopold, what the terror behind the story is, why Leopold was an oppressor not a humanitarian, why greed was his main reason for expansion into Africa and finally who prevails as the hero? The ghost in King Leopold can be seen in many instances. One example is his manipulation of Henry Stanley who discovered the region of Congo through exploration into Africa. Leopold before meeting Stanley was looking to expand Belgium’s territory through any means necessary. At first he tried to purchase land from others countries like Spain and Portugal however, he was unable to sway them. Then Leopold heard of a man exploring a part of Africa that had yet been previously explored by the name of Stanley. Soon as Leopold heard word that Stanley was returning from his expedition Leopold immediately sent a trusted aid by the name of Sanford to intercept Stanley in France. Stanley agreed to meet with Leopold as the British were not interested in the inland territory of Congo. At the time all wealth in Africa was seen to come from costal territory. Leopold mainly wanted a stake in Africa and to expand territory. He knew the lands were rich with resources such as ivory which was hi ghly valued in Europe at the time. Furthermore Leopold’s ghost is lived through the eyes of his rulers. The man stepped inside Africa yet was able to establish and rule a territory that at its largest over 700 times the size of Belgium. The two men meet and an agreement is made that Stanley will return to Africa and establish a Belgium colony in Congo. This was partially a secret agreement as Leopold did not want other countries to hear the buzz about unclaimed land in Africa and he knew the people of his state would not approve of this expansion initiative. To cover Leopold’s plan he established the Internal Association of the Congo which he described as the countries desire to promote better living conditions for Africans in the region and to show support in the cause of abolishing slavery. Leopold also used this tactic to gain support from other countries claiming his humanitarian endeavors but actually hiding his real objective in colonizing a new territory in Africa which was another example of his use of manipulation. Stanley eventually set off and when he reached the Congo began to colonize establishing Leopoldville, Leopold Hill and Leopold River. (Pg. 67) Soon after, Stanley was given instructions from Leopold to peruse inland to further expand the territory using any means necessary. Another tactic by Leopold was drawing up unfair treaty’s that offered the natives clothing for the rights to their land in one example. (Pg.72) By the time Stanley returned to Europe over 450 villages and territories were gained through this practice. Another example of Leopold ghost is through Sanford who he sent to the America to gain the colonist support for the Congo expedition. Sanford was given instructions to tell the president that Leopold mission was much like the colonies of the Americas where individual states were maintain by one rules. Leopold ghost can also been seen through his all his officers in Africa who did his dirty work for him. These men manipulated the ghost is lived through the eyes of his rulers. The Ghost is lived through the eyes of his rulers. Africans, forced them into labor till exhaustion, raped women, murdered men and children and stole there land from under the Africans feet. The man stepped inside Africa yet was able to establish and rule a territory that at its largest over 700 times the size of Belgium. The terror behind the story is seen in two places in my mind. One is in the Congo where mass murder was taken place. Men, women, and children were all abused and used until they were extinguished of energy finally leading to their death through exhaustion or murder. Under his rule the population was greatly decreasing with little gain for Leopold who’s main objective was money above all else. The other side of the terror is how easily the other countries turned a blind eye on what Leopold was doing which was basically genocide. In the beginning they did not know but shortly after they had their suspicions especially when Williams, a free black American, wrote of his travel to Congo and photographed the atrocities of Leopold’s will. However with all this evidence the countries did not unite to stop King Leopold until and Morel made there accounts public. The King claimed to be a humanitarian but who could make sure claims when he stole all the Africans lands from under them, encouraged murder if money could be made and over all did nothing for these people but oppress them. He oppressed these people by taking their land, resources and forced them into slavery. Greed however, was the Kings main reason for expansion. He was money hungry for the wealth of the African resources’. Leopold would not let anyone stand in his way for this. He would lie, cheat, steal and manipulate anyone if money was involved. Certain that the Congo would make him rich Leopold used all his inherited money for the expansion project and when the money ran dry he manipulated his own Parliament to loaning the King a serious amount of money. The hero’s of this story are the people who spoke up against what was really going on in the Congo. First Williams spoke after traveling to the Congo where he saw dead Africans everywhere he walked, severed hands littered ground, women and men in shackles, baby’s left to starve, and forced labor. His accounts and images set the stage for both Morel and Casement to further investigate the Congo. These would be the men who would inform the world of what Leopold was doing in Africa. Both would make public through newspapers and pamphlets the real atrocities of the Congo. This would put Leopold in the position of the prey just as he had to the African for so many years. However with all their efforts the only thing that stopped Leopold was his death but their importance was not to stop Leopold but bring to light everything that was going on in the Congo. The story of King Leopold’s ghost shows the desperation of one mans greed with no regard to the people he affected. He lied, tortured, manipulated, and murdered innocent people. Leopold used his friends for his own benefit, drove his beloved Belgium into debt, separated families and oppressed a country that flourished with wealth and life. This man was no humanitarian; he was a murderer on genocidal proportions and his legacy will forever affect this part of Africa and our history books. 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Identity Development And Societal Attitudes of Gay, Lesbian And Essay

Identity Development And Societal Attitudes of Gay, Lesbian And Bisexual Adolescents - Essay Example ormation of self-identity is closely connected with the formation of sexual identity and as well as with individual’s sexual relations and societal behaviors. In the process of LGB identity formation and realization, an individual makes an attempt to solve a problem of internalized homophobia and redirects negative attitudes into negative attitudes. Further on, an individual feels comfortable when his â€Å"hidden† LGB identity is revealed by others. In order to trace the stages of LGB identity formation, it is relevant to refer to the modern literary sources that were focused on this issue. Having given a brief review to the modern scholarly journals, we can clearly see that identity formation among gays, lesbians and bisexuals is generally associated with the most important age stages. In these studies a linear research is provided. In other words, it is studied the way an individual is evolving from the stage of sexual attraction to sexual activities. In accordance w ith recent studies, the main changes in the process of identity development occurred among adolescent women and young men (Diamond, 2000, 2003; Dickson, Paul, & Herbison, 2003). If to summarize the results of these studies, we can see that very often adolescents do not identify them as LGB individuals. Thus, Diamond (2000;2003) has claimed that 70% â€Å"were consistent in their self-identification as lesbian, bisexual or unlabeled after two years, and 50% were consistent after five years† (cited from Hutson, 2009). Few young men identified themselves as â€Å"straight†. Among 216 bisexual males, only 17% became heterosexually oriented, while 15% remained homosexually oriented (Hutson, 2009). The reasons for such an unexpected shift among adolescents, who tend to develop their homosexual or lesbian... This paper stresses that there is a lack of humanity in the modern society. There are a lot of religious, social or homophobic principles that prevent people from being tolerant to people other than they. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there is a need to propagate a correct social stereotype about homosexuals and bisexuals. In case contemporaries remain homophobes, we would come closer to racist society. A propagation of a humane attitude to gays, lesbians and bisexuals is a relevant measure that has to be taken by the contemporaries. These individuals are full right citizens of our society. They should be free in making their personal choices and have the same freedoms as all other members of the society. There is no need to prevent these individuals from their right of becoming full-right participants of the society. Homosexuality is not an intimidating factor for the modern society. Thus, it is more relevant to be patient and tolerant to these individuals. Moreover, taking into account the fact that LGB individuals are responsive members of their communities, perfect parents and devoted spouse means that there is no deviance in the behavior of these individuals. It is better to create more favorable conditions for the full-fledged development of identities of LGB individuals. This report makes a conclusion that in case the modern society is more open to representatives of LGB, the latter would have a chance to live and function under no oppression. In this case, their self-and sexual identities would develop in harmony. Their clear sexual identification would facilitate a process of their further socialization. In spite of the fact that these people are often oppressed, they remain open and tolerant members of the society. If to treat them the way they treat all other people, the society would be more humane and full of respect.