The Myth and Reality of the American West Essay Example for Free

The Myth and Reality of the American West Essay We have all heard the stories about the old west. There are the infamous gunfights, the cowboys that steal all of the women’s hearts, and the many stagecoach robberies. But how can we tell fact from fiction? Where is the line drawn between the reality of the American west and the myth portrayed in the numerous books and movies? Everything may not have been as adventurous as we believe, or as glamorous. But the real question is: what is true and what is not? ​It is shocking how many misconceptions are made about the old west. I for one, definitely picture what most people probably do. Cowboys are always the first that come to mind. Everyone loved a rustic, rugged, handsome cowboy. They saved the day on all occasions a nd at the end of the day, went and swept the woman off her feet and they rode off into the sunset on horseback together. The cowboys were the â€Å"good guys† who wore the cowboy hat and boots and fought the â€Å"bad guys† in gunfights right outside of the bat-wing door saloons. A mental picture is drawn of two men with their backs to each other taking ten paces in opposite direction, only to draw guns and fight â€Å"fairly† after turning around. Cowboys were the ultimate white, southern gentlemen who always won the lady’s heart. There are, of course, many other myths about the old west. For instance, the legal system; there is the town sheriff with the star badge and uniform worn at all times, who just happens to show up whenever there is trouble. The sheriff settles disputes that break out amongst townspeople and always makes the right decision, in putting the bad guy in jail to bring the ever-so unpredictable outcome of a â€Å"happy ending†. ​ The popular song, â€Å"Cowboy Take Me Away† by the country music group the Dixie Chicks, reinforces almost all concepts of the myth of the American west. The chorus is: â€Å"Cowboy take me away. Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue. Set me free oh I pray. Closer to heaven above and closer to you, closer to you.† This is a prime example of the misconstrued ideas about the west. This verse portrays exactly what every naà ¯ve person believes about this subject. The handsome cowboy comes to take you away to a place where you can forget all cares and troubles you have. He has come to carry you off into the sunset where the two of you will live together where only love and happiness matters. Living the simple life with the man of her dreams, who will treat her with respect and love her unconditionally, is the fantasy of every woman. The entire song portrays the beauty and simplicity of nature and life in the west, where the hustle and bustle of everyday life , elsewhere, doesn’t exist. Who wouldn’t want that? If it only existed†¦ What is the reality of the American west? Well contrary to popular belief, cowboys weren’t actually the heroes. Cowboys were of all races and were mostly poor farm boys. Cowboys were just what the name states which is, males who raised and herded cattle for a living. Most women fell for the wealthy men of a higher class than for mere â€Å"farm boys†. The west wasn’t peaceful, pleasant place that most people picture it as, except for the occasional bad guy. There were many problems in the west including lack of good food, lack of money, constant fighting with Indians over territory, and increasing violence (this was especially true when saloons, brothels, and gambling dens began to open). Another misconception of this time was that of the legal system. In all actuality there was not one at all. It wasn’t until much later, after problems increased even more, that a so called legal system was developed. This was the miners’ courts. Miners in the area served on a jury and settled disputes in that way. This was a very inefficient system, because the miners favored the powerful, popular, and wealthy. The poor, weak, and unpopular were often charged with crimes they didn’t commit. Hollywood has come up with many different ways to make the old west seem so exciting and adventurous. Whether it’s through a song, an old movie, or a fictional book, the myth of the American west comes across as the truth for most people. The truth is never as interesting, so we depend on made up stories to entertain us.

A Formalist Approach to Eavan Boland’s The River :: Boland River Essays

A Formalist Approach to Eavan Boland’s The River Over the years many different ways of analyzing poetry have been developed. One such approach is the â€Å"New Critical,† or the â€Å"Formalist,† which is based on the writings of Coleridge. The formalist approach is useful because it takes the poem’s form, which may be overlooked, and analyzes it to see what its effect is on the meaning of the poem. There are other aspects taken into consideration, like who the speaker is and how the author incorporates â€Å"ironic awareness† into the poem. Eavan Boland’s message in â€Å"The River† comes across best when looking at the poem with the formalist approach, taking into consideration the speaker and the speaker’s situation, the organic form, and the use of irony. Some aspects may have more importance than others, but all need to be looked at, beginning with the speaker. Using the hints within the poem, I see the speaker as possibly being an adult writing or talking to a parent or some unspecified figure about her early childhood. The speaker could be looking back at a time when someone took her to a river, and she is reporting what she saw. There is textual evidence to support all of these claims. The possibility the speaker is looking back at a childhood experience is shown when she writes, I remember how strange it felt- not having any names for the red oak and the rail and the slantways plunge of the osprey. (6-12) I see the speaker as possibly being a child because the speaker remembers not knowing the actual names of what she saw. A young child wouldn’t know â€Å"rail† or the osprey’s dive, probably using a word such as â€Å"birdie.† The other choice for the speaker is an adult, who is speaking about a time spent at a river in a foreign land. This is the choice I see as most likely possible because the speaker says it feels strange to not know the names, yet as a child I never felt odd because I didn’t know a type of bird.

Intercultural communication Essay

Prejudice The purpose of this paper is to discuss the idea that ‘prejudice can never be eliminated because it is so deeply rooted in human nature. ’ This idea seems to be accurate when reflecting on daily events, which occur in society. Most people believe that they are not prejudiced against others, but more often than not, they are prejudiced even when they are not aware of that fact. For example, it is a known fact within the criminal justice system, that members of ethic minority groups are found guilty more often in cases where there is insufficient evidence. This situation is extremely common especially when the jury is composed of Caucasians. â€Å"More diverse juries, specifically ones that include black and white members, are more likely to share information, make fewer errors in evaluating the facts, and perhaps reach fairer verdicts than all-white juries,† (MacGregor, 2006). Moreover, ethnic minorities receive longer prison sentences that Caucasians for the same criminal offenses. It is human nature to sympathize more with people who are similar to us and to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, when dealing with people who are completely different from us we are more likely to discriminate, subconsciously and sometimes consciously. â€Å"Ordinary racism is very hard to see if you are white,† (Blee, 2003). In general, America is an ethnocentric country. When Americans travel all around the world, we will notice that in most countries the people speak several languages and learning different languages is something to be proud of. However, in America, we do not want to accept other languages into the American culture. We think that the English language is somehow superior and believe that the rest of the world should try to learn ‘our’ language. Even when we do business globally, we expect our global business partners to speak English while we make no effort to learn their languages. We make comments such as ‘they drive on the wrong side of the street’. How is it that they are wrong and we are correct? We express disgust when we hear that some countries in Asia eat ‘dogs. ’ We do not realize that some cultures in Asia are disgusted with Americans because we eat ‘cows. ’ Who decided that dogs are superior to cows? Ethnocentrism often leads to danger. We misunderstand others because we can only see the world through our eyes, and we fail to realize that the problem is not the other culture. â€Å"The problem is that we do not understand and we don’t know that we don’t understand,† (Barger, 2004). I believe that the best way to lessen the negative effects prejudice is through education and personal experiences. We need to learn more about different ethnic groups, other countries and foreign languages. The most effective way is to travel to different countries. If this is not possible, we can begin by making friends with people from different cultural backgrounds and make an effort to understand their views of the world. We are becoming a global society, and in the future we will be forced to learn more about other cultures. We may even be required to learn other languages. I believe that people are more alike than different. Everyone has something in common with someone from a different ethnic group. We should make a connection. This will lead to a better understanding of others and ourselves. This will also help to reduce prejudice. References Barger, K. (2004). Ethnocentrism. What is it? Why are People Ethnocentric? What is the Problem? What Can We do About it? Retrieved April 16, 2007, from http://www. iupui. edu/~anthkb/ethnocen. htm Blee, K. (2003). In C. Gill Created Equal. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from http://www. umc. pitt. edu/PITTMAG/summer2003/feature1. html MacGregor, H. (2006). When Diversity Adds Fairness. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from http://ase. tufts. edu/psychology/sommerslab/LATimes. html.

Negotiation Strategy Analysis

The first article is retrieved from Bloomberg. com â€Å"Saudi Oil Tanker Owners in Negotiations with Pirates† where the Saudi Arabian supertanker hijacked off the coast of Somalia. The supertanker belongs to Saudi Arabia's state-owned shipping line, Vela International Marine Ltd. The negotiation is between the pirates that have captured the Sirius Star and the owners of the Saudi Arabian supertanker. The pirates have the advantage in the negotiation because they have the 25 crew with different nationalities as hostage, and the tanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil worth $110 million. Saudi Arabia is unlikely considering an armed response because it may endanger the crew, and would require a great deal of international agreement and cooperation. The ship is carrying Liberian flag, owned by a Saudi company, in Somali waters, with so many nationalities onboard. The owners have to pay ransom money for the safe delivery of the supertanker. The hijackers can actually force the owners into paying large ransom money (Alexander, & Krause, November 19, 2008). The second article is retrieved from the Eagle Tribune: â€Å"Fate of Detroit's Big 3 will trickle down locally†, where the CEO's of the big three automakers, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have united to lobby Congress for a 25 billion loan. The negotiation is between the big three automaker companies and the government. The arguments is if their companies goes under, and one of them declared bankruptcy, an estimates of as high as 2. 5 million U. S jobs losses and more than 730,000 workers will be unemployed. This is a pressure tactic utilized to force the government to give the $25 billion loan (Kirk, November 26, 2008). The two negotiation articles describe a negotiation situation that employs different negotiation strategies. The first article, the pirates uses distributive bargaining strategy which is characterized by mistrust and suspicion, designed to beat the other party (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006). The pirates have the advantage over the owner by intimidating or threatening to eradicate the crew and the supertanker. While on the other hand, the three car automakers and the government uses integrative negotiation strategy which is characterized by openness and trust, designed to achieve the best possible solution for all parties involve (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006). The US government cannot be forced to provide a loan to the three auto companies, the only possible way to persuade them of giving $25 billion dollars to the three automakers is the possibility of loss of millions of jobs and the increase of unemployment in the event the automakers goes under or declared bankruptcy. The comparison between the two situations is both negotiation disputes are used to influence the other party to part with money. The first scenario is the owners of the supertanker, and the US government on the second scenario. In both scenarios, the stand taken by the negotiators is â€Å"pay or otherwise†. Each situation involved, terms, counter offers, and demands placed by the parties from which the payment is claimed.

Cherokee Tribes essays

Cherokee Tribes essays The Cherokee Indians were one of the civilized tribes in the United States. They were located in the southeastern part of the U.S. This includes the western parts of North and South Carolina, The northern parts of Alabama and Georgia, Southwest Virginia and the Cumberland basin of Tennessee. It appears the Cherokee settled in 1000 A.D. to 1500 A.D. Their development took place in to stages or phases. The Pisgah which took place 1300 A.D. to 1540 A.D. and the Qualla which took place 1540 A.D. to 1750 A.D. The first period was primitive and the second was influenced by European contact. They were a large tribe that was part of the Iroquian language group even though their language is very different. Despite this the Cherokee developed written language due to contact with the white men. They were very interested in learning the white men ways. Although there is a lot written about the Cherokee and Europeans, the focus here will be Cherokee life including daily life, marriage, governmen t, and war. Cherokee villages consisted of groups of relatives that included members of at least four clans. They grew crops outside their villages. There were also some fields inside the villages. Each family had a marked section of the field. Both men and women helped in farming every section. As with many tribes the men were responsible for hunting, fishing, building houses and council lodges, made important decisions, performed religious ceremonies, trained young boys and defended the village. The Cherokee women were responsible for the home, raising the children, helping in the fields, preparing and gathering food, washing and making clothes, and making baskets and pottery. Even though The Cherokee were a matrilineal society only certain women were allowed to have input in council decisions. The Cherokee had many rules and regulations to live by and since they have a strong sense of tradition these rules were not challenged until they came into c...

4 Publications of the Harlem Renaissance

4 Publications of the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, was actually a cultural phenomenon that began in 1917 with the publication of Jean Toomers Cane. The artistic movement ended in  1937 with the publication of Zora Neale Hurstons novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. For twenty years, Harlem Renaissance writers and artists explored themes such as assimilation, alienation, racism, and pride through the creation of novels, essays, plays, poetry, sculpture, paintings, and photography. These writers and artists would not have been able to launch their careers without having their work seen by the masses. Four notable publications- The Crisis, Opportunity, The Messenger and Marcus Garveys Negro World printed the work of many African-American artists and writers-helping the Harlem Renaissance become the artistic movement that made it possible for African-Americans to develop an authentic voice in American society. The Crisis Established in 1910 as the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), The Crisis was the preeminent social and political magazine for African-Americans. With W. E. B. Du Bois as its editor, the publication stuck by its subtitle: A Record of the Darker Races by devoting its pages to events such as the Great Migration. By 1919, the magazine had an estimated monthly circulation of 100,000. That same year, Du Bois hired Jessie Redmon Fauset as literary editor of the publication. For the next eight years, Fauset devoted her efforts to promoting the work of African-American writers such as Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen. Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life As the official magazine of the National Urban League (NUL), the mission of the publication was to lay bare Negro life as it is. Launched in 1923, editor Charles Spurgeon Johnson began the publication by publishing research findings and essays. By 1925, Johnson was publishing literary works of young artists such as Zora Neale Hurston. That same year, Johnson organized a literary contestthe winners were Hurston, Hughes, and Cullen. In 1927, Johnson anthologized the best pieces of writing published in the magazine. The collection was entitled Ebony and Topaz: A Collectanea and featured the work of members of the Harlem Renaissance. The Messenger The politically radical publication was established by A. Philip Randolph and Chandler Owen in 1917. Originally, Owen and Randolph were hired to edit a publication entitled Hotel Messenger by African-American hotel workers. However, when the two editors wrote a blaring article that exposed union officials of corruption, the paper ceased printing. Owen and Randolph quickly rebounded and established the journal The Messenger. Its agenda was socialist and its pages included a combination of news events, political commentary, book reviews, profiles of important figures and other items of interest. In response to the Red Summer of 1919, Owen and Randolph reprinted the poem If We Must Die written by Claude McKay. Other writers such as Roy Wilkins, E. Franklin Frazier, and George Schuyler also published work in this publication. The monthly publication stopped printing in 1928.   The Negro World Published by the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), The Negro World had a circulation of more than 200,000 readers. The weekly newspaper was published in English, Spanish, and French. The newspaper was dispersed throughout the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean. Its publisher and editor, Marcus Garvey, used the pages of the newspaper to preserve the term Negro for the race as against the desperate desire of other newspapermen to substitute the term colored for the race. Every week, Garvey provided readers with a front-page editorial concerning the plight of people in the African Diaspora. Garveys wife, Amy, served as an editor as well and managed the Our Women and What They Think page in the weekly news publication. In addition, The Negro World included poetry and essays that would interest people of African descent throughout the world. Following Garveys deportation in 1933, The Negro World  stopped printing.

Development of a Dispatch System for Fire Brigade Essay

Development of a Dispatch System for Fire Brigade - Essay Example Moving on, the application design should have the same data formatting as the platform on which it runs. Issues specific to fire fighting dispatch systems A global dispatch software solution for fire brigade needs to consider several aspects. For instance, it needs to incorporate mobile computing, which will enable actual fire brigadiers to access the same incident information as is available to operators. Additionally, mobile computing should allow for automatically updating incident activity logs and status reports through a secure source. It is critical to reduce response time rates to the minimum in life-death situations such as fire hazards (Walz, Krumperman and Zigmon 245). Moreover, an element of interoperability should be introduced in the global version of dispatch system. It is integral for a global dispatch software solution to offer data-sharing capabilities amongst multiple agencies across widespread jurisdictions. The introduction of interoperability will be beneficial in a variety of ways. For instance, it will help in improving situational knowledge, incident planning, and greatly reduce response time rate (Brennan and Krohmer 80). This will also improve the extensive interface facilities in the overall despatch software. Lastly, the global fire brigade despatch system should contain reporting and analytical capabilities. This will allow public safety organizations all over the globe to more effectively manage the plethora of valuable information generated daily. This aspect should be specifically tailored in consideration of the requirements of local fire brigades in order to aid in more effective decision-making. Changes in the software development process of the company For developing successful international software, aspects that... This essay stresses that system information will be crucial in the success of a globalized dispatch fire brigade system. This is because system information contained in processes make up an application, system information files, or system servers. The sharing factor will allow fire brigades globally to fulfill their reporting and analytical responsibilities. Moreover, the operating system of this internationalized dispatch software should support universal coordinated time. Graphical terms and symbols used for denoting particular system components need to be localized to aid understanding. The internationalized software should also disallow inputting prohibited or problematic characters in naming files or directories. data exchange should be modified to facilitate the transfer of information across globe as quickly as possible. This will aid in identifying the nearest fire brigade to the accident scene and simultaneously equip those fire fighters with the same information as the loca l operator. This paper makes a conclusion that the development of internationalized software for fire brigades will enable response teams to identify easily the geographical locations of the accidents, nearest response vehicles by providing first responders with the same incident information as dispatchers. Thus, this software will not only escalate the performance of response teams, but also more importantly, save more lives and properties all around the globe.