Compare and Contrast the Reasons Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast the Reasons Essay Suppose you are taking a course on 19th-century America, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: Compare and contrast the reasons why the North and South fought the Civil War. You turn on the computer and type out the following: The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different. This weak thesis restates the question without providing any additional information. You will expand on this new information in the body of the essay, but it is important that the reader know where you are heading. A reader of this weak thesis might think, What reasons? How are they the same? How are they different? Ask yourself these same questions and begin to compare Northern and Southern attitudes (perhaps you first think, The South believed slavery was right, and the North thought slavery was wrong). Now, push your comparison toward an interpretation—why did one side think slavery was right and the other side think it was wrong? You look again at the evidence, and you decide that you are going to argue that the North believed slavery was immoral while the South believed it upheld the Southern way of life. You write: While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions. Now you have a working thesis! Included in this working thesis is a reason for the war and some idea of how the two sides disagreed over this reason. As you write the essay, you will probably begin to characterize these differences more precisely, and your working thesis may start to seem too vague. Maybe you decide that both sides fought for moral reasons, and that they just focused on different moral issues. You end up revising the working thesis into a final thesis that really captures the argument in your paper: While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government. Compare this to the original weak thesis. This final thesis presents a way of interpreting evidence that illuminates the significance of the question. Keep in mind that this is one of many possible interpretations of the Civil War—it is not the one and only right answer to the question. There isnt one right answer; there are only strong and weak thesis statements and strong and weak uses of evidence. Lets look at another example. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twains novel Huckleberry Finn. This will be easy, you think. I loved Huckleberry Finn! You grab a pad of paper and write: Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel. Why is this thesis weak? Think about what the reader would expect from the essay that follows: you will most likely provide a general, appreciative summary of Twains novel. The question did not ask you to summarize; it asked you to analyze. Your professor is probably not interested in your opinion of the novel; instead, she wants you to think about whyits such a great novel—what do Hucks adventures tell us about life, about America, about coming of age, about race relations, etc.? First, the question asks you to pick an aspect of the novel that you think is important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write: In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore. Heres a working thesis with potential: you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation; however, its still not clear what your analysis will reveal. Your reader is intrigued, but is still thinking, So what? Whats the point of this contrast? What does it signify? Perhaps you are not sure yet, either. Thats fine—begin to work on comparing scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Hucks actions and reactions. Eventually you will be able to clarify for yourself, and then for the reader, why this contrast matters. After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write: Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twains Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave civilized society and go back to nature. This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

The Constitution and The Articles of Confederation Essay -- bankrupt,

Bankrupt, and on her knees for solutions, America was in a state of distress. Politicians alike recognized that The Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1777, desperately needed revision as well as modification. Under the Articles, a Continental Congress had been shaped, which was allocated virtually no authority to collect revenue, handle domestic affairs, or control commercial trade. Shortly after the Revolutionary War, America, had no way of compensating soldiers, or honoring investors and foreign nations for their loans. Losing faith in the nation as a whole, the States asked the Continental Congress to organize the Constitutional Convention. Held in Philadelphia from May 14th to September 17th of 1787, fifty-five delegates from nation-wide convened at the capital to amend the voids never addressed in the original federal document. The Articles, was identical to a poorly tailored quilt. The entire quilt and each individual pattern, symbolized the unification of the fe deral and state governments. However, the quilt was tattered, and the seams frayed. The power of the federal government was reliant solely on the compliance of every state government. The founding father divided themselves into two parties, the Federalist, and the Anti-Federalist. The Anti-Federalist desired to patch and reinforce the Articles, while the Federalist supported the creation of a completely new quilt, the Constitution. Both parties argued upon hours on end, unable to answer the various fundamental questions such as, â€Å"How much power should be given to a central government?†, and â€Å"How should a central government function?†. For four months, the delegates debated how to promise rightful liberty to a nation, while promising stability, and pote... ... to recognize their own strength, as well as attempting to act in unison. Moreover, in the presence of immoral or dishonorable intentions, men would fail to communicate or assemble because doubt, and distrust would be incarnated â€Å"in proportion to the number whose concurrence is necessary.† Federalists not only the Constitution keep the Union secure, but Hamilton claimed that it would also amend the current issues regarding debt (Madison). Hamilton argued that commerce of the states should be managed in the hands of â€Å"a government capable of regulating, protecting, and extending the commerce of the Union.† Thus giving the general government a chance to relieve the Union’s post-war debt. Also, that failure to ratify the Constitution may incite a, â€Å"reunion with Britain,† most likely, â€Å"by the establishment of a son of the present monarch, George III (Hamilton).†

Description of a Subculture: Gymnastics Competitive Team Essay

Culture is the ways of thinking, acting and the material objects that form a people’s way of life. Within each culture there are many subcultures, which are cultural groups within a larger culture with similar beliefs. Many times, the subculture a person belongs to provide him/her with a sense of identity and belonging. Subcultures are characterized by their origin and the characteristics that define it. While growing up I belonged to many different subcultures, but my main one was my gymnastics competitive team. This was definitely the most influential and time-consuming subculture I was a part of and is considered a special interest subculture. Along with its origin, subcultures also have a set of characteristics that are used systematically and provide one with information. Characteristics include boundary rigidity, language/jargon, values, identifying signs, the degree of attachment and initiation rituals. Boundary rigidity refers to the subcultures’ exclusivity and how one can become a part of it. My gymnastics team was considerably exclusive. The team I was on consisted of about seven or eight people, who all started at the young age of about three or four. As little kids we practiced in hopes of becoming good enough to be part of the competitive team, knowing that it required a certain level of skills and commitment. This fact alone shows the high degree of exclusivity because not just anyone could become a part of this subculture, one had to work hard for it. As a part of the team, I had to be fully committed to giving up the majority of my free time. Most days, if I wasn’t at school I was at the gym practicing. Due to the high degree of exclusivity, I would consider this subculture to be very structured. There was always a schedule to follow: when to be at the gym, what events to practice and for how long, etc. Being a part of the team is significantly exclusive, but leaving is not necessarily as difficult, it was just very rare. After all of the hard work and time that a gymnast invests in the team, they usually don’t give it up easily. Therefore, this subculture has strong boundary rigidity. Another characteristic of a subculture is the language/jargon used by its members. Language can refer to the way its members walk, talk, carry  themselves, the slang words used, etc. Within my gymnastics team there was a lot of language we used that set us apart from other subcultures. The technical terms used in the sport of gymnastics is one of the obvious language barriers because only those who are familiar with the sport understand the terms and their meanings. The way gymnasts carry themselves also sets them apart from others. An example of this is when I was on the track team, a coach pointed out that I ran like a gymnast. Although I was not with my teammates or talking about gymnastics, the way I ran was an indicator of the subculture I was associated with. Values are another characteristic of a subculture. These are the group’s ideas about what is right or wrong, what’s important, how they view other people and so forth. As a part of a competitive gymnastics team, I grew up learning the values my coaches instilled in me time and time again. Things like hard work, dedication and commitment. As a part of the team, we all valued our coaches opinions and demands for what we were expected to do. At a young age we learned to that if you want something, you have to work to get it. We also learned that practicing and being in the gym was what was important, while free time and friends were not. Additionally, identifying signs is another characteristic of a subculture. This can be interpreted as labels, what the members are wearing/listening to/using and inside jokes or nicknames. There are three types of signs: private, public and covert. Private signs are displayed only to the subculture, public signs are shown to everyone and everyone knows what they mean and covert signs are displayed publicly, but are only known by the subculture. Some signs associated with gymnastics is the â€Å"DG† label, which is a brand of gymnastics sports wear. Most people wearing this participate in gymnastics and only those familiar with the sport would know the labels association with gymnastics. Another sign is the â€Å"USA Gymnastics† bumper sticker. This is a public sign that clearly shows association with the subculture. Furthermore, as a team we tend to become very close, so there tends to be a lot of inside jokes and nicknames used. These are covert signs because we would shout the nicknames or talk about the inside jokes publicly, but only we would know their meaning. The degree of attachment is another characteristic of a subculture. This refers to the groups’ importance to its members. As a gymnast, my degree of attachment to my team was very high. Having been involved in the sport for the majority of my childhood, I considered the sport my life. I would eat, sleep and breathe gymnastics; when I wasn’t doing it, I was thinking about it. Being on a competitive team, I would spend a lot of time at the gym, so my team and coaches became like a second family. At this point, it wasn’t just the sport I was attached to, it was the friends I made and the experiences I continued to have. As I grew older, my degree of attachment to the sport heightened. The sport became more demanding and as a result, the degree of attachment continued to rise. Even to this day, although I am not an active member of this subculture, I still consider myself a part of it and I am still very much attached. Once a gymnast, always a gymnast. Initiation rituals are the characteristics of a subculture that lets one know when they are a part of the group. For gymnastics, there was no set initiation ritual. You knew you were a part of the team when you finally achieved the skills required and the head coach asked you to start practicing with the team. Throughout ones’ life, he/she is a part of many different subcultures. For me, the most influential subculture I was a part of was my competitive gymnastics team. This is a special interest subculture with many characteristics that set it apart from other subcultures. It gave me my sense of identity, as well as a sense of belonging. It is where I devoted most of my time and energy and will forever be a part of who I am.

The Lease Of A Lease - 965 Words

From the previous example, we learned the Type A leases aligned with capital leases, and Type B leases aligned with operating leases, with a few differences. Under Type A leases, a lessee would recognize interest expense and reduction in liability and separately amortize the right-of through depreciation. Under Type B leases, a lessee would recognize a single lease expense each year and directly credit the right-of-use asset the amount of amortization. Advantage From an investor s perspective, the Proposed Standards would provide more transparency with regard to financial information disclosure. Under the current standard, operating leases are often categorized as off-balance-sheet financing. Financial statements might not be sufficient to reveal the true financial status of the company, especially for businesses heavily involved in leasing transactions such as real estate, trucks, manufacturing equipment, and constructions. However, the Proposed Standards require a comprehensive disclosure of assets and liabilities for both Type A and Type B leases. Investors in turn could obtain higher quality financial statements which better indicate leverage, operating assets, and risks of companies. Disadvantages First, the proposed classification provision removes the quantitative test standard, which explicitly indicates the numeric threshold such as lease term and contract value to determine the classification of lease. Instead, the new standard emphasized on the portion of theShow MoreRelatedLease Of Lease : Lease1207 Words   |  5 PagesLEASE THIS LEASE is made on April 25, 2016. BETWEEN the Tenant(s) TOM AND SONIA SMITH, whose address is 123 Main Street, Northampton, Pennsylvania, referred to as the â€Å"Tenant† or â€Å"Tenant(s) or â€Å"Tenets’†. AND the Landlord JAMES STECKER, whose address is 123 Main Street, Northampton, Pennsylvania, referred to as the â€Å"Landlord†. The word â€Å"Tenant(s)† means each â€Å"Tenant† named above. 1. Property. The Tenant(s) are to pay a monthly stipend which shall be referred to as rent and the Landlord agreesRead MoreLeases And The Lease Of Lease1650 Words   |  7 PagesLeases are an arranged contract in which the lessor (the owner) provides the lessee (the user) the right to use an asset (car, apartment, equipment, etc.) for a specified time period. To be able to do this, the lessee must agree to make arranged periodic payments during the term of the lease. 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