... gets smaller every year (Lynch). Unfortunately, because of the dwindling number of survivors, and the ill health and old age of the remaining ones, this ceremony will be the last one conducted by the survivors' association (Lovett). "We had no choice," said William H. Eckel, who previously directed the Fourth Division of the association. "Wives and family members have been trying to keep it operating, but they just can ... 't do it. People are winding up in nursing homes and intensive care units" (Lovett). Harry Kerr, another survivor and director of the Southeast chapter, said, "We just...

• Word Count: 589
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... reasoning, you must know the average cost of food being transported from where it was produced to where you find it in your own neighborhood. The cost is measured in terms of miles traveled and the gallons of fuel it takes to transport it. On average, it travels a distance of 1,500 miles and uses up 400 gallons of fuel to be available for your convenience. Aside from ... being costly, this method of obtaining food has a large, and often unnecessary, contribution to the problems of pollution and global warming. You will also want to keep in mind the natural ... disasters that have interf...

• Word Count: 464
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , "There may well be no better record of the strange life of a geisha than the one Sayuri offers" (2). The setting of the novel was in a popular geisha district of Gion in Kyoto, and we are given in great detail throughout the story of what a geisha's life was like. Sayuri recalls her early childhood by the name of Sakamoto Chiyo. She wasn't born to be a Kyoto geisha. She was only ... in my life. Arthur Golden used years and a bit of information of what was going on in the world in that given year. I think this was what can make a historical fiction book seem like it had actually happene...

• Word Count: 1570
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• Grade Level: High School

... be some more patients or they'll send us away."" As the war continues the number of wounded increases and Cat is able to stay. The war undoubtedly has the greatest influence in the story as it manages to bring, and keep, the two lovers together. The historical setting also influences the heavy-drinking, free-caring lives that the characters live. During the early ... began using their power to single out the free thinkers' in an attempt to subdue the uprising. This is noticeable when the officers are discussing the controversial Black Pig novel and the major states " All thinking men ar...

• Word Count: 666
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Drama - Social and Historical Context Arthur Miller was born to a Jewish family in New York in 1915. His grandparents had come to America from Poland. When the family business failed, they moved to Brooklyn, where A View from the Bridge is set. He began to write plays while he was a student at the University of Michigan. He received much acclaim from All My Sons in 1947; Death of a Salesman (1949) - which ... his name as a writer, Miller worked in the Brooklyn shipyards for two years, where he befriended the Italians he worked alongside. He heard a story of some men coming over to work illega...

• Word Count: 543
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• Grade Level: High School

It is often called America's first great war novel, yet Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage is more than just a tale about the civil war. Each person goes through his or her own personal struggle during the process of maturing. Some have this easy; others strive very hard to reach this goal of development. Although there may be constant struggles, there usually is one major event that creates somewhat of a bridge between childhood and adulthood. The Red Badge of Courage traces the steps and major events in the life of Henry Fleming, focusing mainly on his evolution into manhood. We meet H...

• Word Count: 178
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• Grade Level: High School

... . Marco is played by Frank Sinatra, who is all-American himself. By simply using Sinatra, and American icon, to portray the hero of the film, the American is depicted as an all-around wholesome do-gooder. Within the context of the film the character of Marco is constantly dedicated to the cause of keeping a free world which is safe from communism; this sends the message that this is ... are good at heart. The communists, in contrast to the Americans in The Manchurian Candidate, are shown as nothing but manipulative and evil, whether for the sake of the party of for their own self progres...

• Word Count: 1390
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• Grade Level: High School

... is a fabrication. During the Nanking Massacre, the Japanese committed a litany of atrocities against innocent civilians, including mass execution, raping, looting, and burning. It is impossible to keep a detailed account of all of these crimes. However, from the scale and the nature of these crimes as documented by survivors and the diaries of the Japanese militarists, the chilling evidence of this historical tragedy is indisputable. THE TRAGEDY AT YANGTZE RIVER II ANNIHILATION ... two lives ended like this. (Ref. XinHua Daily, Feb 24th, 1951) Many women were killed after being raped. O...

• Word Count: 7379
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• Grade Level: High School

60 years ago, My grandfather's generation turned their heads while evil took hold of our world. His generation received a punch in the chin when it wasn't looking at Pearl Harbor. History tells us how his generation responded. My generation has turned its head while the evil of terrorism has taken hold of this world. On Sept. 11th, we received a punch in the chin while we weren't looking. How will my generation respond? I hope with the same patriotism, loyalty, and resolve that my grandfather's did. This is a tragedy. it should have never happened. I'm only 16 but this has affected my life and...

• Word Count: 206
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• Grade Level: High School

... are completely surrounded by ocean. The boys, isolated from society, must now create their own. The island is ultimately a natural environment "untamed by man", uncivilized and primitive. Golding tries to convey the island like a cage confining the boys and isolating them from the rest of the world. We are told in the story that "no boy could reach even the reef over the stretch ... ". This gives us the sense that the boys are trapped. Golding brings the island to life through personifications: "among the skull-like coco-nuts. The dumb sand. The wind roared". This helps visualize the isl...

• Word Count: 271
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• Grade Level: High School

... " (Bennett 225). Michener's love of setting and of geography is extremely apparent in this story. Michener's illustration in Fires of Spring is one that takes place in America. A poor Quaker orphan who travels across the country visiting every state but Florida, Washington, and Oregon (Cusick 492). The orphan however, spends much of his time in Pennsylvania and then onto New York from the 1920's to 1930's (Bennett 226). The ... . James Press, 1996. Cusick, Edmund. "James A. Michener: Overview." Twentieth-Century Historical Writers. Ed. Vasudevan, Aruna. 3rd edition. Minneapolis: St James ...

• Word Count: 1107
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Jews stayed within the boundaries of it. Just to examine some numbers from a historical standpoint it is noted that by September of 1942 Police Battalion 101 had participated in the deportation of some 78 Poles and more than 15,000 Jews. To look at the overall operations of Police Battalion 101 between the fall of 1941 and the spring of 1945 they participated in the loading of 260 trains that took ... German, Austrian, and Czech Jew directly to the ghettos and death amps of the ... place them on trains that were bound for work or concentration camps. The Germans also proceed to kill man...

• Word Count: 1746
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... be more terrorist attacks. With the President declaring war upon all terrorists and the countries that harbor them, our country will be making a lot of enemies. That is why the war we must fight is one of vigilance. By vigilance, I mean that we must be patient and constantly alert. We cannot afford to fall back asleep when our vulnerability has been spotlighted. America has had ... a long time of relative peace since the end of the cold war. Now we must grow up and take a hard look at the dangers of the modern world. No one wants to live his life constantly in fear. Many say we should l...

• Word Count: 678
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• Grade Level: High School

... , they can say that they've won. But what about the families of those who died? Just because of United States policies or the U.S. supporting Israel in the Palestinian war, does it mean these people responsible have to get revenge and kill the innocent people? Why do they have to kill? God said "Thou shall not kill" What part don't they understand in the sentence? I myself is scared ... that it might turn into World War III, I hope not. If I only have the power to make ... people understand that war is incorrect, I"d do it. This world needs peace and unity. To be able to start this ... ...

• Word Count: 517
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• Grade Level: High School

... during the years, Austria had quarrels with Serbia, which had become more explosive. Therefore Austria seized the chance of a war between them by accusing Serbia for the assassination. However this war was supposed to remain local. Nonetheless the Austro-Serb quarrel explains the outbreak of the war, however it does not explain why it became a world war. These are a few reasons that are ... suggested for the escalation of the world war. However some are more plausible than others: o Naval race between Britain and Germany o Economic Rivalry o Russia made war more ... likely by backing u...

• Word Count: 421
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... setting of this book takes place in Chicago's Southside, sometime between World War II and the present. The main characters are Ruth Younger, Walter Lee Younger, Beneatha Younger, and Lena Younger. Lena Younger is the mother of Beneatha and Walter. Ruth Younger is Walter's wife. Walter wants to have a liquor shop and wants the money that Lena Younger is suppose to get that belonged to her husband. Beneatha needs money to ... nobody or fight no causes but we will try to be good neighbors. That's all we got to say. We don't want your money." Walter decides to move into the house so the who...

• Word Count: 443
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• Grade Level: High School

... seems a normal life. Germany is another important setting in the book, especially the city of Dresden. During the war Billy pilgrim is captured by the Germans and is held as a prisoner of war in Dresden. In Germany Billy undergoes the painful experiences of captivity and violence that cause him to start skipping through time. This setting mirrors the narrators the most. Vonnegut having ... experienced war and imprisoned in Dresden himself. Another important setting in the story is the planet of Tralfamadore, where Billy is taken to by aliens. ... There he is held against his will and di...

• Word Count: 521
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• Grade Level: High School

This extraordinary novel tells about a Japanese family that struggles to remain a family while living in an internment camp. The only thing that gave them the endurance and heart to go on was their national anthem. "May thy peaceful reign last long. May it last for thousands of years, Until this tiny stone will grow into a massive rock, and the moss will cover it deep and thick." This family goes through many hardships while living in Manzanar, some of them being having to live in barracks, living with a drunken father, and not eating their traditional foods. In my opinion, "Farewell to Manzan...

• Word Count: 201
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... . In one instance Heller makes a point by joking about death. In his novel he makes the army unable to recognize that Mudd is dead and Doc is alive because they have more faith in the military's records than the reality of one live body and one dead body (Miller 43). Furthermore, the main character in Catch-22, Yossarian, is essentially based on Heller ... Yossarian that Heller conveys a sense of his own experience in war and his own fear of dying in combat. The realism and entertaining effect brought by Heller's use of his own experiences attracted an unlikely audience to his anti-war no...

• Word Count: 896
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... They also represent man's survival instinct, "Memory of their new and shameful loyalty came to them."" They are not afraid to do whatever is necessary to survive. All of the boys, with the exception of Simon demonstrate traces of evil. Ralph gives away Piggy's name when he has promised not too. Piggy, along with Ralph, helps kill Simon. Jack and Roger become connected with evil from the time they ... kill their first pig. At the same time, all of these characters cling to their English heritage as a reason to maintain society. "After all, we're not savages. We're English; and the Englis...

• Word Count: 4223
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• Grade Level: High School

... named Jack wants to be chief, and he does not like Ralph very much. The first person Ralph met when he first landed on the Island is a boy named "Piggy". As chief, Ralph says that whoever has the Conch Shell can talk. They decide that a boy named Jack will be the leader of the hunters. He and his team go out and kill pigs for food ... . They build a fire using Piggy's glasses and the sun to start a fire. A young boy states that he saw a "beast" on the Island. Another team of kids construct huts for shelter. A young boy is killed when Jack's team does a reenactment ... of the hunting and...

• Word Count: 344
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... population. Steinbeck grew up learning and constantly hearing about these problems and events. These things influenced Steinbeck's writing through references to these problems throughout his literature (Tuttleton). During his life, Steinbeck lived through many historical events in both the world and the United States. He lived through three wars and was apart of one. He lived through World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. Steinbeck was ... . He changed literature forever and will continue to leave a legacy in people today. Steinbeck's life played a major role in how he interpret...

• Word Count: 1462
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• Grade Level: High School

... its boughs more silent than before." In looking closer at the time she lived you see that she lived during World War I and II. This would have been a time of intense love for a short time period as "young lads" went off to war. She knows that for a short time there was a rich warmth in her life "I only know that summer sang in me ... " and now that it is gone. Edna St. Vincent Millay may or may not have been talking about loves lost in war, but she definitely speaks to today's society. The poem speaks of not remembering those that you have loved and who have loved you. That it is a terri...

• Word Count: 332
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... democracy. As liberal democracy slowly spreads, this will eventually eliminate all conflicts, except for the ones motivated by economic development. Fukuyama cites the defeat of Japan and the imposition of American democracy there as an initial step to the democratization of other countries. Although we have stopped making history, Fukuyama believes that Third World countries are still rich in it. He states that conflicts between ... democracy spreads, the world will be a "boring" place to live in. I partly agree with Fukuyama's view on history. I agree with Fukuyama in the fact that hi...

• Word Count: 528
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... . Throughout the novel "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", De Bernieres presents the experience of World War II on the various characters in many different ways. Thnarrative points of view helps to make the story more believable and interesting to us. In chapter 4, we see the character of Carlo who is a homosexual full of romantic notions about love and war. However, during the war in Albania he experiences the true horrors ... of war and the pain of loving his beloved Francisco. He is traumatised by this horrible ... first time no one recognises him except the cat. His appearance suggests th...

• Word Count: 489
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School