Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

For a person to be able to make a change in their life is a monumental task. To be able to make a change that can be life changing is a true test of a person’s will and desire. In the novel the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne changes from an adulteress that is despised by the community, to an able woman that the community depends on through her repentance of her sin, faith in transcendentalism, and her daughter Pearl.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hester Prynne is cast out as an adulteress from the Puritan society, because she had a baby with another man than her husband. â€Å"She may cover it with a brooch, or such like heathenish adornment, and so walk the streets as brave as ever!†(Hawthorne 49). The city is shocked by Hester’s embodiment of the scarlet letter on her chest; because the scarlet letter was suppose to represent her punishment for her sin. This was an insult to the community, and it shows how the community despised Hester’s presence of an adulteress. â€Å"Madam Hester absolutely refuseth to speak, and the magistrates have laid their heads together in vain†(58). When Hester mounted the scaffold she refused to speak to the ministry, and she refused to tell them who the father of the baby was. By not telling the ministry who the father was Hester was being defiant and took the burden of the punishment on herself, this is another reason why the community despised H ester when she was considered an adulteress. Her strong will and silence lead the community to hate Hester, because she would not bend to the community and show weakness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The change that Hester experiences occurs through the aid of her daughter Pearl, her strong belief in transcendentalism, and her repentance of her sin through aiding the community. â€Å"†¦that this brook is the boundary between two worlds†(119). Pearl crosses the brook to get away from Hester and Dimmesdale, after they have decided to go to Europe since it is better for his health. The brook and Pearl represent transcendentalism, while Dimmesdale represents the church, which shows how Hester has changed due to her belief in Transcendentalism. â€Å"I have no heavenly father!†(90). Pearl continually questions her mother about her father, and Hester tells her that she came from the heavenly father. By having Pearl, Hester is trying to raise her without having her make the same mistakes that she did, and in the transcendental belief, this is how Pearl is able to have a significant change on Hester.

How Accurate Is It to Say That Lenin’s Leadership?

How accurate is it to say that Lenin’s leadership was the most important reason for the Bolshevik’s success in the revolution of November 1917? Lenin’s leadership was to a large extent an important cause of the Bolshevik’s success in the November 1917 revolution. This is because of Lenin’s great leadership skills, including his personality and timing, and his use of propaganda.Other factors to why the Bolsheviks succeeded included Trotsky’s role, which was debatably more important, and the problems with the Provisional Government, which made it unpopular, increasing support to the Bolsheviks and meant that any future revolution was inevitable. Lenin’s leadership was crucial in a number of respects. He was a brilliant orator so the Bolsheviks were well led. At the Central Committee meeting on the 23rd October 1917, Lenin forced through an agenda item, when the leading Bolsheviks, Zinoviev and Kamenev, disagreed on it.This was crucial be cause Lenin was in exile in Switzerland and had fled to Finland more recently because of disasters resulting from the July Days. This shows how Lenin was obviously still the determined leader of the Bolsheviks, and in the face of a united opposition, he was still capable to force his views upon the party. Furthermore, Zinoviev and Kamenev’s correct interpretation of Marx was not enough to stall Lenin’s wish for an armed uprising. Lenin slightly changed Marxist theory by stating that the bourgeois revolution had enough time to complete industrialization.This further established how influential Lenin within the Bolsheviks and no one could compete with him even if it was obvious that his Marxist theory was wrong. The Bolshevik’s success would not have occurred in the armed uprising of the November 1917 revolution without Lenin’s leadership skills. Lenin’s leadership skills is linked to his popular slogans which gained support to the Bolsheviks whilst making the Provisional Government unpopular. Furthermore, Lenin was determined to transform the political state in Russia by overthrowing the Provisional Government.Before Lenin’s return in April 1917, the leading Bolsheviks, such as Kamenev and Stalin, actually supported the Government. There were major problems for the government, counting the central issues. People were suffering from the hardships of World War I including: a huge number of deaths at the front, hyperinflation, transportation breakdowns, empty shelves in stores and lack of fuel to heat people’s homes. These issues were linked in a cruel circle; the only way to end the economic and social crisis was to get out off war but by doing so, that would mean the withdrawal of foreign aid, which would create an economic crisis of its own.The central issues dissatisfied the proletariat, soldiers and peasants. When Lenin returned, he promised his most popular slogans, which were ‘Peace, Land and Bread†™ and ‘All Power to the Soviets’ which were designed to gain support for the Bolsheviks and undermine the Provisional Government. ‘Peace, Land and Bread’ was a popular message because ‘peace’ meant an instant end to conflicts and referred to Bolshevik opposition to war; ‘bread’ meant a promise of food in the towns and cities, and ‘land’ meant all of it to be nationalised for the peasantry.This was a popular message in a country tired of war and faced food shortages. This emphasised the Provisional Government’s support for the unpopular war and proved their failure to help the land and food shortages. Lenin’s solution ‘All Power to the Soviets’ made the workers and peasants believe that the Provisional Government was made up entirely of landowners and middle classes who would not look out for them. The slogans, therefore, allowed Lenin to give support to the Bolsheviks that they will have po wer whilst making the Provisional Government look weak and dependant on the ‘strong’ Bolsheviks.This is linked to how the weakness of the Provisional Government helped the Bolshevik’s support rise. It was the Provisional Government, which lead to direct attempts to defeat it; the Bolsheviks were lucky that the Provisional Government was weak. General Kornilov, dissatisfied with the Provisional Government and the muddled state of the army, called for its overthrow. He wanted a return of the death penalty for abandonment, the elimination of the Soviets and the appointment of himself as new leader.Kerensky firstly made proposals to Kornilov by asking him to join a coalition. When rejected, he had to ask the Petrograd Soviet to help him defend the capital. They agreed, but only once he had released the Bolshevik prisoners. He was therefore put into an unpleasant position of having to give weapons to a group of people who were wanted to defeat his government. In the e nd, Kornilov surrendered. The results were disastrous for the government. Politically, it lost support on both Left and Right.The Right-Wing were shocked that Kerensky had armed the communists. The Left were shocked that Kerensky had tried to compromise with Kornilov and turned instead to the organisation of the Bolsheviks. Militarily, the army lost all trust in the government and started to collapse. The Provisional Government was now extremely unpopular and helped make revolution inevitable with more Bolshevik support. Furthermore, The Kornilov Affair had followed the arming of the Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC).The MRC did not give its guns back to the Provisional Government once the crisis was over, which meant that there was an armed radical group at the core of the Petrograd who were progressively undertaking the orders of the Bolsheviks. In addition, the failure of Kornilov to get to Petrograd highlighted the power the MRC had over soldiers Clearly, after the Kornilov Affair, the Provisional Government could no longer trust the troops to protect them if their opponent were in the MRC. The Kornilov Affair therefore made the revolution inevitable.This is linked to Trotsky, who led the MRC, and how his role was crucial to the success of the Bolsheviks in the revolution. It was Trotsky who was the mastermind behind the actual planning and accomplishment of the uprising ever since he joined the Bolsheviks in May. Trotsky started the Pravda, a new workers-oriented newspaper, which got the Bolsheviks ideas across and helped the party run its own propaganda machine. Furthermore, on the evening of 24th October 1917, orders were given for the Bolsheviks began to occupy the railway stations, the telephone exchange and the State Bank.The next day the Red Guards, a private Bolshevik army established by Trotsky, surrounded the Winter Palace. The Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) of the Petrograd Soviet was set up to defend Soviets from Germans after the June offensive collapses. It was under the control of Trotsky and the Red Guards occupied crucial areas of Petrograd and arrested most of the Provisional Government, who were in the Winter Palace. Many of the members of the Provisional Government were arrested, but did not offer any confrontation. The MRC, however, did win over the support f the Peter/Paul fortress, with its 100,000 rifles. This shows how Trotsky had also organised and executed the Bolsheviks’ takeover with great competence. Trotsky was an important contribution as he was the organiser and gave the Bolsheviks the military power to win against the Provisional Government, which ended up numbering over 10,000. To conclude, Lenin’s leadership was crucial to a number of respects. However, other factors such as Trotsky’s role, including his great organisational skills, and the weakness of the Provisional Government, which helped increase Bolshevik support, are arguably more crucial.Lenin was a brillia nt speaker and powerful within the party. In the face of a united opposition between Zinoviev and Kamenev, Lenin was still able to force his views upon the party, which shows how no one could compete with him. His two famous slogans ‘All Power to the Soviets’ and ‘Peace, Land and Bread’ allowed Lenin to give support to the Bolsheviks that they will have power. However, Lenin was lucky that the Bolsheviks’ opponent, the Provisional Government, was weak.There was little support for the Provisional Government within the Petrograd. The Provisional Government failed to tackle the worst issues like the food shortages for example. The Kornilov Affair also created political and military problems for the government, which made revolution inevitable. Furthermore, Trotsky played a much important role as he gave the Bolsheviks the military power due to his organisational and timing skills. Lenin did help the Bolsheviks succeed in the November 1917, but only to a certain extent.

The Definition of Liberty - 588 Words

In New York there is a 250-ton green statue dressed in a robe, holding a torch and tablet with broken chains at the feet. In 1886, the statue was given to the United States as a gift to symbolize liberty. The statue is the Statue of Liberty. She is dressed in a robe to symbolize the Roman goddess of freedom, Libertas. She holds a torch and a tablet to symbolize evoking the law. Many individuals visit the Statue of Liberty, hoping to understand what liberty means. Liberty has many interpretations and it is not confined to one meaning. To truly understand the meaning of liberty, an individual must understand the different types of liberties that are available to Americans. Visiting the Statue of Liberty will not fully define the concept of what liberty truly means; an individual must understand the definition, the characteristics, the types, and what liberty is not. First, an individual needs to understand the definition of liberty. Liberty is derived from the Latin word â€Å"Liber,à ¢â‚¬  which means free. Liberty means an individual is able to to live in a society that is free of oppressive restrictions on how to live ones life, behave, or ones political views. An individual commonly expresses liberty as: freedom, independence, autonomy, emancipation, and liberation. Next an individual must understand the characteristics of liberty. There are two characteristics of liberty, negative liberties and positive liberties. Negative liberties are liberties that do not have possessShow MoreRelated Defining Freedom - Definition By Experience Essay1198 Words   |  5 PagesDefining Freedom - Definition By Experience â€Å"Freedom† is a very difficult term to define with a short, simple statement. It is loaded with so much meaning because every person has a different set of personal experiences and ideas that can apply to their own concept of what experiencing freedom is all about. In defining freedom, it is best to start with a wide array of different ideas and put them together to create one major explanation that encompasses all the ideas. The Oxford English DictionaryRead MoreLaw, Business, And Society : Writing Assignment1601 Words   |  7 Pagesthe right to marry for same-sex couples as one of the Constitution’s fundamental liberties. In this paper, I will be discussing the criticisms that Chief Justice Roberts makes against majority opinion, my agreement with his views of marriage as a fundamental right, Justice Thomas’s dissent of the definition of â€Å"liberty,† the upholding of the initial ruling of Loving v. Virginia under Justice Thomas’s views o f liberty, and Justice Scalia’s dissent focused on the separation of judicial and legislativeRead MoreDefining Freedom in Eric Foners The Story of American Freedom1185 Words   |  5 Pageshistorical monograph about how liberty came to be. In the book, his argument does not focus on one fixed definition of freedom like others are tempted to do. Unlike others, Foner describes liberty as an ever changing entity; its definition is fluid and does not change in a linear progress. While others portray liberty as a pre-determined concept and gradually getting better, Foner argues the very history of liberty is constantly reshaping the definition of liberty, itself. Essentially, the multipleRead MoreIndividualism And Liberty By John Stuart Mill1196 Words   |  5 Pages In the essay, Liberty, written by John Stuart Mill, Mill states that individualism is the theory that â€Å"[o]ver himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign† (7). Before coming to this conclusion, Mill first explains that individualism and liberty were defined in ways far different from definitions now and that true individualism did not exist until later in history. It takes him several paragraphs and even chapters to finally suggest that a man, by himself, is free to do whatRead MoreJohn Stuart Mill And Thomas Hobbes1128 Words   |  5 Pagesfreedom, we are not simply asking for a definition. We are seeking to find some truth in regards to liberty. We don’t ask this difficult question in order to get some sort of dictionary definition, we ask this question in order to gain insight. We ask this question to know how we should live our lives and how our government and other institutions should act in respect to liberty and our freedoms. Berlinâ⠂¬â„¢s two conceptions not only provide us with a definition, but also helps us determine how our societyRead MoreEssay on Of Necessity and Liberty1702 Words   |  7 Pageshuman actions are performed â€Å"at liberty† or not. â€Å"It is â€Å"the most contentious question, of metaphysics, the most contentious science† (Hume 528). In Section VIII of An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, David Hume turns his attention in regards to necessary connection towards the topics â€Å"Of Liberty and Necessity.† Although the two subjects may be one of the most arguable questions in philosophy, Hume suggests that the difficulties and controversies surrounding liberty (i.e. free will) and necessityRead MoreWhat Is The Status Of Liberty Is It?958 Words   |  4 Pages2014 Question 2: What is the status of liberty in Hobbes’ argument? What kind of liberty is it? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, liberty is defined as, â€Å"the state or condition of people who are able to act and speak freely (Merriam-Webster).† Very similarly, In the Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes defines liberty as a man who can act freely. It is significant to note however that Hobbes’ definition of theory is not stagnant. Hobbes’ theory of liberty changes under a sovereign (state of society)Read MoreConcetps of Democracy and South Africa1071 Words   |  4 Pagesbroader stance.(Democracy Index 2012:5) Both definitions include the fundamental electoral requirements of a democracy whilst the thin concepts seem to stay within this minimalist realm(Democracy Index 2012:5) and the thick definition encompasses more political freedoms, adding civil liberties to the list of requirements as well.(Democracy Index 2012:26) Dahls version of polyarchy and Freedom Houses electoral democracy are examples of ‘thin’ definitions where both define democracy by political freedomsRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence And The Us Constitution1746 Words   |  7 PagesNo documents have had a greater influence on the citizens of our country than the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. The Declaration of Independence marked the birth of our republic and set forth our â€Å"unalienable rights† to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Later, the Constitution outlined our style of government and defined the rights that are protected from intrusion by government. These documents have been a beacon to all men and women who value freedom. They are justRead MoreEssay about Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty790 Words   |  4 PagesIsaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty In his article Two Concepts of Liberty, Isaiah Berlin identifies and contrasts the two components of freedom: negative and positive liberty. While the author’s voice is often confused amidst the frequent references to other political philosophies from Platonic to Millian theories, Berlin successfully argues that both of these notions can be misconstrued to the point where liberty itself is sacrificed. Although reasonable, Berlin’s assessment of the two