John Erdrich Summary

In the short chapter, “The Branch,” from the book The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich, the author substantially relies on imagery and mood to paint the abstract concept that environmental impact can seduce to transformation. Structuring the setting, Erdrich establishes the two main characters, Karl and Mary, whose hope is deeply devastated by new surrounding conditions as encountering “dirt,” “chill,” and “watery wind.” Marking the period of the Great Depression in 1932, the author adopts the historic setting to echo the hopeless atmosphere in the American society, which makes it possible to inspect the main characters’ mood. Individuals perceive the world differently; in lieu of analyzing the environmental impact on the two children in general,

A political party is a group of people who seek to win elections and hold public office in order to shape government policy and programs. George Washington warned the nation against creating political parties in his famous “Farewell Address”. He feared political parties would divide the country and weaken support of the Constitution (Doc 4). The first major political parties, the Federalists and the Republicans, were created during the term of President George Washington. Despite President Washington’s warning, the rise of the two political parties, in the years after his term was inevitable. The Federalists were in favor of a strong central government, while the anti-federalists opposed most their ideas. Over time, the gradual development

differences between their parties and policies. Although there are similarities between the parties, they tend to be overshadowed by individual party ideologies. With so many fundamental differences between the parties, finding topics or issues upon which constituents agree upon can at times be somewhat difficult. Although there are chasms between the voting practices of the parties, there are also some fundamental similarities as well.

When weighing the advantages and disadvantages of political parties there is no true way to tell whether the benefits exceed the disadvantages or if it is the other way around. Every citizen will have his/her own opinion on the subject. However, with every beneficial aspect of political parties there is almost always a contradicting disadvantage as well. While some people may argue that political parties are an asset to our country, others may argue that they are harmful

The Founding Fathers believed that political parties were dangerous and a threat to a popular republican government. Despite the foreboding of the Founders, parties formed and are still around to this day. I agree with the statement that “parties make the process work, clarify issues, and present clear alternatives. And when the parties are in a weakened state, it is bad for the country.” I think in their most basic form, parties do play a vital role in our government, but I understand why the Founders were hesitant about them.

US parties are often described as organisationally weak because they are essentially ‘broad coalitions’. For example they contain moderates like McCain republican) and Obama democrat), while also having a more conservative wing. Therefore stronger party organisation would give parties a narrower appeal and potentially alienate large ‘voting blocs’ or proportions of the electorate. This is a reason why it is argued that having ‘organisationally weak’ parties is a necessity in the US political system. It has therefore been argued that symptoms of weak organisation e.g issue centred or candidate-centered election campaigns are deliberate as parties attempt to gain a maximum

Watson’s focus on political parties, chapter 6, is an important part of this book. Not only does it support his argument, but it also gives the reader

There are copious Americans who believe that the political party system is shattering our nation. In my opinion, our nation would not be the nation we are today without political parties. Other than presenting candidates and electoral campaigns to the electorate, political parties perform innumerable tasks to better the United States of America. They serve as institutionalized mediators between our society and duly elected representatives who are responsible for determining and executing legislations. They seek public policy priorities and civic needs and concerns identified by their affiliates and supporters. Political parties educate the people on how the political, electoral system, and general political values work. By doing so, voters are well informed of each party’s stance on specific matters. They also inspire individuals to participate in political decisions and turning their outlooks into policy options for all. Unlike other countries, America is a democratic nation we want our people to freely voice their thoughts and support the party who shares their interest and perspectives. In addition, political parties help to annihilate any unexpected shifts in political trends that hold the ability to disrupt the balance of our government. As we all know our nation is a two -party system that assist in advocating stability in the government, because there will only ever be two

Political parties provide the House of Representatives with organizational structure and discipline. Therefore, they appear to be essential for understanding the relationship between members and constituents. Meinke acknowledges prior literature concerning the influence of parties on representation and in policy-making choices as well as the evolution of extended leadership. However, Meinke suggests that in the representational relationship, parties have a wider scope of influence than previously believed.

In his paper outlining the functions of political parties and bureaucracies throughout American history, Martin Shefter uses the Progressive Era to illustrate how the decline of political party power leads to bureaucratic reform. The party realignment of 1896 culminated in weak political parties that often had one party in charge at a regional level. Consequently, any minority faction was useless in challenging majority party policies. Unable to make a

We should heed George Washington's advice on political parties because he is shrewd. Political parties do “open the door to foreign influence and corruption”. Money does definitely sway peoples opinion these days. Tension is another factor of political parties because congress may disagree on which side you should take and things can get heated and cause arguments.

Political parties play an important role on how the government makes decisions. In American history there are usually two major political parties at one time. These parties can be split up into two groups of beliefs for a party, Conservative and Liberal. The first form of political parties was formed during the refining of the constitution from the Articles of Confederation. These two parties are the Federalists and the anti-federalists. The next political party is the Democratic republicans who appeared during the later time of the time of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The final appearance of different political parties happened during the Antebellum period before the Civil War. Political parties are a major part of American history because depending on the views and the party holding congress and the presidency it can affect what changes and how much is done during that time.

In the essay “Adam,” written by Louise Erdrich, she opens up about her relationship with her adopted son Adam, who was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and her feelings on women who drink while pregnant. Adam came into Ms. Erdrich’s life when she met her future husband, Michael Dorris, whom had adopted Adam years before. Though, she never intended to be the mother of a child with physical and mental disorders, she developed a special relationship with her son that came with trials and errors, but also patience and love. It was through the trying times with Adam that Ms. Erdrich resents his biological mother the most. His birth mother took from Adam a life of free thinking and the will to be normal person, but how can the message be spread to help women with this disease abstain from self-harming the innocent lives they are carrying?

How do political parties and interest groups compare and contrast with each other. How do each of these impact the United States? Both are good questions and will be explored though the vessel which is this paper. Come, take a journey to the past and work back to the future and discover for yourself. No DeLorean needed.

The parties formed after the Constitution was adopted as the need to systematically search for and encourage popular support became apparent. The structure of a party allows a group of like-minded politicians to mold popular support in the favor of the candidate of their choice where alone they could only accomplish the creation of multiple less organized and therefore less politically potent factions. The nature of the political system already in place gave no value to coming in second or third in elections at any level of government, leading to the natural growth of two strong parties who battle for supremacy at every election (July 22). The winner takes all, and the opposition spends their time getting ready to try again as they wait for their next chance. Once the two parties, Democrat and Republican, were firmly settled in to the system they affected legislation to give themselves automatic ballot access and state funding, making election that much harder for other parties and thereby ensuring that it remained a two party system (July 22).