Perl Rosenthal's Analysis

Only Spanish vessels were legally allowed to trade at these ports, but the local land owners cared little for such formalities. Hawkins had slaves and cloth that the Spanish colonists needed. In 1567 Spanish treasure ships caught up with Hawkins and destroyed his small fleet” (Andrews Vol. 3, 116)

In the book and during the war, the men share a strong bond. Such a strong bond that they would count them as family. During the war, the men have nothing but each other. No outside communication, and know no one. As the men spend more time together, they become so close that they could be considered “lovers” In chapter five, “We don’t talk much, but I believe we have more complete communion with one another that even lovers have.” (pg. 94) The quote shows how no matter how many losses

A person who is called a friend almost always thinking for your greater good, but what if they had an ulterior motive? The true identity of said person may closely resemble this friend in question. All the prosperity of any work, or deed done gravitates to this person, while the suffering party remains stuck behind in the shambles created not by them. An internal conflict often bubbles within, questioning if the name of victim belongs to their status. Yet, by the time awareness has struck, all but one remains in good graces. The importance of seeing the worst before it comes does not always come along. “The Headstrong Historian” and Things Fall Apart symbolizes what is good for one is bad for another.

Chapter 4, Transatlantic Moment, of Reversing Sail by Michael Gomez was extremely intriguing. As the saying goes numbers never lie. The statistical aspect provided by Gomez of the transatlantic movement was effective in altering my perception of the transatlantic movement as a whole. As the text states the scholarly consensus is that approximately 11.9 million Africans were exported from Africa. Only 9.6 to 10.8 millions arrived alive to America, meaning 10 to 20 percent was loss during the Middle Passage. These numbers show how extensive and outrageous the transatlantic movement was. These numbers represent people with established lives, who were kidnapped and put into forced labor. As Gomez stated serval times and how I now view, the transatlantic

best of friends and that they did not have any problems. But, all of this changed with

The story that surrounds the transatlantic slave trade is notoriously known, by both young and old, across the nation. This story has not only survived, but thrived as “truth” through generations for several centuries; Although, it is much closer to a mystical tale than reality. In Reversing Sail, Michael Gomez lays the myths affiliated with African Diaspora to rest. Gomez shows the path of the amalgamation of the African people along with their resources into Europe. A path that leads to the New World, that would potentially become the Americas, would ultimately result in more than just the exploitation of Africans as slaves. Compacted into an eight-chapter undergrad textbook, Gomez uses Reversing Sail to unground the history, complexity, and instrumentality of the African Diaspora. He does such in a

The importance of cherishing the invaluable individuals in one’s life is apparent in Matthew Teague’s personal journey of his wife’s battle against cancer and a genuine friendship. “The Friend” depicts emotional appeal, comparisons, and vivid imagery to portray the significance of valuing loved ones. There is no single definition for a loved one. A spouse, children, family, friends, the reciprocated love can build everlasting bonds, but why is it so important to treasure the relationships we have? Just because they are family, it may not signify that we love them; just because they are acquaintances, it does not necessarily indicate that we have a type of love for them either. The pure love we possess for someone is rare and never chosen or obliged, so this valuable love should be nurtured, for people are bound within unpredictable time limits. Nichole’s, Teague’s wife’s, diagnosis of cancer was a realization for him that his days with her were numbered. Along the way, Dane Faucheux, the couple’s friend, was devoted to aiding the Teague family during their struggling time. Faucheux’s undisputed support for Teague and his family surprised him numerous times throughout their experience. This love in the sublime story is seeped with appreciation for those Teague values in his life. The realization and worth of his deep endearment for his family and friend is transferred to the reader, and he or she begins to realize the reality of the given time to value those who are most important.

Have you ever needed easier access to the essential items to stay alive? This is specifically what the residents of the North-East thought around the year 1817. Carol Sheriff argues in her book, “The Artificial River” that the residents of the canal corridor actively sought after long-distance trade and therefore consumer goods that markets brought to their homes. The fact that people supported the Erie Canal at all "suggests that at least some aspired to engage in broader market exchange" (p. 11). The transformation of this region because of the Erie Canal is organized around six topics, each of which is covered by a chapter. They include the; Visions of Progress, the Triumph of Art over Nature, Reducing Distance and Time, the Politics of Land and Water, the Politics of Business, and the Perils of Progress.

The study of the Atlantic as an interwoven community is a relatively new theory. Historians are beginning to see Atlantic History as “a sudden and harsh encounter between two old worlds that transformed both and integrated them into a single New World” , and not just separate entities with detached pasts. Atlantic History: Concept and Contours by Bernard Bailyn lays the framework for what Atlantic History is and how it should be studied. Bailyn states that the reasoning behind writing the book is that previous historians focus too much on the imperial history of the Atlantic world, when in fact the colonized areas had just as much of an effect on European powers as Europe had on their colonies. In this concise two part book, Bailyn’s main argument is that the concept of Atlantic History was inevitable because it is impossible to look at any major event of this time period without seeing its effects ripple throughout the entire Atlantic world.

There was a variety of reasons that immigrants were choosing to leave their European homes. Common reasons like overcrowding, wars, and politics still influenced people. Yet family and friends that had already gone to America were advertisements for the increase of money and work one could find. In addition to word of mouth, the ticket agents for the steamships provided potential immigrants with pamphlets for railroad companies and state immigration bureaus that showed higher wages and job opportunities. (Wyman, 32)

Throughout the novels, Of Mice and Men and A Separate Peace, there are plenty of similarities shown from the contrasting themes to the character’s growing personality. In each story, is a set of friends that do everything together and go everywhere together. It is their common hopes and dreams that encourage them to succeed and hopefully achieve what they wish. The characters’ friendships are seem almost inseparable; however, they face many hardships because of physical and mental differences shown within. The predominant themes echoed in the novels, Of Mice and Men and A Separate Piece, are the hopes of achieving the American dream and the values and struggles of friendship.

to a busy merchant seaport in 1850 to the industrial metropolis by the 1900’s.  The

From Ellis Island they made their way about the streets of New York, searching for someone with the same ethnic characteristics as their own who could help them find work. Sometimes they wandered about, lost in the city 's maze, until a labor agent, through signs, offered them work in mills, factories, or road gangs elsewhere. The more fortunate ones, who knew countrymen already working in the textile cities, went directly to them. But some of these men could not adapt to the noise and confusions of the factories and their spirit of adventure led them to climb freights and travel over the plains and mountains to the west.

In contrast, the Ratignolle’s marriage is an unbreakable and congenial bond. The narrator is describing the cheerful and goodnatured Mr. Ratignolle along with his relationship to his wife. “The Ratignolles understood each other perfectly. If ever the fusion of two human beings into one has been accomplished on this sphere it was surely in their union” (56). The Ratignolle’s altruistic nature is the driving force of their relationship.

The Atlantic Sound is a postcolonial travelogue representing the theme of exile and home. In this travelogue Phillips has recorded his personal experiences while traveling three cities which were infamous during Atlantic slave trade. Phillips crossed the Atlantic as a child and now he crosses the Atlantic again as an adult. He chooses to travel through banana boat repeating a journey he made to England as a child in the late nineteen-fifties. But he is a different kind of traveler if compared to his parents. He tries to explore the notions of home and identity. “Some people don't feel at home where they are, they are unhappy and they look back. Millions of people in the world today are searching for 'roots', they go back to the town, the country or the continent they came from long ago. They try and learn something of that culture, that history. These are the people who in some way have found it difficult 'to form roots', to become firmly established. ” ( Robertson