The Midnight Riders

Suicide can sometimes feel like the only way to pacify the pain. It is as if something is eating away parts of you slowly and intently and the only way to relieve the constant pain, is to die. Tiffany Hunter and Pierre L’errant are two very different characters with both equally unique yet queer personalities. Although Pierre and Tiffany are not the best of friends, their contrasting characteristics somehow complement each other. They both have similarities in their plans of suicide as well as differences that help them make the correct decision on where they want their life to go in future. Although they both made different decisions at the end, they assisted each other to settle on the right choice. Drew Hayden Taylor develops a theme of despondency and isolation from peers and loved ones in the novel “The Night Wanderer.”

Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?” This effectively puts the audience into a panic of a future under the British, luring them more into Henry’s ideas of war. The audience, already hyped from their boosted sense of independence since the beginning of the speech, is now completely vulnerable to Henry’s words.

America’s triumph in the Revolutionary War against the British brought pure joy and glory. The Americans won! However, it was not without its struggles. It was essential to invoke passion and feeling from the people, otherwise the war would be lost in fear and doubt. One of those who urged people to join the movement, successfully strengthening their Patriotism, was Thomas Paine, an English-American political activist. In Thomas Paine’s “The Crisis,” he utilizes specific elements of style to persuade the Americans to unite and fight against Britain for liberty.

One thing in the story that shocked me is how different our perception of the Revolutionary War is from the reality. An example of this was how ill trained the American army was at the beginning of the war. The army was undisciplined, disobedient, and motivated only by their paychecks. Many perceive the soldiers as valiant, zealous men, but it wasn’t until much later in the war that the soldiers rose to the occasion and became the warriors that we remember today.

When I first selected The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki from the horror section in the media center, my immediate reaction was, “Oh great, another tacky story about creepy girls that kill people while they sleep that will scare even though it’s kind of stupid, have fun getting to sleep tonight, Charlie!” I soon, however, realized that my first assumption was wrong; The Nightmarys, although being slightly hard to follow, is actually a pretty good book. It is a little scary the first time you read it, I mean who wouldn’t be scared by demon corpses, mysterious villains, and all the main character’s fears coming to life, but after you get over the original scare, you start to recognize the key elements all good horror

Many people were puzzled on why the young man decided to go on such an expedition without being properly prepared. His death has led to a controversy between whether he should be idolized for having the courage to follow

Paul Revere's Ride is a collection of historical accounts centering around Paul Revere's midnight ride to warn the countryside of the battles that occurred. The novel is made up of narrative accounts that tell the whole story of the midnight ride. David Hackett Fischer goes to great lengths to cover every possible angle in telling the story. "Fischer illuminates the figure of Paul Revere, a man far more complex than a simple artisan and messenger"(3). By adding different perspectives he allows the reader to see not only the American idealistic point of view, but we get a chance to hear British accounts of these particular events. In this way Hackett Fischer paints an accurate and unbiased picture not only of Paul

COL Prescott’s tactical mind shows that the British would overwhelm the colonists through sheer force alone. The novel Patriot Battles: How the War of Independence was Fought (Stephenson, page 211) describes the end state that COL Prescott works to achieve was to hold off the British forces through a stealthy defense fortification of Breed’s Hill, rather than Bunker Hill. The decision for going against higher orders reflects on COL Prescott’s tactical ingenuity as Breed’s Hill was closer to the waters and the colonists could mount a more effective defense and to keep the pressure on the

Throughout time there has been people who for some reason or another cannot get along, Thomas Morton and William Bradford are no different. Thomas Morton’s and William Bradford’s had a contentious relationship fueled their narratives New English Cannon and Of Plymouth Plantation. Both Morton and Bradford attempt to soil the other’s name by writing about their contradictory experiences with each other. But who comes out of this situation the true hero, Morton or Bradford? William Bradford’s emotional outbursts and irrational thinking regarding Thomas Morton overshadows any good he has done in Plymouth, making William Bradford the anti- colonial hero.

What the Americans did not have in numbers, they made up for with “Andrew Jackson, whose courage, energy, and determination were vital to the victory.” From this defensive position they were able to hold the British and inflict heavy casualties upon them. Fighting a losing battle, the British retreated, boarded their ships, and fled the country. The irony of this battle was that it was unnecessary: the war had ended before the first scrimmage was fought. The defeat of the British under Jackson’s leadership boosted his reputation and made him a household name. Some even compared Andrew Jackson to the last American hero George Washington. With his reputation elevated to that of a hero, he became a symbol of nationalistic pride. With the American Revolution still fresh in people’s minds, the defeat of the British was celebrated. In one battle` Jackson had accomplished the best action possible to further his career.

    “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death”(Henry 104). This twenty-word-quote resonates the spirit of courage and motivation in a momentous time during American history. In the midst of the tyranny rule during the colonial-period, unlikely heroes would emerge to lead this country. Patrick Henry’s most effective persuasive technique is pathos, because the emotional rise of his words tugged at the hearts of delegates that convinced them to go to war with England once-and-for-all.

    Preceding the American Revolution, the colonists were in a dilemma about whether they should amend relationships with British or declare independence.  One of the patriotic leaders in America, Patrick Henry, shifts the balance of the colonists' decisions towards independence in his speech at the Virginia Convention.  Through parallelism, metaphors, rhetorical questions, and religious appeal, Patrick Henry conveys that the British are treating the colonists poorly and that the Americans should fight for independence.

During 1775, colonists were going through something that affected them deeply. Living under Britain's rule, they had little to no freedom. In “Speech at the Virginia Convention” Henry expresses his view on living under Britain's rule. He encourages American men to fight against the British in order to ensure freedom. Patrick Henry persuades his audience by showing it will be necessary to go to battle through his powerful use of ethos, imagery and rhetorical questions.

The conflict that eventually grew into King William’s War would provide one of the first opportunities for fighters from different colonies to cooperate in a larger military conflict on behalf of the English Empire, and also to develop a sense of resentment toward the Crown for its perceived failure to defend the colonies adequately (Williams, pp. 23-24). The colonists had inherited their ancestors’ distrust of a standing army, primarily since they saw such an army as a tool for the repression of liberty (Flashnick, Week 1). After the failure of the English army to assist the colonial fighters to any meaningful degree during King William’s War, this distrust was confirmed and amplified. Two long-term effects of the conflict were that it reinforced the American preference for the citizen soldier and, by virtue of forcing cooperation between the colonies, it paved the way for what would eventually become a united continental army.

The beginning of this chapter quotes an iconic legend during this time frame by the name of Patrick Henry. Henry protested British Tyranny with such aggressive vigilance that he caused an uproar of protestors to follow him. Henry’s words were quite