Themes In The Decline Of The West

John Lee Hancock puts emphasise on the fact that Michael is poor and the Touhy’s are rich and juxtaposes these two central characters repetitively throughout the film. This is done to portray to the audience that a person’s socio-economic status can affects an individual’s capacity to learn and excel at the things he may be talented at, in Michael’s case football. Another aspect which is explored throughout the film is the fact that attitudes towards belonging can change of time this is evident in Michael because at first he was hesitant in staying with the Touhy’s but later transitions into part of their family, Michael makes many transitions throughout the film which include from Illiterate to educated and from disrespected to honourable, this movie has a very motivational aspect to it in that it inspires people to push past any barriers they may be faced with. Michael is quickly accepted as part of the family and creates a connection with them and has a sense of belonging with them this is also done at his school when his football coach strengthens Michaels sense of belonging by describing him as “his son” this makes Michael Ohers feel a part of the group and encourages him to excel without the fear in his mind that he is not accepted in the environment he is faced with.

People around the country are living in a very hard economic crisis that they have experienced since 2008. This difficult situation has created circumstances that cause people to lose their jobs and companies taking the options of laying off employees, creating a big impact in many families around the country. This situation has not improved at all in the last three years, which makes it very hard for anyone to find a job. The consequences for all these changes are affecting families’ lives in different ways emotionally, socially, and financially. According to the United States Department of

The rise of the West refers to a period of time when Western Europe rose to power due to many environmental, political, and social factors. Many historians attribute the Rise of the West to the time period of 1450 to 1850. This power surge of Western Europe has been attributed to the global dominance of Western Europe and America in the 21 century. The interesting aspect regarding the Rise of the West is how Western Europe developed so differently from other parts of the world, leading it to be the superpower of the world. Over the past 50 years, the idea of the rise of the West has been closely re-examined. Prior to the 1950s, historians believed that the rise of the West occurred because it was destined to; because Europe is the best and

In this summary, Mike has his eyes opened to the world, and he explains his feelings and emotions. He wants to make the point that, no matter the struggle, if people only keep pushing for what they want, they will achieve excellence. Going to school was something big for both Mike and Anthony, and both learned some very important lessons from their experiences during their enrollment. Also, there is a lesson that Mike also learned about how people are not going to use their minds, unless they try to experience the lives of others. People in everyday life are more distracted than they lead on to be. They need to open their eyes, and see what is right in front of them

Jack served as more than simply a great teacher to Mike. As all the other kids were applying to college and preparing for the future, Mike was planning on working and maybe taking some night classes after he graduated high school. But once Jack MacFarland caught wind of that foul idea, he made some calls and pulled some strings and got Mike into Loyola University, even if just as a probationary student. What's more, when Mike was unsure of how he was going to pay for school, “Jack MacFarland was on the case” . He helped secure scholarships from Loyola and student loans to cover the cost of tuition. Jack helped open Mike’s eyes to a new and exciting world of knowledge. Jack showed him that there was much more, “provided a critical prospective on society, and it allowed [Mike] to act as though [he] were living beyond the limiting boundaries of South Vermont” . And soon enough, Mike would.

McCandless reconstructs himself to “Alex Supertramp” which is marked by his rejection of materialism, as well as his journey to live on his own in the wild. McCandless puts his money all together on the sand and “put a match to it, one hundred twenty-three dollars in legal tender was promptly reduced to ash and smoke” (29). McCandless burning his money was a way of his need to be fully on his own without the use of anything relating to modern. McCandless is showing his hatred and separation from material things because he can't buy the things he need throughout his journey. McCandless follows the non-materialistic lifestyle to heart and does not accept materials and comfort.

In Two American Families, a documentary film which produced by Bill Moyers, it follows the two middle class families in Milwaukie, one black and one white, for over a decade as they struggle to achieve the “American Dream”. This documentary reveals the struggle of some American families who work hard and follow the social order in the society, but have fallen as a victim in a struggling economy to a series of policy decisions made. The hand of policy ineffectively steered the lives of the two families featured, the Neumann’s and Stanley’s, despite their hard work ethic and sincere determination to succeed. There are many policy implications that played a role in this documentary, including those around education, institutional racism, taxation, overseas jobs and social security. However, the main factors that drive those policy implications are minimum wage, health care, the foreclosure crisis, and debt dependency. In this essay, I will go into in more details about those main factors that both two American families suffered from the series of economic depression.

Colonial Expansion started as early as the fifteenth century with the European expansion into the Americas. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that was known as new imperialism (notes). During this time, new imperialism sparked the colonial empires expansion and this caused the colonial empires completely take off. These imperialist powers were inspired and motivated to build these colonial empires due to the economic, political and cultural values. These highly industrialized countries were in need of more raw materials like oil, copper, tin, and rubber along with industrial crops and stimulants (notes). Securing these raw materials would fuel their industrialized economies. Due to the domestic markets of Western Europe being full meaning no more increase of profit, these overseas colonies became more profitable. The economy was a large part important in building these colonial empires. In addition, each country wanted to further politically, so that each Western Empire wanted more prestige. This would show the more power and overall national security in competition with other Western countries. Culturally, each country wanted to be the most powerful and believed that their way of life was the greatest. With a strong feeling of cultural superiority, the Europeans felt a moral duty to their countries. This is where nationalism played a role. In many ways, the dominating countries like

The Great War, or World War I, ended in 1918 with the Treaty of Paris. It marked the beginning of a new era. During the war, there was a boom in the economy and employment was easy to find. The damage the war caused on the land in Europe was catastrophic; with the trenches and heavy artillery and machinery being used to destroy each other and take cities, it is amazing that there was anything left. Many people, soldiers and civilians, died during the war. After World War I, many countries gained their independence, and many countries suffered severe economic debt due to the expensive war reparations.

Many assumptions have been made about what the ‘West’ was really like, mostly suggesting that it was some amazing time period when guys might save a damsel in distress. “Don’t you think we spend too much time mythologizing the west? I mean look at how it was. Dirty, violent, & illiterate. It wasn’t an age for heroes, that’s for sure.” (Alexie 224) This quote explains exactly how people who were alive then might have described that time period. It refers to the stereotyping of the west, and how some people glorified it as a land of heroes, but it was not. Sherman Alexie highlighted all the stereotypes, made it clear who brought them about, and discussed how the Natives were represented in the eyes of the white man. The whites believed that the

In the novella the most important tone is disappointment. In August the author introduces the Miller’s Robert, Elizabeth, and their young son Thomas. They live on their 60 beautiful Pennsylvania acres. They grow their own food, spin their own wool, and make their own cloth. Robert is an excellent craftsman, he make all their furniture with old tools. They live on a mere $348.67 a year and barter for anything else they may need. The Miller’s live very modestly with no electricity and, of course, no phone or television; they have no car and walk everywhere. When Robert left the army he purchased the farm and had a very specific way of life in mind. Liz and Tommy seem to be full partners in Bob’s endeavors but this quickly changes. When the time comes to slaughter the lambs seven year old Tommy decides he wants no part of it. Bob becomes impatient and gets angry with Tommy. This has always been a normal way of life for Tommy and his father doesn 't

Back when they were in middle school the three boys met, after Mike’s family moved there from North Carolina. From the beginning, Roland and Slim picked on Mike and singled him out for being new. Mike did not play ball or gang bang so, fit right in for the fact that he was not of the “norm” in Inglewood according to Slim and Roland. Asking Mike numerous of questions Roland and Slim eventually took Mike under their wing and showed him how to survive life in The Wood using a series of rules. From that day forth the three made that brotherly bond and were inseparable. With the help of Roland and Slim, Mike soon came out of his shell and started to get the hang of how everyday life went in Inglewood, California went. Their brotherhood was powerful in

The Navajo Indians emulated the pueblo. The shed their animal skin clothing for cotton and learned quickly how to farm. These people settled in between the Rio Grande and the Grand Canyon. They herded sheep and grew corn in the valleys. They were a peaceful group of people, and were one with their surroundings.

Western culture and policies have shaped the modern world, especially the Middle East, in many ways. Since the sixteenth century, the nations of Western civilization have been the driving wheels of modernization. Globalization is simply the spread of modern institutions and ideas from one high power to the wider world. Technological innovation and economic growth along with such concepts as democracy, individualism, and the rule of law administered by an impartial judiciary, set Western societies above and beyond any possible rival. Other cultures looked to the West as a model, a threat, or some combination of both. One country that was most successful in their confrontations with Western states was Japan, who incorporated Western

In Samuel P. Huntington’s article “The West: Unique, Not Universal,” he addresses his audience with a very controversial question: Is Western Culture universal or unique? Huntington elaborately opens up this question with research and examples to explain and persuade readers that the West will never be a universal culture for all, but rather a unique culture that will be accepted by those who appreciate it. For decades now, historians and scholars have debated with one another to determine who is right and wrong. However, from a handful of articles from different scholars, Samuel Huntington’s statement that the West is unique rather than universal is supported and even further elaborated on by these particular sources. A common understanding between all the sources, that must be noted, is that a civilization’s culture is not comprised of material goods but rather their culmination of their religion(s), values, language(s) and traditions. While although there are scholars out their that negate the West is unique, a large amount of scholars still argue and strengthen Huntington’s argument that the West has unique and exclusive characteristics that make them distinctive and rare.