Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies Essay Example for Free

Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies Essay Based off of this reading, it can be assumed that the conditions in the Indies during the time this text was written were not humane whatsoever. The actions of the Spaniards were very much barbaric, and completely contradict the religion which the Spaniards were trying so desperately to impose upon the natives of the Indies. Without having to go into detail, it is said by Bartoleme in the letter that the Spaniards would treat the people of the Indies as wild beasts, cattle, or animals. But he then goes back on this statement saying that in fact they treated them less than livestock, because they at least took care of the livestock. This is a good example of how barbarically the Spaniards ruled over the Natives. There was no respect for the Natives, even though they were described as peaceful, passive, kind, and as overall decent human beings. Yet in the eyes of the Spaniards, the same people were seen as barbarians and savages. What makes the situation even more disturbing is that the Spaniards used the name of god to justify their ruthless actions. They saw it as their divine right to take over the Natives. Fortunately, there were people like Bartoleme that spoke out against these cruel acts. He wrote the letter describing all the acts of inhumanity towards the Natives to the King and Queen of Spain in order to create rules and regulations that would regulate the actions of the Spaniards in the Indies. This alone was a substantial act of humanity. The only ironical part is that he suggests that the Spanish use African people instead of using the Natives of the Indies for labor. Unfortunately at the time, there were still mass amounts of racism, even amongst the most noble of men. Men such as Bartoleme who spoke out against cruel acts were still subject to their own racist antics. Although this wasn’t very out-of-the-ordinary at the time, in today’s world it’s despicable nonetheless. It’s a very hypocritical suggestion that he had for the King and Queen, and for that, would lose all credit for anything positive that happened to the Natives after his ideas were reinforced.

STD PREVENTION Essay -- essays research papers

Abstinence And STD Prevention Today’s world is full of worries and problems which did not affect teens a generation ago. New problems keep appearing in today’s world, such as STDs, increased pregnancy rates, and other factors facing teens who choose to have sex. Emotionally and physically teens and getting less developed before having sex and are not prepared for the serious problems which come along with their decision to have sex. No longer is it a matter which will just go away if we ignore it, but teen health and the health of our society depend on choices which today’s teens make regarding sex. With so many diseases and problems facing today’s world, abstinence is the only way to protect ourselves. Abstinence is a safe choice in preventing the possibility of pregnancy. One-tenth of young women between the ages of 15 and 19 get pregnant every year, 83 percent of these pregnancies are unwanted or unplanned. Half of the unmarried teens who get pregnant do so within six months of their first sexual experience. In fact, between 1986 and 1990, teen childbearing increased by 16 percent. What’s worse, pregnant teenagers often don’t see a doctor until the time of delivery. Another serious problem surrounding teen sexual intercourse is the probability of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Each year, three million teens are infected with STDs. Among 14- to 20-year-olds, chlamydia is the most common. It has no obvious symptoms, and can cause infertility i...

An Analysis of ‘a Young Man’s Thought’s Before June 16th’ †Fhazel Johennesse Essay

The historical background to the poem is June 16th 1976. This date marks the Soweto Uprising which was initiated in Soweto by black high school students. The students were protesting against being taught in Afrikaans in their local schools. The demonstration was meant to be peaceful and was secretly planned to avoid discovery by the police. On the morning of June the 16th, thousands of youths gathered with the plan to march to Orlando Stadium to hold a rally to air their grievances. However, their intended route was blocked by riot police, and what had started as a peaceful march turned bloody as police used live ammunition on the protesters. Evidence shows that many protesters were shot in the back as they were running away. [Readers Digest Illustrated History of South Africa, (1988: 440) and Wikipedia (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Soweto_uprising)] The journey that the speaker is going to go on in lines 1 – 2 suggests a struggle and an ultimate goal to be reached. The journey has been planned as the speaker refers to ‘tomorrow’ in line 1. He then talks about the road ‘that winds’. This suggests many twists and turns in the journey, which in turn suggests that the journey will not be an easy or straight-forward one. The words ‘top of the hill’ suggest the end of the journey or the ultimate goal. The final goal or destination will only be reached by means of an uphill struggle. The word ‘only’ is used in line 3 – ‘I take with me only the sweet memories of my youth’. The speaker is ready for his journey and takes with him just what is important – his memories. His memories are his only link to the innocence of his youth, and he knows that the following day, his life is going to change forever – he will lose his childlike innocence and have to face an altered world. The words ‘my heart aches for my mother’ could convey various meanings. The first of these could be that the young man wishes that he did not have to face the day ahead but could go back to the familiarity and security being a child. He is assuming adult responsibilities of having to worry about his mother, and does not feel ready for this. The second possibility is that the young man’s mother is dead and he misses her. This argument could be supported by the previous line ‘I take with me only the sweet memories of my youth’ in that his childhood was a happy time in his life. The final image that could be conveyed by these words is that he knows that there is heartache ahead for his mother in that he does not know what is going to happen at the end of the day, but he does not have a positive feeling about it,. The words ‘my heart aches’ could convey that he regrets the heartache that is ahead for his mother. This could be supported by the words ‘sing my sad song sing for me for my sunset is drenched in red ‘. In many cultures, a woman downturns or averts her eyes in the presence of a young man who could be her suitor as a sign of respect. The ‘old man with a broken brow’ could symbolise a full life (‘old’) and many experiences and challenges (‘broken brow’). Therefore, these individuals and their countenances could symbolise that the young man is, not unrealistically, asking for a normal life with a future (‘woman’) and a fully lived life (‘old man’). An alternative interpretation could be that the young woman’s ‘downtrodden eyes’ symbolises sorrow or shame whilst the old man’s ‘broken brow’ symbolises being broken down or downtrodden. In this case, the two individuals could symbolise that the youth wishes that someone understood what he was about to go through and could give him some comfort. The sunset and the colour red symbolises the end of the young man’s life. Sunset is at the end of the day and could also symbolise the end of life. Red is the colour of blood. The young man feels that the end of the day – sunset – will coincide with the violent end (‘drenched in red’) of his life, as emphasised by the words ‘my sunset’. It is also symbolic that the symbolism of the sunset and the colour red occurs in the last line of the poem as it brings the young man’s life to a close. As outlined in Readers Digest Illustrated History of South Africa, (1988: 440) and in the Wikipedia article (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Soweto_uprising), June the 16th 1976 was the catalyst for political change in South Africa to begin. On this date, thousands of black high school students gathered in Soweto with the intention to march to Orlando Stadium to hold a rally to protest against being taught in Afrikaans in their local schools. The march had been secretly planned to avoid discovery by the police. The day ended in bloodshed and an official death toll of 23 when the police opened fire on the youths. Many protesters were shot in the back as they were running away. The poem is written against this background. The strong theme of the poem is the mental preparations the young man is making for the day ahead – ‘tomorrow I travel on a road’. He is unsure of what is going to happen but suspects that it will not end well. He is reflecting on what is going to happen and expecting the worst. There is no punctuation or capitalization used in the poem. The only deviation from this is the use of the capital ‘I’ that is used when the poet is referring to himself. This adds to the emphasis of the young man as the focal point of the poem. The tone of the poem is poignant and sombre which is reiterated by the use of words like ‘memories’, ‘aches’, ‘sad’, and ‘drenched’. The imagery that is used overall reminds one of a funeral procession, not unlike Christ’s crucifixion, as portrayed in the words ‘road that winds to the top of the hill’. This also brings to mind a feeling of impending sacrifice. This image is further reinforced by the words in line 12 ‘o sing my sad song sing for me’, as this could refer to a funeral hymn. The poet has mentally and physically prepared for the journey ahead as he states in line 3 ‘I take with me only the sweet memories of my youth’. He does, however, have some regrets. He regrets the impact the day is going to have on his mother and he wishes he could be with her, as indicated by the words ‘my heart aches for my mother’ (line 5). Historically, the march was planned in secret and the students did not tell their parents [Wikipedia (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Soweto_uprising)], so the young man would not even be able to share his plans with his mother. He also regrets that he will not get to experience a normal life. The words ‘I ask only for a sad song’ in line 8 symbolise this regret. In line 10, the old man’s age and broken brow represent an experienced life well lived. In line 9, the woman represents the partner that the young man will never have. (In many cultures, a woman will avert her eyes in the presence of her suitor). In the young man’s case, he expects that he will have neither – the words ‘I ask only’ indicate an almost pleading expectation that will not be met. In lines 6 & 7, the poet’s ‘heart aches’ for ‘Friday nights with friends around a table with a broad belch of beer’. He regrets the time with his friends that he will not to share. The poem concludes with the young man asking that he be mourned as line 12 states ‘o sing my sad song sing for me’. This is his request that he be mourned, and for a song to be sung at his funeral. He foresees his death when he says ‘for my sunset is drenched in red’. The sunset represents the end of his life – this is emphasised by the word ‘my’ referring to his life – whilst the imagery of ‘drenched in red’ refers to the amount of blood that will be spilt by the time sunset is reached the following day. June the 16th was a tragic day in South African history, and this poem reflects the sadness of the needless loss of life on that day. It was indeed the catalyst for political change in South Africa. It should always be remembered and used to remind ourselves of where we came from, in order to ensure we never go there again.

The Influence Of Theatrical Media On College Life

Every situation can be viewed in multiple ways by different individuals. Growing up, I would describe my development as struggle, positivity, and purposeful. The road to the college life was a personal struggle. I actually didn’t want to go because I didn’t think there was anything there for me to achieve. I was convinced that I wouldn’t even excel due to upbringings and circumstances. Eventually, I decided to commit and attend University because I just wanted something to do during my time. I developed positivity, resources, and character through my college journey. I look at this journey as a developing and purposeful time in my transition to adulthood. These four years in college can be seen as a movie for some individuals. Similarly,†¦show more content†¦The explorers are given the task of exploring and exploring the unknown. The movie is filled with different routes, interpretations, and ethics. The movie has the issues of nostalgia, survival, and a daptation. There are issues on Earth that would suggest that they don’t have any survival left. Normal life changes and now the only one capable to save Earth must abandon his loved ones. Also, adaptation is a big part of the movie due to being in a completely different environment. They must learn to cooperate as team and make sure they adapt to any sort of situation. Furthermore, coop has several instances of nostalgia during the exploration. His children can leave him video messages and it’s the only evidence he has of their existence. Eventually, those videos halt and it only perpetuates nostalgia for him. The movie suggests that it stands closely to the survival of humanity. If one doesn’t attempt to save the human race then eventually that same individual will perish with the rest. The movie portrays looking at the entire spectrum before making a decision. The movie would like to save as many lives as possible because it’s valued higher than a famil y relationship. Interstellar attempts to persuade their audience the importance of the entire globe. Sometimes individuals are challenged with making life changing decisions. The movie interstellar has many instances where