Victorian society and life style Essay Example for Free

Victorian society and life style Essay This essay uses A Conan Doyle interpretation of three cases in the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, to demonstrate how language, setting, characterisation and the role of the women reflects different aspects of Victorian society and life style.  A Conan Doyle uses typical language that is relevant for the Victorian period. In each of the cases, we expect to find a wide range of techniques used to emphasise and create an image of Victorian society and lifestyle in the readers mind. A Conan Doyle applies figurative language, repetition, grotesque and satirical caricatures and long complex sentences with detailed description. These techniques that A Conan Doyle uses helps the reader to understand the setting and characterisation more distinctly and clearly.  A Conan Doyle uses figurative language to make the reader create an image in their heads of the character or setting. Figurative language is a range of metaphors and similes that are being compared to a person or thing. Here is an example that A Conan Doyle has used in the speckled band (description of Dr. Roylott), high thin fleshless nose gave him some what resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey. In this quote the author is comparing Dr. Roylotts facial features to a fierce old bird of prey, this a metaphor used to help visualise the characters appearance. A Conan Doyle uses grotesque and satirical caricature in some cases. He uses this technique to describe the villain. In the description of Dr. Roylott in the speckled band, A Conan Doyle makes the readers imagine how nasty Dr. Roylott looks by putting in, bile shot eyes. This makes the villain more imaginative and easier for the readers to picture as unpleasant and mean.  A Conan Doyle uses long complex sentences to make a character or setting bold and clear, so the readers can easily relate and become more involved in the adventures. In long complex sentences A Conan Doyle uses Victorian words. These words are not often used today, so readers can really understand the distinct differences between today and back then the Victorians used very old English, however by using these words the reader is given a bolder, clearer and much more of a characteristic image. A Conan Doyle uses very long complex sentences to describe the king of bohemia in the scandal in bohemia, completed the impression of barbaric opulence which was suggested by his whole appearance. This gives the readers a clearer and detailed description of the event. In the quote it says he came with an uncultural but rich appearance focusing on detail. The sentence is considered complex as it uses more than one clause and unusual and uncommon words and metaphors where not familiar the words and terms i.e. opulence. In Victorian history women were be considered weaker than men. The readers can see this through some of A Conan Doyles cases. The man with the twisted lip women were really clumsy and weak. The readers can see this from the way Mrs. St Clair always kept fainting at the sight of blood, Mrs. St Clair had fainted at the sight of blood., however there were some woman that were really sly and cunning, like Irene Adler from scandal in bohemia, when she tricked Sherlock Holmes and eloped with her fianc, how best plans of Sherlock Holmes were beaten by a womans wit. In Victorian times women were really weaker than men. The second stain describes a clumsy woman, where a man blackmails a woman for a letter that could start war with another country. The weakness shows as she gives in to the man, in return for my secret not to be let out, he told me to get the blue envelope in the box. So I did A Conan Doyles thee adventure of Sherlock Holmes, gives readers an image of how Victorian London appeared. Readers are given the impression that Victorian London was a very dull, dirty and contaminated place. In most cases Victorian London was very nasty, dirty and a scary place, especially the way it is described in the man with the twisted lip. The setting in the man with the twisted lip is realistic, as at the same time jack the ripper was known, upper swandom lane is vile alley. This quote gives the reader an impression that Victorian London was very unclean and dirty. Steep flight of steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth of a cave. This quote gives the reader a frightening and dull suspense like of the setting and atmosphere. Dr. Watson is at the top of the flight of stairs and he is looking down them, when he looks down them he sees that the stairs lead to total darkness. The reader imagines a never-ending staircase or something gruesome waits at the bottom. In the adventures of Sherlock Holmes readers are able to understand Victorian lifestyle. This can be identified through the character Sherlock Holmes. In each case Sherlock Holmes is considered to be the hero as he is described as a, professional investigator. Dr Watson describes positive factors regarding Holmes, he admires, the rapid deductions, as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis, with which he unravelled the problems, which were submitted to him. This quote shows how Sherlock Holmes was dedicated to his work. Another example of the values of the period is seen through the character Dr.Watson. In the story the man with the twisted lip we see Dr.Watson helping a woman in distress, because her husband is missing, so he investigates by himself, I could manage it better if I were alone. This was considered very heroic at the time. As he is protecting the innocent woman. The character of Dr Roylott from the speckled band shows the readers the values, which were despised of at the time. In the speckled band Dr Roylott is described as a furious and violent person, Holmes the Scotland yard jack-in-office and, we heard the hoarse roar of the doctors voice, and saw the fury with which he shook his clenched fists at him. From these quotes the readers can tell that Victorian people despised this sort of attitude, because he turns violent and furious easily. By reading Sherlock Holmes the readers find many lifestyles, it just depends on which character is described. If it is a poor person then there lifestyle is at the opium den where it is a, low room, with thick and heavy brown opium smoke, and back in the Victorian times there were a lot of poor people, so the opium dens wouldve been packed, forecastle of an emigrant ship. If it is a heroic person like Sherlock Holmes or Dr Watson than their lifestyle is rich and cosy lifestyle for example a house with a maid, big cosy armchair, in front of a big chimney fire in a, cheery sitting room, with a nice friendly atmosphere. But if it is a villainous and hated person like Dr Roylott then their lifestyle will be dark, very gloomy and unpleasant, for example an old wrecked house that nobody has cared for, the few acres of bramble covered land.

Newspaper Tool To Promote Malaysia Government Propaganda Media Essay

Newspaper Tool To Promote Malaysia Government Propaganda Media Essay 1. Introduction During the pre-election, the election candidates usually will choose appropriate media as their major election tools to disseminate their asserted statements for changing government policies and convey their main purpose of gaining the ruling power from opposition parties, which may sway the voters decision of balloting. So what is media? Why does media so important during the pre-election period? The word of media is included the whole host of modern communication systems, for example cinema, television, newspapers, magazines, advertisements, radio, and interactive multimedia. These developments depend on the use of industrial technology to produce, send and receive message. Country information From the overview coaches and trainees that like working journalists will need to do some intensive research before they arrive in an unfamiliar country. It is enormously beneficial to have a basic understanding on the country. That included their demographics, culture and history, as well as the current political situation and their media environment. This information is important in setting the context for the specific election. They also need to know about the specific conditions of the election. We will able to country information thought todays internet system and also some country-specific guidebooks. Besides that, the local governments websites will also present some basic information on the countrys population, economic conditions and health standards to educational levels. In examining guidebooks, we also can look for information such as life expectancy and number of citizens of voting age, extent of literacy, different ethnic groups, religions and languages, and urban and r ural populations. These are factors to consider in guiding media coverage of an election campaign because they identify important groups of voters, challenges to voter education, and regions or issues which otherwise might be neglected. However in Malaysia, the Sultan is elected by hereditary state rulers to serve a 5-year term. Prime Minister is designated by parliament. In the Senate (Dewan Negara), 44 members are appointed by the monarch to serve 3-year terms and 26 members are elected by the state legislatures to serve 3-year terms*. In the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat) 222 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 5-year terms. Political context Political background Election is about few political parties are competing with each other for the popular support and power, so it is essential to know the basic facts about the political history of the country. There may be facts or events which play a symbolic or special role in the parties campaigns because of how they are perceived by the voters. Information such as the date of the countrys independence, major internal and trans-boundary conflicts, and the names of former heroes or villains, who may become an issue or rallying point in the campaign, should be identified. These kinds of considerations also apply in the case of referenda. Other factors to examine include the pattern of stability of previous governments, and the role of the army or other forces, or foreign interventions in the duration of past governments. Beside that, the structure of government and leading figures like presidency, parliamentary democracy, monarchy, and so on. Current political landscape Beside that, the current political landscape or immediate context on the election is an essential knowledge for coaches to know. They need to learn what key issues arose during the term of Coaching Manual for Media Support during Elections. For example, the country information, and the previous government works; on how they were handled and whether they caused this election. Coaches should know the names of the main political parties, their central ideologies and leaders, and relative strength and popularity. This kind of information aids coaches in assessing whether election reporting is balanced. Other factors that under consideration are include the extent of democracy, the strength and activity of civil society in public life, the courts and authorities respect for the rule of law and human rights, extent of corruption and lawlessness, and the economic or political disparity between identity groups. In addition to media reports and country profiles, organisations such as Human Ri ghts Watch and Amnesty International, Freedom House, the International Crisis Group, and the United Nations Development Programmes human develop meant indicators can provide such assessments. Coaches will also usually find the reports and staff of international observer teams monitoring the election to be helpful and well-informed. For Malaysia, it is a country which is seem to be a long and drawn out struggle to what is now some resemblance of a democratic nation much like its neighbours Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor (admittedly East Timor isnt a direct neighbour but its in the hood).   This country experiences significant problems domestically with extremes in poverty and wealth.   There are seemingly an endless string of problems with labour and workers rights, as well as significant issues with deforestation and continued infringements on human rights.   What makes 2010 significant for Malaysia is that despite its apparent problems, the most significant of them being the domestic political turmoil, there appears to be progress towards better transparency? However the problems for the incumbent leadership really are about domestic issues and how to keep their country from quickly sliding backwards after years of relatively steady economic growth albeit underpinned by the International Mon etary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. With growing extremist populism in politics taking root even in the moderate political parties, the country faces growing isolation as other countries attempt to work to resolve Western sentiment of the region being riddled with terrorism, extremist organisations and terrorist training camps.   There are many unresolved problems between different ethnic groups, especially involving Malaysian Chinese. The media environment The first priority is to identify the principles of the countrys media freedoms and regulations. Coaches must then determine the practical realities of these freedoms and regulations. In some countries there may be wide-ranging protection for media freedoms in the constitution or in legislation but the freedoms are much abused or ignored by authorities or journalists in daily life. Media regulations among the essential media regulations to examine are: Constitutional guarantees for a free press: Do they exist in law? Do the courts protect them effectively against government or other interests harassment, intimidation, assault? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Media regulation bodies (press councils and radio-television regulators): What powers do they have? Are they independent of government? Are they free of corruption? Do they defend media freedoms? Do they fairly discipline irresponsible media? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Content restrictions: Are there laws which censor what the media can report or offer as opinions? Who imposes these restrictions? Is there an appeal to the courts? Are there laws against hate speech? Is criminal libel used to suppress published criticism of government? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Internet: Is it widely available? Is it regulated or censored? Is it influential? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ownership restrictions: Is media ownership determined by government, by law, or by free market competition? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Journalist registration/accreditation: Is there any law defining who can be a journalist? Who administers the law? Is this law used to restrict free expression? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Broadcast media: How is it regulated? Is licensing conducted fairly? Is public or state broadcasting treated differently than private broadcasting? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Are there Access-to-Information laws? Are they effective? Are they blocked by secrecy laws, political interference or bureaucratic obstruction? Firstly, newspaper is the best way to research because it is a regularly scheduled publication containing news, information, and advertising, has emerged as one of the important media throughout the entire world. However, its multifunctional purpose has caused it to be manipulated in many forms. In Malaysia, the most obvious manipulation towards newspaper is in the form of political view. Political parties especially the ones who act as the rulers of the country are continuously taking advantage in the name of veto power to use newspaper as the primary tool to promote their propaganda. (Media Stereotyping: Reporting War and Terrorism, 2007). As a definition, propaganda stands for a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus possi bly lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda. It is proven as it is used in the ancient times; the Roman Empire published Acta Diurna, or government announcement bulletins, around 59 BC, as ordered by Julius Caesar. (Acta Diurna, 2010). Looking back during the National Election campaign in 2008, the Barisan Nasional governments launched their massive political campaign through the means of newspaper and other forms of media to sell out their propaganda in order to influence the minds of the citizens to vote for them. To make things easier, they are the rulers of this country and thus, no one can put the barrier on them on what-so-called restriction of press. The determination of press freedom is on their hands. However, in the campaign, they suf fered the most humiliating defeat in the history of Malaysia as they lost five states to the opposition sides, Pakatan Rakyat; Kelantan, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, and Penang. How could it happen? This situation lied on several factors. The non-government newspapers played their role in publishing news on the truth behind every promise made by the governments sold out to the society during the election campaign. This actually worked out as citizens realised that they could not be continuously cheated off by the fake promise. It can be said here that propaganda does not always work the way it should. Currently, the issue of the concept of 1Malaysia is another case regarding the manipulation of newspaper by the authorities to promote their propaganda. The introduction of this concept has been massively spread out to the mass audience via various kinds of mass media including newspapers. The spreading out can be classified as successful as everyone is talking about 1Malaysia now. However, the concept, introduced by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak, is still on the surface and the truth behind it is hidden from the acknowledgement of the public. 1Malaysia conce pt is still blurred and confusing. Everybody seems to accept the propaganda without realising the effects on them. The most obvious effect that will someday happen is that it harms and destroys the special rights enjoyed by the bumiputra especially Malays. Before things turn from worst to worse, Pakatan Rakyat try to stop the citizens from getting carried away by the cheat through the only medium they are able to; newspapers owned by them. Is it going to work? Conclusion In this research, there are three main problem statements that are aimed to be found out. The first problem statement is that newspaper is being used as the primary tool to promote Malaysia government propaganda. The matter that is about to be conveyed is the advantage enjoyed by the government to simply use their veto power to spread their propaganda. Newspapers like Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, New Straits Times and many others are owned by the government. The question is that are these puppets being manipulated to do the promotion on behalf of the Barisan Nasional government neither directly or indirectly to set up the minds of the society. The second one is that the use of newspaper as a medium of spreading government propaganda is effective and giving impacts to the society or it is either occurring the other way around. The governments are the ones who act as the gatekeeper to all media including print media like newspaper. They pick what to publish and eliminate news that i s risky to harm them. The question whether it is totally effective or not in manipulating the citizens minds will be answered in the findings of this research. Last but not least, the opposition-own newspapers are also playing their role in revealing the hidden truth behind every propaganda of the ruler of this country and how effective their messages in setting up citizens minds? Newspapers like Suara Keadilan and Harakah are owned by the opposition sides. This research will reveal whether they succeed in showing the truth behind the propaganda of the government in the high-risk situation of do-or-die as there is a very high possibility that the government will misuse their power in stopping these kinds of newspapers to continue showing their true colours. Harvard-style for List of References

Socialism and Irish Nationalism :: essays research papers

The 1913 Lockout was the culmination of several years of political organisation and agitation among the unskilled working class, carried out primarily through the Irish Transport Workers Union. The ITGWU had been founded by Larkin in 1909 specifically as a union of the unskilled, long deemed 'unorganisable' by the official trade union movement. The open militancy of the ITGWU was a new departure in the history of the Irish trade union movement and the organisation grew rapidly, from 4,000 members in 1911 to 10,000 by 1913. The ITGWU quickly came up against determined resistance from employers, the police and the British state. However some of the most vitriolic abuse and opposition to this manifestation of the independent organisation of the working class was expressed by Irish nationalist organisations, not only the official Irish Parliamentary (Home Rule) Party but also by the more 'radical' Sinn Fein movement led by Arthur Griffith. While James Connolly declared the indivisibility of the of the struggle for Irish independence from the fight for socialism he was essentially a lone voice whose ideology, based on the application of Marxist principles to the Irish situation, was a radical break from the previous two centuries of Irish nationalism which had laid the foundations for the collection of political beliefs that still dominate the discussion on the 'National Question'. Irish nationalism, as it developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries was an eclectic mixture of aspects of various political doctrines, not necessarily of Irish origin, which were gradually amalgamated in different forms by the groups who adopted a policy of Irish independence. In the 1890-1910 period at least four main nationalist organisations existed, these being the Irish Parliamentary Party, Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Around these a series organisations, some officially 'non political' had emerged such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Gaelic League and a number of bodies promoting cultural expression and the Gaelic revival. The genesis of what can be broadly termed as Irish Nationalism emerged from the ideals of the United Irishmen and the failed rebellion of 1798. All of the above organisations active in the early 20th Century claimed a heritage that stemmed from the radical ideas propounded by Wolfe Tone and his supporters in the 1790's, Sinn Fein and the IRB more so than the Irish Parliamentary Party or the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Shooting an Elephant Essay -- Literary Analysis, Orwell

In the essay, Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell illustrates his experiences as a British police officer in Lower Burma, and reflects it to the nature of imperialism. Since â€Å"anti-European feeling was very bitter† due to the British Empire’s dictatorship in Burma, Orwell is being treated disrespectfully by the Burmese (12). This allows him to hate his job and the British Empire. However, the incident of shooting of an elephant gives him a â€Å"better glimpse †¦ of the real nature of imperialism – the real motives for which despotic government act† (13). Through his life experiences as a British man, Orwell efficiently demonstrates the negative effects of imperialism on individuals and society. With the usage of effective diction in his essay, Orwell excellently conveys his emotions and message to his readers. He often uses the word â€Å"natives† for the Burmese: â€Å"Here was I, the white man with his gun, standing in front of the unarmed native crowd† (15). By doing so, he shows his emotions and respect towards the Burmese because calling them â€Å"natives† suggests that he agrees on the fact that they are the true owner of Burma and not the British Empire. Also, by frequently using the word â€Å"natives†, Orwell reminds his readers the existence of imperialism in Burma so that the readers do not simply hang on to the elephant but also get the message incorporated in the essay. The body of the elephant is compared to machinery as Orwell thinks that killing an elephant â€Å"is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery† (15). This comparison makes the readers realize that the British Empire is also like a huge pie ce of machinery, so the death of it would be a serious matter to both oppressor and people being oppressed. When Orwell wa... ...Shooting an Elephant. According to what Orwell is trying to impose, his target audience seems to be youth, adults, and politicians as imperialism is more reflected off of people under these categories. As a police officer, Orwell teaches his readers that imperialism is the worst way to govern a country as it is harmful to an individual’s way of thinking and value of morality in society. He proved that in an imperialism based system, no one is actually dominant over one another as they all end up being slaves of each other. This results in demolished and demoralized society. Orwell achieves his goal outstandingly by playing with rhetorical devices, tone, diction, and sentence structure to generate the feeling in the audience the way he desires. In result, Orwell brilliantly uses the incident of killing an elephant to describe the negative effects of imperialism.

Standardized Testing Essay examples -- Standardized Testing Essays

Standardized testing is used practically worldwide for all sorts of various criterion. A standardized test could be used for getting into a top of the line college, or to see if you meet the requirements for a job. Such tests include the well known ACTs and SATs. There are many different ways that standardized tests can be graded. Norm-Referenced, and Criterion-Referenced forms of grading are just a couple of the types of tests. Tests can also be easily misused and are often protested.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Often times in order to persue a certain career, before you are employed it is necessary to see how you rate in comparison to the company?s standards. If you were to, for instance, become a pizza maker for Pizza Hut, they may give you a test in order to make sure that you make the pizza according to their standards. In order to be a successful business and keep customers coming back for more, there has to be an order to the way all things are processed. If a customer were to come in one day and get a large pepperoni pizza, and there was a certain number of pepperonis on the pizza, they will expect that to be the same every time. The number of pepperonis on a pizza is a standard number. Standard meaning a degree or level of requirement, excellence, or attainment (www.Dictionary.com). The company may show you how to make all the types of pizza to the standards that they have preset, then have you make the pizzas they have shown you the same way. If the standard is eighty pepperonis on a large pizza, then you will be required to put eighty pepperonis on the pizza. If the standard amount of sauce used on the pizza is one ladle full, then you would use one ladle full of sauce. Standards are set in stone until later possible being re-evaluated and changed. Until such an event happens however, standards will stay the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If on a test, you are asked to add two and two together. The answer you attain is always going to be four, because that is the set standard. Two plus two does not equal five simply because standards say it does not. Standards are used so that everything stays in order. ?Academic standards are clear written expectations of what every child should know and be able to do at specific grade levels. In Wisconsin, the standards were written for English/Language Arts, Math. Social... ...g and test preparation is skyrocketing. Lots of people feel that tests are biased towards those of different races and incomes. There have been many walkouts and even sites completely dedicated to ending testing. One of those sites is www.NoMoreTests.com. On their site you will find examples of walkouts and reasons why to stop standardized testing. You can even print out fliers and get free anti-test bumperstickers. (Examples of walkouts and other information on reasons why to oppose standardized testing, can be found in the NoMoreTests packet.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The battle between whether standardized testing is necessary or not will more than likely continue for many years to come. There continues to be groups both supporting tests and groups trying to bring a stop to testing altogether. With more and more schools basing graduation on standardized test scores, and the never ending controversy on bias in testing, the battle continues. The money spent for preparation and the stress many students receive is undeniably growing and it is not known where this situation will be in the years to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

An American Family Essay

Critics predicted that â€Å"[b]y the end of the mid-century, the American family will no longer exist as we know it†Ã¢â‚¬â€a line that holds true on the current situation of the country. The image of an American family is as fluid as fashion. This connotation is evident with the number of juvenile delinquents, divorce hearings and domestic violence cases that is reported each day. The advent of democracy and liberalism has perhaps triggered the immense transformation on viewing an American family. Globalization for one, takes the largest piece of this shift. The country’s unbolting wrap on the issue of foreign affairs has created a large impact on every American’s life. Diversity they say, has made the Americans mature. But what most do not realize is that the country has been divided by these ‘borrowed’ or ‘adopted’ ordeals. Similar to the American dream, an American family’s dignifying character has shifted to a somewhat aggressive and liberal type (Glick, 2006). Conceivably, this change can be charged to the saying that the world is in constant flux. However, republicans would resent the changes that has transcribed. Given the percentage of migrating individuals and the increase of Americans going abroad—it is most likely that other culture will blend in (or in the near future dominate) with what is inside the core of American virtues. Simple logic would explain this argument. To date, a laissez faire scenario is occurring. More and more changes are to occur if Americans will not pave a way to keep the tradition. It is a fact that every country has their respective culture, beliefs and tradition. And the endpoint of this matter would either be of the benefit of the alien or of the resident. Hence, the real picture on this squabble marks as to whether these changes have preserved the distinctive quality of an American family or otherwise. And in this case, there is a huge possibility that the picture will be dominated by the visiting forces. The shift is in fast pace—the critics may have predicted the future accurately. Reference Glick, P. C. (2006). The Family Life Cycle and Social ChangeThe Family Life Cycle and Social Change. Family Relations, 38(2).

An Analysis of “The Klan’s Fight for Americanism” Essay

In 1926, Hiram Wesley Evans, then Imperial Wizard and Emperor of the Ku Klux Klan, published â€Å"The Klan’s Fight for Americanism†, a leaflet that set forth the principles and fundamentals of what many called the revival of the KKK in 1920’s America, a new version of the organization that was originally formed by Nathan Bedford Forrest after the Civil War in an effort to maintain the supremacy of the white man over the recently freed African-American slaves. The researcher will analyze and discuss Evans’ writing in this paper from the standpoint of his views and specific tenets to be found within â€Å"The Klan’s Fight for Americanism†. In addition, the researcher will present views as to whether or not Evans’ views agree with those of the researcher, and ultimately, a response to Evans’ view will be presented. Upon the conclusion of this paper, the reader will have a thorough understanding of Evans’ work as well as some possible alternative viewpoints on it. A Brief Overview of â€Å"The Klan’s Fight for Americanism† In order to fully understand the various elements of Evans’ writing, and to adequately interpret it, a brief overview of the work itself is in order. The previously mentioned revival of the KKK in the early 1920’s came in response to what the group called the â€Å"infestation by aliens† of America in the years immediately following World War I. As a result of the KKK’s revival, by 1926, the organization had over 3 million members. The KKK increased its list of those whom it hated to include Jews, Catholics, Communists, and those who were members of the labor unions that were gaining popularity in America during that time. Hiram W. Evans, upon assuming control of the KKK in 1926, wrote â€Å"The Klan’s Fight for Americanism† as a means to lay the groundwork for what would be a new expansion of the Ku Klux Klan in the 20th century. Americanism as Defined by Evans One of the key terms that Evans uses in his writing is the term Americanism, something that he claims is a hallmark of the KKK. The term Americanism in this context has its roots in patriotism, something that the KKK claims to have in abundance; however, the interpretation of patriotism that the KKK has varied greatly from what one would usually find in the belief systems of someone like Abraham Lincoln, for example. Patriotism, as the cornerstone of Americanism, in this case has some far reaching implications. First, consider the KKK’s definition of the American ideal within Americanism, which will first be presented by use of an actual quote from Evans’ work: â€Å"Americanism, to the Klansman, is a thing of the spirit, a purpose and a point of view, that can only come through instinctive racial understanding. It has, to be sure, certain defined principles, but he does not believe that many aliens understand those principles, even when they use our words in talking about them. . . .In short, the Klansman believes in the greatest possible diversity and individualism within the limits of the American spirit. But he believes also that few aliens can understand that spirit, that fewer try to, and that there must be resistance, intolerance even, toward anything that threatens it, or the fundamental national unity based upon It† (Evans, 1926) . What Americanism is, for the Klansman, is the concept of liberty and justice for all, as Americans recites in their Pledge of Allegiance, but â€Å"all† has its limits along racial, ethnic and religious boundaries. For the KKK, coming right from the pen of its leader at the time, the American Dream was available for those who qualified by being a certain race, nationality or religion, embodied in the KKK credo of â€Å"native, white, Protestant supremacy† (Evans, 1926). Using terms like â€Å"mongrelization† to describe the ethnic diversity that America was experiencing in large part due to the displacement of Europeans after World War I, Evans set up unlimited possibilities for a limited few, not much different from the slavery that America utilized prior to the Civil War. Another element of Evans philosophy was what he defined as â€Å"The American Race†. This race encompasses people who are white descendants from the ancient Nordic tribes of Europe, Protestant in religion. Evans makes a specific religious distinction, saying that â€Å"Rome shall not rule America†, meaning that the Roman Catholic Church, and more specifically the Pope, will not have any hold on what â€Å"The American Race† does in the United States (Evans, 1926). A Response to Evans’ View While Hiram W. Evans, as an American citizen, has the right to express his opinions and views, likewise it is appropriate for the researcher to respond to what Evans wrote and professed in â€Å"The Klan’s Fight for Americanism†. As a response, rather than embarking on a long tirade of random responses, his work will be discussed along the lines of carefully selected main points, which will give a better response to the overall work. Those key points are as follows: †¢ DIVERSITY IS THE BASIS OF AMERICAN GREATNESS- No one can debate that the many contributions made to America in terms of the arts, sciences, humanities, education and more would not have been very significant were it not for those of many different ethnic backgrounds who came to America seeking a better life and ultimately made America a better place for others. If America were only open to Evans’ â€Å"American Race†, the country likely would have been held back from its full potential. †¢ JUDGEMENT BY CONTENT OF CHARACTER- Decades after Evans’ ruled the KKK, Martin Luther King Jr. professed that he dreamed of an America where people would be judged not by the color of skin, but my content of character. By limiting his view of Americans to be only those of the white race, Evans excluded many fine individuals from inclusion in the American Dream. This exclusivity again would have compromised the ability of America to grow and thrive as it has. †¢ ONE NATION UNDER GOD HAS MANY MEANINGS- The belief in God cannot, and should not be available only to those of the Protestant faith that Evans advocates in his teachings and writings. A nation built on many faiths can provide a strong moral foundation and indeed has in the case of America. Aside from whether an individual’s belief in God comes from the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish or any of a number of other theologies, the teachings of respect for other people, peace, integrity and morality has helped to make America great. Agreement With Evans? The researcher has clearly shown that there is definite disagreement with Evans and the content of â€Å"The Klan’s Fight for Americanism†. Having the benefit of viewing the publication in hindsight, it is clearly seen that the American landscape would be vastly different in the 21st century if Evans ruled the 20th. Closing Thoughts It was once said that those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. In the case of Evans’ teachings and writings, this is definitely true. Luckily, the hatred that he professed has not totally dominated the American culture, but does exist today. Therefore, it is important for every American to pay attention to the past to avoid pitfalls in the future. References Evans, Hiram W. (1926). The Klan’s Fight for Americanism. North American Review, 223, 38-39.