How Far Is the Monarchy an Outdated Institution Essay Example

How Far Is the Monarchy an Outdated Institution Essay The question of as to how important the monarchy stands today in todays society is one of considerable importance of more recent times. Although recent polls suggest that around 70% of Britons want to keep the monarchy we can see a huge drop in the amount of 18- to 24-year-olds who say they do not want a monarch. This essay will try to consider both pro monarchy and pro republican arguments in analysing as to just how outdated the monarchy is as an intuition. To have a greatest understanding of the question we must first understand the what the monarchy is and the alternatives to it. A republic, unlike a monarchy is a polity in which governmental power devolves by popular election, and not by heredity. In Monarchy to Republic by Winterton (1986 p2) defines Its older meaning as simply a state or polity, or a state including a monarchical one with a mixed government or balanced constitution. But after 1649 republic was often used to describe a state without a king, or a state in which power was derived from the people, it was often treated in association with democracy or commonwealth. We will write a custom essay sample on How Far Is the Monarchy an Outdated Institution specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How Far Is the Monarchy an Outdated Institution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How Far Is the Monarchy an Outdated Institution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer There are four main modern theorys as to how useful the monarchy is today these are: A celebration of shared values (Shils and Young) whereby the monarchy is thought to be a key actor in creating a nation state. The monarchy seemingly has the power to bring people together for the common good of the nation. The pinnacle of the ruling class (Karl Marx) Marx suggests that the monarchy is the is the largest symbol of the bourgeoisie and is just another institution trying to control the proletariat. An outdated irrelevance (Birnbaum) this theory is that the monarchy is insignificant in todays society and even though they may well have absolute power in it would never be used to any importance. The mainstay of an archaic state system (Nairn), this suggests that the monarchy is just the foundation of whats wrong with are state system at the moment due to conservative minds unwilling to change things. The first theory has very little evidence to support itself, in fact according to the recent Guardian/ICM poll and the Independent on Sunday MORI poll. Under half those surveyed in a recent poll considered the royal family to be important to Britain. One in three believed the royals were out of touch. Less than one in four thought they were hard working. Just one in 10 thought the royal family were good value for money. I believe this do be undeniable evidence that the monarchy does not bring people together with shared values for how can we identify with someone that has nothing in common we the people they govern. It all sounds like hypocrisy to me why are the royals held up as an example for people to follow. They must be one of the worlds most famous dysfunctional families. They are ashamed of divorcees, alcoholics and possible homosexuals in their midst. Their values are completely corrupt. Marxs theory on class war is very popular with leftist theorists. He suggests that were ever there is capitalism and the need to make money they will be institutions attempting to control others for there own personal gain. A relevant quote would be that of Keir Hardie on the 1897 Jubilee: The cheering millions would be there and cheer just as lustily if the occasion were the installation of the first President of the British Republic; the soldiers are there because they are paid for coming;the statesmen are there because Empire means trade and trade means profit.In this country loyalty to the Queen is used by the profit mongers to blind the eyes of the people; in America loyalty to the flag serves the same purpose.. Birnbaums theory is one of complacency in my eyes. I agree he is right that the monarchy is irrelevant in todays society but they still cost the taxpayer money. The taxpayer spends over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½60 million per year on services related to the monarchy. This money could be spent on hospitals or schools and until recently, the Queen paid no tax whatsoever on her property or income. Everyone should have the same rights. People who didnt pay the poll tax are still being hunted down and locked up. Nairns theory on outdated state system is most relavant to todays monarchy. The theory explains as to has outdated and undemocratic the monarchical system is. The Queen can veto an Act of Parliament, intervene in policy decisions, and even dissolve the government if she wishes. And this isnt just in theory Queen Elisabeth II has even done it in practice. In 1975, she got the Governor-General to dissolve the Labor government in Australia because she found it too left-wing. The monarch can take over the government in circumstances that threaten the state such as a general strike or mass civil unrest and they could even sell the navy and get people put in prison without a jury trial. This is obviously an undemocratic and outdated system. In conclusion the execution of Charles 1st is an inspiration for all fighting to reform the undemocratic British state. After the bloodshed on 30 January 1649, until shortly after Oliver Cromwells death Britain enjoyed a successful 12 year republic, without any Monarchy or House of Lords, a true republic can be achieved. The Monarchy which, with the House of Lords, is supposed to embody our unwritten constitution stands in the way of us having proper rights separate from the state. The creation of a written constitution would help protect those rights that have been increasingly infringed in the recent. With no bill of human rights people of Britain have no statutory line of defence against these oppressive and unrepresentative measures. What is more, it is only through the creation of a social contract can we rebuild a caring civil society, which in my eyes has been lost over the recent decades. Without a shadow of doubt the monarchy is an outdated instition.

Destiny in Naturalism Essay Example

Destiny in Naturalism Paper This corner stone of the genre is used to great effect in Nathaniel Hawthorns Young Goodman Brown, where the author exploits the evil of man to display this key feature of literary Naturalism, that of destiny, by Juxtaposing the reality of the seemingly devout puritans of Salem with the veiled truth behind their double lives. We are first Introduced to Young Goodman Brown In a typical, realist way; with the minor details that culminate In an accurate depiction of the way day to day life Is for the middle class protagonist and his wife. With Hawthorne ever-present use of foreshadowing however, the reader Is at once thrust Into the world of naturalism with the mention of Browns wife Faiths pink ribbons. This vivid symbol serves throughout the work to remind the reader of Faiths goodness, and yet, in the end, serves to display that however good she might have been, Faith is destined for something darker. As Faith begs her husband not to leave her on his Journey, the good and pure wife senses, if not knows, that something foul awaits her dear husband at the end of his travels. We will write a custom essay sample on Destiny in Naturalism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Destiny in Naturalism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Destiny in Naturalism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This collocation, upon inspection, alludes to the vile that lurks beneath the rather benign fade of our Just-begun story. As Goodman Brown Journeys on his way we are introduced to a character that bears striking resemblance to Brown. In their conversation Brown learns of the intimate nature In which his new companion Is acquainted with his family. As his fellow traveler speaks of his experiences with Browns family, the old man talks of some less than favorable events that he has undertaken with Browns father and grandfather. Pone learning of these events, Goodman Brown replies, We are a people of prayer, and good works, to boot, and abide no such wickedness (1200). This recall of his families past hints of Browns eventual fate and speaks to the life he is destined to lead. Though he believes he is of right and good lineage, he in fact is not. As the two continue their conversation, we find that Brown has changed his mind, and that the evil purpose (1 199), which he was set out on his Journey to accomplish, is no longer something he intends to complete. From this short distance into the story we see the force of destiny so heavily pulling on our main characters life: though he has decided that he shall not continue, It Is as If something stronger Han he, something not of this world Is yet pulling him towards his eventual fate. As Brown Is bldg move further along toward his destination by his elder guide, strange occurrences begin to pass. These unexplainable events, which perhaps happen only In our Young Goodman Browns mina, are textbook supernatural, Ana serve to underscore the dubbing of this short work of fiction as Naturalist. The pull of destiny is no where seen more vivid than in Young Goodman Browns realization deep in the forest that his beloved wife is going, the same night, to the same place that he has thus decided not to go. Bewildered and faint-hearted, Brown looks up to the night sky above to see a cloud, though no wind was stirring, hurried across the zenith, hid(inning) the brightening stars (1203). As this troublesome sight sweeps north in the direction he is supposed to be headed, he watches and listens and inexplicably enough hears the voices of his fellow towns people of Salem, and finally, to his horror, his cherished Faiths lamenting voice. As the cloud and the voices sweep away, down from above flutters a lone pink ribbon. This otherworldly occurrence points directly to the foregone conclusion that is Young Goodman Browns fife. His destiny is so etched in stone that even his marriage to such a good and pure woman cannot keep him from the indomitable evil that so unabashedly seeks his soul. As Brown realizes that his Faith is now on her way to the same place he was going, and that his faith in the good of humanity is eroded, he gives in to the forces of destiny saying, My Faith is gone. There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil! For to the is this world given (1204). When Brown finally reaches his destination and wholly realizes what he has come o partake in, a dark figure stands up before all that are gathered and begins to speechify to him and his wife about their fellow towns people; those that they believed they knew so well. There are all whom ye have reverenced from youth. Ye deemed them holier than yourselves, and shrank from your own sin, contrasting it with their lives of righteousness, and prayerful aspirations heavenward. Yet, here are they all, in my worshipping assembly! This night it shall be granted you to know their secret deeds; how hoary-bearded elders of the church have whispered wanton words o the young maids of their households; how many a woman, eager for widows weeds, has given her husband a drink at bed-time, and let him sleep his last sleep in her bosom; how beardless youths have made haste to inherit their fathers wealth; and how fair damsels?blush not sweet ones! ?have dug little graves in the garden, and bidden me, the sole guest, to an infants funeral (1206). These horrifying revelations, displaying the true nature of the people whom Brown and Faith live among in Salem, is yet another efficacious display of Hawthorns liberate use of destiny as it was described by his fellow Naturalist writers. Believing that they were surrounded by other devout puritan souls, the couple lived their lives as they were taught they should, never suspecting that their fate was so perilously chained to the unseen acts of evil that were daily transpiring around them. Their destiny was to fall into collusion with their deceivingly good neighbors, not to follow their counterfeit virtuous ways however, but alas to follow their vile, iniquitous ways. Yet all the while, as they followed like the good and pure that they strove to be, Young Goodman Brown and his dear sweet Faith were following that which was diametrically opposed to the life of a right and honorable puritan. Just as the pull of destiny was so pervasive in Young Goodman Browns life, so was the same force strongly seen in the life of the stories author. Nathaniel Hawthorne is today consolable one AT Americas greatest writers, Ana It seems Tanat en was always destined to be so. From childhood the pull of the written word began weaving its ways through Hawthorns life when at the age of nine, a ball playing accident left him lame for fourteen months. Released from regular schooling, he immersed himself in the familys books (Goggling). Just the same, destiny was showing its weight when Hawthorne graduated Bowdon College with classmates that would become lifelong friends: his most intimate companion Horopito Bridge (who would help arrange publication of his first book), Henry Headwords Longfellow (who would review it), and Franklin Pierce (who would become President of the United States and appoint Hawthorne consul to Liverpool) (Goggling) all of these acquaintances favored heavily in Hawthorns eventual success as a writer. Naturalism in literature has any varied characteristics, but I believe none of them to be as important as the force of destiny on the characters of the given story. Weaving a tale that pulls the reader in is a hard task to master, but with destiny in a writers pocket, captivating an audience is much easier to achieve. Letting the reader in on the secret, that which the character of the story is not aware, gives the reader a sense of ownership in the unfolding plot. It is as if the reader can see into the future, to the end of story, without actually having yet gone there. As is the case in Young Goodman Brown, we he reader knows something wicked this way comes; we know this almost from the outset. Hawthorne even goes so far as to compare and contrast in the most vivid way possible the lives of good the towns people of Salem seem to live with the shocking truth that underneath it all, these devout puritans are, in actuality, living lives more inline with the dark of the devil. Yet knowing what we know, we are unable to tear ourselves away from the text because we are now tied to the destiny of the character. As the French proverb says, One meets his destiny often in the road he takes to avoid it.

A Thousand Acres essays

A Thousand Acres essays As the story starts to unfold in A Thousand Acres, the deception and betrayal between the father and his daughters becomes the main focus of the film. In the movie, a well respected Iowa farmer by the name of Larry Cook is ready to retire and hes handing down his entire farm to his three daughters, Ginny, Rose, and Caroline. This is about as far as the film gets before the deception and betrayal comes into play. When Caroline, who was supposedly Daddys favorite, told her father she wanted to think over the division before she agreed was totally cut out from it all. Larry wanted nothing at all to do with her because she questioned him. This is where the film starts to make note that Larry isnt the nicest man and that he may have some underlying problems. A Thousand Acres covers a lot of ground, and raises numerous questions about the demons that some families keep buried (Berardinelli). After Larrys betrayal of Caroline, it becomes more and more apparent that hes losing his mind. He starts making accusations that Rose and Ginny are just trying to take his land from him. Hes also making poor decisions like drinking and driving. This is one way the writer really portrays Iowa to an exact T. Iowa farmers drink and drive around on gravel roads almost as if it were an acceptable part of life, which is why, in the movie, nobody is concerned. That is until he wrecks his truck. This is about the time in the film where the viewer learns of the incest between Larry, Ginny, and Rose. After a large dispute out in the rain between Larry, Rose, Ginny, and their husbands, Rose and Ginny are sitting in the dark when Rose brings up how their father used to go into Ginnys room when she was a young teen and have sex with her. Around the time she was 15, he left her room and went to 13 year old Roses room. Rose claims she let him come in until she was 16 so h ...

Robert Gould Shaw Led Unions First Black Regiment

Robert Gould Shaw Led Unions First Black Regiment The son of prominent Boston abolitionists, Robert Gould Shaw was born October 10, 1837, to Francis and Sara Shaw. The heir to a large fortune, Francis Shaw advocated for a variety of causes and Robert was raised in an environment that included notable personalities such as William Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. In 1846, the family moved to Staten Island, NY and, despite being Unitarian, Robert  enrolled in St. Johns College Roman Catholic School. Five years later, the Shaws traveled to Europe and Robert continued his studies abroad. Education and First Job Returning home in 1855, he enrolled at Harvard the following year. After three years of university, Shaw withdrew from Harvard in order to take a position in his uncles, Henry P. Sturgis, mercantile firm in New York. Though he was fond of the city, he found that he was ill-suited for business. While his interest in his work waned, he developed a passion for politics. A supporter of Abraham Lincoln, Shaw hoped that the ensuing secession crisis would see the Southern states brought back by force or cut loose from the United States. Early Civil War With the secession crisis peaking, Shaw enlisted in the 7th New York State Militia with the hope that he would see action if war broke out. Following the attack on Fort Sumter, the 7th NYS responded to Lincolns call for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion. Traveling to Washington, the regiment was quartered in the Capitol. While in the city, Shaw had the opportunity to meet both Secretary of State William Seward and President Lincoln. As the 7th NYS was only a short-term regiment, Shaw, who wished to remain in the service, applied for a permanent commission in a Massachusetts regiment. On May 11, 1861, his request was granted and he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry. Returning north, Shaw joined the regiment at Camp Andrew in West Roxbury for training. In July, the regiment was sent to Martinsburg, VA, and soon joined Major General Nathaniel Banks corps. Over the next year, Shaw served in western Maryland and Virginia, with the regiment taking part in attempts to stop Major General Thomas Stonewall Jacksons campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. During the First Battle of Winchester, Shaw luckily avoided being wounded when a bullet hit his pocket watch. A short time later, Shaw was offered a position on Brigadier General George H. Gordons staff which he accepted. After taking part in the Battle of Cedar Mountain on August 9, 1862, Shaw was promoted to captain. While the 2nd Massachusetts brigade was present at the Battle of Second Manassas later that month, it was held in reserve and did not see action. On September 17, Gordons brigade saw heavy combat in the East Woods during the Battle of Antietam. The 54th Massachusetts Regiment On February 2, 1863, Shaws father received a letter from Massachusetts governor John A. Andrew offering Robert command of the first black regiment raised in the North, the 54th Massachusetts. Francis traveled to Virginia and presented the offer to his son. While initially reluctant, Robert was ultimately persuaded by his family to accept. Arriving in Boston on February 15, Shaw began recruiting in earnest. Assisted by Lt. Colonel Norwood Hallowell, the regiment began training at Camp Meigs. Though originally skeptical about the fighting qualities of the regiment, the mens dedication and devotion impressed him. Officially promoted to colonel on April 17, 1863, Shaw married his sweetheart Anna Kneeland Haggerty in New York on May 2. On May 28, the regiment marched through Boston, to the cheers of a massive crowd, and began their voyage south. Arriving at Hilton Head, SC on June 3, the regiment began service in Major General David Hunters Department of the South. A week after landing, the 54th took part in Colonel James Montgomerys attack on Darien, GA. The raid angered Shaw as Montgomery ordered the town looted and burned. Unwilling to take part, Shaw and the 54th largely stood and watched as events unfolded. Angered by Montgomerys actions, Shaw wrote to Gov. Andrew and the adjutant general of the department. On June 30, Shaw learned that his troops were to be paid less than white soldiers. Displeased by this, Shaw inspired his men to boycott their pay until the situation was resolved (it took 18 months). Following Shaws letters of complaint regarding the Darien raid, Hunter was relieved and replaced with Major General Quincy Gillmore. Seeking to attack Charleston, Gillmore began operations against Morris Island. These initially went well, however the 54th was excluded much to Shaws chagrin. Finally on July 16, the 54th saw action on nearby James Island when it aided in repulsing a Confederate attack. The regiment fought well and proved that black soldiers were the equals of whites. Following this action, Gillmore planned an attack on Fort Wagner on Morris Island. The honor of the lead position in the assault was given to the 54th. On the evening of July 18, believing that he would not survive the attack, Shaw sought out Edward L. Pierce, a reporter with the New York Daily Tribune, and gave him several letters and personal papers. He then returned to the regiment which was formed up for the assault. Marching over open beach, the 54th came under heavy fire from the Confederate defenders as it approached the fort. With the regiment wavering, Shaw sprung to the front yelling Forward 54th! and led his men as they charged. Surging through ditch surrounding the fort, the 54th scaled the walls. Reaching the top of the parapet, Shaw stood and waved his men forward. As he urged them on he was shot through the heart and killed. Despite the regiments valor the attack was repulsed with the 54th suffering 272 casualties (45% of its total strength). Angered by the use of black soldiers, the Confederates stripped Shaws body and buried it with his men, believing that it would humiliate his memory. After attempts by Gillmore to recover Shaws body failed, Francis Shaw asked him to stop, believing his son would prefer to rest with his men.