The British Empire Essay Example for Free

The British Empire Essay The British Empire had the difficult time in defeating the Boers. It took them about three years, 1899-1902, to stop the Boers. The Boers signified to those pioneering individuals who attempted to create an autonomous nation for themselves in South Africa (see Weber, Mark. â€Å"The Boer War Remembered†). There are two Boer Wars happened in the world history. These are the First Boer War (1880-1881) and the Second Boer War (1899-1902). These wars were between the British Empire and the two self-governing Boer republics, which were the Orange Free State and the South African Republican and were founded by pioneers recognized as Voortrekkers who created the Great Trek originated in Cape Colony and were mostly of Dutch, German and French. These pioneers were frequently named as Boers and were primarily the Afrikaners’ descendants who dwelt in the Eastern Cape frontier. The war frequently named as the â€Å"Boer War† pertains to the Second Boer War (see â€Å"Boer War†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 3, 2006). The intents of this paper are to: (1) understand what Boer War is; (2) figure out the reason and effects of Boer War and; (3) discuss the first and second Boer Wars. II. Background The â€Å"Boer War†, also recognized as the South African War (1899-1902), has marked the first official dispatch of troops of Canada to a foreign war. During 1899, there were two conflicts and combats occurred between the Great Britain and South Africa’s two small republics. The two small republics were mentioned earlier, the Orange Free State and the South African Republican and were pioneered by Boers who were the descendants of the Dutch immigrants. The first descendants of Dutch in the region were not anticipated to survive against the greatest power of the world, which is the Great Britain. The Canadian citizens who were on the side of the Great Britain asked their government to lend a hand to the Empire; thus, â€Å"the war, they argued, pitted British freedom, justice, and civilization against Boer backwardness†. Despite the fact that there are several English-Canadians showed their support to the Britain Empire, yet majority of the French-Canadians and several of the present immigrants from nations other than Britain questioned why Canada â€Å"should fight in a war half way around the world. â€Å"There were approximately 7,000 Canadians, involving 12 women nurses, who rendered services during the war (see â€Å"Canada The South African War, 1899-1902. September 2, 2005). III. Discussion A. The reason and effects of Boer War Moreover, during 1899, Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee. During this time, the British Empire was on its top in terms of power and prestige. But despite of this high status and achievements, the High Commissioner of Cape Colony (Alfred Milner) wanted to have more. He desired to gain more economic power for the Empire by having interests of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State’s gold mines in the Dutch Boer republics. He desired to make a Cape-to-Cairo confederation of British colonies to control and govern the African continent. And in order to carry out his plan, Alfred Milner made a precipitated war against the Boers. The generals and politicians were very confident that the war will end ‘by Christmas’ as they usually have wars with other countries that only took for a short time. But in this case, they were having the difficult times in defeating the Boers and the war even took three years. In 1899 of October, the Boers invaded Natal and Cape Province (Boers used the principle ‘the key to a good defense is a good offense’ in the said attacked) and immediately invaded three towns namely the Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmith. This attacked forced the British to leave behind their first offensive and violent plans â€Å"in order to lift the sieges† (see â€Å"The Boer War: South Africa, 1899-1902). A. First Boer War The First Boer War is also recognized as the â€Å"Transvaal War†. Transvaal War started from December 16, 1880 up until March 23, 1881. It was the first battle between the Transvaal Boers and the British. It was led by Sir Theophilus Shepstone who took control of the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic) in 1877 for the British. The British had strengthened and established their power and prestige over the South Africa’s colonies in 1879 right after the Anglo-Zulu War. The Boers started to protest and subsequently led to revolution in December 1880. The fight had started on December 16, 1880 along with the shots fired by Transvaal Boers at Potchefstroom when Transvaal officially promulgated independence from the Britain Empire. A fight occurred at Bronkhorstspruit on December 20, 1880 where the Boers ambushed and defeated the British army group. Since December 22, 1880 up until to January 6, 1881, the â€Å"British army garrison all over the Transvaal became besieged†. Moreover, the Boers clothed in their usual and daily farming clothing which were earth tone khaki clothes; unlike with the British uniforms which were bright scarlet red that enabled the Boers, who are expert marksmen, to identify and snipe the British troops even from a distance. After the war (in March 6, 1881), William Gladstone signed a treaty and the final peace treaty was on March 23, 1881. The British Empire set the Boers free and gave them independence â€Å"in the Transvaal under a theoretical British oversight† (see â€Å"First Boer War†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 1, 2006). B. Second Boer War The Second Boer War, is commonly known as the South African War (outside of South Africa), Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog (the Second War of Independence), and the Anglo-Boer War (amongst several South Africans), started to have battle since 1899 of October 11 up until 1902 of May 31. The battle was between the British Empire and the two self-governing Boer republics of the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic) and of the Orange Free State. Prior to that, there was a discovery of gold in 1885 in Transvaal that kept the thousands of British and different miners and pioneers interested in their place and flowed over the border starting from the cape Colony and from across the globe. The Johannesburg’s city became a shanty town in a short span of time as the uitlanders continued to grow in number and dwelt close the mines. Because of this scenario, the uitlanders immediately grow in number compared to the Boers on the Rand yet still a minority in the Transvaal in general. The Afrikaners were anxious and indignant of the presence of the uitlanders and because of this; they did not give the uitlanders voting rights and overtax the gold industry. As a result, there was tension from the British mine owners and the uitlanders to revolt and defeat the Boer government. By the year 1895, Cecil Rhodes supported a failed coup d’etat which was backed up by armed invasion which was the Jameson Raid (see â€Å"Second Boer War† Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 1, 2006). IV. Conclusion The British Empire during 1800 and 1900s was considered as one of the biggest and most prestige in all continents. However, the said Empire was not satisfied of what they have. The Empire’s greediness of wealth and power encouraged them to invade African continent in order to get and satisfy their selfish desires. Moreover, the Boers also show this kind of character when they were overpowered by the uitlanders and British mine owners. Its greediness to power and fame has led them to wars. References 1. Weber, Mark. â€Å"The Boer War Remembered†. http://www. boer. co. za/boerwar/weber. html 2. â€Å"Boer War†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 3, 2006. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Boer_War 3. â€Å"Canada the South African War, 1899-1902. September 2, 2005. http://www. warmuseum. ca/cwm/boer/boerwarhistory_e. html 4. â€Å"The Boer War: South Africa, 1899-1902. http://www. geocities. com/Athens/Acropolis/8141/boerwar. html 5. â€Å"First Boer War†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 1, 2006. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/First_Boer_War 6. â€Å"Second Boer War† Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 1, 2006. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Second_Boer_War

Sophocles Antigone and Bill Clinton :: Antigone essays

Antigone and Bill Clinton Antigone, in Greek legend, was the daughter of Oedipus. When her brothers Eteocles and Polynices killed one another, Creon, king of Thebes, forbade the rebel Polynices’ burial. Antigone disobeyed him, performed the rites, and was condemned to death for what she had done. Now the question arises, "Did Antigone take proper action?". Was it just to go against her Uncle Creon’s wishes and go ahead and bury the brother that was to be left out for the vultures? Would it be better to leave the situation how they are? Could she go on about life trying not to think of how she left her own blood out in the open? Could Antigone act as if she did not care? Afterlife to the Greeks back then was far more important and sacred than living life itself. Everything they did while they were alive was to please the many gods they worshipped. They built temples for their Gods, made statues to symbolize their Gods, and had a different God to explain things that we now say are an act of mother nature. It may seem rather foolish to us when we study their beliefs and compare them to modern day beliefs. I am sure the Greeks would have considered us to be heathens and put us to death for our ways and beliefs. I think Antigone thought her act was courageous and valid. I myself would not have risked my life to ensure a proper burial for anyone, whether it was in modern times or back then. To go against authority and break the laws given by the monarch was a plain senseless act. When someone is dead we now know there is nothing else anyone or anything can do for them at that point. It is too bad the Greeks did not believe that. As I stated before, afterlife to the Greeks was more important than living life itself. The Greeks seemed to spend most if not all of their lives preparing in some way for their afterlives. The lives they led back then were consecutive to please the Gods. I feel that she deserved her punishment because of the fact that she knew what fate was to come of her actions. Just because Antigone thought she was doing the right thing does not mean it was right.

American Beauty: Of Adulthood and Life Transitions

American Beauty is one of the most well-received movies of our time. As the screen debut of screenwriter Alan Ball and director Sam Mendes, the movie has won numerous Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It was a good demonstration of different psychological and social themes such as deviancy, romantic and paternal love, sexuality, and beauty.The movie’s focus is Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey). In fact, as the narrator, Lester is the revolving point of most of the movie. American Beauty paints how he was a year before he died and how he’s changed through the year that eventually led to his death.But the movie also focused on other interesting characters – most notable of which are his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening), daughter Jane (Thora Birch), Janes’ friend Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), and the neighbor Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley). Almost all of these characters undergo a specific ‘deviant’ nature and are almost on either poles of the social sph ere.Watching Lester, Carolyn, Jane, Angela, and Ricky, one realizes that people really do change behavior based on previous experiences. Although Berk (2004), in her book Development Through the Life Span, talked mainly about the change of relationship between parent and child through operant conditioning, this discussion is useful in explaining the hostile relationship between Jane and her parents.As Jane has come to learn from previous experiences, any attempt at trying to bond the family falls into deaf ears; hence, she’s taken to keeping her mouth shut and maintaining a distant stance from her father and mother.Perhaps, this type of learning can also aid in understanding Angela. She is naturally insecure and afraid of being thought ‘ordinary’. But she’s learned that putting up a front and projecting a brazen image elicits a positive response from men; since this eliminates her fears of being just a common person, she has maintained the said image.Leste r and Carolyn also demonstrate how adults react differently when on the brink of transitioning from their prime to old age. Lester copes with his shift to old age in a different manner than Carolyn in the sense that he’s preferred to be â€Å"sedated†, to use his own terms.He felt that everything in his life was going downhill: he was losing his job, he hasn’t had sex with his wife in a long time, and he just doesn’t find any aspects of his life exciting. Yet given the right stimuli (in the person of Angela, whom he is obviously attracted to), he realizes that aging should not be the end of his life.He starts working out and bettering himself. He shows – through his decision to quit his job, resume his teenage job as a fast food employee, and buy his dream car – that sometimes, people regress while moving towards old age.Carolyn, however, has an opposite reaction. Knowing that she now only has limited time, she goes down the serious route. S he became more focused on her career and had little time left for personal pleasure.Jane and Angela on the other hand, show teenagers metamorphosing into adults. Jane, realizing that most teenagers her age are already forming well-developed breasts, reacts to her maturation by desiring breast augmentation.Angela, though, who projects a confident stance, does not do – or wish to do – anything as drastic. In fact, it seems that she is unmindful of the possible biological changes that adulthood might bring to her current ‘good looks’.Lester’s obsession with Angela has given him an energy boost. Suddenly, he finds the guts to stand up to his wife and demand for what he wants. Then he gets involved in a fitness regimen and dives into the use of marijuana (which he purchases from Ricky).This has eventually led to drastic changes in his family life: Carolyn and he find themselves quarreling in front of Jane, who naturally forms greater hatred for her paren ts.Early in the film and towards the middle part, we get a glimpse at how Ricky feels about death. He thinks that death is nothing to worry about and is something interesting to watch. This was apparent in the scene where he was filming a dead bird and describes it as â€Å"beautiful†.And the death of Lester reinforces this: examining Lester’s bloody body, Ricky utters, â€Å"Wow.† Lester also portrays a way of coping with death. Through his narration, he describes death as a sort of freedom and a culmination of everything that is happy.Using Lester as a narrator, Ball speaks of how â€Å"the after life† does exist and how it is something that we all have to go through at one point in our lives.American Beauty is not just another pretty, award-winning movie. It is an effective demonstration of how people react differently towards changes in life, specifically adulthood and life transitions.ReferencesMendes, Sam. (Director). (1999, October 1). American Bea uty   [Motion picture]. USA: DreamWorks.Berk, Laura E. (2004). Development Through the Life Span. Boston,

Copyright Notice and the Use of the Copyright Symbol

A copyright notice or copyright symbol is an identifier placed on copies of the work to inform the world of copyright ownership. While the use of a copyright notice was once required as a condition of copyright protection, it is now optional. Use of the copyright notice is the responsibility of the copyright owner and does not require advance permission from, or registration with the Copyright Office. Because prior law did contain such a requirement, however, the use of a copyright notice or copyright symbol is still relevant to the copyright status of older works. The copyright notice was required under the 1976 Copyright Act. This requirement was eliminated when the United States adhered to the Berne Convention, effective March 1, 1989. Although works published without copyright notice before that date could have entered the public domain in the United States, the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) restores copyright in certain foreign works originally published without copyright notice. How Is a Copyright Symbol Useful Use of the copyright notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner, and shows the year of first publication. Furthermore, in the event that a work is infringed, if a proper notice of copyright appears on the published copy or copies to which a defendant in a copyright infringement suit had access, then no weight shall be given to such a defendants defense based on innocent infringement. Innocent infringement occurs when the infringer did not realize that the work was protected. The use of the copyright notice is the responsibility of the copyright owner and does not require advance permission from, or registration with, the Copyright Office. Correct Form for the Copyright Symbol The notice for visually perceptible copies should contain all the following three elements: The copyright symbol  © (the letter C in a circle), or the word Copyright, or the abbreviation Copr.The year of first publication of the work. In the case of compilations or derivative works incorporating previously published material, the year date of first publication of the compilation or derivative work is sufficient. The year date may be omitted where a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, with accompanying textual matter, if any, is reproduced in or on greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jewelry, dolls, toys, or any useful article.The name of the owner of copyright in the work, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner. Example: copyright  © 2002 John Doe The  © or C in a circle notice or symbol is used only on visually perceptible copies. Phonorecords Certain kinds of works, for example, musical, dramatic, and literary works may be fixed not in copies but by means of sound in an audio recording. Since audio recordings such as audio tapes and phonograph disks are phonorecords and not copies, the C in a circle notice is not used to indicate protection of the underlying musical, dramatic, or literary work that is recorded. Copyright Symbol for Phonorecords of Sound Recordings Sound recordings are defined in the law as works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds, but not including the sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work. Common examples include recordings of music, drama, or lectures. A sound recording is not the same as a phonorecord. A phonorecord is a physical object in which works of authorship are embodied. The word phonorecord includes cassette tapes, CDs, records, as well as other formats. The notice for phonorecords embodying a sound recording should contain all the following three elements: The copyright symbol (the letter P in a circle)The year of first publication of the sound recordingThe name of the owner of copyright in the sound recording, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner. If the producer of the sound recording is named on the phonorecord label or container and if no other name appears in conjunction with the notice, the producers name shall be considered a part of the notice. Position of Notice The copyright notice should be affixed to copies or phonorecords in such a way as to give reasonable notice of the claim of copyright. The three elements of the notice should ordinarily appear together on the copies or phonorecords or on the phonorecord label or container. Since questions may arise from the use of variant forms of the notice, you may wish to seek legal advice before using any other form of the notice. The 1976 Copyright Act overturned the strict consequences of failure to include copyright notice under prior law. It contained provisions that set out specific corrective steps to cure omissions or certain errors in the copyright notice. Under these provisions, an applicant had 5 years after publication to cure omission of notice or certain errors. Although these provisions are technically still in the law, their impact has been limited by the amendment making notice optional for all works published on and after March 1, 1989. Publications Incorporating United States Government Works Works by the U. S. Government are not eligible for U.S. copyright protection. For works published on and after March 1, 1989, the previous notice requirement for works consisting primarily of one or more U. S. Government works has been eliminated. However, use of a notice on such a work will defeat a claim of innocent infringement as previously described provided the copyright notice also includes a statement that identifies either those portions of the work in which copyright is claimed or those portions that constitute U. S. Government material. Example: copyright  © 2000 Jane Brown.Copyright claimed in Chapters 7-10, exclusive of U. S. Government maps Copies of works published before March 1, 1989, that consist primarily of one or more works of the U. S. Government should have a notice and the identifying statement. Unpublished Works The author or copyright owner may wish to place a copyright notice on any unpublished copies or phonorecords that leave his or her control. Example: Unpublished work  © 1999 Jane Doe