Forced Founder’s, written by Woody Holton, sheds new light on one of the best-known events in American History. Holton challenges the traditional narrative of the great land-owning elite leading the revolutionary war. He does not believe it was one single factor but in fact, a web of influences that pushed Virginia into the war of independence. Holton’s main argument consists of the idea that the Indians, merchants, slaves, and debtors helped propel free Virginians into the independence movement. Virginia’s gentry were joining their peers in declaring independence from Britain in response to grassroots rebellions against their own rule.
In the article “Introducing Greg Abbott’s ‘Texas Plan,’ the Best Plan for Your Crumbling Way of Life,” Patrick Michels summarizes a speech done by Gregg Abbott at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s annual policy summit. Due to the fact that Abbott believes that the three branches have strayed from their original constitutional design and that the government is not responsive to the need of the American people, he proposed the “Texas Plan.” Which is 92 pages long and contains both, Federalist and Anti-Federalist ideas. Furthermore, it has nine propositions to amend the U.S. Constitution for the 28th time. The whole purpose is to recreate America the way it was created and to repair the damage done to our government.
In the book 97 Orchard, the author Jane Ziegelman examines the lives of five different immigrant families in New York City. Through their culinary traditions, foods and drinks of choice, the author is able to determine some of the social and economic situations were for these different ethnicities. She also uses their foods to show what last impressions these people had on the streets they lived on as well as New York City. The German immigrants that were depicted by the author was the Glockner family. In German culture, baking is a tradition that is closed off to a certain number of people, and is an art that takes perfection.
Flannery O’Connor uses the literary device of the epiphany in many of her short stories. The epiphany, typically used at the conclusion of the short story, highlights the redemptive possibilities for characters that have become engulfed by the increasing secular world. That being said, the chance for redemption is not a smooth and carefree process. Several of O’Connor’s short stories contain a protagonist that experiences an epiphany that transforms them, only then to suffer from some act of violence that solidifies their move towards Christianity. In Good Country People and Revelation, the development of the protagonists and their eventual epiphanies reveal the fullest implications of the stories’ themes.
The novel Kindred, written by the author Octavia E. Butler, was about a black woman named Dana Franklin traveling through time to save her ancestors to ensure her birth. Dana travels back to the 1800s, to the era known as the “Antebellum South.” The novel opens with a horrific scene of Dana having her arm crushed in the wall of her house and being taken to the hospital. The police question her about what happened, as they accuse her husband Kevin. Eventually Kevin is cleared as a suspect and is allowed to see his wife Dana.
She then sees a bright paper flowing by, saying that city hall was still open. “I forced myself to stand up and chase the sheet of paper.” (Page 332). Once she arrives, the mayor offers her four bags of food every week. This was a miracle to the family.
While Kingsolver introduced many hardships characters faced in the beginning of the novel, she continues to progress the theme of family and community, while expanding the narrator's views and needs for others in the middle of The Bean Trees. As Taylor continues to move forward with her life, she is setback when in cherokee nation a women “...opened up the blanket and took out something alive. It was a child…‘Take this baby,’ she said” (23). For Taylor motherhood is thrown upon her, not only is this child an addition to her life, but she does not feel she is ready for the responsibility. Continuing on, Taylor wants to mimic the small family that she experienced by stating, “I found my head rights, Mama.
Jill Lepore’s “These Truths” provides a unique perspective on the origins of America by structuring it as a story. The 932 page book covers history beginning in the year 1492, and explains our history’s events over more than five centuries. Lepore constantly questions whether our past events have proved these ‘truths’ or deceived them. These factors allowed the author to encourage the audience to hear an alternate interpretation rather than the standard facts of the history books, and it gave a more in-depth and contingent story of how our history transformed into the America we know today. Jill Lepore has a variety of purposes, the purpose of informing, challenging, and engaging her readers.
From ration books, it became something positive by turning it into coupon books. The idea of Victory Gardens encouraged many Americans to grow their own fruits and vegetables. “Victory Gardens yielded as much as 40 percent of the country's nonmilitary produce” (work cited). Citizens became more self-sufficient than ever. Many people saw the potential in gardens and
“The Bean Trees,” by Barbara Kingsolver, is a novel surrounding the life of Taylor Greer as she travels west while discovering the hardships of motherhood due to raising a three-year-old American Indian child named Turtle. Although Taylor grew up in Kentucky, she travels west to Tucson, Arizona, in which she moves in with Lou Ann and finally embarks on the journey that is her life. It is evident that feminism and womanhood is a central theme throughout this novel, as both Lou Ann and Taylor have to raise children on their own. Another crucial theme seen throughout this novel is transformation which is seen in most, if not, all, of the characters. The relationship between Taylor and Turtle exemplifies the glorious bond between a mother and her daughter, showing how Taylor transformed from once being appalled at the idea of raising Turtle
My whole life I have heard that it was never too late to do the right thing, and that is the exact principal Jess Walter uses in his collection of short stories, We Live in Water, as he shares the stories of men struggling in society. In this collection, each character faces his own set of obstacles where he decides between right and wrong. In “Anything Helps” Bit is evicted out of his halfway home, Jesus Beds, and conceives the idea that buying the Harry Potter book for his son’s birthday will make up for his son residing in foster care. In “Brakes” Tommy faces his step-father’s death and uses it to serve as a reminder of the example he leaves his son as he puts a stop to taking advantage of an elderly woman. In “Statistical Abstracts for
Novella Carpenter, author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, is an activist who is a big part of the food movement and who has studied under Michael Pollen, author of Omnivores Dilemma. Originally from Seattle, she relocated to Oakland not only for its better climate for farming, but what she wanted most was to have the best of both worlds, to be able to go to bars and shows while being one with nature without feeling isolated. At the beginning she was a squatter, receiving permission from the landowner to start a local garden in the middle of the ‘ghettos’ where crime rates and poverty were a major issue. Carpenter saw an amazing opportunity to use the empty parking lot to produce something for the community and by starting with
The kids are hungry all the time. We got no clothes, torn an' ragged. If all the neighbors weren't the same, we'd be ashamed to go to meeting.” (Pg 33). Farmers are trying to reason with the landowners, their whole community is out of money and are struggling to make a living.
A community, a complex term that often times elicits various feelings and definitions, generally implies that there are relationships between a group of people that share some common goals, values, the same geographical location, or, perhaps a way of life that reinforces one another. In a community, members choose to associate with, or connect to each other. However, it is only when we take a step back from the activities in our life’s, do we recognize reality and witness the social interactions that occur around us every day. The overarching purpose of this assignment was to go out into the community on two separate occasions to observe the social interactions- paying close attention to evidence of social networks, excluded or exclusive communities,
A tastefully designed yard can add cosmetic appeal to a house and, in turn, increase the overall value of one’s home. Besides adding monetary value, a garden can help one sell their house faster than the average homeowner. Gardening also realigns one with the origins of their food. After I started to care for my own vegetables and herbs, I became more conscious of my overall diet; this is something that relates to me straight away.
