Thursday, January 30, 2020
Ecology Report of Brighami Rockii Essay Example for Free
Ecology Report of Brighami Rockii Essay Any region with significant level of biodiversity exposed to threat of destruction can have severe deforestation and other forms of agricultural clearing like logging, charcoal-making, etc. Due to this degradation of its ecological habitats, such region may become a home for critically endangered endemic species. Researchers have it that the less rainforest a given region has, the greater the proportion of endangered species it hosts. In Hawaii, two native plants were identified as the most critically endangered species. Brighamia rockii Brighamia insignis are endemic to the region. Both of these species are similar to each other except their respective colors. Both of them also have succulent stems that function as water storage allowing them to sustain amidst drought season. B. rockii though is different in color. It is a native plant with purple trunks that develops in its early stage, while B. insignis does not change its color at all. B. Rockii can grow spectacularly as a branched plant 1 to 5 meters tall along with its thick succulent stems that narrows from the base. It has elliptical leaves that forms and looks like the head of a cabbage. B. Rockii produces fragrant flowers that have corollas in white and anthers which are grouped in three to eight in its axils. Few of the associated species of B. rockii are Metrosideros polymorpha (ohia), Canthium odoratum (alahee), Diospyros sandwicensis (lama), Osteomeles anthyllidifolia (ulei), and Scaevola gaudichaudii (naupaka). B. Rockii is an endemic native plant that belongs to the family of bellflowers known as Campanulaceae. Its common names are alula, ââ¬Ëolulu, pu aupaka and pua ââ¬Ëala. B. Rockii is also tagged with taxonomic synonyms namely, Brighamia remyi, Brighamia rockii fa. and Longiloba Known to have been extinct, this plant is only found on sea cliffs in the island of Moloka (Hannon 2002; Wagner 1999) i. Its natural habitats, however, are coastal dry forests, moist shrub lands above sea level up to 470 meters elevation. B. rockii is common to Molokai and extends to the northern part of the island ââ¬â Kalaupapa to Halawa. However, just recently, it has been found out that it has become an almost died out specie in Lanai and Maui. Hand pollination for cultivated plants allows its seed production to increase because its native pollinator are also extinct. Similarly, for the Brighamia to be hand pollinated, the use of a small paint brush is needed to transfer the pollen grains. When the flowers of B. Rockii are yet a few days old, the pollen will begin to drop. The paint brush can then be used to pick up the pollens that fell onto the flower tube and place it over to another flowerââ¬â¢s stigma. This stigma is good to receive the pollen when it appears sticky and glossy. Researchers found out that the seeds of Brighamia need the presence of light to produce and sprinkle the seeds onto the surface of a damp medium. These seeds can also be stored in a refrigerator from 2 to 3 years but its capability depreciates after 10 to 12 months. It was also found out from NTBG report ((Ragone 1993) that came out on 1993 that the seeds of Brighamia were no longer viable after it has been stored in an area with a temperature of 80 degrees F and humidity of 25 % for 1 year and 5 months (Hannon 2002; Koob 2000; NTBG 1992; Ragone 1993; Wagner 1999). The plant was believed to be extinct but was rediscovered in 1996. From its discovery, only few remained and became part of the current population estimated to run at most 5 in numbers. ââ¬Å"No bird, butterfly, flower, tree or animal disappears alone. When they slip into extinction, they disappear with their unique genes ââ¬â the building blocks of life (Dr. Norman Meyer of Oxford University). â⬠These species, rare finds and threatened, may cease to exist even without being given a name. Yet again, Brighamia rockii is just one of the most critically endangered. There are more that are susceptible to extinction too. Still, some remained unnoticed. Perhaps, extinction is natural but if we, humans alike are hastening the process, then probably our race comes with the extinction as well. ââ¬Å"Man has lost the capacity to foresee and forestall. He will end by destroying earth (Schweitzer 2004). â⬠References Hannon, Dylan P. and Steve Perlman. 2002. The Genus Brighamia. Cactus and Succulent Journal 74 (2):67-76. Johnson, Margaret. 1986. Brighamia citrina var. napaliensis. Kew Magazine 3 (2):68-72. Koob, Gregory A. 2000. Cabbage on a baseball bat. Hawaii Horticulture 3 (6):9-11. National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG). 1992. Alula. In Native Hawaiian plant information sheets. Lawai, Kauai: Hawaii Plant Conservation Center. National Tropical Botanical Garden. Unpublished internal papers. Ragone, Diane, (Program Coordinator). 1993. Hawaii Plant Conservation Center Collection Propagation Project: Progress Report (USFWS Grant 14-48-0001-92581). Lawai, Hawaii: National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Sociological Imagination vs. Common Sense Essay -- Sociology
Sociological Imagination vs. Common Sense This essay will aim to explain differences between the sociological imagination and common sense. What the sociological imagination and common sense are and how they are at work in our society today. Using the area of educational achievement I will bring into this essay examples through research and findings from sociologists such as; Pierre Bourdieu, Culture Capital (1977), Bernstein-(1961)speech patternsââ¬â¢ and Paul Willis (1977)learning to labour, and use these examples as evidence to show how these would explain educational achievement in relation to the sociological imagination and common sense assumptions. I shall begin this essay by discussing where the sociological imagination arose from and what this is in comparison to common sense. American sociologist C.Wright Mills (1959) published a sociological text called ââ¬ËThe sociological Imagination (1959), C.Wright Mills wrote in his book about ââ¬Ëthe troubles of milieuââ¬â¢ the word milieu means (environment) this was looked at as being where an individual will find themselves in a situation that is of a personal social setting to them and therefore could indeed affect them personally and in some extent the situation be this persons making. Mills(1959), also wrote about public issues of social structure, referring to matters that go beyond the individual and look at society as a whole. How society is organised and how society works. This goes far beyond ââ¬Ëthe troubles of milieu, as it doesnââ¬â¢t look at the person and there individual experiences in society but looks at the wider social structure e.g social institutionsâ⬠¦ education, religion, family, law and how they have developed and interact with each other examples of the differenc... ...ion, Sociology making sense of society, 4th ed, Harlow, Pearson Longman, pp. 604-605. Mills C.Wright (1959) The Sociological imagination , Harmondsworth, England, Oxford University Press. Office of National Statistics (2004), Education, Ethnicity and Identity, Available from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=461 [accessed 28 September 2010], Cite as (office of National Statistics 28 September 2010) Pierre B (1961) Culture Capital Cited, Taylor P ; Richardson Jr John; Yeo, A, (1995), The class structure and educational attainment, Sociology in Focus, pp.297, Ormskirk, Causeway Press. Scanlan J Stephen; Guest-editor; Grauerjolz Liz (2009) 50 Years of C.Wright Mills and the Sociological Imagination, Teaching Sociology 37, (1), pp1-7 Willis Paul (1977) Learning to labour, Westmead, hants, England, Saxon House, Teakfield Limited.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
ââ¬ÅMy Bondage and My Freedomââ¬Â
My Bondage and My Freedom is Frederick Douglassââ¬â¢ second autobiography, written in 1855.à It is important to remember that this work was written before Abraham Lincoln was elected President and before the Civil War. Slavery was becoming a volatile issue in the South and was threatening to split our young nation in two.à Additionally, it is important to remember that while slavery had some supporters in other sections of the nation, it was mainly a Southern issue. This is where the slaves were bought and sold and this is where the plantations depended so heavily on slave labor to be able to produce a product that was then sold and reaped great profits.à White Americanââ¬â¢s attitude differed depending on where they lived and how close they were to the issue; for the purpose of this paper the focus will be on attitudes in the South. In 1790 all white persons were granted citizenship in the United States.à This indicates how most white people felt about African Americans.à They were seen as, at best, a lower class and, at worst, no better than the animals that helped around the farm; the cows and the horses.à However, in some small towns slaves became part of the family and the family worked alongside their slaves to ensure survival.à This, unfortunately, was not Douglassââ¬â¢ experience.à Douglass writes, ââ¬Å"After the valuation, then came the division.à This was an hour of high excitement and distressing anxiety.à Our destiny was now to be fixed for life, and we had no more voice in the decision of the question, than the oxen and cows that stood chewing at the haymow.â⬠(138) Choices afforded to slaves were few and far between.à They were told where they would work, live, and be.à If they were lucky, they worked in a home where it was warm and relatively comfortable.à If they were unlucky or rebellious they were sent to slave breakers who were considered professionals at breaking the will of slaves who constantly ran or disobeyed their owners.à Douglass writes of his experience with one such man whom he calls Mr. Covey.à ââ¬Å"I was a victim of his violence and brutality.à Such a narration would fill a My Bondage and My Freedom à volume much larger than the present one.à I aim only to give the reader a truthful impression of my slave life, without unnecessarily affecting him with harrowing details.â⬠(170) à As any reader could see, slaves really had no choices.à Little more, yet enough more to make it appealing, were afforded free African Americans in America.à Douglass writes of the isolation of being a free slave, ââ¬Å"For a time, every door seemed closed against me.à A sense of my loneliness and helplessness crept over me, and covered me with something bordering on despair.à In the midst of thousands of my fellowmen, and yet a perfect stranger!â⬠(253) In his life Douglass chose not to give into the helplessness or despair that he writes of.à He chose to speak out and found himself at home with the abolitionist cause.à Douglass was an eloquent orator who constantly strove to bring his people into a different light.à One of his main objectives was to, ââ¬Å"Chang(e) the estimation in which the colored people of the United States were held.â⬠(xxiii)à He would do this through educating himself, through the speeches he gave, through the books he published and through newspapers like the North Star.à It seems he chose to educate rather than violate. The ramification of Douglassââ¬â¢ life and his choices were felt far and wide.à From the early beginnings of the abolitionist movement to the passing of the Fifteenth Amendment, to the eventual de-segregation of schools in the 1950ââ¬â¢s, early pioneers of the anti-slavery movement set the wheels in motion for later events. Douglass closes his book by saying, ââ¬Å"I shall labor in the future, as I have labored in the past, to promote the moral, social, religious, and intellectual elevation of the free colored people; never forgetting my own humble origin, nor refusing, while Heaven lends me ability, to use my voice, my pen, or my vote, to advocate the great and primary work of the universal and unconditional emancipation of my entire race.â⬠(300)à His work and his words still continue today.
Monday, January 6, 2020
`` The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow `` How Did Irving And...
ââ¬Å"In this by-place of nature there abode, in a remote period of American history, that is to say, some thirty years since, a worthy wight of the name of Ichabod Craneâ⬠(Washington Irving, ââ¬Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollowâ⬠, 1820). How did Irving and Sedgwick use American history in their writings? Well into the early 19th Century the idea of ââ¬ËThe Americanââ¬â¢ was far reserved from what we recognize now, due in a large part to the the lack of a credible sense of culture and history emitted from the settlers. Whilst the Revolution had asserted their independence from Great Britain and the rest of Europe, they still fundamentally relied on their exports for culture, and in particular their literature. This presented an odd dichotomy for the Americanâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Additionally, it is imperative to consider how the omittance and fictionalization of history and society, with direct reference to Irvingââ¬â¢s Sleepy Hollow, might influence and comment on the concept of American culture. In both Sleepy Hollow, and Hope Leslie, Irving and Sedgwick intrinsically weave in factual American history for a multitude of purposes that ultimately, if not for the more fanciful fictitious elements (particularly in Sleepy Hollow), allow both novels to be presented as historical fiction. This is pertinent because, as has been mentioned before, the notion of crafting ââ¬ËAmerican historyââ¬â¢ was foreign and somewhat perverse. However in response to a growing demand, both authors seek to embellish the history of their young nation to create a sense of truly American culture. This is immediately apparent in a number of ways; firstly both books are set on the East coast of the United states, an area with established civilisation. By doing this, Irving and Sedgwick seek to impress upon the reader the establishment of culture through the invention of a literature that was distinctly American, which previous critics such as Edward Everett had implied as merely being ââ¬ËEnglis hââ¬â¢ and therefore non-existent. (North American Review, 1821) Contrasting Sleepy Hollow with the numerous other
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Solutions For The Obesity Epidemic - 1386 Words
Solutions for Obesity in the U.S. Obesity isâ⬠a condition characterized by an excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the bodyâ⬠according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary (m-w.com). Obesity has become an epidemic and an important public health concern in the U.S. Obesity epidemic is a result of life style change brought on by availability of snacks and fast foods as well as the decrease in physical activity according to Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French Medical Doctor with 35 years of experience in Clinical nutrition, and inventor of the Dukan diet. Michelle Obama has also come up with a bill to help fight against obesity in children and adults. The CDC has a strategic exercise program and a healthier nutritional schedule in place to help the obese on a day to day exercise and nutritional diet program. To sum it up: the obesity problem is so great that doctors, politicians, and health facilities are working hard put together information about obesity to help solve the problem. Imprisoned in every fat m an, a thin one is wildly signaling to be let out. (Cyril Connolly) Dr. Dukan has been working over 35 years against obesity to get the right diet. He personally helped over 40,000 patients overcome the illness of obesity. The Dukan Diet has helped millions of overweight people around the world find a way to lose weight and keep it off and live a better and healthier life ( Sassi). oecd.org Americans do have a solution to obesity according to the American Journal ofShow MoreRelatedShould We Assign Personal Responsibility For Obesity Epidemic?1649 Words à |à 7 PagesShould we assign personal responsibility for obesity epidemic? Obesity is a growing threat to public health in the World and in the United States. Since 1960, the prevalence of obesity increased twice in the United States. According to a latest report by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionà on November 11, 2015 obesity rates among U.S. adults increased from 30 % in 2003 to 36.5 % in 2011-2014. The estimated annual health care costs of obesity-related illness is approximately $190 billionRead MoreChildhood Obesity : A Developing Problem1197 Words à |à 5 PagesObesity in America is a developing problem, and not just in adults. Today, one in three American children and teens are either overweight or obese; almost triple the rate previously in 1963. Child obesity has expeditiously become one of the most genuine health challenges of the 21st century (ââ¬Å"10 Surprising Facts About Childhood Obesityâ⬠). Physical inactivity, race, junk food in schools, the mass media, and the childââ¬â¢s parents flaws are all factors that hav e resulted in the prevalence of childhoodRead MoreThe Obesity Epidemic : A Worldwide Healthcare Crisis893 Words à |à 4 Pageswe have stated time and again that the current Obesity epidemic represents a worldwide healthcare crisis. We have explored all the possible triggers of the increasing rise of obesity cases amongst children and adults of both developed and undeveloped countries. Ultimately, the prominent bearers of responsibility are governments, the food industry and the obese patients themselves. The question now is not who to blame, but who to look to for solutions. In this final assignment I will explore what areRead MoreEssay on Rhetorical Analysis: Too Much of a Good Thing1292 Words à |à 6 Pageslogos, in an attempt to persuade his audience, anyone raising children or interested in childrens health issues, of how prevalent this epidemic has become and provide them with some solutions as to how they can help prevent childhood obesity. Overall, Cristers argument succe eds and his audience walks away convinced that childhood obesity is, in fact, an epidemic that plagues children in their own country and that they must act immediately themselves to help fight the fight and insure that it doesRead MoreChildhood Obesity: A Gowing Problem Around the World649 Words à |à 3 PagesObesity is a growing problem all around the world for far too many children. Obesity means a person has too much body fat. Body fat is measured by a personââ¬â¢s body mass index. When one is measuring a personââ¬â¢s body mass index, they are finding their height and body weight then comparing it to the recommendations made by doctors for each age and gender. After doctors calculate it, they then find a percentile rank to determine present and future health issues. Around the world, childhood obesity hasRead MoreHistory Of Medicine And Public Health Essay1548 Words à |à 7 Pageshealth outcomes. This leads to the question, are fat people sick because they are fat, or because social factors surrounding and influencing their fatness lead to illness? (Lupton, 2013, p. 68). The social factors that create moral judgment around obesity are so potent that they can lead to self-loathing in overweight people, emerging as a recognition of oneââ¬â¢s own moral failure (Lupton, 2013, p. 70). In addition to interpersonal discrimination, overweight people also experience physical challengesRead MoreEssay on Greg Cristers quot;Too Much of a Good Thingquot;993 Words à |à 4 PagesThing Greg Crister, the author of the op-ed essay that was featured in the Los Angeles Times, Too Much of a Good Thing, argues that in order to stop obesity, we should stigmatize overeating. Crister states that we should place shame on overeating due to the rising obesity epidemic that faces the world today. The U.N. proclaims that obesity is a dominant unmet global health issue, with Westernized countries topping the list. Crister states that twenty five percent of all Americans under theRead MoreObesity : Becoming A Public Concern1654 Words à |à 7 Pages Executive Summary Obesity has become an epidemic in American societies that has become a public concern. According to the American Obesity Association (AOA), overweight and obesity rates are higher than ever in Americaââ¬â¢s youth. Obesity is the fastest growing cause of disease in American society today. Some of the major health concerns for todayââ¬â¢s youth with obesity include severe asthma, Diabetes, Hypertension, orthopedic complications and sleep apnea. Researchers have come up with manyRead MoreIs Fast Food the New Tobacco? Essay937 Words à |à 4 Pagesfood options may be convenient, but lead to the overwhelming epidemic of obesity. In Merriam-Websterââ¬â¢s words, epidemic: Affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community or region at the same time. Epidemic is used so casually due to the lack of understanding as to the magnitude of the word. This is a serious matter. When discussing the ever increasing epidemic of Americ an obesity, it is important to explore with whom the responsibility mightRead MoreMedication Can Help Reduce Childhood Obesity Essay841 Words à |à 4 Pagesthat childhood obesity can be very harmful for our nations children. Not only can obesity cause health problems but also psychological problems. In recent years, policymakers and medical experts have expressed alarm about the growing problem of childhood obesity in the United States. While most agree that the issue deserves attention, consensus dissolves around how to respond to the problem. One literature review examines one approach to treating childhood obesity: medication can
Saturday, December 21, 2019
History Of Accounting Essays - 1196 Words
Once upon a time, Luca Pacioli wrote a math book. It was just a little survey and should have been treated like ordinary books of the time and read and then disappeared into historical archives and forgotten. A few brief chapters on practical mathematics made this one special. The time was 1494. Columbus had discovered America just two years before. The author was a Franciscan monk. The chapter on practical mathematics addressed mathematics in business. He said that the successful merchant needs three things: sufficient cash or credit, an accounting system that can tell him how heà ¡Ã ¯s doing, and good bookkeeper to operate it. His accounting system consisted of journals and ledgers. It rested on the invention of double-entryâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Citing the needs of courts to employ public accountants à ¡Ã °to aid those Courts in their investigation of matters of accountingà ¡Ã ± select accountants were titled à ¡Ã °Chartered Accountants.à ¡Ã ± The US equivalent title is à ¡Ã °Certified Public Accountantà ¡Ã ±. These titles are used to this day. The arrival of the income tax laws were another major event in accounting history. Attorneys naturally thought that since income tax returns were legal documents, they would have exclusive rights to prepare them. Accountants replied that since that the bulk of the work in preparing a return involved accounting calculations, they were more properly accounting work. The substance of the tasks trumped legal argumentation. US law firms in the 1920à ¡Ã ¯s were slow to incorporate income tax preparations into their business skills. Public accountants saw a new lucrative opportunity and jumped into tax work with both feet. By the time the lawyers challenged the accountants for practicing law without a license, income tax preparation had been so thoroughly identified with accountants that they lost the case. The Great Depression rocked the integrity of the accounting profession. The British Steamship Company was just one of the large world giants that went bankrupt just after posting large profits. à ¡Ã °How could profitable companies go bankrupt?à ¡Ã ± Investors asked. Court cases showed that the economic reality was that the companies werenà ¡Ã ¯t profitable after all. The profits were the result ofShow MoreRelatedThe History Of Accounting811 Words à |à 4 PagesToday, Im gonna cover, its a reader question that Ive had submitted right here, but I want to talk about it in a different context than how it reads. So, Im gonna start off with saying this. Doing the right thing, or what you perceived to be the right thing about your unaffordable debt doesnt necessarily get you the results that youre thinking. How does that add up? All right, so, I want to get in to the reader question and Im gonna answer very distinctly and directly to start with. And thenRead MoreHistory of Accounting in Nigeria725 Words à |à 3 PagesHistory of Accounting in Nigeria The institutionalization of Accounting started in Britain, from where Accounting was imported to Nigeria. During the preindependence period, in Nigeria, especially before the establishment of the Collages of Arts and Sciences (particularly the one in Ibadan), people who wanted to enroll into accounting profession had to be trained through article ship. This meant that, they had to be attached as apprentices to those in the profession already. When the College ofRead MoreHistory and Development of Accounting2085 Words à |à 9 PagesAccounting is defined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) as the art of recording, classifying, and summarizing in a significant manner and in terms of money, transactions and events which are, in part at least, of financial character, and interpreting the results thereof. Accounting is thousands of years old; the earliest accounting records, which date back more than 7,000 years, were found in Mesopotamia (Assyrians). The people of that time relied on primitive accountingRead More History of Accounting Essay3089 Words à |à 13 PagesHistory of Accounting The history of accounting I feel is important in the learning, understanding, and developing of my foundation for my accounting career. In this report you will learn about the development of accounting. You will learn about the people who influenced accounting the most throughout the years. You will learn how accounting came about and how it was used in the ancient times. You will learn about the invention of the double-entry bookkeeping processes. You will learnRead MoreEssay on The History of Accounting1013 Words à |à 5 Pages The origin of accounting primarily consists of the establishment of human society and commerce. The idea of accounting is an old practice that has been dated since the Mesopotamia era. During this era, trade between tribes around Mesopotamia required records to be kept on stone and clay tablets. This took place at least 3600BC, where in those times, the ââ¬Ëscribesââ¬â¢ who possessed a knowledge of writing also served as bookkeepers. Overall, accounting has made significant contributions over the pastRead MoreEnron : Questionable Accounting History1364 Words à |à 6 PagesEnron: Questionable Accounting Leads to Collapse Enron, a provider of natural gas, electricity, and communications began when two large gas pipeline companies merged together in 1985. CEO Jeffrey Skilling, CFO Andrew Fastow, and Chairman Ken Lay worked diligently throughout the 1990s to build the company to be the largest most successful of its time. Having its name in Wall Street was becoming a norm for the company as it grew beyond all hopes and expectations. The company had become unstoppableRead MoreHistory Of Accounting And Private Sector1534 Words à |à 7 PagesIntroduction Since the early 1980s public sector accounting and private sector accounting have experienced significant transformation such as decentralization, deregulation and the differences between thee two sectors are highly topical and political in many countries (Blondal 2003). The key transformation is the adoption of ââ¬Ëaccrual basisââ¬â¢ of accounting rather than ââ¬Ëcash basisââ¬â¢ accounting by increasing number of countries (Guthrie and Ryan 1998). Meanwhile, public sectors refer specifically to organizationsRead More The History and Role of Accounting in Business Essays1533 Words à |à 7 PagesAccounting can be defined in a number of ways, but I chose the book definition, which is; Accounting is an information system that provides reports to stakeholders about the economic activities and condition of business. The person in charge of accounting is called the accountant. The accountant is typically required to follow a set of rules and regulations. These rules and regul ations are called the General Accepted Accounting Principles. Throughout these next few paragraphs, I will be giving youRead MoreHistory and Development of Accounting Standards Essay2637 Words à |à 11 PagesAccounting has been around since the beginning of civilization. à ¡Ã §Accountants participated in the development of cities, trade, and the concepts of wealth and numbers.à ¡Ã ¨ (Giroux) The importance of accounting cannot be overemphasized. Equally important are the standards used to guild the application of accounting practice. Without principles and standards, financial reporting would not fairly present the financial position of a company. Accounting has changed and evolved vastly over time and continuesRead MoreHistory Of Scientific Management And Its Impact On Managerial Accounting Essay1825 Words à |à 8 PagesHISTORY OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT The primary goal for the managers within an organization should be to best utilize resources contributed by the shareholders of the organization to create and grow profits and revenues. In addition, the primary goal for an employee should be to earn the highest pay possible at his or her job level, while developing skills to maximize his or her efficiency. These two goals, along with other factors, are critical considerations in the long-term success of an organization
Friday, December 13, 2019
Book Review, Summer of My German Soldier Free Essays
Book Review, Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene The book, Summer of My German Soldier, is an example of historical fiction, set in Arkansas, America during World War 2. It tells the story of 12 year old Patty, a Jewish girl, who shelters a young German soldier who escapes from the camp for German prisoners in her hometown. The story opens with the arrival of the German prisoners of war at the train station. We will write a custom essay sample on Book Review, Summer of My German Soldier or any similar topic only for you Order Now From the first chapters we find out about the daily routine of Patty and her family. The reader learns important information about the setting and the characters which explains their behaviour throughout the novel. We learn of the lack of warmth and love from Pattyââ¬â¢s parents and also of the contrasting loving relationships with Ruth, her nanny, and her grandparents. In addition, we see evidence of the fatherââ¬â¢s brutality when he beats her savagely because she breaks a window. Her isolation, feelings of failure and of not being good enough for her parents are also shown. These chapters also highlight the racism, discrimination and prejudices in the community which make people feel like outcasts. Related article: Mother of a Traitor Summary The people in the community are also quite frightened by what the German prisoners might do to them. In chapter 3, Patty meets Anton for the first time when the POWs come into Pattyââ¬â¢s father shop to buy hats. Her feelings for him develop from this moment. In chapter 7, the build-up to the climax begins when Anton escapes from his prison camp and Patty decides to shelter him in her hide-out. In the following chapters we learn more about Antonââ¬â¢s life with his English mother and German father. He comes from Gottingen in German and he used to study history at university. A few chapters later, Anton has to leave Patty because he is being hunted by the FBI. Before leaving, he gives her a 24 carat gold ring, his most valuable possession. In chapter 14, there is a change of setting, Patty goes back to school, and her adventure with Anton is finished. Pattyââ¬â¢s need for attention eventually lands her in trouble when she talks about the ring. Her father doubts her story about being given it by an old man whom she helped and he beats her in the middle of the store. An FBI agent questions Patty about the old man and the ring and shows her a photo of Anton. Patty denies knowing the person in the photo but unfortunately for her, the FBI agent has the shirt that she had given to her father for Fatherââ¬â¢s Day, and then given to Anton. Patty is horrified and grief stricken when she sees the bloodstained shirt and learns that Anton has been shot and killed. Unable to deny the facts, Patty is considered a traitor by her family and community and becomes even more of an outcast. I think that the moral of this story is to not judge people by their colour, religion or nationality but to consider each person as an individual. If Patty was not Jewish, people would have been less harsh in their judgement. Had people judged Anton by his character, instead of his nationality, they would have realised that he was no different to any young man growing up in America at that time. Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel, it was interesting and a bit unusual to read a WW2 novel set in America. I found the characters realistic and not stereotypical, particularly Anton and Patty. As a teenager, I can identify with Pattyââ¬â¢s character and I would have acted in the same way as her. The reader sees Patty develop from a timid, unloved child into a confident and strong individual. Although I enjoyed the novel, I found some weaknesses. There is very little action in the first six chapters, they are mostly concerned with setting the scene and giving background information. In addition I would have liked more details about Anton after he left Patty, it would have made the story more exciting. I would recommend this book to teenagers and young adults. How to cite Book Review, Summer of My German Soldier, Essay examples
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