Anastasia Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anastasia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Anastasia, Grand Duchess of Russia, was a very mischievous little girl with a sharp sense of humor (McGuire 18). She was always described as having long fine fingers and baby blue eyes. As she grew older, her personality changed drastically because of her dramatic childhood. Her eyes and fingers remained the same but her wonderful personality had disappeared (Klier and Mingay 193). The daughter of Czar Nicholas II, Anastasia, may have survived the Russian Revolution, but what became of her, baffled historians. Czar Nicholas was the last emperor of Russia and ruled from 1894 until 1917. Throughout his life Nicholas lived within the shadows of his father (Lieven 1). Nicholas took the throne in 1894, he was easily influenced by others and quickly became a poor leader (Pipes 12). Right after Nicholas took the throne he married Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt. Alix became the Grand Duchess of Russia. Her name was changed to Alexandra. Her religion was also changed to Russian Orthodox (King 77). The Czar and Czarina had 5 children. The youngest, Alexis had hemophilia. He was to be the next ruler of Russia, but unfortunately, the day never came (McGuire 31). During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Russia’s government began to decline. Czar Nicholas went against his advisor’s advice and led the Russians through the battle (Lieven 3). Nicholas was at war and had no idea what was happening in Russia. People were not getting enough food, and as a result became very violent; Worst of all Russia was losing the war (Pipes 65). Alexandra said, â€Å"This is the first time in my life I have no idea how to act. Until now god has shown me the way. Right now tho’ I cannot hear his instructions.† (Klier and Mingay 5). Alexis’s poor heath drastically increased. As a result, his mother had horrible mood swings and became very depressed (McGuire 31). Rasputin, a peasant healer from Siberia freely gave his advice to the Imperial family. â€Å"He came dressed in his crude country boots and caftan, from the start he was strangely at ease with the royal couple. He greeted them like old country cousins.† (Halliday 69). While Nicholas was away, Alexandra became very attached to Rasputin because he had healed Alexis from hemophilia and mended her broken heart. The Czar felt that Rasputin was an authentic voice of... ... no romantic legend. The two Anastasias represent the two faces of the twentieth century. One is a century that really existed, full of war and the slaughter of the innocents. The second is the century we longed to have, peace and family pleasures, and the dreams of any little girl who would close her eyes and become a princess.† People have been trying to find out what really happened to the Imperial Family for 75 years. The secrets of the family are no longer hidden among the dark trees of the Koptiaki forest outside Ekaterinburg (King 379). Many researchers say the real truth died with Anna Manahan. Historians are still baffled today because the bodies of Anastasia and Alexis were never found (McGuire 90). Many historians are still baffled today, and the bodies of Anastasia and Alexis were never found (McGuire 90). The real truth died with Anna Manahan. Biblography McGuire, Leslie. Anastasia; Czarina or Fake?. Minneapolis: Greenhaven Press, 1989. Pipes, Richard. A Concise History of the Russian Revolution. New York: Knopf, 1995. Lieven, Domnic. â€Å"Czar Nicholas II.† Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. CD ROM. Washington: Bloomsbury Publishing Place, 1999.

Community Observation Paper Essay

I. What was observed during the experience? I work at an online (virtual) public school. Every year we have what we call â€Å"Fun Day† or â€Å"Field Day† for most schools. We held this event, all students invited, at a local park in my hometown. I got to volunteer to help with it. We were there for about 7 hours. (Our team worked at the information table.) It happened to rain hard that day without stopping, so we had to move everything into the park’s gym, so it was pretty crowded! We had people from all parts of our state there: rich people, poor people, white, black, Asian, etc. Being on an online school, sometimes you feel like you are alone and there is hardly any interaction, but in watching these children, you would never know. They played with each other; they talked, and hung out in â€Å"their† groups. Oh, the cliques! You would not think that would be so in a virtual school, but it was. There were a few groups of outsiders that came with their family and kind of stuck with them or stuck with the friends they had made online. I noticed a few poor families, but to be honest, they seemed to have the most fun. We had an issue with the face painting station. There were so many children that wanted their face painted. There was this girl that never got a number to get her face painted. (We had to do that because there were so many kids!) Her mom cussed out one of the ladies that was helping with the table because her daughter â€Å"traveled all the way from Charleston to get her face painted.† I thought, wow, public schools are bad in teaching kids certain things, but it could be even worse teaching kids at home when parents act like that. What kind of things are these parents teaching? It’s almost like sports when parents get so worked up over a game. It was just a face painting. Sometimes life is not fair. Other than that issue, many of the children were really glad to see each other and also meet the teachers. Many of them only see them via a â€Å"Skype†-like program called Live Lesson and only have contact with them through the phone and webmail. Some were very shy in meeting their teachers and some were really excited. II. How did the experience affect you? This was my first â€Å"big† experience at that school because this is a new job for me. The whole experience is new for me. I have never worked at a school and definitely did not even know there were online â€Å"public† schools. It’s hard to get to know the children and the parents especially as an administrator. I felt more like an outsider than the kids and the teachers did, I’m sure. This experience affected me in the way that our youth needs us so very badly right now. Our economy is horrible, our government is corrupt, and some of the parents that I observed are not any better. I know that I wasn’t in a private Christian school environment, but I remember when I was in public school and morals were getting worse and there were issues with the kids and their families. It is so much worse than it ever was then. It broke my heart to see some of those kids hurting. One family in particular was brought to my attention. A man I had seen at a few other events, who has at least six kids, (we’ve counted and can’t figure out exactly how many he has) is at every event supporting his kids and always by himself. Later on I had found out that his wife had passed away and now he has all of the responsibility on him. This wasn’t a divorced man, but someone with a huge loss. His children seem so happy though and he is literally at every event with them! III. What are the needs of the population that you interacted with for this assignment? There are so many needs when you are dealing with a school full of different people with different backgrounds. There are some that need discipline—this includes parents—and all who need love. I overheard a child and teacher discussing tutoring. I am thankful that Liberty University offers tutoring, whereas our school is new and doesn’t have those options yet. Most public schools have guidance counselors, not only to help with placement, but for moral support, guidance, and advice. I remember going to my guidance counselors just to talk sometimes. We don’t have this ability yet at the school. I think that the kids and parents need more activities and field trips to help with interaction with other kids and the teachers. We have field trips and â€Å"learning experiences,† but there are not enough and not enough volunteers to help with them. Our state just approved a law to let public charter schools (virtual/online) get into public schools for extra-curricular activities, like band, chorus, basketball, football, tennis, soccer, volleyball, etc. I think that is a step in the right direction in aiding with interaction issues. IV. How can you help make a difference with this group? This question is somewhat hard to answer because I am an administrator and only typically deal with truancy issues (I’m the â€Å"bad† guy!), but to be honest, I could volunteer for some of the field trips and learning experiences. I know that would help because usually the issue is there are not enough volunteers for those events. I also thought of starting some groups, much like regular public schools have. Of course, that would be asking for more volunteers! It may take off because groups like that are fun. I was thinking about heading up two particular groups in which I would have experience, but ideas of course are welcome! I would love to do a Photography club or a Bible club. I believe that it would help the kids get to interact more with each other by bringing them together with a common interest. I should make myself more available to these types of things as I am really kind of shy compared to our teachers. I also believe that this would help teacher/parent—teacher/teacher relations as well. Children need interaction with other people and it helps their social skills. That is one thing that is lacking when you are homeschooled period. It is the job of the school, in my case, an online public school, to provide as many opportunities as possible to keep the kids busy and to make sure we edify, instruct, educate, accept, and train them well because they are our future and the most important part of our society, so we better do it well and do it right.

Sartys Point of View in Barn Burning by William Faulkner...

Sartys Point of View in Barn Burning by William Faulkner William Faulkner elected to write â€Å"Barn Burning† from his young character Sarty’s perspective because his sense of morality and decency would present a more plausible conflict in this story. Abner Snopes inability to feel the level of remorse needed to generate a truly moral predicament in this story, sheds light on Sarty’s efforts to overcome the constant â€Å"pull of blood†(277) that forces him to remain loyal to his father. As a result, this reveals the hidden contempt and fear Sarty has developed over the years because of Abner’s behavior. Sarty’s struggle to maintain an understanding of morality while clinging to the fading idolization of a father he fears, sets the tone†¦show more content†¦He is even more afraid of losing his father’s trust after Abner hits him â€Å"hard but with out heat†(280) not for telling the truth, but for wanting to. Sarty is conscious of the fact that if Abner knew his desire fo r â€Å"truth, justice, he would have hit†(280) him again and that Abner’s recommendation that he â€Å"learn to stick to† his â€Å"own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you†(280) is more of a threat rather than fatherly advice. Sarty learns to stifle any qualms he has and overlook his own developing morals in order to defend his father’s cold-blooded attacks. In the face of Abner’s â€Å"outrage and savagery and lust†(286) and the ever-present conflict these emotional outbursts cause, Sarty’s sense of obligation to his father out weighs his desire to â€Å"run on and on and never look back†(286). He hopes being forced out of town will transform the side of Abner that possesses an â€Å"inherent [ly] voracious prodigality with material not his own†(279) and he will be satisfied once and for all. As father and son walk within sight of an impressive manor â€Å"big as a courthouseâ₠¬ (280) owned by Major de Spain, a wealthy landowner with whom Abner has struck a deal to farm corn on his land, Sarty knows at once that â€Å"they are safe from him†(280). His father’s â€Å"ravening†(281) envy could not possibly touch these â€Å"people whose lives are part of this peace and dignity†(281). But, Abner is seething with â€Å"jealous rage†(281) at the sight of the de SpainShow MoreRelatedDeeper Insight by Use of Point of View - Summary1074 Words   |  5 PagesDeeper Insight by Use of Point of View The majority of authors use literary elements to build up their story. However, the author of the short story â€Å"Barn Burning† uses one particular element to build up his own story in a very unique format. William Faulkner uses various literary elements in the story, but the most critical one is point of view. 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Faulkner’s setting is one of the most important literary elements that help the audience understand theRead MoreWilliam Faulkners Barn Burning: An Indicative of Literary Modernism1989 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿There are several ways in which William Faulkners short story Barn Burning is indicative of literary modernism. It depicts a relevant historical period and is part of the frontiersman literary tradition (Gleeson-White, 2009, p. 389). The author utilizes a number of purely literary approaches that were innovative for the time period in which the tale was originally published (in 1932), s uch as employing a young child as a narrator complete with misspelled words and broken, puerile thoughts. HoweverRead MoreAnalysis Of Barn Burning And Garden Party 1510 Words   |  7 Pagesanswered and dictated by different cultures from the beginning of time. Is there a certain number of years? Does one have to participate in an event or ceremony? Is there a moment of revelation where one suddenly feels different? The stories of â€Å"Barn Burning† and â€Å"Garden Party† both offer stories where the protagonist â€Å"comes of age.† These tales bring the readers along and has them experience the trials and self-realizing experiences with the characters. The authors desire to bring the reader sRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Barn Burning By William Faulkner1105 Words   |  5 PagesWhen reading the short story â€Å"Barn Burning† by William Faulkner, understanding literary elements such as patterns, word choice as well as reader/writer relationships are essential in appreciating Faulkner’s literary piece. Some of the literary elements found in the story are small and are almost immaterial while others are large and all-encompassing. For example, the mother’s fragmented clock, a small and insignificant object, is used so carefully in order to extract the maximum effect from the viewers;