This passage is telling how Germany is in a ruin due to the economic downfall and illustrates Hitler's plan to rebuild the country. He outlines his points on how to regain a strong and powerful nation so that it resembles how it was before the Marxists took over fourteen years prior. This reading is his plea to the German nation to listen to him and his ideas.
"Within four years unemployment must be finally overcome. At the same time the conditions neccessary for revival in trade and commerce are provided." These two lines stood out to me because it would be nearly impossible to completely wipe out all unemployment altogether, let alone to do it in four years. Not only does Hitler plan to get rid of unemployment, but he is also wanting to reconstruct the trade and commerce sectors of Germany at the same time.
This brought to life the fact that Hitler was a very charismatic speaker. He was also able to make just about anything sound appealing and attainable. This is a new concept because most people, myself included, only ever think of Hitler as being the "bad guy" who killed the Jews and not as a politician.
This also corresponds to the Middle East and how they many countries in that region are attempting to reform themselves after changing governmental leaders. In this article Germany is changing from Marxism to Hitler's idea, and many countries in the Middle East are transitioning from dictatorships to a slightly more democratic system.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Rations, 1914
The purpose of this reading is to detail the ration system for British and German troops in the year 1914. It tells of the different rations for the different types of troops. Such as, the British Indian troops recieved one pound of fresh meat, whereas other British soldiers recieved one and a quater pounds of fresh meat.
The fact that the different nationalities within the troops recieved different rations struck me as odd and unjust. Just that people would base how much of what food another person was allowed to eat by what their ethnic background was is completely unethical and inhumane.
This genereated the idea that, throught time, people have always treated others wrongly solely on whether or not that person was like them. Racism and racial profiling has been a problem throughout all of history.
This parallels to how China is only allowing couples to have one child. Although this passage is talking about food and China is limiting the number of children a person is allowed to have, they are both rationing one thing or another.
The fact that the different nationalities within the troops recieved different rations struck me as odd and unjust. Just that people would base how much of what food another person was allowed to eat by what their ethnic background was is completely unethical and inhumane.
This genereated the idea that, throught time, people have always treated others wrongly solely on whether or not that person was like them. Racism and racial profiling has been a problem throughout all of history.
This parallels to how China is only allowing couples to have one child. Although this passage is talking about food and China is limiting the number of children a person is allowed to have, they are both rationing one thing or another.
Kaiser Wilhelm II A Place in the Sun, 1901
This reading passage tells of a man's opinion of how he believed that the Germans should be the leading naval power. He says that all men should participate in the navy because that is where the future of Germany is headed. Wilhelm says that the best place to go to find the ultimate sense of freedom than on the seas.
The part that stood out to me the most was were Wilhelm says that the boat was named after his daughter. I found that interesting because it seemed almost as if he was bragging on his daughter. The rest of the reading is about Germany's navy and then Wilhelm starts talking about his daughter and it did not really fit with the rest of the passage.
This generated the idea that Germans once believed that they would become a naval super power. This idea never came to me before because Germany is not a costal country so I never really envisioned them needing to have much of a navy.
This correlates to the Middle Eastern countries who are forming a new government setup. Even though this reading was about a navy, they were still trying to form a new system just as the Middle East is trying to do right now with their political arrangements. These parallel each other because they are both trying to devise a new program that they think will benefit them in the long run.
The part that stood out to me the most was were Wilhelm says that the boat was named after his daughter. I found that interesting because it seemed almost as if he was bragging on his daughter. The rest of the reading is about Germany's navy and then Wilhelm starts talking about his daughter and it did not really fit with the rest of the passage.
This generated the idea that Germans once believed that they would become a naval super power. This idea never came to me before because Germany is not a costal country so I never really envisioned them needing to have much of a navy.
This correlates to the Middle Eastern countries who are forming a new government setup. Even though this reading was about a navy, they were still trying to form a new system just as the Middle East is trying to do right now with their political arrangements. These parallel each other because they are both trying to devise a new program that they think will benefit them in the long run.
Friederich Engels: Industrial Manchester, 1844
The theme of this reading is to describe the conditions of the part of the town of Manchester where the working class people lived. Engels takes plenty of opportunities to describe just how filthy and disgusting this part of town was. He says that this area defies "all considerations of cleanliness, ventilation, and health."
The sentence, "This arises chiefly from the fact, that by unconscious tacit agreement, as well as with unspoken conscious determination, the workingpeople's quarters are sharply seperated from the sections of the city reserved for the middle class;..." stood out to me because it shows that the different social classes were intentionally kept separate. Part of the reason why this caught my attention is because I do not agree with that in the way that the people of Manchester were divided into groups based soley on how much money they had. This is especially true since the working class citizens' living quarters were in such bad condition.
This generated the idea that people instinctively group others together based on their social status. This was very prevelant in this reading due to the fact that Engels focused so heavily on the poor conditions in the working class sector and how well it was disconnected from the middle class sector. To me, this demonstrated how much people tend to rely on economic factors to determine a person's worth.
A modern parrallel that I saw to this reading is the modern social system in the United States. I saw this because the class differences have become much more noticable in the past few years due to the economic recession. Today's economic class difference is not quite as noticable as it was in Manchester, but it is getting to where a person can normally tell if a person is from a middle class family just by merely seeing them.
The sentence, "This arises chiefly from the fact, that by unconscious tacit agreement, as well as with unspoken conscious determination, the workingpeople's quarters are sharply seperated from the sections of the city reserved for the middle class;..." stood out to me because it shows that the different social classes were intentionally kept separate. Part of the reason why this caught my attention is because I do not agree with that in the way that the people of Manchester were divided into groups based soley on how much money they had. This is especially true since the working class citizens' living quarters were in such bad condition.
This generated the idea that people instinctively group others together based on their social status. This was very prevelant in this reading due to the fact that Engels focused so heavily on the poor conditions in the working class sector and how well it was disconnected from the middle class sector. To me, this demonstrated how much people tend to rely on economic factors to determine a person's worth.
A modern parrallel that I saw to this reading is the modern social system in the United States. I saw this because the class differences have become much more noticable in the past few years due to the economic recession. Today's economic class difference is not quite as noticable as it was in Manchester, but it is getting to where a person can normally tell if a person is from a middle class family just by merely seeing them.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
James IV and I "True Law of Free Monarchies" 1598
The theme in this reading passage is to tell of the authorities of the King. The second part of the passage tells of all the rights of the King for what one should be able to do as ruler of the monarchy. It also compares a king to God. The first part talks about how to choose a king.
The part that stood out to me the most was the part where it compares a king to God. This caught my attention because it called kings "God's lieutenants upon earth." I do not agree with this idea and which is mostly why it stood out to me so much.
This generated the idea that the people under the King's rule viewed him as a god figure. The idea that people would view another man as a form of a diety is a new idea to me.
This reading parallels to the powers prescribed to the president. I say this because the second part of the passage tells about the power limitations of a king and they are similar to that of the limitations of the president. In this way, I believe that this article correlates to the modern idea of the power of a president.
The part that stood out to me the most was the part where it compares a king to God. This caught my attention because it called kings "God's lieutenants upon earth." I do not agree with this idea and which is mostly why it stood out to me so much.
This generated the idea that the people under the King's rule viewed him as a god figure. The idea that people would view another man as a form of a diety is a new idea to me.
This reading parallels to the powers prescribed to the president. I say this because the second part of the passage tells about the power limitations of a king and they are similar to that of the limitations of the president. In this way, I believe that this article correlates to the modern idea of the power of a president.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The 12 Articles of the German Peasants, 1524
This reading selection was written with the purpose of requesting new freedoms for the Christian peasants in Germany. The author of the document also wished for it to serve as proof that the Bible, mostly the Gospel, was not the cause of the peasant revolt because the Gospel teaches of "love, peace, patience, and concord." He says that any people who live by these teachings could not be the cause of any uprisings or difiances.
This parallels to many modern day protests. While these protests take place in the hopes of bringing about a change in the way things happen, they do so also with the hopes of achieving that change peacefully. Often times, those searching for a new way wish to do so without causing too much a an uproar.
The second paragraph says, "Thus all who believe in Christ should learn to be loving, peaceful, long-suffering, and harmonious." This line stood out to me because it is saying that all Christians should take what they have at face value and accept it, when the rest of the document is full of complaints about the situation and requests for treatment which they believe would be better and make life easier for them to stand.
This creates the idea that not all Christians then were happy with the way things were and that they were willing to take action in order to change their circumstances. Although they were wanting to change the way things were, they wanted to do so in a peaceful manner. They wanted to maintain peace while activating change.This parallels to many modern day protests. While these protests take place in the hopes of bringing about a change in the way things happen, they do so also with the hopes of achieving that change peacefully. Often times, those searching for a new way wish to do so without causing too much a an uproar.
The Journal of Christopher Columbus translated by Clements R. Markham
This reading tells of two days of travel for Christopher Columbus. He is exploring some islands in the north where he meets incredibly friendly and generous native peoples. Everywhere Columbus goes, he encounters native people who generously and freely give him and his crew members gold and other items.
The reading says that Columbus was greatly impressed with the ship he was sailing, but was afraid to compliment it too much because he had already complimented other ships that day. Because he did not want it to seem like he gave compliments too easily, he said that some older men who were sailing for him and said the compliments that he was giving towards the ship. This stood out to me because Columbus was worried about the way others would view him if he were to give out too many compliments.
This generated the idea that when exploring new areas, the sailors did not always go with hopeful expectations and that they had an agenda of sorts. Columbus acknoledges the fact that he was surprised to meet such friendly natives and that he intended to make them into to people under the rule of Castille. Columbus also said that he planned on conforming the Indians into Christians so that he could teach them what to think like he did with the Indians that sailed for him.
A modern parallel that I see to this reading passage is how when the American troops invaded the Middle East, they did so with the hopes of comforming the native peoples into something similar to themselves. They also tried to recreate their own political set up there as well. Troops did not expect to meet friendly people there because they had a preformed image in their heads.
The reading says that Columbus was greatly impressed with the ship he was sailing, but was afraid to compliment it too much because he had already complimented other ships that day. Because he did not want it to seem like he gave compliments too easily, he said that some older men who were sailing for him and said the compliments that he was giving towards the ship. This stood out to me because Columbus was worried about the way others would view him if he were to give out too many compliments.
This generated the idea that when exploring new areas, the sailors did not always go with hopeful expectations and that they had an agenda of sorts. Columbus acknoledges the fact that he was surprised to meet such friendly natives and that he intended to make them into to people under the rule of Castille. Columbus also said that he planned on conforming the Indians into Christians so that he could teach them what to think like he did with the Indians that sailed for him.
A modern parallel that I see to this reading passage is how when the American troops invaded the Middle East, they did so with the hopes of comforming the native peoples into something similar to themselves. They also tried to recreate their own political set up there as well. Troops did not expect to meet friendly people there because they had a preformed image in their heads.
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