Symbolism Of The Steinbeck s The Grapes Of Wrath

Symbols In The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family experiences many hardships on the journey to and in California, ranging from dying family members to a lack of sufficient food. In the third chapter of the novel, author John Steinbeck introduces a determined turtle who attempts to make its journey across a highway. The turtle is apparently nearly run over multiple times, and is actually hit by a car. This causes the turtle to be flipped on its shell, until it catches its footing and â€Å"little by little the shell [pulls] over and [is] flopped upright†(16). The turtle then continues its journey and successfully crosses the highway. Although this chapter may have seemed out of place, as the turtle seems to have nothing to do with the novel, Steinbeck’s use of symbolism is apparent. The turtle itself is supposed to symbolize the Joad family and the struggles they face trying to find a better life. Like the turtle, the family is knocked down many times, and like the turtle the family is still able to find its footing and stay determined. The Joad family’s goal is to make a living in California, and although they will face many challenges, they still have their eyes set on crossing their own personal and hazardous turtle highway. Another form of symbolism takes place later in the novel in chapter thirteen, when the Joad family dog is run over by a car on the highway. In the story, the dog’s mangled corpse is described to be â€Å"a blot of blood [with] tangled, burstShow MoreRelated Comparing and Contrasting the Novel and Movie Version of The Grapes of Wrath968 Words   |  4 PagesComparing and Contrasting the Novel and Movie Version of The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck wrote the The Grapes of Wrath in 1939 to rouse its readers against those who were responsible for keeping the American people in poverty. The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the Joad family, migrant farmers from Oklahoma traveling to California in search of an illusion of prosperity. The novels strong stance stirred up much controversy, as it was often called Communist propaganda, and banned fromRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath : The Great Depression1748 Words   |  7 PagesJamie LoConte Mrs. Viscosi AP Lang. Per. 4 5 April 2017 The Grapes of Wrath: The Great Depression â€Å"Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, and emerges ahead of his accomplishments† (Steinbeck). The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a classic book read by millions in high school due to its simple prose, clear symbolism, and its heartwarming story of perseverance against the odds. However, this novel is far moreRead MoreThe Use of Symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck1052 Words   |  5 PagesThe Use of Symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that in my opinion illustrates the terrible conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930s were forced to live under. This novel in a very descriptive and emotional way tells of one familys migration west to California from Oklahoma (the Joad family) through the great economic depression of the 1930s. The story revolves around the family having toRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck2739 Words   |  11 PagesHeavren 15 Christian Symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath Since the first civilizations, religion has greatly influenced the development of life. It has been a constant presence in America, tracing back to the Puritans who voyaged to the New World to escape religious persecution. Centuries later, religion has retained its place in American society, being expressed in a variety of ways and particularly emanating in times of struggle and hardship. Amidst a period of great difficulty for average AmericansRead MoreSymbolism in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Essay2308 Words   |  10 PagesSymbolism in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Through such hardships as the Depression, the Dust Bowl summers, and trying to provide for their own families, which included the search for a safe existence, we find the story of the Joads. The Joads are the main family in John Steinbecks novel The Grapes of Wrath, which he created to give voice to the hundreds of families that found themselves at their absolute rock bottom during the Great Depression of the 20th Century in America. Read MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1190 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath April 14th, 1939, John Steinbeck published the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The novel became an immediate best seller, with selling over 428,900 copies. Steinbeck, who lived through both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, sought to bring attention to how families of Oklahoma outdid these disasters. Steinbeck focuses on families of Oklahoma, including the Joads family, who reside on a farm. The Joad family is tested with hardship when life for them on their farm takesRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1563 Words   |  7 Pages John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, depicts a migrant farming family in the 1930s. During this time, life revolved around the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, making circumstances difficult for almost everyone involved, especially those who had little. This time of drought and despair caused people to lose hope in everything they’ve ever known, even themselves, but those who did not, put their hope in the â€Å"promised land† of California. Here, the grass was thought to be truly greenerRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck2144 Words   |  9 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath is a well-known beloved novel of American Literature, written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. Whoever said a road is just a road has not read The Grapes of Wrath. From the time we read when Tom Joad, novel’s protagonist, returns home after four years in prison; the meaning of roads changed. Route 66, also known as the mother road the road of flight, was a lifel ine road, which allowed thousands of families to pursue their hopes and dreams. This road is also the road thatRead MoreEssay on The Grapes Of Wrath: Symbolic Characters2879 Words   |  12 Pages The Grapes of Wrath: Symbolic Characters Struggling through such things as the depression, the Dust Bowl summers, and trying to provide for their own families, which included finding somewhere to travel to where life would be safe. Such is the story of the Joads. The Joads were the main family in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath, a book which was written in order to show what a family was going through, at this time period, and how they were trying to better their lives at the same time. ItRead MoreGrapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck3897 Words   |  16 Pagesrealized that John Steinbeck talked about Religion in his book Grapes of Wrath? Well, if your answer is NO, let me inform you that Steinbeck did talk about Religion in his book. There are many similarities in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath and Christ’s story. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck presents religion in different ways ranging from Jim Casy’s similarities to Christ, the use of Christian theology, and the symbolism of some characters as pastors. Throughout his book, Steinbeck recounts the great

Essay on The Columbian Exchange - 1075 Words

The Colombian Exchange was an extensive exchange between the eastern and western hemispheres as knows as the Old World and New World. The Colombian exchange greatly affects almost every society. It prompted both voluntary and forced migration of millions of human beings. There are both positive and negative effects that you can see from the Colombian Exchange. The Colombian Exchange explorers created contact between Europe and the Americas. The interaction with Native Americans began the exchange of animals, plants, disease, and weapons. The most significant effects that the Colombian Exchange had on the Old World and New World were its changes in agriculture, disease, culture, and its effects on ecology. The immediate cause of the†¦show more content†¦In the new world, Europeans encountered indigenous plant foods cultivated by Native Americas. These plants were potatoes, beans, corn, tobacco, and cocoa. The potato is especially important because it’s known for on e of the main foods for Ireland. The European’s influenced oats and barley etc. Domesticated animals as pigs, chickens, sheep, and ox were also brought to the Americas. Horses were also brought to the new world which was a new tool for hunting and used for military. There is also a huge spread of diseases brought between the new world and old world. The old world brought over cholera, influenza, malaria, measles, and smallpox. The Europeans considered illness as a consequence of sin. The Indians whom were non-Christian were often considered sinners because they constantly getting sick. Those who were ill often were punished. The Native Americans had no natural resistance to the diseases and the population declined over centuries. The Inca Empire decreased by millions in 1600s. This caused for Europeans to look to Africa and began importing African slaves to the Americas. Once the African slaves began coming to the American they brought over malaria The Portuguese traded with Africa War weapons in order to get gold, ivory, and jewels. They later began getting slaves produced by inter-African warfare. At first the slave trade was controlled by Africans. These Africans were knows as the Bakongo whom welcomed the Portuguese and theShow MoreRelatedAlfred W. Crosbys Article The Columbian Voyages, The Columbian Exchange, and Their Historians769 Words   |  4 Pages In his article â€Å"The Columbian Voyages, the Columbian Exchange, and Their Historians†, Alfred W. Crosby seems to think that much of the Columbian voyages and what came out of them was detrimental to many cultures, most of all the Native Americans. Crosby brings up many institutions and ideologies to re-enforce his opinion, such as the slave trade and the conquest of many Native American cultures. One of the major effects of the Columbian exchange was the decimation of the Native American populationRead MoreAmerica Before Columbus And The Columbian Exchange1597 Words   |  7 Pagesthe fact that it was not merely the arrival of conquistadors and colonists that irrevocably changed the landscape of the Americas, but that it was also the coined term known as the â€Å"Columbian Exchange† that afforded these travelers the ability to proliferate so successfully. The basic definition of the Columbian exchange is one that defines the importation of European flora and fauna. It could also loosely represent other imports, both intended and unintended, such as tools, implements, and even diseaseRead MoreHow The Columbian Exchange Changed Global Consumption Patterns Essay1220 Words   |  5 Pagesbefore. When he found the new world he brought with him European plants and animal species that were foreign to the citizens of the New World. The Columbian Exchange introduced many foo ds that are still essential to consumption in today’s world along with the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. The potato is a prime example of how the Columbian Exchange changed global consumption patterns because it was nutritious and had an abundant amount of calories in it and caused a mass population increaseRead Morecolumbian exchange817 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ The Columbian Exchange The Columbian exchange created an enormous interchange of various political ideas, cultures, foods, diseases, animals, and people between the old world and the new world, this give and take relationship caused many changes some positive and some negative between the two areas and help redistribute resources between the two hemispheres. There were many positive things that happened as a result of the Columbian exchange. Potatoes and corn became major food sources forRead MoreThe Columbian Exchange1317 Words   |  6 PagesAtlantic and vipers on the other. After 1492, human voyagers in part reversed this tendency. Their artificial re-establishment of connections through the commingling of Old and New World plants, animals, and bacteria, commonly known as the Columbian Exchange, is one of the more spectacular and significant ecological events of the past millennium. When Europeans first touched the shores of the Americas, Old World crops such as wheat, barley, rice, and turnips had not traveled west across the AtlanticRead MoreThe Columbian Exchange Statistics782 Words   |  4 PagesThe Columbian Exchange Statistics By the Numbers Estimated population of Europe in 1492: about 60 million Estimated population of the Americas in 1492: 40-100 million Estimated population of Europe in 1800: 150 million Estimated population of the Americas in 1800: 25 million (the vast majority of whom were of European or African descent) Major domesticated animals in the New World in 1492: dog, llama Major domesticated animals in the Old World in 1492: horse, cow, pig, sheep, goat, chickenRead MoreImpact Of The Columbian Exchange909 Words   |  4 PagesThe Columbian Exchange was an event that was very impactful on modern day. The Columbian Exchange was the widespread trade of plants, animals, guns, and diseases. It occured between the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Examples of products that the Americas contributed are turkey, squash, and potatoes. Examples of products that Europe contributed are horses, sugar, and smallpox. Columbian exchange was a huge impact on our modern day world because it changed war and hunting, it introduced new ingredientsRead MoreEssay On The Columbian Exchange816 Words   |  4 PagesThe Columbian Exchange The discovery of the New world or America in the year 1492, and The Columbian Exchange it played a significant role on bring resources to various parts of the world. It brought the exchange of various resources like plants, animals, and diseases across the world. The year was 1492 is when Christopher set sail and put in motion The Columbian Exchange or also known as The Great Exchange. The Columbian Exchange affected the geographic location with the trading routes withRead MoreImpact Of The Columbian Exchange970 Words   |  4 PagesCrosby used the term â€Å"Columbian Exchange† for this significant event. In general, the Columbian Exchange has not only changed Europeans and Native Americas ways of life but also helped to shape the world today. First of all, the changes in agriculture has a great impact on both the Old World and the New in terms of culture and economy. The popular New World crops such as maize, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and manioc travel to the Old Worlds during the Columbian Exchange. Thanks to the suitableRead MoreColumbian Exchange Dbq889 Words   |  4 PagesColumbian Exchange BBQ The Columbian Exchange was a major milestone in the diffusion of the New and Old World. In 1492, Columbus arrived in the Bahamas(2), where he first came in contact with Native Americans. There, both exchanged their cultures such as crops, animals, metals, and germs, hence the name, Colombian Exchange. This has brought about both positive and negative effects. While some negative impacts are exemplified by the near-genocide of Amerindians, the demerits are outweighed by the

The Flynn Effect-Free-Samples for Students- Myassignementhelp

Question: Is the world getting Smarter? Answer: Introduction The report deals with the question Is the world getting smarter? The report aims to present critical arguments in response to the essay question. The report critically evaluates the evidence surrounding the Flynn effect. The Flynn effect deals with I.Q scores of population and the way it changes over time (Shenk, 2017). The IQ score refers to the intelligence quotient. James Flynn, an American political scientist in one of his study conducted IQ tests scores for different population over the past 60 years. He observed that in all the countries, the data showed that the IQ scores increased from one generation to the next. This phenomenon is known as the Flynn Effect which reflects the improving modern environment (Flynn Flynn, 2012). It is due to these interesting phenomena, that there is a rising curiously to know if the world is getting smarter and if there is an underlying genetic potential. It is the rationale for choice of the topic. More studies are conducted in this field to k now if the present generation is smarter than then their grandparents are. Various controversies have aroused in response to the Flynn IQ tests. Some researchers have observed the negative Flynn effect, which do not reflect that humans are getting smarter. The reports thus, intend to address the question by using evidence-based arguments from the literature. For this purpose peer review articles will be researched from the online databases. Critical arguments There is a skyrocketing advancement in technology right from heart transplants to use of smartphones. As per Shenk (2017) in the past 100 years Flynn effect have been tested by many researchers. The Flynn tests are valid since the IQ tests are revised and standardised several times. The volunteers have conducted tests that were designed for members of previous generations. Flynn observed that new generations have scored higher than the original test takers in different parts of the word. Despite the geographic variation, the increase in scores for each decade, tend to be around three extra IQ points. Froehlich et al. (2016), who explained that the IQ scores reflect the improvement in the modern environment, also support these test results. This paper explained the increase in the IQ score. It says that both hereditary and the environmental factors are responsible for the increase in the score. Children have higher IQ in later life if they grow up in environment with lots of learning opportunities. It may be interpreted that these opportunities have led to increase in IQ over time. Latest studies support the Flynn effect and argues that the world is getting smarter. The modern researchers also explained Flynn effect in terms of better nutrition, better education, and more simulation that leads to increase in IQ score. Better education leads to better vocabulary and scientific habits of mind (Scardamalia Bereiter, 2015). These arguments may be reasonable to an extent because in 19th century people may explain the relationship between dog and hare as dog hunts the hare. However, the response generated by the modern person may be somewhat different. It may be dogs and mammals are both mammals. It represents the abstract thinking, which may have caused the increase in IQ score. Flynns explanations can be considered valid because in the modern world there is wealth of visual images which may have improved the mapping skills of people. There is a better understanding among the modern people in regards to three-dimensional figures and how they rotate. Based on the studies conducted on genetics humans are not getting smarter. According to Boomsma (2014), around 2000 genes control the human intelligence, it was found that between 2000 and 6000 years, humanitys intelligence peaked. Considering the rate of accumulation of the genetic mutation, it was calculated that almost all of the humanity have sustained at least two mutations, within the last 3000 years. These mutations were harmful to the genes determining the intellect. Based on these studies it can be interpreted that not all the mutations leads to harm. In case of mutation, the strong gene can cover the weakness of the weak gene as they exist in pairs. As per the calculations of these geneticists, intelligence is more fragile than it seems. The researcher Gerald Crabtree analysed that when species were hunter-gatherers, there was more the need of intelligence. For instance, failing to throw the spear at lion during attack means falling a prey and no more passing of the genes t o the offspring. The present modern generation rarely faces such tests of life and deaths (Baker et al., 2015). These results reflect that unlike our ancestors, intelligence is not evolutionarily important to present day humans. These evidences are not strong enough to argue that humans are not getting smarter. Without the smart thinking, such technological advancements would not have been possible. Thus, it is questionable if the humans are becoming smarter than before. Boomsma (2014) argued that humans are getting both smarter and dumber with time. This argument is based on various new studies that suggest that rising IQ scores are on decline including the underlying genetic potential for the smarts. According to this study, by one measure of intelligence the Victorians has modern folk beat. The study highlighted the trouble associated with the measurements. The measurements really reveal the intelligence is doubtful. Moreover, smarts are not defined by just one thing. This argument may be true because the factors that develop a clever person in African Savannah may not be same when considering the smart people in developed centres of Hong Kong. Michael Woodley, a Sweden psychologist, supports this argument through his new research. Froehlich et al. (2016) showed that intelligence is not simply increasing or decreasing. He argues that different parts of the intelligence are changing in different manner. The decline of the human intelligence has bee n agued by other researchers who have worked on dysgenic mating. Various genetic studies showed a negative relation between the IQ and reproduction. As per these studies, intelligent people have fewer babies. In this respect intelligence being partly genetic the IQ scores should have been dropping. However, the Flynn effect showed an increase in IQ score thereby creating a paradox for the theory of dysgenic mating (Dutton et al. 2016). These arguments against Flynn can be contradicted with the fact that in Norway and Sweden more children are born to lower IQ and less educated people. Both countries make easy availability of the birth control. The still rising IQ scores in most part of the world according to Flynn might be the environmental factors causing genetic problems The decrease in intelligence over time has been observed that contradicts the Flynn effect. Michael Woodley and other researchers have tuned to reaction time to prove this argument instead of IQ tests. The reaction time is the time required to respond to the stimulus. Unlike the IQ scores, the reaction time is not influenced by the cultural factors. Reaction time was chosen because it represents the ability of the individual to engage in cognitive processing. The results of the study in 1880 showed higher average reaction time for men when compared to women (Madison et al., 2016). After 1941, Sir Francis Galton conducted 12 similar studies and found that the average reaction time was much slower than before. Michael Woodley expanded these studies in 2010 using improved timers that ensure the accuracy of the results. The pendulum-based machines used in Galtons studies were also found to be accurate within 10 ms. The group with more inbreeding performed worse, on the reaction time test (Kenrick Griskevicius, 2013). These study results compels one to believe that with more genetically influenced components of intelligence, the intelligence have been declining. However, these tests are questionable as Flynn argued that peak reaction time is same for both dull person and brilliant person. The argument is valid because it may be really a neutral speed or may be that people are more willing to take risks. Considering the various genetic studies and reaction time tests it can be argued that the underlying decline of the human capacity to think smart is being masked by the Flynn effect.. Thus, the underlying decline a psychometric dark matter may not be highlighted on the tests conducted on pen and paper. As per Michael Woodley, this situation represents low quality seeds but high quality fertilisers (Madison et al., 2016). Woodley argues that a high quality environment may have been masking the decline in smart genes. However, these arguments are supported with valid reasons in the literature. There may be several possibilities right from natural section, to exposure to neurotoxins. Based on the reaction time tests it can be interpreted that over time the ability of smart thinking is shrinking. These, studies contradict the arguments in favour of Flynn effect, which explained that better education and opportunities leads to smart thinking. However, Flynn criticised the reaction time te sts as there may be differences in technologies for timing responses. Reaction time tests may have procedural differences in the instructions given to the participants, the form of response keys, extent of prior practice, the nature of stimuli, numbers of trials which generates the averages, which altogether influence the response length (Must Must Mikk 2016). Analysis of the arguments in response to Flynn effect increases curiosity if at all increasing IQ scores means getting smarter. If accomplishing greater things by brain is intelligence then there is no progress in this respect since 1900. Genes do not select in the manner in four generations that it can be concluded that present world have better genetically engineered brains (Arden et al., 2014). Smartness in terms of doing creative work or solving conceptual problem have increased over time. People today are more creative than those in 1900 (Kenrick Griskevicius, 2013). However, the questions arises if people in 1900 were equally adapted to circumstances as they are today. Yes, they are equally adapted. People in early 1900 did work in factory, and did hunting. It indicates their capability to cope up. They were not mentally retarded when they had an average IQ of 70. In this regard it can be interpreted as no gain in intelligence. However, people today are adapted to far more com plicated world and in this context, yes there is a gain of intelligence (Shenk, 2017). According to Flynn Flynn (2012) these gains may continue through future decades with the rise in percentage of people exposed to tertiary education in different parts of the world. There is need of further increase in people attending graduating schools. These gains may continue with increase in people who engage in refining their skills and self-education. This argument appears to be valid, as ever since the introduction of the formal education in Britain and in America in 1900 the IQ scores have gone up (Baker et al., 2014). Recently, there have been huge IQ gains in Kenya. However, the developed nations and the strong economic conditions are not just because of IQ but also other circumstances. For instances, IQ gains have been observed in island of Dominica as per Flynn test (Flynn, 2013). However, terrible things such as hurricanes, mudslides, may slow down the economic development. If the Flynn effect was irrelevant then the courts in US would not have taken this into considera tion. Most US courts say that it is permissible to apply the Flynn effect, which is having an influence on cases (Grgoire et al., 2015). The reason for this decision was increase in IQ gains over time among the convicted murder, which led to spare of death sentences. Conclusion It can be concluded from the old and modern research in the field of increasing IQ scores and the decreasing reaction times that these results may have a measurable correlation. However, it is difficult to explain the measure of IQ with the results of the reaction time due to short of the order of such correlation. Reaction time tests may not be accurate as peak reaction time is same for both dull person and brilliant person. Just as there are arguments against Flynn effect there are also many flaws found in the reaction time tests and the interpretations made by the geneticists. Moreover, the effects of the genes are not yet fully explored. Therefore, it cannot be interpreted if Flynn effect was invalid and other genetic tests and reaction time tests were valid. Therefore, it is not clear if indeed world is getting smarter. People today are more creative than those in 1900 and people today are adapted to far more complicated world and in this context, yes there is a gain of intellig ence. Our ancestors cannot be called stupid as they too adapted to the concrete world of everyday life. However, present generation is living in times of wide range of cognitive problems that that encountered by our ancestors. Eventually, todays human have developed the brain that can deal with these problems. It can be said that the world is getting more modern instead of smarter. References Arden, R., Trzaskowski, M., Garfield, V., Plomin, R. (2014). Genes influence young childrens human figure drawings and their association with intelligence a decade later.Psychological science, 0956797614540686. Baker, D. P., Eslinger, P. J., Benavides, M., Peters, E., Dieckmann, N. F., Leon, J. (2015). The cognitive impact of the education revolution: A possible cause of the Flynn Effect on population IQ.Intelligence,49, 144-158. Boomsma, D. (2014). Can GE-covariance originating in phenotype to environment transmission account for the Flynn Effect? J Intell 2 (3): 82105Dickens WT, Flynn JR (2001) Heritability estimates versus large environmental effects: the IQ paradox resolved.Psychol Rev,108(2), 346369Dickens. Dutton, E., van der Linden, D., Lynn, R. (2016). The negative Flynn Effect: A systematic literature review.Intelligence,59, 163-169. Flynn, J. R. (2013). The Flynn effect and Flynns paradox.Intelligence,41(6), 851-857. Flynn, J. R., Flynn, J. R. (2012).Are we getting smarter?: Rising IQ in the twenty-first century. Cambridge University Press. Froehlich, L., Martiny, S. E., Deaux, K., Goetz, T., Mok, S. Y. (2016). Being smart or getting smarter: Implicit theory of intelligence moderates stereotype threat and stereotype lift effects.British Journal of Social Psychology,55(3), 564-587. Grgoire, J., Daniel, M., Llorente, A. M., Weiss, L. G. (2015). The Flynn effect and its clinical implications.WISC-IV assessment and interpretation. Scientist-practitioner perspectives, 187-212. Kenrick, D. T., Griskevicius, V. (2013).The rational animal: How evolution made us smarter than we think. Basic Books. Madison, G., of Menie, M. A. W., Snger, J. (2016). Secular slowing of auditory simple reaction time in Sweden (19591985).Frontiers in human neuroscience,10. Must, O., Must, A., Mikk, J. (2016). Predicting the Flynn Effect through word abstractness: Results from the National Intelligence Tests support Flynn's explanation.Intelligence,57, 7-14. Scardamalia, M., Bereiter, C. (2015). Education in an open informational world.Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: An Interdisciplinary, Searchable, and Linkable Resource. Shenk, D. (2017). What is the Flynn Effect, and how does it change our understanding of IQ?.Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science,8(1-2). Winston, A. S. (2016). Tackling the World's Challenges With Technology.MIT Sloan Management Review,58(1), 26.

The Roots of Communist China Essay Example For Students

The Roots of Communist China Essay To say that the Chinese Communist revolution is a non-Western revolution is more than a clich. That revolution has been primarily directed, not like the French Revolution but against alien Western influences that approached the level of domination and drastically altered Chinas traditional relationship with the world. Hence the Chinese Communist attitude toward Chinas traditional past is selectively critical, but by no means totally hostile. The Chinese Communist revolution, and the foreign policy of the regime to which it has given rise, have several roots, each of which is embedded in the past more deeply than one would tend to expect of a movement seemingly so convulsive. The Chinese superiority complex institutionalized in their tributary system was justified by any standards less advanced or efficient than those of the modern West. China developed an elaborate and effective political system resting on a remarkable cultural unity, the latter in turn being due mainly to the genera l acceptance of a common, although difficult, written language and a common set of ethical and social values, known as Confucianism. Traditional china had neither the knowledge nor the power that would have been necessary to cope with the superior science, technology, economic organization, and military force that expanding West brought to bear on it. The general sense of national weakness and humiliation was rendered still keener by a unique phenomenon, the modernization of Japan and its rise to great power status. Japans success threw Chinas failure into sharp remission. We will write a custom essay on The Roots of Communist China specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The Japanese performance contributed to the discrediting and collapse of Chinas imperial system, but it did little to make things easier for the subsequent successor. The Republic was never able to achieve territorial and national unity in the face of bad communications and the widespread diffusion of modern arms throughout the country. Lacking internal authority, it did not carry much weight in its foreign relations. As it struggled awkwardly, there arose two more radical political forces, the relatively powerful Kuomintang of Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek, and the younger and weaker Communist Party of China (CPC ). With indispensable support from the CPC and the Third International, the Kuomintang achieved sufficient success so it felt justified in proclaiming a new government, controlled by itself, for the whole of China. For a time the Kuomintang made a valiant effort to tackle Chinas numerous and colossal problems, including those that had ruined its predecessor : poor communi cations and the wide distribution of arms. It also took a strongly anti-Western course in its foreign relations, with some success. It is impossible to say whether the Kuomintangs regime would ultimately have proven viable and successful if it had not been ruined by an external enemy, as the Republic had been by its internal opponents. The more the Japanese exerted preemptive pressures on China, the more the people tended to look on the Kuomintang as the only force that prevent china from being dominated by Japan.During the Sino-Japanese war of 1937, the Kuomintang immediately suffered major military defeats and lost control of eastern China. It was only saved from total hopelessness or defeat by Japans suicidal decision to attack the United States and invasion of Southeastern Asia. But military rescue from Japan brought no significant improvement in the Kuomintangs domestic performance in the political and economic fields, which if anything to get worse. Clearly the pre-Communist h istory of Modern China has been essentially one of weakness, humiliation, and failure. This is the atmosphere in which the CPC developed its leadership and growth in. The result has been a strong determination on the part of that leadership to eliminate foreign influence within China, to modernize their country, and to eliminate Western influence from eastern Asia, which included the Soviet Union. China was changing and even developing, but its overwhelming marks were still poverty and weakness. During their rise to power the Chinese Communists, like most politically conscious Chinese, were aware of these conditions and anxious to eliminate them. Mao Tse-tung envisioned a mixed economy under Communist control, such as had existed in the Soviet Union during the period of the New Economic Policy. The stress was more upon social justice, and public ownership of the commanding heights of the economy than upon development. In 1945, Mao was talking more candidly about development, still w ithin the framework of a mixed economy under Communist control, and stressing the need for more heavy industry; I believe because he had been impressed by the role of heavy industry in determine the outcome of World War II. In his selected works he said that the necessary capital would come mainly from the accumulated wealth of the Chinese people but latter added that China would appreciate foreign aid and even private foreign investment, under non exploitative conditions. After Chiang Kai-shek broke away from the CPC they found themselves in a condition that they were not accustom to, they had no armed forces or territorial bases of its own. It had no program of strategy other than the one that Stalin had compromised, who from the Sixth World Congress of the Comintern in 1928 to the Seventh in 1935 insisted, largely because the disaster he had suffered in China that Communist Parties everywhere must promote world revolution in a time of depression. The CPC was ridden with factional ism; the successful effort to replace this situation with one of relative bolshevization or in laymans term this means imposed unity, which was ultimately made by Mao Tse-tung, and not by Stalin. Parallel with the Comintern-dominated central apparatus of the CPC in Shanghai, there arose a half dozen Communist-led base areas, each with a guerrilla army, in Central and South China. These bases existed mainly by virtue of the efforts of the local Communist leadership to satisfy the serious economic and social grievances of the local civilians, often violently, through such means as redistribution of land at the expense of landlords and the reduction of interest rates at the expense of moneylenders. Of these base areas, or soviets, the most important was the one led by Mao Tse-tung and centered in the southeastern city of Kiangsi. Correspondingly, in return for such service Mao was elected chairman of a Central Soviet Government, who supposedly controlled all the Communist base areas in 1931. .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 , .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .postImageUrl , .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 , .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050:hover , .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050:visited , .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050:active { border:0!important; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050:active , .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050 .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u85d2a2b3709bb3548d6082431f8bc050:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: AI: Artificial Intelligence: The branch of compute EssayBefore I tell about Mao Tse-tung, I will tell you about Maoism. By Maoism or the thought of Mao Tse-tung as the CPC would put it is the entire evolving complex of patterns of official thought and behavior that CPC has developed while under Maos leadership. It was very difficult to unscramble Maos individual contribution while not confusing it with other thinkers of this time period as many have done and are still doing to this date. It is also difficult to separate the pre-1949 and the post-1949 aspects and the domestic from the international aspects. The first basic and most important characteristic that I believe is a deep and sincere nationalism that has been merged with the strictly Communist elements. Then closely resembling nationalism was his populism approach so full of strain that the CPC saw itself not merely as the Vanguard of the common people, plus as the progressive side of the middle class, but as representative of the people. This was important as it played the opposite position of the three big mountains (imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism) and still yet accept the passively the leadership CPC. Maoism still possessed two other points that are significant in understanding this ideology, it recognizes the decisive importance in history of conscious, voluntary activity and of subjective forces in more detail than the sometimes compared Leninism which was opposed to deterministic, objective forces. The last point it brings out is that Maoism stresses contradictions and struggle, or what might be called the power of negative thinking, to the point where it invents en emies of all types and comments on their size and calls them paper tiger as he did in a speech in 1950. Mao Tse-tungOn December 26th 1893 in a small village about twenty-eight miles to the west of Hsiangtan, Hunan in Shaoshanchung, Mao Tse-tung was born. He was born during a time of widespread suffrage, his father Mao Shun-sheng had left his family to join the army hoping to return and be able to take care of his family. He soon returned with ample funds to purchase land and livestock, so was the background of his childhood and one of the reasons why he cared so much about the agricultural growth of his people and the need to end their suffering. His mother was a modest individual who cared about the less fortunate and believed heavily in prayer to gods for guidance and best wishes to the needy. Since he started working at the early age of five he learned and developed his tendency for thoroughness, paying close attention to what and how his father operated the farmland. His father eventually brought him a tutor to teach the business side of life and learned to read and write also. Learning to read opened his mind to books such as, The Water Margin, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and The Monkey, but the first book was his most favorite. Because it told of a rebels desire and the spirit of rebellion, what a symbolic meaning that would play in his future. He would eventually go to school in Changsha the Capital city where his life took a path he would never be able to leave from again. The Empire was full of discontent with the leaders role in the political realm. China was in political chaos and the leaders new of nothing that could save them. During these times many disasters would take place such as the Russo-Japanese war, and the Boxer Rebellion which directed the Chinese government to construct a shaky, but authoritative constitution to hope these problems would not destroy their monarchy. At this time Mao had been in school learning as much as he could about the political agenda and about the revolution that was going on. He read many books about the causes of the revolution and the many theories that authors portrayed that could end this revolt. He himself started to write his feelings down into what would be his life works on what he believed could halt the problem or really give the Republic back to the people. This is one of the reasons why China is now called THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA. From this point of his educational advance, he would be in close contact with future leaders of the revolution, his classmates. He helped them take papers and documents around the city that told of plans of attacking the government. With the help of his classmates the formed a student society that was a front for the revolution to reach the students, where they read works and newspapers such as Hsiang River Weekly, this paper would subsequently print some of his beliefs. This paper was eventually snubbed by the present leader Chang Ching-y ao. This is when his name became familiar with the government and they wanted him stopped and suppressed. He would soon leave to go Peking where he started to issue his views statements about the current government. This is where he started to learn more about Marxism and read the book the Communist Manifesto. When he returned he learned of the Hunan Armies seizures of citizens who they believed where threats to the society. From this point on, Mao new it would be his job and role in life to take charge and assert the necessary precautions to see that his people were treated the way that they needed to be treated. .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 , .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .postImageUrl , .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 , .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136:hover , .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136:visited , .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136:active { border:0!important; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136:active , .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136 .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u30af0ca58ad68dcd7b28b218fe5db136:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Happiness Essay In EnglishBibliography1. Mao Tse-tung, Selected Works, Manchuria Publishing House, 1948, Translated By Stuart Gelder. 2. Jerome Chen, Mao and the Chinese Revolution, Oxford University Press, 1965. 3. Stuart Schram, Mao Tse- tung, Simon and Shuster New York, 1966.