The Accomplishments of Cardinal Richelieu Essay Example For Students

The Accomplishments of Cardinal Richelieu Essay Up until the mid 17th century, it was evident that France was by no means a major player in the field of European affairs. Spain was still the most powerful state as it held a dominant monopoly over European commerce and economics. However, by 1648, this power would shift, and France would come into its own in terms of political and economic influence. The transfer of power was aided by a weakening of the Spanish Empire, along with the establishment of an increasingly strong French state. This establishment of France would begin to occur prior to the religious wars, and would be spearheaded by a strengthening of the centralized government through the development of royal absolutism. The most significant contributor to this movement was Cardinal Armand du Plessis de Richelieu, political advisor to the king, Louis XIII, and head of the French Roman Catholic Church. The Cardinals capable leadership, ambition and strong will fortified Frances move from a second rate country to a European powerhouse. During his reign as first minister, Richelieu would accomplish numerous tasks, and establish himself as a symbol of power and leadership in France. Born in Paris in 1585, Armand du Plessis de Richelieu is considered by many to have been the most important single figure in the building of French absolutism . Despite his role in distinguishing France on the European map, some of the Cardinals greatest personal accomplishments lie before his reign as first minister. To best understand these accomplishments, in particular how a middle ranking ecclesiast of little influence would become the most successful of the Kings political advisors, it is best to look into his personal background. Probably the Cardinals greatest assets in his rise to the top were his strong ambition and will. These characteristics can be traced back to his father, Francois Richelieu, whose own ambition and military accomplishment helped gain him the reigning Kings, Henry III, favor. This rise in favor, along with the establishment of important family connections, would allow Francois to tap into royal ecclesiastical patronage . Armand eventually benefited from this by gaining the title of Bishop of Lucon. Unfortunately, before Richelieus father could create any form of financial establishment, he died, and left the family in debt. However, the message he left his sons, in particular Armand, was not one of failure, but rather one of what could be accomplished when one was willing and ambitious. This attitude would set the stage for the son of Richelieu, who would use his religious status as bishop and educated background along with some important family connections to help pull his way to the top. It took Richelieu a full decade to accumulate the title of Cardinal and he would suffer a number of political setbacks along the way. But, by the year 1624, Richelieu had gained entrance into the kings council, and soon after became the kings personal advisor. His decade long assent prov ided him with the education needed to maintain an 18 year reign (until his death in 1642) which would see the beginnings of French dominance in Europe. Although King Louis XIII and Richelieu would eventually work together to create a politically dominant France, it is important to note that their relationship was not always as such. Prior to his roles as political advisor and Cardinal, Richelieu entered the queen mothers court by becoming the secretary of state during her regency. At this point, Richelieu would suffer a major upset in his political assent when Louis overthrew his mothers court and took political control of France in 1617 . Affiliation with the Queen Mothers court and suspected implication in attempted rebellions against Louis kept the future Cardinal in exile for a number of years. However, the Queen Mother and her son would eventually come to a temporary peace settlement, and when she was reinstated, so was Richelieu. More importantly, as advisor to the Queen Mothe r, Richelieu had shown a political shrewdness and wisdom that had gained Louis favor . The king was willing to overlook Richelieus earlier associations and an overbearing administrative style that he had once likened to tyranny, and appointed him to council in 1624. The Cardinal soon became the kings advisor through his ability to provide help in relation to conflicting religious and secular interests and his display of able political decisions. Although the king had provided the Richelieu with much political influence, he still had strong personal notions of where he wanted his state to go, and the characteristics of his advisors. Part of the Cardinals success was due to his ability to conform to the kings ideas, and at the same time execute a strong influence over council. The resulting relationship entailed a respect of Richelieus political ability by the King, and a respect of the Kings authority by Richelieu. The result of this dual respect was the ability of Richelieu to stay in power, and be able to influence the shaping of France into a dominant European state.Even before he had become first minister, Richelieu recognized the need for change in the governing of French affairs. He would portrayed his views in a speech to the queen mothers court in 1616 , his first public address, during which he outlined the weaknesses of the present-day structure of government. Once he had become first minister, Richelieu set out to eliminate these weaknesses in order to create a more stable French state. One of Richelieus main objectives to allow for a fortification of Frances European position lay in a strengthening of the countrys internal political structure through the establishment of an absolutist monarchy. Richelieu saw three main ways to fully and successfully establish this ideal monarchy; to deal with any threat of Religious conflict; to humble the great men , that is, reduce noble power; and to bring the subjects to their duty, which meant full loyalty to t heir ruler, King Louis XIII.Richelieus first issue, to deal with Religious conflict or threat, was focused mainly on the Huguenots. The Huguenots of France were a group that had benefited substantially from the Edict of Nantes signed in 1598 as it permitted them both political influence and military presence. Richelieu saw both of these privileges as a direct threat to the crown since they conflicted directly with the ideology behind his absolute monarchy. Not only this, but he foresaw in this political and military power the means and makings of a revolt, especially should the Huguenots gain foreign support. Revolt would eventually occur as the Huguenots, aided by the British, rebelled against the French crown in the city of La Rochelle . Richelieu quickly crushed the rebellion and stripped the Huguenots of all political and military power through the signing of the Edict of Alais in 1629 . It is important to note however, that Richelieu did not persecute the Huguenots for religiou s belief despite his position as Cardinal of the French Catholic Church. This religious lenience reflects the Cardinals priorities of state in his search for political stability, something which religious dispute and conflict had shown to disrupt in the past.Richelieu also focused his attention on the types of people who were to fill ecclesiastic roles, especially the high church officials. It had been made obvious to Richelieu through past example, that the scandalous and flamboyant lives often lead by these church officials did little else than annoy the common public and thus endanger the stability of the state. Richelieu aimed to fill the church hierarchy with persons of both merit and commendable habits . This would not only cleanse the churchs image, but allow Richelieu to strategically place allies and supporters within the church hierarchy. The Cardinal employed this same strategy to gain supportive factions in both the military and civil offices.Richelieus second focus area was the aristocrats, a class which he saw as an important organ of the state capable of contributing much to its preservation and stability. This recognition of aristocratic importance, however, did not override the Cardinals ambitions for absolute monarchy, and he placed the affairs and powers of state far above those of the nobles. In short, the Cardinal recognized the need to limit the aristocratic domain, and impose upon it royal law and order. It had become obvious to the Cardinal, that a lack of enforcement of centralized power, on the part of the French government, had allowed the French nobles to develop a sense of defiance towards the crown. Some of the major land-holding aristocrats had grown particularly powerful and independent. This resulted in a lack of loyalty towards the crown as many nobles felt that their position placed them above the status of royal subjects. Richelieu would come down hard on the nobility through a restriction of their rights, and independence. By implementing the spy system, Richelieu effectively crushed any conspiracies and thereby eliminated any major internal threat to the king. The rigidity and severity of the Cardinals methods were quite evident, as portrayed in the punishment of Seigneur Bouteville, who was executed for fighting a simple duel on the Place Royal . This restriction of dueling would become one of the Cardinals target areas since it was a show of noble military presence, no matter how seemingly insignificant. The end result of this and other restrictions placed on the nobles was an enforcement of state dominance through example. It wasnt long, however, before the nobles took up arms to defend their decreasing independence and began revolting. One such revolt occurred at Laguedoc, in 1632, under the leadership of the politically influential Duke of Montmorency . Richelieu responded to this and other conflicts by defeating the rebels, using the Kings forces, and executing the participants. Through this th orough and methodical defeat of the aristocracy, the Cardinal effectively established King Louis as the sole symbol of power in France.The other major group that Richelieu wished to reform was what he referred to as the third order of the realm . This third order was composed of three groups: the judiciary, the finance officers, and the common people. Richelieus goal in the reformation of these groups was to clearly define their roles as subjects of the king, and thus further enforce kingly power over all affairs and aspects of the state.When it came to the judiciary and finance officers, Richelieu attempted to dispell their perceived corruption through a strategic placement of allies who displayed more merit in office. Again, to forcefully establish crown dominance in the state, Richelieu would employ the use of state officials. The officials effectively carried out their role of executing government orders within the state, and using force to deal with any attempt to refuse them. The result was a successful enforcement of kingly authority over the states provinces and kings subjects; the commoners. In an attempt to set an example for the role of these commoners Richilieu discouraged their education. The cardinal explained that one would find little obedience and an excess of pride and presumption in a country made up entirely of educated people. Richelieu would instead encourage the kings subjects to take a greater interest in the military rather than the luxuries of education. This definition of the subjects roles displayed the Cardinals further ambition of military strength and French expansion in Europe. It is usually assumed that just as Richelieu had a clear plan to create an absolute monarchy in France, he wished to expand French power abroad . At the time, one of the best ways to expand a countrys influence in Europe was to establish a strong navy. This would become one of the Cardinals focus areas as he sought to create a fleet of ships capable of tr ansporting goods, and providing adequate protection in the process. The result was a strengthening of the countrys economic and political status through increased trade of French and foreign goods. To fortify French presence to a greater extent, Richelieu showed his support of the arts and education by founding the French Academy . The country would greatly increase its output of art and writings and eventually establish itself as cultural model for the rest of Europe. Another method that allowed the Cardinal to strengthen Frances position in Europe was through a fortification of the military. This proved to be extremely useful during the course of the ensuing religious wars which would see France come out victorious over a declining Spanish empire.From a middle ranking and uninfluential bishop, to the man who molded France into a European powerhouse, Armand du Plessis de Richelieu achieved a number of accomplishments on a number of levels during the course of his life. The Cardinal not only established himself politically, but stabilized the French state through absolute monarchy, and introduced to Europe a new dominant France. Perhaps one of the only failures lay in his inability to stabilize the French Economy, which would spiral upward during his reign, and ultimately become the countrys downfall in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Despite this, it is clearly the political ability, ambition and will of Cardinal Richelieu that would allow him to mold France into a political and cultural model for the rest of Europe and earn him the respect of historians and contemporaries as a true man of destiny . .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 , .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .postImageUrl , .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 , .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9:hover , .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9:visited , .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9:active { border:0!important; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 { 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; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9:active , .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .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; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9 .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5180fd23fe88aa8c6603eba4e88a63f9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Wffrfrg Essay We will write a custom essay on The Accomplishments of Cardinal Richelieu specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

Twilight Zone Essays - Mona, Free Essays, Term Papers

Twilight Zone Essays - Mona, Free Essays, Term Papers Twilight Zone Enter sounds of the Twilight Zone Mona: waving the multicolored flashlight. Our setting is a very boring planet in the middle of two points in the galaxy. This planet is doomed for destruction by the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council to make way for a hyperspatial express route that will run through our star system. This is a special report from The United Relocation Committee in the hopes of preparing the majority of the population for the inevitable move to Earth. This report is designed to help with synthesizing our Altarian culture to that of the Earth. Earth, as you all know, is the best chance for creating homeostatic environment between two cultures, one of which is ours since theirs is considered Mostly Harmless by some standards. We, as intelligent being on our planet, must learn to live by a few of these new social rules that Earth calls ethics*.(*said with a bit of an accent) We have set up a program so that you may learn Earth customs and ethics* along with our most veteran space explorer, Lieutenant Dodge de Neon, as he investigates Earth. The countries that were selected were not at random. It is quite simple really, The United Relocation Committee chose countries that are believed to be the purposed accepting end of about 55.6% of all archaic signals that have, for some unknown reason, been noticeable for twenty-three minutes on a few old broadcasting channels that are still used to check for intelligent life on other planets. The countries that have sent most of the broadcasting are believed not to need such necessary visits as those on the receiving end because all these special broadcasts will be aired every day between eight and ten d.m. in the hopes of teaching everyone all about these countries with least amount of Altarian tax dollars being spent. Focus in on the small car arriving in country a. Here is our spatial habitual machine carrying Lieutenant de Neon to Earth. The first country on our list is Pakistan. Oh, dear. The lieutenant is coming in too fast!!!! Here on our screens in the studio I see that it is predicted that the Habitual machine will hit that big round object hovering over the building The balloon pops and confetti flies. And the habitual machine does as it comes to a complete stop. Norrenna comes out, throws open the rug, reaches behind her and turns the car into another gear and pretends to make Islamic prayer out loud. Brauer comes up to Norrenna and tries to speak with her explaining his apology. Norrenna: Allah Hu ackbar, Allah hu ackbar. Brauer: Sorry that I caused such an accident. Norrenna: As-Saalam Eid Mubarak Brauer. Teach me some of your lanuage please. Norrenna: Bis-millah-heer-rah-mah-neer-rah-heem Brauer: Bis-millah-heer-rah-mah-neer-rah-heem Norrenna: Hama-abne-sad-lejeelow. Norrenna gives rug to Brauer. As they do this Norrenna places the small souvenir in the rocket. And Brauer maneuvers the car up the ferry. Mona: I hope all of you learned something. That was a religious prayer performed by almost of the Earths population today because of the religious holiday Eidul-ad-haa, or Festival of Sacrifice after two months and 10 days of the pilgrimage: Hajj.. Hama-abne-sad-lejeelow is Urdu for: take this with you. Urdu is the native language of Pakistan. And here the spatial habitual machine is coming to its next stop, Italy, the country that is next on the list. The vehicle comes off the ferry and runs by the vines pulling some down with the magnet. Dominik comes out and excited. Dominik: wow, you picked grapes. The first person to pick grapes becomes the host for the Cupra Montana Grape Festival, one of the most famous in the region. The occurs on the first Sunday of October. You may keep the grapes so that you can eat on your journey. (translate into Italian if at all possible.) Brauer: thank you for your cooperation. Good it is not vine though, as I do not like it (say with monotone German accent) Mona: and the translation for all of that is (say in English) And as the Spatial Habitat continues on its way north it arrives in the last designated country, Spain. As the machine comes to a landing on this really big green thing we must prepare for a good run. Oh, wait there are people on the big green thing. The machine will try to slow down now to lower the risk of

Basic Greetings in English for Beginners

Basic Greetings in English for Beginners This is a simple exercise to get students communicating with basic greetings. Notice in the second part of the activity that you can use this opportunity to recycle spelling, object, and job vocabulary. Teacher: Hello, How are you? Hi, Im fine. - Hi, How are you? Hello, Im OK. - Hi, How are you? Hi, Im well. (Model the question to the students. You can make gestures such as the thumbs up sign, etc. as well as strong facial gestures to help students understand the differences.) Teacher: Susan, hi, how are you? Student(s): Hi, Im fine. Teacher: Susan, ask Paolo a question. Student(s): Hi Paolo, How are you? Student(s): Hello, Im well. Continue this exercise around the class. Part II: Goodbye Teacher: Hello Ken, how are you? Hello, Im fine. - What is this? Thats a book - B - O - O - K. - What are you? Im a teacher - T - E - A - C - H - E -R. - Goodbye. Goodbye. (Model this dialogue physically, you may want to model this exercise a few times as it will demand a number of skills from the students.) Teacher: Hello Paolo, how are you? Student(s): Hi, Im fine. Teacher: What is this?. Student(s): That is a pencil - P - E - N - C - I - L. Teacher: What are you? Student(s): Im a pilot - P - I - L - O - T. Teacher: Goodbye, Paolo. Student(s): Goodbye. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said.

A Conversation Analysis from the film Babel Essay

A Conversation Analysis from the film Babel - Essay Example A film has a series of short stories that do not have conclusive endings. It is important to note that a convenient plot holds the shots in different places together. The intriguing plot of the movie depicts a series of much-unconnected stories of different persons and societies all over the world. In this film, communication and lack of it form the basis for my research on conversation analysis. In the movie, an American female tourist is mysteriously shot and wounded while on tour in the desert of Morocco. The two tourists, Richard and Susan argue bitterly following lose of their beloved son. Ironically, the shooter remains a puzzle and sets the impetus for a series of short stories that in the end make the plot of the whole film. This touches on the aspects of how different world languages, different societies, and cultures vary. In the film, different languages are spoken by different characters altogether. While her husband is trying to save her in the middle of a desert, their nanny in Mexico takes the couple’s children to a wedding. In another part of the movie, a 16 year-old adolescent girl, who also happens to be deaf looks for somebody to break her virginity. She does this in her quest to be understood the way she wants. The unending communication barriers brought about by different linguistic backgrounds is a theme of great relevance to conversation analysis.... Sacks et al defines turn taking as one party talking at a time. There is a minimization of gaps and silences too that enhance the feature of turn taking. He continues to argue that there is formulated system that makes these two techniques possible. In this case, one party speaks independently at a time hence minimizing the gaps and silences. Sacks et al. continues to state that a turn-construction unit (TCU) is the basic unit of a turn. (Brown, 2007, p. 224) argues that oral language and discourse is marked by exchanges. In this case, few sentences spoken by one participant are followed and built upon by sentences spoken by another. Whenever turn-constructional unit unfolds, a possible completion point is achieved. The possible completion point is considered as the transition point for any speaker. The waiter utilizes turn-constructional unit in the conversation below. 01 A waiter brings a plate and some cutlery 02 Waiter: (In broken English)) ^You want to order? --- Sentential TCU In line 02 above, the waiter in the restaurant initializes the conversation by asking a question. The arrow and the question mark indicate this. These two symbols tell us that in order for the conversation to move to the next level, an appropriate response must be given. In spite of talking probably in broken English, both Richard and Susan are able to get the conversation going by appropriately answering to his initial question. The sentential TCU provides the transition point for the next prudent conversation. 03. (0.9) 04 Richard: A:: yah’ll have thee um::chicken Co::usco::us (0.1)>and a 05Cokedoesn’t have fat in it

Professional Communication Phase 5 DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Communication Phase 5 DB - Essay Example vice based model, company executives have decided to use a slightly different business model for the release of SmartFit 2.0 which is tailored toward the general membership of the partner fitness club. SmartFit 2.0 also delivered via a wireless device, will bring a suite of entertainment features to the user in addition to the performance tracking. Users of SmartFit 2.0 will be able to listen to streaming music from the Universal Music catalog, audio books, and pre-recorded fitness routines created by the leading Personal Trainers in North America. At the release of the client version, the beta testers (a focus group of selected clients at a partner facility) suggested to offer a three-month free promotion for all new signed up members to any partner facility as a part of our marketing strategy. New members would thereby benefit of the promotion for ninety days followed by an increase in membership fees to reflect the inclusion of SmartFit 2.0 in the monthly membership fee. For current members willing to upgrade to this new level of membership, we would offer one month free and a 10 percent discount on the new membership fee for a period of twelve months. Our company executives believe that in offering this promotion, we are positioning SmartFit 2.0 to be as much of a success as the Personal training version. The pricing strategy has been studied carefully during the development of the platform, and extensively compared with similar client applications in the local and national market. For answering to the diverse demographics that exits at fitness facilities, our managers decided on using a service pricing model, as well as a per-use model. The service fee model described earlier is designed for the first adopters of the technology and those who can benefit from it by becoming a new member at a partner facility. The per-use service model is made to allow people who may decide to use the wireless features of SmartFit 2.0 in a less regular fashion. The

Scool Uniforms Essay Example for Free

Scool Uniforms Essay School uniforms help improve students behavior in class because they are more focused and feel like they belong. For example students who wear uniforms will have better self-esteem. As stated â€Å"uniforms do eliminate competition, pressure and assaults perpetrated by older kids on younger students for their sneakers and possessions. They also help some students focus better In class† (Daniels 1). If lesser students are being picked on because of their clothes more students will have a lot of confidence with their classes. With uniforms students will feel like they belong in class. Also it is proven that less students drop out of school. To illustrate â€Å" a study was released by the Harvard school of education research found that the Long Beach school district ,among six districts in the nations, 34 largest cities dramatically reduced their dropout rate†(Thompson 16). Given this fact lesser students will drop out of school. Thus proving that uniforms help students feel welcome in school. Lastly uniforms prepare students to learn. As stated â€Å"poise and students are more well behave when they are being dressed for the occasion of learning â€Å" (Pros vs. Cons) . Students are dressed for success. Even though some students don’t like the policy of uniforms they still are ready to be successful. Therefore not only do uniforms help improve students behavior in class but also reduce school violence. School uniforms reduce school violence because everybody wears the same clothes. For example uniforms make school a safer environment. Specifically â€Å"can play a significant role in reducing security threats and improving school safety†(Jeffery 42). Uniforms reduce security threats because fewer students are wearing gang affiliated clothes. With no gangs in schools there will be less violence. Also school uniforms go far beyond keeping students safe. As stated â€Å"schools with uniforms say that their students have better self-esteem because without the name clothing on display the students are placed on an equal level†(Terry 9). Not only do uniforms keep students safe but bring students together. When students are together as one they make the school a better place. Lastly most students are judged on their clothes and competition. As stated â€Å"uniforms do eliminate competition, pressure† (tom 43) this allows students to focus better. The school would be a better place because the students wouldn’t have to compete to see who has better clothes. Not only do school uniforms make the school a safer environment but they also help families the cost and time of buying clothes. School uniforms help students achieve success by not having families pay for clothes and save time looking for the latest brands. For example school uniforms would benefit parents cost wise. As stated â€Å"school uniforms would save parents money, the upfront cost of a uniform would be much less than a new wardrobe of the new coolest styles. (Teen Problems). Parents who are not doing well with money wouldn’t have to pay that much for the cost of uniforms. If parents were to buy uniforms they would save money and wouldn’t have to buy clothes all year long. In addition Students that are usually late to school because they have to get ready don’t have to be late anymore. To illustrate â€Å"school uniforms would save ti me for both parents and their children. Children would not have to think about what to wear in the morning and parents could not afford for their children to be late. †(Pros vs. Cons). This would benefit parents because they don’t have worry about their kids being late and eventually have to be kicked out of school. This help students achieve success because they don’t need to worry about being late. Lastly school uniforms would benefit the students because if the student was poor nobody would know. As stated â€Å"children who come from a less fortunate economic background would not appear to be â€Å"looking† or made fun of because their parents could not afford to buy them the newest trendy garments ,as children are very often harassed or embarrassed because of their clothe†(Marshall 24). If a student was being bullied on his clothes this would stop because everybody is wearing the same thing. This would help students with their self-esteem in school. School uniforms may help families but some students may disagree that it’s a way to take away ones individuality. School uniforms will restrict the outward expression of a student’s individuality. For example schools are taking away the students’ rights to express themselves. As stated â€Å"by instituting a uniform policy, schools are taking away kids individuality†(Ann 2). Some students thrive on individuality with uniforms they can’t. Although some students don’t think uniforms are right the schools main priority is to educate and in order to do this the school must have a safe learning environment. Second some students think that uniforms make them blend in. to illustrate â€Å"schools primary function is to educate, but secondary is a platform for socialization where clothing can play a role and with uniforms this makes it difficult for students to stand out† (Thomson 1). Students’ self-esteem may go down because they can’t wear their own clothes. However for other students it creates a sense of belonging. Even though students may think that uniforms take away their freedom of expression it is the schools responsibility to educate with a safe and welcoming environment. Research shows that students can achieve success by wearing uniforms therefore it is a great idea to enforce a policy on school uniforms. If schools everywhere were to introduce a school uniform policy there would be a dramatic change in students would feel motivated to go to school because they feel like they’re welcome. Perhaps schools everywhere should have a policy on school uniforms.

The Joy of Hate :: Example Personal Narratives

The Joy of Hate About ten years ago my dad was pastor in a church near Charleston. Two centuries ago, this was a prominent area in the slave industry, and after the Civil War, many harbored hateful attitudes toward blacks. Many families passed down this legacy of prejudice to the present day. After my father had been at this church for six months, one of the deacons asked him for a favor. Every year the town, mainly the church, held a youth baseball league and the deacon wanted my dad to announce the beginning of the season to the congregation and have my older brother play on a team. My father initially accepted the invitation but wanted to know more. He asked the deacon how the church had advertised the league and was told that the church did nothing else to publicize the program. Dad thought this a bit strange. Didn't the congregation want as many kids as possible to show up? When my dad investigated this puzzling question, he didn't like what he found. They weren't advertising because they didn't want the whole town to participate, especially the black families. This made my dad reconsider making the announcement to the church. He talked to my mom and prayed very hard for many days. Finally my father decided he would make the announcement and allow my brother to play. Although he didn't want to do this, my father knew that if he didn't, someone else would, and they'd twist it so he would look like a bad guy. There was one condition, though: If my father found out any black family who signed up their child to play was rejected, my brother would not play. Although he never found any proof of this, my father had a feeling it had happened. Daddy knew he couldn't change the league, so he decided instead to start a soccer team and advertise it clearly as a "for-everyone" event. He invited many families, black and white, to sign up their kids, and his hard work paid off. About 80 kids showed up for the first practice, half black and half white. Our entire family rejoiced at the large turnout, but soon something strange began to happen. Week by week the number of players declined. By the fourth practice, not enough showed up to even resemble a team.