Beowulf and Modern United States Essay -- Culture Compare Contrast Ess

Beowulf and Modern United States Many people who read the poem Beowulf would probably find it hard to find similarities between the poem and life in modern America. How could one compare an ancient Anglo-Saxon culture with the sophisticated world that we are living in today? But, if we look closely, we may be able to pinpoint some parallel between the two societies. This essay will discuss the topics of warrior life, the â€Å"bad guy,† and social similarities. One might wonder how a warrior culture might be similar to our own? But if we consider American culture, we are actually still very war-like. We have a strong military system built to protect our country and the people that make it up. We are also known for going to the aid of other countries that aren’t able to defend themselves. This is very similar to the mentality of the warriors in Beowulf. Beowulf comes to the aid of Hrothgar’s falling kingdom. Another similarity between the two cultures that some people may see in the most recent times is the idea of the bad guy or â€Å"monster.† Today Americans are trying to deal with ...

Is Graffiti an Art or a Crime Essay

Through the years, people have expressed themselves in different ways and manners. Some have chosen photography, drawings or sculpture. Others came up with new ways like graffiti which is a new form of urban expression that made controversial reactions. I believe that some graffiti is an artistic performance because of its expressive nature, beautiful display, and creative ways. The rest of it reveals a criminal behavior since it uses others’ properties without permission or consideration, harms the urban landscape, and sends negative messages. The major differences between both perceptions are the aim of the taggers and location of the tags. On the one hand, taggers have produced beautiful and expressive pieces that people appreciated. During a class trip to 5 Pointz, an outdoor art exhibit space in Long Island City, New York, where graffiti is permitted and regulated. I stood for few minutes in front of a tag of ghostly skulls surrounded by flames (The Picture). The skulls had an expression on their skinless faces that made me feel like hearing the sound of those portrayed people as if they were screaming out in pain with the sound of evil laughter in the background. This mixture of its beauty and livelihood made me and my classmates enjoy the experience. In addition, after admiring the excellence of the tags, I thought that those taggers must be very talented and creative to come up with such beautiful artworks, especially on those large surfaces and hard-to-reach places, bearing in mind that they’re only using spray paint. It makes you wonder how they could make all those fading colors and shades, and transform bare walls into three dimensional objects. They certainly are very creative and highly skilled. Before leaving the site, I noticed that there was a transportation corporation that actually had graffiti artists tag its wall with trucks to make it more appealing to commuters, which affirms that people do like and appreciate this art as long as it belongs where it is permitted. On the other hand, I denounce the effect that graffiti has had and continues to have on our urban landscape. That’s where it gets associated with vandalism, because instead of tagging specified places, taggers choose train cars, bridges and public walls, which make the cities look messy and hasty, forcing the authorities to spend unnecessary money to paint them over. Furthermore, most of graffiti, especially those done discretely and with no permission display gang names, obscene language and silly drawings which make many people think of it as crime and violence. In McCann’s novel Let the Great World Spin, Ciaran was accompanying his brother and looked across the van window to a church, and said â€Å"It was daubed in graffiti—whites, yellows, reds, silvers. TAGS 173. GRACO 76. The stained- glass windows had been broken with small stones. Even the cross on top was tagged. † (McCann, 34). When he said that even the cross was tagged, I thought that they were making a statement that their pride and art are above religion, and thus above other people’s beliefs and feelings. Graffitists were invading every surface, including sacred and religious ones. It seemed that they find their pleasure in what annoys and bothers their community, just like the person who gets pleasure in consuming drugs that are poisoning his own body. They leave others clean up, deal with the trauma of property damage, and wonder why their property became a target, whether it was hate and racism act, or just a tool in somebody’s careless adventure. Whereas many people find it hard to categorize graffiti, I think that the taggers are the ones who make of it an art or a crime based on their purposes and the locations they use. For instance, when I come across a tag that catches my eye, even if it is visually pleasant, it bothers me a lot to see that the tagger made it with the intent of defying the authorities, damaging public or private property, or just challenging and cursing his rivals, instead of making it to express himself and display his high talent. It loses its artistic value and becomes a cheap tool for his malicious intentions. I also believe that it depends heavily on where they’re putting up their work. If a graffitist uses the walls of my building without my permission, I would not be happy, and I certainly would not consider that as an artistic act, but as a reckless behavior showing disrespect. It is just as if someone rode your bike, without your permission, to perform some stunts and then brought it back to you and expected you to appreciate that. That is insane. Inversely, if the tagger performs on a spot where it is regulated and permitted (like the 5 Pointz site), I would get to see his pieces from a positive perspective. In conclusion, graffiti is basically an artistic performance that contains talent and aesthetic vision. It also is very expressive and meaningful. But, some taggers use individuals’ and public properties without their permission displaying gang-like negative messages and vandalizing our urban scenery which makes many of it considered as a criminal act. What distinguishes between graffiti being art and graffiti as an act of vandalism is the intent of its producers and the spots they chose to display their pieces. As people continue to live, there will continue to be inventions of new methods of social expression.

The Involvement of the United States in Vietnam Essays

The Involvement of the United States in Vietnam The single most important factor in understanding the United States involvement in Vietnam is fear. In the years leading to the Vietnam Conflict the United States was immersed in paranoia toward Communist Russia and the communist movement as a whole. This paranoia has its roots in the depression of the nineteen thirties and was fueled by the exploits of men like MacCarthy and other politicians who saw this as an opportunity to further their careers or push policies. This paranoia was the most important factor in the entrance of the US into the conflict in Southeast Asia. During the years proceeding World War II the United States found itself one of the two most powerful nations in†¦show more content†¦In a letter to Stalin from President Roosevelt on February 6, 1945 he wrote: You must believe me when I tell you that our people at home look with a critical eye on what they consider a disagreement between us at this vital stage of the war. They in effect say that if we cannot get a meeting of minds now when our armies are converging on the common enemy, how can we get an understanding on even more vital things in the future. It was the growing mistrust of this relatively new communist nation that led to the eventual fear of a global conflict between the two ideologies. This fear that was beginning to grip the American public was not only due the increasing military threat of the Soviet Union but also for fear of another internal economic crisis. The majority of the American population during this period directly experienced the great depression of the nineteen thirties the prosperity that proceeded it. Now America was in a state of postwar prosperity again and the standard of living had dramatically increased for the majority of the American public over the past twenty years. This rising middle class now saw their improved economic independence being threatened not only from a domestic economic disaster but also from a new outside force, Communism. Communism to the American people was a threat to the American dream, the American way of life, and most important to the basic freedoms and values that th is country wasShow MoreRelatedUnited States Involvement with Vietnam Essay949 Words   |  4 PagesUnited States Involvement with Vietnam Although there are no specific, reasons as to why the USA became increasingly involved in the war, I can name many different reasons and aspects as to why they did. These reasons all link together in some way. These reasons range from long term to short term, and from financial, to political, and finally to full scale war. The origins of involvement can be traced back to the 19th century when the French had added a huge partRead MoreUnited States Involvement in Vietnam Essay1302 Words   |  6 PagesUnited States Involvement in Vietnam The end of World War Two was the beginning of Americas worries about Communism. They feared that it would spread throughout the countries of the world. Because of this President Truman made the Truman Doctrine. This said that America would help any nation threatened by Communism. He said that he would lead containment in the spread of Communism and the Soviet Unions expansion. The doctrine came from the USA believing thatRead MoreUnited States Involvement in Vietnam Essay948 Words   |  4 PagesUnited States Involvement in Vietnam Before 1939 Vietnam was a French colony but Vietnam was divided into three areas Tongking in the north, Annam and Cochin China in the south. During World War two the Japanese took control of Vietnam. But a very strong anti-Japanese movement called the Viet Minh emerged whose leader was called Ho Chi Mihn. The Viet Mihn took over the North of the country. But in 1945 the French arrived back in Vietnam wanting their Colony back. TheRead MoreUnited States Involvement in South Vietnam1676 Words   |  7 PagesUnited States Involvement in South Vietnam It is apparent from source A that America was involved in Vietnam to maintain capitalism and to suppress communism. The writer of the source, John F Kennedy, had a high position in the US government and he makes the point that the Americans did not like communism and wanted to stop it spreading. If the red tide of communism overflowed into Vietnam, then Burma, Thailandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and Cambodia would be threatened. This shows theRead MoreUnited States Involvement During Vietnam War990 Words   |  4 Pagesconsiderably they has been involvements. For example US involvement in Vietnam war through out the1950s till 1960s. In that incidence united states supported France which was more a democratic side and rejected vietnamese nationalist Ho Chi who was known as a communist supported by Russia, and aided with the cost of the war. In 1964 the congress authorised Johnson the president to take necessary actions to prevent aggression against united states in Vietnam and bombing of Vietnam took place in responseRead MoreThe United States Involvement During The Vietnam War1514 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States involvement in the Vietnam War developed into one of the most brutal, yet necessary wars of The Cold War. Although the war was viewed poorly by most, it helped a weak, crumbling South Vietnam stand up to a strong powerful North Vietnam that was forcing communism on them. President Johnson even stated that â€Å"Our objective is the independence of South Vietnam and its freedom from attack.† The United States wanted to stop an oppressive government and to make sure the world is a saferRead MoreThe United States Involvement During The Vietnam War947 Words   |  4 Pagescontroversial. The United States in the Korean War was criticized, fairly, for its strategy, but the need to defend South Korea was never questioned. In only the Vietnam War was the United States’ very participation criticized. This is such a gigantic change with prior wars that it bears study as to why it happened, and better yet, should have it happened. This paper will discuss the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, by asking the simple question, Should have the Untied States’ gotten involvedRead MoreEssay on Reasons for United States Involvement in Vietnam1080 Words   |  5 PagesReasons for United States Involvement in Vietnam In this essay I will be writing about why America got involved in the Vietnam War, between the 1950s to the 1960s. This was a steady and slow process with many deaths all because of communism. It was very costly and bloody. This essay will focus on political reasons, military reasons and economy reasons. Firstly the political reasons. The involvement in Vietnam started off with the cold war, when Russia and AmericaRead MoreEssay on United States Involvement in the Vietnam War769 Words   |  4 PagesUnited States Involvement in the Vietnam War There are many reasons for American intervention in Vietnam whether it is political causes, economic causes or military causes. The Americans want to secure capitalism all over the world and get rid of communism. The French used to run Vietnam in a capitalist manner. After the Second World War France attempted to secure and control Vietnam once more. France refused to recognize the democratic republic of Vietnam that hadRead MoreThe United States Involvement During The Vietnam War1729 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States involvement in Vietnam was the longest war the U.S. has ever took part in and was considered an extended military engagement due to the fact congress never formally declared war with Vietnam (FCNL). The Vietnam War began on November 1, 1955 and lasted for 20 years until April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the communist Northern Vietnamese and the anti-communist Southern Vietnamese after the country was temporarily divided by the Geneva Accords. Americas entering of the Vietnam