Thursday, July 30, 2020
Austin, Stephen Fuller
Austin, Stephen Fuller Austin, Stephen Fuller, 1793â"1836, American leader of colonization in Texas, known as the Father of Texas, b. Wythe co., Va.; son of Moses Austin. He grew up in Missouri, studied at Transylvania Univ. in Kentucky, served (1814â"20) in the Missouri territorial legislature, and was studying law in New Orleans when his father died. Stephen took up the plans to colonize Texas and on a journey there (1821) selected the area between the Brazos and Colorado rivers. In Jan., 1822, he planted the first legal settlement of Anglo-Americans in Texas. He later went to Mexico City to have his grant cleared and confirmed by the newly independent Mexican government. Austin's settlements, with the towns of San Felipe de Austin and Brazoria, prospered. Other American colonists poured in. As friction developed over the years with the Mexican government, Austin opposed illegal efforts at Texan independence. He was sent in 1833 to Mexico City to present the settlers' grievances, to ask that Texas be separated from Coahuila, and to get the Mexican immigration law modified. He was accused of treason and imprisoned. On his return to Texas in 1835 he opposed the government of Santa Anna and so forwarded the Texas Revolution. He was sent as one of the commissioners (1835â"36) of the provisional government to obtain aid in the United States, was defeated (1836) by Samuel Houston for the presidency of Texas, and served briefly until his death as secretary of state. See The Austin Papers, 1765â"1837 (1924â"28); biographies by S. Glassock (1951), E. G. Barker (1925, repr. 1968), and G. Cantrell (1999). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies
Friday, May 22, 2020
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - 972 Words
The setting changes while Francie continues to mature into a woman. She becomes 16, and is beginning to lead a life of her own. The family leaves the grieving they had for Johnny behind. Not only does Francie start out with a clean slate, so does the rest of the Nolan family. After the two and à ½ years of mourning for Johnny, Sergeant Mc Shane asks Katie to marry him. War rages through the country. While he and Katie make arrangements for the fall wedding and gifts of money and whatnot, Francie makes headway in her personal life. In college, a handsome young lad holding the name Ben Blake, seems to fancy Francie as they go on various study dates. He helps her cram for college entrance exams. Though she fails the first time, she later tries again and gets accepted into Michigan University that Ben chose for her to apply. Meanwhile, Katie receives a gift of $1,000.00 from Mc Shane, which she later uses for Francieââ¬â¢s college money, and a gift to Evy- $200.00. Laurie Nolan gets her last name changed to Mc Shane. The Nolans move from their humble apartment flat to the rich Mc Shane house. Neeley grows older and Francie canââ¬â¢t help but notice he is so alike to Johnny. When the Nolans are finished moving, Francie says goodbye to all the places she once treasured; Carneyââ¬â¢s where she hauled junk, Cheap Charlieââ¬â¢s, where she tried to win prizes but never got any, Mcgarittyââ¬â¢s saloon, and the library. Lastly, she sees Florry Wendy in her fire escape, reading and watching the streetsShow MoreRelatedA Tree Grows in Brooklyn Paper901 Words à |à 4 PagesI. Intro paragraph a. Hook: In the Irish American community of Brooklyn in the 1900ââ¬â¢s, immigrants faced discrimination and crushing poverty b. In the world that Betty Smith describes in ââ¬Å"A Tree Grows in Brooklynâ⬠however, this poverty is depicted as a kind of virtue, a force that causes individuals to grow, and families to bond c. Yet, while female characters like Katie and Francie grow from overcoming the hardships brought on by poverty, Francieââ¬â¢s father Johnny Nolan is defeatedRead MoreThe Influence of the Family Members on the Life of Francie Nolan by Betty Smith782 Words à |à 4 PagesThe Influence of the Family Members on the Life of Francie Nolan The main character in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, is certainly the brilliant and resourceful Francie Nolan, however, three other characters in the novel deserve credit for guiding Francie through her troublesome childhood. Francie Nolan grows up in the slums of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the early 1900s. Despite Francieââ¬â¢s lifestyle of poverty and distress, she manages to work several respectable jobs, attend college andRead MoreComing of Age in a Tree Grows in Brooklyn1231 Words à |à 5 PagesBetty Smith s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn presents the problems of a child growing up, the coming of age when one meets challenges and overcomes obstacles. The protagonist, Francie Nolan, undergoes a self-discovery as she strives to mature living in the Brooklyn slum despite its poverty and privation. Thus, Smith s thematic treatment of the struggle of maturity has become for the reader an exploration of loneliness, family relationships, the loss of innocence, and death and di sease. One of theRead MoreLoss of Innocence in Francie Nolan Essay1421 Words à |à 6 PagesIn Betty Smiths A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Francie Nolan and her family struggle with many economical and emotional hardships in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. Her mother, Katie, and her father, Johnny, marry and have children at an extremely young age, causing their familys fate to be doomed right from the start. Francie, the older of the two children, has her mothers hard-work ethic, and her fathers sentimentality and imagination. Through Francies fear, humiliation, compassion, sorrow, prideRead MoreEmpathy Is The True Catalyst For Understanding1419 Words à |à 6 Pagesunderstanding more about culture--especially Hispanic cultures. When I was ten, my mother gave me a copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith which recounts the history of Francie Nolan, a child of Irish immigrants, growing up in New York at the turn of the century. I canââ¬â¢t count the number of times that I have read this book. I love the historical detail about Francieââ¬â¢s life which is based off of Betty Smithââ¬â¢s personal experiences. However, after meeting my boyfriendââ¬â¢s family, I became acutely awareRead MoreMy Greatest Enemy Is The American Education System970 Words à |à 4 Pageswho possesses these three qualities so I can finally have a fulfilling conversation. The closest things I have to passionate people are my books. Gabriel Garcà a Mà ¡rquez, Jane Austen, Nicholas Kristof, Madeleine Lââ¬â¢Engle, Rick Riordan, Harper Lee, Betty Smith, Lois Lowry, and so many more have enabled me to think beyond myself, to explore alien ideas, and to think creatively. I am jealous of all those who can create. They are able to explain themselves while I cannot. Often, I get trapped in my own mindRead MoreThe True Nature Of Human Nature In Mark Twain And The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer1609 Words à |à 7 Pages Contrary to Austensââ¬â¢ belief, Mark Twain withââ¬Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyerâ⬠shows a more optimistic view of human nature where the guilt and sense of sympathy are the driving emotions behind every action. Similarly, in the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith identifies the empathy and duty as a primary cause for the kindness in each person. Every person is hardwired to be a social and inherently good person driven by the emotional consequences and personal experiences that one has facedRead MoreTom Sawyer Human Nature Essay1578 Words à |à 7 PagesContrary to Austen sââ¬â¢ belief, Mark Twain withââ¬Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyerâ⬠shows a more optimistic view of human nature where the guilt and sense of sympathy are the driving emotions behind every action. Similarly, in the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith identifies the empathy and duty as a primary cause for the kindness in each person. Every person is hardwired to be a social and inherently good person driven by the emotional consequences and personal experiences that one has facedRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words à |à 30 PagesMountain by Thomas Mann (1924). Pather Panchali, by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay (1929)[29] Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell (1936) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1936) Native Son by Richard Wright (1940) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943) The Green Years by A. J. Cronin (1944) The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger (1951)[30] The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (for plot character Eustace Scrubb) by C. S. Lewis (1952) Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952) In theRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words à |à 1573 PagesMountain Home Bryan Pesta, Cleveland State University Jeff Peterson, University of Washington Nanette Philibert, Missouri Southern State University Larry Phillips, Indiana University South Bend William Pinchuk, Rutgers University at Camden Eric Popkoff, Brooklyn College Paul Preston, University of Montevallo Scott Quatro, Grand Canyon University Aarti Ramaswami, Indiana University Bloomington Jere Ramsey, Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo Amy Randel, San Diego State University Anne Reilly, Loyola University Chicago
Sunday, May 10, 2020
The Basic Facts of How to Essay Topics
The Basic Facts of How to Essay Topics You may continue to keep your argumentative essays for your upcoming job portfolio in case they're highly graded. In the event that you own a debut of the essay then be well prepared to shed a good deal of subscribers after they begin reading the very first point of the essay writing. Just select the category which suits you best and tackle because many topics as possible. When you've chosen one subject from the reach of expository essay topics, it's time to begin writing. Finding the most suitable arguments will allow you to prove your point and win. Picking a topic is a vital issue that partly estimates final success of the job. Deciding on an emotional topic is also a great idea. How to Essay Topics and How to Essay Topics - The Perfect Combination Better yet, as you free write, you might develop a couple of things that it is possible to paste almost directly into your essay. Your essay is designed to turn into some thing inventiv e. Before you commence writing your college essay, you may choose to see the essay examplesA that we've listed for you, so that you may have more idea on what things to put in the college essay which you will create. An argumentative essay is a certain sort of academic writing. Knowing the most frequent IELTS essay topics enables you to center on the most significant vocabulary. To compose an outstanding essay, it's critical to use specific academic language. Narrative essay topics Narrative essay is a little different from different types. Selecting an essay topic is merely among the most necessary elements of writing an exceptional essay or paper. How to Essay Topics Options So you don't actually need to obtain a topic! Utilize our descriptive essay topics list to acquire the topic you desire. Utilize our descriptive essay topics list to get the topic you prefer. Therefore, the topic ought to be debatable! How to Essay Topics Secrets If you write your essay on something which is emphasized in your textbook, there's a very good chance you're on the right path. While you can't predict every essay question, knowing some of the most typical ones may give you an advantage on applications. One of the greatest approaches to change anybody's mind is w ith an emotional investment. When you're picking your topic, remember that it's much simpler to write about something which you currently have interest ineven in case you don't know a great deal about it. The Dirty Facts on How to Essay Topics Argumentative writings is a particular sort of a paper. Presenting The Research Paper Research papers have to be presented well to make the best effects. Essays are often necessary for scholarship applications. In middle school, 5-paragraph essays are among the most typical kinds of papers to write. The Fight Against How to Essay Topics The first element of the essay we'll analyze is the way that it succeeds in identifying and examining the pieces of the argument that relate to the endeavor. While an essay is a big project, there are numerous steps a student can take which will help break down the task into manageable pieces. At exactly the same time, detecting cause and effect relationships isn't that easy in regards to the selecti on of a very good cause and effect essay topic. Thus, the topic you select plays an important function. Actually, all of the argumentative essays follow one of the five common models that may help you with the building of the primary essay question and the manner in which you support your claims. So, the choice of the topic is very important. The essay topics ought to be selected from several ways. Taking into account that lots of persuasive essays concern controversial topics, before writing, you might want to sit down and think of what your opinion on the topic actually is. If you wish to create a college essay which works, you want to provide importance on the content which you will give the admissions officer of your intended university with. The college essay is among the main characteristics of your college application. Your college essay should contain information that relate to the instruction offered to you. A well-written essay may be the most persuasive portion of a scholarship program, which explains why much time and attention needs to be put into its preparation. The Appeal of How to Essay Topics Inspiration to make your own advertising or media argumentative essay topics isn't difficult to discover. There are many well-written how to essays examples on the internet. It's possible to then practice replicating successful connections between ideas in your practice essays. Since you may see, there are lots of topics to pick from for your 5-paragraph essay. Additionally, you can capture reader attention with the aid of funny essay topics. Luckily, there's a procedure that you can follow to pick the perfect topics for essays. It's possible that you list various kinds of descriptive essay topics first and then pick the category on which you would like to pen down. There are two primary means by which you can use the most typical IELTS essay topics to your benefit.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Social obligation of business Free Essays
There were arguments that obligation of business is to maximize long term profit for shareholders In a sustainable way, while others call them to Involve more to social responses. Each judgment has its own reasons which this research sought to analyze. Based on that, certain social obligations of business will be addressed with evidences, showing their necessary of being more responsible to social outcomes. We will write a custom essay sample on Social obligation of business or any similar topic only for you Order Now Key words: corporate social obligation, shareholders, corporate profit, social responslblllty Introduction There has been a long debate on the role of business in society. Some people agreed with argument of: ââ¬Å"The social obligation of business is to sustainably maximize long-term profits for shareholders. Nothing more. Nothing lessâ⬠. However, others judge: ââ¬Å"Business has a key role to play in combating issue like climate change, since the traditional response of many environmentalists and governments (namely, to encourage behavioral and attitudinal change amongst the general population) Is not enough in itself to ultimately produce desired environmental outcomesâ⬠. Different Judgments have their own reasons based on appropriate grounds. My view Is that business should ensure long term profit and stable operation while promote applying CSR practices into their daily operation for better performance. Companies today are confronting intense pressures to address social concerns and it is undeniable that socially Irresponsible businesses may lose their competitive advantage . Corporate Social Responslblllty (CSR) Definition Since 1920s, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) started to be discussed. However, due to the Great Depression economics and World War II, business leaders did not discuss about it seriously until the 1950s. The definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) varies between businesses and possibly changes at certain time points, depending on their visions and goals. There are so many definition for CSR. However, the most general definition for it is that ââ¬Å"CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on societyâ⬠. Appllcatlon CSR now a day has been a popular term in different businesses. However, it seems corporations pay more attentions to these activities than those of small and medium size, who usually blame that they do not have time and money to follow these luxuryââ¬â¢ practices. In all effort, the UN Global Compact guideline on ISO 260000 had been developed to help enterprises of all sizes to globally approach and practice CSR strategies. CSR application is not required by law, while business profits and social obligations are always difficult choices for management, CSR strategies are most of time considered for implementation, as the business trend is to contribute good thing and more responsible to society. We will analyze each situation in the next paragraphs, to understand better on why sometimes it is hard making decision. Corporate Social Responsible OR corporate profit? It is argued that social obligation or social responsibility was defined as the obligation of business to meet its economic and legal responsibilities and no more . This viewpoint is based on the notion that business organizations were set up with aims to provide goods and services to society, and enterprise were operated primary on profit motive. Many scholars agreed upon this point of view, including Milton Friedman (1970), as mentioned in his article in the New York Times Magazine . This belief has been maintained for many years not only by Friedman but also other usiness executives and scholars. It is true that the primary social obligation/social responsibility of a business is to bring benefits to its owners and shareholders who invest a significant amount of money there. Consequently, fulfilling the economic responsibility is the initial obligation of a business, it should also obey the laws and regulations of the society while running its operations. Social matters are not the concern of business people, these problems should be resolved by the unfettered workings of the free market system (Friedman, 1970). In cases where corporate profit nd social benefit aligned, CSR might not be considered and therefore irrelevant. Or in other cases where corporate profits and social welfares are opposite, then the profit will be taken into consideration, as business management will always want to prioritize shareholderââ¬â¢s interest. How to cite Social obligation of business, Papers
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
The Demon Lexicon Review Essay Example
The Demon Lexicon Review Paper Essay on The Demon Lexicon The story, which begins with the phrase about the storage of the sword under the leaking kitchen sink, I fell in love immediately. And I must say, not disappointed, because as a result of Demon Lexicon brought me a lot of positive emotions So, living in England, two brothers, very unlike each other -. Alan and Nick. Senior kind, sweet and compassionate, Jr. a dark, well managed with machetes and worrying only about his brother. For them and their crazy mother chasing all British wizards, from which they are hiding for many years One day, Alan and Nick for help come to brother and sister -. Mae and Jamie Crawford, who are having problems with magic. Alan called to help them, although Nick and shows his displeasure with this decision. And then the relationship between the brothers changed, life is complicated and, of course, come to light some scary secrets. What is good in this book? Firstly, the characters. They are extremely charming, interesting and, hopefully, will show itself to us in the remainder of the promised trilogy. Attitude to some I have changed throughout history, while others have gained sympathy from the first pages. We will write a custom essay sample on The Demon Lexicon Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Demon Lexicon Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Demon Lexicon Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Secondly, there is an interesting story, and there is practically no romantic line. And, frankly, I enjoyed it very much. Although afoot romance looks surprisingly adequate, especially among the stories with the idea of ââ¬â¹Ã¢â¬â¹love to the grave at a glance. Third, although certain storylines and highly predictable (some of the things the reader guesses on a couple of chapters before than characters), I liked the implementation of these scenes. And some terrible secrets, I was still pleasantly surprised. So I got great pleasure from reading and, perhaps, going to conquer the second part in English, because when it is transferred, and whether it will translate, I do not I know. And I can not say about the Russian edition of the book. Cover, to put it mildly, scary (although, lets face it this is not the worst job Astana). Translation seemed to me worthy at least mourn him did not want to exactly P.S.. Special thanks to reading the reviews which I found out about this book.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Preparing to Conduct Business Research 2 Essays - School Shooting
Preparing to Conduct Business Research 2 Essays - School Shooting Cristal Williams, Anthony Moreno, Alex Adkins, Kelvin Burford, Rocio Terry RES/351 Preparing to Conduct Business Research 2 Instructor: Said Nik-khah October 19, 2015 Schools Safety Over the past several years, the Department of Education as well all nationwide schools have faced several events of gun violence. Some of these events have included the active shooter massacres at Columbine High School, 1999, Rocori High School in 2003, Campbell County Comprehensive School in 2005, Orange High School 2006, Platte Canyon High School in 2006, West Nickel Mines Amish School in 2006, Virginia Tech 2007, Northern Illinois University, 2007, Chardon High School 20012, Sandy Hook Elementary School 2012, Santa Monica College, 2013, Arapaho High School, 2013, Reynolds High School 2014, Marysville-Pilchuck High School 2014, and at Florida State University Feb 2014. (USA Today, 2014) These are just some of the active shooting events going on around the Nation. The safety in schools has raised the questions of how to implement better systems to prevent incidents like those reported from happening. One of the issues that these schools faces is not having enough safety precautions in place and not possessing an established protocol to ensure the safety of each school. The protocols that schools should be implementing are things like an active shooter and lock down drills, metal and safety detectors, an assigned Resource Officers on site and mostly parent involvement. Research Questions Research questions are very important to guide our research and focus on the relevant information that supports our objectives. For our objective, we have come up with three questions to start out our research. 1) What is the rate of incidences that occur in the U.S. that apply to school safety? 2) What can we do to reduce the amount of shooting in our schools in the U.S.? 3) Will shooter drills play a role in reducing a number of injuries or casualties in a real life situation? Hypothesis and Variables Considered Although there has been talking about banning guns, there are too many ways to get a hold of one and in all actuality, they are not going to go away. Our question is now, how can we be protected? How can our children be protected? How can our schools and communities be protected? Going back some years, there weren't many instances where one would hear about school shootings. Nowadays, we do not stop hearing of them. School standards have risen so high that it has been causing a great deal of stress on the students and teachers as well. Students feel the pressure of having to succeed, please their parents, deal with being homesick, and everyday life that occurs. Some of these shootings that occur are from students that attend these schools, and they may feel like there is no other way. There needs to be more protection around school zones, communities should work closer together to help one another, there need to be more programs available for people who may be falling into such a de pression that they feel like killing others, and there need to be more "laws" or "guidelines" into being able to buy a gun and owning one. Ethical Considerations Considering laws and guidelines on buying weapons, ethically should we allow teachers to carry weapons in schools to protect the students? If so, what types of firearms would staff be allowed to carry or not allowed to carry? Would the weapons be his or her personal firearm or school-issued weapon? Would there be inspections conducted to ensure functionality of firearms? With this in mind, we need to ponder ethical considerations prior to preparing schools to allow firearms while preventing and managing situations of lost, misplaced, or stolen firearms. Allowing teachers to carry weapons creates the impression on the part of the student that he or she is in an unsafe environment and that it is necessary for people to protect him or her with firearms in the school. They should have the feeling that where they are studying and where they are with other children is a safe environment. And by carrying a gun, a teacher gives the wrong impression that it is not. A growing number of studies show a link between hidden biases and actual behavior. In other words, hidden biases can reveal themselves
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Ted Sorensen on the Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing
Ted Sorensen on the Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing In his final book, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History (2008), Ted Sorensen offered a prediction: I have little doubt that, when my time comes, my obituary in the New York Times (misspelling my last name once again) will be captioned: Theodore Sorenson, Kennedy Speechwriter. On November 1, 2010, the Times got the spelling right: Theodore C. Sorensen, 82, Kennedy Counselor, Dies. And though Sorensen did serve as ââ¬â¹a counselor and alter ego to John F. Kennedy from January 1953 to November 22, 1963, Kennedy Speechwriter was indeed his defining role. A graduate of the University of Nebraskas law school, Sorensen arrived in Washington, D.C. unbelievably green, as he later admitted. I had no legislative experience, no political experience. Id never written a speech. Id hardly been out of Nebraska. Nevertheless, Sorensen was soon called on to help write Senator Kennedys Pulitzer Prize-winning book Profiles in Courage (1955). He went on to co-author some of the most memorable presidential speeches of the last century, including Kennedys inaugural address, the Ich bin ein Berliner speech, and the American University commencement address on peace. Though most historians agree that Sorensen was the primary author of these eloquent and influential speeches, Sorensen himself maintained that Kennedy was the true author. As he said to Robert Schlesinger, If a man in a high office speaks words which convey his principles and policies and ideas and hes willing to stand behind them and take whatever blame or therefore credit go with them, [the speech is] his (White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters, 2008). In Kennedy, a book published two years after the presidents assassination, Sorensen spelled out some of the distinctive qualities of the Kennedy style of speech-writing. Youd be hard-pressed to find a more sensible list of tips for speakers. While our own orations may not be quite as momentous as a presidents, many of Kennedys rhetorical strategies are worth emulating, regardless of the occasion or the size of the audience. So the next time you address your colleagues or classmates from the front of the room, keep these principles in mind. The Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing The Kennedy style of speech-writingour style, I am not reluctant to say, for he never pretended that he had time to prepare first drafts for all his speechesevolved gradually over the years. . . .We were not conscious of following the elaborate techniques later ascribed to these speeches by literary analysts. Neither of us had any special training in composition, linguistics or semantics. Our chief criterion was always audience comprehension and comfort, and this meant: (1) short speeches, short clauses and short words, wherever possible; (2) a series of points or propositions in numbered or logical sequence wherever appropriate; and (3) the construction of sentences, phrases and paragraphs in such a manner as to simplify, clarify and emphasize.The test of a text was not how it appeared to the eye, but how it sounded to the ear. His best paragraphs, when read aloud, often had a cadence not unlike blank verseindeed at times key words would rhyme. He was fond of alliterative sentences, not solely for reasons of rhetoric but to reinforce the audiences recollection of his reasoning. Sentences began, however incorrect some may have regarded it, with And or But whenever that simplified and shortened the text. His frequent use of dashes was of doubtful grammatical standingbut it simplified the delivery and even the publication of a speech in a manner no comma, parenthesis or semicolon could match.Words were regarded as tools of precision, to be chosen and applied with a craftsmans care to whatever the situation required. He liked to be exact. But if the situation required a certain vagueness, he would deliberately choose a word of varying interpretations rather than bury his imprecision in ponderous prose.For he disliked verbosity and pomposity in his own remarks as much as he disliked them in others. He wanted both his message and his language to be plain and unpretentious, but never patronizing. He wanted his major policy statements to be positive, specific and defi nite, avoiding the use of suggest, perhaps and possible alternatives for consideration. At the same time, his emphasis on a course of reasonrejecting the extremes of either sidehelped produce the parallel construction and use of contrasts with which he later became identified. He had a weakness for one unnecessary phrase: The harsh facts of the matter are . . .but with few other exceptions his sentences were lean and crisp. . . .He used little or no slang, dialect, legalistic terms, contractions, clichà ©s, elaborate metaphors or ornate figures of speech. He refused to be folksy or to include any phrase or image he considered corny, tasteless or trite. He rarely used words he considered hackneyed: humble, dynamic, glorious. He used none of the customary word fillers (e.g., And I say to you that is a legitimate question and here is my answer). And he did not hesitate to depart from strict rules of English usage when he thought adherence to them (e.g., Our agenda are long) would grat e on the listeners ear.No speech was more than 20 to 30 minutes in duration. They were all too short and too crowded with facts to permit any excess of generalities and sentimentalities. His texts wasted no words and his delivery wasted no time.(Theodore C. Sorensen, Kennedy. Harper Row, 1965. Reprinted in 2009 as Kennedy: The Classic Biography) To those who question the value of rhetoric, dismissing all political speeches as mere words or style over substance, Sorensen had an answer. Kennedys rhetoric when he was president turned out to be a key to his success, he told an interviewer in 2008. His mere words about Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba helped resolve the worst crisis the world has ever known without the U.S. having to fire a shot. Similarly, in a New York Times op-ed published two months before his death, Sorensen countered several myths about the Kennedy-Nixon debates, including the view that it was style over substance, with Kennedy winning on delivery and looks. In the first debate, Sorensen argued, there was far more substance and nuance than in what now passes for political debate in our increasingly commercialized, sound-bite Twitter-fied culture, in which extremist rhetoric requires presidents to respond to outrageous claims. To learn more about the rhetoric and oratory of John Kennedy and Ted Sorensen, have a look at Thurston Clarkes Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America, published by Henry Holt in 2004 and now available in a Penguin paperback.
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