The Causes of Prohibition Essay Example for Free

The Causes of Prohibition Essay When federal prohibition was introduced in America with the 18th Amendment to the constitution in 1919 and the Volstead Act in 1920, it was often termed ‘The Nobel Experiment’. It didn’t take long for most people to recognise that the experiment had gone terribly wrong and that it was fostering what it was supposed to eradicate, crime, excess and corruption. But the question is why it was introduced in America in 1920 and to understand this issue, one has to look at the groups that campaigned against the American drinking culture, such as the Anti-Saloon League, as well as the general situation and the public opinion in America, including the fear of immigration. One of the groups that campaigned against alcoholic drinks in America were business executives. Including names as important as Ford and Rockefeller, they believed that alcohol undermined workers’ discipline and productivity and they even invested in scientific research in order to prove the negative effects of alcohol on the body’s health. Thus, they feared that drinks impeded profits and prosperity, which even led some employers to form the American Anti-Saloon League, which actively supported prohibition. Moreover other groups, such as soda manufacturers and tea merchants, tended to support prohibition as they hoped for increased sales as a result of people not being able to obtain alcohol. Therefore the business executives contributed to the federal prohibition by campaigning against it and they were heard as they were significant in order to keep the American economy going. Furthermore there was a great deal of political opposition to alcohol in America. The majority of supporters of the Republican Party were from rural small town America and they were traditionally anti-drink, which meant that the Republicans supported prohibition in order to keep their voters happy. But both Parties had members that saw alcohol as an obstacle to improving society. Moreover the Senate was biased towards rural America, which supported prohibition and from 1917 onwards all Senators had to be publically elected, which made them more inclined to follow public opinion. This helped prohibition as public opinion tended to support it. Thus the political opposition was the most significant reason for prohibition, especially as the Republican Party, which was in power at the time tended to support prohibition. Furthermore Protestants campaigned for prohibition and against drunkenness and violence. Particularly with the revival of protestant fundamentalism and extreme groups, like the Ku Klux Klan, in many areas particularly the rural and small town ones alcohol was blamed for morally corrupting the nation. They saw the drinking culture as the main reason for problems, such as crime, poverty and prostitution. These groups were large and often very influential, e. g. the Indiana Klan, which was a branch of the KKK, controlled large parts of the local government in Indiana. This meant that the revival and ideologies of protestant fundamentalism were a major reason for the federal prohibition. Additionally many women and feminists in particular blamed drinks for domestic abuse, family poverty and deprivation. They formed groups like the Women’s temperance league and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which campaigned against it and they were taken more seriously than ever after the female suffrage had been introduced in 1919. They also contributed to the establishment of prohibition by actually supporting pro-prohibition candidates. This makes them an important group to consider when looking at the reasons for the introduction of prohibition in 1920, however not as influential as other groups seeing that many women still opposed prohibition. Another reason for the introduction of prohibition was the issue of immigration and race. Many Americans and WASPs in particular associated immigrants with the drinking culture, especially the Irish and immigrants from the South, like Italians. This made them support prohibition as they feared that immigration would have negative economic effects and that immigrants would import revolutionary ideas, such as communism. Also Southern landowners wanted to prevent black labourers from getting distracted by drinks. And in addition eugenics became popular in US in the 1920s and their idea was that alcoholic genes could be passed down to the next generation, thus weakening the American race. Finally the situation after World War I created the perfect environment for such a radical change introduced on a federal level. Government interventionism and limiting the people’s freedom seemed more acceptable as there had been many restrictions. This meant that prohibition on a federal level would have probably been seen as too interventionist a measure, if it had been proposed at a different time making the First World War a necessary condition for the introduction of prohibition. Therefore the reason for the introduction of federal prohibition in America in 1920 was the fact that on the one hand there was a wide range of groups campaigning for temperance and against alcohol, the most important being business executives and politicians. On the other hand it being introduced directly after the First World War was also essential as it created the environment and the mindset necessary to introduce Federal Prohibition.

Villains, Sin, and Sex in Shakespeares Othello and King Lear Essays

Villains, Sin, and Sex in Othello and King Lear   Ã‚   Many of Shakespeare plays are littered with crude and graphic sexual references, jests, and insults. But there is one type of character present throughout Shakespeare's plays that twist the sexual imagery and repartee, and that is the villain. There is a deeply rooted combination between sex and evil.   This essay will develop this idea in depth by focusing on Iago of Othello and Edmund of King Lear.       Iago is probably viewed as one of Shakespeare's greatest villains. He's calm, cool, collected, and simply put: brilliant. He manipulates Othello, the moor's lieutenant Cassio, Desdemona's scorned suitor Roderigo, her father Brabantio, and his own wife Emilia with such masterful skill and ease, that there is no stopping him until it's too late. But what is this great skill that he wields at his victims? What hideous power can Iago possibly posses in order to pull the great puppeteer's strings? It's sex.       While Iago is not a sexual being per say, he certainly wields a sexually edged blade when he begins to attack his victims. In the grand scheme of things, he is angry that Othello has passed him over for the rank of lieutenant, and Iago wants his revenge. In order to complete his vendetta against the moor, he uses a sexually charged scheme that carefully embroils others to unwittingly aid him in his goal. In the very first scene of the play, Iago pulls in the jilted suitor Roderigo to begin his revenge. The moor has secretly married Desdemona, and now Iago plans to begin his downfall by informing her father. Roderigo is coerced into this plot by his own lust for the senator's daughter, which Iago exploits to his fullest capabilities. While trying to rouse Br... ...akespeare s Philosophical Patterns. London: Mass Peter  Ã‚   Smith, 1968.  Ã‚   Campbell, Lily B. Shakespeare's Tragic Heroes, Slaves of Passion. Gloucester: Peter Smith Publisher Inc., 1973. Schlegel, August Wilhelm.   Criticism on Shakespeare s Tragedies . A Course  Ã‚  Ã‚   of Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature. London: AMS Press, Inc., 1965.  Ã‚   Shakespeare, William. King Lear.   Eric A., McCann, ed. Harcourt Brace Jovanovick, Canada Inc., Canada. 1998 Snyder, Susan. "Beyond the Comedy: Othello" Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987. (page 23-37) Norman Sanders, ed. Othello. Cambridge: New York, 1995: 12. J. Adelman. "Iago's Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello," Shakespeare Quarterly v48 Summer 1997: 130. Kott, Jan. Shakespeare Our Contemporary. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1994.

Ethnocentrism Tendency Essay

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one’s ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured on one’s own cultural value. Ethnocentrism happens when one culture or nation places itself at the top of a self proclaimed hierarchy of cultures and nations and subsequently assigns other cultures and nations equivalent or lower value based on that scale. In other words, it is the proneness to think other cultures are of lesser worth because it is different from one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism helps to keep a culture from changing because it forces a culture to keep the same values and to be stubborn. If one culture bases other cultures off of their own hierarchy scale, then they are less likely to be open to accept changes that other cultures may have or want to bring to them because of the importance their own values and traditions. Cultural or ethnic groups develop traditions as a way to guide their population and to give guidelines in life. If one’s culture changes, then it may dismantle the entire society, causing confusion and chaos. For example, in the film, Dishonorable Killings: Punishing the Innocent, a man, who killed his own sister, explained that in his culture, family honor is extremely important because it represents the family as a whole in the community; it is more important than life. When a member, particularly a woman, dishonors the family, it shames the family and forces them to get rid the disgrace by killing her. Ethnocentrism can be both positive and negative for a cultural or ethnic group. It can be in a positive light because taking pride in beliefs and traditions elevates unity and solidarity among groups’ members, and it also strengthens the self-identity and self-esteem for individuals within those groups. It can also help societies establish and reinforce guidelines and expectations among coexisting people in all areas of the community. These expectations give societies the order and structure to hold them together, helping them run smoothly and allowing them to thrive. A negative view of ethnocentrism are the assumptions based on individuals’ own perception, that what works for them must work for others and that if it doesn’t, something is necessarily wrong, can cause harm, offense,  ill-feelings or otherwise put a damper on further relations between different societies. It could also cause oppression, prejudice, and cultural degradation, which can lead to actions ranging from conformity to violent protest.

The Ethical Teacher - 1919 Words

Reflection is a necessary component of everyday life, as well as the growth an individual makes within their profession. This concept remains true for teachers who, due to the particular changes they must make in order to meet the fluctuating needs of both their students and society, are perpetually connected to reflection. Beginning with John Dewey, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, numerous scholars have articulated their viewpoints concerning the positive and negatives impacts of this reflective teaching, in addition to its influence on the moral dilemmas faced by educators. One of these people, Elizabeth Campbell, asserts her perspectives throughout her text, The Ethical Teacher, wherein she describes the†¦show more content†¦25). The most critical attribute of a teacher’s character can be debated, but I believe that it is vital for educators to be honest. In his book, The Passionate Teacher, Robert Fried (2001) supports this idea, as he ut ters â€Å"kids respond to the kind of honesty that shows [teachers are] not afraid of them† (p. 143), â€Å"but they have to be convinced that [the teachers] are sincerely interested in them† (p. 146). Obviously, the quality of honesty is crucial in education. Despite the importance of honesty, it is imperative for educators to possess an assortment of positive characteristics that form their character. Furthermore, along with endless conscious and subconscious reflection, teachers with a positive character can have a favorable impact on their students, schools and communities. As Campbell (2003) explains, â€Å"the ethical teacher is, by necessity, and ethical person† (p. 23) and, regardless of the moral dilemmas they might face, ethical teachers constantly cultivate ethical knowledge through their awareness, understanding and acceptance of the demands of moral agency. Throughout my years of teaching, and my discussions with various educators, I recognize the usefulness of active teaching and educational reflection. Elizabeth Campbell agrees with this perspective throughout her book, as she expounds how ethical knowledge is comprised by moral dilemmas and complexities that routinely challenge teachers. Correspondingly, IShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Obligations For Teachers Within Education2087 Words   |  9 Pagesdiscussed throughout arguing that a combined approach to education is most relevant within modern society. The ethical obligations for teachers within education will also be discussed. There are several differing viewpoints regarding educational aims namely liberal, vocational and wellbeing education. Liberal education focuses primarily on education through the means of experts, such as teachers who have specific knowledge in subject areas (Marples, 2010). 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