What were British objectives in the Paris Peace talks Essay Example for Free

What were British objectives in the Paris Peace talks Essay In January 1919, having recognised that the signed armistice of November 1918 marked only a temporary ceasefire with the Central Powers, the Allied leaders convened in Paris to negotiate the various peace treaties with their defeated counterparts. The conference which unfolded bore witness to an intense debate revolving around both a clash of interest and ideology and ultimately resulted in a compromise which satisfied none of its creators. Regardless of whether Britain acted either as a mediator between America and France or was the French’s main opponent, Britain certainly entered discussions with overarching concerns for the need for both a durable peace and to accommodate wartime treaty commitments as well as recognising the need to both reorder the world map and to construct a new diplomatic system. To its own ends, however, maintenance of the Empire’s unity, holdings and interests were the principal focus of British concern in the conference. Due to Britain’s position as one of the three leading Allied powers it was able to obtain, in circumstances of divergent national interests, much of what it set out to achieve. It must however be noted that in some quarters, in particular relating to the settlement of Eastern Europe and the Treaty of Versailles, Britain was not entirely satisfied. Throughout the conference, Britain had several objectives which tied into those of both America and France, however for all countries involved there was certainly a desperate need for durable peace and to deal with mattes such as the removal of the Royal Naval blockade of Germany and the issue of the presence of Allied troops in the Rhineland. By the end of the World War One, Britain had been able to maintain its relatively strong position and still stood with an unequalled empire and ranked as the world’s richest power. Yet Joseph Chamberlain’s coined phrase, lamenting Britain’s prospects to no more than a, ‘weary titan staggering under the orb of its own weight’, did bring as much reality with it as it did gloom. The war had resulted in an eleven fold increase in National Debt, a surge in taxation levels and a huge overall reduction in Britain’s GDP. It was therefore certainly apparent that Britain’s own strategic position would be at the forefront of British minds throughout the conference. Ultimately Britain, like the rest of the victorious Allied countries, desired a long-lasting peace which would result in preventing any major future European wars and as such required the outcome of neutering any lingering German threat. The agreement that therefore arose was no more than an imposed peace, or Diktat, and ensured both that Germany would be unable to mount a serious challenge in the coming years whilst at the same time satisfying British and French public opinion which had called for the total destruction of Germany. For Britain itself, it was imperative that Europe stabilised because the fortunes of Britain were essentially placed in the hands of the European economy. The restoration of Germany, Britain’s largest trading partner prior to the war, as an economic power would have had the chain effect of both stabilising Europe and the world’s economy, which was vital for a prosperous Britain. Furthermore, and especially for Lloyd George who was fighting an election battle, it was certainly Britain’s objective to satisfy the general public. With around one million casualties, Britain had practically lost and entire generation whilst at the same time Britain was also in the uncomfortable position of having most to lose from a future war. Indeed with the advent of new military technology, in particular from U-boats, Britain would have been likely to have suffered greatly from another war and as such the need for a lasting peace was colossal from a British perspective. In actuality Britain did achieve much of its desire for a durable peace. Peace settlements with Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey and Hungary ensured that much of the sanctions that Britain wished to impose were realised whilst at the same time, to some extent at least, the level of stability that Britain desired in Eastern Europe was achieved. Moreover, British public opinion was also largely satisfied by the Treaty of Versailles. The extent to which it did make Germany suffer was widely accepted throughout Britain, with only minor criticism coming from those, such as Keynes, who believed it to be too harsh. Yet, and in particular from hindsight, there were some issues which would almost certainly oppose Britain’s ambition for a lasting peace. Most appreciable there was widespread discontent throughout Germany over the nature of the treaty. Derided as a ‘blank cheque’, the treaty imposed, under Article 231, that Germany accept full responsibility for the war and this lead to much outrage throughout Germany, with much of the population longing for the opportunity for revenge. Moreover throughout the rest of Europe there was also much resentment. Bulgaria, Turkey and Hungary were all left feeling aggrieved by the outcome of their respective treaties whilst in particular the reduction of Austria’s population to eight million and the prevention of a future Anschluss resulted in much bitterness. It was clear that the defeated Central Powers had much to feel aggrieved about and this certainly reduced the prospect of a durable peace. Events boiled to a head in the Chanak crisis and the resulting outcome indicated both that the imposed treaties were neither as strong as intended and also negotiable, for Britain this meant that their ambition for a stable Europe would never be completely realised. Lloyd George certainly reflected this in his Fontainbleu memorandum, in which he stated that if Germany was ‘unjustly treated’ it would ‘find means of exacting retribution’. Moreover, Britain also recognised the need to accommodate wartime treaty commitments and to fulfil promises which had been made to countries, such as Italy, Greece and Romania, throughout the war. These issues extended back to the Treaty of London in 1915 where for example Italy has been persuaded to join the Allies, with the incentive of territorial gains of the Trentino and Tyrol as far as Brenner, Trieste and Istria along with full ownership of Albanian Valona and Britain was eager to ensure that all countries involved within the war would not be left aggrieved with the outcome of the conference. For Britain it was important to ensure that the European economy recovered quickly and as such it was a necessity that there was stability throughout Europe. Moreover for the status quo to be maintained it was vital that Britain sustained its wartime allies. As such Britain’s involvement in the League of Nations and the punitive nature of the Treaty of Versailles did much to maintain its relationship with America and France respectively. Whilst more generally, with the exception of the relationship with Japan which was forgone for the sake of relations with America, Britain maintained its relationship with Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Turkey and Italy and therefore was reasonably successful in its attempts to ensure the relative survival of the status quo and its wartime allies. Linked to Britain’s desire for a durable peace came its ambition to guarantee its security.

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay Reading is often seen as a fairly simple process where a person reads text from left to right and from the top to the bottom while making meaning one word at a time. The process of reading is much more complex than this, and many theorists have presented models explaining what skills and knowledge they believe people need to possess in order to read effectively. Three mainstream theories of teaching Reading include the Psycholinguistic model, the Bottom-up model and the Socio-cultural model supported by Luke and Freebody (year 1990?). The Psycholinguistic Model: The Psycholinguistic model of teaching Reading is also called the Top-down model and the Inside-out model. Goodman (1967), a theorist supporting this reading model, proposes that the reader is the major component of reading, as opposed to the Bottom-up model which focuses on the text. The Psycholinguistic model places importance on the reader making meaning from a text by relating it to their background and prior understandings. The more prior knowledge and experiences a reader has, the less dependence they will need to place on word order, language structures, and phonological concepts (week 1 ppt). Unlike the Bottom-up reading model, this theory focuses on the non-visual information that the reader has and suggests that, in order to read, one must have semantic, syntactic and grapho-phonic knowledge. Semantic information involves a readers prior knowledge and understandings of the world and various concepts. Syntactic knowledge is the understanding of word order and language struct ures (week 1 ppt, p.?), and grapho-phonic information involves phonological concepts; an understanding of the alphabet and the sounds that various letters and letter combinations make (week 1 ppt). The idea of relying on the readers experiences and prior knowledge can also be seen as one of the biggest downfalls to this model. When presented with reading topics that are new to the reader, it is very difficult to make meaning of a text based solely on prior knowledge. For example, picture a young boy living in a secluded, poor village in Africa reading a text about Blu-Ray DVDs. The boy would likely have no knowledge or prior experience with this topic and so, according to this model, would not be able to make meaning of the text (slideshare). The Bottom-Up Model: The Bottom-Up Reading theory is also known as the Skills Model and the Outside-in theory. According to this Reading theory, beginner readers obtain a number of sub-skills that build towards understanding and comprehension. This theory suggests that readers passively receive information from a text and that it is their job to reproduce the meaning that already exists in the text. Visual information is the beginning point of the Bottom-Up Reading theory and involves interpreting written symbols into spoken language (McCarthy, 1999 www.teachingenglish) or (Nunan, 1991). Reading, according to this theory, involves recognising letters before recognising sounds, before recognising words, before recognising sentences, before finally making meaning of a text (week 1 ppt). It is essentially a decoding or skills approach based on the relationship between sounds and written symbols (week 1 ppt). One downfall of this theory is that it doesnt take into account the contributions a reader can bring to the process such as prior understandings and knowledge. It fails to recognise the need for the reader to use their previous experiences in order to make predictions and to have expectations whist reading. This process focuses on the text whereas the Psycholinguistic model focuses on the reader; two factors that are not enough by themselves (www.slideshare). The Socio-Cultural Model: The Socio-Cultural model of teaching Reading, supported by Luke Freebody (year), recognises the importance of both the reader and the text in the reading process. In this model, importance is placed equally on both the text and the reader (nadabs). Unlike the psycholinguistic and bottom-up models, the Socio-cultural theory relies on both the visual and non-visual aspects of reading and not just on one of these factors (www.slideshare). An attempt is made to combine the positive aspects of both the Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models, whilst also trying to eliminate the negatives (McCormick, 1988). As a result of this, the Socio-cultural reading model focuses on the importance of prior knowledge while recognising the fact that certain skills are also necessary (www.slideshare). This Reading theory consists of four Roles of the Reader which include the Code Breaker, the Text Participant, the Text User and the Text Analysis. The code breaker involves decoding visual information such as letter-sound understanding. Text participant involves creating meaning from the text by using prior knowledge and experiences. Text user involves knowing the purpose of a text and how to use it, for example, a recipe, comprehension or birthday card, and Text analysis involves working out what the author is trying to do to you, for example, underlying intentions and biases (week 1 ppt). According to this socio-cultural model, a reader is required to successfully perform each of these four roles in order to become effective readers. Most effective model to use in the classroom: The Socio-Cultural model is the most promising teaching Reading theory as it tries to incorporate the positive components and eliminate the negative components of both the psycholinguistic and the Bottom-up Reading theories. This model, therefore, is arguably the most effective theory to be used in the classroom as it recognises the importance of both the Reader and the text. According to Eskey (1988), a good read is someone who is able to decode and interpret readings in an increasingly automatic manner. They attempt to identify the purpose and the form of a text before reading it, continually making predictions about what will happen next based on personal experiences and information learned earlier. Effective readers also try to form a summary of what they have read by using skills such as classifying, sequencing, hypothesising, predicting, inferring, comparing and contrasting (www.teachingenglish). The socio-cultural reading model tries to present a balanced view of the reading process and recognises the importance of teaching children phonics and other necessary skills, while noting that phonics by itself is not enough. Students need to be able to do more than just say a written sentence; they also need to try to make meaning of it. According to this model, students should be given plenty of opportunities to practice each of the following four roles of the reader; Code-breaker, Text-participant, Text-user and Text-analysis (Winch et al., 2001, p.58). They need to learn to say the words, create meaning from these words, know the purpose of each text and how to use it, and finally, learn to recognise how a text is positioning them. According to this Socio-cultural reading model, students are effective readers once they have become proficient at each of these four reading roles (Winch et al, 2001). Classroom practice examples: Effective teaching is necessary in order to nurture students to become effective readers. Reading lessons must be carefully planned, prepared and monitored to ensure that high level learning is occurring in the classroom. The activities a teacher chooses to assist in any Reading lesson must encourage students to learn necessary skills and to perform each of the four roles of the reader. Activities must provide students with frequent opportunities to read, teach them phonological skills, and help them to understand the structure of verbal and written words. Effective teachers will model effective reading to their students in a fun, positive manner by using props, acting, strong expression and variations in speed, pitch and volume to ensure that students see the process as enjoyable. Shared reading or modelled reading is one activity that teachers should incorporate into their Reading teaching program. It is usually a whole-class activity structured to demonstrate effective reading to the students. Teachers will often use a big book that all students can see and will follow a somewhat structured procedure. Before reading the book, an effective Reading teacher will try to build up their students semantic knowledge about the topic of the book so that students are able to relate text to mental pictures. This could be done by taking students on an excursion, drawing/painting pictures, watching a video or through writing activities. When first introducing a big book, the teacher should ensure that it is visible to all students and should encourage children to suggest what they think the book might be about. The teacher then reads through the entire book with limited stops as this first reading is usually for the enjoyment of the children. Following readings are more i nteractive and require students to join in on repetitive parts and answer questions about the storyline, characters, punctuation and structure. They are also followed up with activities to help support learning and encourage understanding. Shared reading helps to build sight word knowledge, increases reading fluency, provides opportunities for struggling readers to enjoy books they otherwise would not, and ensures that all students have a feeling of success as the whole class is supported (WETA http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/shared_reading). Guided reading is another effective strategy to use in the classroom. This differs to shared reading in that students are placed in groups of similar reading ability and are given their own book to look at.The book should be introduced in a similar manner to shared reading, with attention being paid to the front cover, author and illustrator. Each students should be given the opportunity to read a designated section out loud, however, teachers should be careful not to set a child up for failure by asking a struggling reader to read a large, difficult portion of the book. Techniques should be available for students to use in order to overcome reading difficulties such as with phonics, grammar and meaning. Students should be required to take on the four roles of the reader by answering pre-prepared questions by the teacher. After a guided reading session, students should re-read the book with a partner and then take the book home to read to their parents. Again, follow-up activities ar e to be used in order to reinforce new learning such as sequencing activities or memory where repetitive words are written on pieces of card/paper and students are required to find two matching words (Winch, et al., 2001). Guided reading is effective as it allows children to read and comprehend books at their own level, instead of struggling to read books that are too difficult and where students are unable to make meaning of the text. Another effective activity to use when teaching Reading to students is called The language experience approach which uses events that have occurred in the students life in order to create texts. Students verbally share an experience which is written down either by the student or with the help from the teacher. These stories then become meaningful texts for reading and further activities as they are written at the students level and often reflect common every day experiences. The language experience approach is an effective strategy as it is learner-centred and shows students that their thoughts and experiences are valued. It also creates texts that are readable and predictable as it uses language that is common to the students (McCormick, 1988). Reading is a very complex cognitive process and involves both the text and the semantics of the reader. The Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models both acknowledge some important elements of the reading process, however, the Socio-cultural model is more effective as it attempts to combine the positive and eliminate the negative aspects of each. Effective teaching is of great importance in order to help students to become competent readers. By providing students with valuable reading activities and experiences, and encouraging them to take on the four roles of the reader, teachers are setting students up with the essential skills and understandings to becoming effective readers.

Comparison of an Evil mastermind in Shakespeare’s Othello and MacDonald

Iago is one of the most renowned villains of pre-modern literature, as first introduced in Shakespeare’s Othello. His deceiving personality and complex nature is painted such that readers are amazed by his ingenious schemes. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is represented as trustworthy and honest, but readers soon realize that he is the opposite of what he seems. Even though Iago’s personality and thoughts are revealed less in MacDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), he carries on the same immoral legacy as in Othello. Throughout the plays, he turns his friends against one another who look to him for guidance and support. Iago thirsts to upgrade this status in society which causes him to take advantage of peoples’ good-nature and even comes to an extreme of killing anyone who stands between him and his schemes. In Shakespeare’s Othello and McDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Iago manipula tes and deceives both Othello and Desdemona by his language and personality, which leads to different results. The personalities of Othello and Desdemona have been portrayed differently throughout the two plays and are susceptible to the mind games of Iago. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is a character with depth that has a genuine personality. He is seen as being too trustworthy and continuously tries to look for the good in people. Despite his honoured reputation in the state and status as a general, he is ridiculed by his society because of his dark completion. Othello recognizes himself as an outsider and at times is extremely self-conscientious. His quality to be judgmental towards himself and his reputation in the eyes of others makes him a target for Iago. Were I the Moor, I would not b... ...espeare’s Othello. The actions of Othello and Desdemona within the two plays are directed by Iago. He uses his reputation and finds flaws within the personality of others for his own benefit. Within Shakespeare’s Othello and MacDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Iago misleads Othello and Desdemona which leads to two different outcomes. Works Cited MacDonald, Ann-Marie. Goodnight Desdemona (good Morning Juliet). New York: Grove, 1998. PrintShakespeare, William, and David M. Bevington. Othello. Toronto: Bantam, 1988. Print. Philip, McGuire C. "Othello as an "Assay of Reason"" Shakespeare Quarterly 24.2 (1973): 198-209. Print. Laura, Snyder. "Constance Ledbelly's Birthday: Construction of the Feminist Archetype of the Self in Ann-Marie MacDonald's Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)." Text & Presentation 2005 (2005): 43-55. Print.

censorhf We Should Not Ban the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

We Should Not Ban the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn There is a current debate that the description of Jim in the novel "Huckleberry Finn" is racist leading to some schools banning it from their libraries. Jim's character is described as an uneducated and simple sounding; illiterate slave and some people have looked upon this characterization as racist. Jim is depicted as a slave in the south during a period when slavery was common place and widely accepted as the way of life. Slaves of this time period were not provided any formal education; never allowed any independent thought and were constantly mistreated and abused. The author in my opinion is merely describing how a slave spoke in those days and was trying to give you the true feeling behind his thought, while writing this tale. Despite a few instances in which Jim's description might be misconstrued as being racist, such as the use of the word "nigger", the reader should be able to understand that this is a fictional portrayal of two boys, one white and one black, d uring a time when slavery was common place. There is an obvious contrast of the mind set depicted in Twain's novel compared to then and now. The use of the word "nigger" is most certainly a very slanderous slang term that is not socially acceptable in present times. The dialect in which Jim is speaking indicates how Jim spoke do to his lack of education and refinement that white people refused to provide to slaves. This provision was not permitted as white slave owners viewed blacks as property and as being unable to learn proper grammar and structure of the English language. Some historians have stated that this was also so because it allowed the white's to maintain control over their slaves in order to "keep the upper hand", so to speak. We as a modern society should maintain an open mind when dealing with literary works such as Huckleberry Finn and bare in mind that novels such as these are written during socially diverse and sometimes opposite ways of thinking. We should not ban a literary work such as Huckleberry Finn simply because it is not accepted by modern day standards.

Sophocles Antigone - Antigone as Bad Citizen :: Antigone essays

Antigone – The Bad Citizen    Being a good citizen often involves doing something out of the ordinary to help others. Sometimes, that involves going against the will of others to do what the good citizen might think is best. Although this is traditionally the case, the biggest factor in being a good citizen is great respect for the nation in which one lives. If one wants to be a good citizen, he or she might go out of his or her way to help others, however, must do so within the rules of the nation. In the Greek Drama by Sophocles, entitled Antigone, the hero, Antigone, shows, what I would call, bad citizenship. How is this? Why is she being a bad citizen? The setting of the drama is in a fictional kingdom known of as Thebes. This kingdom is basically run by a set of rules and laws. Whether they are necessary or not, these rules must be obeyed. In Thebes, one of the rules states that Antigone's brother is not allowed to due a respectable death and therefor, will not have a proper funeral. Antigone is torn apart by this. Her brother whom she loved very much will not be able to have a respectable funeral. She explains in the drama how much she disagrees with the rules of the land. Because of this disapproval toward the law, she takes it upon herself to remove the corps of her brother from it's assigned post so she can do whatever she wants with it. She has broken the law. Although what she is has done is the right thing to do in her mind, the law states that it is not allowed. Throughout the drama, she consults her sister, Ismene, about whether or not she feels though she should commit this crime or not. Ismene makes it clear that she sh ould not and attempts to discourage her sister from doing what she did. Contrary to the advice of her sister, Antigone does indeed commit this crime for she feels that it is what a good person would do. To the average American, Antigone's actions might be considered the right thing to do.

The Work-Study Program of Full-Time and Part-Time Students

There are many similarities and differences between full and part-time students. Each student is trying for the goal of educating themselves to become more successful in life. As students begin their education there is a sense of motivation and eagerness. Knowing the possible compensations and honor that comes with this achievement. There can be a feeling of tension and uncertainty that comes with this new adventure. If an individual does not become discarded, and is willing to except the challenge of this feat, there is no limit to the success one can attain in their life. Students receive their degree at different times in their lives depending on their finances, responsibilities and time restraints. Full-time students are generally younger, and just out of high school. Full-time students must take a minimum number of courses, generally 12 or more semester hours. They normally have a set semester schedule of daytime or nighttime classes to choose from. They are often eligible for financial aid, or work-study programs because of the higher cost for a higher education. They may also receive a number of scholarships to help pay for their education. Full-time students usually do not have a family or as many outside responsibilities. They usually only have a part-time job and still live at home with their parents. The time restraints that full-time students have are homework, studying and fitting their job schedule into their school schedule. These students can complete a full degree program in about 4 – 5 years. Part-time students are generally older, and living on their own. For part-time students it takes a longer time to achieve the goal of graduation. Many students can not afford to go to college on a full-time basis because of the cost of education. They are often not eligible for financial aid or work-study programs because they take as few as 1 – 3 semester hour courses. Scholarships are usually not offered to part-time students. They do not normally have the problem of course overload, unless they are taking too many courses at once, while trying to work full-time. At times even one course can be too much to handle, depending on the student†s home situation. Part-time students often have additional responsibilities of home and family, and must handle their other responsibilities in addition to school. Often, part-time students are taking classes to help them in their career. Some professions require taking classes to continue their education and are taken on a part-time basis to enhance their work skills. These types of classes are normally taken evenings, weekends or holiday breaks. Part-time students sometimes have a difficult time finding the courses they need at the time they need them. It may take months or years before needed courses are offered. Whether the student is going to a university or a community college, they must consider all possibilities before entering college. If you have a full-time job or career, one would usually become a part-time student. If money in not an issue, a full-time route would probably be taken. If family is an issue, a student may decide to go part-time. Either way a student goes, the goal of a diploma can be achieved. Both full and part-time students consider their finances, responsibilities and time restraints to accomplish a higher education. Regardless of the time frame in which each person may fulfill this goal, there is usually a feeling of success, pride, and relief in knowing that graduation is at hand. Through many hours of strenuous research and sacrifice, an individual can put their knowledge towards their desired profession. This accomplishment of success is not only measured by financial rewards, but also knowing that this knowledge will help many others.

Pride and prejudice Coursework Letter Essay

Dear Mrs Bennet, I hope that all your family is in good health. I am ashamed to confess that inquiring about your family is not the main reason of writing to you but it is nevertheless a matter which I believe is of great importance to your family. I believe that it is my duty to inform you about the recent events at Hunsford. I am sure that you will be delighted to hear that your daughter Elizabeth had been proposed to by Mr Darcy. However, it is regretful that I must inform you of Lizzy’s rejection of Mr Darcy’s marriage proposal. Yesterday in the afternoon, Mr Collins, Elizabeth and I were both invited for tea at Rosings. However Elizabeth could not accompany us because it was clearly evident that she had a migraine. At first Mr Collins was most perturbed by Elizabeth’s decision not to go to Rosings but I finally encouraged him not to ‘press’ her anymore ‘seeing that she was really unwell’. Yet Mr Collins could not stop to remind her of how displeased Lady Catherine would be. However, on our return I went to check on Elizabeth and I was shocked to see her look paler than ever. She had dark red eyes with puffed up cheeks, as if she had been crying. When I asked her what had happened she burst into tears, and proclaimed that Mr Darcy had visited her in our absence and she then revealed that she had rejected his offer! The reason that Eliza gave for her rejection him was because of his ‘abominable pride’ and ‘conceited’ manner. Yet I do believe he sustains all of these ill features. However, on the contrary Mr Darcy is a secure man. His wealth is of immense amount, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,000 a year! As we both know, Eliza has previously made mistakes, for example turning down Mr Collins, and now Mr Darcy! She has made some ill decisions in her life and we both know well of her that she can sometimes act foolish. Yet, Eliza is my best friend and so my purpose of writing to you is to ask you to advise your daughter to marry such a man of stature. How many men can she turn down? If she carries on the way she has she will lose a future of security and wealth. Mr Collins and I are financially stable and I am fully secure. Yet, I wish I could say the same for Eliza, if she gets married. Mrs Bennet, it is both familiar to us to get married as soon as possible and grasp every opportunity as it comes. ‘When you are secure’ then there will be free time to fall in love. But Eliza contradicts these opinions which both to you and myself are so imperative. She wants to marry for love yet this cannot always be the case. She does not want to marry for financial security. Mr Darcy is such a wealthy and well connected man. It is up to you Mrs Bennet to advise your daughter to not regret making dreadful decisions. I thought that I had to write about this as Eliza is my good friend.