The Time Traveller by H G Wells. :: English Literature

The Time Traveller by H G Wells. 'Time Travel' For my English Coursework Wide Reading Assignment I have read two S F novels. Even though they were written over 50 years apart they are similar in some ways and different in others. Both the books were based around 'time travel'. The first was the Time Traveller by H G Wells. A scientist had discovered a way to travel through time and when he travels to the future he finds that civilisation has broken down. The other book I read was 'The Sound of thunder' by Ray Bradbury, this was about a group of people who travelled back in time to hunt and kill animals. I think that this shows how Bradbury perceives the way we use the technology we have. It does not seem to be for the benefit of all mankind just as a toy for those who can afford it. It could be used for so much more than hunting dinosaurs. Both authors deliberately make their characters two-dimensional. This may be because the stories are about time travel and civilisation rather than the individuals in the narrative. When Wells wrote his novel there were no telephones or aeroplanes, technology was not so advanced and the reading public would be sceptical about time travel His characters are professional men who will convince the reader that Wells' ideas are possible: QUOTE (the professional bit) It is strange that much of what Wells wrote has come true, even though people may have felt it was far fetched over 100 years ago. In 100 years from now perhaps those 'far fetched' stories of today may come true. It could be that people like Wells and Bradbury had a real insight into the future. Perhaps they saw the way civilisation was going in their own time. Bradbury is more contemporary than Wells and his vision, though fantastical in its own way does not seem so far fetched to a late 20th Century audience. Ray Bradbury generally just uses the character's surname in the story. This keeps a more macho feel to the 'hunting' activities and there are no women. The characters described are hunters: Quote (opening advert) There are several men who have paid their money to travel back to Jurassic times to hunt and kill the dinosaurs: Quote (rules) The tenor of the story remains masculine with the rules reinforced in a curt way: Quote (speaks to Eckles etc.) Bradbury's short story focuses more on the effects of time travel than Wells. In Bradbury's tale when the travellers go back to the past Eckles goes off the suspended path and stands on a butterfly causing great changes when they travel back to their own time.

David Broder †“A Republic Subverted” Essay

The thesis of A Republic Subverted was that the initiative process circumvents constitutional requirements and disrupts the careful poise of checks and balances. The initiative process was originally meant to stop rich people and interest groups from gaining power. Now it is one of their main tools. It has turned the Unites States Government into one without laws and threatens to subvert the American system of government. Broder says that even though the complex procedures invented by the founding father in order to ensure separation of powers have proven themselves over and over again, the American people have become more and more impatient. Some people argue that the constitution is outdated. Also, peoples anger at the government is spurred by journalists reports of scandals in the private lives and many government officials. Also, political campaigns have become competitions where even the winner comes out with a tarnished reputation. Since the Cold War, power has been shifted to the states. Less and less decisions about our lives and character are made in Washington. State governments have grown exponentially. Medicare and social security aside, state governments spend more than the federal government. Only 13% of public employees are in the service of the federal government. States have also become innovators of new legislation, including programs such as welfare to work. Now, people are using the initiative process to easily amend state constitutions in order to achieve a variety of goals. They have raised minimum wage, ended affirmative action, banned billboards, and decriminalized many drugs. State initiatives have allowed people to gain access to medical marijuana, casinos, restricted campaign funds, banned hunting and certain types of abortion, and allowed adopted children to take on the name of their biological parents. Out of 226 initiatives on ballots, 163 were approved. Many issues about new ballparks for major league teams were also put on ballots. Initiatives have become the new way to amend state constitutions without difficulty. In 1999 there was an initiative in California that tried to make all fur shops put warning labels on their items that said many animals were brutally killed in order to make this product. This initiative failed because the fur industry was able to spend more money than the backers of the initiative. These were not republican or federalist decisions. None of these initiatives went through the process of being signed into law by a Congress that ensures  a true republican form of government. These were decisions made by mob rule. The reason the United States was made into a republic and not a democracy was because of the many dangers of a direct democracy. According to Fisher Ames said that a direct democracy would be very burdensome, subject to factions and violence; decisions would often be made by surprise, in the precipitancy of passion. . . . It would be a government not by laws but by men. We view our lawmakers as selfish and corrupt individuals. Instead of trying to rule the country by mob rule through initiatives, we should clean house in Congress. Broder says we should vote out the politicians that arent properly representing us. We should not try to write the laws ourselves. The constitution is clear about direct democracy and it is obvious that the founding father did not want regular citizens writing the laws. We should follow a republican form of government and use our representatives to get what we need done, done. I agree with Broder on most of his points. I think that these initiatives are a form of mob rule and should be prohibited. On the other hand, our political system is incredibly corrupt. It would be nearly impossible to elect a majority of model representatives. There just arent enough people with the ability to run that are, in fact, first-class delegates. It is good that the people have the option to pass initiatives, but the privilege is being abused. It is happening too often and is allowed the American public to be detached from Congress and not be as concerned as they should be about the caliber of its members. If people can pass legislation through initiatives, there interest in other politic will dwindle. Then, when there is a matter of national importance, the Congress will be ill equipped to deal with it. We must try to uphold our republican form of government and try to salvage what we can from our political leaders. The government has not because so bad that we have to tear down the system and start again. If the imitate process is allowed to continue as it is, the destruction of the American system of government will be imminent. Bibliography Woll, Peter. American Government: Readings and Cases. 16th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006.

Essay on Hamlet - 1352 Words

The obscurity of human thought and sentiment inhibits the possibility of understanding an individual’s actions. The human mind is composed of its own due process, which, in certain individuals, might disable the ability to make decisions and act. In the play Hamlet the protagonist is marked by an indecisive nature. By analyzing every aspect of a possible action, Hamlet inevitably finds a reason not to act. His actions are untimely. The often procrastination of serious acts lead to an even more complicated situation. The complexities of the events which take place in the play do not always provide Hamlet with a possible clear decision. He is constantly faced with a challenging dilemma that adds to the intricacy of his†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"But that the drear of something after death, - - The undiscovered country from whose bourn – No traveler returns, puzzles the will.† ( III I, 179-181) The fear of what will happen after death deters him. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Hamlet also fails to take any significant action in many other occasions. He does not kill Claudius immediately after the apparition of the Ghost, in which he discovered that his father was really murdered by him. â€Å"The spirit that I have seen -- May be the devil†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ( II ii, 599-600 ) Hamlet subconsciously finds a reason not to act by doubting the validity and origin of the apparition. Hamlet encounters another chance to kill Claudius. It is after a play, set up by Hamlet to verify Claudius’ guilt. Claudius clearly expresses his guilt by standing up as the murder of Hamlet’s father was reenacted. Now Hamlet is absolutely certain that Claudius is the perpetrator of the most foul and unusual murder. But Hamlet finds yet another reason to postpone his deed. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"When he is drunk asleep, r in his rage, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Or in th’ incestuous pleasure of his bed, At game a-swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in ‘t— Then tripShow MoreRelatedHamlet Madness In Hamlet1293 Words   |  6 Pages When reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a class, the first thing that most teachers or professors point out is the argument/idea of sanity, specifically Hamlets sanity. I believe that Hamlet is, in fact, feigning his madness. What I do not know is if I believe this because it is what I was taught or if I came up with the idea myself based on my own interpretation. When I was taught Hamlet there was no argument it was just fact that he was faking his madness. 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Claudius, who is Hamlets uncle, has recently become the new king and as well married Hamlets fathers wife, GertrudeRead More Hamlet Essay1107 Words   |  5 Pages Perhaps the most famous soliloquy in literature, these words reflect the state of desperation in which Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, finds himself as he contemplates suicide. His father, the King, has died. His mother, the Queen, has remarried within a month of the Kings passing, an act which has disturbed young Hamlet in and of it. To make it worse, she has married the Kings brother, Hamlets uncle, who is now the King of Denmark. As Hamlets despair deepens, he learns through the appearance