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“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson is a writer who is known to be an American Transcendentalist. In 1841, Emerson founded and co-edited a literary magazine called “The Deal”. “The Deal” had several different essays in it. The one essay that stood out to me is the essay called “Self-Reliance”. “Self-Reliane” was an essay that up lifted people every time they read it. The essay is really good. The one thing that stood out to me are the quotes from the essays. The quote that stuck out to me was “nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles”. In other words, nothing can make you happy like the way you make yourself and nothing can bring you joy like you accomplishing major goals in your life. I chose this quote because I believe people don’t believe in themselves any more. I find it strange how people go to other people about their problems. The other person could give the best advice ever but they’re not going to solve the problem the same way you do because everybody is unique in some special way. This is why I believe people should believe in themselves a little bit more. Accomplishing a major goal in life is a really good feeling because no one knows the hard work and pressure other people go through just to make a better life for themselves. Overcoming all the doubts and fears leads to an amazing excitement. This is why I selected this quote.

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Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote also meant a lot to Emerson as well. There weren’t a lot of events that could relate to this quote at that time but it does relate to Emerson’s life. Ralph Emerson overcame a lot of stuff in his life. I think the “nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles” part relates to things like Emerson’s graduation from Harvard, getting a license to become a minister, and being ordained to the Unitarian church. The goals Emerson achieved brought happiness into his life. I think the “nothing can bring you peace but yourself” part relates to the death of his first wife Ellen Tucker. Emerson was really sad at this point in his life. He even denied God at this point of his life but he began to get his life back together by himself. Things began to come around for him because he was at peace with himself. This is why I think Emerson’s life relates to the quote.

 http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-waldo-emerson-9287153

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Emerson3_cropped.jpg/220px-Emerson3_cropped.jpg

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Barack Obama

Can the quote relate to anybody today? Yes, I think the quote can relate to anybody that is trying to make a better life for themselves. Most people grew up dreaming of becoming a movie star, professional athlete, singer, or some kind of celebrity so any success story could be a form of triumphing over principle. One major star that comes to my mind is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah started in a small town in Mississippi now she is one of the most popular black women on television. She is a true definition of the quote because she made it to fame her way and she worked hard. Another success story that could work is the story of Barack Obama. Barack went against the odds of becoming a black president but he stuck to what he knew and made it as the 44th president of the United States. These two people relate to the quote now.

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/947814/thumbs/o-OBAMA-PORTRAIT-570.jpg?5

This a mini biography of Oprah’s life

Who is Nathaniel Hawthorne? Why are his stories so dramatic? Does his dramatic effect still show today?

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Nathaniel Hawthorne

Who is Nathaniel Hawthorne? Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American writer who wrote short stories and novels. Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. Hawthorne grew up under the strict beliefs of puritanism. Nathaniel’s original last name was Hanthorne but Nathaniel added a “w” to his last name so he could separate himself from his grandfather’s ways. His grandfather’s name was John Hathorne. John Hathorne was a judge on the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials got a lot of innocent women killed because of the false information. Nathaniel was basically raised by his mother. When Nathaniel was four, his father died from yellow fever. When Nathaniel became older, his uncle wanted him to seek a higher education. Nathaniel’s uncle, Robert Manning, paid for him to get a higher education at Bowdoin College. Nathaniel was against going to Bowdoin College but he went anyways. Nathaniel was an average student because he didn’t like what the school offered. Nathaniel was quoted, “I do not want to be a doctor and live by men’s diseases, nor a minister to live by their sins, nor a lawyer and live by their quarrels. So I don’t see that there is anything left for me but to be an author.” This is the quote that led to Nathaniel’s become a writer of dramatic short stories and novels.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bf/Nathaniel_Hawthorne_by_Brady,_1860-65.jpg/220px-Nathaniel_Hawthorne_by_Brady,_1860-65.jpg

http://www.egs.edu/library/nathaniel-hawthorne/biography/

Why are Nathaniel’s stories so dramatic? I believe Nathaniel’s stories are dramatic because of his writhing style and the story types. Nathaniel’s writing style is neat to me because he over use dialogue. The over uses of dialogue helps describes the visuals of a character in his story and it also helps deliver the emotions of the characters. The over uses of dialogue makes a reader visualize the story easier in their heads. Nathaniel did this because the printing companies weren’t really good at printing pictures for books. Nathaniel picked up the “over uses of dialogue” technique from a British writer named Sir Walter Scott. This technique is shown in stories like “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Birthmark” but it’s really shown in “The Scarlet Letter”. Another thing these stories have in common is the story types. Nathaniel likes to write a lot of romantic fiction stories. This type of story makes it easier for the reader to become more interested because there is a lot of emotion shown in the stories. The uses of over dialogue in romantic fiction go together very well to make a great story.

http://www.e-scoala.ro/referate/engleza_nathaniel_hawthorne.html

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The Notebook

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Wait For You

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Scandal

Does Nathaniel’s dramatic effect still show today? Yes, Nathaniel’s dramatic effects still show today. They show in all sorts of entertainment like movies, novels, and even television shows. Movies like “The Notebook”, novels like “Wait for you”, and television shows like “Scandal” all have romantic drama in it just like some of Nathaniel’s stories. Nathaniel’s romantic drama will continue to influence movies, novels, and television shows because some people fell like they can relate to some of the events in the stories. This is why romantic dramas are so entertaining today.

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http://www.singleblackmale.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/scandal-image.jpg

http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/WaitForYou-Amazon.jpg

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American writer who wrote short stories and novel. Nathaniel used a technique of over usage of dialogue. This made his romance fiction stories really good because readers can visualize the story in their minds as they read. The dramatic effects Nathaniel used in his stories are still used today in movies, novels, and television shows. This is why I think Nathaniel Hawthorne is a really good writer.

What does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”?

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Harriet Beecher Stowe

     In 1852, a woman by the name of Harriet Beecher Stowe published an anti – slavery novel called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was about the life of a slave named Tom. Tom was a well educated slave. He was very obedient to his slave mater so he didn’t get into too much trouble. In the novel, Tom was sold to another slave owner because his slave master had to pay off a debt that he owed. After Tom was sold, he began to work hard so he can become a free man because he wanted to get back to this family and live a normal life again. That doesn’t happen because Tom dies from a really bad whipping. Tome gets whipped because he didn’t want to tell on two slaves that ran away from the house. The novel is really good but there are a lot of questions that stuck out to me like what does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”? Is this term still being used today? Is there a similar term currently used to describe the attributes of an “Uncle Tom”?

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            What does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary says “Uncle Tom” means, “a black (person) who is overeager to win the approval of whites (people).” People have their own definition of the term “Uncle Tom” because its slang. Slang is made up words that are substituted for different meanings. The online Urban Dictionary shows plenty of different definition to the term “Uncle Tom” because there isn’t a solid definition for the term. I think “Uncle Tom” means someone who is willing to do whatever they can to get approval from someone in a higher position. The definition of “Uncle Tom” is based on the opinion of whoever is saying it.

 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uncle%20tom

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Uncle%20Tom

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Jalen Rose

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Spike Lee

            Is “Uncle Tom” still used today? Yes, “Uncle Tom” is still being used to this day. The term is still being used mostly in the black community. There are famous black people that are calling other black people “Uncle Toms” like Jalen Rose and Spike Lee. Jalen Rose is a well know point guard who played in the NBA. In the famous “Fab Five” documentary, Jalen Rose called Grant Hill an “Uncle Tom” because he played basketball for Duke University. Duke didn’t have a lot of black players on their basketball team at the time so Jalen felt like Grant Hill did whatever he had to just to play basketball at Duke. Spike Lee is a well known director in the black community. Spike Lee called Tyler Perry a “Uncle Tom” because Spike Lee feels like Tyler Perry’s movie character Madea is a form of coonery Spike Lee thinks Tyler Perry is degrading black people just to sell his movie.

 http://gcobb.com/2011/03/17/jalen-rose-calls-grant-hill-an-uncle-tom-for-growing-up-in-two-parent-family/

http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2011/04/tyler-perry-says-spike-lee-can-go-to-hell

http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Jalen-Rose-ESPN1.jpg

http://cdn.necolebitchie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/spike-lee.jpg

 

            Is there a similar term currently used to describe the attributes of an “Uncle Tom”? Yes, the term that comes to my mind is the term “sell out”. The online Free Dictionary says “sell out” means, “to betray one’s cause or colleagues.” This term is another form of slang so there isn’t a solid definition for it. A lot of people think there are a bunch of “sell outs” in the hip hop industry. Most rappers will do whatever they can to make money. Some even go against the image their label made for them to become famous like Ice Cube. Ice Cube was a gangster rapper that rapped about the life of a gangster. Things started to change the older Ice cube got. Ice Cube began to go a different route so he became an actor. Ice Cube acted in different family oriented movies so his fans felt like he “sold them out” just to make money. A lot of rappers still “sell out” just to make money.

 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2010/03/16/the-20-most-embarassing-sellout-moments-in-hip-hop-history/

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sell+out

     The term “Uncle Tom” has evolved a lot since the publishing of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. People still use the term to this day. Even famous black people use the term to degrade each other. There isn’t a lot of words that relate to the term “Uncle Tom” but “sell out” is the closes thing t