The Samurais, The Ultimate Stoics :: essays research papers

The Samurais, The Ultimate Stoics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For seven centuries, the Samurai were Japan's warrior class. As a class of warriors and knights, they dominated society in feudal Japan. Their code or â€Å" Way of the warrior†, bushido(History of the Samurai-www),called for a life of duty, discipline and self control, on and as well as off the battlefield (History of the World-Houghton Mifflin Company- Boston288). His loyalty and bravery to his lord was much more important than his loyalty to his friends, family and even their emperor. Their philosophy was one of freedom from fear(World Surfari-www), and for these reasons, The Samurai were the ultimate stoic warriors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The word samurai was derived from the Japanese word for service, saburau(Grolier Electronic Publishing, 1993), for they served their masters faithfully. They would die if necessary for them. The Daimyo or feudal landowners used the samurai to protect their land and to expand their rights to more land. The Samurai would transcend their fear of death, this made them the stoic warriors that they were.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As experts in fighting on horseback as well as on the ground they wore two swords. This was called Daisho(World Surfari-www). The long sword was called the daito-katena(Ibid.). It was more than twenty four inches long. The shorter sword was called shoto wakizashi. It was between twelve to twenty four inches(Ibid.). Their swords were the â€Å"soul's† of the worship. A good sword was tougher and sharper. The swords were tested before they were used by the samurai. The sword tester used the new blades to cut through corpses and bodies of condemned criminals.(World Surfari-www) The test results were put on the nakago, the small metal piece on the sword blade or handle(Ibid.). Another weapon, the nagita, was used by a foot soldier on a horseman. The foot soldier would cut. the tendons of the horse and disembowel them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The samurai went from military retainers, to military aristocrats, to military rulers(Japan, Richard Storry18) The medieval samurai were often illiterate, rural, landowners who farmed in-between battles. They were assassins of the night and at the same time keepers of peace. The samurai would spend his life perfecting his military skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Honor was one of the most important things to a samurai. If a samurai felt dishonored in any way he would commit seppuku. Seppuku means ritual suicide (Japan, Cultures of the World- Rex Shelley104). It is also called hara-kiri which means belly-slitting. This method of self-disembowelment was the only honorable form of death for a disgraced noble or a samurai.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Vs. Abraham Lincoln Essay

This paper will compare and contrast Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. I will compare and contrast both of their childhood and education. Then I will compare and contrast their presidency. This paper will also cover the similarities and differences on how they tried to improve our country and what they wanted to happen when they were in office. Finally, I will close with the similarities and differences about both of their deaths. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States. He became president in March of 1933. He led a big part in the World War Two . He died while he was still in office on April 12 1945 of a cerebral hemorrhage. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He became president on November 6, 1860. He helped free the slaves and he was a great speech and poem writer. He was murdered when he went to a play on April 14, 1865, with a gun shot to his head. The comparison of these two presidents early life is not really good comparison, But let me tell you the similarities. They both went to school and got an education. They loved to read and they preferred learning to working physical labor. They both would set there and read a book–after a book–after a book. This led to a difficult relationship with their fathers, who was just the opposite. Abraham and Franklin were constantly borrowing books from the neighbors. They both lived a sheltered life and never really got into big trouble. They were both Tall, handsome, athletic, and outgoing. They loved to go outside and play with the neighbors or just go out side and play by themselves Abraham and Franklin both moved around when they were little. They both adapted to their environment quickly. It never seemed to bother them. They both had to go threw the feeling of losing a member of their family at such a young age. The differences of Abraham and Franklin’s childhood were not much of a difference, But there was some differences Abraham was taller than all of the men in his neighborhood and Franklin was tall, but he wasn’t taller than everyone else. Abraham loved to go out and help his dad chop wood or do any  other chore that was needed to be done around the house. But Franklin on the other hand, He would help his dad and his mom but, he would rather read a book or go outside and play. Franklin went to a prep school, while Abraham went to a school that all you did was study at your own pace and and work indivitualy. This school was more like independent studies, yet, it wasn’t for bad children. â€Å"When Abraham was around 9 years old, his mother; Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died from milk sickness, a disease obtained from drinking the milk of cows which had grazed on poisonous white snakeroot.† (1) His sister, also died, But she died from childbirth. As you can see, Abraham went threw allot of deaths as a young boy. He had to deal with the mental pain of all of these feelings that come along with death. Roosevelt never had to go threw any deaths in tell he was much older. When they started to grow up, they started to explore the world. Abraham started to travel. But Franklin was a student at Harvard University. Then he went to Law school, but he never graduated. In Springfield, Lincoln met Mary Todd. Three years later they were married and over the next 11 years had 4 children. Lincoln became a successful attorney, and the family bought a home on Jackson. In 1846 Lincoln ran for the United States House of Representatives and won. When he was in Washington he became known for his dedication to the Mexican War and to slavery. He returned home after his term and resumed his law practice more seriously than before. Franklin married a distant cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, on Mar. 17, 1905. They had six children, but the sixth one died at birth. The Roosevelt’s were active in New York social circles and Franklin handled small-claims cases. He also won a seat as a Democrat in the New York state senate. Lincoln was against the spread of slavery into the territories but was not an abolitionist. He also ran for Senate, but someone else won. But after that, he gained national recognition. They both were trying really hard to get into politics, and they seemed to be doing fine. The Roosevelt name and his new image helped him win the Vice-Presidential nomination in 1920. The Democrats had little hope for him winning. The number one similarity of these two presidents was that they were both presidents of the United States. Lincoln won on the 3rd ballot of the  Presidential nomination in 1860. Lincoln was elected the 16th President on November 6, 1860. In 1930, Roosevelt began to campaign for the presidency. He started to run because the economic depression damaged Hoover, and it was a better chance for him to win. In 1932, Roosevelt won the nomination as the Democratic Party candidate for president. In November 1932, Roosevelt beat Hoover by seven million votes. They both wanted the best for the country and they tried their hardest to make the country the best it can be. There are so many differences between the two Presidents and what they had to do when they were in office. Lincoln really didn’t have much to do compared to Roosevelt. Roosevelt ran four terms and he had to make decisions for World War Two. In taking office in 1933, Roosevelt had promised the United States to a â€Å"good neighbor† policy. He had carried out this pledge in Latin America. He tried to follow the policy of goodwill with all of the world. As war became more likely to happen in the 1930’s, both the president and the American public wished to remain neutral. But at the same time, Roosevelt did not want to see the aggressors get mad. War finally broke out in Europe when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Roosevelt wanted to help the democratic nations without bringing the United States into the war. But after a while, it was harder to keep the US out of the war. After the fall of France in 1940, Roosevelt rushed allot of weapons to Britain to help the British in the war against Germany. As you can tell, Roosevelt was a really busy man. Abraham on the other hand, Had a totally different kind of presidency. He played a big role in freeing slaves and he also gave really good speeches One of his favorite poems was: â€Å"Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud? Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave, He passes from life to his rest in the grave. The leaves of the oak and the willow shall fade, Be scattered around, and together be laid; And the young and the old, the low and the high, Shall molder to dust, and together shall lie. The infant a mother attended and loved; The mother that infant’s affection who proved; The husband, that mother and infant who blessed; Each, all, are away to their dwelling of rest. The maid on whose cheek, on whose brow, in whose eye, Shone beauty and pleasure – her triumphs are by; And the memory of those who loved her and praised, Are alike from the minds of the living erased. The hand of the king that the sceptre hath borne, The brow of the priest that the mitre hath worn, The eye of the sage, and the heart of the brave, Are hidden and lost in the depths of the grave. The peasant, whose lot was to sow and to reap, The herdsman, who climbed with his goats up the steep, The beggar, who wandered in search of his bread, Have faded away like the grass that we tread. The saint, who enjoyed the communion of Heaven, The sinner, who dared to remain unforgiven, The wise and the foolish, the guilty and just, Have quietly mingled their bones in the dust. So the multitude goes – like the flower or the weed That withers away to let others succeed; So the multitude comes – even those we behold, To repeat every tale that has often been told. For we are the same that our fathers have been; We see the same sights that our fathers have seen; We drink the same stream, we feel the same sun, And run the same course that our fathers have run. The thoughts we are thinking, our fathers would think; From the death we are shrinking, our fathers would shrink; To the life we are clinging, they also would cling – But it speeds from us all like a bird on the wing. They loved – but the story we cannot unfold; They scorned – but the heart of the haughty is cold; They grieved – but no wail from their slumber will come; They joyed – but the tongue of their gladness is dumb. They died – aye, they died – we things that are now, That walk on the turf that lies over their brow, And make in their dwellings a transient abode,  Meet the things that they met on their pilgrimage road. Yea, hope and despondency, pleasure and pain, Are mingled together in sunshine and rain; And the smile and the tear, the song and the dirge, Still follow each other, like surge upon surge. â€Å"ËÅ"Tis the wink of an eye – â€Å"ËÅ"tis the draught of a breath – From the blossom of health to the paleness of death, From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud?† (2) The deaths of theis two presidents are very different. Let me tell you how they both happened. On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, the Lincoln’s went to a play called Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater During the performance Booth arrived at the theater, entered the State Box from the back, and shot the Lincoln in the back of his head at about 10:15 P.M. Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen House where he passed away the next day at 7:22 A.M. This was the first Presidential assassination in American history, and the nation mourned its leader. Lincoln’s body was taken to Springfield by train, and he was buried in the Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery on May 4, 1865. Roosevelt’s health, which had been getting worse and worse ever since early 1944, did not improve. After returning from the Yalta Conference, he went to Warm Springs, Georgia, to rest. He was laying in bed on April 12, 1945 and he died he of a cerebral hemorrhage. As you can tell, The deaths of these two great men were very different and hard for the American people to handle, But they changed out history of our country in a big way. In conclusion, You can see how these two president were so alike yet so different at the same time. I believe that we can learn so much from these two people and benefit off of it in a great deal. If more of our presidents would be more like these brave, kind, intelligent men; our world be in a lot better condition than it is today. If these two men were not in out history, I think that our whole life would be so different. And that’s in more ways that one. I hope you have learned a couple of things from this report. Because I know I sure have.

Talking About Your Period in French

This happens to every woman. Yet, books are quite shy when it comes to this vocabulary, a skill that we thought could be useful for women traveling to France. First, let’s explore some French expressions to say to have your period. Avoir Ses Rà ¨gles The most common way to say to menstruate is â€Å"avoir ses rà ¨gles†. Les rà ¨gles is a feminine plural word.   Avoir des rà ¨gles douloureuses: to have painful periodAvoir des crampes menstruelles: to have menstrual crampsLes dernià ¨res rà ¨gles: last menstrual periodLe dà ©but / la fin des rà ¨gles: beginning/end of the periodUn cycle d’ovulation: menstrual cycle Note that the word les rà ¨gles is always feminine plural when used for menstruation. Une rà ¨gle is a rule or a ruler (a plastic piece used to draw lines). The context will make it clear which one you are talking about. Tu as tes rà ¨gles: Do you have your period?Tu as une rà ¨gle: Do you have a ruler? Être Indisposà ©e This means to be indisposed, unwell. But it the chosen expression to say in a subtle way to you have your period. Cette jeune fille ne peut pas aller à   la piscine, elle est indisposà ©e.This young girl cannot go to the swimming pool, she is indisposed. Avoir Ses Ragnagnas I have no idea where this one comes from, but â€Å"ragnagnas† sounds like someone complaining, protesting†¦ which women often do when they menstruate. So that would be my personal interpretation of the expression! Les Anglais ont Dà ©barquà © Definitely one of the strangest French idiom out there. It translates as â€Å"The English have landed† (from a boat). So, what is the relation between English and menstruating? Well, this expression dates back to Napoleon and the British army, then called the redcoats. Go figure! Although this expression is somewhat old-fashioned, it is still used, often kind of as a joke. Dà ©solà ©e, je nai vraiment pas envie daller faire cette randonnà ©e. Je ne me sens pas trà ¨s bien... enfin, pour tout te dire, les anglais ont dà ©barquà ©. Bref, jai mes ragnagnas, jai des crampes et je nai quune envie : rester au lit!Sorry, I really dont feel like going on this hike. I dont feel very well... Well, to tell you everything, Aunt Flo called. In other words, Code Red, I have cramps and I just want one thing: stay in bed! French Vocabulary for Period Products Les protections hygià ©niques: sanitary protectionsUn tampon: a tamponAvec/sans applicateur: with/without applicatorUne serviette hygià ©nique: a sanitary pad / a pantylinerAvec ailettes: with wingsUne coupe menstruelle: a menstrual cupSaigner: to bleedUn saignement: a bleedingUne tà ¢che: a spot Cultural Note About Menstrual Pain As in many countries, speaking about ones period is not considered a proper conversation. French women seldom disclose to girlfriends that they are on their period or discuss their menstrual pains. We would just say that we are tired. Of course, everybody is different.