The American War Of 1844-48 - 1217 Words

A once young Ulysses S. Grant once said, â€Å"I do not think there was ever a more wicked war than that waged by the United States on Mexico† (274). The Mexican-American War of 1844-48 was both a controversial and significant part of United States history, yet it’s forgotten by most Americans today. Events such as, the American-Civil War and Spanish-American war overshadows the memory of the Mexican-American War. However without the consequences of the American conflict with Mexico, American history would look significantly different. That is why some historians record and write works to great lengths to keep the war alive for generations. Amy S. Greenberg is one of those people. Her book, A Wicked War, tells the epic tale of complex 19th†¦show more content†¦A Wicked War successfully answers the who, what, when, where, and why in a 368 page book. Greenberg, a Professor of History, has decades of familiarity with American history and her research comes from countless reliable sources. As for me, a high school student who willingly spent countless hours reading her book, A Wicked War is successful as a narrative on the Mexican-American War. Amy S. Greenberg successfully achieves the goal of writing a true â€Å"narrative history of the war† (xiii), by structuring her content in an effective unbiased manner. Page xiii focuses on introducing the book to the reader. Greenberg points out and tells what her intentions of writing the book are and gives significant context to the reader. She points out what message she wants to convey; discussing what she will and not talk about in her book. Quoted, â€Å"This is not a comprehensive history of the U.S.-Mexican War...tactics, minor battles†¦ will receive limited coverage†, thus she makes it very clear that she is trying to convey that it is, â€Å"instead is a narrative history of the war†. As a result, this gives the reader a brief informative idea when reading the book just before providing some brief context. Pages xiv-xix successfully gives a brief insight into many significant figures in enough detail. She does this by giving a brief summary p aragraph discussing the basic history of Henry Clay, James K. Polk, Abraham

Stefan’s Diaries The Craving Chapter 21 Free Essays

Damon and I remained in the cell for several minutes after the man left, too stunned to even contemplate escaping. The guards didn’t come back in with the keys. I didn’t blame them. We will write a custom essay sample on Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 21 or any similar topic only for you Order Now I cursed, slamming the bars. It seemed that no matter what I decided to do, which way I turned, things got worse. And the Sutherlands†¦ they had just been innocent bystanders, swept up in the path of destruction just because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. While my brother didn’t actively cause their deaths, he was no less responsible. I turned on him, ready to tear him apart. And then I saw the look on his face. Damon’s eyes had glazed over and he leaned against the wall for support. He’d worn the same dazed expression for weeks after he’d woken up as a vampire and discovered that Katherine was dead. â€Å"What was that?† he whispered, finally looking at me. But I had no idea what that was. All I knew was that it was more powerful, more dangerous, more deadly than any creature I’d ever encountered. Anger at my brother drained away and something like exhaustion set in. â€Å"I’m not sure, though I think he left me a message,† I said, remembering the bloody scrawl on the side of the Sutherlands’ home. â€Å"But what was that about Katherine? What was he to her?† Damon shrugged. â€Å"I have no idea. She never told me about that†¦ thing.† â€Å"He said we took her from him. What the hell does that mean? What curse is he talking about? Did Emily cast a spell on someone?† I said. I began to pace, my mind racing. â€Å"I’m guessing it means he believes we killed her. Which you did, brother,† Damon said. In a pique, Damon sat down, stretched his legs out, and put his hands behind his head, pillowing it against the stone. I would get no more answers out of him. I slid down against the bars and buried my head in my hands, thinking of my time with Katherine. Had she ever said anything about her past? Let anything slip? But I had been so completely under her thrall that it was impossible to know what had been real and what she had compelled me to believe. Though I remembered biting her, I didn’t have any memory of her feeding me her blood. But she must have often, as I had enough of her blood in my system to come back as a vampire after my father shot me. In a funny way, Katherine had made me. We were almost like her children. My mind snagged. â€Å"Did Katherine ever tell you about her sire?† I asked, putting words to a horrible thought forming in my mind. â€Å"The vampire who made her?† Damon looked up at me, shocked out of his sulk. â€Å"You think†¦ ?† I nodded. Damon leaned back and knocked his head against the wall. He had been genuinely in love with Katherine. I wondered if meeting Katherine’s maker made our little tryst in Mystic Falls seem like a speck in the vastness of eternity. â€Å"I suppose we should call a guard over and compel him to free us,† he said tiredly. A sound of commotion from the lobby stopped us. There were muffled thuds, like bodies hitting the floor. There was a scream. It was high-pitched and hard to tell whether it came from a woman or a man, so great was the pain. Then came the grating sound of a desk being moved, and what might have been a wooden chair being shattered against the wall. I stood. So did Damon. Damon and I glanced at each other. The pocket watch Winfield had given me ticked loudly in the sudden silence. The door to the stockade opened once again and in came a girl wearing men’s trousers and black suspenders, a long blond braid over her shoulder. â€Å"Lexi!† I gasped. â€Å"I’m growing tired of bailing you boys out,† she said as she shook the key at us. â€Å"I should leave you in there overnight, teach you a lesson about making trouble,† she joked. I reached through the bars to grab her free hand. â€Å"I’ve never been happier to see anyone.† â€Å"I don’t doubt it,† Lexi said drily, but a small smile curved the edges of her lips. Damon rolled his eyes. â€Å"We were just about to free ourselves, thank you very much.† â€Å"I don’t doubt that, either. Just figured I’d speed up the escape,† she said. Her nose twitched, and her flat tone indicated she didn’t entirely approve of his existence. The last time she’d seen him, he’d just gotten through killing Callie and was starting in on me. â€Å"So did you knock out the entire precinct?† Damon asked, straightening the shoulders of his jacket. Lexi undid the final lock on the door. The door sprang open and I rushed to hug her. â€Å"No, only some of them. The rest I compelled. Some of us don’t like needless violence – or messes that need to be explained later,† she said into my shoulder. I released her and she motioned us toward the door. â€Å"Now let’s get out of here before anyone else shows up.† â€Å"I always cover my tracks,† Damon said defensively as we rushed through the door of the containment area and into the front offices. Several policemen sat at their desks, poring over ledgers, oblivious to the two prisoners escaping and the general state of disarray. Desks had been pushed aside, among the splintery remains of what had once been a chair, and the man who had sat there was lying on the floor, a rivulet of blood leaking from his head. But his eyes were open and he appeared to be whispering some word over and over again. â€Å"Strong-willed, that one,† Lexi said. â€Å"How were you able to find us?† I asked, following her down the stairs. â€Å"A mysterious Italian count with black hair and ice-blue eyes and a flair for the dramatic sweeps into the New York social scene and very quickly marries the most eligible society girl?† she said, rolling her eyes. â€Å"They ran your picture in the social pages.† Damon at least had the grace to look sheepish. â€Å"I always cover my tracks,† she mimicked. â€Å"There are a lot of ways to live rich and powerfully as a vampire†¦ none of which involve sweeping into the New York social scene†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦ and marrying the most eligible society girl. Fair enough,† Damon conceded. â€Å"At least I did it with style.† We exited the prison, and the cold evening air washed over me. The stars were just beginning to flicker in the night sky, and the gaslights cast a warm glow over the street. It was a beautiful night, the like of which Bridget, Lydia, Winfield, and Mrs. Sutherland would never enjoy again – all because of me, Damon, and Katherine. I only came to New York to escape. Escape Damon, memories of Callie, vampires, Mystic Falls, Katherine†¦ and yet it all still followed me like an onerous shadow. I knew then that I’d never escape my past, not fully. Such dark things don’t fade with time – they merely reverberate through the centuries. I could only hope that Margaret was safe somewhere, away from the hell-beast that had violently murdered her entire family. How to cite Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 21, Essay examples

Drake Concert World Music Essay Example For Students

Drake Concert World Music Essay Concert The energy and vibe at the Drake concert was so live and intense. The vitality of the crowd was very immense. Although he is known as Drake, the superstar singer, rapper, songwriter and composers birth name is Aubrey Drake Graham. Mostly famous for writing flirtatious songs to attract the attention of many female celebrities, Drake offers a new artistic wrinkle in comparison to Masc. who can only rhyme. Beyond being able to carry a note and his lyrical dexterity, its the directness and interpolation that underlines Drakes words that implement him to associate with fans on a more profound level. And that is typically what his musical selections varied from; songs that revolved around the expression of his feelings. His first mistake, So Far Gone was a temperamental collection of tracks that discloses the anecdote of his ascent into adulthood. Girl troubles, pains of growing and uncertainty are the emotions apprehended on the set. It was a rare craft and as he and producer Noah Siebel sampled from many well-known rap tracks and ambiguous hipster mounds to create a pop shine that was observable for the masses. And the other albums, Thank Me Later, Take Care and Nothing Was the Same were his glorified pieces of work that gracefully displayed his feelings and I could here every heart felt emotion in the lyrics. The dancers on stage were so energetic and so engrossed in the performance that by looking at them you could literally feel how hard their heart was beating because you would be breaking a sweat too from dancing to the beat. As for Drake, when he would sing a high-tempo song such as Headlines, everyone would e dancing to the beat so aggressively because that song got their adrenaline going. Other slow and mellow songs like Over my Dead Body and Margins Room, Drake slowed down the tempo and his demeanor on stage was very sensual and seductive that it still had a majority of the females in awe and their adrenaline rushing. The way Drake would transition from fast to slow songs gave the audience a chance to flow with performance, while at the same time being prepared to Jump up and down to the beat when the high tempo songs would come on. The balance of the paces was incredible because you literally could tell he was putting everything in it because the singing and performing effort did not change. There were not any other performers on stage with him besides the hype man, but their interaction with each other were dynamic because they were able to accompany the crowd into the songs. Before some songs, Drake would ask the females how their relationships were, then transition into a heart-felt song concerning relationships and grabbing the attention of an intimate partner. His body language was typically in a strong, masculine posture that did not show any forms of weakness. Drakes body language also showed some sensual moments when he would do some of the seductive dance Drake Concert World Music Paper 2 By anger on the hand. His whole demeanor gave off a very intimate and sexual vibe that aroused the many female fans in attendance. The d ©core, lighting and venue really set the mood for this concert. When songs were upbeat, the lights would go crazy by flickering, change color and distinguish in shapes between circles and lines. When songs were downbeat, the soft colors would appear and the patterns of the lights would not be as intense as it would if an upbeat song was playing. Whether the lights were on or off, the energy and focus of the crowd did not change one bit and the arena was full of life. As far as my ethnographic observations go, I learned that the words and beats of his music serves as a message and he wanted to send this message of love and affection to everyone who was willing to hear. I felt the audience was also very open in receiving his message because they would sing the songs as Drake would sing it as if it were one big karaoke bar. There also was an expression of emotion they had on their face was a perfect description of the meaning of the words hat he sang in his songs. .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b , .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .postImageUrl , .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b , .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b:hover , .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b:visited , .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b:active { border:0!important; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b:active , .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u98dae3a27fa031d957744a87947ac19b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How Bill Gates Changed The WorldWhen I was observing, I felt that the audience was in a trance, but at the same time experiencing the same emotion he felt when writing it himself. My own preconceptions did not really affect my research and listening experience when I went to this concert. I listen to Drake a lot and I love his well rounded, and ability to be lyrically agile. If I have never heard a certain artist or song, then I would be open to listen to it but if do not like it then I will not be listening to that particular artist or song anymore. As a performer, I did not have the same type f audience to entertain and interact with like Drake, but I did have a lot of interaction from the audience when I would perform. There was plenty of positive energy that made it easier for me to sing songs without holding anything back and produce a tremendous sound. Being able to compare and contrast my experience as a performer and member in the audience was very good. By attending this concert, it allowed me to see many differences in an amateur and professional performance, but at the same time have a great time being involved in a research I had a blast taking part in.