Research Paper

Time and time again history has shown not everyone is given their fair share in life. It could mean people are not given the right to vote for their country’s leader. It could mean people are not allowed the rights other people are given. It could mean people face violence against themselves and others like them. These are all problems history has seen forced upon low income residents of countries worldwide.

Another problem similar to these is the unfair distribution of land. This might seem like a minor problem at first glance. If someone were to reflect on how important land is in the distribution of power and wealth it might seem like a bigger problem. There is such a problem in the South American nation of Brazil. The country has been in and out of many military dictatorships since it’s independence in 1822. These authoritarian governments are much more likely to unfairly distribute land than a democratic nation would. Military regimes often give out the business and land to those that support their forceful oppression of a nation with money, business deals, and other various means of supporting a government. (wikipedia)

Brazil was freed from its last dictatorship in 1985. With the collapse of such a regime came an era of democracy under the form of a republic state. The nation also adopted a constitution and began operating democratic elections, as most republics tend to do. This granted the oppressed poor to further organize and implement plans to gain their wealth and piece of the land.

The Landless Workers Movement (MST) also known as Moviemento Dos Trabalhadores Rurias Sem Terra had been started in 1980 in small grassroots political networks in the most southern state of Brazil, Rio Grande Do Sul. The movement began simply by farming families occupying land that was not being used to cultivate food by the overwhelming small minority that owned approximately two thirds of the land. In the first two years of the 1980s an estimated six thousand families joined the movement and began cultivating food on unused land. These families banded together too stand against the unfairly practiced laws about the occupation of unused land for agriculture development. They were the beginning sounds of a nation’s voice against unfair land laws and for the opportunity to provide food and shelter for themselves and their family. (wikipedia) (mstbrazil)

These families slowly spread to more states in the newly founded republic and gathered more supporters until in the mid-nineteen eighties when the last military dictatorship fell from power. Once the new republic’s government was organized and a constitution was written, the MST officially declared itself an organization. It was not allowed to declare itself under the oppression of the military’s strong hold over the government. Since then there have been numerous MST settlements declaring themselves in twenty-three of twenty-eight Brazilian states. (mstbrazil) (wikipedia)

They have found legal protection in many cases against landowners looking to evict them from their land. In many cases not only are the evictions rejected but the people begin to expropriate the pieces of unproductive land the MST families have settled on. The constitution declares land use must be used in rational and adequate sense, managed for the use of the natural resources and fair use for owners and laborers of the area. These laws in the constitution are one of the stepping stones that allow the MST to occupy land that is not in use and in turn provide for their communities. (mstbrazil)

The MST finds much of its legal help to battle the expropriating of land in court through family relations of MST families in law the progressive branch of the Catholic Church, and civil rights interested law firms in Brazil. The most frequent enemy of the MST in the legal since would be the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian reform (INCRA). INCRA evaluates and deems the land MST settlements have occupied as productive or unproductive for its current owners. The expropriating of land is not an easy process and any given settlement can take up to two years to be granted to the MST families. (mstbrazil) (wikipedia)

(Bibliography)
Website "Landless Workers Movement of Brazil", Laura Carlsen, 09/10/07,

http://mstbrazil.org/

Website: "Landless Workers Movement", 09/08/07,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landless_Workers%27_Movement

Persuasive Essay

Over the centuries there have been few who stood against the many. Few who stood against what all knew to be wrong and unjust. Few who would do anything for everything in a situation where they had nothing….? Attila Ambrus is one of those few, and undoubtedly in Eastern Europe the most renown and publicly liked of those few. As a man that grew up under the oppression of a communist regime who’s only destiny was to grow up to face to economic disadvantages of a free market under capitalism in an under developed country. He rose to meet the challenge that society burdened upon him and become an international folk hero and genuine badass. Despite these disadvantages of his birth place and childhood Attila was a success in his own standards and would grow up to become a Professional Ice Hockey Player, pelt smuggler, bank and post office robber, ladies man, alcoholic, womanizer, and excessive gambler; not to mention a genuine adrenaline addict, criminal mastermind, and world traveler. His reputation is that of a Ghangis Kahn, Attila the hun, or either Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid. All of whom are highly honored in their respective cultures and seen as icons by Attila.

He was born in the region of Transylvania, whose populace had the disadvantage of being minorities, in the communist territory of Romania, which I think developed his distinct and individual personality as a "lone wolf"(one of his many nick names given to him by the press as a bank robber). In a town called Fitod, located on the outskirts of Csikszereda, which eventually had it’s name changed to that of the then in power communist dictator, Miercurea Ciuc. Disowned by his father and mother at a young age of seven, he was adopted by his grandmother who faced death a few short years afterwards. His grandmother’s death stirred a great reflection of great sadness; despite being a tough guy, this showed a sincere humane side of Attila, that some journalist would argue about because they saw him as a terrorist. Soon after he was taken in by his aunt and uncle who raised him through his early teens and were even able to send him to a boarding school where he played hockey briefly. Later on in his teens a string of juvenile crimes located him in a detention center for youngsters for two years. This could easily be seen as a tell tell sign of a criminal to be, but would eventually be his foundation of learning to manifest his own destiny, a trait which very few have ever truly embraced. While in juvenile jail he got into many fights and also learned to speak Romanian with no trace of an accent, a very handy vice in communist Romania, where the secret police roamed the street in a not so secret fashion; armed with machine guns and possibly drunk which made Atilla’s nerves all the more stout and daring in the face of danger, which he would have to be in his line of work!

After briefly serving in the Romanian army and finding work as a church painter, he planned his escape from Romania. He had no hesitation of committing such an act due to his rebellious nature and unflinching amount of nerve. He fled his job and fellow workers at a church painting site near the border of Hungary, the least communist territory in Eastern Europe. To cross the border "safely" Attila Ambrus ran along side a train and wrenched himself onto on of the connectors between cars. To even further camouflage his hiding spot he latched himself to the bottom of the train using the most convenient latching devices at his disposal, his arms and legs! This is one of the many testimonies of Attila’s physical endurance and bravery. Once arriving in Hungary he was met by an only slightly less communist government, and an equally poverty ridden economy. Even though the odds stacked against him he would not be turned down to the future that nations of capitalism such as America promised to bring to communistic areas of the world. This gave Attila hope and ambition to pursue a career and blaze a trail on which he could set his feet to trek forward onto his glorious destiny.

After a series of odd jobs and various living arrangements Attila Ambrus was given a place on a Professional Hockey Team Újpesti Torna Egylet, though not given the job for his skill but the high level of determination and motivation he displayed at his try out. He was so tough and enduring during this tryout that even after being told to go home after half way through the try out he demanded to stay and continue his display of "skills." His official position was Janitor and lived in the stadium in a closet. Such a setting did not bother a man who had come to his "dreamland" under such extreme conditions, and only added the fuel to his fire. This was his foot in the door for his life in Hungary. He eventually found a second job as a building supervisor and lived free for little pay. After two years of living with a meager income Attila decided to find money in the way that most of the wealthy people in Hungary did, through crime. This at first bothered him but he eventually came to realize that he had to make his own way and that no communist or a falling Berlin wall were going to make it for him.

His criminal career spanned ten years and involved mass publication on television, news papers, and a whole department of the fledgling police department assigned to catch him. His first part of his career was spent smuggling animal pelts from Transylvania to Austria, this gig created enough money for Attila to buy fancy cars, liquor, and gamble the rest away, but his thirst was not yet satisfied. After a complication with the border guards he bribed and a their bosses finding a dead truck driver at the border Attilla passed through for his pelt smuggling operation, his career as a pelt smuggler came to an end. He then used his instincts to again come into a higher income pool than he was supposed to belonged in. Attila’s next ten years were his best, girlfriends, fancy vacations, cars, brothels, casinos, and wealth that he had never known. He was dubbed the "Whiskey Robber" due to his habit of holding up banks and post offices while drunk, He was so bold that he even sent the police department empty bottles of wine by leaving them at the scene of the crime in a direct sign of defiance to the police assigned to catch him, only something a true criminal mastermind could pull off. He usually did his drinking at the nearest pub to his heist location. He went on drinking and robbing for a decade which can only testify to his genius in the field of robbery and theft. It took ten years, and a three month period on the lam after escaping from a jail to land Attila in a security prison for fifteen years. This man was in my opinion the most profound figure of the late 20th century in his bold and self made fame and wealth in a world where no opportunities were given to him. This man was a genuine self made man who was given the worst possible scenario to live life with and despite that, he made his way to what he saw as the top!

Transcendentalist: "Resisting a Civil Government"

The details of “Resisting a Civil Government” can very easily express a lot about the author Henry David Thoreau, in a short amount of time. He summed up nearly six years of living his life as saw fit; in a single night in a jail in his hometown of concord, Massachusetts. He was in jail for not paying a tax charged to citizens for the right to vote. His basis for his argument in his defense of not paying the taxes was his anti-war sentiments during the Mexican war. His anti-war sentiments lied with his belief that Nations were not responsible enough to manage armed forces reasonably. He implied vividly the differences between how a government would conduct itself, and how neighbors would conduct themselves. Comparing a nation to a house hold of individuals really shows the gap between amounts of courtesy showed.

His argument that I spoke of lie with the state as he called it, in reality I think he was a very small minority speaking loudly out against near a whole nation’s majority. He may have figured, as many people were during this era that live can be lead in yet another way, as time can tell us. His arrest and jailing for his tax evasion did not make him feel at all guilty, shown by the little remorse he showed for his actions. Thoreau was a firm believer in personal rights and because his inclination was that his peace could be found in nature, he didn’t seek the things that life can give to those in cities and with jobs.

“I heartily accept the motto – “That government is best which governs least”; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically.” This is a very strong example of Thoreau’s political beliefs and what made him a well known writer. His writing always had ties to where he stood politically, especially in the Mexican war. His resentment of being governed by an invisible hand lead Thoreau to transcend the obedience installed in him by society and live by his actions and the results they created. His comment towards the end of his phrase about wanting to see the government acting faster and in a simpler refined manor showed his idea for a less strict, laid back government that only managed minimal affairs. Thoreau’s writings political themes made him a very strong Transcendentalist figure in his day and age. A man who felt that God’s influence would not always lead people down the same path and that all the paths that he made should be able for humans to embark down at their own free will.

American Romanticism

I felt the style used to tell the story of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was a unique one. I think Washington Irving used characters and their reactions to the situations in the story in a very good pace. The party scene was made more understandable for instance because you are told about the different parts of the party and how those people were engaging themselves instead than what they said. When characters move around you are told more about their facial expressions in response to what they have been talking about, instead of what they have said and heard.

The imagery of scenery is also very vivid. I think this is very smart of Washington to do because how a place looks really inspires how an individual feels about the area. He emphasized on creating a seemingly haunted rural town by detailing the terrain and the locations. The path along which Ichabod encountered "The Galloping Hessian" or "Brom Bones"; who ever it was certainty succeeded in emitting the feel of a supernatural encounter, and the assailants choice of location was very helpful. The late night timing along the path which first came to a large tree in the middle of the road created a sense fear of being in Ichabod’s situation.

At the point in the story when Ichabod has just left after the party ended especially created a feeling of suspense for the reader. His already bad mood from an argument is a clear and evident set up for things taking a turn for the worse. As the approached the tulip tree on his way home not only the reader but Ichabod too was getting the feeling of fear and suspension. The reader and Ichabod gathered in the tree, it’s outline in the nighttime, the white mark from the lighting, and the sense that no one would want to go past this spooky spot alone, especially at night.

"It was the very witching time of night that Ichabod, heavy-hearted and crestfallen, pursued his travels homewards, along the sides of the lofty hills which rise above Tarry Town, and which he had traversed so cheerily in the afternoon." The continuous flow used in this story is mostly the reflection of the characters and their attitudes at the time. In this text Ichabod creates his ill mood by having some argument or disagreement with Katrina Van Tassel. He is hence forth heavy-hearted and crestfallen. Not knowing what people say keeps the reader on their toes and encourages learning from they react creates more of a sense of emotion for the reader than a typical conversation would do. Also characteristics of the region are relayed to the reader to create more a feeling that you were somewhere you were very familiar with. Tarry town was the nickname of Sleepy Hallow and that allows a word to not become repetitive as well.

"As the enraptured Ichabod fancied all this, and as he rolled his great green eyes over the fat meadow lands, the rich fields of wheat, of rye, of buckwheat, and Indian corn, and the orchards burdened with ruddy fruit, which surrounded the warm tenement of Van Tassel, his heart yearned after the damsel who was to inherit these domains, and his imagination expanded with the idea, how they might be readily turned into cash, and the money invested in immense tracts of wild land, and shingle palaces in the wilderness." A vivid description of an area and the feelings it provokes in an individual is one of the oldest parts of romance. Everyone has a certain setting in which they feel the most emotion. Irving used these situations to let the reader get an idea of what kind of attitude a character is in different parts in the story. The effect of the land on the character is profound, considering Ichabod is moved so strongly as to try and marry a women just to have the land.

The Poem "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant was the longest expression of "Live every day like your last one" I have ever heard. I kept feeling the poem implied a up beat message of living life to your fullest and to reap friendship where you can. It was romantic in the sense that it made life seem so unburdening to its liver. This is always a pleasant thought but not commonly a reality. I think that because of the poem’s attempt to make live seem like a much faster paced game lacking of real responsibilities it creates a sense of hardiness and wellbeing.
When I read Henry Wadsworth’s "The Ropewalk" I figured the point of the poem was to appeal to a variety of people all of whom had to work. The image of a boat steadily flowing down a tropical river when I read the words "Ships rejoicing in the breeze" provoked a very strong image that I thought could easily be made romantic. Many of the scenarios Wadsworth describes in his poem describe situations of great amounts of fulfillment for many different reasons add a very real romantic feel in the story.

Art is made more romantic by developing a more drastic sense of lighting. A scene could be made to look ominous or delightful. The colors used could easily affect the type of feeling a painting would arouse in it’s viewer. A picture of a ship on a stormy sea would make one feel nervous and worry, while a picture of a sea on a calm ocean would create a sense of relaxation.

The painting I choose to respond to as why I think it is Romantic is non other than a picture of a boat floating in calm waters near a shore. The image has a abnormal amount of light in the back ground making the picture look surreal. The affect the sun has on the clouds makes them seem larger and defines their shape more. The land on the shore is also very unique and would make someone want to travel to seem them very much. These drastic elements are very eye catching and make more of an imaginary place come true.

The Rationalist

At the time of the birth of the American colonies Puritanism, along with other fledgling religions were a key to politicaly govern the people of the new found continent. As time progressed people showed less respect for the practices of the Puritans. This was reflected by lack of prayer, excessive sleep, drink, sexual scandals, and other various activities puritans were supposed to refrain from engaging in. As time progressed the colonies and cities within them expanded as did the people’s ideas of independence. Independence from their religions and a newfound self-dependence by using their own logic to govern their way of life and conduct themselves in society. The rationalists were still very religious people as any one in that day and age was. What made them different was their instinctive nature to take matters of importance into consideration of their own instead of depending on the word of the bible.

I think Benjamin Franklin made a good rationalist because of his keen sense of observation. He was never with out some insight as to how he or those around him appeared to be. He is very honest as to his appearances even if they weren’t his best at the time. I think the basis for his rationality was honesty, and to perceive things as honestly as possible can lead to a very accurate impression of many different situations. Franklin also used a good deal of self-reflection to steer his course through life. Always maintaining an accurate portrait of one’s self is important for one to use their ration logically and in the correct manor. I come to this conclusion due to supporting text from Franklin’s autobiography in two cases where he reflects upon himself and how he would appear. "I was in my working dress, my best clothes being to come round by sea. I was dirty from my journey; my pockets were stuffed out with shirts and stockings; I knew no soul, nor where to look for lodging." This is a self-observation Franklin has when he first arrives in Philadelphia with no work and little money. I’m sure he thought over his appearance and accordingly set his manor to reflect a good mannered person. On that first day in Philadelphia he paid passage on a boat that offered him passage for free for his rowing, but he paid anyway. He also bought and gave bread to a mother and her child who had been on the boat. I think he came to the conclusion that one must reflect a good sense of charity and good will, especially when it seems they should have no charity and little to give to create an image of goodwill.

Patience: Rush not to haste. What one does on the current day reflects the day and every day after.

Good-willing: Treat all and any with friendship to expect friendship. Treat any or all without friendship and expect none in return.

Truthfulness: Be honest to those you deal with. Be honest with others to be honest with yourself.

Justice: Up keep a justice for those who have been treated unjust.

Mercy: Spare those that would redeem themselves.

Dutifulness: Be faithful to yourself, your admiration, and fellow people.

Tenacity: Stick to your chosen path and take it’s course as it comes to the best of your abilities.

Gravity: Keep your mind on the task at hand and do not be distracted by other elements.

Wholesomeness: Keep a healthy and clean livelihood. Maintain a healthy attitude to keep this in line.

Sternness: Keep a firm sense of self-control. Do not be lead astray by wants.

Industriousness: Maintain a hard work ethic. Do not become idle in your workings.

Respectability: Maintain a relationship of respect between yourself and all peers. One bad
reflection of your respectability and all will see.

Prudence: Foresee the reactions of others. Use your actions to the wisest degree to their reactions.

Moral perfection is many people's goal in life. I think living a strict and continuos life style in the manner one sees fit for themselves will only merely guide them in that direction. I think the actual acceptance of moral perfection comes from the perception of others regarding one’s life and its practice. The actions one produces in his or her life reflect their virtues and sense of judgement to the eyes of their peers. I believe because of this that in many cases people achieve moral perfection but also are seen as a person of little or no character based on the past history with those one would meet in life.

I have convinced myself that one’s path of moral perfection in life is based on their own reflection of their values and the judgements of their peers on their lifestyle. I think that by placing judgement on other’s ways of life, one would find themselves less of candidates for moral perfection. To place judgement on another and allow its reflection you see to create a sense of poor thought of the other would lead to one disregarding their own moral ambitions and instead cloud their path with a calling to pass more judgements. In the passing of any judgement one would become less understanding to people’s individuals motives and reasons. I think that a rationalist would not only pass judgement but also take in reflections of the individual to try and guess their reasons and motives.

Rationalism came into play at a very important time for the American colonies. The revolution began and succeeded within this era and allowed many doors to be opened for the future of the colonies and the world. Rationalist wanted to create a world that would be less oppressive than the one they had all known and come from. They wanted to determine the laws to be the best possible from a rational view. I suppose looking back at the actions of the founding fathers people could say that they were rational, rational as rich old white people can be in a situation where all the power has been placed in their midst. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This is one of the most important phrases in the constitution of our nation. It shows a very rational thought they the founding fathers could say everyone could relate to in a rational sense. For example we all have the unalienable right to pursue happiness, no matter what that is, such as the founding fathers pursued their happiness by writing a constitution that a nation would be governed by, and field slaves pursued their happiness by working in the fields...that were owned by the founding fathers and their friends. These unalienable rights are what forged peoples burning desire to achieve their goals in the American fashion.

The founding fathers were full of ration in the interest of the nation....mainly its landowners. They broke down every part of life and way of living rationally. For example, they explained the relationship between a government and the people it represents and its reflected in the constitution as "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." This is a very standard and descriptive format to how a government operates and more essentially claiming its power.

With such a profound statement being made after such a shocking victory in a guerilla war fare style revolution it is not a surprise that the founding fathers used their ration to determine what should happen to a government that oppresses its people with heavy burdens. "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." They concluded that if and when a nation's populace found itself in a position under its government its majority public was opposed to, the government should be dismantled by any means necessary, force if it comes to it.