Book Review of The Classic Slum Essay - 1626 Words

The book The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century by Robert Roberts gives an honest account of a village in Manchester in the first 25 years of the 20th century. The title is a reference to a description used by Friedrich Engels to describe the area in his book Conditions of the Working Class. The University of Manchester Press first published Roberts book in the year 1971. The more recent publication by Penguin Books contains 254 pages, including the appendices. The author gives a firsthand description of the extreme poverty that gripped the area in which he grew up. His unique perspective allows him to accurately describe the self-imposed caste system, the causes and effects of widespread poverty, and the†¦show more content†¦Roberts organizes his book based on certain themes, such as culture and day-to-day life, paying special attention to the pre- and post-War periods so as to emphasize the evolution of the slum throughout the period of tim e covered. He divides it into chapters that cover specific aspects of society and day-to-day life in order to accentuate certain points. His writing style is a unique and well-chosen blend of personal reminiscences and historical research. Much of his writing, including his own experiences, is presented in a very matter-of-fact way. The impact this style has on the reader is great because he is able to state such horrors so bluntly, as only someone who was truly there can. Occasionally, however, his emotions break through, as is evident in his explanation of his parents separation and subsequent death on page 238. Lastly, the work is scholarly and concise, as Roberts chooses to get straight to the point and elaborate on it rather than saying the same thing in many different ways. The book is far from a complete history and instead focuses on one specific sector of British history, the plight of the poor in early 20th century Manchester. Three main points seems to fight their way to the forefront, as they drive the direction and tone of the book. The first main point stressed is the elaborate and complex social stratification. Roberts says on the first page, I grew up in what was perhaps an idealShow MoreRelatedThe World Of The 21st Century2489 Words   |  10 Pagestheir economic success. However, upon further review, there is no correlation between population and gross-domestic-product (GDP). Of the top ten cities in population, only four are also top ten cities in terms of GDP. Furthermore, rounding out the top ten cities by GDP are the cities San Fransisco and Boston - which are only ranked 35th and 48th in terms of the population respectively. (chart on page 13). These statistics are only from Mike Davis book where he is citing data from 2000 - if youRead MoreLiterature And Literature : The Novel One Of The Most Interesting And Significant Expression Of Humanity 1854 Words   |  8 Pagesindicated all books and writing. . . Literature has many genres such as Poem, Drama, Novel, and short story.The novel is one of the genres of fiction. The term Novel is derived from Italian word â€Å"Novella†. The novella was a kind of enlarged anecdote and it was found in the fourteenth century. It may be defined as the art of written works that are produced in the form of text books. It embodies the human life. Fiction can be classified into two that is fiction and non- fiction. Italian classic writerRead MoreEssay about City of God Analysis2153 Words   |  9 Pageslife growing up in the slums on the outskirts of Rio. What was meant to be a small film project became a success in many ways. 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Key words: land; Tara; sociology of novels; slavery civilization; spiritual world Contents Chapter 1 IntroductionÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…3 Chapter 2 Literature ReviewÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…...4 2.1 Brief Introduction of Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the WindÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…4 2.2 Previous Researches of Gone with the WindÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….4 2.3 The Views about Sociology of NovelsÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…..5 Chapter 3 NarrativeRead MoreSocial Policy, Social Welfare, and the Welfare State11346 Words   |  46 Pageslarge part of the economies of industrial societies. You may be using this book as a student on a social policy programme at university or college; or you may be taking a social policy module as part of professional training in social work or nursing; or because you have chosen a social policy option as part of a course in sociology, economics, politics, or history. 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An Insight into Michael Collin’s Life Free Essays

In 1916 during the Easter Rising his role was relatively low key, but y 1922 he ultimately gave his life in the Civil War for what he believed in. Michael Collins took part in the Easter Rising in Dublin. He fought alongside others in the General Post Office, and he was singled out as the most active and efficient officer in the place’ by Despond Fitzgerald, who had been put in charge of the General Post Office canteen. We will write a custom essay sample on An Insight into Michael Collin’s Life or any similar topic only for you Order Now L This would suggest that Collins always had leadership qualities and a passion for Ireland’s Freedom, which would play such an important part in later events such as the treaty negotiations of 1922. It would also imply that he had an important part In the Rising. However, Collins only played a relatively low key part, which was shown because he wasn’t one of the people who were court-martingale. This factual evidence contradicts the source, which shows even though this source is from a witness of the Rising and would have seen first-hand Collins’ part, it automatically has a low weight of argument because it’s provenance. The source is from one of his close associates who were on the same side as Collins in the Rising and therefore it will be in Collins favor towards his significance in the Rising. Also, Despond Fitzgerald isn’t the right person to edge his part in the rising because he was in charge of the Canteen, so only really saw Collins during meal times, which isn’t when he would be making decisions or under pressure from the British forces closing in. Despond Ryan, however, fought alongside Collins in the General post Office, paints the image of Collins very different to Fitzgerald. He said that Collins ‘sat in a corner, a look of horror in his eyes, a pallor spreading across his face†¦ Straining his control to breaking point’2 this suggests that he wasn’t efficient or significant and broke under the pressure of the Rising. Therefore, this indicates the Rising could have happened without Michael Collins. Both these sources were dated to 1 916 which makes the source reliable because it’s gives a good indication of the feelings towards Michael Collins at the time of the General Post Office takeover. However, Despond Ryan was Parse’s literary executor, and as Pears was executed after the rising for being one of its leaders, Ryan resented Collins for receiving limelight from the Rising, and not being executed like his close associate. Consequently, he is likely to describe Collins in a critical and negative light. The aftermath of the Rising resulted in Collins being sent to Foregone and whilst there he was one of the organizers of a program of protest and non- cooperation with authorities. He saw it as an opportunity to improve his guerrilla tactics and spread revolutionary gospel until it was emptied in December 1916. During his time in Foregone Collins made sure that the other refugees did NT give information about themselves up, as he knew that it was possible to beat them by wearing them down. He wrote to a friend ‘For a time they’ll raise war – in the end they’ll despair† 3. Collins knew the British would ire of trying to get information, and he saw it as an opportunity for networking with physical-force republicans from all over the country and improving his guerrilla tactics. The provenance of this source is from a letter. Collins wrote to a friend while in Foregone, so it gives a clear insight into his intentions which makes this source accurate. However, because it is from himself he may think he is making more of an impact than he actually is. Yet, this is unlikely because they all got released quickly from the camp which would back up this letter and give it a good weight of argument. The canteen staff in Foregone described Collins as ‘highly respected’ and when they took problems to him he ‘always listened logically. This helps us understand Michael Collins’ short term significance because he learnt from the military blunders made; such as the seizure of indefensible and very vulnerable positions like SST Stephens Greene and filled the vacuum made by the executions of the leaders of the Rising. Likewise, Foregone would have been different without Collins as the internees wouldn’t have been able to hold out and the Irish wouldn’t have developed such a fighting force. It’s a useful source because they were employed to work in the Foregone canteens so they are indifferent to Collins, which gives this source a high weight of argument which can be generalized to how others must have seen him who weren’t closely involved with him. Then again, as it is written so long after, it can be doubted On the contrary, the source was wrote over half a century later, so it’s questionable how far someone can precisely remember what the canteen staff thought about Collins. Michael Collins had many responsibilities after leaving Foregone. He was appointed Finance Minister and is described as ‘the unlikely Finance Minister who proved himself an administrator par excellence. ‘6 Collins produced a Finance Ministry that was able to organize a large bond issue in the form of a â€Å"National Loan† to fund the new Irish Republic which was placed in bank accounts of the trustees. This proves how exceptionally significant he was and what a great asset to Ireland he was. The British declared the finances Collins acquired as illegal but Collins carried the money through successfully even though he held down four major positions. The other three being Adjutant- General, Director Of Intelligence and the Director Of Organization. ) FINANCE MINSTER SOURCE He also organized jail breaks because ‘he would obtain information from a wide variety of people’ (Lick O’Connor). Lick O’Connor was he is a well- known intellectual figure in contemporary Irish affairs who was born after the death of Michael Collins which makes him a secondary source, his great- grandfather was Matt Harris, Land Leaguer, Fabian, and Irish Parliamentary party Member of Parliament, which means he grew up being surrounded by animal views to Michael Collins and be more likely to support him. Also without Collins, the finance effort would have been a lot weaker and there would have been less information known by Ireland to aid themselves in jail breaks ACT. Collins was a man of ‘charismatic nature’ and his ‘reputation for decisiveness’ made people want to seek his assistance and advice, which meant he was significant in the sense that he had leadership qualities which helped the Sin Feint, for example in elections. This was said by Winston Churchill which gives it a high weight of argument because he was an enemy f Collins so if he was complimenting Collins then it is more valid as information as he is likely to oppose him. In the Anglo- Irish war, Michael Collins played the most important role in this struggle. As director of intelligence of the AIR he crippled the British intelligence system in Ireland and replaced it with an effective Irish network. At the same time he performed his other responsibilities. He was significant because he maximized efficiency of and minimized losses which made Ireland able to withstand the larger British forces. For example ‘ the British made desirously high estimates of their enemy’ because of Collins tactics they thought that Ireland had a lot more man power than they really had, also, republican victories had widespread support from the Irish, including every level of society, and reaching deep into the British administration in Ireland. Without Collins the Irish Revolution would have been less effective without his skill in guerrilla warfare. The British government perceived him as a murdering criminal mastermind and thought about placing ‘E 10,000’ on his head if he was ‘dead or alive. This was discussed with Winston Churchill but ejected making Collins both Britain’s most wanted man and a Hero to Ireland. It seemed to be futile because he was anonymous to the British authorities and Collins used this to his advantage to unease his enemies, which would suggest why the price would have been so high. Mark Sutures wrote ‘l wonder how it is that the archbishop sees Collins apparently without difficulty and our intelligence fails’ These sources all give a good insight into how exasperated the British became with the notorious Michael Collins, and even though they desperately tried to capture him, they just couldn’t. These al are primary sources with a high weight of argument because they were on the opposing side Of the Anglo- Irish war so they wouldn’t want to outline their failures to capture him, and/or compliment him in the process. ANALYSIS When the war ended Collins was sent to go to the treaty negotiations. He went out of loyalty to De Valier, even though he was opposed to being sent to London as part of the Treaty delegation. ‘To me the task is a loathsome one. ‘8 This source gives a good insight into how Collins felt at the time. Also Collins negotiation skills and political knowledge was small compared to De Baler’s ND it meant giving up his shrouded identity. Nevertheless, David Lloyd George said that Collins ‘did not have De Baler’s slippery political cunning’ but he didn’t doubt he was ‘the head and front of the movement;9 this source is important and has a high weight of argument because someone opposing him recognized his significance. Lloyd George was very unfavorable of Collins at this time as he was the British prime minister. But then again, why would the British want to negotiate with Collins? They thought he was a murderer, so they must have realized he would be more impartial than De Valier in negotiations. When, Collins signed the treaty saying ‘I may have signed my own death warrant’ because he knew that many people wouldn’t agree with it but he did it for the long run good of Ireland. Britain wasn’t willing to give a better deal than that and he signed it under treat of ‘immediate and terrible war’ if it wasn’t signed. This shows the British had the dominant position at the time of the signing, which suggests it could have been forced. However, he had still achieved a lot because Ireland got half of her freedom back with is half more than she already had, and he was repaper to sacrifice himself for it. How to cite An Insight into Michael Collin’s Life, Papers

O-Positive Up Up Up free essay sample

The first impression you get from talking with the members of O-Positive, a Boston-based, close to big time band, is, in all actuality, positive. The five member group is comprised of extremely talented musicians, who for all their skills in music, are very loose, amiable and easy to talk to. Renowned for their powerful love songs, O-Positive is a band on the move. They have recently completed a two-week tour of the Eastern United States, and are looking to continue touring as much as possible. Unlike some bands, O-Positive is not an overly-serious gathering of nihilistic musicians. They are a band that likes to have fun, but in doing so, they dont detract from their musical style or substance; they add to it. O-Positive has struck a balance between comedy and charity, and the end result is a band that is one of the most engrossing, captivating bands of today. O-Positive began about seven years ago in the Boston area. All of the band members (Dave Herlihy, Dave Ingham, Dave Martin, Alex Lob, and Alan Petitti) grew up in and around Boston, specifically Newton and Watertown. We were all in some cover bands to start, says Alan Petitti, but I was getting sick of doing covers, and wanted to start writing my own material. So one day, Alex, Dave Ingham and I got together, jammed, and worked on some original stuff. That was really fun, and we decided to meet once a week to write new material. We made this a point, and I brought in Dave Herlihy, who was an acquaintance of mine. After awhile, he became a big part of what we were doing, and we decided to do a gig. The rest, as they say, is history. Encour- aged by the reaction they were getting, the four members (at the time) of O-Positive stuck with their intentions of originality. The O-Positive of today is made up of five very talented musicians. Dave Herlihy is on lead vocals, and also plays a mean guitar. Herlihy graduated from Watertown High School, and also passed the bar exam to obtain a law degree. Dave Ingham is O-Positives bassist, and also plays a part in the bands vocals. Dave Martin, a new addition to the original four member band and the last of the three Daves, plays guitar, and goes house on the tamborine for certain songs. Martin is also on O-Positives vocal crew. Alex Lob is the man in charge of hammering out a high-powered rhythm on the bands percussion section. Although he has a relatively quiet personality, once Lob hits the stage, hes sure to impress with his own unique style of play. Playing guitar, keyboards and the accordion for O-Positive, Alan Petitti rounds out the band. Petitti also contributes to the bands vocals. By varying playing styles and techniques from song to song, not to mention instruments, O-Positive comes off with a very unique sound, one that is not only hard to replicate, but difficult to develop as well. Upon posing the dreaded question (as seen by Dave Ingham), one can find out why the band decided to call themselves O-Positive. We didnt hate it, says Ingham right off the bat.We started thinking AWow, were not saying no to that, so it stuck, and just like any other name for any other band, it began to work for us. O-Positives first album was an EP that came out on a tiny label called Throbbing Lobster. Only Breathing was later compiled with another EP, Cloud Factory, which had come out on Links label. The Only Breathing/Cloud Factory compact disc came out on Links Label, and allowed O-Positive fans to enjoy such heart-wrenching tunes as Talk About Love and Up, Up, Up on the same album. Alan Petitti affirms the value of the CD by saying, It really was the release of the CD that made people stop and listen to us. Although college stations and WFNX had played our stuff, this CD put it all together, and was more attractive to the fans. When asked which song in particular could be credited with the groups success, Alex Lob doesnt hesitate to say, It was ATalk About Love. It has a real catchy tune that people can easily remember, and by remembering the song, they would also remember us. After Link put out the CD compilation in 1987, O-Positive switched labels and their new Toyboat, Toyboat, Toyboat came out that year on a major label, Epic Records. According to Dave Ingham, making the record with Epic was much easier than putting together Only Breathing or Cloud Factory, since, with the major label, the band actually had a recording budget, and were not pressed to squeeze all the recording studio time into as short a period as possible. One advantage of being with Epic is the number of opportunities that present themselves. O-Positive has already shot their first video for MTV, (Imagine That), and theyre hoping to get in some more videos off the new album. With a band just starting off in the Boston area, the members of O-Positive didnt really expect things to work out the way they did. For Petitti, I just wanted to be in a band considered good enough in Boston to get us gigs. However, the band members attitudes changed after the release of Only Breathing There came a point after the first record, that we all decided we were going to get a major label deal, maintains Ingham.Once we decided that, we just kept fighting towards that end. Youve got to. If you dont, then youre going to quit, because there are alot of points where morale is low, and quitting seems to be the easiest way out. To achieve the goal of becoming part of a major label, it is impossible to toy with the chemistry of a band. O-Positive has all of its original members plus one, so the original make-up of the band has not been changed. The days of the band just starting out are long gone, and O-Positive has just returned from their most extensive tour ever. Going the cheapest way possible, members of the band (as well as three crew people) roamed the country in a Winnebago. Although O-Positive did not headline their recent eleven-city, fourteen-day tour, they were exposed to large clubs, with capacities of over one thousand people. We were playing in front of maybe eight hundred to one thousand people every show. It was our job to get them into the music and to enjoy the acts following ours. But we found many people in many towns were very receptive to our music, comments Dave Ingham about the tour. The tour hit St. Louis, Kalamazoo, Ithaca, New York City, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, to name a few. When asked what they thought of opening for Sinead OConnor at Great Woods, Alan Petitti points out that, Whenever you open for a big name star, at a big venue, you find all the people you work with are professionals. Its really a great feeling to be treated that well. Alex Lob is quick to add, The food was great, too. The tour was a learning experience, as always, but it was also a self-promotional device to get people into O-Positive, which it obviously did. The members of O-Positive claim that there are innumerable things that have affected their music. Alan Petitti is particularly influenced by the guitarist from the Gang of Four, who Petitti claims, just starts pounding on his guitar, with no detectable rhythm; but it sounds great. I try to do that sometimes when Im playing. Dave Martin believes that he has been impacted not just by other bands, but by emotions stemming from watching certain movies, or seeing certain events. Its just that feeling you walk away with that leads you to think of a certain melody or phrase of words, comments Martin. O-Positive is truly one of the few unique bands around today that has its own group of fans, based on a singular, O-Positive sound. When you even come in temporary contact with the band, you become aware of the loose, fun-loving nature of the band members. Alan Petitti articulates, Were just a bunch of guys with the same goals and the same ideals. Through seven years of dedication and hard labor to meet those goals, O-Positive has defined themselves as an extraordinary group of talented individuals, capable of working well as a team. Seven years have seen the rise of O-Positive on the Boston scene. O-Positive has become Bostons premiere band. Within a few years, there is no doubt they will be one of the countrys premiere bands. O+ Up, Up, Up. n