The Dramatic Effects Used By Miller Essay Example For Students

The Dramatic Effects Used By Miller Essay Arthur Miller was born in 1915 and was therefore only 14 when the wall street crash occurred, this obviously affected his life in a major way. His plays are often centralised upon contemporary society and the various problems that face it, which is why, at first sight, The Crucible appears to be a bit off the track, with it being set 250 years previous to the time in which it is written. It is based around the Salem Witchtrials of the 17th Century. However, the play is in fact an oblique comment on the mass hysteria which swept America concerning a huge fear, Communism. We will write a custom essay on The Dramatic Effects Used By Miller specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now America is a right-wing society, and adopts many capitalist attitudes towards life, which is why communism was seen as a massive threat to American society, the American Dream. The dream where if you lived in America, you would find great wealth and prosper, with the perfect family and a high quality of life. Rich, upper and middle class citizens of America feared the far left extremists because the thought of a communist state being established in America and distributing their wealth evenly among the population horrified them, that it would shatter their American Dream. In America at this time there was a series of investigations led by the Un-American Activities Committee. The suspicion that ordinary people had Communist sympathies and that these people had to be tracked down. Senator Joseph McCarthy led a movement to check the citizens of the United States for political purity. This means people should prove complete loyalty to the USA. McCarthy is a similar character to Danforth who is mentioned later in this piece. Any who was suspected would be investigated and made to apologise in public and were forced to inform on other people who were suspected. Many innocent people were persecuted at a series of public hearings. Arthur Miller himself was accused of having communist links but was later acquitted. The story in the play is based upon the true events in Salem. The town had been founded by the pilgrim fathers, a group of puritans that had fled England to practice their religion in freedom. Miller writes knowledgeably about Puritanism and their beliefs and values. They were very strict in personal habits and morality. Swearing drinking and gambling were all frowned upon and punished. Modern technology was not used by them and still isnt today and the Puritans have always kept their lifestyles simple and old fashioned. This is reflected in the play by the clothes that are worn by the characters, very dull, drab clothing that are simple and very dismal colours, e. g. black, grey. There was no work, trade or sport allowed on Sundays and decorations and cosmetics were denounced. Theatre and entertainment were condemned and forbidden. The people of Salem, Mass. Were strong believers in the existence of the devil and they thought that witchcraft should be hunted out.

Apolinario Mabini, Philippines First Prime Minister

Apolinario Mabini, Philippines' First Prime Minister Apolinario Mabini (July 23, 1864–May 13, 1903) was the first prime minister of the Philippines. Known for his powerful intellect, political savvy, and eloquence, Mabini was called the brains and conscience of the revolution. Before his untimely death in 1903, Mabinis work and thoughts on the government shaped the Philippines fight for independence over the next century.   Fast Facts: Apolinario Mabini Known For:  First prime minister of Philipines; the brains of the revolutionAlso Known As:  Apolinario Mabini y MarananBorn:  July 23, 1864 in Talaga, Tanauwan, BatangasParents: Inocencio Mabini and Dionisia MarananDied:  May 13, 1903Education: Colegio de San Juan de Letran, University of Santo TomasPublished Works:  El Simil de Alejandro, Programa Constitucional de la Republica Filipina, La Revolucià ³n FilipinaAwards and Honors:  Mabinis face has been on the Philippine 10-peso coin and bill, Museo ni Apolinario Mabini, the Gawad Mabini is awarded to Filipinos for outstanding foreign serviceNotable Quote: Man, whether or not he wishes, will work and strive for those rights with which Nature has endowed him, because these rights are the only ones which can satisfy the demands of his own being. Early Life Apolinario Mabini y Maranan was born the second of eight children around 43 miles south of Manila on July 23, 1864. His parents were very poor: His father Inocencio Mabini was a peasant farmer and his mother Dionisia Maranan supplemented their farm income as a vendor at the local market. As a child, Apolinario was remarkably intelligent and studious. Despite his familys poverty, he studied at a school in Tanawan under the tutelage of Simplicio Avelino, working as a houseboy and tailors assistant to earn his room and board. He then transferred to a school run by the famed educator Fray Valerio Malabanan. In 1881, at the age of 17, Mabini won a partial scholarship to Manilas Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Once again he worked throughout his schooling, this time by teaching younger students Latin. Continued Education Apolinario earned his Bachelors degree and official recognition as a Professor of Latin in 1887. He went on to study law at the University of Santo Tomas. From there, Mabini entered the legal profession in order to defend poor people. He had himself faced discrimination in school from fellow students and professors, who picked on him for his shabby clothing before they realized how brilliant he was. It took Mabini six years to complete his law degree since he worked long hours as a law clerk and a court transcriptionist in addition to his studies. He ultimately earned his law degree in 1894 at the age of 30. Political Activities While at school, Mabini supported the Reform Movement. This conservative group was mainly made up of middle- and upper-class Filipinos calling for changes to Spanish colonial rule, rather than outright Philippine independence. Intellectual, author, and physician Josà © Rizal was also active in this movement.   In September 1894, Mabini helped establish the reformist Cuerpo de Comprimisarios- the Body of Compromisers- which sought to negotiate better treatment from Spanish officials. Pro-independence activists, mostly from the lower classes, joined the more radical Katipunan Movement instead. Established by Andrà ©s Bonifacio, the Katipunan movement advocated armed revolution against Spain. Legal Work and Illness In 1895, Mabini was admitted to the lawyers bar and worked as a newly minted lawyer in the Adriano law offices in Manila while he also served as the secretary of the Cuerpo de Comprimisarios. However, early in 1896, Apolinario Mabini contracted polio, which left his legs paralyzed. Ironically, this disability saved his life that autumn. The colonial police arrested Mabini in October of 1896 for his work with the reform movement. He was still under house arrest at the San Juan de Dios Hospital on December 30 of that year, when the colonial government summarily executed Josà © Rizal, and its believed that Mabinis polio likely kept him from the same fate. The Spanish-American War Between his medical condition and his imprisonment, Apolinario Mabini was not able to participate in the opening days of the Philippine Revolution. Nevertheless, his experiences and the execution of Rizal radicalized Mabini and he turned his keen intellect to the issues of revolution and independence.   In April 1898, he penned a manifesto on the Spanish-American War, presciently warning other Philippine revolutionary leaders that Spain would likely cede the Philippines to the United States if it lost the war. He urged them to continue to fight for independence. This paper brought him to the attention of General Emilio Aguinaldo, who had ordered the execution of Andrà ©s Bonifacio the previous year and had been driven into exile in Hong Kong by the Spanish. The Philippine Revolution The Americans hoped to use Aguinaldo against the Spanish in the Philippines, so they brought him back from his exile on May 19, 1898. Once ashore, Aguinaldo ordered his men to bring the author of the war manifesto to him, and they had to carry the disabled Mabini over the mountains on a stretcher to Cavite. Mabini reached Aguinaldos camp on June 12, 1898, and soon became one of the generals primary advisers. That same day, Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independence, with himself as the dictator. Establishing the New Government On July 23, 1898, Mabini was able to talk Aguinaldo out of ruling the Philippines as an autocrat. He convinced the new president to establish a revolutionary government with an assembly rather than a dictatorship. In fact, Apolinario Mabinis power of persuasion over Aguinaldo was so strong that his detractors called him the Dark Chamber of the President, while his admirers named him the Sublime Paralytic. Because his personal life and morality were difficult to attack, Mabinis enemies in the new government resorted to a whispering campaign to slander him. Jealous of his immense power, they started a rumor that his paralysis was due to syphilis, rather than polio- despite the fact that syphilis does not cause paraplegia. Creating Institutional Foundations Even as these rumors spread, Mabini continued to work toward fashioning a better country. He wrote most of Aguinaldos presidential decrees. He also molded policy on the organization of the provinces, the judicial system, and the police, as well as property registration and military regulations. Aguinaldo appointed him to the Cabinet as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and President of the Council of Secretaries. In these roles, Mabini exercised significant influence over the drafting of the first constitution for the Philippine Republic. Trying to Avert War Mabini continued moving up the ranks in the new government with his appointment as both the prime minister and foreign minister on January 2, 1899, right when the Philippines was on the brink of yet another war. On March 6 of that year, Mabini began negotiations with the United States over the Philippines fate. Now that the U.S. had defeated Spain, both the U.S. and the Philippines were already engaged in hostilities, but not in a declared war. Mabini sought to negotiate autonomy for the Philippines and a ceasefire from foreign troops, but the U.S. refused the armistice.  In frustration, Mabini threw his support behind the war effort and on May 7 he resigned from Aguinaldos government, with Aguinaldo declaring war less than a month later on June 2. At War Again As the declared war began, the revolutionary government at Cavite had to flee. Once again Mabini was carried in a hammock, this time to the north, 119 miles to Nueva Ecija. On December 10, 1899, he was captured there by Americans and made a prisoner of war in Manila until the following September.   Upon his release on January 5, 1901, Mabini published a scathing newspaper article titled El Simil de Alejandro, or The Resemblance of Alejandro, which stated: Man, whether or not he wishes, will work and strive for those rights with which Nature has endowed him, because these rights are the only ones which can satisfy the demands of his own being. To tell a man to be quiet when a necessity not fulfilled is shaking all the fibers of his being is tantamount to asking a hungry man to be filled while taking the food which he needs. The Americans immediately re-arrested him and sent him into exile in Guam when he refused to swear fealty to the United States. During his long exile, Apolinario Mabini wrote La Revolucion Filipina,  a memoir. Worn down and sickly and fearing that he would die in exile, Mabini finally agreed to take the oath of allegiance to the United States. Death On February 26, 1903, Mabini returned to the Philippines where American officials offered him a plush government position as a reward for agreeing to take the fealty oath, but Mabini refused, releasing the following statement: After two long years I am returning, so to speak, completely disoriented and, what is worse, almost overcome by disease and sufferings. Nevertheless, I hope, after some time of rest and study, still to be of some use, unless I have returned to the Islands for the sole purpose of dying. Sadly, his words were prophetic. Mabini continued to speak and write in support of Philippine independence over the next several months. He fell ill with cholera, which was rampant in the country after years of war, and died on May 13, 1903, at only 38 years old. Legacy Like fellow Philippine revolutionaries Josà © Rizal and Andrà ©s Bonifacio, Mabini did not live to see his 40th birthday. Yet in his short career, he had an outsize role in shaping the revolutionary government and the future of the Philippines. The Museo ni Apolinario Mabini in Tanauan, Philippines exhibits the life and deeds of Mabini. Mabinis face has been on the Philippine 10-peso coin and bill. The Gawad Mabini is an honor given to Filipinos for distinguished foreign service. Sources â€Å"Apolinario Mabini, by Leon Ma. Guerrero.†Ã‚  Presidential Museum and Library.Joaquin, Nick. â€Å"Mabini the Mystery. Presidential Museum and Library.Yoder, Dr. Robert L. Mabini: Wounded Hero.

Business proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business proposal - Assignment Example In this regard, we would focus on collecting information about the present healthcare and educational issues faced by the lower income group population and provide adequate knowledge through campaigning, in order to improve their living standards. In order to obtain detailed information about the health conditions and educational backgrounds of the locales, we have already prepared a set a program, which can enable our project team to obtain adequate data and formulate effective strategies to achieve the desired objective in improving the living standard of the community population. Therefore, we would highly appreciate your knowledgeable review along with approval regarding the proposed protocol. In this proposal, your questions and further recommendations would be highly acknowledged. We look forward to your kind response regarding the approval of the proposal. Sincerely, Chun Hao EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In relation to the current scenario of the communities, especially the lower income group around the university campus, a significant support is highly essential in order to develop their health and educational background at a greater sustainable level. Correspondingly, the population of the community is often identified to face different health related issues. Moreover, considering the increasing unemployment along with mounting poverty rate of the community population, a substantial degree of need persists to take adequate steps in providing a basic educational support to develop the living standards within the mentioned community. The research proposal aims to conduct knowledge enhancement activities regarding healthcare issues, which can enable them to improve their present living standard, especially that led by the low income group population around the univer

Researched argument essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Researched argument - Essay Example uch individuals has been depicted in several literary books and articles with a view of informing the entire nation and the world, at large, about the unlucky population in the United States. One of these books is Ehrenreich’s â€Å"Nicket and Dimed†. The book has its settings in Florida, Maine and Minnesota (Ehrenreich 38). People normally work to get money and make their lives better. However, what most of the workers in Florida experience is opposite, or contrary to what a reasonable person would think of. Most of the people in this area work hard but poverty still remain the greatest challenge to their existence and lives. Most of the workers strive to do their best but they do not achieve their target of affording a good lifestyle. The same is experienced by workers in Twin Cities in Minnesota and Maine. Another contradicting issue on the poverty life among people in these regions is that the demand for labor in most industries and companies is high, but the wages are very low and there are no increments. This is against the normal law of economics whereby an increase in demand naturally leads to an increase in the price of the product, or labor in this case. In addition to the above, the workers work tirelessly under these low wage rates. It is uncommon to find people commit themselves working on a peanut pay. Ehrenreich says that she grew with a belief that the secret of success was hard work and nothing else (E-notes.com). What she experiences in the mentioned areas makes her doubts her beliefs and the childhood teachings. ‘Hard work’ was the secret of success: ‘Work hard and you’ll get ahead’ or ‘It’s hard work that got us where we are (Chazelle & Chainani)†. She remembers this, through flashback, and believes that it is only t hrough hard work that she will achieve her life dreams and consequentially succeed in his plans. The reality that unveils the low-wage workplace is like a mockery to her (E-notes.com). She does not believe it

American Historical Association Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Historical Association - Essay Example The diversity of people makes them want to study history, as it would help them understand certain predicaments. History is mainly important to those individuals who want to find out the meaning of being humans. People who dwell on the history of the origin of human become more self-aware as, through it, individuals learn about the actions of individuals in the past. It is through the study of colonization that a person is able to understand completely what the European nations were doing in Africa (Velasquez, 2014). Events such as the Holocaust or Hiroshima bombing teaches a historian about the dangerous side of humans. It is vital for an individual who wants to develop the art of critical thinking to study history. This is cultivated by the detailed information and explanations provided in history. Individuals who found themselves in foreign places ought to study history to help them answers any questions that they may have. Some of the questions that they may have are the difference in color or accent (Velasquez, 2014). People in countries with different cultures would turn to history to help them understand the difference in the two cultural practices.

Cotton: The Fabric of Our Lives :: Botany

Cotton: The Fabric of Our Lives Oils, balls, swabs, bandages, tissue, paper, napkins, diapers, socks, underwear, shirts, shorts, sweaters, pants, coats, towels, linen, cushions, drapery, upholstery, rugs, carpet, comforters, mattresses, insulation, filtration, and many other things that are used daily by everyone are composed of, or inspired by cotton. Cotton is a soft, fluffy, naturally occurring fiber plant that can be processed into an array of materials and goods. Many, many things that we wear, sleep on, sleep under, walk on, or utilize in wound-care, etc., contain some percentage of cotton. It is a fiber that is used everyday, by everyone, in one way or another. It has qualities that have made it a choice crop for centuries around the world. Today though, cotton is being largely displaced by synthetic fibers that have qualities that exceed the natural crop plant. These fibers can also be mass-produced and sold at relatively lower costs. Still, cotton stands alone as the most utilized fiber crop plant used around the world. Also known as "King Cotton," in the United States, it was the major force behind the institution of the American age of slavery, and cotton prevailed as the economic source for the southern states of the United States and its antebellum prosperity before the civil war. It holds an important place in America's past, present, and future. Cotton is truly the "Fabric of Our Lives". Characteristics Cotton is an annual, biennial or perennial plant, but in cultivation it is generally treated as an annual; herbaceous to short shrub or small tree - two to six feet tall. It consist of a primary axis, erect and branched with a vegetative lower zone having monopodial branches, and a fruiting upper zone with sympodial branches. The leaves of the cotton plant alternate, cordate petiolate, three to nine lobed and palmately veined, with varying size, texture, shape and hairiness. The large, showy, cream yellow, red or purple flowers are extra axillary, terminal, solitary, and borne on sympodial branches. The calyx (= collectively the sepals) consists of a very short cup-shaped structure at the base of the corolla. The five petals of the corolla are either free or slightly united at the base of the convoluted bud (Sundararaj, 1974). Cotton belongs to Gossypium, a genus named by Linnaeus in the middle of the 18th century. The genus has been classified in both the Malvaceae or mallow family and the Bombacaceae families and in both the Hibsceae and Gossypieae tribes.

Vegetarian/Vegan Documented Argument

No Dessert until You Finish Your Vegetables A vegetarian lifestyle has been lived by a small portion of society for years for many different reasons. Most meat eaters do not agree with the views or lifestyle choices or vegetarians. In recent years, however, the practice of withholding from meat consumption has taken on new life mainly because of undeniable new proof of its health benefits and a changing social view that is gradually expanding to include the rights of animals. In spite of its speedy growth, the vegetarian ideology remains a largely controversial subject for many Americans.Its sudden popularity in the peculator leaves many avid meat-eaters questioning the validity of Its benefits and struggling to defend their way of life which has been around since cavemen. While meat consumption in America is rising, vegetarianism is flourishing a surprising popularity of its own. A poll recently conducted by Time Magazine estimates that ten million Americans consider themselves to b e vegetarians, and an additional twenty million say that they have â€Å"flirted† with vegetarianism sometime In the past (Corrals).A separate survey found that schools and universities are Increasingly offering meatless meals to their students in an attempt to keep up with the increasing demand among young vegetarians. In fact, in a recent survey of twelve to nineteen year olds, twenty percent of all the respondents and 28 percent of the female respondents described vegetarianism as â€Å"in† (Irvine). While many critics dismiss this appreciation for the idea of a plant-based diet as a short-lived social trend, that is hardly the case.Eating meat is a practice that causes numerous health risks and takes a significant toll on the environment, all at the expense of the suffering of Innocent creatures. Society as a whole would be better served In making a transition to a healthier, less violent vegetarian lifestyle. Such a change would leave the world a better place, ben efiting our earth and our health as well as increasing our awareness of the world around us. One of the most important reasons for our society to accept vegetarianism is the damage that meat production causes to the environment.While most Americans don't realize It, eating and producing meat inspires a wasteful misuse of the earth's valuable resources, leaving an UN- occupy the earth, three times the number of human beings (Motivational). In the U. S. Alone livestock outnumber people twenty-five to one. The amount of room required to raise all these animals is massive (Corrals). In South America, about seventy thousand acres of rainforest's are destroyed every day to make land for cattle to graze (Hurley 40), and the use of the land Is so Inefficient that It Is estimated that a single vegetarian will save an acre of trees every year.The large number of animals bred for food go to the bathroom at a rate of 87,000 pounds per second, or about 20 tons of manure per year for every U. S. Household, all of which is eventually routed to rivers ND streams. The problem is so bad that the Environmental Protection Agency has stated that animal feces â€Å"pollutes American waterways more than all other industrial sources combined† (Motivational). Modern farming methods also consume water and fossil fuels at an alarming rate. It requires only 2,000 liters of water to produce a in beef (Corrals).The amount of waste is disturbing. In his book The Food Revolution, John Robbins states â€Å"you'd save more water by not eating one pound of California beef than you would by not showering for an entire year† (Metallic). The production f meat also requires huge amounts of fossil fuel, consuming about eight times what it would take to produce a comparable amount of plant protein and about 30 times the fuel required to produce an equal amount of grain (Hurley). Ironically, the vegetable industry also wastes massive amounts of food.The amount of grain consumed by Americ a's livestock, about five times the grain consumed by humans in the U. S. , could feed 800 million people (Corrals). Jean Mayer, a nutritionist at Harvard, estimates that a reduction in meat consumption by the American people by Just ten recent would produce enough grain to feed 60 million people (Metallic), and former Environmental Minister of India Manage Gandhi is quoted as saying, â€Å"Were all of [the grain fed to livestock] consumed directly by humans, it would nourish five times as many people as it does after being converted into meat, milk and eggs† (Hurley 40).The problem is exacerbated by the fact that meat production is such an inefficient use of land, while a ten-acre farm could support 60 people growing soybeans or 24 people growing wheat, the same ten acres could support only two people raising cattle (Metallic). The case against eating meat is also strengthened by the overabundance of scientific evidence behind the health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. T he premise that vegetarian diets are nutritionally lacking is a common misconception; however, the scientific evidence supports a conclusion to the contrary.The USDA and nutrition experts alike have praised vegetarianism for its health benefits (Hurley 39); in fact, research has shown that for many people the health benefits of a vegetarian diet may exceed that of those who eat meat. The most obvious reason for this is the potential that meat carries for contamination. Sixty percent of supermarket chickens are infected with salmonella, and in 1997 alone 25 million pounds of hamburger were contaminated with the E. Coli virus (Metallic). Mostly, however, vegetarian diets are endorsed for much more positive reasons.Studies have shown that the meat-free lifestyle is beneficial for reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, diabetes, and several forms of cancer (Corrals). Especially significant in today's society due to the growing problem, is the diet's poten tial for lowering the risk for obesity. According to the U. S. Government, 23% of Americans were obese as of the year 2000 (â€Å"Overweight Prevalence†). Plant-based diets have also been shown to aid in diabetics' kidney and nerve functions.In addition, they may be a factor in the longer life spans evident in industrialized nations and, according to the International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition at Loam Linda University, can â€Å"slow, and perhaps even reverse, age-related declines in brain function and in cognitive and motor performance† (Corrals). Alternatively, a large study has found that diets high in animal protein and lacking in Lana foods actually increased the risk for heart disease and cancer (â€Å"Meat-Free†). Dry. Caldwell Uselessly Jar. F the Cleveland Clinic asserts that our typical American diet, characterized by its emphasis on animal products, is the cause of 75% of the diseases in our country (Hurley 39). There have also been several fin dings in this area of particular interest to women. Studies have shown that soy foods, the most and reduce the hot flashes she experiences during menopause (â€Å"Meat-Free†). In addition, a study recently published in Contemporary BOB/GUN maintains that a low- at vegetarian diet can aid in the relief of symptoms of premenstrual syndrome such as â€Å"pain intensity, behavioral problems and water retention† (Correct).Cardiovascular disease, which kills more women than any other disease, can also be affected by a vegetarian diet, as the diet â€Å"leads to striking reductions† in cholesterol (Shadow's). The common myth that vegetarian diets are nutritionally inadequate is largely untrue. Even the American Dietetic Association endorses vegetarianism: â€Å"A well-planned vegetarian eating style can be healthful, nutritionally sound, and beneficial for the prevention of certain diseases. One of the prevailing misconceptions is that the diet does not allow for all the necessary protein.The truth, however, is exactly the opposite; several vegetables – and soy products in particular – provide all of the protein that the body needs (â€Å"Meat-Free†). In contrast, the average omnivore actually consumes an amount of protein that greatly exceeds what is healthy (Hurley 40). Another concern is the lack of calcium in the diet, but this also proves unfounded. In fact, research has shown that while most American teens get far from enough calcium, vegetarian teens who include eggs and milk in their diet actually consume a more than adequate amount of the nutrient (Corrals).Perhaps the most important argument for vegetarianism is the practice of producing and eating meat. The process of giving life for the sole purpose of taking it away is extremely questionable from an ethical point of view. Author Michael Pollen wrote, â€Å"More than any other institution, the American industrial animal farm offers a nightmarish glimpse of what capitalism can look like in the absence of moral or regulatory constraint. † This is particularly true in the case of Cafes, Confined Animal Feeding Operations, sometimes also called factory farms.Conditions on these farms are so repulsive that Pollen writes, â€Å"To visit a modern CAFE†¦ Is to enter a world that, for all its technological sophistication, is still designed according to Cartesian principles: animals are machines incapable of feeling pain. Since no thinking person can possibly believe this any more, industrial animal agriculture depends on a suspension of disbelief on the part of the people who operate it and a willingness to avert your eyes on the part of everyone else. Male chickens born on a CAFE will be thrown into trash bags and left to die because they are of no value to a farmer Motivational). Those females unlucky enough to survive are packed six at a time into a crate no wider than a piece of paper. The stress soon overwhelms them, and most rub a gainst the cages until they molt and bleed (Pollen); they would cannibalize the other animals but for the fact that their beaks are literally seared off at birth (Hurley).When a laying hen is about to die, she will be â€Å"force-molted† which means she is deprived of food and water for days at a time to force her to lay one last time before she dies. The mortality rate from stress alone at these farms is about ten percent, a umber so fixed that farmers will actually budget it into their production costs. Another example is that of the hogs raised for bacon and pork. Weaned only ten days after birth, baby pigs develop an oral fixation of sucking on the tails of the other pigs.The pigs in possession of the suckled tails are so depressed that they refuse to fight back, and the constant sucking and nibbling can easily lend the tail to infection. To remove the tail but to make the sucking so painful that the accosted pig will have no choice but to fight back. Pigs who don't fight back and become infected or take ill are â€Å"clubbed to death on the spot† (Pollen). Some critics question the validity of reports of animal cruelty, citing government regulations and the Humane Slaughter Act, which was intended to guarantee the humane treatment of animals.Unfortunately government regulations are sparse and rarely enforced, and the Humane Slaughter Act applies only to the actual slaughtering process itself and offers an animal no protection from mistreatment up until the moment of death (Hurley 37). Additionally, the Act and even regular USDA inspections have had seemingly little effect on actual farm practices: animals are regularly skinned alive, and often â€Å"regain consciousness ruing slaughtering† (Motivational). There are strictly moral arguments against eating meat as well.In his critical essay â€Å"Why Friends Shouldn't Let Friends be Eaten: An Argument for Vegetarianism,† author Jeff Jordan examines the issue of morality from a so ciologically scientific standpoint: The morality of meat consumption also comes into question given the growing evidence that animals are capable of emotions very similar to our own. It is virtually inarguable that animals hold the capacity to experience fear, and most higher mammals and even some birds play in their youth and into adulthood. It might be surprising for some to learn that even grief has been observed among wild animals, especially at the death of a family member.Scientists have often seen elephants â€Å"trying to revive dead or dying family members† and even â€Å"standing beside the remains for many days, periodically reaching out and touching the body with their trunks. † Similarly, female sea lions have been seen wailing as their pups are eaten by predators. This evidence leaves little doubt in some scientists' minds that animals have at least a basic understanding of the concept of death (Tangled). If this is the case, then Animal Liberation author Peter Singer makes a very valid point: â€Å"The question is not, Can they reason? Or, Can they talk? But, Can they suffer? † ( Pollen). Our very motivation behind meat consumption is also cause for moral concern. In a recent study appearing in The Journal of Social Psychology, researchers contemplated the fact that the â€Å"prominence of meat in the food system seems greater than its nutritional value; therefore, meat probably has a socially constructed value. † It has been postulated in the past that meat may have a higher social connection with masculinity and power while plant foods are stereotypically associated with undermined weaker traits.The findings of the published study confirmed this theory: researchers found that â€Å"a more pronounced omnivore identity† was â€Å"associated with stronger social dominance,† and that omnivores tended to value social power where vegetarians â€Å"emphasized peace, equality, and social Justice. † The strong correlation suggests a desire to eat meat not Just for sustenance but also as a means of environmental control (Allen et al). Most major religions examine the concept of vegetarianism, and virtually all at least partially endorse it as a way of life.Buddha instructed his followers to abstain from eating meat, and in the Hindu Epic poem â€Å"The Inhabitant† followers who desire â€Å"good memory, long life with perfect health, and physical, moral and spiritual strength† are encouraged to consume only plant foods (Null 12). Even the Bible encourages a plant based diet: â€Å"Then God said, ‘l give fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food† (Holy Bible: Gene. 1:29). In spite of the surplus of evidence that vegetarianism would be more beneficial to humanity, critics continue to voice their skepticism and, sometimes, downright disdain for the idea of forsaking meat. The website www. Inches. Net, for instance, poses the question, â€Å"If anima ls weren't meant to be eaten, why are they made out of meat? † It is a question that Richard Corrals rightly counters, â€Å"One might ask the same of humans. † The fact remains that many of the opinions against vegetarianism are easily challenged. For instance, most opponents will maintain that meat is necessary for a healthy diet, and that it is only harmful when eaten in excess. The fallibility in this argument is that the average American eats two times the recommended amount of protein; it is almost always, at least in our country, eaten in excess (Corrals).The idea that farmers have an interest in keeping their animals healthy is also a falsehood. The plight of veal calves is a perfect example: these calves are treated so poorly that they must be medicated to keep them alive. Because of the way they are raised, they are usually too weak to walk and have to be dragged into the slaughterhouse (Hurley 38). Opponents also point to the food chain when attempting to con test vegetarianism's way of life claiming that man is naturally on top of the food chain and that animals would be Just as susceptible to predators in the wild as they are on a farm, if not more so.Pollen argues against this point :†Do you really want to base your morality on the natural order? Murder and rape are natural, too. Besides, humans don't need to kill other creatures in order to survive; animals do. † There are also those who argue that man, who secured his position at the top of his food chain with his powerful intellectual capabilities, has an inherent right to consume the flesh of other animals. While man is indeed intellectually superior to his fellow beings, his intelligence should not be Justification for harming those less fortunate than himself.Just because one man is less wealthy than another goes that give the wealthy man the right to think he is better than the poor man? I have experienced first hand not only a vegetarian lifestyle but a vegan lifes tyle. As a vegan I restrained from eating any animal products including all types of meat, dairy products and even honey. If I had a dollar for every time someone tells me that I don't get enough protein in my diet I would have enough money to buy the entire meat industry that is telling me my way of life is wrong. As a vegan I obtained all of the necessary nutrients my body needed in a more healthy way than most meat eaters.I get protein from beans and other legumes. I also drank raw, vegan protein shakes which gave me more protein than a normal serving of dairy protein shakes. Contrary to mainstream belief, I never felt run-down or sick during my time as a vegan. In fact, I quickly noticed a boost in my energy and metabolism when I made the switch from omnivore to herbivore. I was digesting food quicker and I started sleeping better. Along with the physical benefits, I also noticed that I was happier. I had a more sane mentality and my confidence went up. My friends and family wer e amazed at how well I was dealing with giving up meat.I didn't have a hard time at all. Most people think that if they make the switch to vegetarian that they will have terrible cravings for meat. While somewhat true, my meat cravings went away quickly and after almost a year of being vegetarian the thought of meat now makes my lifestyle. The benefits are innumerable and obvious. Anyone trying to lose weight will be amazed how quickly the fat sheds and is much more easily replaced by lean muscle. My personal experiences are defense enough for me to prove that anyone can benefit from a vegetarian lifestyle. I am still a vegetarian and I do not intend on owing back to meat.