George Washingtons Life :: essays research papers fc

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. George Washington inherited much more than a good mind and a strong body. He belonged to an old colonial family that believed in hard work, public service and in worshiping God. Washington's father, Augustine Washington was born in 1694 and died in 1743. He had four children with his first wife, Jane Butler Washington. She died in 1729. In March 1731, Augustine married Mary Ball. She was George's mother. Mary was born in 1709 and died in 1789. Some people think of George Washington as a young boy who chopped down a cherry tree. Some also think he could throw coins across the Rappahannock River. Many people laugh when they think of his false teeth. Almost everybody believes that he was the first president of our country. Only one of these facts are true. Washington did have false teeth. His false teeth were made of whale bone and deer antlers. He never chopped down a cherry tree, and unless his pitching arm was better than that of any professional baseball player, he could have never thrown anything across the river. The most startling fact is that he wasn't even the first president. Our first president was John Hanson. He was elected president of the thirteen states in the Confederation. After Hanson, there were more before Washington. There was Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henery and Cyrus Griffin. At the age of 17, Washington began traveling across rivers, mountains and Indian trails to remote parts of Virginia. He learned to survive in the wilderness. When Washington was 20, his brother Lawrence died and Washington became the owner of Mount Vernon. At the age of 21, he fought heroically in the French and Indian War which raged in Canada. He began his military career in late 1752 as an adjutant for the Virginia Military. After that he became a British officer in the French Indian War. In 1775, he was almost killed while serving as an aide to General Edward Braddock. Three years later, Washington was elected to the Virginia House of Burgeses. He then served as Justice of the Peace for Fairfay County. He resigned from the military with the rank of Colonel. As a young man, Washington was a romantic. He fell in love many times. He was rejected twice before he met the woman he finally married.

Catcher in the rye Essay

The novels The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger and Ordinary People by Judith Guest are very comparable in a way; the two novels demonstrate the daily obstacles that teenagers have to overcome. In The Catcher in the Rye it is shown to us that Holden Caulfield is trying to overcome depression and in Ordinary People it is shown to us that Conrad Jarrett gets accepted by his family members and peers again and finds happiness after his depression. The loss of a sibling can have a big impact and similar effects on two different people’s lives, such as Holden Caulfield and Conrad Jarrett. Their thoughts and actions that they make are much influenced by their peers, parents or guardians, and female relationship in their lives. To begin with, in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield does not have good relationship with his peers and instead he mainly criticizes them by thinking everyone around him is â€Å"phony†. For instance, since Holden is a â€Å"protector of innocence† he wanted to protect Jane, who is a girl that he once liked from Stradlater trying to do sexual intercourse, resulting into a fight. â€Å"†¦ [a]ll I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might† (Salinger 43). This proves that through alienation Holden cannot get his feelings out quick enough which causes action to happen. Not only Holden uses violence to express his emotions but also Conrad Jarrett in the novel Ordinary People does the same. This can be shown when Conrad decides to attend a school swim-meet after school. As the meet ends, Conrad’s see his friends and as usual, Kevin Stillman begins to give Conrad a tough time, asking him about Jeannine. Conrad loses control and snaps by attacking Stillman â€Å"†¦ [t]he sound shattering the parking lot, the red brick wall of building behind him, the white doors, gray cement – all dissolving into broken bits of color, heading swiftly toward him as he slam his fist, hard, against that face† (Guest 143). After this conflict, Conrad realizes that he has always thought the loss of his brother only as it affects him. Next, this brings us to the theme of isolation in the context of peer relationships. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden isolates himself from his peers. He relies on his isolation to maintain his detachment from the world and self-protection; he even often sabotages his own attempts to end loneliness. For instance, he calls out Sally Hayes for a date and urges her to run away with him to Massachusetts or Vermont, when Sally rejects him, he displays rude behavior as he states to her â€Å"[y]ou give me a royal pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth† (Salinger 133). On the other hand, Conrad opposes two types of characteristic in line with depression: a lack of feeling and a tendency towards isolation. Accordingly, Conrad creates an imaginary block between him and his peers. When he is alone, he would pull up onto his bed and â€Å"blocking out the sharp arrows of sun that pierce through the window† (Guest 10). In this way, he hides his unwanted emotions and feelings from his peers by being isolated. With the isolation between the two characters, they also lead into becoming anti-social with their peers. It is evident in The Catcher in the Rye that Holden does not have a good relationship with his peers. Holden has a strong anger against everyone and that results into having a hard time developing a relationship with peers. â€Å"Girls with lousy legs, girls that looked like swell girls, girls that looked like they’d be bitches if you knew them† (Salinger 123). This proves that Holden believes everyone surrounded by him are phonies because he cannot accept the fact that society changes. Likewise, Conrad becomes anti-social by spending more time in the library than with his friends and consequently he starts to lose his best friend Joe Lazenby. At one point in the novel, Joe Lazenby has a talk with Conrad, which ends up in an argument. Conrad then begins to feel hollow in the pit of his stomach, as if he was being punched and he thought to himself, â€Å"never mind him, screw him screw them they were all Buck’s friends anyway† (Guest 83). This suggests that Conrad is becoming more isolated and antisocial due to the loss of his brother Buck. Secondly, in addition to peer influence, Holden and Conrad are deeply affected by their relationships with their parents and guardians. To start off, Holden in the Catcher in the Rye is afraid to be seen by his parents from being kicked out of school. â€Å"I began to relax, sort of. I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they’d catch me home or not. I figured the hell with it. If they did, they did† (Salinger 163). It is apparent that the he does not want to be seen because his parents will just see him as a screw up, since his other brother D.B is more successful. This is similar to Conrad’s relationship with his parents in Ordinary People. Conrad feels that he is a disappointment to his parents, since his older brother has an image of being superior. To illustrate, â€Å"†¦ [b]ut it had been Conrad, shaken and scared who answered him, not Buck. Buck had never worried about anything† (Guest 117). Conrad is being compared to Buck, proving his weakness. Conrad is projecting a self-image of himself through his parents and which he is suggesting that he is â€Å"the problem†. As these two characters become more distant from their parents, they start receive less attention from them. In the case of Holden in the Catcher in the Rye, his parents just move him to another school instead of admitting that there may be something wrong with him. For example, â€Å" †¦ they’ll be pretty irritated about it, they really will. This is about the fourth school I’ve gone to† (Salinger 9). This indicates that Holden does not understand his parents and they do not understand him. In the same way, Conrad mostly has a hard time communicating with his mother and starts to feel isolated from her. For instance, it took Conrad one month to admit to his parents he had quit the swim team, as he was afraid of their disproval. When his parents found out, his mother becomes infuriated with him. Conrad replies and says, â€Å"I’m sure I would have told you. If you gave a damn!† (Guest 109). It is clear that the loss of Buck may have an impact on the poor communication between Conrad and his mother. It appears as though Conrad is still living in the pa st while his mother is trying to move on. Although the two characters have difficult relationships with their parents, they still have their guardians. To exemplify, Holden and his former school teacher Mr. Antolini have been friends for a long time, and the two are obviously close. It is evident Mr. Antolini cares a lot about his Holden, as he encourages him to take education more seriously and focus more on meaningful activities â€Å"I laid awake for just a couple of seconds thinking about all that stuff Mr. Antolini’d told me. About finding out the size of your mind and all. He was really a pretty smart guy† (Salinger 191). This demonstrates Mr. Antolini concerns about Holden. Similarly, Conrad is able to gain support from Dr. Berger, his psychiatrist. Conrad shows his close relationship with Dr. Berger by seeking lots of advice about his problems. For instance, Conrad was able to seek help from Dr. Berger when he was going through an emotional breakdown with his brother’s loss. Dr. Berger was able to provide comfort as he stated, â€Å"[i]t is a very far-out act of self-preservation, do you get that Con? And you were right. Nobody needs you to be Buck. It’s okay to be just you† (Guest 177). Dr. Berger ends up showing Conrad that healing from depression involves feeling anything, even anger. Lastly, Holden and Conrad each have important female figures in their lives. One of the important females to Holden would be his little ten-year-old sister, Phoebe. Phoebe helped Holden discover his problems and is the only one he trusts in his life. â€Å"Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her. She likes those kind of crazy hats. She didn’t want to take it, but I made her† (Salinger 180). This demonstrates how much Holden trusts Phoebe because the red hunting hat was important to him during his journey. On the other hand, Conrad meets a girlfriend, Jeannine. Jeannine provides a rebuilding stage into Conrad’s life. While Jeannine is helping to rebuild Conrad’s life, Phoebe is helping Holden to resolve his problems. Although Phoebe is still young, she can tell that he needed her. For instance, Holden could not hold back and started to cry, â€Å"I couldn’t help it. I did it so nobody could hear me, but I did it †¦ she came over and tried to make me stop, but once you get started, you can’t just stop on a goddam dime† (Salinger 179). Jeannine gives Conrad the confidence required to challenge many problems. For example, â€Å"†¦ I said a stupid thing that day. I didn’t know about your brother, then. I’m sorry †¦ [t]here are worse things. People do worst things than that† (Guest 123). She lets him solves his own problems and does not get involved where she is not needed. Moreover, the girls have one similar effect on the boys; Phoebe and Jeannine makes them feel needed. To emphasize, Phoebe refuses Holden to leave for the West just to show how much she needs him. When Phoebe meets Holden, she states, â€Å"I’m going with you. Can I? Okay?† (Salinger 206). Also, when Jeannine was upset and started to cry over her mother’s new relationship with a man, Conrad was there to support her. Conrad mentioned that â€Å"[h]e feels as if he could stand here holding her forever †¦ he has never felt so strong, so needed† (Guest 159). This proves that without these females in both of Holden and Conrad’s lives, regaining and solving their problems would have been challenging. In conclusion, the lost connection in both of their lives was right in front of them the entire time. Both Holden and Conrad solved their problems with the love and forgiveness. Without their brothers that they have lost, parents and guardians, and female friends, the two main characters would not have been able to change into a better people In the end, the lesson that the two novels have taught us is that no matter what situation you are in, you will always be able to find your self and have support from many loved ones.

The Problem Of Student Loan Debt - 1271 Words

Today, there’s an issue that has been weighing college students down. The problem is student loan debt. This is the highest of all debt, passing up auto loans and credit card debt. There is approximately $1 trillion in student loans in America and the number is growing every year. It has been said that most of the student’s in debt were dropouts and graduate students, but now has broadened to students still working on their degree. Is getting a degree worth the financial burden? The biggest question asked about student loans is, â€Å"How did it get this bad?† It started back in October 1957 when the satellite, Sputnik, went up. After that, students worried that they might not be as intelligent to go up against Russian rocket scientists. So, President Eisenhower made a low-interest college loan program through the National Defense Education Act of 1958. The money for the loan came straight from the government. Years went on, and in 1965 Lyndon Johnson’s legislation â€Å"war on poverty†, came into play. The student loans increased due to the president’s Great Society initiatives. Due to the increase in college students, the Higher Education Act expanded. Loans and grants were made to help students who really needed it. Also, something else made a change. Instead of the government financing the loans, bankers were now responsible. It was also said that if students defaulted, the government would cover the tab. The lawmakers supported the idea because outstanding loansShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Student Loan Debt940 Words   |  4 Pageswithout the burden of student loan debt piling up as you get further into college. Even though financial aid is available for students seeking college education, some of those students will not all qualify for financial aid. With them not being able to qualify, it leaves taking out student loans to afford those college expenses. By them having no other option but to take out student loans, it is the start to a long road of student loan debt issues. Majority of student loans today are through theRead MoreThe Problem Of Rising Student Loan Debt1495 Words   |  6 PagesAs a mother of four, a large number of the social problems described in the text can and does directly relate to myself, as well as, my family especially regarding the matter of education. However, the problem directly affecting my family and I is the emerging social problem of rising student loan debt. Student loan debt is a problem that has begun to seep into the very mainstream of society as more and more individuals attend college, especially those with great financial needs. Personally, I amRead MoreStudent Loan Debt And Why It Is A Problem Essay1507 Words   |  7 Pages Student Loan Debt and why it is a Problem Student loan debt affects college students all over the United States. 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This topic has become a very important issue, with some people saying that student loans could be the next bubble and could do what the real estate bubble did to the U.S economy in 2007 and 2009. If student loans are becomingRead MoreEssay on Student Loan Debt Should be Forgiven1256 Words   |  6 PagesDoes the amount of student loan debt have an effect on the economy? If so would forgiving student loan debt help lower the national debt or would it just increase it? According to Mary Claire Fischer, a writer for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, â€Å"two-thirds of students who receive bachelor’s degrees leave college with an average debt of twenty-six thousand dollars† (Fischer). This means that the average student debt has doubled since 2007 (Ross 24). The total student loan debt is $1.2 trillionRead MoreThe Cultural And Global Impact Of College Tuition And Student Loan Debt1442 Words   |  6 PagesThe Cultural and Global Impact of College Tuition and Student Loan Debt Introduction College debt is quickly rising as more students pursue a postsecondary education. Tuition is growing at a rate higher than inflation, thus forcing many students to make up the gap between income and tuition through loans (Houle). However, cultural factors must be considered before a young adult makes a decision about higher education. The type of postsecondary education one pursues, if any, is determined by manyRead MoreStudent Lo Samaritan Or Satan?1545 Words   |  7 Pages11/18/2015 WA#3 3rd Draft Student Loan: Samaritan or Satan? â€Å"Die Luft der Freiheit weht† is Stanford’s motto, which means â€Å"The wind of freedom blows.† However, selective universities are not â€Å"free† like Stanford University’s motto and even less â€Å"free† when students graduate. College students pay a huge amount of tuition every year, and yet not every college graduate can find a satisfying job. Many college students choose to take out student loans. Student loans give many students chances to go to collegeRead MoreForgiving Student Loan Debt Essay examples822 Words   |  4 Pagesamount of student loan debt have an effect on the economy? If so would forgiving student loan debt help lower the national debt or would it just increase it? According to Mary Claire Fischer, a writer for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, â€Å"two-thirds of students who receive bachelor’s degrees leave college with debt in tow† (Fischer). Among these students, the average amount o wed is twenty-six thousand dollars (Fischer). There is a six month grace period after graduation to allow the student time