Lessons Were Learned Essays - Fiction, Business,

Lessons Were Learned In high school, I was a bad kid. I didn't do drugs or drink beer, but I was bad. School wasn't a priority of mine during my junior year, and I failed all of my classes except weight training, ceramics, and jewelry. I lived for the bell at the end of the day. This was the first year that I drove, and I did it a lot. I had an old baby blue Chevrolet pickup that could fly like the wind. I met a lot of people, and gained some good friends. Towards the beginning of the year, I spent lots of my time with my friend Jim. He was into cars and he helped me a lot with my truck. We used to get to school early every day to get good parking. Sitting in his truck, we listened to music, talked about the most random things, and smoked cigarettes. We shared the same first class and were always late to it. We both failed it. Another cool friend that I had was Stacey. We had dated for a while back in the eighth grade, so I knew her pretty well. We both spent our free third period and our time after school together. Stacey's friend Scott was a senior whom I already knew because he was a friend of my older brother years earlier. Early in the school year, the three of us hung out on the weekends. Some time after Christmas, Scott and Stacey met Jim. We all seemed to get along well and had some good times together. We met Dan one day up at the smoking corner. Dan was a sophomore and also into trucks. John Basset, Jim's friend who lived in Issaquah, also had a big truck. I had previously met his girlfriend who went to our school. J.B.'s girlfriend, Vicki, was a bitch. Everyone knew it and they just dealt with it. The seven of us quickly became a close circle of friends. The whole gang, Jim, Vicki, J.B., Scott, Dan, Stacey and I, started hanging out a lot on the weekends. We used to go up to the mountains with all of our trucks and go 4-wheeling. We built huge bonfires and sat around them telling stories and sipping beer. This was my crew, my friends, and the main priority in my life. Sometime in March, things changed. One Saturday night while we were all together planning our mischief, Vicki and Stacey got in an argument. The argument almost got physical, but the boys and I stopped it just in time. It changed everything. Stacey didn't hang out with the crew after that, and I was the only one that still hung out with her. I dealt with separating my time between the crew and Stacey. That bothered me, but I did it because I wanted to keep all of my friends. At the end of my junior year, I spent the last day of school with Stacey. That Friday night I went over to Stacey's house and watched a movie. I had to be home that night by one o'clock. At twelve thirty, I went to the street to get in my truck, and as I put my hand on the door handle to open the door, I felt gooey stuff on the handle. As it got all over my hand, I looked at the ground and there were eggshells scattered about. Then I realized who had done this to me. The egg was still fresh, and it was all over the side of my truck. This meant that it hadn't been long since they egged my truck. Stacey and I hosed down the side of my truck and wiped it down with paper towels. After we cleaned it off, I got in the truck and there was egg all over the dash and on the floor. The culprits had opened the rear-sliding window and threw some eggs into the cab of my truck, which took me weeks to clean. As I was cleaning out the cab of the truck, I noticed a car creeping along on a crossing str eet about a half-mile away. The car's headlights were off. I grabbed my flashlight from

The book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery essay

The book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery essay The book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery essay The book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery essayThe book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery in the late 1930s was first published in France in 1939. In the 1940s, the book was translated into English and published in the United States. The author of the book, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944), was an outstanding French aristocrat, talented writer and poet, and a legendary pioneering aviator. Antoine de Saint-Exupery gained nominations as a laureate of several literary awards. In addition, he was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award. The book Wind, Sand and Stars is considered to be an impressive lyrical aviation writing produced in the form of a memoir. In this book, Saint-Exupà ©ry provides much important information on aviation, evoking a series of significant events in his life. Special attention is placed on the period when Antoine de Saint-Exupery was employed by the airmail carrier Aà ©ropostale. The author of the book des cribes his experiences as an aviator who performed mail routes across the African Sahara and the South American Andes. The major themes revealed by the author of the book are friendship, life and death, heroism and the search for meaning in life. The major purpose of the book is to illustrate how the author views the meaning of life and what makes life worth living. The book is aimed at a general audience. My reaction to the book is positive. The book is well-organized and easy to read and understand. The evidence provided by the author is convincing. This book is worth reading and analyzing. Thesis statement: Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s book Wind, Sand and Stars tells much about aviation and man’s place in the world, promoting the feeling of love of life and encouraging the reader to start searching for meaning in life.The meaning of the title of the book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The title of the book is Wind, Sand and Stars reflects the author†™s attitudes toward the spiritual dimension of flying. Antoine de Saint-Exupery used his experiences to highlight the role of â€Å"wind, sand and stars† which are part of the Universe. The author wrote this book in order to reflect his individual experiences and feelings as a pilot. He demonstrates his love of flying and flight, which has become an obsession for him. The title of the book gives the reader an opportunity to assess the author’s imagination and his philosophy of life.Summary of the book  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book consists of 10 chapters. Chapter 1 â€Å"The Craft†, Chapter 2 â€Å"The Men†, Chapter 3 â€Å"The Tool†, Chapter 4 â€Å"The Elements†, Chapter 5 ‘The Plane and The Planet†, Chapter 6 â€Å"Oasis†, Chapter 7 â€Å"Men and the Desert†, Chapter 8 â€Å"Prisoner of the Sand†, Chapter 9 â€Å"Barcelona and Madrid 1936† and Chapter 10 â€Å"Conclusionâ⠂¬ . In general, each of the chapters contributed to the revealing of the major themes of the book. The laconic chapter titles point out to the simplicity of the author’s language, which allows any reader to evaluate the book’s significance.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The narrator of the story described in the book is the author himself; therefore, this writing can be called the autobiographical work. It is first-person narration. The narrator is considered to be a reliable source of information because his personal experience as a pilot is huge. In 1926, he was â€Å"enrolled as a student airline pilot by the Latecoere Company† (Saint-Exupery, 1992, p. 1). His career was successful because he became a pioneer of international postal flight services and continued his professional growth as a pilot. In addition, his writing career was successful. Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote many literary works, including hi novella LAviateur (The Aviator), hi s book Courrier Sud (Southern Mail), his novella The Little Prince and other works.The central incident described by the author in his book is the plane crash that occurred in 1935 in the Sahara Desert between Benghazi and Cairo. Antoine de Saint-Exupery and his mechanic, Andrà © Prà ©vot, could survive, but they were without food and water in the desert. Actually, there were practically no chances to find an oasis or get help from the air. Hungry and thirsty, Antoine de Saint-Exupery and his partner nearly died before being saved by a man on a camel. That man was a Bedouin from Libya. The author of the book gives an amazing description of his own experience and feeling of love for life he had when a Bedouin gave him water:Water though hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses. By thy might, there return into us treasures that we had abandoned (Saint-Exupery, 1992, p. 172).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The time period described in the book and the location the book is set in refers to the author’s real life events. The setting has a strong impact on the plot of the book. The analysis of the narrative plot of the book demonstrates the well-organized structure, which ensures coherence of the whole literary work. Dialogues, descriptions, monologues are integrated into the literary work through effective plot structure. Each chapter of the book presents new facts from the life experience of the author. In addition, the author demonstrates how his feeling of flight and his love of aviation helped him to discover the meaning of life. He is focused on his philosophy of life and applies his beliefs which are based on his revelations regarding his own life experience. In the book, he provides many details of his life experience, which contribute to the progression of his chara cter. Thus, the overall theme or message of the book is to impress the reader and make him/her ponder over the meaning of life.The genre of literature chosen by the author is a memoir. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s memoir is represented in the form of an autobiographical writing that reprocesses the past experience. In other words, the author describes real events and human interactions that require evaluation.Evaluation of the book In his book, Antoine de Saint-Exupery has achieved his goals. The author of the book gives the reader an opportunity to feel the significance of the role of nature in human life. He describes how he was flying alone in a single engine airplane and experienced the power of nature. Massive possibilities are suggested by the book as the reader has a chance to find the meaning of life due to the author’s experience. It is necessary to understand the significance of the power of nature, the beauty of Earth and the role of machines in assessing this power. Antoine de Saint-Exupery became part of nature due to his small single-engine airplane.The book can be compared to other books on the subject of adventures, including the book Things Are Different in Africa: A Memoir of Dangers and Adventures in the Congo by Frederick Edward Pitts or the book Flying Adventures and Memoirs of a US Air Force Pilot by Edward E. Skipper. Actually, these memoirs provide an honest account of a man’s experiences, which help to find the meaning in life. Practically all specific points provided by the author of the book are convincing.I really like the book because the themes reveled the author are very important for me. I love the way he describes his challenges and find solutions. I love to read about strong personalities who never give up. Antoine de Saint-Exupery is one of them. I would read more about the author of the book because he is an interesting writer and philosopher. Moreover, I would encourage others to read this book because th ere is much important information regarding the role of aviation in developing a strong personality. The National Geography magazine named Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s book is Wind, Sand and Stars as one of the most appealing adventure books of the 20-th century.Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, it is necessary to conclude that the book Wind, Sand and Stars is based on the author’s reflection upon his own adventures, which helped him to develop his sense of imagination, love of life and curiosity. The book reveals the author’s encounters with different people and challenges caused by these encounters. In general, Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s amazing stories help to assess the meaning of life and the role of friendship, the relationship between life and death, the impact of heroism in one’s search for meaning in life. Of all the stories discussed by the author, the major one is the story revolves around Antoine de Saint-Exuper y’s experience of flying across Sahara desert and the detailed description of the accidents that occurred while he executed the flight. The book can make the reader want to start searching for the meaning in life. It can make the reader love our planet, nature, flights and airplanes.

A Analytical Review Of The Battle Of Hastings History Essay

A Analytical Review Of The Battle Of Hastings History Essay In October 14, 1066, the tragic Battle of Hastings took place. It was fought between the Norman Army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army of King Harold II. The battle took place at Senlac Hill, about 6 miles northwest of Hastings. Harold II was killed during the battle; historians predict or believe that he was shot through the eye by the barraging arrows fired from the Norman armies. The battle was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman Conquest of England. Although there was further English resistance after the Norman victory, the battle is seen as the point at which William gained control of England, becoming England’s first Norman ruler as King William I. The famous Bayeux Tapestry shows the events of the battle. Many battles later on were built on the site of the conflict, such as Battle Abbey in East Sussex. Belonging to the most authoritative family in England, Harold Godwisnon claimed the throne soon after Edward the Confessor died in January 1066. Some historians say that Edward had verbally promised the throne to his cousin William the Duke of Normandy, but decided just before his death to give it to Harold. While Edward the Confessor had a great English nephew who might have qualified as his heir, he was considered to be too young. William had been instituting policy in England for over 15 years, and by taking Harold’s crowning, he declared the start of a great battle. He planned to invade England and take over the throne. However, at that time, the Norman army was not strong enough, so nobles as far as Southern Italy were called to gather at Caen in Normandy. In order to convince them to aid him, he promised lands and titles to his followers and supporters and claimed that the voyage was secured by the Pope. William assembled an enormous fleet of about seven hundred ships, over twenty thousand men. This force waited at the port through summer, probably because of unfavorable weather conditions and more likely from f ear of a clash at sea with the large English fleet. The Norman ships finally sailed for England after the exhaustion of supplies forced Harold to dismiss his fleet and army, to add to that, many English ships were destroyed by a storm. On the day of September 28, 1066, William landed unobstructed at Pevensey. Harold, who had been waiting for Normans to start their invasion, rushed his armed forces to the north to attack an invading Norwegian Viking army led by King Harald Hardrada and Tostig Godwinson, Harold’s brother. He completely shattered the invaders at the battle of Stamford Bridge, near York. Upon hearing that the Duke’s forces had landed, Harold hurried southward to meet the invaders. Harold’s brother, Earl Gyrth, recommended a delay in the attack, but Harold was determined to show his people that he could defend his kingdom against anyone who tries to invade it, hence demonstrating his power. He headed toward London on the morning of 12 October, gather ing all the forces he could on his way. He arrived at Senlac Hill on the night of 13 October.

Hoffman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hoffman - Essay Example may be broadly defined as any articulate course of action either physical or otherwise, taken by a person or a group of persons who are dissatisfied by various issues in the society. The articulated course of action mostly aims at causing wreck and havoc to express dissatisfaction. However, terrorism is synonymous with leadership and politics where terrorists react violently in response to issues within government or leadership. Actions of terror qualify as terrorism whether the course action causes harm or not. The actions still qualify as terrorism whether the course of action was legitimate or not. Certainly, terrorism has changed dramatically with time. Terrorism was first taken positively as a medium of change from bad governance. It was seen as revolution and was synonymous with democracy and virtue (Hoffman 3). It then changed to â€Å"propaganda by deed† (Hoffman 5) whereby wholesome bloodshed targeted to specific groups or communities that failed to follow the conventional ways of terror perpetrators. It then changed to assassination and kidnapping of political leaders or their close relatives within the society who failed to address requirements and demands of extremist groups (Hoffman 11). Terrorism then changed to target of inanimate objects such as important, monumental, and valuable buildings. Terrorism also changed to religious based terror actions in response to unaddressed religious issues. However, a combination of these transitions has also been

The Essex Result of 1778 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Essex Result of 1778 - Assignment Example The text explains that the only occasion when the supreme power can take control of the inalienable rights is "only when the good of the whole requires it". If the supreme power is acting only for some individual's personal interests by taking control of the inalienable rights of each individual, then the supreme power is usurping the power. Each individual should receive a counterpart when surrendering his/her inalienable rights for the supreme power to be fair. In other cases, the supreme power is a usurper and if it acted in such a way that the individuals do not have political liberty, then the power is illegal and the individuals are not bound to obey. This extract is directly linked to the concept of popular sovereignty as presented by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau through the school of the social contract. The main concept of popular sovereignty is that the consent of the governed gives legitimacy to the rule of law i.e. the population who forms a society, a politic body or a state are the true source of legitimacy to the supreme power through their consent and it is not the supreme power which holds its own legitimacy through the power it has been awarded by the population. This concept is central in many democracies and it is, therefore, no surprise that we shall encounter it in the critical report on the draft constitution for Massachusetts. Furthermore, the concept of popular sovereignty also tackles the idea that each individual enters a social contract with the supreme power where he may surrender some of its inalienable rights receiving in return protection from the dangers and hazards of the state of nature. If we consider this extract to be in direct connection with the ideas of the social contract and the popular sovereignty as stated by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau; we cannot dissociate this extract from the values of the Enlightenment as these philosophers are the founders of this movement. However, it would be rhetorically poor to draw this conclusion with such a simple analogy.

How you act affects what grade you get Essay Example for Free

How you act affects what grade you get Essay The Impact of Student Behavior on Student Learning is an important subject. There are varying issues that affect student behavior, and a students ability to learn and perform efficiently. This paper will discuss some of the behaviors that are commonly demonstrated when students face one of the most common symptoms; stress. It will also cover how stress, a symptom of student behavior can affect student learning. Student behavior can be categorized two different ways. A determining factor is if the behavior is negative or positive. These behaviors can be overt or covert and can play a big part in determining a student grade in a particular class. Students demonstrating poor behavior have a tendency to get lower grades. Poor behavior, which is a symptom of stress, can be linked to lack of sleep. According to The Franklin Institute Online, â€Å"Disrupting routines and interrupting sleep-all have a cumulative effect on your brain, especially its ability to remember and learn† (Franklin, 2004). The brain is a precious organism and if it is stressed it will not perform to capacity. Stress can cause ones behavior to fluctuate in a manner that can be destructive to productivity. If a student’s behavior fluctuates and causes them to react poorly in a class room setting they may not be able to retain the information needed to qualify for the grades necessary to complete their degree (K. White, personal communication, June 29, 2011). According to the Webster online dictionary, the definition of behavior is â€Å"the manner of conducting oneself; anything that an organism does involving action and response to stimulation† (Webster, 2011). Human beings have the capability to conduct themselves in a manner that may or may not help their capacity for learning. The wrong type of stimulation can alter the student’s ability to perform simple tasks that under normal circumstances would be easy for the student to perform. The behavior displayed by students affects the outcome of the amount of information the student retains. The more information a student can retain the better the grades that student is likely to receive. By definition, behavior is ‘the manner in which one conducts oneself’, and cannot be measured as good or bad because it is a matter of opinion (K. White, personal communication, June 29, 2011). Behaviors can be changed or altered to fit the mood of the person. â€Å"The term stress is short for distress, a word evolved from Latin that means to draw or pull apart. The Romans even used the term ‘districtia’ to describe a being torn asunder (Franklin, 2004). To be torn from your normal routine of good study habits, exams, and team work would be understandable in the case of a stressed student. Since the student has limited, or no control over the stressors in their life; they cannot always be held responsible for their behavior. A behavior can be harmful to the outcome of a situation but does not have to mean that the person with the behavior is bad or good (K. White, personal communication, June 29, 2011). In the same since that negative and positive behavior don’t equate to bad or good. Negative behavior is any behavior that harms the student’s learning ability (K. White, personal communication, June 29, 2011). An example would be a student that shows signs of stress. That student may be edgy or not seem like a team player. The student may grasp the main concepts during class but not seem to put the effort forth to get good grades where tests are involved. This student may understand concepts and be able to explain to others with ease how they work. This student may also miss deadlines, or not post assignments on time. This negative behavior is harmful to the student, but due to stress the student is not able to control the negative behavior. The student may not be aware of the way their behavior is disrupting their school life and will not recognize the affect on their grades (K. White, personal communication, June 29, 2011). â€Å"Overt behaviors are more open and observable and would include students talking during class, using their cellular phones, or eating or drinking noisily. Covert behaviors are more passive and include sleeping during class, arriving to class late, leaving class early, or generally acting bored and disengaged.† (Seidman, 2005) Demonstration of these behaviors may be done together or separately. A student can demonstrate just covert behavior and still seem defiant. Both covert and overt behaviors can be a sign of stress. The student who demonstrates these behaviors may not recognize that they are being a distraction to the class or to themselves. They can also attribute to poor or no study habits. Both behaviors can cause problems for the student because they can hinder the student’s ability to perform in a class setting. For example: A student can understand the concepts in a course but have trouble staying awake during class and miss important notes or assignment deadlines. When this student post an assignment too late to receive full credit their grade is affected. The student has shown signs of overt behavior but did not intend to be seen as disruptive. Often students have no idea that the outcome of their behavior can lead to poor grades. Some students are able to correct their poor grades with good grades by a change in their behavior. The symptom that will show in lieu of stress would be happiness or a since of calm. Students who demonstrate negative behavior will have a hard time retaining information or keeping up with their courses. Students with positive behavior will have a better chance of retaining the maximum amount of information possible. Positive behavior helps the student to create an environment within themselves that is conducive to learning (K. White, personal communication, June 29, 2011). Students who are stress free in mind, body, and soul are free to work at full capacity to achieve their academic goals. When a student feels comfortable with their surroundings and is freed from worrying about the outside world, the student will have a higher level of concentration on school work as all other distractions have been managed or eliminated. They will be able to focus their energy on studying , and processing the information studied. (K. White, personal communication, June 29, 2011). Behaviors can be changed or altered with help of others. Most schools have an academic advisor who is able to handle student issues. They may not be able to completely assist in matters of home life but may have some good suggestions and or referrals that may help the student get back on track. A change in student behavior for the good can impact student learning in a positive way. â€Å"Bear in mind that an appropriate stress response is a healthy and necessary part of life. It improves mood. Problems feel more like challenges, which encourages creative thinking that stimulates your brain to grow new connections within it.† (Franklin, 2004). In conclusion, student behavior can be a symptom of underlying issues that can affect student learning for different reasons and in many different ways. Poor behavior, which is a symptom of stress, can be linked to lack of sleep. The wrong type of stimulation can alter the student’s ability to perform simple task that under normal circumstances would be easy for the student to perform. Since the student has limited to no control over the stress in their life they cannot always be held responsible for their behavior. The student may not be aware of the way their behavior is disrupting their school life and will not recognize the affect on their grades. A happy, content students mind, body, and soul are free to work at full capacity to achieve the goal of good paper writing, testing, and team work. Both behaviors can cause problems for the student because they can hinder the student’s ability to perform in a class setting. Some students are able to correct their poor grades with good grades by a change in their behavior. A change in student behavior for the good can impact student learning in a positive way. References The Franklin Institute Online. Retrieved on June 29, 2011 at 7:47 PM from Web stream at http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/stress.html#how The Learning Killer: Disruptive Student Behavior in the Classroom. Journal article by Alan Seidman; Reading Improvement, Vol. 42, 2005 Webster Dictionary online. Retrieved on June 29, 2011 at 3:43 PM from website http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behavior, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Alice Walker Essay -- essays research papers

Best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple, Alice Walker portrays black women struggling for sexual as well as racial equality and emerging as strong, creative individuals. Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth child of Willie Lee and Minnie Grant Walker. When Walker was eight, her right eye was injured by one of her brothers, resulting in permanent damage to her eye and facial disfigurement that isolated her as a child. This is where her feminine point of view first emerged in a household where girls were forced to do the domestic chores unaided by the brothers. Throughout her writing career, Alice Walker has been involved in the black movement and displays strong feelings towards the respect black women get. In 1961, Walker entered Spelman College, where she joined the Civil Rights Movement. Two years after graduating in 1965, she married Melvyn Leventhal, a Jewish civil rights lawyer; afterward, they worked together in Mississippi, registering blacks to vote. In the summer of 1968, she went to Mississippi to be in the heart of the civil-rights movement, helping people who had been thrown off farms or taken off welfare roles for registering to vote. In New York, she worked as an editor at Ms. Magazine, and her husband worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In 1970, Walker published her first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, about the ravages of racism on a black sharecropping family. In Meridian, 1976, her second novel, she explored a woman’s successful efforts to find her place in the Civil Rights Movement. She read much of Flannery O’Conner's work and greatly admired her. For one thing, O’Conner practiced economy. According to Herbert Mitgang of the New York Times, "She also knew that the question of race was really just the first question on a long list"(1983). Much of Walker’s writings are very personal. For example, one of her first books once was written during a time in which she was pregnant and suicidal and it described how she had an abortion and dealt with all of its after effects. Unlike many other authors, she is not afraid to write about very personal experiences she has had. Since the beginning of her writing career, she has written sixteen books, including five novels, several collections of essays, short stories, children’s books, and poems... ...mp;quot;(1993). Overall, Walker has been a very influential author throughout the black community, and her audiences are very much interracial. Although many of the criticisms are controversial over her view of black men, through this research it is concluded that the depiction cannot be narrowed down to black men. She was merely describing the kind of man who had the potential and who was abusive. Not suprisingly, most of the controversy streams from the fact that there aren’t other black male characters portrayed to counteract the depiction of the abuser. This perceived imbalance however doesn’t mean that she is focusing all her anger towards black males, she is merely trying to illustrate topics that people know are true yet perhaps unwilling to admit it. Another good argument is that it seems as though critics are trying to force her to choose between her support for the black community and her support for the feminist movement, and she won’t do that for them. She is equally supportive of both, and that is a very admirable quality. Alice Walker was a very personal author who was not afraid to show or hide anything in the struggle against racism and support for black women. Alice Walker Essay -- essays research papers Best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple, Alice Walker portrays black women struggling for sexual as well as racial equality and emerging as strong, creative individuals. Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth child of Willie Lee and Minnie Grant Walker. When Walker was eight, her right eye was injured by one of her brothers, resulting in permanent damage to her eye and facial disfigurement that isolated her as a child. This is where her feminine point of view first emerged in a household where girls were forced to do the domestic chores unaided by the brothers. Throughout her writing career, Alice Walker has been involved in the black movement and displays strong feelings towards the respect black women get. In 1961, Walker entered Spelman College, where she joined the Civil Rights Movement. Two years after graduating in 1965, she married Melvyn Leventhal, a Jewish civil rights lawyer; afterward, they worked together in Mississippi, registering blacks to vote. In the summer of 1968, she went to Mississippi to be in the heart of the civil-rights movement, helping people who had been thrown off farms or taken off welfare roles for registering to vote. In New York, she worked as an editor at Ms. Magazine, and her husband worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In 1970, Walker published her first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, about the ravages of racism on a black sharecropping family. In Meridian, 1976, her second novel, she explored a woman’s successful efforts to find her place in the Civil Rights Movement. She read much of Flannery O’Conner's work and greatly admired her. For one thing, O’Conner practiced economy. According to Herbert Mitgang of the New York Times, "She also knew that the question of race was really just the first question on a long list"(1983). Much of Walker’s writings are very personal. For example, one of her first books once was written during a time in which she was pregnant and suicidal and it described how she had an abortion and dealt with all of its after effects. Unlike many other authors, she is not afraid to write about very personal experiences she has had. Since the beginning of her writing career, she has written sixteen books, including five novels, several collections of essays, short stories, children’s books, and poems... ...mp;quot;(1993). Overall, Walker has been a very influential author throughout the black community, and her audiences are very much interracial. Although many of the criticisms are controversial over her view of black men, through this research it is concluded that the depiction cannot be narrowed down to black men. She was merely describing the kind of man who had the potential and who was abusive. Not suprisingly, most of the controversy streams from the fact that there aren’t other black male characters portrayed to counteract the depiction of the abuser. This perceived imbalance however doesn’t mean that she is focusing all her anger towards black males, she is merely trying to illustrate topics that people know are true yet perhaps unwilling to admit it. Another good argument is that it seems as though critics are trying to force her to choose between her support for the black community and her support for the feminist movement, and she won’t do that for them. She is equally supportive of both, and that is a very admirable quality. Alice Walker was a very personal author who was not afraid to show or hide anything in the struggle against racism and support for black women.