Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Contrasts of North and South essays

Contrasts of North and South essays In this assignment, I found that there were several issues that were recurrent themes within the Union as well as the South. The differences were in the beliefs of the respective sides. In the assigned reading, it is readily apparent how the themes related to the nature of Northern and Southern society or the Civil War. The first theme is secession. The ideas on secession varied in the North and South and, were in fact, usually polar opposites on the respective sides. The secession of the Southern states is central to this chapter of American History. In the North, people were concerned about the secession movement. When Lincoln gave his inaugural address, he addressed the Northern concerns. It follows from these views that no state upon its own mere motion can lawfully get out of the Union: that resolves and ordinances to that effect are legally void, and that acts of violence within any State or States against the authority of the United States are insurrectionary or revolutionary, according to circumstances. Lincoln went on to state, Plainly the central idea of secession is the essence of anarchy. Lincoln said that the South was the minority and the minority could not make the rules that would affect the majority. The rule of a minority, as a permanent arrangement, is wholly inadmissible; so that, rejecting the majority principle, anarchy or despotism in some form is all that is left.... Lincoln also warned of the consequences of secession and how it would affect the seceding parties. If a minority in such case will secede rather than acquiesce, they make a precedent which in turn will divide and ruin them, for a minority of their own will secede from them whenever a majority refuses to be controlled by such minority.... George Templeton tells in his account, The Outbreak of War Galvanizes New York City, about the common peoples reactions t...

Monday, March 2, 2020

Me, myself and I (reflexive pronouns explained) - Emphasis

Me, myself and I (reflexive pronouns explained) Me, myself and I (reflexive pronouns explained) People have some pretty strong feelings about the way our language is used and abused if a recent Emphasis blog post is anything to go by. One source of irritation that stood out as a real piece of apple skin between the teeth was the incorrect use of reflexive pronouns. What are they? Reflexive pronouns are basic pronouns + self or selves. They are: myself yourself herself himself itself yourselves themselves. So whats the right way to use them? Officially, you should use reflexive pronouns in sentences where the subject (the person or thing carrying out the action) and the object (the person or thing on the receiving end of the action) are the same. For example: I patted myself on the back for mastering grammar. He dusted himself down, then rang her doorbell. She gave herself a wink in the mirror and said, Go get em, tiger. Reflexive pronouns can also be employed for emphasis (where, technically, they could be removed, leaving the sense the same): I knitted this whole scarf myself. Did you shear the whole flock for it yourself? Its advisable not to overdo this usage, however, as it quickly becomes overbearing. And the wrong way to use them? Cue much gritting of teeth. I think this house is absolutely perfect for yourselves. Id be grateful if you could send that information over to myself. Whereas what the culprits really mean is: I think this house is absolutely perfect for you. Id be grateful if you could send that information over to me. These examples make the mistake of using these words as replacements for the basic pronouns (you, me), as if they were some kind of upmarket equivalent. Sadly, there is no such upgrade: its just plain wrong. If we, ourselves, have reminded you of anything that really gets your goat or floats your boat on the English language front, please join the fun by leaving your comments at our blog yourselves (sorry).