A Comparison of the Legacy of Upton Sinclairs The Jungle...

1906 would see the publication of Upton Sinclairs The Jungle, pushing through major reforms of the meatpacking industry and eventually causing the government to take actions to protect the health of its people; almost fifty years later, the publication of Rachel Carsons novel Silent Spring would invoke a similar, but changed response to the threat of DDT. Although both would lead to government legislation creating major changes, the original intentions of the authors themselves differed, as well as their satisfaction of the results. However, both still leave a legacy for today, as legislation still stands that reflects the widespread reform that ensued. Both Silent Spring and The Jungle, would have wide reaching influences,†¦show more content†¦Unlike Carson, who would find her naturalist roots to be her driving force, Sinclairs reasons for publishing his groundbreaking work would stem from his ties to the Socialist Party, rather than the actual material itself being cove red. Sinclair would even go as to say that he had come to write the Uncle Toms Cabin of the Labor movement(Arthur, 124) Carson and Sinclair would differ greatly on the subject of cause and motivation for their novels, regardless of the similar sized conflict and controversy. Both Upton Sinclair and Rachel Carson would initially find their books to be extremely difficult to be published. An early version of the Jungle titled An Appeal to Reason would be rejected five times before becoming a bestseller(Young, 467). Carson would face similar trials with her publisher, Houghton Mifflin, which was tempted to suppress the novel after complaints in the news and by major corporations(McLauglin, 2). Both novels in this aspect would face similar treatment after being discouraged from publishing by publishing companies and the public, citing the controversial material as the reason. Even though the material was very different, both Sinclair and Carson would draw similar criticisms for thei r novels before publication. But as the novels would still be successfully published, the different public opinion of the two novels would be in completely different aspects of the

Stalin Nep and the First Five Year Plan - 3321 Words

Before the nation of Russia became the international powerhouse that we knew as the USSR, it was first the small backwater country, whose economy ran on the use of serfs, Czar s ruled every aspect, and the chance of growth was limited; however, once the year 1917 came along, the entire aspect of what was to be the Russia nation changed into a very strange and new one, called the United of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Soviet Union was, at one point, second only to the United States of America and had the power to destroy the entire planet with the single acknowledgement of their leader, because of their nuclear capabilities and their political power. The Russian country became the great Communist powerhouse after a great revolution in†¦show more content†¦After the experiment with the New Economic Policy was tested for almost seven years, it was decided that it would be ended, due to the ever growing need for faster and better development of the Soviet economy, technolog y and industrialization. The NEP was primarily used to bring the nation out of a deep economic and social trough, which had killed millions of people, because of famines and revolts. While the Marxist-Communist idea was indeed kept throughout the entire endeavor, capitalism was brought back into the economic side of Russia; it was felt that the NEP would be Building Socialism with Capitalist Hands , though the idea of using any form of capitalist ideas or practices would explicitly go against the Marxist, communist and socialist policies, that was the main feeling behind many of the leading Soviets at the time. As despised as the idea of using Capitalist values in a Communist nation, certain problems incurred the leaders to go even farther away from the policy of the New Economic Policy: the hyper-inflation and the Scissors Crisis. During the beginning of the new policy, the economy was almost about to collapse and the prices especially those contributing to agriculture, were absurdly high, causing the government to change their money policy to one of a Gold standard, or a chervonets. The new policies on money gave a small reprieve to the ever growing inflation problem, though it also caused difficulties in wage payments at factories,Show MoreRelatedThe Soviet Union Essay982 Words   |  4 Pagesinstated the New Economic Plan (NEP). The New Economic Plan gave the opportunity for the farmers or peasants to produce their crops for profit; in the years that followed, some of these farmers were prosperous after the implementation of the NEP. Unfortunately, Stalin abandoned the NEP and replac ed it with the Five Year Plan, he also justified the collectivization of Agriculture and lastly Stalin’s statism had an impact on Russian History. As previously stated, the NEP gave the opportunity for theRead MoreVladimir Lenin Essay814 Words   |  4 Pagesdemanded a revolution against the Provisional Government as soon as possible. In November 1917, under the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky, the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional government, beginning the era of Communist rule in Russia. Stalin played no real part in the events of the revolution. The revolution was the result of detailed Bolshevik planning, and of the failures and weaknesses of the Provisional government. Lenin knew that there was enough discontent amongst theRead MoreCentral Planning Of The Soviet Union785 Words   |  4 Pagestransparency to the Soviet Government. Additionally, Gorbachev wanted to enable greater freedom in areas such as media, individual ideology, and religion. New Economic Policy (NEP) New Economic Policy is a term that traces back to the letter, which Lenin received from an acquaintance named, Nikolai Rozhkov. The goal of NEP was to replace the failing economic approach known as War Communism. It was also intended to provide the Soviet Union with a taste of capitalism, with the intent of later introducingRead MoreLenins Economic Policies1093 Words   |  5 PagesNew economic policy (NEP) NEP era advertizement It was an idea based on ambition and imagination; an idea that worked so well, it managed to drag an entire country out of starvation and chaos and drive it onto the road to quick economic and industrial recovery. It created capitalism in a socialist state and cabaret-style debauchery under a military-communist regime. And like many other great yet paradoxical projects, perhaps, the Soviet Union’s New Economic Policy of the 1920s was too visionaryRead More Joseph Stalin vs. Maximilien Robespierre Essays510 Words   |  3 PagesRevolution. Stalin is known as one of Russia’s greatest leaders. There are many differences and similarities in each of their reigns as leaders. Both used economic plans and total war effort as a campaign to further there revolution. Stalin and Robespierre used their revolutions, however, through terror Stalin remained true to his revolution but Robespierre betrayed his. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Stalin had an ingenious plan to help his country’s economy get back on track. He called this plan the FiveRead MoreStalins Five Year Plans Made Ussr Stronger. Agree or Disagree1212 Words   |  5 Pagess By 1941, Stalin’s Five Year Plans had made the USSR stronger. Explain why you agree or disagree with this view? (24 marks) By 1941 Stalin had used the five year plans to strengthen his position as leader of the USSR, however the society as a whole was weaker. There were both advantages and disadvantages to the three five year plans: The five year plans were disorganised, there was difficulties with managers, it created a quicksand society and living standards were deprived. It did howeverRead MoreStalinist Revolution Essay1761 Words   |  8 PagesRevolution began in 1928 when Stalin took power in the Soviet Union. After the death of Lenin in 1924, the USSR was left without a leader. Many Bolsheviks figured that individuals such as Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin, or Stalin would fill the vacancy left by Lenin. At the time of Lenin’s death, Stalin held an office known as the General Secretariat. In this position, Stalin was in charge of selecting new members for admittance into the Bolshevik Party. This allowed Stalin to control membership inRead MoreCompare and contrast the economic policie s of Lenin and Stalin and evaluate their success.1782 Words   |  8 PagesCompare and contrast the economic policies of Lenin and Stalin and evaluate their success. Comparing Lenin and Stalin one finds that both were following a communist ideal but what is the communist ideal? The main principal is to share a countrys wealth amongst its people. This is the theoretical side of the communist idea; the practical side requires a careful planning of the countrys economy and also a system that makes sure that everybody is treated equally. When Lenin and the communist partyRead MoreThe Three Major Philosophies Established During the 1900s Essay1335 Words   |  6 Pagesmoderate reforms such as higher wages, increased suffrage, and social welfare. Communism was promoted by Lenin, his successor, and Stalin. Lenin developed the New Economic Policy, or NEP. Lenin just saw the New Economic Policy as a temporary retreat from communism. His successor put the Soviet Union back on the road to â€Å"pure† communism. Stalin developed Five-Year Plans while the Soviet Union developed a command economy, where the government made all basic economic decisions. A command economy is communistRead MoreThe Ideology And The Policies Adopted By Stalin906 Words   |  4 Pagesideology and the policies adopted by Stalin, based on centralization, totalitarianism, and the pursuit of communism. Before Stalin there was Lenin, who put into effect the New Economic Policy. He acknowledge that the ideology of communism, which called for the abolition of private property, private ownership, and the destruction of the free market. New Economic Policy also known as NEP is the state that maintains its centralized control over the economy. NEP allowed peasants to use their land as

Why Do Whales Beach Themselves Free Essays

The Scientific American article â€Å"Why do whales beach themselves? † published on June 1, 2009, bring the polemic and controversial reasons about the phenomenon observed in the last years when more than Fifty-five false killer whales were stranded on a South African beach over the weekend. The scientists still do not fully understand why mass stranding happen, and if we should be worried about this event. Whales are the largest marine mammals in the world — the smallest species weigh in at several tons. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Do Whales Beach Themselves or any similar topic only for you Order Now When whales beach themselves, they can die simply from the crushing weight of their own bodies or from overheating due to their blubber, which is needed for insulation in cold ocean waters. Stranding are of several types, said Susan Parks, a research associate in the Environmental Acoustics program in the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State. Individual stranding often are caused by isolated incidents such as sickness, injury, or old age Said Parks, â€Å"Entanglement in fishing gear is one of the leading causes of mortality for marine mammals, many of which wash up on shore dead or injured. The tide carries these whales into shallow water, depositing them on the beach. Then there are multiple-species stranding, explained Parks. â€Å"This occurs when different species of marine mammals beach themselves at the same time and place, suggesting that they all died from the same cause,† she said. Scientists have been researching possible causes of this phenomenon. One explanation involves the whale â€Å"pod† social structure. For instance, whales that travel in pods use a â€Å"strength in numbers† survival strategy, but this can backfire when the dominant whale runs aground. According to Parks, â€Å"The rest of the pod may follow a disoriented or sick whale onto shore. † Another theory is that pods may venture too close to the beach when hunting prey or evading predators and become trapped by low tides. Weather also may play a part in beaching. Explained Parks, â€Å"In 1998, there was a major stranding on the West Coast of the United States where many different species, particularly sea lions, starved to death. † This mass stranding, she added, was thought to be caused by El Nino’s effects on sea-water surface temperatures. Many marine mammals depend on plankton and kelp that thrive in cool, nutrient-rich waters. In the case of sea lions, when food is scarce, the adults wean pups earlier and leave them behind while they hunt for fish in colder waters further offshore. These young seals are often the ones that become stranded. Some theories about beaching suggest that defects in a whale’s navigation system may be the cause. According to Parks, â€Å"The problem with these theories is that we don’t know exactly how whales navigate. † Some species travel vast distances every year and find their way back to where they started. Right whales, for example, travel more than a thousand miles from the Gulf of Maine to the coastal waters of Florida and Georgia to give birth, and then swim back to northern waters. Said Parks, it is known that some whales use echolocation to identify objects in their environment but â€Å"it is unclear whether these species need to rely on it for navigation. † Some researchers have proposed that whales navigate by using passive listening to hear waves crashing against the coast or steer themselves via undersea topography or the angle of the sun. However, as interjected Parks, â€Å"the distance that animals can see is often very limited in the ocean, and isn’t thought to be a useful for long-distance navigation. † Another navigation theory proposed recently is that whales have a bio-magnetic sense, which allows them to sense magnetic fields in the earth’s crust. â€Å"This would be similar to how homing pigeons orient themselves,† explained Parks. Whales following magnetic field lines could beach themselves in areas where the field lines intersect with the coast. A study in the UK by Margaret Klinowska found a correlation between local magnetic field lines and sites where whales were stranded alive,† added Parks. However, more research is needed to solidify the connection. Several multiple-species stranding have occurred following military use of mid-frequency sonar, sparking public outcry. â€Å"One reason for the level of concern about these incidents is that they involved the rarely seen beaked whales,† explained Parks. â€Å"These whales were found beached five, sometimes 10 at a time. The problem with the sonar theory,† she added, â€Å"is that we still don’t fully understand the cause and effect mechanism of how sonar might affect whales or why it might affect beaked whales in particular. † For many years, professor Chris Parsons has been tracking the patterns of mass whale stranding around the world. In his most recent paper, â€Å"Navy Sonar and Cetaceans: Just how much does the gun need to smoke before we act? † Parsons and his co-authors bring together all of the major whale and dolphin stranding in the past eight years and discuss the different kinds of species that have been affected worldwide. They also strongly argue for stricter environmental policies related to this issue. â€Å"Generally, if there is a large whale stranding, there is a military exercise in the area,† says Parsons. â€Å"Sonar is killing more whales than we know about. † Parsons is a national delegate for the International Whaling Commission’s scientific and conservation committees and on the board of directors of the marine section of the Society for Conservation Biology. He has been involved in whale and dolphin research for more than a decade and has conducted projects in South Africa, India, China and the Caribbean as well as the United Kingdom. Research into the cause of stranding is ongoing, noted Parks. Meanwhile, many coastal areas have rescue groups to find and rehabilitate these stranded mammals and to release them back into the wild. When the rehab patient weighs in at more than 40 tons, which can be a whale of a job. As the article stand, statistically, we are only able to determine the cause of a stranding in about 50 percent of all cases worldwide. In some cases, it is obvious, like a ship strike leaving an animal in poor condition. In the northeastern United States, pneumonia is a common cause of stranding. We see other diseases and trauma, such as shark attack on whales or dolphins or attacks by members of the same species. Poisonous â€Å"red tides† will also affect marine mammals. Some stranding have been speculated to be related to anomalies in the magnetic field, or from parasitic worms in the brain affecting co-ordination and balance, to whales being trapped as they follow prey inshore. There are other possible causes: Predators such as orcas or sharks may force the marine mammals inshore. In a 1993 pilot whale stranding at Golden Bay, orcas were seen patrolling outside the spit. The whales might have sought sanctuary in shallow waters because of the threat. Deep-water toothed whales with strong social bonds become stranded in a group more frequently than other species. If an individual is sick, or old and dying, the rest of the herd will come to its aid, even if they endanger themselves by venturing too close inshore. These are species that are unusual, that are beautiful, and important for the ecology of our seas. If there is an activity humans are doing precipitating these stranding we need to know about it—we need to make decisions about pollutants, shipping noise and sonar. Are we in some way contributing to declining health of critical populations, like the northern right whale? is asking the author of the article himself. More articles in the newspapers like the â€Å"Nearly 200 whales stranded on Australian beach† published on 03/01/09 in USA TODAY, or the statistics found in New Zealand where almost 9,000 whales and dolphins were stranded between 1978 and 2004 give us the idea of how serious this phenomena became . The concern is that only about a quarter of them were saved for all the whales in New Zealand. Species included Grey’s beaked whale, the Pygmy sperm whale, the sperm whale, the long-finned pilot whale, and the false killer whale (which is actually a dolphin). All the article and scientists are giving vague explanation about those events, but nobody found with certitude way the whales are stranding, which give us the uncertainty if we know well our ecosystem and its functions, and how we can avoid those tragedies. How to cite Why Do Whales Beach Themselves, Essay examples