Why Soldiers Fought In Civil War - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 994 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/05/18 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Civil War Essay War Essay Did you like this example? Why soldiers fought in civil war? What motivates them to do so? Why are they so motivated to fight for the country risking their life and familys future? These were the question raised by his students during the visit of battle field. These questions led him to search for the answer and publish in his book. For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Why Soldiers Fought In Civil War?" essay for you Create order By James M. McPherson. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997 is a very researched based book. The authors dont make single claim in the book but try to give a sense of idea what are the motivations of the soldiers to fight in civil wars. It is backed by quoting the exact words from the letters of the soldiers to their family and even from the excerpt of the articles in newspapers. He has done his research on how the soldiers feel about the wars. McPherson is a superb scholar and author of over nineteen books and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. He is the George Henry 86 Professor Emeritus of United States History at Princeton University with PhD from John Hopkins University, awarded in 1963. McPherson read over 25,000 letters and 249 personal diaries of Civil War soldiers that Civil War soldiers wrote home to dive into the realities of the soldiers conditions during war. These letters are his primary source of evidence. Many Historian have used these sources to analyze the history. However, as McPherson explains, none has read their diaries and letters with the same questions [and conclusions] about why they fought as I have done.. The author tries to make his work unique by this statement. The author surely puts his work in analyzing thousands of letters. He further states the motivation of the teenagers enthusiasm to enlist in the regiment. Their motives were to see elephants, get chance to show their bravery in the Warfield. They have imagined the scenes of movies where soldiers kill all the enemies easily, but the reality is something else. Putting forward the context of the teenagers author try to persuade the reader emotionally. We can imagine what the situation might be from the phrase written by Oberlin College student to his brother that WAR! and volunteers are only topics of conversation or thought. The lessons today have been a mere form. I cannot study. I cannot sleep, I cannot work. The author tried to show how excited are the young people for the war. The author has presented the situation in the soldier ran away from the war using different excuses such as getting sick, helping wounded solider to get to the camp to escape the battle field, getting bombproof position to be on safe side, not getting up to fight again once they fall in the way to the battlefield, etc. But McPherson also present the situation and feeling of the soldiers who want to fight in the war and try get back to regiment even they have been given bomb proof position because of the folks back home might think he is running away from his duty. One of the soldiers write, I prefer the ranks because his detachment as brigade clerk is what is technically known as a ?Bomb proof that is something that I never want. The statements show how the soldiers care for their image back home. Sometimes the soldiers are from the same community and they must go for war even they are sick because of peer pressure and fear of being titled as coward. It becomes hard when a war continues for a long time. McPherson suggest different reason for sustaining an army during the long war: honor, religion, brotherhood, ideology, and support from home and family. When the initial enthusiasm was finished, traditional methods were used to keep soldiers motivated. Sometimes the officers would use coercion to force soldiers into wars when they are not motivated to go for war. The soldiers were even killed when they turn back in the war. Some use religious belief to overcome the fear of the war. They became more religious just before the war. They would ask the family member to pray for him back at home. It was more like, fear of the war among the soldiers than Cristian make good soldiers. Sometime the officers are so dedicated to their job that it motivates all the soldiers and even motivated to die without any second thought. McPherson draw the conclusion of the motivation of the soldiers from the world war II and Vietnam. He also shows the difference between the level of motivation of the soldiers in volunteers and the real soldiers. In review by Herma Hattaway, he says Northern nationalism well may have been more abstract and intangible than was nationalism to Southerners, but Union soldiers typically believed that they could not return to their country if they lost the war, because they would no longer truly have a country. These different thoughts were motivation for the soldiers. Lesley J. Gordon in his review say, he finds gaps in the sources, McPherson asks readers to accept his explanations without authoritative evidence to back him up. Existing sources show most Confederate soldiers saying little about slavery, literate black Union soldiers writing mainly for public consumption, and women frequently telling their husbands to come home. Nonetheless, McPherson argues that the majority of southern soldiers supported slavery, the majority of soldiers wives supported their husbands, and the minority of literate blacks who published letters reflected attitudes of their illiterate black comrades. This book is researched based because every argument is supported by huge number of evidences and author is successful in making the point without making the audience bore. It includes the emotions and funny part which persuade the reader emotionally and evoke emotions. In conclusion, For Cause and Comrades is successful in presenting what the soldiers think and feel during the war and how they act in different circumstance and their relation to the home.

A Research Study On Howling Ritual By Van Gennep s...

INTRODUCTION The United World College USA is an international high school in New Mexico. There are currently 230 students in the community, representing 88 different countries in two different classes. In the beginning of the year, there is usually a significant distance between the two classes, since one of them have already spent one year at the school when the new class arrives. The â€Å"Howling Ritual† is a student-run tradition, that takes place on the night of the first full moon of every school year. It is organized by the second years. In this study, inspired by my observations as a participant in the ritual and the following conversations I had with students, I will explore the social function of the â€Å"Howling Ritual† using anthropologist Van Gennep’s theory on rites of passage. RESEARCH TECHNIQUES I decided to use qualitative methods to obtain data for my investigation, since I thought they would allow me more depth and detail. My research techniques were participant observation and interviewing. My participant observation took place on the 15th of September 2016 on the campus of UWC-USA, where the ritual was performed. l. Since I was participating on equal terms with everyone else, I chose to prioritize being as involved in the ritual as I could, and didn’t take notes during it. Immediately after the ritual, I wrote down my observations as detailed as I could. However, this meant that some accuracy of my observations, that I think could have benefitted my

The required number of hours Free Essays

Sleep is a basic human need. It functions to restore normal activity levels and normal balance among the parts of the nervous system and it allows for repair processes to occur as in protein synthesis (Kozier, 2004). Lack of sleep is said to cause an emotionally irritable, poorly concentrated individual that experiences decision making difficulty. We will write a custom essay sample on The required number of hours or any similar topic only for you Order Now The required number of hours of sleep per day varies with age. A newborn is expected to sleep for 16 to 18 hours a day, an infant 22 hours a day, a toddler 10 to 12 hours per day and preschool children need 11 to 12 hours of sleep per day (Kozier, 2004). As the individual grows older, he is required to sleep less. School aged children is required 8 to 12 hours of sleep, adolescents 8 to 10 hours, young adults 7 to 8 hours, middle aged adults 6 to 8 hours and elders only 6 hours (Kozier, 2004). The circadian rhythm, the most familiar rhythmic biologic clock that is responsible for our sleep-wake patterns, follows a dark-light pattern with the suprachiasmatic nucleus as its pacemaker (Bullock, 2000). The suprachiasmatic nucleus is found in the anterior hypothalamus and is stimulated by the receptors in the retina of our eyes. Melatonin, which has regulatory effects on the SCN, is secreted by the pineal gland and its secretion is stimulated by the dark and is suppressed by light (Bullock, 2000). Melatonin promotes sleep in this way, and fewer hormones secreted, as in the elderly, will be one of the many causes for insomnia (Bullock, 2000). There are several factors that can cause sleep pattern disturbance aside from a decrease in melatonin. Sleep pattern disturbances can be caused by external or internal factors and these disturbances can only be classified as a medical condition when they chronically interrupt sleep (Bullock, 2000) or when the inability to sleep well at night causes impaired daytime functioning (Atkinson, 2000). Sleep pattern disturbances have been grouped into four categories by the Association of Sleep Disorders Center, namely, disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep, disorders of excessive somnolence, disorders of sleeping-waking schedule and dysfunctions associated with sleep, sleep stages or partial arousal (Atkinson, 2000). Disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep include insomnias, which is the inability to sleep and maybe exhibited by difficulty falling asleep, there are recurrent awakenings, and early morning awakening without being able to go back to sleep (Atkinson, 2000). Reasons for the cause of insomnia is still not known, as some claim that this is a symptom of a disease or just a perception of individuals who feel that they have not gotten enough sleep because of some factors they claim to have experienced. Insomnia can be attributed to various factors that could either be pathologic or psychological. Pathologic causes include disease process, pain, obstructive uropathy, hyperthyroidism, congenital heart failure, respiratory disease, arthritis, and hormonal imbalance (Atkinson, 2000). Psychologically, anxiety, obsessive worrying, chronic stress and depression can bring about insomnia (Atkinson, 2000). As much as possible, interventions for insomnia remain to be nonpharmacologic, but if the individual is experiencing sleeplessness that is ruining his daytime activities, a doctor will prescribe selected sedative-hypnotic medications. Although effective, these medications should not be used as often and several considerations should be noted. These medications produce a central nervous system depression and produces an unnatural sleep, it may resolve insomnia for tonight, but may disturb sleep the following night and cause daytime drowsiness (Kozier, 2004). Some medications are antianxiety medications which decrease the arousal ability of the individual taking it; these are also contraindicated to be taken by pregnant women because of the congenital anomalies that they may cause (Kozier, 2004). These medications also vary in their onset and duration of action and continuous use can lead to tolerance or to drug dependency (Kozier, 2004). Sudden cessation of these medications can result in withdrawal symptoms and even death, thus before withdrawal of medications, the dose should be gradually tapered to about 25% to 30% weekly. Examples of these medications are Chloral hydrate (Noctec), Ethchlorvynol (Placidyl), Flurazepam (Dalmane), Glutethimide (Doriden), Lorazepam (Ativan), Melatonin, Temazepam (Restoril), Triazolam (Halcion), Zaleplon (Sonata), and Zolpidem (Ambien) (Kozier, 2004). Alternative treatment for insomnia have been preferred over the pharmacologic therapy because alternative treatment is natural, hence less side effects are experienced and the individual will be able to have control over his sleep-wake cycle. Nonorthodox, unconventional, alternative, complementary, are a number of terms used to denote non-medical treatment that has been used since early times for a variety of diseases. Complementary and alternative medicine is defined as being identified through a social process as those practices that do not form part of the dominant system for managing health and disease (Kozier, 2004, p. 224). Before considering any therapy, be it alternative or pharmacologic, the individual is advised to consider techniques on promoting rest and sleep. A person who is suffering from insomnia should establish a regular sleep-wake pattern, this means that he should try to go to sleep at the same time everyday and wake up at the same time also. This is to prevent disruptions in the biologic clock (Kozier, 2004). He should also try to eliminate lengthy naps in between sleeps, and if ever necessary should limit this to only thirty minutes per day at the same time everyday (Kozier, 2004). He should get ample exercise or physical activities during the day to lower stress but this should not be done two hours before bedtime. The individual should also avoid dealing with personal problems or office work before going to sleep and instead should establish a routine before sleep such as reading a book, listening to music or drinking a glass of warm milk (Kozier, 2004). Finally, to establish a sleep pattern the person is asked to only use the bed for sleeping, so that he would associate it with sleep, and that if still not drowsy, pursue some relaxing activity (Kozier, 2004). The environment also plays a role in helping the individual fall asleep. There should be appropriate lighting, temperature and ventilation as per the person’s desire, noise should be kept to a minimum and if extraneous noise is present, it should be blocked with soft music (Kozier, 2004). With regards to food consumption and diet, the individual should not take a heavy meal 3 hours before bedtime and to decrease fluid intake 2 to 4 hours prior to going to sleep but if it cannot be helped, void before sleeping (Kozier, 2004). Several drugs can disrupt sleep by delaying its onset, decreasing sleep time, and cause nightmares and should be avoided before sleeping, examples are alcohol, amphetamines, antidepressants, beta-blockers, bronchodilators, caffeine, decongestants, and steroid (Kozier, 2004). Caffeine – containing foods and beverages include coffee, soda, tea and chocolate and should not be taken 4 hours before bedtime. Promoting comfort and relaxation may be helpful. The individual should wear loose-fitting nightwear, have taken a bath and does not feel sweaty and hot, make sure the bed linen is soft, smooth, clean and dry, and a back massage may be done, which is a type of touch therapy (Kozier, 2004). There are several healing modalities that are being implemented to help alleviate insomnia, and this includes touch therapy, mind-body therapy, and aroma therapy. Touch therapies, which include massage, foot reflexology, acupressure, and reiki, may stimulate the production of healing-promoting chemicals by the immune or limbic system (Kozier, 2004). Massage assists in relaxation and blood circulation improvement (Kozier, 2004). Physically, it promotes muscle relaxation by helping in release of lactic acid that is formed during strenuous activities and exercise, it improves blood and lymph flow, stretches joints, and helps in body toxin release and immune system stimulation (Kozier, 2004). It also has mental and emotional benefits like anxiety relief and it provides a sense of relaxation and well-being (Kozier, 2004). There are three kinds of massage strokes, namely effleurage (stroking), friction pressure and petrissage which is kneading or large quick pinches of the skin, subcutaneous tissues and muscles (Kozier, 2004). Mind-body therapies utilize the individual’s focus on realigning or creating balance in mental processed to bring about healing (Kozier, 2004). Progressive relaxation is most helpful in insomnia because it reduces increased level of stress and chronic pain by enabling the individual to wield control over the body’s responses to anxiety and tension (Kozier, 2004). There are three requisites though, to be able to make use of this technique. There should be correct posture, the person’s mind should be at rest and the environment should be noise free as possible and the technique is to make the individual tense and relax his muscles alternately and then focus attention on the differentiating feelings of each action (Kozier, 2004). This can result to decreased oxygen consumption by decreased metabolism, heart and respiratory rate, and decreased blood pressure (Kozier, 2004). Aromatherapy, which is defined clinically as the controlled use of essential oils for specific measurable outcomes by Kozier, can be used by massaging into the body, added to water that is used when bathing, inhaled or applied as hot or cold compresses. The oils used in this therapy are distilled from a variety of substances such as flowers, roots, wood resins, leaves, lemon or orange rinds, barks, etc. When inhaled, the oil’s aroma is detected by olfactory receptor cells in our nares. The stimuli received will travel along the olfactory nerve or the cranial nerve I, the stimuli will then be received by the olfactory bulb and will be sent to the brain. The essential oil aroma is thought to play a role in emotions, memory and a variety of body functions including the heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and immune response (Kozier, 2004). There are 300 essential oils being used and some of these are lavender for headache relief, stress and insomnia, peppermint for nausea relief, aid in respiration an antipyretic, and sandalwood for chapped skin, depression, and stress (Kozier, 2004). There are also some herbal preparations that can be used for insomnia. Hops and valerian are used to induce sleep by nervous system relaxation, as recommended by the website Holistic online. There are ways by which we can combine both the conventional treatment and the alternative therapies to reduce insomnia. One way is to do the techniques on promoting rest and sleep, while on low-dosed medication. In a way, this might still be useful in eventually lowering and then eliminating drug use while still maintaining a normal sleep-wake pattern. Although plausible, it is still best advised to not take pharmacologic therapy when necessary. There is to some extent a risk on using sedative-hypnotic drugs, as mentioned earlier. This can cause drug dependency, withdrawal symptoms if stopped abruptly without tapering the dose gradually, and can disrupt the sleep-wake pattern by causing excessive sleep and daytime drowsiness. It should also be noted that these drugs can be expensive and if needed on a daily basis may become a burden to healthcare cost budgets. The benefit of course is that you will be able to sleep, after a few minutes once the drug is taken. As to the nonpharmacologic treatment suggestions, there are no risks, as long as the person who would want to try out these therapies has an open mind and is willing to subject himself to these procedures. Health wise, the therapies do not present any danger to the individual being subjected to the procedures unless pregnant, has allergies to the essential oils or herbs, has fractures, skin conditions or disease processes. If the person has insomnia as a symptom to an underlying disease, he should immediately heed the physician’s advice. I do not see alternative treatment as a threat to the medical community, nor a competition. These two have very different procedures and are based on different dogmas that they should not be compared to each other. Although it cannot be helped, people should always be open-minded about these things, because they are at times useful, and have been subjected to numerous tests to be proven safe and effective. Of course, if one is in doubt of the nature or cause of their insomnia, one should head to the nearest clinic or to the family physician before taking these alternative treatments into consideration. Once there is no underlying pathology, then before taking sleeping pills to make the dilemma go away, nonpharmacologic therapy should and is highly recommended to be done. There is no harm to it, and it might just help. It costs less and can be done right at home without spending gas to go some place else. But if all else fails, then it is suggested to take the sleeping pills as prescribed by the physician. References Atkinson, R. L. , Atkinson R. C. , Smith E. E. , Bem, D. J. , Nolen-Koeksema, S. (2000). Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology. USA: Thomson. Bullock, B. and Henze, R. (2000). Focus on Pathophysiology. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Holistic Online. (1998-2007). Herb and Herbal Therapies. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from http://holisticonline. com/Remedies/Sleep/sleep_insomnia_herbs. htm Kozier, B. Erb, G. , Berman, A. , Snyder, S. (2004). Fundamentals of Nursing. USA: Pearson Education. . How to cite The required number of hours, Papers