Confederates in the Attic Book Analysis Term Paper

Confederates in the Attic Book Analysis - Term Paper Example He recalls his efforts for research, some bitter-sweet memories, the threat of physical violence and camaraderie he experienced, all for the sake of writing a good book with accurate historical details. Recollection of the past events is not always sweet, even when the present states of affairs are sound. For an individual, for an institution, for a race, for a language group and for the Nation as a whole, the original questions will always remain as the original questions with slight modifications here and there! During his extensive travel, Horwitz realized how sharply the viewpoints of the people were divided, over the fundamental issues, though taking into consideration the provisions of the Constitution, every citizen of America, was granted equal rights and continues to enjoy them. Tony Horwitz points out how a small initiative, even if it well-intentioned, has the potentiality of ending up in major conflagration and the pet up feelings of different sections of the people have chances of snowballing into a conflagration. He (1999, p.6) cites the example, â€Å"the Walt Disney Company unveiled plans for a Civil War theme park beside the Manassas battlefield. This provoked howls of protest that Disney would vulgarize history and sully the nation’s â€Å"hallowed ground.†It seemed as though the black-and-white photographs I’d studied as a child has blurred together, forming a Rorschach blot in which Americans now saw all sorts of unresolved strife; over race, sovereignty, the sanctity of historic landscapes, and who should interpret the past.† His interactions with the actors (people) in the re-enacting circles revealed their mind-sets and thinking processes and some humorous situations. About his impression of a bloated corpse Horwitz writes, ''His belly swelled grotesquely, his hands curled, his cheeks puffed out, his mouth contorted in a rectus of pain and astonishment. It was a flawless counterfeit of the bloated corpses photo graphed at Antietam and Gettysburg that I'd so often stared at as a child.'' (p.7) What he wondered and took note off was the seriousness with which each actor acted, not with the sense of professional integrity alone, but to give vent to their feelings of personal loyalties and convictions. In the course of his trek, Horwitz comes across highly interesting personalities, which one cannot imagine even in the fictional dreams and it provides rare insights into the minds of the personalities. Besides such encounters and experiences are invaluable addition from the perspectives of sociology and human psychology. My impressions about the text: This is an invaluable book that provides insight into the working of the minds of common individuals as for the issues confronting the Nation today. By passing laws on equality and by securing the freedom of individuals through legislations, nothing tangible will be achieved. No legislation can change the color of the skin, and this is the issue, that boggles those who have concern for the welfare of the Nation, nay the ultimate good the humankind. The most dismaying trend Horwitz finds is the resurgence of anti-Federal hostility and racial separatism and I agree with the author one hundred percent about his genuine concern. This is a historical issue for which extraordinary efforts are needed at all levels like politics, economics, sociology and even religious and spiritual values of the Nation. The politicians of different parties have so far

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Philosophy - Essay Example †¦ And third, there must be an agent whose activity enables the cognitive power and its object to make contact† (MacDonald, 1998). In sensory vision, this agent is most often called light, which illuminates the objects around us and make it possible for us to see them. For cognition, it is proposed that there is an intellectual light, which makes it possible for us to understand the objects that are being placed in front of us. Augustine developed this idea of Plato’s into a Christian conception by describing the source of intellectual light as Truth or God, presenting it as evidence of God’s work within our minds. This interpretation of intellectual light as Divine Illumination had significant impact on Augustine’s theories regarding the soul, including what the soul was capable of doing and how it related to the body, as well as his development of a ‘psychological model’ of the Trinity. Augustine’s teachings indicate that it is only through Divine Light that we are able to come to the universal truths of our existence. Although we are capable of communicating and sharing ideas, it is only through the activities of God within our souls that we are able to receive the true light of understanding and knowledge. â€Å"My words give the listener an idea that he can then verify for himself in light of God’s illumination. Illumination is what allows us to go from mere true belief to knowledge. Illumination provides justification† (Pasnau, 2002). As proof that God exists, Augustine used the example of a tree. â€Å"He said that we see a tree because it is there to be seen. †¦ Eternal truths are also there, they are part of an intelligible world of truth. We grasp them intuitively. †¦ He said that if the human imagination and its products reflect the changeable human mind, eternal truths reflect the existence of an eternal being† (†Å"Augustine†, n.d.). Based on Augustine’s principles, the soul is essentially that part of our