Russo-Japanese War Essay Example for Free

Russo-Japanese War Essay The Russo-Japanese war took place in 1904 to 1905 and began because of both Russia and Japans desire to expand their borders into places such as Korea. During this war, Russia was humiliated and had many defeats from a country which were considered to be inferior. The defeat of this war humiliated the people of Russia and therefore lost confidence in Nicholas II. Russia’s defeat in the war also caused problems in the Military, economic and political problems. This then means that the Russo-Japanese war was partly responsible for the 1905 revolution. The Russo-Japanese war created many huge military defeats which showed the Russian people how weak the military were which therefore caused national humiliation. With the people of Russia humiliated, they began the 1905 Revolution. An example of one of the most humiliating Russian defeats during the war was the Battle of Tsushima in May of 1905. The Russians sent 35 battleships from northern Europe to Japan. As the north of Russia was frozen over, the Russian fleet was forced to go past Africa and of an 8 month journey. When the Russian fleet finally arrived, they were overwhelmed and lost 25 of their initial 35 ships. The decisions made during this period lead to the military losing loyalty in the Tsar, for example, the strikes in Odessa. All of these problems and the fact the huge empire of Russia lose to a country that many had never heard of made Russians very humiliated. However, many argue that this did not cause the outbreak of the revolution, but only adding to the opposition of the autocratic Tsar and prolonging the revolution. The Russo-Japanese war also brought great economic problems for Russia. This meant there was a huge lack of money to try to solve the other problems which Russia was faced with which makes the Russo-Japanese war partly responsible for the 1905 revolution. The price of the war was huge due to the transport issues as Russia is a huge country, and with the war resulting in failure, nothing was gained from the territories. Russia was already had a huge economic problem as they had to borrow lots of from other empires like Great Britain and France. As Russia could not invest in her economy, and that Russia was borrowing from other great powers, it also made the Russians feel humiliated. The lack of funds also means that Russia could not improve  working and living conditions in both rural and urban areas. This reduced the Russians national pride. The economic problems meant that Russia could not sort out all of the other problems that the Russians faced in this period all because of the Russo-Japanese war which means that it was a huge factor in the 1905 Revolution. There were also many political reasons why the Russo-Japanese war may have been responsible for the 1905 revolution and what many people believe to be the most important. The war was fought on the eastern side of Russia near Japan, as the Russians wanted to capture Port Arthur, and was far away from where the majority of the population lived which is why many Russians felt left out of it as the news of the Russians progress was so slow to travel which lead to a lack of interest and enthusiasm for the war. This left people out of the issue which made public opinion turn against the war as they could see little justification for it. Even more important was the fact that the Russian military had a lack of resources due to the lack of transport and were not very equipped for the war. If this was the situation in any case, it would show weakness within the leadership and make people turn away from them. This is what happened between the Russians and the Tsar as they thought that he had fa iled his army. If the Russian people were to turn away, they would have to look somewhere else. Many looked towards political groups who were prepared to take action. The political implications of the Russo-Japanese war was a major cause of the 1905 Revolution as support left the Tsar and went to political groups which many believed could take his place. However, many people believe that the Russo-Japanese was not the only cause for the outbreak of the 1905 revolution. During this period, there were many growing political groups which many believed would be better than the Tsar because of their more radical thinking. The Russians mainly supported the Populists the Social Revolutionaries, the Social Democrats and the Liberals. Throughout the years the groups were slowly providing more opposition to the Tsar and each other. The most radical, and in some ways successful, group was the Social Revolutionaries (SR). The SR was heavily against the Tsar and his regimes. They opposed by assassinating many members of the government including the Minister of the Interior, Plehve in 1904 a nd Sergei. The SR became hugely popular due to their radicalism and the fact they are getting closer to their goal than many other political groups which lead to the  public supporting them as opposed to the Tsar causing the 1905 revolution. Another big reason why the 1905 revolution was cause was Russia’s lack of Political reform and the doubts in Russia’s Tsar. As Russia lacked a ‘democratic parliament’, it was only through extreme actions that the public’s voice could be heard. The lack of a nation parliament was due to Alexander II passing the Zemstva Act and the Statute of State Security Act. The people of Russia were also against Nicholas II as a character and leader. It was believed that Nicholas Ii did not have the personal attributes necessary to help get Russia out of their various problems. He was often described as â€Å"shy and quiet†. This may be because he was in power unexpectedly after the premature death of his father. Nether the less , these problems caused the public to lose faith in both Nicholas and the policies which is a strong cause for the 1905 revolution. Finally, one of the most important causes of the 1905 revolution was the economic troubles in the rural areas of the country. It was not only the peasants but the landowners too who were in deep economic problems. Russia used to have an agricultural side to it, however, during this period, agriculture was very behind that of other countries. Nothing had been done about this under Witte’s system. As the situation was never treated, the land became infertile and famines became quite regular, the worst case of this was in 1891. There were also more in 1902 and 1905 which may have triggered the peasants for revolution. In 1861, the Emancipation of the Serfs Act set the peasants free. However, they were tied to village communities and were not allowed to leave without permission. This inflated the peasant’s anger over the next few decades. The Landowners were also in huge debt after selling their land to the government. This strained the relationship between the Tsar and the peasants as Nicholas II has no funds to help any of them. This is a huge cause for the 1905 revolution. In conclusion, the Russo-Japanese war was a huge factor for revolution in 1905 as it leads to military, political and economic problems in Russian. However, there were also many problems in Russia before the War. However, many of the problems in the Russo-Japanese happened after the revolution had started, therefore either delaying the end or worsening the current situation. In my opinion, the Russo-Japanese war made the problems already which were existent in Russia worst, such as the economic problems, leading to the 1905 revolution.

The Institute Of Professional Sociologists Nigeria Essay Example for Free

The Institute Of Professional Sociologists Nigeria Essay Ever since Africa became a continent, most of her problems have been policy and policy management. First, it was the colonial policy makers who introduced the Indirect Rule system (as was the case of British colonial Administration) and the assimilation policy system (as was the case of the French colonial Administration).The Colonial masters adopted these policies largely because of administrative convenience and nothing more. They did not consider the social structure, the culture or the social thought of the African people. And it was little wonder that these policies left the continents in utter disarray. The people are still living under the burden of their consequences. The next anathema was the post-colonial imperialist policies that we term ‘Divide and Rule’. Many of the foreign policies relating to Africa in the past five decades fall within this spectrum. Today most policy makers, Governments and government apparatus in Africa seem to follow the trend of the colonial masters when formulating their policies .a case in point is the last fuel increment or subsidy removal in Nigeria. The people vehemently resisted the policy even if it were to their benefit. They would not want to know any long term or short term benefits or whatsoever. As long as the governments would not want to be people-centric, their policies will always meet with ardent resistance. Most policy finds their way through to the people who have little or no knowledge of the social thought or social systems as do the social scientists. Many politicians rely on armchair theorizing about what and what would or would not work. A policy made by a trial and error methodology does much harm, its makes the people as it were, a laboratory rat. Men are not rats and no one government or Authority should ever treat its people like one. That a particular ideas worked somewhere in the world, do not mean it can work else where. Man is enigmatic and so complex. Culture varies from place to place and globalization will not stop that. The differences among people may create the conflicts of interest, ethnic differences, xenophobia,’ we and they’ factors etc. However when properly perceived these seeming difference is a grand design of what forms the social systems, social thoughts, and the social structure of a people. If culture is a way of life of a people, which involves foods, clothing, Knowledge, idea etc why should someone force an Amala, or Tuwo (Local foods in Nigeria) into the throat of an Asian man? Who don’t know how they are made or how they are eaten? Meanwhile this is exactly what the colonial masters did. The indirect rule system and the system of Assimilation were forced through to the people, regardless they accepted it or not. And most Government in Africa inherited this ‘force it through attitude’. Their policies are tested on the people who they see as lab rats. And they are forced to accept it, whether they like it or not, whether it is compactable with their social systems or not. And because muscle and whips are exacted, the people accept it with malicious obedience. They accept the policy but break the rules. And as those who make these policies do all they can to make it work, those whom it is supposedly made for live how they have ever lived, and is making it not work. We now have is a cycle that has left the continent undeveloped for decades. The ways we proffer here are not exhaustive, as there are all other ways to solve the problem of underdevelopment in Africa. Meanwhile we present hereunder these measures that may revolutionize governance in Africa. The concept of research is almost alien to most African politicians. They wonder why their counterpart in the occidental and oriental worlds succeeds, and yet never know that research is the key to development. Social research in Africa is mostly either not founded or they are not encouraged. Worst still is the fact that most studies are being piloted by international donor/organizations who found these researches for their own sake. And their findings, whether real or doctored, becomes the only available data for all to peruse. If we most move ahead in Africa, governments and other agencies most begin to fund and pioneer research not just for its own sake, but for the sake of national or continental development . Social scientists are not just a group of academic puppets or parakeets as most politicians think. They have a good role to play in societal engineering, especially in developing societies of Africa. Instead of using the people as lab rats, the politician could use the knowledge and research ability of the social scientist, to orchestrate a pilot study or even a laboratory experiment for intended policies before they can be tagged a public policy. However the social scientist must avoid the temptation of using research as a propaganda tool. Rather He/she must hold sacrosanct the ethical value of the profession, and the confidence the people lay on him/her as a custodian of the social systems.

Ferropenic Anaemias as a Problem of Public Health

Ferropenic Anaemias as a Problem of Public Health There are several levels of consideration when analysing the problem of the ferropenic anaemias. Firstly there is the overall prevalence in the population, which is quite low in the UK when compared to the developing world (see on). Secondly we need to differentiate between the physiological ferropenic anaemias such as those which occur in pregnancy, those which occur as a result of disease states such as the various forms of malabsorbtion and those which occur through neglect or malnutrition (in the widest possible sense).(Allen, L et al. 2001) The physiological anaemias are not a major public health issue as they are almost invariably screened for in the routine ante-natal clinics and when found, are generally treated on an expectant basis. Iron stores may be depleted after pregnancy and during the breast feeding period, but again, one could reasonably expect that these conditions would be detected and treated as a matter of course. (Ramakrishnan, U. 2001) The same comments generally apply, although with not quite such universal accuracy, in the malabsorbtion states. Such states are generally found as part of another (usually more clinically obvious) pathophysiological process or as part of a post-operative syndrome. (I M 2001) One would hope that, as such, they would be part of the general management of the overall condition and therefore do not pose a particular public health issue. Another area where the Public Health is a potential concern is that where the ferropenic anaemias occur as a result of malnutrition, poor diet or neglect. One way of considering these issues is to analyse the situation in circumstances where the prevalence of ferropenic anaemias is greater than in the UK (where it is comparatively unusual). (Gibson, R. S et al. 2001) In the developing world, the ferropenic anaemias are a major Public Health issue and some countries have instituted measures to directly combat them.(Yip, R. 1994) The first issue to address is to consider the notion that the commonly measured index of haemoglobin concentration is actually a good measure of iron stores. The evidence base here is quite clear that in developed countries where the level of nutrition is generally good, there is a reasonable (but not exact) correlation. In countries with less good nutritional values, there is a marked disparity between haemoglobin levels and iron levels. Haemoglobin distributions of a subset of iron deficient U.S. children (dotted line) and children who are not iron deficient (solid line). The key observation is the substantial overlap Haemoglobin distributions of Palestinian refugee children (dotted line) and U.S. children (solid line). The key observation is the relatively small overlap. (after Yip et al. 2002) Secondly we should note that as a matter of basic pathophysiology, not all anaemia is due to iron deficiency and not all iron deficiency will be reflected in anaemia. Therefore uncritical use of the haemoglobin index as a measure of the ferropenic anaemias is basically flawed. These charts suggest that the linkage between haemoglobin and serum iron is closer in developed countries than in developing ones. We can point to other indicators of iron status including transferring saturation, serum ferritin, free erythrocyte protoporphryn (FEP) or the more technologically advanced transferrin receptor levels . (Gimferrer E et al. 1997) which can be utilised to give indicators of iron levels either in a specific patient or on a population level. (Lynch, S et al. 2001). There is another consideration here and that these indicators, although probably accurate on an individual level, may not be so helpful on the population level as, particularly in the developing countries, their laboratories may not have a sufficient level of sophistication to perform the assays and also these tests are less accurate in populations where there is a high prevalence of infections One of the main areas of concern to the Public Health is that of the ferropenic anaemias in children. There is a relative period of â€Å"physiological† anaemia in the child which occurs between 6 and 18 months. The word physiological is in parenthesis because it is not strictly accurate. It is physiological insofar as this is the time when the child’s body has its highest levels of iron requirement (almost 10 times higher than in the adult in comparison to body weight) and the comparative depletion is generally rectified by dietary means once the period of high usage is over. (IM 2001). The second factor in this situation is that the typical diet of this age range tends to be low in bio available iron when compared to that of an adult. (O’Donnell, A. M et al. 1997) In the UK it is rare for a child to develop a ferropenic anaemia because those at risk (underweight and malnourished) are generally picked up by routine Health Visitor screening and also because of the better dietary quality of the average diet which is high in meat with a high iron content. Specifically designated infant food in the UK is commonly fortified with additional iron in any event. (Hall, A et al. 2001). We should not overlook that fact that breast milk has a high content of bio available iron and is a useful source of protection (although not universally effective) against the ferropenic anaemias in the young child We should note however, that in studies that have compared breast fed children, with â€Å"normal† diet children and compared them also against those with a fortified diet (defined by being primarily fed on artificial milk) there was virtually no significant incidence of ferropenic anaemias in those children who were given the fortified diet suggesting that those countries who still utilise the fortified milk system as a Public Health measure are spending their money in a cost effective way. (Walter T et al. 2001) Because of the substantial evidence base that supplementation of iron in the diet of the young child is both cost effective and demonstrably workable, (Bothwell T H et al. 1999) One should really also to consider the additional question as to whether there is a case for supplementing other micronutrients as well as iron. This is a question that is outside the strict parameters of the essay title set here so we will not consider it further except to observe that there is a substantial evidence base to support this as well. (Solomons N W et al. 1993) If we now expand the arguments to women of reproductive age, we note that the risk of developing a ferropenic anaemia during pregnancy is greater than during virtually any other stage of life. In approximate values, a pregnant woman can expect her circulating blood volume to expand by about 35% during pregnancy. She would expect to have a total pregnancy requirement of about 590 mg of elemental iron for the foetus and physiological RBC turn over. Routine prophylaxis in the UK supplies about 750 mg during a pregnancy which leaves about 160 mg for erythropoesis. Studies have suggested that the typical woman needs about 1100 mg of elemental iron throughout her pregnancy to avoid a â€Å"natural ferropenic anaemia â€Å". (Viteri F E 1999) There is considerable evidence that a pre-pregnancy ferropenic anaemia increases the risk of developing further anaemia during a first (and progressively greater in subsequent) pregnancies as it suggests that the iron stores in the body are already depleted. There is evidence to suggest that, in women in the reproductive years in the developed world, ferropenic anaemia is more likely to be associated with increased blood loss (menorrhagia or polymenorrhoea) than it is to be associated with poor diet. Lennartsson, (J et al. 1999) made a substantial study of ferropenic anaemias in women and identified a â€Å"substantial sub-set† whose menstrual loss was such that a normal diet could not keep up with their iron requirements. In the context of our essay we can state that iron deficits that are due to menstrual loss appear to have the greatest effect on women in the developing world as they tend to have diets which are already comparatively poor in both overall iron content and bioavailability. Paradoxically, women in the developed world who do develop ferropenic anaemias due to excessive blood loss, are more likely to suffer from multiple micronutrient dietary deficiencies as well, most notably zinc, copper, calcium and vitamin A, (Hall, A et al. 2001). It is also the case that in the developing world, intercurrent infections such as helminthic infestations and malaria may also result in increased levels of blood loss and therefore the underlying causes will also need to be addressed as well as simply correcting the iron deficiency. The nutritional iron requirements of the pregnant woman are typically twice that of the non-pregnant woman, who, in turn, has approximately twice the requirement of the same aged man (corrected for appropriate energy expenditure). Recent studies have shown that 50% of women in developed countries do not have sufficient iron stores for pregnancy requirements. (Kim, I et al. 1998). This fact is essentially the rationale behind the fairly routine prescription of iron tablets to pregnant women in the UK Iron requirements in relation to energy intake for infants, men, women and pregnant women. (After IM 2001) We note that different countries adopt different strategies taking account of costs and available resources. Many, including the UK and the USA, adopt a fortification strategy as a Public Health measure as not only women but men and children will also benefit. Some countries chose to adopt periodic supplementation under supervision such as in a school or the workplace. (Viteri, F. E. 1999) Many countries, including the UK, choose to fortify basic food ingredients such as wheat flour which is currently fortified to levels of 60  µg/g. Basic calculations based on an annual intake of 20 kg/yr (which is fairly low by UK standards) would suggest that this measure alone equates to 3 mg of elemental iron per day or about 25% of the recommended daily requirement. (Viteri, F.E. 1997) In terms of Public Heath costs a recent estimate suggests that it costs about 70p ($1.30) to fortify one ton of wheat flour with six micronutrients, including iron. (Lofti, M 1998). If we revert back to the 20 kg per year estimate of minimal intake, the cost is only a few pence per year ($0.025). Some sources have suggested a programme of plant development and breeding to develop strains of staples such as rice and wheat that have a intrinsically higher micronutrient content. (Gibson, R. S et al. 2001). These measures are certainly within the technological capabilities of the majority of countries and therefore make such measures a viable option. References Allen, L. Casterline-Sabel, J. (2001) Prevalence and causes of nutritional anemias. Ramakrishnan, U. eds. Nutritional Anemias 2001 : 7-22 CRC Press Boca Raton, FL Bothwell T H, Charlton R W, Cook J D, Finch C F, eds. 1999 Iron metabolism in man. Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1999 ; 21. Gibson, R. S. Hotz, C. (2001) Dietary diversification/modification strategies to enhance micronutrient content and bioavailability of diets in developing countries. Br. J. Nutr. 85 (suppl. 2) : S159-SS66. Gimferrer E, J. Ubeda, M.T. Royo, G.J. Marigà ³, N. Marco, N. Fernà ¡ndez, A. Oliver, R. Padrà ³s, and I. Gich 1997 Serum Transferrin Receptor Levels in Different Stages of Iron Deficiency Blood, Aug 1997 ; 90 : 1332 1333. Hall, A., Drake, L. Bundy, D. (2001) Public measures to control helminth infections. Ramakrishnan, U. eds. Nutritional Anemias 2001 : 215-240 CRC Press Boca Raton, FL. IM 2001 Institute of Medicine (2001) Dietary Reference Intakes. . Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, Zinc 2001 National Academy of Sciences Washington, DC. . 2001 Kim, I., Hungerford, D. W., Yip, R., Kuester, S. A., Zyrkowski, C. Trowbridge, F. L. (1998) Pregnancy nutrition surveillance system—United States, 1979–1990. CDC Surveillance Summary, Morb. Mortal. Wkly. 1998 Rep. 7 : 25-41. Lennartsson, J., Bengtsson, C., Hallberg, L. Tibblin, E. (1999) Characteristics of anaemic women. The population study of women in Goteborg 1968–1969. Scand. J. Haematol. 22 : 17-24 Lofti, M. eds. 1998 Food Fortification to End Micronutrient Malnutrition—State of the Art. Micronutrient Initiative 1998 Ottawa, Canada. . Lynch, S. Green, R. (2001) Assessment of nutritional anemias. Ramakrishnan, U. eds. Nutritional Anemias 2001 : 23-42 CRC Press Boca Raton, FL. O’Donnell, A. M., Carmuega, E. S. Duran, P. (1997) Preventing iron deficiency in infants and preschool children in Argentina. Nutr. Rev. 55 : 189-194 Ramakrishnan, U. (2001) Functional consequences of nutritional anemia during pregnancy and early childhood. Ramakrishnan, U. eds. Nutritional Anemias 2001 : 43-68 CRC Press Boca Raton, FL. . Solomons N W, Mazariegos M, Brown K H, Klasing K. 1993 The underprivileged, developing country child: environmental contamination and growth failure revisited. Nutr Rev 1993 ; 51 : 327–32. Viteri, F.E. (1997) Iron supplementation for the control of iron deficiency in populations at risk. Nutr. Rev. 55 : 195-209. Viteri, F. E. (1999) Iron supplementation as a strategy for the control of iron deficiency and ferropenic anemia. Arch. Latinoam. Nutr. 49 (suppl. 2) : 15S-22S Walter, T., Olivares, M., Pizarro, F. Hertrampf, E. (2001) Fortification. Ramakrishnan, U. eds. Nutritional Anemias 2001 : 153-184 CRC Press Boca Raton, FL. . Yip, R. (1994) Iron deficiency: contemporary scientific issues and international programmatic approaches. J. Nutr. 124 : 1479S-1490S Yip R and Usha Ramakrishnan 2002 Experiences and Challenges in Developing Countries J. Nutr., Apr 2002 ; 132 : 827 830. ################################################################ 8.11.06 Word count 2,251 PDG

Attending a Speech by Ira Berlin on Slavery -- Slavery Race

â€Å"Rethinking Slavery† – A Retrospect I recently attended the lecture of renowned historian Ira Berlin. Professor Berlin is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland. He has also been the recipient of many awards and acknowledgements over the last decade. In 2002, President Clinton appointed Professor Berlin to the advisory committee of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Professor Berlin was visiting the campus as a result of his recent appointment as a Mellon Distinguished Senior Fellow for the spring semester at the University of Illinois. He hosted an invitation-only conference at the Illini Union entitled â€Å"Transforming Slavery† on the day following his lecture. Usually when I am on my way to see a lecture, I am not exactly â€Å"anxious† to get there. I was, however, anticipating Professor Berlin’s lecture very much. I had a strong feeling that Professor Berlin was very well established and respected in his field. However, I became disappointed before the lecture even began. According to various sources I had seen around the University, Professor Berlin’s lecture was supposed to begin at 2:30. My plan was to have a conference at 12:30 with Professor Rogers, eat some lunch, and then head to the lecture at about 2:15. Luckily for me, during my 2 conference, I was informed that the lecture began at 3:30. After returning to my dorm, I researched the sources again. I found two sources that had the starting time of the lecture as 2:30, and two sources that had the starting time of the lecture as 3:30. So, needless to say, I was confused. ... ...of the audience to Professor Berlin’s lecture, I can only say that the reaction was mixed. I noticed that the scholars and professors on hand were captivated by Berlin’s presence and were very attentive. I even noticed that a professor in front of me literally tried to write every word Berlin spoke. As for the attitude of the rest in attendance, it was rather dull. It seemed that there were some people that seemed moderately interested in the speech, while others teetered on slumber. I must admit that I was one of the latter (even dosing off occasionally). It just seemed that, overall, the audience, I included, was slightly disappointed in the content and context of Professor Berlin’s lecture. Although there was a definite feeling that Professor Berlin was a very honored person, he failed to captivate most the audience, which was disappointing to say the least.

gdp analysis :: essays research papers

U.S. Economic Outlook: 2005-06 GDP Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to ensure competent and accurate forecasts for both 2005 and 2006, I obtained GDP information from a few different sources. Accessing the information without having to register at a â€Å"nominal† fee was a bit interesting at times, but nonetheless I found a couple of sites that all forecasted GDP and all of it’s components within a tenth of a percent of each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The one I found easiest to follow and analyze was the TD Quarterly Economic Forecast that I accessed at their website, www.td.com/economics. According to information provided here and enclosed information from Reuter’s and Comerica, Real GDP growth is expected to tail off from about 4.4% in 2004 to 3.2% by the end of 2006. All three of these articles identified 2004 as the best year for our economy growth wise in the current business cycle by far. Consumer spending and business investment growth are predicted to decline pretty sharply over the next two years, while the housing / residential construction sector is expected to show negative growth. This, in itself may be an indication that there may be a reverse trend in the property / real estate market, bringing prices down and keeping that market honest. All of these forecasts are contributing factors to the predicted dip in both final domestic demand as well as final sales. Good news though is that export growth is expected to increase, which will reduce the amount of growth in imports, directly correlating to a drop in the nation’s unemployment rate. Increasing the number of jobs will infiltrate more money on the domestic front and eventually serve as a shot in the arm to a parched economy. All in all the U.S. economy is in pretty good shape and here to stay. Optimally, we would like to see this year and next build upon last year’s incredible figures and shoot consumer spending further through the roof.

The Power of The Sea-Wolf Essay -- Sea-Wolf Essays

The Power of The Sea-Wolf Jack London’s novel, The Sea-Wolf, has many different interpretations. The story can be read as a combination of the naturalistic novel and the sentimental romance, both very popular around the turn of the century. London also brings into play literary naturalism, in which human beings are characterized as just another species in nature, subject to all of Her cosmic forces. The Sea-Wolf fits almost perfectly the archetypal pattern of an initiation story. Depth and interest are added to The Sea-Wolf by successfully integrating these three elements -- the combination of two popular genres, literary naturalism, and the initiation story. One of the characteristics common to most naturalistic novels is the theme of survival of the fittest. This novel is very much in concordance with this theory, set up by Charles Darwin and his theory of natural selection. Both Humphrey Van Weyden and Maud Brewster are individuals who have never known physical hardship. They are both people "of the books", and find themselves in a foreign environment when stranded on this boat with a "regular devil" (49), Wolf Larsen. Humphrey Van Weyden, after going through an "initiation process" to be discussed later, finds himself unable to remember clearly anything else. "It seems as though I have lived this life always. The world of books is very vague, more like a dream memory than an actuality. I surely have hunted and forayed and fought all the days of my life" ( 229). Humphrey makes an almost perfect allusion to Darwin's survival of the fittest idea when talking to Wolf Larsen, "You were once, and able to eat, as you were pleased to phrase i t; but there has been a diminishing, and I am now able to eat you" (249). Even Maud ... ...led Hump. Hump survives this so-called "ordeal" and makes it to third stage of the initiation process -- the return to the group. With the beginning of this stage the initiate is transformed. "Hump" becomes Mr. Van Weyden, as Wolf Larsen promotes him to first mate to replace Johansen. He is now accepted as part of the group and he, unlike Larsen, has good rapport with all the crew members. After this last stage is complete is when he gets up the courage to flee the Ghost and Larsen, and run away with Maud Brewster. The Sea-Wolf is one of the richest, and most interesting, novels ever written. Jack London has used a variety of literary techniques to bring his story to life. Through the combination of two popular genres of the time (naturalistic and romance), the use of the literary naturalism, and the story of an initiation, London brings the characters to life.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 22

The afternoon after Elena's â€Å"discipline,† Damon took out a room in the same complex where Dr. Meggar lived. Lady Ulma stayed in the doctor's office until between them, Sage, Damon, and Dr. Meggar had healed her completely. She never talked about sad things now. She told them so many stories about her childhood estate that they felt they could walk around it and recognize every room, vast though it was. â€Å"I suppose it's home to rats and mice now,† she said wistfully at the conclusion of one story. â€Å"And spiders and moths.† â€Å"But why?† Bonnie said, failing to see the signals that both Meredith and Elena were giving her not to ask. Lady Ulma tipped her head back to look at the ceiling. â€Å"Because†¦of General Verantz. The middle-aged demon who saw me when I was only fourteen. When he had the army attack my home, they slaughtered every living thing they found inside – except me and my canary. My parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles†¦my younger brothers and sisters. Even my cat sleeping on the window seat. General Verantz had me brought in front of him, just as I was, in my nightgown and bare feet, with my hair unbrushed and coming out of its braid, and beside him was my canary with the nighttime cloth off its cage. It was still alive and hopping about as cheerful as ever. And that made everything else that happened seem worse somehow – and yet more like a dream, too. It's difficult to explain. â€Å"Two of the general's men were holding me when they brought me before him. They were really propping me up more than keeping me from running, though. I was so young, you see, and everything kept fading in and out. But I remember exactly what the general said to me. He said, ‘I told this bird to sing and it sang. I told your parents I wanted to give you the honor of being my wife and they refused. Now look over there. Will you be like the canary or your parents, I wonder?' And he pointed to a dim corner of the room – of course it was all torchlight then, and the torches had been put out for the night. But there was enough light for me to see that there was a heap of round objects, with thatch or grass at one side of them. At least that is what I first thought – truly. I was that innocent, and I believe shock had done something to my mind.† â€Å"Please,† Elena said, stroking Lady Ulma's hand gently. â€Å"You don't have to keep on with this. We understand – â€Å" But Lady Ulma didn't seem to hear the words. She said, â€Å"And then one of the general's men held up a sort of coconut with very long thatch at the top, braided. He swung it casually – and all of a sudden I saw it for what it really was. It was my mother's head.† Elena choked involuntarily. Lady Ulma looked around at the three girls with steady, dry eyes. â€Å"I suppose you think me very callous for being able to talk about such things without breaking down.† â€Å"No, no – † Elena began hastily. She herself was shaking, even after tuning down her psychic senses to their least extent. She hoped Bonnie wouldn't faint. Lady Ulma was speaking again. â€Å"War, casual violence, and tyranny are all I have known since my childhood innocence was crushed in that moment. It is kindness now that astounds me, that makes my eyes sting with tears.† â€Å"Oh, don't cry,† begged Bonnie, throwing her arms around the woman impulsively. â€Å"Please don't. We're here for you.† Meanwhile Elena and Meredith were regarding each other with knitted eyebrows and quick shrugs. â€Å"Yes, please don't cry,† Elena put in, feeling faintly guilty, but determined to try Plan A. â€Å"But tell us, why did your family estate end up in such bad condition?† â€Å"It was the fault of the general. He was sent to faraway lands to fight foolish, meaningless wars. When he left he would take most of his retinue with him – including slaves who were in favor at the moment. When he left once, three years after he had attacked our home, I was not in favor, and I was not chosen to be with him. I was lucky. His entire battalion was wiped out; the household members who went with him were taken captive or slaughtered. He had no heir and his property here reverted to the Crown, which had no use for it. It has lain unoccupied for all these many years – looted many times, no doubt, but with its true secret, the secret of the jewels, undiscovered†¦as far as I know.† â€Å"The Secret of the Jewels,† Bonnie whispered, clearly putting it all in capital letters, as if it were a mystery novel. She still had an arm around Lady Ulma. â€Å"What secret of the jewels?† Meredith said more calmly. Elena couldn't speak for the delicious shivers that were running through her. This was like being part of some magical play. â€Å"In my parents' day, it was common to hide your wealth somewhere on your estate – and to keep the knowledge of its hiding place strictly to the owners. Of course, my father, as a designer and trader in jewels, had more to hide than most people knew of. He had a wonderful room that seemed to me something like Aladdin's cave. It was his workshop, where he kept his raw gems as well as finished pieces that had been commissioned or that he designed for my mother or out of his imagination.† â€Å"And no one ever found that?† Meredith said. There was just the slightest tinge of skepticism in her voice. â€Å"If anyone did, I never heard about it. Of course, they could have gotten the knowledge out of my father or mother, in time – but the general was not a meticulous and patient vampire or kitsune, but a rough and impatient demon. He killed my parents as he stormed through the house. It never occurred to him that I, a child of fourteen, might share the knowledge.† â€Å"But you did†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie whispered, fascinated, taking the story where it had to go. â€Å"But I did. And I do now.† Elena gulped. She was still trying to stay calm, to be more like Meredith, to maintain a cool head. But just as she opened her mouth to be coolheaded, Meredith said, â€Å"What are we waiting for?† and jumped to her feet. Lady Ulma seemed to be the most tranquil person there. She also seemed slightly bewildered and almost timid. â€Å"You mean that we should ask our master for an audience?† â€Å"I mean that we should go out there and get those jewels!† Elena exclaimed. â€Å"Although, yes, Damon would be a big asset if there's anything that takes strength to lift. Sage, too.† She couldn't understand why Lady Ulma wasn't more excited. â€Å"Don't you see?† Elena said, her mind racing. â€Å"You can have your household back again! We can do our best to fix it up the way it was when you were a child. I mean, if that's what you want to do with the money. But I'd love, at least, to see the Aladdin's cave!† â€Å"But – well,† Lady Ulma seemed suddenly distressed. â€Å"I had meant to ask Master Damon for another favor – although the money from the jewels might help with that.† â€Å"What is it that you want?† Elena said as gently as she could. â€Å"And you don't need to call him Master Damon. He freed you days ago, remember?† â€Å"But surely that was just a – a celebration of the moment?† Lady Ulma still looked puzzled. â€Å"He didn't make it official at the Servile Offices or anything, did he?† â€Å"If he didn't it's because he didn't know!† Bonnie cried out at the same time as Meredith said, â€Å"We don't really understand the protocol. Is that what you need to do?† Lady Ulma seemed able only to nod her head. Elena felt humble. She guessed that this woman, a slave for more than twenty-two years, must find true freedom difficult to believe in. â€Å"Damon meant it when he said we were all free,† she said, kneeling by Lady Ulma's chair. â€Å"He just didn't know all the things he had to do. If you tell us, we can tell him, and then we can all go to your old estate.† She was about to get up again, when Bonnie said, â€Å"Something's wrong. She isn't as happy as she was before. We have to find out what it is.† By opening her psychic perceptions a bit, Elena could tell that Bonnie was right. She stayed where she was, kneeling by Lady Ulma's chair. â€Å"What is it?† she said, because the woman seemed to bare her soul most when she, Elena, asked the questions. â€Å"I had hoped,† Lady Ulma said slowly, â€Å"that Master Damon might buy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She flushed, but struggled on. â€Å"Might find it in his heart to buy one more slave. The†¦the father of my child.† There was a moment of perfect silence, and then all three girls were talking, all three, Elena guessed, trying frantically to do what she herself was working at, which was not mentioning that she had assumed Old Drohzne was the father. But of course he couldn't be, Elena scolded herself. She's happy about this pregnancy – and who could be happy to have a child by a disgusting monster like Old Drohzne? Besides, he didn't have a clue that she might be pregnant – and didn't care. â€Å"It might be easier said than done,† Lady Ulma said, when the babble of reassurances and questions had died down a little. â€Å"Lucen is a jeweler, a renowned man who creates pieces that†¦that remind me of my father's. He will be expensive.† â€Å"But we've got Aladdin's cave to explore!† Bonnie said gleefully. â€Å"I mean, you'll have enough if you sell off the jewelry, right? Or do you need more?† â€Å"But that is Master Damon's jewelry,† Lady Ulma said, seeming horrified. â€Å"Even if he did not realize it when he inherited all of Old Drohzne's property, he became my owner, and the owner of all my property†¦.† â€Å"Let's go get you freed and then we'll take things one step at a time,† Meredith said in her firmest and most rational voice. Dear Diary, Well, I am writing to you still as a slave. Today we freed Lady Ulma, but decided that Meredith and Bonnie and I should remain â€Å"personal assistants.† This is because Lady Ulma said Damon would seem odd and unfashionable if he didn't have several beautiful girls as courtesans. There is actually an upside to this, which is that as courtesans we need to have beautiful clothes and jewelry all the time. Since I've been wearing the same pair of jeans ever since that b*st*rd Old Drohzne sliced up the pair I wore into this place, you can imagine that I'm excited. But, truly, it's not just because of pretty clothes I'm excited. Everything that happened since we freed Lady Ulma and then went to her old estate has been a wonderful dream. The house was run down, and obviously the home of wild animals who used it as a lavatory as well as a bedroom. We even found the tracks of wolves and other animals upstairs, which led to the question of whether werewolves live in this world. Apparently they do, and some in very high positions under various feudal lords. Maybe Caroline would like to try a vacation here to learn about the real werewolves though – they're said to hate humans so much that they won't even have human or vampire (once human) slaves. But back to Lady Ulma's house. Its foundation is of stone and it's paneled inside with hardwood, so the basic structure is fine. The curtains and tapestries are all hanging in shreds, of course, so it's sort of spooky to go inside with torches and see them dangling above and around you. Not to mention the giant spiderwebs. I hate spiders more than anything. But we went inside, with our torches seeming like smaller versions of that giant crimson sun that always sits on the horizon, staining everything outside the color of blood, and we shut the doors and lit a fire in a giant fireplace in what Lady Ulma calls the Great Hall. (I think it's where you eat or have parties – it has an enormous table on a dais at one side, and a room for minstrels above what must be the dance floor. Lady Ulma said that this is where the servants all sleep at night, too (the Great Hall, not the minstrel gallery). Then we went upstairs, where we saw – I swear – several dozen bedrooms with very large four-poster beds that are going to need new mattresses and sheets and coverlets and hangings, but we didn't stay to look around. There were bats hanging from the ceiling. We headed for Lady Ulma's mother's workroom. It was a very large room where at least forty people could sit and sew the clothes that Lady Ulma's mother designed. But here's the exciting part! Lady Ulma went to one of the wardrobes in the room and moved away all the tattered, moth-eaten clothes that were in it. And she pressed some different places at the back of the cupboard and the whole back of the cupboard slid out! Inside it was a very narrow stairway going straight down! I kept thinking about Honoria Fell's crypt and wondering if some homeless vampire might have taken up residence in the room downstairs, but I knew that was silly because there were spiderwebs just inside the door. Damon still insisted that he go down first because he has the best eyesight in the dark, but I think the truth is that he was just curious to see what was down there. We each followed him one at a time, trying to be careful with the torches, and†¦well, I can't find the right words for what we discovered. For just a few minutes I was disappointed because everything on the big table down there was dusty rather than sparkly, but then Lady Ulma began to gently brush jewels off with a special cloth and Bonnie found sacks and packages and she poured them out – and it was like pouring out a rainbow! Damon found a cabinet where there were drawers and drawers of necklaces, bracelets, rings, armlets, anklets, earrings, nose rings, and hairpins and ornaments, too! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I poured out a pouch and found that I had a huge handful of glorious white diamonds dripping through my fingers, some of them as big as my thumbnail. I saw white pearls and black pearls, both smaller and perfectly matched, and huge and in marvelous shapes: almost as big as apricots with pink or golden or gray sheens to them. I saw sapphires the size of quarters, with stars you could see almost from across the room. I held handfuls of emeralds and peridots and opals and rubies and tourmalines and amethysts – and a lot of lapis lazuli, for the discriminating vampire, of course. And the jewelry that was already made up was so beautiful it made my throat ache. I know Lady Ulma had a quiet little cry, but I think it was partly from happiness as we all kept complimenting her on her jewels. In days she has gone from being a slave who owned nothing to an incredibly rich woman who owns a house and all the means she would ever need to keep it up in style. We decided that even though she is going to marry her lover, it was best at first for Damon to buy him quietly and free him quietly, but to play â€Å"Head of the Household† for as long as we are here. During that time we will treat Lady Ulma as family, and will put the jeweler Lucen back to work until we leave, when he and Lady Ulma can quietly take Damon's place. The feudal lords around here are not demons anymore, but vampires, and they have less objection to humans owning property. Have I told you about Lucen? He's a wonderful artist with jewels! He has a burning need to create – in his early days as a slave he would create with mud and weeds, imagining that he was making jewelry. Then he got lucky and was apprenticed to a jeweler. He's felt sorry for Lady Ulma for so long, and loved her for so long, that it's like a little miracle that they are truly able to get together – and most importantly, as free citizens. We were afraid that Lucen might not like the idea of us buying him as a slave and not freeing him until we leave, but he never thought he'd be free – because of his talent. He's a slow, gentle, kind man, with a neat little beard and gray eyes that remind me of Meredith's. And he's so amazed at being treated decently and not worked around the clock that he would have accepted anything, just to be allowed to be near Lady Ulma. I guess he was an apprentice when her father was a jeweler, and he fell in love with her all those years ago, but he thought he would never, never ever be able to be with her, because she was a young lady of quality and he was a slave. They're so happy together! Every day Lady Ulma looks more beautiful, and younger. She asked permission from Damon to dye her hair all black, and he told her she could dye it pink if she liked, and now she just looks incredibly beautiful. I can't believe I ever thought of her as an old hag, but that's what agony and fear and hopelessness do to you. Every one of those gray hairs was from being a slave, with no property, no say in her future, no safety, no ability even to keep her children, if she had them. I forgot to tell you the other upside of Meredith, Bonnie, and I being â€Å"personal assistants† for a while. It's that we can employ a lot of poor women who make their living by sewing, and Lady Ulma actually wants to design and show them how to make our finest clothes. We told her that she could just relax, but she says all her life she's fantasized about being a designer like her mother and now she's dying to do it – with three completely different types of girl to dress. I'm dying to see what she'll come up with: she's already started sketching and tomorrow the man who sells fabric will come and she'll pick the materials. Meanwhile Damon has hired about two hundred people (really!) to clean out Lady Ulma's estate, put up new wall hangings and curtains, refurbish the plumbing system, polish up the furniture that has kept nicely, and to get new furniture where things have fallen apart. Oh, and to plant ready-grown flowers and trees in the gardens and put in fountains and all kinds of stuff. With that many people working, we ought to be able to move in in just a matter of days. All this has just one purpose, aside from making Lady Ulma happy. It's so that Damon and his â€Å"personal assistants† will be accepted by high society as the season of parties begins this year. Because I've kept the best for last. Both Lady Ulma and Sage could immediately identify the people in the riddles that Misao gave to us! It just goes to prove what I thought before, that Misao never imagined that we'd actually make it here, or that we could get entrance to the places where they've hidden the two halves of the fox key. But there's a very easy way to get invited into the houses we need to get into. If we're the newest, splashiest nouveau riche (sp?) around, and if we circulate the story that Lady Ulma has been restored to her rightful place, and if everyone wants to know about her – we'll get invited to parties! And that's how we get into the two estates we need to visit to look for the halves of the key that we need to free Stefan! And we're incredibly lucky, because this is the time of year when everyone begins to give parties, and both households we want to visit are having early celebrations: one is a gala, and one is a spring soiree to celebrate the first flowers. I know my writing is shaky now. I'm shaky myself at the thought that we are actually going to look for the two halves of the fox key that will let us break Stefan out of his prison. Oh, diary, it's late – and I can't – I can't write about Stefan. To be here in the same city with him, to know the direction to his prison†¦and yet to not be able to get to see him. My eyes are so blurred I can't see what I'm writing. I wanted to get some sleep to be ready for another day of running around, supervising, and watching Lady Ulma's estate blossom like a rose – but now I'm afraid I'll just have nightmares about Stefan's hand slowly slipping out of mine.