The Civil Injunction Process Essay - 884 Words

Running head: THE CIVIL INJUNCTION PROCESS The Civil Injunction Process STUDENT’S NAME PROFESSOR’S NAME The Civil Injunction Process The following scenario presents key players in any law enforcement agency, possible dialogs, inter-agency politics, and concerns when change is proposed. The facts come from an actual experience in Redondo Beach, California. This study is about using the Civil Injunction Process against street gangs. I believe that the North Side Protectors gang was allowed to continue with their roles and delinquency in the community of Rio Sellas for so long because the Police Department didn’t file a civil injunction order against the gang members sooner. In the past the police department didn’t put their†¦show more content†¦They would also get a law order to protect the entire city against the gangs in the city. With this tempo getting started and showing positive results the Police Department was able to request other agencies to get involved where needed. Like for instance the task force that maintained surveillance with provided and eye on these gang members and created reports that would help the police department know of all activities of these gangs that would result in future sting operations and raids. This temporary restraining order is often also called an exparte restraining order because it is assigned in a hearing that is held without the defendant being given the opportunity to present his case. The Temporary Restraining Order can give the gang a rapid pause on their situational awareness. They will soon understand that they will not be able to operate as they have been in the past. Whether they find a way around the order sanction by the Justice Department to continue doing their crimes in the communities or they will most likely move to another city that they don’t have to deal with the Law enforcements and the orders that have been applied in the community they are living I While using a Temporary Restraining Order you can receive resistance from the gang members or close family, or their lawyers saying that their rights are being violated.Show MoreRelatedGangs and Injunctions1330 Words   |  6 PagesGangs and Injunctions Criminal activities and gangs have mostly always been an on going problem in the United States. Gangs and gang members are frequently involved with a variety of different crimes. The 2008 National Youth Gang Survey reported that there are approximately 774,000 active gang members in the United States (Egley, Howell, Moore, 2010). The 2008 National Youth Gang Survey also states that there are about 27,900 active gangs in the United States (Egley et al., 2010). The activeRead MoreEssay about Gang Injunctions10585 Words   |  43 PagesConstitutionality of Gang Injunctions Ryan Jacobsen* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 GENERAL STANDARD FOR ISSUING AN INJUNCTION .................................... 3 WHAT IS A CIVIL GANG INJUNCTION? ............................................................... 4 HISTORY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF GANG INJUNCTIONS ..........................Read MoreHeart of Atlanta V. United States825 Words   |  4 Pageswould be required to follow all rules of the federal civil rights legislation. In this case, a motel that wanted to continue segregation was denied because they did business with people from other states. This important case represented an immediate challenge to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the landmark piece of civil rights legislation which represented the first comprehensive act by Congress on civil rights and race relations since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. For much of the 100 years precedingRead MoreEssay about 1960 Time Capsule1584 Words   |  7 Pagestheguardian.com/theguardian/from-the-archive-blog/2011/nov/22/jfk-assassination-tragedy-world-archive Late in his brief term of a thousand days, Kennedy took up the civil rights issue because of the increased in violence in some of the southern states. He called for increased federal power so that voting rights could be enforced. The major civil rights acts included public accommodations opening and an end to job discrimination. (Salem, 2009) After the Bay of Pigs incident he became â€Å"hard line,† byRead MoreA Civil Injustice768 Words   |  4 Pageswhat was happening in the area, before they decided what was the best course of action that should be taken. After the initial reports where taken, it was determine that the â€Å"Civil Injunction Process† should be used and that was the best course of action. While the Chief believes that the â€Å"civil injunction process† is the way to go, he has to convince the other team members that this plan is what is best for the community and the police officers in the area. He realizes that this way ofRead MoreBusiness Law Assignment : Corporate Law1613 Words   |  7 Pagesshould invoke an injunction to stop a person who has engaged in an act which constituted in conspiring with others to contravene the regulations (s1324 Corporations Act 2001). Similar to the case of Sons of Gwalia LTD vs Margaretic, in this scenario shareholders where given information resulting in them buying into a failing company because they were given inaccurate and fraudulent market information, the people affected by this were able to seek a remedy in the form of an injunction or damages thanksRead MoreThe Law Of Contempt Of Court1464 Words   |  6 Pagesand Krieger was prohibited from further sharing the spreadsheet. On the 8th of April 2013, Krieger posted an article on the same website in regards to the Judge’s ruling. The statement stated that it was a ‘woefully weak case’ and that the interim injunction was nothing other than an ‘underhanded procedural tactic to gain a temporary advantage.’ (Solicitor General v Krieger, 2014). A further article on the website continued to criticise the High Court’s decision and characterised it as ‘beyond jurisdictionRead More Free Speech on the Internet v. United States Constitution Essay1681 Words   |  7 Pagessome 50 organization filed a lawsuit against the CDA and the court also ruled in their favor. (Lewis) More and more cases began popping up in federal courts until December of 96 when it was finally brought before the Supreme Court in Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union.(ACLU v Janet Reno) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The problem with the CDA was the fact that it didn’t clearly define indecent material. Many thought the broadness of the terminology used in the bill made it impossible for this lawRead MoreEssay on Brown vs. Board of Education786 Words   |  4 PagesBrown vs. Board of Education Although slavery was finally ended at the end of the nineteenth century black people found themselves still in the process of fighting. What they had to fight for was their own rights. The Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the civil war brought about literal freedom but the beliefs and attitudes of whites, especially in the south kept the black people repressed. In this paper I would like to share the research that I found that helped to launch the fightRead MoreDistinction Between Civil And Criminal Law3262 Words   |  14 PagesDr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow 2014-2015 FOUNDATION OF LAW PROJECT ON DISTINCTION BETWEEN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LAW Submitted to: Submitted by: Mr. Manwendra Kumar Tiwari Nishant Kumar Assistant Professor (Law) ROLL NO. 83 1st semester TABLE OF CONTENT

Racism The Root Of All Evil - 1022 Words

â€Å"The piano keys are black and white but they sound like a million colors in your mind.† In one phrase, the writer, Maria Cristina Mena expressed the truth about the world. Even though people may have a different skin color, religion, background, etc., they altogether create a masterpiece, mankind. However, nowadays, that masterpiece, mankind is divided. Society lives poisoned by the sting of racism, which may lead and is directly related to immigration, violence, social tension. Racism as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Sadly, this definition becomes flesh every day,†¦show more content†¦It is reminiscent of racist practices of the past such as residential boarding schools designed to separate children from their aboriginal parents and communities (78). Hence, her article illustrates how racism is still powerfully present in our society and plays an important role in the topic of immigration. A well-known event in history that depicts perfectly how racism leads to violence, immigration and social tension is World War II. Raj Bhopal, in his article â€Å"Hitler on race and health in Mein Kampf: a stimulus to anti-racism in the health professions† expatiated on Hitler’s racists points of view. Only 600 years are required, Hitler said, to achieve a recovery. All that German society needed to do was prevent the physically degenerate and mentally sick from procreating and to promote fertility of the healthiest bearers of the nationality. To achieve the blessing of a highly bred racial stock, the state must not leave matters to chance. Hitler’s ideas for the creation of a superior society were explicitly founded on discrimination, based particularly on racism (123). Hitler’s thoughts and ideas added to his persuasive power, led to one of the greatest tragedies in history. His racist view of life compelled thousands of Germans to kill their fellow countrymen, all for the quest of the perfect race. Violence during that era marked not only the lives of Germany, but of the world as a whole. The war also caused immigration of Europeans striving forShow MoreRelatedEssay on Racism: The Root of All Evil1375 Words   |  6 PagesRacism is not new, it has been around for thousands of years. Even in the book full of love and peace; it carries several instances of racist people. Around 1140 B.C. a lovely new widow and her mother-in-law come to Jerusalem to start their lives over and to be accepted by the people of God. Unfortunately the widow, Ruth, was not one the â€Å"chosen† people. She was a Moabitess, considered heathen to the Jewish people. Ruth, wanting to glean in the fields so she and her mother-in-law could eat was shunnedRead MoreA Protest Against Racism In Ralph Ellisons The Invisible Man1099 Words   |  5 PagesA Pr otest Against Racism Merriam- Webster’s dictionary defines racism as, â€Å"prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that ones own race is superior† (Merriam-Webster). The story follows a young college age black man (Invisible) in his quest of personal identity. The story follows a young college-age black man (Invisible Man) in his quest of personal identity. The novel exposed the evils of racism that are difficult to eradicateRead MoreAutobiography Of Malcolm X1614 Words   |  7 Pagesnationalism and separatism. The man who became one of America’s most powerful voices for African Americans was deeply affected by the terrors of racism, which shaped his view of social justice and the condemnation of the white man. The way Malcolm X narrates his experiences changes as his views on race change. At first, he wants readers to feel the destructiveness of racism, so he conveys his experiences through provocative langua ge. When he aims to promote universal peace, he takes on a more optimistic toneRead MoreAnalysis Of Conrad s The Heart Of Darkness 1612 Words   |  7 Pagesdegradation of mankind in his novel. Throughout the novel, the reader is able to see Conrad’s perspective of humanity by discussing two integral issues of the time, Racism and Colonialism. More importantly one can see how he believes humanity has fallen from grace, how it can’t even see it own faults, through his usage of Darkness. Racism, Colonialism, and Darkness are intrinsically intertwined, as they allow people to egregiously harm their fellow man, while restricting people’s capabilities to seeRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Aaron the Moor in Shakespeare ´s Titus Andronicus1025 Words   |  4 Pagespart, if not all, was Aaron the Moor. The audience of the play would be so quick to rule Aaron as a purely evil character, the most evil of all the other characters. However, a deeper analysis of Aaron sh ows that despite his villainy, he still has a human side which he shows towards his son, and that his dark skin has made him a victim of racism, which might have influenced his character, and developed his evil nature that he enjoys. Aarons status is more complicated than just purely evil, and on theRead MoreThe 2017 Horror-Thriller Film Get Out, Ironically Directed1609 Words   |  7 PagesThe 2017 horror-thriller film Get Out, ironically directed by famous comedian, Jordan Peele, caught the attention of a wide array of audiences with its strong take on tackling present day racism. The movie revolves around Chris Washington, a black man, who is in an interracial relationship with Rose Armitage, a white woman. The concept of interracial dating is still frowned upon by a rather substantial amount of Americans today, and this movie uses that uneasiness to drive its message across. RoseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Garden Of Good And Evil By John Berendt1373 Words   |  6 PagesPolitics in the United States has been since the beginning of political existence, intricate and convoluted just as it appears in Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil written by John Berendt. This extract from the novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil cultivates awareness through its use of language and generic conventions in giving an insight into the stratification of feudal society of Savannah, Georgia, in the South of America during the 1980s. The two main representations of this extractRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Minstrel Show 758 Words   |  4 PagesEleanor W. Traylor begins by explaining the fallacy in thinking that ragtime was the first and foremost contributor to black theatre art in America. She argues that the source of all that can be called representative American theatre is Aframerican (47). In other words, she elaborates, there were two kinds of ceremonies and narratives pervasive to black theatre before ragtime. The minstrel show is one example. The ar ticle stresses that the minstrel show was not invented by white plantationRead MoreCompare and Contrast Huckleberry Finn and to Kill a Mockingbird1687 Words   |  7 PagesMockingbird, the authors demonstrate several themes: the coexistence of good and evil, the importance of moral education, the existence of social inequality, racism and slavery, intellectual and moral education, and the hypocrisy of â€Å"civilized† society. The common themes throughout the two books depict; that although the settings are nearly a century apart, society has not changed as drastically as believed. Racism, a main theme throughout both books reveals itself in many ways. The Adventures ofRead MoreWhat Causes Racism Persists?1568 Words   |  7 PagesCauses Racism Persists? Could a tree be racist? Could a tree decide, based on race, how much oxygen it’d provide to the people around it? Could a tree emulate the evil of man? Regardless of how you’d answer those questions, trees and racism hold one important parallel: without their roots, they can’t exist. Roots allow racism, like trees, to live, build, and continue. Today racism persists due to the benefit racism offers the white collective, the confusion that inundates race and racism, the failures

The Human Rights Act 1998 Free Essays

Abstract This essay will outline the main attributes of the Human Rights Act 1998 and seek to argue that it does not go far enough to protect an individual’s rights. It will explain the difference between the procedural and substantive protection on offer to an individual and will show that whilst on a procedural level the rights appear to be protected, this is in fact not the case. The diversity of academic commentary on this topic will be explained to further enhance the essay’s argument that more is required in order to adequately protect an individual’s rights. We will write a custom essay sample on The Human Rights Act 1998 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Introduction The majority of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) came into force in the UK on 2 October 2000 and enabled individuals to rely upon their European Convention on Human Courts (ECHR) rights in the domestic courts. There is a clear divide amongst the academics as to whether the Act has gone far enough to protect the rights of individuals in the UK. Whilst there is no denying that the HRA has afforded British residents the opportunity to use their rights in the courts, whether this amounts to a true protection of their rights will now be debated. The Human Rights Act 1998 One of the main attractions of the HRA is that it allows individuals to pursue remedies against public organisations/bodies in the domestic courts as opposed to going to Strasbourg (Section 6, HRA). Before the HRA, if an individual alleged that one of their Convention rights had been breached, then the only course of action available to them was to go to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The HRA makes it illegal for any public body or organisation to breach an individual’s Convention rights (Section 6, HRA). Additionally, judges are now required to consider â€Å"So far as it is possible to do so, primary legislation and subordinate legislation must be read and given effect in a way which is compatible with the Convention rights.† (Section 3(1), HRA). If this is not possible, then judges are under a duty to issue a declaration of incompatibility (Sections 4 and 10, HRA). It is important to note the limitation of their powers and they are no power to stri ke down the primary legislation, despite its incompatibility. One of the reasons for this is constitutionally, which is to maintain Parliament’s sovereign nature. This is one of the key criticisms facing the HRA as arguably it affords little protection to individuals whose rights are being violated due to a piece of legislation being incompatible with their ECHR rights. However, the statistics show that out of 28 cases where a declaration of incompatibility was issued, only case remains open for remedy (Ministry of Justice, 2012). This one exception is the controversial case of Chester v Secretary of State for Justice [2010] EWCA Civ 1439 which involves the right of prisoners to vote in elections. It has become something of a political football, but arguably the statistic alone shows that Parliament has taken the issue of incompatibility seriously as remedies have been provided in the other 27 cases. The other remedy available is the award of damages under section 8(1) of HRA. Rights Protected by HRA One of the over-arching principles of the HRA is that public bodies treat individuals equally and with respect. The Act allows the rights under the ECHR to be given effect into UK law and ensures individuals enjoy rights such as right to life (Article 2), the right not to be tortured (Article 3) and the right to a private and family life (Article 8). However, these rights have been used in various areas of law by lawyers such as planning applications (Coster v UK [2001] 33 EHRR 20). Whilst this appears to be positive protection of individual rights, there are numerous examples of breaches of the Convention rights since the introduction of the HRA. One such instance is the right to privacy being curtailed through the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 which has permitted government at the local level to carry out covert surveillance. Although on the other side of the argument, it can be shown that the introduction of HRA has allowed individuals to successfully pursue claims of invasion of privacy, not permitted before the HRA. These include Max Mosley and Naomi Campbell (Max Mosley v News Group Newspapers Limited [2008] EWHCC 177 and Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd [2004] UKHL 22). Academic Commentary Academics are divided in their opinions regarding the effect of the HRA on the protection of individual rights. On the one hand, some academics perceive the introduction of the HRA to be a positive development in human rights in creating an expectation of privacy (Fenwick, 2013), whilst others would disagrees with this contention and point to other areas of law where rights are being violated. One such example is Article 6 right to a fair trial, where Hoyano argues that the increased use of hearsay and bad character evidence are ensuring that individuals struggle to obtain fair trials in the UK (Hoyano, 2014). Furthermore, it has been suggested that, â€Å"The Act is widely blamed for administrative and judicial decisions that have been caricatured as privileging the rights of criminals and terrorists.† (Wadham, et al., 2011, p 14). Overall, the Act has been controversial and reforms are most likely in the future. Conclusion To conclude, the HRA requires all courts and tribunals in the UK to interpret legislation in accordance with the Convention rights which primarily ensures a borderline protection of rights on a procedural level. Furthermore, section 6(1) of HRA makes it unlawful for a public body to act in a way to contravene Convention rights and therefore all public duties are now under a duty to act in accordance with an individual’s Convention rights. However, a declaration of incompatibility can be sought and such a remedy is a first in the UK. Individuals still have the right to pursue their claim in Strasbourg and the European Court of Human Rights remains the final point of appeal in allegations of breach of human rights. In this respect, it can be argued that an individual’s rights are protected in a procedural sense as they can now pursue remedies in the domestic courts which is a far easier and cheaper solution. However, on a substantive level, there are criticisms that the A ct does not far enough and instead human rights are curtailed. The presence of such violations ensure that the Act does not adequately protect rights, although arguably it is a significant step in the right direction. Bibliography Articles Fenwick, D Fenwick, H 2013 ‘The Changing face of protection for individual privacy against the press: Leveson, the Royal Charter and tort liability,’ International Review of Law, Computers Technology, vol 27, no 3, 1 November 2013, pp. 241-279. Hoyano, L. 2014 ‘What is balanced on the scales of justiceIn search of the essence of the right to a fair trial’ Criminal Law Review vol 1, pp. 4-29. Books Wadham, J., Mountfield, H., Prochaska, E., Brown, C., 2011. Blackstone’s Guide to the Human Rights Act 1998. 6th ed. Oxford: OUP Cases Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd [2004] UKHL 22 Coster v UK [2001] 33 EHRR 20 Chester v Secretary of State for Justice [2010] EWCA Civ 1439 Max Mosley v News Group Newspapers Limited [2008] EWHCC 177 Legislation Human Rights Act 1998 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 Reports Ministry of Justice, 2012. Responding to Human Rights Judgments: Report to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the Government response to human rights judgments 2011-12 [pdf] London: Ministry of Justice. Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/217308/responding-human-rights-judgments.pdf [Accessed 3 February 2014] How to cite The Human Rights Act 1998, Essay examples

Dark Overtones And Their Contrasts In My Antonia Essay Example For Students

Dark Overtones And Their Contrasts In My Antonia Essay Word Count: 1390Dark Overtones, and Their Contrasts in My AntoniaIn My Antonia by Willa Cather, there are many dark overtones that pervade the novel. It is through the use of symbolism and contrast these overtones are made real. The prairie is the predominant setting of the novel. It may be shaped, and it conforms to the desires of those working it. The prairie?s loneliness, shown by the wide open spaces, is a brilliant way of revealing internal conflict by using a setting. Also, it brings out the characters true meaning. Cather shows through the character of Lena Lengard that society?s next generation would not be as good, or quite as noble as that of Cather?s childhood. The primary inscription on the first page states that the best days are the first to flee. Cather contrasts these ideas with Antonia?s personality, which is always bright. This contributes to the dreariness of the novel. In the novel the prairie is a metaphor for internal conflict. Cather brilliantly demonstrates the prairie as a representation for internal conflict being portrayed by a setting (Kelley, Sean). It symbolizes loneliness and depression. When Jim, one of the main characters, was young, the prairie was uncultivated and there were not as many settlers; it was a lonely place. Being isolated from society with little or no human contact could drive anyone insane. Despair, bad luck, greed, and self-absorbtion make one lose hope also, but it is mostly the lack, or the underuse of, imagination (Kelley, Sean). The prairie was a desolate strip of land that continued as far as could be seen. In the beginning of the novel, Jim Burden states about the land: There seemed to be nothing to see, no fences, no creek or trees, no hills or fields. I had thefeeling that the world was left behind, that we had gone over the edge of it. If we never arrived anywhere, it did not matter. Between that earth, and th at sky, I felt erased, blotted out. (3 4) It seems that Jim tries to express that the prairie is forlorn, and deprived of life, making one aware of being alone. Because Jim has left behind all that is familiar, and started over his life, he has a clean slate, and that is what the prairie is. E. K. Brown, once wrote, ?The impersonal vastness of the land is the freedom it represents.? Thus, Jim makes his own destiny. At first, he is negatively affected by his isolation, since he has only one friend, Jake. When he finds other companions, like the Shimerdas, the land is no longer quite as lonesome. He takes on the point of view that life will work itself out on the prairie. With this view in mind he feels at one with the landscape. Jims childhood as Commager says, ?is flavored by the land?( 31:115-116). With so much solitude on the endless prairie, one can be lead to an alternative to rid oneself of suffering. A prime example of this would be Mr. Shimerda, Antonias father, who kills hi mself out of seclusion and also because of a loveless marriage. Slowly, these two things began to erase his personality, until there was so little left of him, he was a bare shadow of the prominent social figure that he had once been. He was finally driven to suicide. In My Antonia, there is the suggestion that the next generation will not be as gallant as the one Antonia lived in. Like Robert E. Scholes, many critics seem to agree that, ?There is the suggestion that the coming generations will be less heroic and more ordinary than the present breed.? (31:37) The rough experiences Antonia underwent molded who she is. She makes sacrifices so that her family can prosper, and her younger siblings can go to school, and thus have more ?options?.Henry Steele Commager wrote that to Jim it seems that the experiences have made the sacrificers stronger, and that it is actually the ones who have sacrificed who have more ?options?. Lena Lengard is a fundamental example of this. The situations t hat have shaped Antonia will not reoccur. Antonia looks to the future of her children, but Jim knows that the future will be, at the best, a poor imitation of the past. .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 , .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .postImageUrl , .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 , .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937:hover , .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937:visited , .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937:active { border:0!important; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937:active , .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937 .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u263f2b382a606ac626b1ced84b0a6937:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Gymnastics (790 words) EssayMuch like my latter point, the inscription on the title page from Virgils Aeneid is dark and symbolizes childhood lost. The inscription reads ?Optima diesprima fugit.? It means that the best days are the first to flee. Jims childhood days were his best. He discovers this conflict between the past and the present when he leaves Black Hawk for college in Lincoln. This is portrayed at the picnic scene in which it is clear that those are the last true days of carefree childhood for Antonia and Jim. As Wagenknecht says, Jim becomes more ?successful professionally, but more disappointed personally?(109), he returns to his hometown of Black Hawk to try to recapture some of his warm past. Jim feels that by playing with Antonias children, he is regaining his long since lost childhood. Commenting upon her own writing, Cather once said ?A book is made of ones own flesh and blood of years. It is cremated youth.? In addition to the prairie being a setting, it is a symbol for Antonia herself. From her clothing to her mannerisms, to her abundant family, Antonia embodies what we think of as a reflection of the land she herself tilled. Because Antonia returns to the prairie, explaining that she has done so because she favors the open land of the prairie to the commotion of city life, it is even more apparent that Antonia is one with the land. Antonia fulfills what we think of as good. To Henry Steele Commager, Antonia represents the human quest for beauty and truth. Antonia is love and despair, truth and beauty. (31:114) Antonia embodies the American values of personal strength, creative force, and essential goodness of the pioneer woman. She is energetic, intense and noble. Few characters bring all of those attributes together as well as Antonia. As one critic, John H. Randall III, has said, My Antonia ?shows fertility of both soil, and human being.? (31:35) The use of symbolism and contrast is a prominent literary device. Cather uses it to convey the deep and engrossing meanings of the shadowy overtones that run throughout the novel. The style Cather chose is a perplexing one; it shows the goodness and wholesomeness of the human condition, by using a dark setting, dark backgrounds, and mostly dark overtones. Her approach is very interesting and makes one wonder if My Antonia is a viable story and if it is an accurate portrayal of the human condition at that time. Although Jim is a young boy, he is not too perfect which makes him an interesting character. This seems to be an accurate representation of a human being. By making her characters imperfect, Cather creates a believable story. It is the dark overtones that hold together this novel about the goodness of life. Without Cather?s use of skillfully creating this paradox, the novel would have been quite different, and the meaning altogether changed. In the final analysis, the book seems to leave the reader asking: will the next generation be quite so dauntless as the one of the present? Work CitedScholes, Robert E. Hope and Memory In My Antonia in 31 vols. Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. Heath 1967Randall III, John H. The Landscape and the Looking Glass in 31 vols.Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. 1982Wagenknecht, Edward ?Willa Cather? New York: Lexington, 1994. Commager, Henry Steele ?The American Mind? 1974Brown, E. K. ?Myth and Livelihood in My Antonia? in 31 vols. Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. 1946Kelley, Sean. My Antonia Room. Freshmen Honors English. Orange, CA. 11-15 October, 1999