Final Portfolio

Jessica Bagby

Final Portfolio

5/5/11

                                                                                Swan Song

This semester has been incredibly eventful, from trials, tribulations, epic quests, spontaneous musical numbers, and research papers.  It’s like watching a really bad movie, a movie without mythological creatures, super powers, money, or handsome warriors who show up just in time to save you from breaking a nail. So in comparison writing and researching papers wasn’t as attention grabbing, or immediate. But I have learned and refined my knowledge in my paper writing skills. Unfortunately the amazing copier at my disposal is at the moment under mutiny and will not scan my notes so I hope you remember me writing everything down.

First off I should mention that on March 23 2011, my aunt was in a horse accident. The horse Soldier fell and my aunt’s L2 vertebrae burst. She had surgery and rehab until she was stable but the doctor’s wouldn’t let her leave unless she had someone staying with her that could take care of her. That’s where I come in as the only single member in my family with her own car and no children that live in Virginia that could take care of her horses as well. So on April 19 I brought her back and all here it is 6 horses, 5 cats, 2 birds, 1 dog, and my aunt that I have been taking care of.  

But on to classwork using my first research paper as a example, my thesis statement was originally “The early Spanish conquistadors were douchebags.” With a thesis statement this amazing I had to have the research and proof to back it up. I needed to find reliable texts and sites to quote from. I researched and found other cultures that had bad experiences with the conquistadors that backed up my thesis statement. I needed to evaluate the important information and leave out the fluff. Then I needed to be able to argue my statement and convince others it was true. Then I had to reword my thesis statement so as to not offend anyone who might think that they are a reincarnated Spanish conquistador.

The rhetorical triangle is not something I remember any professor going over before. The massive differences in Primary versus secondary sources no one had really explained to well. There was also a lot of emphasis on group work that I liked. More often in English there is no real discussion you just do your paper solo. But we talked, debated, and gave help and opinions when they were needed.

There were other good points as well, like we might not how to give an oral presentation but we did go over how to give a good one. And that is a skill we can use not only in any class but at any point that we have an audience.  

Know other things that I’ve learned is that if you want to survive an atom bomb you have to rob a turtle shell from him. And that and the shell will save you from cruel monkeys with explosives. And Dorothy had it wrong. Apparently over the rainbow is not wondrous lands or vacation spots or even leprechauns but its actually a government conspiracy. The man is watching you in your own back yard. And leading into it I never realized before how common fallacies are, even on the web, making sites like Wikipedia tainted.

I think my one real critique would be that I missed only my allotted 3 days whereas my professor missed way more. I perfectly understand sick days or days that have a good opportunity and would rather not catch anything if you are contagious. Really the only thing I’m upset with that is coming in if I didn’t have to and missing that sleep or wasting gas. Maybe in the future there could be an optional universal texting if class is cancelled.

With everything going on here at my aunt’s house and to be honest the horses take up more time than she does, running errands for her, while maintaining my job, and helping out my best friend who is getting married June 11, 2011, and avoiding an ex-boyfriend who thinks “He is God’s gift to women.” While in between trying to research and write papers I hope you understand and don’t take off points if some were a little late.

Alright so the name is way more dramatic then the paper is but I just didn’t want to name this the “Final Portfolio.” It needed to grab attention. I could have really thrown you off if the name was something like, “How to tell the difference between a Flat worm and a Round worm.” Admit it you would wonder if I was “ok”.

I did enjoy your class this semester, the open discussion and everything is debatable vibe helped make it more of a relaxed feel the class. And this semester I think my final grade should be a, ”A.” I was always ready to help or give advice to team mates or anyone really, arguing or debating when necessary, doing my work and turning it in on time or close to it, searching for ‘reliable’ sources of information, not complaining when I come back to class and find that my group has changed the research question to “How did people feel about the dropping of the atom bomb?” Researching cold hard facts is one thing but researching many different people’s feelings and using them to encompass their country’s feeling as a whole was a little difficult.

 And you never know if on one of my epic quests I might have saved the world. I would tell you if I did but you are not supposed to brag about things like that.

draft of final

                This semester has been full of trials, tribulations, epic quests, people spontaneously bursting out in song, so in short like a bad mini series. I have yet to encounter a speaking animal in this quest or amazingly good looking warrior who shows up just in time to save me from breaking a nail. There has been a cocky ex boyfriend who I swear I must have been drunk who showed up but that’s what makes this a bad series. In short in comparison with everything going on writing papers and developing thesis statements really doesn’t match up that well.

                But things I have gone over and learned are going to follow as soon as I figure out how to upload them. I have proof I stayed awake.   

Terms 2

Marshall Plan:

In the 1900’s the United States gave over 13 billion dollars to European countries to help them rebuild after the war. The money helped boost Europe’s economy significantly and helped get them back on their feet. Because of the help it destroyed barriers and countries developed a continental economic bond.

Nuremburg Trials:

In the 1900’s the Allied Forces tried the German Nazi’s after WW2. Introduced was punishment for War Crimes. The allied forces made known and punished the Nazi’s for their atrocities. It also made the US soldiers more aware of racism and discriminations when they got back home.

Otto von Bismark:

In the 1800’s Germany Otto was a German-Prussian political leader of the late 19^th century, and a dominant figure in world affairs. As prime minister of Prussia, he oversaw the unification of Germany. He became the Chancellor of the North German Confederation. He designed the German Empire, becoming its first chancellor and dominating its affairs until he was removed by Wilhelm ll. His diplomacy of Realpolitik and powerful rule gained him the nickname “The Iron Chancellor”. (Gabe kind of covered everything so this is his)

Ronald Regan:

Religious conservatives were an important part of his election in the “Republican Revolution”.  He was president during the Cold War and his ultimate goal was to rid the world of nuclear weapons. He spoke in Berlin while the wall was still raised, and had major influences during the war on all the leaders. He made an agreement with the soviet union to end the cold war.

Final

Jessica Bagby

5/2/2011

ENG/HIS 112

                                                            Research Paper

            To try and write a paper on many people’s opinions is rather pointless. Influential people like President Truman and Roosevelt were in favor of the atom bomb and others like MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Hoover were not in favor of using the atom bomb. But giving myself the final vote I will state that after the Soviet army joined the United States and declared war on Japan, Japan had already realized they had lost the war. So the use of such an extreme, powerful, and new weapon without knowing the long term effects was bad judgment.

            When the Japanese kamikaze pilots attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 they could not have known that there had already been meetings by various scientists about atomic research and how the Manhattan Project was well on the way to becoming a reality. “On 2^nd August, 1939, three Jewish scientists who had fled to the United States from Europe, Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, and Eugene Wigner, wrote a joint letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, about the developments that had been taking place in nuclear physics. They warned Roosevelt that scientists in Germany were working on the possibility of using uranium to produce nuclear weapons.”(1.) But instead of neutralizing the United States Naval Fleet they just made the United States join in the war that led to the defeat of Japan and Germany.

            The scientists behind the Manhattan Project came up with an idea to warn people before bombing them. “The procedure these scientists recommended was, first, to demonstrate the new weapon "before the eyes of representatives of all the United Nations on the desert or a barren island," and then to issue "a preliminary ultimatum" to Japan. If this ultimatum was rejected, and "if sanction of the United Nations (and of public opinion at home) were obtained," then and only then, said the scientists, should the United States consider using the bomb. "This may sound fantastic," they said, "but in nuclear weapons we have something entirely new in order of magnitude of destructive power, and if we want to capitalize fully on the advantage their possession gives us, we must use new and imaginative methods."(2.) Needless to say the United States didn’t go this route.  They didn’t want to prepare the Japanese of what could come if they didn’t surrender.

            “In early May of 1946 Hoover met with General Douglas MacArthur. Hoover recorded in his diary, "I told MacArthur of my memorandum of mid-May 1945 to Truman, that peace could be had with Japan by which our major objectives would be accomplished. MacArthur said that was correct and that we would have avoided all of the losses, the Atomic bomb, and the entry of Russia into Manchuria."(3.), and Eisenhower saying “"During his recitation of the relevant facts, I had been conscious of a feeling of depression and so I voiced to him my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary, and secondly because I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives. It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of 'face'. The Secretary was deeply perturbed by my attitude...".(4.). “On the clear morning of August 6, the first atomic bomb, nicknamed Little Boy, was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. Leveling over 60 percent of the city, 70,000 residents died instantaneously in a searing flash of heat. Three days later, on August 9, a second bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki. Over 20,000 people died instantly.”(5.)

            Soon after President Truman addressed the world letting the people everywhere know what had happened and why. “The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold. And the end is not yet.”(6.) President Truman was letting the people at home and in other countries know that retaliation will be swift and firm to those that attack the United States.

            After the bombing of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki the emperor asks his military council to surrender. They agree to the Allies terms of surrender but the Japanese people get to keep their emperor. And for the first time the emperor addresses his people over the radio.” Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives.   Should we continue to fight, it would not only result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization.”(7.)

            When the Japanese attacked the United States it was a bad decision that cost them dearly in the end. However to use a weapon that we didn’t fully understand that is still hurting the new generations was a rather horrible decision on our parts. And if we don’t learn from past mistakes we as a human race are doomed to blow each other up with bigger bombs or maybe world peace is possible one day.

The Atom Bomb from Spartacus Educational:

www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWatom.htm

The Decision To Use the Atomic Bomb by Louis Morton:

http://www.history.army.mil/books/70-7_23.htm he cited from: "Report of the Committee on Social and Political Implications,"

signed by Professor James Franck of the University of Chicago and

submitted to the Secretary of War, 11 June 1945, Bulletin of Atomic

Scientists, Vol. 1, No. 10 (May 1, 1946), p. 3; Smith, "Behind the

Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb: Chicago 1944-45," Bulletin of Atomic

Scientists, pp. 299-302.

[24] Ibid, pp. 3-4.

       (3.) HIROSHIMA Who Disagreed With The Atomic Bombing?:

             http://www.doug-long.com/quotes.htm and he cited from: Gar Alperovitz, The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb, pg. 350-351

(4.)HIROSHIMA Who Disagreed With The Atomic Bombing?:

     http://www.doug-long.com/quotes.htm and he cited: Dwight Eisenhower, Mandate For Change, pg. 380

(5.) Atomic Bomb-Truman Press Release-August 6, 1945:

        http://www.trumanlibrary.org/teacher/abomb.htm

(6.) Statement By The President Of The United States: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/small/mb10.htm

(7.) Emperor Hirohito, Accepting the Potsdam Declaration, Radio Broadcast. 

Transmitted by Domei and Recorded by the Federal Communications Commission, 14 August 1945

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/hirohito.htm