Razed to the Ground

Razed to the Ground Razed to the Ground Razed to the Ground By Simon Kewin The englishmonarchs.co.uk web site reports that many monasteries were raised to the ground by Viking raiders during the reign of King Ethelred I. But how can a monastery be raised to the ground? Although commonly seen on the web, the phrase â€Å"raised to the ground† is almost always a misspelling of â€Å"razed to the ground†. Whilst it is possible for something to be â€Å"raised† to the ground, it would, logically, have to be below the surface beforehand. Miners could raise ore to the ground. But when talking about a building or a city the phrase should be razed to the ground. Raze which sounds the same as raise but is a completely distinct word is defined by the Compact Oxford Dictionary as follows : raze (also rase) verb, tear down and destroy (a building, town, etc.). - ORIGIN Old French raser ‘shave closely’, from Latin radere ‘scrape’. The more familiar raise, however, is from a completely different root : verb, lift or move to a higher position or level etc. - ORIGIN Old Norse, related to REAR. As an aside, raise can also be a noun, meaning an increase in salary, although this is standard only in US English. In UK English this would be called a rise. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?26 Feel-Good Words20 Criminal Terms You Should Know

Blackbeard the Pirate - Edward Teach

Blackbeard the Pirate - Edward Teach Blackbeard - Early Life: The man who became Blackbeard appears to have been born in or around Bristol, England around 1680. While most sources indicate that his name was Edward Teach, various spellings such as Thatch, Tack, and Theache were used during his career. Also, as many pirates used aliases it is possible that Blackbeards real name is unknown. It is believed that he arrived in the Caribbean as a merchant sailor in the last years of the 17th century before settling on Jamaica. Some sources also indicate that he sailed as a British privateer during Queen Annes War (1702-1713). Blackbeard - Turning to the Pirates Life: Following the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Teach moved to the pirate haven of New Providence in the Bahamas. Three years later, he appears to have joined the crew of pirate Captain Benjamin Hornigold. Demonstrating skill, Teach was soon placed in command of a sloop. In early 1717, they successfully operated out of New Providence capturing several ships. That September, they met with Stede Bonnet. A landowner turned pirate, the inexperienced Bonnet had recently been wounded in an engagement with a Spanish ship. Talking with the other pirates, he agreed to temporarily let Teach command his ship, Revenge. Sailing with three ships, the pirates continued to have success that fall. Despite this, Hornigolds crew became dissatisfied with his leadership and by the end of the year he was forced to retire. Pressing on with Revenge and a sloop, Teach captured the French guineaman La Concorde on November 28 off St. Vincent. Discharging its cargo of slaves, he converted it into his flagship and renamed it Queen Annes Revenge. Mounting 32-40 guns, Queen Annes Revenge soon saw action as Teach continued capturing ships. Taking the sloop Margaret on December 5, Teach released the crew a short time later. Returning to St. Kitts, Margarets captain, Henry Bostock, detailed his capture to Governor Walter Hamilton. In making his report, Bostock described Teach as having a long black beard. This identifying feature soon gave the pirate his nickname Blackbeard. In an effort to look more fearsome, Teach later braided the beard and took to wearing lit matches under his hat. Continuing to cruise the Caribbean, Teach captured the sloop Adventure off Belize in March 1718 which was added to his small fleet. Moving north and taking ships, Teach passed Havana and moved up the Florida coast. Blackbeard - The Blockade of Charleston: Arriving off Charleston, SC in May 1718, Teach effectively blockaded the harbor. Stopping and plundering nine ships in the first week, he took several prisoners before demanding that the city provide him with medical supplies for his men. The citys leaders agreed and Teach sent a party ashore. After some delay, his men returned with the supplies. Upholding his promise, Teach released his prisoners and departed. While at Charleston, Teach learned that Woodes Rogers had departed England with a large fleet and orders to sweep pirates from the Caribbean. Blackbeard - A Bad Time at Beaufort: Sailing north, Teach headed for Topsail (Beaufort) Inlet, NC to refit and careen his ships. On entering the inlet, Queen Annes Revenge struck a sandbar and was badly damaged. In trying to free the ship, Adventure was also lost. Left with only Revenge and a captured Spanish sloop, Teach pushed into the inlet. One of Bonnets men later testified that Teach intentionally ran Queen Annes Revenge aground and some have speculated that the pirate leader was seeking to reduce his crew in order to increase his share of the plunder. During this period, Teach also learned of the offer of a royal pardon to all pirates who surrendered before September 5, 1718. Though tempted he was concerned as it only cleared pirates for crimes committed prior to January 5, 1718 and thus would not pardon him for his actions off Charleston. Though most authorities typically would waive such conditions, Teach remained skeptical. Believing that Governor Charles Eden of North Carolina could be trusted, he dispatched Bonnet to Bath, NC as a test. Arriving, Bonnet was duly pardoned and planned to return to Topsail to collect Revenge before sailing for St. Thomas. Blackbeard - A Brief Retirement: Arriving, Bonnet found that Teach had departed in a sloop after plundering Revenge and marooning part of his crew. Sailing in search of Teach, Bonnet returned to piracy and was captured that September. Having departed Topsail, Teach sailed for Bath where he accepted a pardon in June 1718. Anchoring his sloop, which he named Adventure, in Ocracoke Inlet, he settled in Bath. Though encouraged to seek a privateers commission by Eden, Teach soon returned to piracy and operated around Delaware Bay. Later taking two French ships, he kept one and returned to Ocracoke. Arriving, he told Eden that he had found the ship abandoned at sea and an Admiralty court soon confirmed Teachs claim. With Adventure anchored in Ocracoke, Teach entertained fellow pirate Charles Vane who had escaped Rogers fleet in the Caribbean. New of this meeting of pirates soon spread through the colonies causing fear. While Pennsylvania dispatched ships to capture them, the Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, became equally concerned. Arresting William Howard, the former quartermaster on Queen Annes Revenge, he obtained key information regarding Teachs whereabouts. Blackbeard - Last Stand: Believing that Teach presence in the region presented a crisis, Spotswood financed an operation to capture the notorious pirate. While the captains of HMS Lyme and HMS Pearl were to take forces overland to Bath, Lieutenant Robert Maynard was to sail south to Ocracoke with two armed sloops, Jane and Ranger. On November 21, 1718, Maynard located Adventure anchored inside Ocracoke Island. The next morning, his two sloops entered the channel and were spotted by Teach. Coming under fire from Adventure, Ranger was badly damaged and played no further role. While the progression of the battle is uncertain, at some point Adventure ran aground. Closing, Maynard hid the majority of his crew below before coming alongside Adventure. Swarming aboard with his men, Teach was taken by surprise when Maynards men sprung up from below. In the melee that followed, Teach engaged Maynard and broke the British officers sword. Attacked by Maynards men, Teach received five gunshot wounds and was stabbed at least twenty times before falling dead. With the loss of their leader, the remaining pirates quickly surrendered. Cutting Teachs head from his body, Maynard ordered it suspended from Janes bowsprit. The rest of the pirates body was thrown overboard. Though known as one of the most fearsome pirates to sail the waters of North America and the Caribbean, there are no verified accounts of Teach having harmed or killed any of his captives. Selected Sources National Geographic: Blackbeard LivesQueen Annes Revenge

Letter to the Editor Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Letter to the Editor - Annotated Bibliography Example If any sick person may be cured from the hospital then he may get frustrated by viewing the hospital bills. It seems that the insurance companies and the hospitals are jointly aiming for the profit maximization for them. This issue is actually the dark side of these health care insurance policies. The writer in his letter to the editor asks for highlight this issue and then also pin pointing the possible solutions for it. If we talk about the effectiveness of the letter and the selected words then I must say that the letter highlights one of the top most controversial issues of the present times. These insurance companies are actually playing with the emotions of the people. The insurance agents actually force people to buy these insurance policies by portraying a bright and eye-catching future in their minds and perceptions (Brighton 1). The letter clearly identifies the dark side of these health care insurance policies and the advantage to the companies and the hospitals and the problems for the individuals. According to the letter, these insurance agents usually do not clarify the terms and conditions of the policies and then at the time of any incident they may take advantage of it. I must say that it is reality. Sometimes the insurance agents may not clarify and sometimes the conditions are so vague or complicated that the buyer may not clearly understand them. This misunderstanding may create p roblems in the afterwards for the individuals. Usually consumers are compelled to buy any emergency plan and here the physicians are feeling ill to clarify the details conditions of the insurance policy. In this situation, the consumer may not have any other option and just buy the policy, which afterwards create problems. The writer of the letter says that actually the consumer have to pay extra amount for the health care policies which is very much

Is it better for student to take a loan or to save money Case Study

Is it better for student to take a loan or to save money - Case Study Example Tuition fee takes the greater share of the loan before other expenses such as books, housing and this is a huge burned to the student. In some cases, the loan increases when the student has to repay with interest. This tends to be cumbersome for any student since it accumulates to the extent that it becomes difficult repaying. Economists argue that student’s loans should be interest free and subsidized to facilitate recovery (Christie 2015). Secondly, repayment of student loans can last for many decades, and it becomes a burden to the student (Shen 2010). It ties a student in a debt for a longer period hence can miss many opportunities that come to those who do not have debts. Economists argue that it makes it hard for students to build up an emergency savings account, and they cannot save money for retirement (Christie 2015). This is mostly in cases when a student has to pay the loan for a longer period of 15-25 years. Students who save do not have such burdens and are relieved. Thirdly, taking a loan can run a student’s credit history (Shen 2010). Students who default to pay their loans stand higher chances of blacklisting hence unable to get employment or borrow money from the financial institutions. Similarly, inability to pay the loan within the stipulated time harms the students because it affects the credit history making it prolongs the expected duration of clearance. Thoma (2015), an economist argues that student should not take loan they are unable to pay because it puts them into unintended debt. Additionally, student loans must be repaid with or without graduating (Shen 2010). This is very dangerous to students who do not graduate and lacks job opportunities. It forces them to look for the money elsewhere, hence putting pressure on them. Thoma (2015) notes that it becomes hard for people who do not have a stable income or earning less to repay such

European History World War I Essay Example for Free

European History World War I Essay The focal point of this essay is to evaluate and analyze the position of female nurses in World War I. The paper overall could be enumerated about the impact of World War I on the home front to the countries involving especially women. For the purpose references would be taken from predominantly four books. The first one is It’s a long way to Tipperary: British and Irish Nurses in the Great War by Yvonne McEwen and the second one used in this paper is Nurses at the Front: Writing the Wounds of the Great War by Margaret R. Â  Higonnet. The third and fourth book used for this paper would be The woman of Royaumount: A Scottish women’s hospital on the western front by Eileen Crofton and War and Gender: How Gender Shapes the War System and Vice Versa by Joshua S. Goldstein. Apart from all these an article by Margaret H. Darrow would also be used that was published in the American Historical Review Vol. 101, No 1 in February 1996 titled French Volunteer Nursing and the Myth of War Experience in WWI. All these texts would be valuable resources for determining the true position of women during the First World War. Yvonne McEwen book deals with the characters that are often overlooked while dealing with the greater perspective of a vast incident like the First World War. These are the people who practically work behind the scene but make tremendous contribution to the cause but more often than not are not mentioned by academicians. Such characters are the female nurses of the First World War. The author presents a testimony to all those nurses of the First World War who proved to be people with astonishing courage and ability to bear hardship. It is not only the soldiers of the First World War who showed all these qualities but the author mentions that it is the female nurses who went unsung after proving themselves to be no less dedicated to their country and service than the soldiers. The sacrifices of these people are hardly written down and thus the author is instrumental in presenting to us the untold stories of the female nurses and their position in the First World War. At the same time the author mentions the other side of this profession and service where the female nurses is mobilized in a large number to compete among rival nursing service agencies. The net result often proved to be uncalled for. This is because though there was a huge demand of female nurses in the First World War it was desirable that the female nurses participating and volunteering to serve are trained adequately. It is almost a certainty that due to this mobilization in mass numbers the quality of the female nurses was diminishing. In the same context it should also be said that this lack of practicable knowledge was often covered up by the will to serve and work extremely hard. However, the author indicates several accounts that show the humane aspects of the First World War female nurses and their position in the social order as they were viewed by the soldiers as saviors though in most cases they were only comforters at the most. But in a time of mass destruction and agony this was more than sufficient for a dying young soldier. The author narrates this aspect of the female nurses with great affection and indulgence. (McEwen, 2006) The second text by Higonnet reveals more of personal account of the two most famous nurses from the United States, Mary Borden and Ellen N. La Motte. Their personal views of the First World War, as brought for forward by the author between the same covers, shows the inner world of the female nurses during the period of the war. These are women who saw the war extremely closely and thus narrates the extremely difficult practice of military medicine under ruthless conditions. Their accounts are often haunting and both reflects the dilemma of treatment where the patient for whom the nurses work so hard would ultimately return to the war zone either to be killed or to kill. At this point the text becomes very touching and humane but at the same time shows us the true position of the female nurses during the First World War. It appears that the female nurses were, in a sense, just comforting medium or toll provided by the government to heal their killing machines. It is true that this cost of war is often difficult to digest with its harsh realities of death and decay of the human mind where most of the humane principals are drained off under unbearable circumstances. But the nurses depict their accounts not only from the point of view of observers but from a point where it appears that they are actually cursing their need of healing the blood river. There is a certain point of motherhood or motherly feeling involved in their accounts. Their text not only becomes extremely important for determining the true position of the nurses during the First World War period but also presents us with humane narratives that are inspirational, thoughtful and moving. (Higonnet, 2001) Eileen Croftons The Women of Royaumont, A Scottish Women’s Hospital on the Western Front is a story of a hospital in Royaumont which was within few miles from the western front during the First World War. This story also tells the account of Miss Frances Ivens who works as a surgeon in this hospital. Miss Ivens was also responsible for the set up of this fully equipped hospital to serve the wounded soldiers from the front. This is a wonderful story about the personnel of this hospital where death and pain became a regular feature during the First World War period these were the people who never loosed any hope and lead life with hardship and service from 1915 to the end of the war in 1919. Here we find the daily life of the female nurses with their fear and hope and determination. It is a interesting notion to read the parts where they are seen celebrating Christmas or other such festive moods along with their heavy schedule where doctors were allowed on about three hours of sleep due to rush of patients. Here we find the whereabouts of the female nurses with details accounts such a number of patients during a specific period of time in the middle of the war and the total number of treatments along with details of maladies along with their race and religions. The writer makes us aware that these are personnel who worked amidst shells and gun fires and still maintained their high level of professional skills. Here we also find the aspects of humor, like the festivals or games, helped their moral to continue the harsh days of the First World War period. We also come across the diplomatic situation where the management handled the matter with well formulated strategies to survive. Thus this text reveals a huge amount of details that is needed to determine the position of nurses in the First World War period. We can easily understand the high position these women occupied in the minds of the patients but sadly the same was hardly true when it came to bureaucracy and government. If judged from Eileen Crofton’s point of view it was the outsiders who never shared the life of the nurses and failed to pay their due respect. But at the same time it is true that while evaluating the position of the female nurses during the period of the first World War it becomes certain that the elite of the society hardly paid any respects to these brave service providers even though some of the noted female nurse came from this class. However, the main concerns to the nurses were the well being of the soldiers and there they were highly respected and honored. Goldstein’s text presents a different angle to the entire discussion and along with it places a very interesting point of view too. Goldstein aims at the perspective that states that the impact of gender difference and the significance of gender differences are most visible during the period of war. Yet controversial arguments, and the dispersion of erudition across scholastic regulations, have covered understanding of the nature of war and its implementation on the aspects of gender. According to the writer the affect war cause on gender and the gender difference affect the nature of war is mutual and simultaneous. To venture this mode of circumstances the author explores the aspect of war in general throughout the history of human conflict and notes in a lively yet very authoritative manner that almost always women were excluded from direct combat situation. The write even indicates that this has been the general norm and it is applicable for all race and culture. However the author did mention and evaluated the incidents where the women fought in direct battlefield with much success. In the same context the author also mentions the nature of male complexity in the parameters of social behaviors cause mainly due to secretion of testosterone. This part is a very interesting topic as it looks upon the basic aspects of the concepts relating to the construction of femininity and masculinity under the parameters of war and particularly the First World War. To explain the issue the author illustrates the book into seven broad chapters that deals various aspects of war and the subsequent affects on women in general. The first chapter is A Puzzle: The Cross-Cultural Consistency of Gender Roles in War where the homogenous nature of women’s position is discussed in the light of war. The second chapter is named Women Warriors: The Historical Record of Female Combatants where the role of active participation is noted. The third chapter is Bodies: The Biology of Individual Gender where the author looks into the details of the differences between the sexes. The fourth chapter seeks the social position of women and it named Groups: Bonding, Hierarchy, and Social Identity. The fifth chapter deals with the representation of war as a means of construction of male identity and thus it is named Heroes: The Making of Militarized Masculinity. The sixth chapter is named Conquests: Sex, Rape, and Exploitation in Wartime and it looks into the brutal aspects of male dominance during war and thus reveals the detrimental affects that war causes in the ramification of the women. The last chapter concludes the entire scenario and tries to venture into the connection of women and war and thus it is named Reflections: The Mutuality of Gender and War. It should be mentioned that according to Goldstein the First World War included greater participation of women than before predominantly as nurses. However she points out that it is not natural for a human being to kill but during the First World War it was found that women along with men were forced to commit this act and according to the author this was a direct affect of the War. To prove the points the author presents a number of illustrations that includes drawings, graphics, photographs and related materials from numerous scholarly texts that include diverse academic disciplines. This book by Goldstein is a unique approach in the context of content and approach and it could well be stated that it is a fascinating book to read apart from being a book on a distinct issue that reflect much about the position of women during the WWI. (Goldstein, 2001) The article by Margaret H. Darrow titled French Volunteer Nursing and the Myth of War Experience in WWI is a true text to conclude this entire paper. This is because this article emphasizes on the aspects of the First World War and the involvement of women, particularly female nurses in it. Though it predominantly describes the details of women of France it is nevertheless reveals the position of women during the First World War and particularly about the nurses unlike Goldstein who presents the total perspective and the relation between woman and war. Darrow mentions that women were very much involved in the First World War than previous battles but it was mostly indirect in nature. She mentions that the women joined the jobs that were left behind by their men and even took active participation ministry of military affairs but maximum and direct involvement of the women in the First World War was as nurse. The author clearly mentions this and emphasize that the position of the women at this war was almost equivalent and important as that of the male doctors and it could be further stated that a huge amount of inspirations were drawn from the dedication to the service by the female nurse during the First World War. This is the most important point to be mentioned and this is what makes the involving of the female nurses relevant in the context of the First World War. (Darrow, 1996) In conclusion it should be stated that the being a part of a noble profession it was the opportunity for the female nurses of the First World War to gain importance to their community and help substantially to the ultimate cause of the purpose. It is true that they were often treated badly or were not given their dues for their hard works but if we take into consideration the basic position of women in the society or the importance that they enjoyed before the First World War it could be a well placed statement that the First World War provided a respected position for the female nurses in the cantonment and in the society as well.

The Role of Food in Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet in the Western Front and Elie Wiesel’s Night :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

The Role of Food in Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet in the Western Front and Elie Wiesel’s Night Food means different things to people in different countries of the world; pasta is common in Italy, hamburgers are a favorite in the US and tacos are a typical dish in Mexico. Human existence solely depends on this source of energy. A person’s fundamental need for food makes it a very important item, placing the people who control the food in a very high esteem. Consistency is also important in the delicate balance of life. Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet in the Western Front, and Elie Wiesel, author of Night, both use food in their novels to convey this idea. Many of their thoughts and â€Å"meanings† concerning food paralleled one another. Food, one of the quintessential elements of life, plays a significant role in wartime experiences around the world and even in different time periods. Food is essential to basic life. It provides people with the energy to think, speak, walk, talk, and breathe. In preparation for the Jews deportation from the ghettos of Transylvania, â€Å"the (Jewish) women were busy cooking eggs, roasting meat, and baking cakes†(Wiesel, 13). The Jewish families realized how crucial food was to their lives even before they were faced with the daily condition of famine and death in the concentration camps. The need for food was increased dramatically with the introduction of the famine-like conditions of the camps. Wiesel admitted that, although he was incredibly hungry, he had refused to eat the plate of thick soup they served to the prisoners on the first day of camp because of his nature of being a â€Å"spoiled child†. But his attitude changed rapidly as he began to realize that his life span was going to be cut short if he continued to refuse to eat the food they served him. â€Å"By the third day, I (Elie Wiesel) was eating any kind of soup hungrily† (Wiesel, 40). His desire to live superseded his social characteristic of being â€Å"pampered†. Remarque also uses his characters to show to how a balanced diet promotes a person’s good health. Paul Bà ¤umer uses food to encourage Franz Kemmerich, his sick friend, â€Å"eat decently and you’ll soon be well again†¦Eating is the main thing† (Remarque, 30). Paul Bà ¤umer feels that good food can heal all afflictions. The bread supply of the soldiers in All Quiet on the Western Front was severely threatened when the rats became more and more numerous.

Aphra Bhen’s Oroonoko “The royal Slave” and “Candide, Or Optimism” Essay

Aphra Bhen was a prolific female playwright and author during the restoration period of English history. Bhen herself stood by the power of the monarchy. Her book ‘_Oroonoko_’ has hints within the text that royalty is seen as set apart from the rest of society; and that rank is the natural order of things. Though little is really known about Behn’s early years, evidence suggests that she may have had a Catholic upbringing; (1) however, in considering the text for analysis, Bhen’s position on religion shows that she found religion very constrictive to society, which I will discuss in detail later. Franà §ois-Marie Arouet who is also known by his nom de plume Voltaire, was famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, freedom of expression, free trade and separation of church and state. He was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher, and his Book ‘_Candide or Optimism’_ is a satirical philosophical tale which I will also discuss in detail later. The first text to be analysed is found on page 11 of ‘_Oroonoko_’. The text depicts the â€Å"Indian† natives of Surinam, how they appear to the narrator, how they show love to each other and how they interact with the English governor. The text begins with a vivid description of the natives. ‘they are extreme modest bashful, very shy and nice of being touched†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ [†¦] ‘†¦and though they are all thus naked if one lives forever among them, there is not seen an indecent action or glance.’ This is a vivid description of innocence, and leads to the use of poetic language when discussing erotic love: eg :-‘he pursues her with eyes and sighs were all his language’ while she: ‘†¦looked  down with all blushing modesty.’. This is also a clever use of the narrative structure known as vocalisation, and gives a powerful impression of how the natives feel for each other. However the tone she uses in the text is also hyperbolic, in as much as she romanticises the natives she describes. Also by doing this the natives are shown as passive. The text also contains Biblical perspective and religious connotations. In the first quarter of the narrative she states ‘†¦so like our parents before the fall†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which she also connects with: ‘†¦and these people represented to me an absolute idea of the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ By placing these comments in this conjunction, together with the innocence she creates, she thus connects both the native man and the woman to Adam and Eve within their setting:- the jungle of Surinam, which thus creates an impression of the Garden of Eden as described in the Bible, in Genesis 3. This is something that her audience, having known the Biblical text accurately, would have been able to understand and thus take into consideration, when thinking about a man and a woman from a country a long way away. The narrator considers this noble; when she sees their culture free from the social parameters of religion and informs the reader thus: ‘Nature is the most harmless, inoffensive, and virtuous mistress, it is she alone, if she were permitted, that better instructs the world than the inventions of man; religion would here destroy that tranquillity that they possess by ignorance.’ But she also sates in the first quarter of the text . ‘It seems as if they had no wishes, and nothing to heighten their curiosity’; and later adds: ‘where there is no novelty there is no curiosity.’ when this is considered with the biblical connections, there is the possible implication of rank detachment thus separating the natives from the Christian-European culture which she and her readers are a part of. At the end of the text, she separates the natives even further from the colonists, when she describes a meeting with the Governor. When the Governor cannot make the trip to see them, the natives conclude that he must be dead. When this it is seen that this is not the case, the natives call the Governor ‘a liar and guilty of that infamy’. On one level, this could be seen as ‘native justice’ as she calls it. However, it also implies that the natives are limited in their understanding, and possibly suggesting that colonisation is acceptable, moreover necessary for their development. The second texts is seen on Pages 40 to 42 of Voltaire’s ‘Candide or Optimism’ and are contained in chapter 16 of the main text. The scene depicts Candide and Cacambo entering the Jungle of Orillion, Their entrapment by the Orillians’; Cacambo’s discourse with the Orillians, who then release Candide and Cacambo from captivity, and ends with Candide’s exclamation as to how nice the Orillians are. ‘It’s a Jesuit it’s a Jesuit we will be avenged! And we’ll eat the Jesuit! ‘ say the Orillians after capturing Candide. Here Voltaire is seeing the native as very savage. But he is also viscously satirical and ironic, as Voltaire himself was taught by the Jesuit order. The omniscient narrator here gives us insight into what the natives are saying, and this adds to the viscous humour and the irony. Candide then considers the philosophy of optimism which is the underpinning continuing theme within the text ‘All is for the best, no doubt, but I must say that it’s a cruel thing to have lost Mademoiselle Cunà ©gonde and be roasted on a spit by the Orillions.’ Cacambo comes to the rescue by reasoning with the natives. Here Voltaire does not see a race that is inferior to the culture in Europe, but simply another form human being that can be reasoned with. As Cacambo states: that: ‘natural law teaches us to kill our neighbour all the world over’. [†¦] ‘The Orillians might be cannibals’ but as he says ‘We Europeans have other means of eating well’ thus suggesting that there is little that separates modern society from the native, other than money. The Orrillians are convinced by Cacambo’s reasoned speech and not only do they let them go, they give them women and are treated with â€Å"every civility† again underlining the ‘civility’ of the native population and thus informing the reader of the day that the natives are civilised in their behaviour, despite where they live and what they wear and try to do. As the piece end’s, Candide is overcome both by his deliverance but also by the natives themselves â€Å"what men! What customs!† he says, going back to the theory of Optimism and the issues that relate to cause and effect: ‘ if I had not run my sword right through Cunà ©gonde’s brother, I would have been eaten alive without fail.’ [†¦] ‘It seems to me that nature is a good thing, since these people, instead of eating me, showed me a thousand civilities just as soon as they know I was not a Jesuit.’ In its tone style and genre ‘_Candide or Optimism’_ is a sharply satirical, philosophical tale that stands against the Leibnitz’s argument for philosophical optimism which is summed up in the words of Alexander pope: ‘whatever IS, IS RIGHT’. (2) In its tone style and genre ‘Oroonoko’ is a classical tradgedy where the hero is brought low by personal character flaws or outside circumstances. In comparing and contrasting the texts, both consider colonisation and exploration: In considering the concept of exploration within ‘_Oroonoko_’ Bhen paints a vivid picture of the passivity and the beauty of the natural order, and how this justifies hierarchal society, Whereas, in ‘_Candide_’ Voltaire paints a very different picture, where humanity as a whole is struggling with its very nature, and only reason and enlightenment can help humanity progress. In considering colonisation, Bhen supports the idea of colonisation as a means of financial gain for the homeland. Therefore the natives are shown as a species on their own but a secondary species, next to the European colonists which thus supports the idea of slavery, as a means to an end, despite the suffering that slavery incurs. This is seen in how she considers the natives in the text, who are considered, on the whole as naà ¯ve. In ‘_Candide_’ Voltaire gives us a very complex picture of a world with complex cultures that simply do not interact well. Suggesting that colonisation is an imposition of one culture upon another for the sake of greed. This too is seen in the way he portrays the natives in the text, and though both consider religion to be a man-made construct that is difficult and dangerous to impose upon another culture. It is Bhen’s perspective of the natives that is demeaning, whereas Voltaire’s position is one of equality where we are all the same ‘the world over’. ‘_Oroonoko_’ by Aphra Bhen and ‘_Candide_’ by Voltaire, Both have varied and complex arguments relating to slavery and the plight of humanity. Both are very different and tell two very different stories of life in other lands. The fact that they are still in print now, is a reflection of their importance in understanding the attitudes and cultural aspects of the time that they were written. This in turn, still makes them as important as they were when they were first written. 1. Todd J Introduction xviii Oroonoko 2. Pope A _Essay of man p 45-6_ Fraiser R Voltaire â€Å"_candide, or optimism†_ P 182 renaissance and the long 18th Century (ed) Pacheo A, Johnson D, Open university press. Biblography Bhen A. Oroonoko William canning (1688) (ed) Todd J. penguin classics(2004) Voltaire Candide or Optimism (ed) T. Cuffe Penguin classics (2005) The Renaissance and long eighteenth century (ed) Pacheo A, Johnson D, Open university press.(2008)