Chapter 11, Who Owns History The Texas Textbook Controversy found in Essay

Chapter 11, Who Owns History The Texas Textbook Controversy found in Wheeler, Discovering the American Past, Volume II, 7th edition (pages 349-384) - Essay Example (Wheeler and Becker, Discovering the American Past, 354). It as necessitated an action to be taken by the Texas Board of Education in deciding what to give to the students and what to live out. It has brought such a heated debate amongst people from all fields. Many people are insisting that only few segments of history should be taught to the students. Therefore, it should include the role played by capitalist in the American economy and nation building, role played by military in their respective fields. In additions, roles played by Christians and their faith and the last should be the role played by republican figures. (Wheeler and Becker, Discovering the American Past, 361) If these changes are effected, it means that even the other states will be affected by the same. Texas as a state buys millions of books each and every year. They also make sure that their publications are of high standards, and this makes the other states willing their books. They also review their curriculu m once every ten years, in accordance with the Texas educational standards. The voting line, on what to be taught or not, will depend largely on the party lines; this is republicans and democrats. It is because individual parties believe there aspects that should be shown and others to be left out. There are those who think history in America has been diluted, while others believe that that history should just be re-written. It has, therefore, led to the creation of conservatives and liberals, who at the end of the day have different thoughts and opinions on American history (Wheeler and Becker, Discovering the American Past, 371). Conservatives are mostly outside Texas, and they are found in states such as California. Their argument is that, history should not be changed or re-written. It will in turn see their history books remain the same as before. Liberals, on the other hand,

The Issue of Masculinity in Short Stories Literature review

The Issue of Masculinity in Short Stories - Literature review Example As the paper outlines,  the issue of masculinity is a major subject in the three short stories. John Berger’s story ways of seeing tries to explain how women and men are viewed and perceived differently by society. During Berger’s time, the way women and men were represented culturally had extensive influence on their mutual perception, self, and conduct. In my view, the way Berger portrays the men and women is a true reflection of how they are viewed in the contemporary society where there is widespread gender discrimination, oppression of women by dominant men and objectification of women. As Berger aptly puts it, "men act – women appear"(72), men are judged by what they do or their action while women are always judged by their appearance. However, in contrast to the common notion that women are mere objects, they can be a source of inspiration as portrayed in â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† by Flannery O’Connor’s. Lucynell Crate r Offers Tom Shiftlet a chance to attain Grace. He had no friends, had been wandering but in the long run, Lucynell assists him to get a chance to work hard, get a household, live a quiet life and have an opportunity of watching the beautiful sunset. Although O’Connor’s story shows that women can influence men’s life, it is evident that sometimes men do not appreciate the assistance offered as proven by Shiftlet’s opinion on his marriage as he states, "that was just something a woman in an office did, nothing but paperwork and blood tests†(28). Although he had negative views of the marriage presided by a woman, it can be concluded that he was ultimately married legally to Lucynell’s daughter. My analysis of Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta by Kate Braverman show that society views women as people who can be influenced easily by men to engage in immorality. Braverman states, â€Å"The thrill of motorcycle rides and diamonds offered by Lenny h ad a great influence on her substance abuse†.