Syrian Refugees Essay Online For Free - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2577 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Analytical essay Tags: Refugee Essay Syrian Refugee Essay Did you like this example? Introduction The migrant crisis caused by the civil war in Syria has been reported as causing a migration crisis for Europe (Troianovski, 2015; BBC News, 2015). It is forecast that in 2015, Germany, a country which has a compassionate history of welcoming refugees, will receive 1.5 million asylum applications, double the 2014 level (BBC News, 2015). With a record influx, the government has made a commitment to spend an additional à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6 billion to support the refugees; à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3 billion to aid with housing and a further à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3 billion for other expenses such as welfare benefits (The Guardian, 2015). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Syrian Refugees Essay Online For Free" essay for you Create order These costs are being incurred while Germanys economy is in recovery following a recession and period of stagnation (Kollewe and Wearden, 2014), and critics are arguing that the refugees are a drain on the German economy (Froden, 2015; Scally, 2014). There is little doubt there are ongoing short term costs incurred providing for refuges; in addition to the 2015 refugee spending, the government has committed to provide an additional à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬4 billion in 2016, allocating regional states à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬670 per month for each refugee received (Reuters, 2015a). However, with initial estimates indicating only 450,000 expected arrivals (Reuters, 2015b), and economic forecasts indicating Germany could sustain an influx of up to 500,000 a year (Groden, 2015), the question becomes whether the support of the refugees is economically sustainable. In this context sustainability refers to the ability of the German government to continue with the current polices at the same level. Short Term Sustainability There are significant short term economic costs; in addition to the à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬670 per refugee per month supplied by the Federal Government for 2016 there are the addition local costs (Reuters, 2015a). The refugees arrive with little or no personal possessions and many may need medical attention after a long and arduous journey, as well as accommodation (DW, 2015). The German municipalities receiving the refugees already faced a housing deficit; a recent report indicated at least 400,000 houses needed to be built each year (EurActiv, 2015). The increase in refugee arrivals exacerbates the existing deficit (EurActiv, 2015). Therefore, a significant short term cost is associated with the provision of emergency housing needs (Wagstyl, 2015). There are also welfare payments, education, and the costs of processing claims. A recent assessment has indicated the total cost for municipalities was approximately à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬12,000 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬13,000 per refugee per annum, including the direct and indirect costs such as housing, healthcare, and administration (CW, 2015). This appears to be a significant drain on the short term resources, and intervention of the Federal government with further aid indicates that the costs are not sustainable at municipal level (Reuters, 2015a). The concept of the short term sustainability may also be impacted by public opinion, as the money provided comes from the public purse. In 2012 a survey of German nationals indicated that two thirds believe that migrants were a strain on the economy (Scally, 2014). This is often accompanied by local residents fears that migrants will take jobs from locals, driving down wages, as well as increased pressure on the public purse due to lower taxes, and increased demand for welfare payments to supplement low wages (Kerr and Kerr, 2013; Migration and Integration Research Department, (MIRD), 2005). If these perceptions are correct, then it would appear the current German policy towards refug ees is unsustainable. However, the perceptions are not necessarily accurate. Therefore, it is necessary to look at the longer term economic impact of the refugees on Germany. Long Term Sustainability There is little disagreement that the refugees will cause short-term costs. However, while fears regarding the long-term cost of refugees and migrants were highlighted in past research, with the perceptions of an ongoing net cost, general research appears to indicate immigrants, including settled refugees, frequently make positive net contribution towards the economies in which they reside (Kerr and Kerr, 2013; Brucker and Jahn, 2011; MIRD, 2005). The association with the short term situation of refugees, arriving with little, reliant on the goodwill of the state, is frequently assumed to continue (Jacobsen, 2005). However, after an initial settlement period, research indicates refugees are often positive contributors, finding long-term jobs and making net contributions towards the welfare state (Bonin, 2014; Jacobsen, 2005). In Germany, there are some additional long-term issues to consider. The existing German population is shrinking; Germany has one of the worlds lowest birth rates (Groden, 2015; Giugliano, 2015; Fitzenberger, Kohn, and Qingwei, 2011). This demographic pattern is leading to a disproportionate distribution of the population, with current official estimates indicating a shortage of younger workers to sustain the economy as older workers retire (Groden, 2015). Furthermore, the issue is not only a shortage of workers, but the crisis facing the budget and the state pension system. For example, it is forecast by 2060 there will only be two active workers to every one retiree (Groden, 2015). As the German pension system pays current pension claims out of current taxation, this exponentially increases the taxation burden on future generations (Evans, 2013). Therefore, the current demographic profile of Germany indicates that an influx of new young labour may prove significant in resolving an existing demographic imbalance in the current population (Groden, 2015). The issue is not only the influx of the younger labour, but the type of labour entering the market; different workers may generate different levels of economic value based on their skills (Jacobsen, 2005). Where refugees arriving have few skills, they have few job opportunities, often entering into low paid jobs, generating lower levels of tax (Kerr and Kerr, 2013; Jacobsen, 2005). This scenario leads to concerns regarding job loses for nationals, low wages, and competition for low paying jobs resulted in declining wages (Papastergiadis, 2013; Jacobsen, 2005). Displacement of existing workers and lower wages may result in negative economic impacts, reducing aggregate income and the tax receipts. However, while this may be a problem with reference to some refugees, it does not necessarily apply to all, as many refugees may have economically valuable knowledge and skills, from engineers and technicians through to drivers, builders, and service professionals (Papastergiadis, 2013). In past research profiling Syrian refugees, it was found a significant level have a wide range of skills and experience, with approximately 46% classified as semiskilled, and 12% as skilled (ILO, 2013). From this profile, there is a great potential for many Syrian refugees to make significant long-term contributions towards, but there are some significant unknown variables, the potential value may be influenced by the skill levels of the refugees (Bonin, 2014). In recent research undertaken by the Centre for European Economic Research for The Bertelsmann Foundation projections were made regarding the existing and potential impact of immigration on the German economy, bringing all these factors together, including the existing low birth rate, and consideration of the labour shortage and skills (Bonin, 2014). It was found that in 2012, the 6.6 million residents in Germany with foreign citizenship made a net contribution of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬147.9 billion surplus in taxes, after accounting for welfare transfers (Bonin, 2014). It was noted this surplus was created de spite a substantially weaker position of the foreign nationals in the labour market, when compared to German nationals (Bonin, 2014), an assumption which may be directly comparable to the current Syrian refugee crisis. Importantly, when assessing the long-term sustainability, the study found Germany needed immigration. Without any further immigration budget deficits would rise significantly to a level equating approximately 146.6% of the GDP by 2060 (Bonin, 2014). This would equate to a requirement for additional lump-sum contributions of approximately à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,082 per employee per year (Bonin, 2014). However, this deficit decreases with the presence of migrants (Bonin, 2014). It was estimated that if there were 200,000 immigrants per annum, where 20% of which had no skills, 50% medium skills, 30% high skills, rather than a deficit, the existing population would benefit by approximately à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬406 per annum (Bonin, 2014). In addition, it was noted that despite these calculations, an annual net immigration of 200,000 people would not be enough to reduce the existing problems associated given the current population patterns and demographic changes (Bonin, 2014). Therefore, it appears that not only is there the potential for the long-term policy for the Syrian refugees to be sustainable, but it would help to resolve an existing German problem (Groden, 2015; Bonin, 2014). Furthermore, when considering the long-term implications, it is not only the first migrant generation that should be considered, but the subsequent generations, where children gain a German education, skills, and themselves contribute towards the German economy, often gaining increased levels of skills compared to the previous generation, and gaining higher paying jobs (Papastergiadis, 2013). However, while it appears there may be some benefits, a greater insight to the outcomes and sustainability may be considered through an examination of previous experiences, looking at scen arios where Germany has already faced large influxes of refugees and migrants. Past Experiences Germany has a long history and culture of welcoming migrants and refugees. Drawing on past experiences may help to indicate the potential future outcomes. An influx of migrants was seen following the collapse of the Berlin Wall. In 1990, a total of 397,000 people entered into Germany, 37% from the former Soviet Union, 34%, and 28% from Romania (Glitz, 2012). Notably, in the context of the Syrian refugees, all of these countries were relatively low income, with a generally lower skill profile (Glitz, 2012). Within a period of fifteen years following the fall of the Berlin wall, more than 2.8 million people had migrated to Germany (Glitz, 2012). These migrants were not refugees, but individuals wanting to live in Germany, often as a result of German heritage (Glitz, 2012). The strategy of the German government was similar to the current approach; with the migrants allocated across different regions (Glitz, 2012). In the short term, one of the fears regarding a greater prevalence t o low skill work was observed, but it was also found that over time the level of skills of the migrant population increased, as in 1996 28.3% of the immigrant group were working in low skill occupations, but this decrease to 26.1% in 2001, with a corresponding increase in the semiskilled group, from 29% in 1996, to 31.5% in 2001 (Glitz, 2012). A significant concern has been the impact on German nationals jobs. Increased participants in the workplace, resulting in increased competition for jobs is likely to result in a degree of displacement. However, displacement was not as heavy as may have been expected; for every ten jobs taken by immigrants, only 3.1 jobs for local German residents were displaced (Glitz, 2012). This displacement rate of 0.31 to 1, corresponds with previous research, when Campos-Vazquez (2008) found a displacement ratio of 0.3. Therefore, there is a net increase in jobs with job creation. While there are jobs created, there was little evidence that the incr ease in the labour market resulted in any negative wage impacts, a finding which may have been influenced by the practice in German where wages are often determined through collective agreements (Glitz, 2012). However, Fitzenberger et al. (2011) did find a higher potential level of vulnerability to low wages for female workers in the non-unionised sectors. Likewise, small declines were found in the short term in the unskilled, non-unionised, labour market (De New and Zimmerman, 1994). However, while there were some wage decreases, the research of DAmuri, Ottaviano, and Peri (2010) highlighted the fact that the wage decreases impacted primarily on the migrants, with little impact on native workers. Brucker and Jahn (2011), sought to create a general equilibrium model for integration across the entire economy, concluding that an increase of 1% in the labour force immigration would result in a wage decrease of 0.1%, research findings that were also aligned with international studies fr om areas such as United States and United Kingdom. Overall, it has been concluded that this period of migration was beneficial. The MRID (2005) found that as a direct result of immigration in Germany, between 1988 and 2003, 85,000 new jobs were created, GDP was increased by 1.3%, and the public budget benefited from net contributions of between 25 million 35 million Deutschmarks per year. Conclusion The refugee crisis for Germany is creating short term costs, but may also create long-term benefits, with the potential for the refugees to become significant contributors to the economic well-being of Germany, increasing demand for goods and services, creating new jobs, as well as generating new tax revenues. This is particularly important for Germany, where there is an existing deficit due to the low birth rate, and recognise the need for immigration. Therefore, it may be argued that the current influx is beneficial, and that it is sustainable as current short-term costs may be seen as investment for the German future, to support not only self-sufficiency within the migrants, but the German economy as a whole. References BBC News, (2015), Germany faces 1.5 million asylum claims this year, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34442121 Bonin, H, (2014), The Fiscal Effects of Foreigners and Immigration in Germany, from https://www.zew.de/en/news/2817/the-fiscal-effects-of-foreigners-and-immigration-in-germany Brucker, H, Jahn, E, (2011), Migration and wage-setting: Reassessing the labor market effects of migration, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 113(2), 286-317 Campos-Vazquez, R M, (2008), The substitutability of immigrant and native labor: Evidence at the establishment level, Department of Economics, University of California, from https://doku.iab.de/fdz/events/2008/Vazquez2.pdf DAmuri, F, Ottaviano, G, Peri, G, (2010), The labor market impact of immigration in Western Germany in the 1990s, European Economic Review, 54(4), 550-570 De New, J, Zimmermann, K, (1994) Native wage impacts of foreign labor: A random effects panel analysis, Journal of Population Economics, 7(2), 177-19 DW, (2015), Refugee crisis to cost Germany 10 billion euros from https://www.dw.com/en/refugee-crisis-to-cost-germany-10-billion-euros/a-18696346 EurActiv, Morgan S, (trans.), (2015), Refugee influx tough on German housing market, from https://www.euractiv.com/sections/social-europe-jobs/refugee-numbers-tough-german-housing-market-317690 Evans, R, (2013), The Best Pensions in the World, The Telegraph, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/9902745/The-best-pensions-in-the-world.html Fitzenberger, B, Kohn, K, Qingwei, W, (2011), The erosion of union membership in Germany: Determinants, densities, decompositions, Journal of Population Economics, 24(1), 141à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"6 Giugliano, F, (2015), A short-term burden, refugees may yet boost sagging EU economy, Financial Times, from https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6d9a2214-5df0-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html#axzz3nyQvMBfSM Glitz, A, (2012), The Labor Market Impact of Immigration: A Quasi-Experiment Exploiting Immigrant Location Rules in Germany, Journal of Labor Economics, 30(1), 175-213 Groden, C, (2015), Heres why Germany is welcoming migrants with open arms, Fortune, from https://fortune.com/2015/09/08/germany-migrant-crisis/ International Labour Organisation (ILO), (2013), Assessment of the Impact of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon and the Employment Profile, from https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/arabstates/ro-beirut/documents/publication/wcms_240134.pdf Jacobsen, K, (2005), The Economic Life of Refugees, Boulder, CO, Kumarian Press Kerr, S P, Kerr, W R, (2013), Economic Impacts of Immigration: A Survey, Working Paper 09-13, Boston, Harvard Business School, from https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/09-013_15702a45-fbc3-44d7-be52-477123ee58d0.pdf Kollewe, J, Wearden, G, (2014), Eurozone growth figures: Germany narrowly avoids triple-dip recession, The Guardian, from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/14/germany-france-eurozone-gdp Migration and Integration Research Department, (MIRD), (2005), The Impact of Immigration on Germanys Society, NÃÆ' ¼rnberg, Federal Office for Migration and Refugees Papastergiadis, N, (2013), The Turbulence of Migration: Globalization, Deterritorialization and Hybridity, London, John Wiley Sons Reuters, (2015a), UPDATE 3-German government boosts funding to states for refugees, from https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/24/europe-migrants-germany-funding-idUSL5N11U30Z20150924 Reuters, (2015b), Berlin to double funding to states, cities to deal with migrants, from https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-to-double-funding-to-states-cities-to-deal-with-migrants/a-18512658 Scally, D, (2014), Germanys foreign-nationals give more than they take, says report, The Irish Times,from https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/germany-s-foreign-nationals-give-more-than-they-take-says-report-1.2019357 The Guardian, (2015), Germany to spend extra à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6bn to fund record influx of 800,000 refugees, The Guardian, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/07/germany-to-spend-an-extra-6bn-to-fund-record-influx-of-800000-refugees Troianovski, A, (2015), Migrant Crisis: Germany Gets Tough on Those Who Dont Qualify for Asylum, The Wall Street Journal, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/migrant-crisis-germany-gets-tough-on-those-who-dont-qualify-for-asylum-1443133537 Wagstyl, S, (2015), European Refugee Influx Leads to Temporary Housing Bonanza, Financial Times, from https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/668b4bd0-3b75-11e5-bbd1-b37bc06f590c.html

Does Religion Cause War - 1079 Words

Does religion cause war? On this planet Earth, there have been many wars fought over many different things. They can range from freedom, oil, and religion. There were many wars fought over religion. For example, the thirty years war. The thirty years war was one of the major wars fought over religion. It was mostly fought in what’s now Germany. The thirty years war was one of the absolute longest and most destructive, and brutal conflicts in European history. The war was mainly between Protestants and Roman Catholics; although, this eventually turned into a war including most of the European powers. The major effect of The Thirty Years War was destroying entire regions. In Germany, the disease and famine greatly decreases population,†¦show more content†¦It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s.Roughly two million people have died as a result of war, famine and disease caused by the conflict. Four million people in southern Sudan have been displaced at least once during the war. The final war I decided to do was the Lebanese Civil War. This war was a civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people (a quarter of the population) were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. After a short break in the fighting in 1976 due to Arab League mediation and Syrian intervention, Palestinian–;Lebanese strife continued, with fighting primarily focused in south Lebanon, which had been occupied by the PLO since 1969, in contravention of the Cairo accords signed with the Lebanese government. During the course of the fighting, alliances shifted rapidly and unpredictably: by the end of the war, nearly every party had allied with and subsequently betrayed every other party at least once. The 1980s were especially bleak: much of Beirut lay in ruinsShow MoreRelatedDoes Relig ion Cause War653 Words   |  3 PagesReligion causes war. This is a matter of historical fact. Since time immemorial, men have fought each other in wars caused by religion. There are at least three instances by which religion causes war. The first is when people try to compel other people to adopt their religion or religious perspectives. 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Deception Point Page 59 Free Essays

In about five minutes the President would introduce Ekstrom and his NASA staff. Then, in a dramatic satellite linkup from the top of the world, NASA would join the President in sharing this news with the world. After a brief account of how the discovery was made, what it meant for space science, and some mutual backpatting, NASA and the President would hand duty off to celebrity scientist Michael Tolland, whose documentary would roll for just under fifteen minutes. We will write a custom essay sample on Deception Point Page 59 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Afterward, with credibility and enthusiasm at its peak, Ekstrom and the President would say their good-nights, promising more information to come in the days ahead via endless NASA press conferences. As Ekstrom sat and waited for his cue, he felt a cavernous shame settling inside him. He’d known he would feel it. He’d been expecting it. He’d told lies†¦ endorsed untruths. Somehow, though, the lies seemed inconsequential now. Ekstrom had a bigger weight on his mind. In the chaos of the ABC production room, Gabrielle Ashe stood shoulder to shoulder with dozens of strangers, all necks craned toward the bank of television monitors suspended from the ceiling. A hush fell as the moment arrived. Gabrielle closed her eyes, praying that when she opened them she would not be looking at images of her own naked body. The air inside Senator Sexton’s den was alive with excitement. All of his visitors were standing now, their eyes glued to the large-screen television. Zach Herney stood before the world, and incredibly, his greeting had been awkward. He seemed momentarily uncertain. He looks shaky, Sexton thought. He never looks shaky. â€Å"Look at him,† somebody whispered. â€Å"It has to be bad news.† The space station? Sexton wondered. Herney looked directly into the camera and took a deep breath. â€Å"My friends, I have puzzled for many days now over how best to make this announcement†¦ â€Å" Three easy words, Senator Sexton willed him. We blew it. Herney spoke for a moment about how unfortunate it was that NASA had become such an issue in this election and how, that being the case, he felt he needed to preface the timing of his impending statement with an apology. â€Å"I would have preferred any other moment in history to make this announcement,† he said. â€Å"The political charge in the air tends to make doubters out of dreamers, and yet as your President, I have no choice but to share with you what I have recently learned.† He smiled. â€Å"It seems the magic of the cosmos is something which does not work on any human schedule†¦ not even that of a president.† Everyone in Sexton’s den seemed to recoil in unison. What? â€Å"Two weeks ago,† Herney said, â€Å"NASA’s new Polar Orbiting Density Scanner passed over the Milne Ice Shelf on Ellesmere Island, a remote landmass located above the Eightieth Parallel in the high Arctic Ocean.† Sexton and the others exchanged confused looks. â€Å"This NASA satellite,† Herney continued, â€Å"detected a large, high-density rock buried two hundred feet under the ice.† Herney smiled now for the first time, finding his stride. â€Å"On receiving the data, NASA immediately suspected PODS had found a meteorite.† â€Å"A meteorite?† Sexton sputtered, standing. â€Å"This is news?† â€Å"NASA sent a team up to the ice shelf to take core samples. It was then that NASA made†¦ † He paused. â€Å"Frankly, they made the scientific discovery of the century.† Sexton took an incredulous step toward the television. No†¦. His guests shifted uneasily. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen,† Herney announced, â€Å"several hours ago, NASA pulled from the Arctic ice an eight-ton meteorite, which contains†¦ † The President paused again, giving the whole world time to lean forward. â€Å"A meteorite which contains fossils of a life-form. Dozens of them. Unequivocal proof of extraterrestrial life.† On cue, a brilliant image illuminated on the screen behind the President-a perfectly delineated fossil of an enormous buglike creature embedded in a charred rock. In Sexton’s den, six entrepreneurs jumped up in wide-eyed horror. Sexton stood frozen in place. â€Å"My friends,† the President said, â€Å"the fossil behind me is 190 million years old. It was discovered in a fragment of a meteorite called the Jungersol Fall which hit the Arctic Ocean almost three centuries ago. NASA’s exciting new PODS satellite discovered this meteorite fragment buried in an ice shelf. NASA and this administration have taken enormous care over the past two weeks to confirm every aspect of this momentous discovery before making it public. In the next half hour you will be hearing from numerous NASA and civilian scientists, as well as viewing a short documentary prepared by a familiar face whom I’m sure you all will recognize. Before I go any further, though, I absolutely must welcome, live via satellite from above the Arctic Circle, the man whose leadership, vision, and hard work is solely responsible for this historic moment. It is with great honor that I present NASA administrator Lawrence Ekstrom.† Herney turned to the screen on perfect cue. The image of the meteorite dramatically dissolved into a regal-looking panel of NASA scientists seated at a long table, flanked by the dominant frame of Lawrence Ekstrom. â€Å"Thank you, Mr. President.† Ekstrom’s air was stern and proud as he stood up and looked directly into the camera. â€Å"It gives me great pride to share with all of you, this-NASA’s finest hour.† Ekstrom spoke passionately about NASA and the discovery. With a fanfare of patriotism and triumph, he segued flawlessly to a documentary hosted by civilian science-celebrity Michael Tolland. As he watched, Senator Sexton fell to his knees in front of the television, his fingers clutching at his silver mane. No! God, no! 69 Marjorie Tench was livid as she broke away from the jovial chaos outside the Briefing Room and marched back to her private corner in the West Wing. She was in no mood for celebration. The phone call from Rachel Sexton had been most unexpected. Most disappointing. Tench slammed her office door, stalked to her desk, and dialed the White House operator. â€Å"William Pickering. NRO.† Tench lit a cigarette and paced the room as she waited for the operator to track down Pickering. Normally, he might have gone home for the night, but with the White House’s big windup into tonight’s press conference, Tench guessed Pickering had been in his office all evening, glued to his television screen, wondering what could possibly be going on in the world about which the NRO director did not have prior knowledge. Tench cursed herself for not trusting her instincts when the President said he wanted to send Rachel Sexton to Milne. Tench had been wary, feeling it was an unnecessary risk. But the President had been convincing, persuading Tench that the White House staff had grown cynical over the past weeks and would be suspect of the NASA discovery if the news came from in-house. As Herney had promised, Rachel Sexton’s endorsement had squelched suspicions, prevented any skeptical in-house debate, and forced the White House staff to move forward with a unified front. Invaluable, Tench had to admit. And yet now Rachel Sexton had changed her tune. The bitch called me on an unsecured line. Rachel Sexton was obviously intent on destroying the credibility of this discovery, and Tench’s only solace was knowing the President had captured Rachel’s earlier briefing on videotape. Thank God. At least Herney had thought to obtain that small insurance. Tench was starting to fear they were going to need it. At the moment, however, Tench was trying to stem the bleeding in other ways. Rachel Sexton was a smart woman, and if she truly intended to go head-to-head with the White House and NASA, she would need to recruit some powerful allies. Her first logical choice would be William Pickering. Tench already knew how Pickering felt about NASA. She needed to get to Pickering before Rachel did. How to cite Deception Point Page 59, Essay examples

Gatsby 17 Essay Example For Students

Gatsby 17 Essay The â€Å"American Dream† in The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald sees the American Dream as something corrupt, and not easy to achieve. The American Dream is made up of a long social ladder, and it is often impossible to be accepted at the top of this social ladder. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as a good example of the American Dream.† However, there is a fine line between what many think is the American Dream,† and what Fitzgerald thinks is the American Dream.† There is a difference between Gatsbys American Dream,† and the ideal American Dream of others. The American Dream can be perceived in a number of different ways. It can be optimism for the future. Some people start out with nothing, work honestly toil night and day, and sometimes never achieve anything. There are also people that have their familys financial support to educate them. Finally, there is the illegal way of achieving the American Dream. † Gatsby felt that the illegal way was the most appealing to him. There are a number of passages that lead us to infer Fitzgeralds view of the American Dream.† Near the beginning of the story, Nick drops the first hints that lead us to infer Fitzgeralds view of the American Dream.† Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction-Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the creative temperament- it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No- Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elation of men. (6)In this passage, Nick feels sympathy for Gatsby. He feels sympathy for Gatsby because Gatsbys American Dream is to be wealthy, and to be accepted into Daisy and Tom’s social class. That social class is exactly what Nick scorns. Jay Gatsbys goal is to be accepted in this diabolical and deceitful social class. This was Gatsbys American Dream. † The only way Gatsby would have a chance at winning Daisys heart would be to enter this elite social class. Fitzgerald does not portray the â€Å"American Dream† as something unattainable, but he portrays it as something that is not necessary to be happy. Fitzgerald does not think that the â€Å"American Dream† is something so terrific that everyone should strive to achieve it. In Fitzgerald’s eyes, the â€Å"American Dream† is something that is not for all people. Fitzgerald did not attain the â€Å"American Dream,† yet he is fine. The â€Å"American Dream† forces people to make poor decisions in an attempt to climb their way out of poverty and into the upper echelon of the American social structure. In Gatsby’s case, the â€Å"American Dream† grabbed a hold of him so tightly that when he actually achieved it; he did not actually want it any more. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a caution for generations to come that they do not have to follow anyone else’s dreams, but they should follow their own.