Who Were the Ronin of Feudal Japan

A ronin was a samurai warrior in feudal Japan without a master or lord — known as a  daimyo.  A samurai could become a ronin in several different ways: his master might die or fall from power or the samurai might lose his masters favor or patronage and be cast off. The word ronin literally means wave man, so the connotation is that he is a drifter or a wanderer. The term is quite pejorative, as its English equivalent might be vagrant. Originally, during the Nara and Heian eras, the word was applied to serfs who fled from their masters land and took to the road — they would often turn to crime to support themselves, becoming robbers and highwaymen. Over time, the word was transferred up the social hierarchy to rogue samurai. These samurais were seen as outlaws and vagabonds, men who had been expelled from their clans or had renounced their lords. The Path to Becoming a Ronin During the Sengoku period  from 1467 to approximately 1600, a samurai could easily find a new master if his lord was killed in battle. In that chaotic time, every daimyo needed experienced soldiers and ronin did not remain masterless for long. However, once Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who reigned from 1585 to 1598, began to pacify the country and the Tokugawa shoguns brought unity and peace to Japan, there was no longer any need for extra warriors. Those who chose the life of a ronin would usually live in poverty and disgrace. What was the alternative to becoming a ronin? After all, it was not the samurais fault if his master suddenly died, was deposed from his position as daimyo or was killed in battle. In the first two cases, ordinarily, the samurai would go on to serve the new daimyo, usually a close relative of his original lord.   However, if that was not possible, or if he felt too strong a personal loyalty to his late lord to transfer his allegiance, the samurai was expected to commit ritual suicide or  seppuku. Likewise, if his lord was defeated or killed in battle, the samurai was supposed to kill himself, according to the samurai code of  bushido. This was how a samurai preserved his honor. It also served the societys need to avoid revenge killings and vendettas, and to remove freelance warriors from circulation. Honor of the Masterless Those masterless samurais who chose to buck the tradition and continue living fell into disrepute. They still wore the two swords of a samurai, unless they had to sell them when they fell upon hard times. As members of the samurai class, in the strict feudal hierarchy, they could not legally take up a new career as a farmer, artisan, or merchant — and most would have disdained such work.   The more honorable ronin might serve as a bodyguard or a mercenary for wealthy traders or merchants. Many others turned to a life of crime, working for or even operating gangs that ran brothels and illegal gambling shops. Some even shook down local business owners in classic protection rackets. This sort of behavior helped to solidify the ronins image as dangerous and rootless criminals. One major exception to the terrible reputation of the ronin is the true story of the  47 Ronin  who chose to remain alive as ronin in order to avenge their masters unjust death. Once their task was accomplished, they committed suicide as required by the code of bushido. Their actions, although technically illegal, have been held up as the epitome of loyalty and service to ones lord. Today, people in Japan use the word ronin semi-jokingly to describe a high school graduate who has not yet enrolled at a university or an office worker who does not have a job at the moment.

Gun Control Of The United States - 2378 Words

Gun Control in America has been a major debate since 1995. The debate is never ending because there are so many situations that have surfaced, requiring different policies and exceptions. Guns in America have not only provided protection for some citizens but they have also wounded and killed many citizens. Our laws allow for possession of registered guns with a gun license but it is easy to purchase a gun without showing a legal license. We must remember that although guns are used to kill, they are not the root of the problem. Guns are sometimes used as a result of being mentally unstable. We cannot necessarily say if there were tighter gun control laws there would be less gun related fatalities but we can say that it will result in a better understanding of why firearms other problems that are considered dangerous. In 2008 the United States Supreme Court ruled the Second Amendment of The U.S. Constitution gives a citizen an individual right to possess a firearm for personal lawful uses such as self-defense. This ruling has woke the nationwide gun control issue, leaving those for gun control in the dust while those anti-gun control, such as The National Rifle Association, took a massive step towards their final wanted destination, the ability to have guns without worrying if they are in violation of any laws. The Gun Control debate has directly and indirectly affected most citizens of The United States, although we cannot remedy what happened in the past we can work toShow MoreRelatedGun Control Of The United States1698 Words   |  7 Pagesshootings that has happened throughout the Unites States has created a great divide among Americans on what should our nation do to prevent further shootings from happening. Many people believe that forcing new laws on how people purchase weapons should requ ire background checks. Gun Control in the United States of America is a topic that has had lots of criticism and support by many citizens. The critical people of this topic believe that the guns do not kill people, it is the people that kill peopleRead MoreGun Control And The United States1569 Words   |  7 PagesIn the United States gun control is a big controversy that has been blown out of proportion the last few years. Anything that has to do with guns in the news, reporters say it is the guns fault. Gun control laws are being changed and morphed for the new society that we live in today. What gun control really means is a group of laws to control the selling and use of guns.(1). Statistics have proven that most people want more control on guns. Many surveys have shown that the benefits of gun controlRead MoreGun Control Of The United States Essay1412 Words   |  6 PagesGun Control Proposal Gun control is a highly controversial topic in the United States. There are many people who are for gun control - people who want to have stricter laws to make it so criminals and other dangerous people can’t obtain a firearm. But, there are also the people who disagree with gun control laws and believe there should be a more lenient gun control to help people defend themselves during risky situations. Many gun control laws have been passed for many years. While many have beenRead MoreGun Control And The United States929 Words   |  4 PagesGun control has been a debated, revisited and revised issue for more than a century in the United States. Recently, after several mass shootings in the United States, gun violence issues are; yet again, renewed and in the forefront for the United States. This paper will consist of insight on gun violence in the United States and the newly imposed gun control policies by President Obama; along with, the arguments for and against the new policies and what roles both the formal and informal actorsRead MoreGun Control Of The United States1166 Words   |  5 PagesSince America’s birth, guns have played a large part in it’s society. Citizens of the United States have used firearms to protect the land they love, and their families. They even use them for engaging activities such as hunting and sport. Though firearms may seem to have a commonplace in society, weighing the rights and liberties of citizens against the safety and welfare of the public has always been a delicate process. In the United States, gun control is a of heated issue that has two sides.Read MoreGun Control And The United States988 Words   |  4 PagesGun Control Reassessment in the United States Imagine this: you are in World History class at your high school almost falling asleep learning about Ancient China. It is a normal day for you and your classmates, until you hear an announcement from the principal. You expect the typical lockdown drill, but this situation is far from typical. A man with a gun breaks into your school. BANG! Several of your classmates are killed before this man can be controlled. You survive, but live the rest of yourRead MoreGun Control Of The United States1704 Words   |  7 Pagesshootings that has happened all through the Unites States has made an great divide among Americans on what ought our country do to keep further shootings from happening. Numerous individuals trust that forcing new laws on how people buy weapons should require background verifications. Gun Control in the United States of America is a topic that has had lots of criticism and support by numerous citizens. The critical people of this topic trust that the guns don t murder peo ple, is that people kill peopleRead MoreGun Control in the United States1306 Words   |  6 Pages Gun Control in the United States has gone out of control. The United States should enforce laws to not allow any guns in a house hold in order to reduce violence and crime in the country. Reducing the rate of crime in the United States, controlling big weapons, taxing ammunition, and gun collection can help make this happen. Gun Control can make this country a safer environment to live in. Gun Control has obviously gone out of control in the recent years. Look around, they are everywhere. ReducingRead MoreGun Control And The United States1435 Words   |  6 PagesGun Control For gun control, there should be some requirements for the people to take in order to own a gun for themselves. Throughout the United States, gun control should allow people to still have guns; however, the citizens should go through some changes to ensure safety throughout the nation. Gun control has given some helpful ideals before that would help the people understand the responsibilities of their guns. They want to make sure that these laws maintain to progress as a better solutionRead MoreGun Control And The United States886 Words   |  4 PagesGun Control in the United States On December 14, 2012, a gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 children and six adults. This tragedy shook the nation and made Americans wonder, how could this have been prevented? Recently published research suggests mass shootings are becoming more common in the United States. Harvard University researchers said in October 2014 that a mass shooting has occurred every 64 days, on average, since 2011, compared with every

A Great Man Free Essays

January 4, 1643 is the time when our great mathematician and physicist, Isaac Newton, was born. His hometown was Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. His father was a noble farmer but unfortunately he died before Isaac Newton was born. We will write a custom essay sample on A Great Man or any similar topic only for you Order Now After his father’s death, his mother was married again, thus he was left with his grandparent’s custody. He went to Cambridge University to study in 1661. During that year, he became interested in various fields including mathematics. He was also become interested in optics, astronomy and physics but in 1665 a plague epidemic came in the University that forces Newton to go back to his hometown. During his two years in Cambridge, he already thought about gravity and in fact began to study optics and mathematics particularly calculus. After the plague, he returned to Cambridge. He became a second Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. In 1668, he made a reflecting telescope which attracts the attention of the scientific community and eventually he became a member of the famous Royal Society. His passion in optics and science was manifested by his series of experiments in the composition of light which resulted to the discovery of the various behavior of light. He published â€Å"The Opticks† which consists of concepts of light and color1704. Aside from â€Å"The Opticks†, he also published several paper works in history, theology and alchemy. One of his greatest works is the â€Å"Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica† (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). This works is all about how force and gravity were applied to all objects in the universe. In 1689, he was elected to become the MP for Cambridge University and in 1696; he became the warden of the Royal Mint in London. In 1703, he was elected as the President of the Royal Society. Before he died, he has contributed a lot of concepts, discoveries, theories and ideas on different field such as optics, physics, astronomy and mathematics. His interest in mathematics was first manifested during his undergraduate year in Cambridge University. During this time he became accustomed to various mathematical works of several mathematicians like Descartes and John Wallis. His works in mathematics include the proof and improvement of the so called â€Å"binomial theorem†. Newton was not first to discover the formula ((a + b) n) behind the binomial theorem. In fact an Islamic mathematician namely al-Karaji made a binomial coefficient table up to n=5. Also, another Muslim mathematician namely Omar Khayyam established a method of finding nth roots using the binomial expansion. Also in Europe, a century ago, Blaise Pascal has presented his concepts of how to generate binomial coefficients. Those discoveries by various mathematicians, including Pascal, were only applicable to positive values of n. Newton on the other hand, discovered the formula for (a+b)n that would work for any real. He arrived at this formula: (a+b)n = an + nan-1b + [n(n-1)an-2b2] / 2! + [n(n-1)(n-2)an-3b3] / 3! + . . . + bn His finding about the binomial expansion was; for values of n element of the interval (-1, 1), the formula (a+b)n generates an infinite, converging series. Newton’s discovery of binomial expansion/series was a great help in calculating pi ( ). As we all know, a binomial series recurs repeatedly which becomes a very useful instrument for mathematical analysis. The method of fluxions was Newton’s greatest discovery in calculus. In 1671, two years before Leibnitz established his own concepts about calculus, Newton started to study fluxions which is basically include concepts, notations and ideas on Calculus. His works on calculus was well established during 1665 in which he presented symbolisms for partial derivatives which is now an important method in calculus. The idea of binomial theorem and knowledge about infinite series gave Newton a solid idea on derivatives and integrals of functions. As a result of his studies, he showed that integral and derivatives can be expressed as a binomial expansion of infinite series particularly the power series. Newton discussed and solved problem using Method of fluxions. The problems include differentiation of algebraic function, integration of algebraic functions using inverse method, first-order differential equations, optimization problem which includes the locating the maxima and minima of a given function and lastly drawing tangent line of functions at any point. Moreover, with the aid of fluxion, Newton developed a geometric idea of â€Å"first and last† ratio of lines. In 1660, Newton became interested to study the nature of light and vision. In fact because of his fascination on light, he actually stared directly on the sun and poked the sides of his eyeballs by a small knife to observe activities and behavior of light and which risked blinding himself. These kinds of wild experiments and other sensible ones gave way to the formulation of theories about nature, behavior of the spectrum of light. Furthermore, Newton made its great leap in the scientific world when he published his â€Å"New Theory about Light and Colors† in the Royal Society’s journal. As a result of his various experiments, he forced to conclude that Light is a heterogeneous mixture of refrangible rays meaning light is not a homogenous entity. When he passed a white light on a glass prism, he observed that spectrum of colors were formed in opposite walls which explained the property of light known as refraction. In line with the study of optics, he constructed a reflecting telescope, the first, to overcome the distortions of chromatic dispersion. One of his greatest contributions in the field of physics was his Law of Universal Gravitation. Isaac Newton made a comparison of the moon acceleration to the object’s acceleration on Earth. He believed that gravitational forces were accountable for the acceleration of each other. He made a vital conclusion that gravity depends mainly on distance. From his comparison, he concluded that the gravitational force of attraction between the Earth and other objects is inversely proportional to distance between the center of the earth and the object. In other words, if the object is near the center of the earth, the gravitational force of attraction is high and vise versa. But there are other factors, aside from distance that affects the magnitude of the gravitational force. Newton knew that mass is the other factor that affects the gravity or acceleration of an object. Another important conclusion was drawn and that the gravitational force exerted by the earth on the object is directly proportional to the mass of the object. Newton’s law of universal gravitation was applied outside earth, hence gravity is really universal. With this finding, Newton was included in the gravity hall of fame. Also, with the aid of Law of Universal Gravitation, the three laws of motion were formulated. The formulation of these three laws, particularly the second law of motion allows numerical computations of how velocity changes when force acts on it. Newton left several manuscripts and paper works about alchemy and chemistry. Most of these were part of books, bibliographies, dictionaries and many other sources however; we could count in our fingers the original one from them. He began his experiments in 1669. He wanted to know the truth about alchemical obscurity and mysticism and the nature of and structure of all matter that he believed that God created all of these. Newton’s notable contribution on chemistry is his publication of an incomplete theory of chemical force. One of his written works is Opticks, which is first written in English. This was his most remarkable works on theories in light and color. In Opticks, he proved and explained through experiment and logical reasoning and which includes numerous axioms, theorems, propositional statements and lots of definitions. He integrated his mathematical reasoning in his works and eventually Opticks turned out to be the basis of all experimental physics. The Opticks contained findings that light like sound is composed of waves. He obtained several criticisms from other scientist like Robert Hooke and Christian Huygens. But Newton insisted that light was composed of discrete particles that move in straight lines. Furthermore, Newton combined the ideas that light is a particle and at the same time a wave. Again, from this result he received criticisms from Hooke and other scientists. Principia, his most remarkable, notable work and considered his masterpiece was divided in three books. The first book of the Principia contains eight definitions and three axioms. The three axioms were later known as the Three Laws of Motion. These laws were the main parts of Book I of Principia and in fact all discussions of Newton in his Book I were based on these. In the Book II of Principia, he tacked motion of fluids and other bodies. On this book, he questioned Descartes and Kepler ideas about the vortex theory. In his Book III which was subtitled the System of the World, he showed how he arrived on his famous Law of Universal Gravitation. The Principia was considered the most influential and greatest scientific piece during Newton’s era. His laws of motion and universal gravitation were his two most popular discoveries but Newton still believes that there is a supreme being that governs and makes these phenomena possible and that is God. Newton was a religious person. In fact he has written more on religion than in natural science. As a summary, Newton was a remarkable scientist in the history of the world making remarkable scientific advancements and discoveries in mathematics, physics, astronomy, optics, alchemy, chemistry and even in the religion. In mathematics, he contributed a lot of ideas on analytical geometry, algebra and calculus. His discovery of the binomial formula and method of fluxions were very significant in the advancement of various topics in mathematics. In physics, astronomy and optics, he made several findings and discoveries like the theories of light, Universal gravitation, laws of motion, ideas on fluid mechanics and invention of reflecting telescope. His book, â€Å"Opticks†, became the basis of many experiments in physics because of the employment of scientific method in his own experiments. Newton also has some contribution in alchemy and chemistry although some written works were in question. Newton was a great mathematician, a great physicist, a great astronomer and a great believer of God. Although all his works were scientific, he did deny the existence of a divine being. He was really a religious person and I think this was the reason why Sir Isaac Newton was successful in his career. We owed a lot to Newton so let us thanked him for his great contribution in humanity. Work Cited â€Å"Hatch, Robert A. † 1999. Sir Isaac Newton. 1 December 2007, http: // www. clas. ufl. edu/users/rhatch/pages/01-Courses/current-courses /08sr-newton. htm. â€Å"Henderson, Tom†. 2007. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation. 1 December 2007, http://www. glenbrook. k12. il. us/gbssci/phys/Class/circles/ u6l3c. html. Newton, Sir Isaac. 1 December 2007, http://www. phy. hr/~dpaar/fizicari/xnewton. html. Sir Isaac Newton’s Invention of the Calculus Fluxions and Infinite Series. 1 December 2007, http://www. polybiblio. com/bud/19178. html. â€Å"Smoller, Laura. † June 2001. Applications: Web-Based Precalculus. 1 December 2007 http://ualr. edu/lasmoller/newton. html . How to cite A Great Man, Papers

Apartheid System Essay Example For Students

Apartheid System Essay Sirens blared, voices screamed and shouted, wood cracked and windows shattered, children bawled, dogs barked and footsteps pounded7. This scene is from the autobiography Kaffir Boy written by Mark Mathabane. That is one of the scenes he had to live through every morning in apartheid South Africa. Apartheid is a policy of segregation and economic discrimination against non-whites. Apartheid system affected every black person living in South Africa during that time. It forced blacks to become slaves in their own country. The system forced blacks to live in unsanitary environments, work-degrading jobs and carry passes, and receive limited education. Blacks and whites were living in different sections during apartheid. While whites lived comfortable lives in their extravagant mansions and driving their fancy cars blacks had to live in a disease infested neighborhood with no electricity or in door plumbing. Approximately one thousand people lived in shacks that were squeezed together in a one-mile zone. The alleys were filled with dirt, rats, human wasted and diseases. Blacks lived in houses made of old whitewash, a leaking ceiling of rusted Inx propped up by a thin wall of crumbling adobe bricks, two tiny windows made of cardboard and pieces of glass, a creaky, termite-eaten door low for a person of average height to pass throughand a floor made of patches of cement earth31. Living in such a degrading environment kills self-esteem, lowers work ethic and leaves no hope for the future. Degrading low paying jobs were the only jobs available for black men. Women worked as servants for whites. Men had to work in mines, clean up toilets or work as police officers abusing their own people. Shit-men-belligerent immigrant workers who, because of what they did, were looked upon by many black people-went about the communal lavatories picking up buckets of excrement83. Working as servants for whites was one of the better jobs for black women. Blacks could not walk around freely in their own country without carrying a passbook. Without a passbook, blacks could not work or travel. The passbook had to be paid for by black families who did not have any money. They were arrested and put in jail if their passbooks were not in order. Blacks were trapped with no way out, not even the hope of education. The education facilities provided for black children were under horrible conditions. The schools were over crowded, there was a major shortage of teachers, and the children were constantly beaten for not paying their school fees. Blacks only received enough education to enable them to work for whites. They did not have nearly as much of an opportunity as the white children. We were so tightly packed into that narrow courtyard that some children fainted from excessive heat and stuffiness136. half a dozen children fainted and were revived, some only to find again.136. Black children were not given the proper opportunity, and environment to succeed.