John Howard Griffin †Black Like Me

John Howard Griffin – Black Like Me Free Online Research Papers Rhetorical devices can be effective in descriptive writing if used properly. They can give a dominant impression to the reader as well as a main focus. John Griffin uses such techniques in describing the racial conflict in the South. In Black Like Me, John Howard Griffin uses rhetorical devices such as similes and alliterations in order to portray the racial conflict that persisted and that still persists in the South today. Griffin’s use of rhetorical devices such as imagery and alliterations allow the reader to have an image of the segregation issues and the cruelty that the white folks expressed to the blacks. Each type has its own purpose and meaning to that specific part in the story. The imagery Griffin uses throughout the novel allows the reader a clear idea about the differences between the white and black society. Also, near the end of the book, Griffin describes his old office, which he is clearing out because he is going to move to Mexico to escape the threats. â€Å"†¦ emptied now of all except the table and the typewriter and the bed, stripped of its sheets, with only the mattress ticking staring up at the ceiling.† (163). Griffin used alliterations in order to compare the black society to animals that are in constant fear. But while the animals fear their predators, the black society fears the white man, always on the hunt for a stray Negro to humiliate or torture,â€Å" I sensed the radiance of it in the stillness, sensed the earthworms that burrowed back into the depths of the furrows, sensed the animals that wandered in the wo ods in search of nocturnal rut or food.† (4). This part of the story emphasizes the anxiousness that Griffin feels about undertaking this dangerous yet enthralling task. This quote also indirectly shows how the black community lives, in constant fear of the dangers that lurk in their community. Both the imagery and alliterations used by Griffin gives the reader an understanding about what the differences are in the black and white communities and also the worries and state of mind of Negroes. Griffin’s experience as a black allowed him to formulate a more accurate opinion about the problem, which persists in America until this day. His quest was dangerous from the beginning; however, Griffin knew that by exposing the truth, the racial problem in the South would be solved quicker, even if it meant at his sacrifice. Throughout Griffin’s journey, his opinions changed drastically. When he first transformed into a Negro, he was naà ¯ve, thinking that the whites were rather courteous and really sympathized and cared about the black society. He did not fully understand the habits of the blacks at first either, which kept Griffin a little more conservative in order to not attract attention. Yet, as Griffin became more accustomed to the black society, he also discovered the other side of the Southern whites, their racist side. Even some northerners, who tended to accept the black community more than the southerners, would express their contempt at times towards Negr oes. When Griffin tours Tuskegee Institute, he encounters a professor who sympathizes with the black community, who later involuntarily insults a black vendor, â€Å"The white man†¦ had made the first dirty suggestion that came to his mind.† (130). Griffin refuses to believe this at first, but later understands the troubles that the Negroes go through each day of their lives. This is the transformation of Griffin’s opinion about the Southern white and many Northerners as well, knowing how they are the provokers to this whole problem in the South. Griffin’s incorporation of the rhetorical devices such as alliterations and imagery, to name a few, not only give the reader a clearer view of the different communities, but also the transformation within him. His writing becomes much more vivid and lively near the middle when he becomes aware of these atrocities. These devices, allow Griffin to express his opinion about his thoughts on the problem in the South, which so far, has not been solved. Research Papers on John Howard Griffin - Black Like MeThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsWhere Wild and West MeetHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoMind TravelCapital Punishment19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Hockey GameHip-Hop is ArtGenetic Engineering

Facts About Milk and Whats Wrong With Milk

Facts About Milk and Whats Wrong With Milk It may be difficult to understand, at first, why vegans abstain from drinking milk. It’s supposedly wholesome and healthy, and if the advertising is to be believed, comes from â€Å"happy cows.† If you look beyond the image and examine the facts, you’ll find that the objections range from animal rights to the environment to health concerns. Animal Rights Because cows are sentient and capable of suffering and feeling pain, they have a right to be free of use and abuse by human. No matter how well the animal is cared for, taking breast milk from another animal violates that right to be free, even if cows were allowed to live out their lives on idyllic green pastures. Factory Farming Many believe that drinking milk is fine as long as the cows are treated humanely, but modern factory farming practices mean that cows do not live out their lives on idyllic green pastures. Gone are the days when farmhands just used their hands and a milk pail. Cows are now milked with milking machines, which cause mastitis. They are artificially inseminated as soon as they are old enough to become pregnant, give birth and produce milk. After two cycles of pregnancy and birth, when they are about four or five years old, they are slaughtered because they are considered â€Å"spent† and no longer profitable. When they are sent to slaughter, approximately 10% of them are so weak, they cannot stand on their own. These cows would normally live about 25 years. Cows today are also bred and raised to produce more milk than in past decades. PETA explains: On any given day, there are more than 8 million cows on U.S. dairy farms- about 14 million fewer than there were in 1950. Yet milk production has continued to increase, from 116 billion pounds of milk per year in 1950 to 170 billion pounds in 2004.(6,7) Normally, these animals would produce only enough milk to meet the needs of their calves (around 16 pounds per day), but genetic manipulation, antibiotics, and hormones are used to force each cow to produce more than 18,000 pounds of milk each year (an average of 50 pounds per day). Part of the increased milk production is due to breeding, and part of it is due to unnatural husbandry practices, such as feeding meat to the cows and giving rBGH to cows. Environment Animal agriculture is a very inefficient use of resources and is damaging to the environment. Water, fertilizer, pesticides and land are required to grow crops to feed to cows. Energy is needed to harvest the crops, turn the crops into feed, and then transport the feed to farms. The cows must also be given water to drink. The waste and methane from factory farms are also an environmental hazard. The US Environmental Protection Agency states, â€Å"In the U.S., cattle emit about 5.5 million metric tons of methane per year into the atmosphere, accounting for 20% of U.S. methane emissions.† Veal Another concern is veal. Approximately three quarters of the calves born in the dairy industry are turned into veal, because they are not needed or useful for milk production, and are the wrong breed of cattle for beef production. What About â€Å"Happy Cows†? Even on farms where the cows are not constantly confined, the female cows are slaughtered when their milk production drops and three-quarters of the calves are turned into veal. Don’t We Need Milk? Milk is not necessary for human health, and may be a health risk. Except for domesticated animals to whom we feed milk, humans are the only species that drinks the breast milk of another species, and the only species that continues to drink breast milk into adulthood. Furthermore, dairy consumption raises certain health concerns, such as cancer, heart disease, hormones and contaminants.