The Struggle Between Civilization and the Sea - Literature Essay Samples

In an era when primal instincts are constantly checked by the civilities of modern life, it is easy for the American mind to fall prey to the strong delusion that civilization has no end. From the west coast to the east, laws are made and laws are kept. Yet the coasts which contain the world of laws are also the limits of that world, as William Langeweishe sets out to prove in his startling expose of maritime life, The Outlaw Sea. With an eloquent yet restrained pen in his hand, Langeweische charts his course into a world most landlubbers are unfamiliar with a world in which pirates, ruthless greed, and self-preservation sail unrestrained towards ignoble destinies. Compiled from a series of articles originally published in the Atlantic Monthly, The Outlaw Sea is an impressive showcase for a master writers talents, but suffers somewhat from structural flaws. Although this book offers multiple plot threads for readers to delight in, Langeweisches leitmotiv seems to be the struggl e between the civilized world on land and the outlaw sea which threatens to overtake it. To prove this point, he draws on compelling contemporary accounts of maritime mayhem, ranging from the devastatingly tragic to the ironic. Early in the book, he begins building his theme by turning a critical eye towards the international shipping industry, with a particular focus on the anonymity that flags of convenience can provide. Due to the anonymous nature of the sea, Langeweische argues, international maritime law is a mere phantom of societys principals, too incorporeal to have any real authority. In illustration, he presents a series of harrowing events at sea, including a particularly vivid account of modern piracy onboard a ship called the Alondra Rainbow. Suffice it to say, the Alondra Rainbow account surpasses Pirates of the Caribbean in suspense, but Langeweisches exploration of the possibility for high-seas terrorism is even more compelling. Of particular note is his skillful unc overing of the freighters owned and operated by Osama Bin Ladens Al Qaeda network, which government officials would do well to consider. Halfway through the book, however, Langeweische lifts his lens from issues of international law to turn his attention to the much-publicized tragedy of the passenger ship Estonia. Named for its native country, the Estonia fell prey to poor maintenance and an overly aggressive captain, making it easy sustenance for the mouth of a storm. As the author puts it, there was civilization onboard the Estonia, until a faulty car-loading ramp broke open and water gushed in to the ships bowels, taking the majority of those onboard to a damp demise. It is with the story of the Estonia, which spans nearly half of the book, that Langeweische displays his greatest skill as a writer. One of his most admirable qualities is his ability to interweave technical detail with thrilling accounts of the events he chronicles, making him both journalist and author at t urns. When chronicling the destruction of the Estonia, Langeweische takes readers deep into the post-accident investigations, piling up multiple layers of information for consideration. While this may be a little overwhelming to those looking for a quick read, it is also gratifying that this author respects the intelligence of his audience and is not afraid to initiate us into his world of knowledge. Standing counter to this bevy of beauracratic paperwork, conspiracies, and international relations, however, are the gut-wrenching stories of the Estonias actual survivors. Culled from his extensive first-person interviews, Langeweische does more than simply reiterate the stories he collected he grabs the reader by the arm and drags them deep into the chilling waters of the Baltic sea, giving us the opportunity to slosh through life rafts, tumble down tilting corridors, and gasp for precious air; all without getting soggy, of course. Unfortunately, the Estonia chapters also reveal the books major weakness, which is its lack of structural unity. Granted, the story does a fine job of illustrating the conflict of civilization and the outlaw sea, but its sudden intrusion into the book seems somewhat unruly. For one thing, this particular account is only marginally related to the chapters preceding it, which had dealt primarily with crime on the high seas. The length of Langeweisches record of the Estonia also stands out, as it is nearly three times the length of any other story in the book. From a structural standpoint, this would be fine if the Estonia account were the centerpiece of Langeweisches argument, but it does not appear to be. From an objective standpoint, the book seems primarily to argue for an increase of responsibility in international shipping. The Estonia illustrates this point well, but it is by no means the best example used in the book. Consider, for example, that the investigations Langeweische records were not even able to come to a consensus on the cause of the ships death, thus rendering the entire story open to debate. Yet it may be that Langeweisches intent in writing this piece was not primarily to argue for an increase in maritime regulation. If one takes the book as a working whole, then it could be said that his point is simply that the sea is adverse to the niceties of organized society, making adequate regulation virtually impossible. This makes the Estonia story fit better with the larger picture, but nonetheless, its length and lack of cohesion with previous chapters makes the book seem slightly disjointed. Further aggravating this problem is Langeweisches apolitical attitude. While many readers will find it a breath of fresh air to read an author who is neither concretely conservative nor concretely liberal, it seems to me that The Outlaw Sea suffers from a general lack of opinion. How should readers respond to the startling information Langeweische reveals? He does not tell us. His last chapter, On the Beach, is not so much a summation of a coherent argument as it is one more surprising account on a pile of surprising accounts. There is enough erudition displayed by this point that the reader recognizes Langeweische as a knowledgeable expert in this field. Naturally, by the last chapter we are practically begging him to offer a plausible solution to the problems he has outlined yet it never comes. Without a doubt, this author has strong opinions, or he would not have been driven to write this book and uncover things that most readers will not have been aware of prior to reading The Outlaw Sea. To refrain from fully expressing those opinions is largely a matter of taste, but this reader would have liked to see the journalistic viewpoint dropped just enough to let us share in the authors personal insight. These shortcomings are only visible when one realizes what a fine writer Langeweische is. Without being sentimental towards the lives he chronicles, this author is capable of evoking in stant identification between scene and reader. One does not merely read the events of this book one takes part in them, through the clear-minded but artful prose. Where Langeweische does offer an opinion, his arguments are always sharp and thought-provoking. His prose is accessible to readers of all backgrounds, although I suspect that he had a moderately-educated audience in mind for this book. Based on this, I would strongly recommend this book to college-level or adult readers, although more literate high school students might also enjoy it. The Outlaw Sea is the perfect entry-level book for neophytes of the maritime world, but those with a strong background in international law or shipping might find it blasÃÆ'Â ©. Overall, it is an impressive compilation of some of Langeweisches best journalism, but its lack of an argumentative raison detre will leave readers guessing as to what comes next and ultimately, Langeweische might retort, what comes next is based solely on how we respond to the startling information he presents us with.

Forgive All People With The Forgiveness Essay

BLOG In: Popular topics Sometimes, all of us had the situation, when we could not forgive some people. But if you are a really strong person, it is needed to forgive the other people and to do it easily. Our writers will be able to provide you with the essay on forgiveness and you can be sure, that it will help you a lot. If you do not forgive the people and remember all bad situation, it is very bad for your health. You can have a lot of health problems, because it is impossible to keep all negative emotions inside of you. But sometimes, it is very difficult to forgive the person. So, what should be done in this situation? How to forgive people? The first thing, which you need to understand the insult is the evil. It will destroy your body and your soul if you do not overcome it. If the person continues to think about it, he will not be able to forget and his life will be only for this thought. You will have the lack of the power and always will be in the bad mood. Also, it is possible to have some illnesses and because of it, your life will change a lot. If you wish to have the better life, you need to forgive the person and to forget about the insult. You can see, that it will be better for you. If you wish to have more information about it, you can place the order on our site and our custom research paper writers will provide you with the best forgive and forget essay. The negative emotion will help you a lot. Just imagine, what can be in the situation, if you do not forgive the person. You will think a lot about this situation, you will have a lot of conflicts and also, you will die earlier. Also, the negative emotions will destroy you from the inside. Also, you can make the different mistakes and they will destroy your life, but if you see only the insult, you can be sure, that you even will not notice how your life was destroyed. But the biggest power is good motivation. Just imagine, what will happen, if you forgive the person. It does not mean, that you need to communicate with her/him in the future, but let the person go. Do not think about all negative moments and you will feel a lot of positive emotions. You will have a lot of power, will be more confident and people would like to spend the time with you, because you will have a lot of positive emotions. Also, you will be healthy and you will not have a lot of stress in your life. You will be able to build the new relationships with the different people and it will help you a lot to reach your goal and to be successful in the life. You can be sure, that it is possible to order the essay on the different theme and even if you wish to have the non verbal communication essay, our writers will help you. You should check your weak sides. It is needed to find the reason, why you do not like what you heard from that person or what he/she did. You should understand your reaction and when you found the weakest side in your soul, you need to improve it at that moment. Yes, it is the hard work, but if you wish to find the power for the forgiveness, it is needed to do. You should forgive yourself and the other people. All people know, that nobody is perfect. Because of this fact, all of us can make different mistakes. It is impossible to be the ideal person and because of it, you should forgive yourself and the other people. The detailed information about it can be found in the forgiveness essays. Also, it is needed to be thankful for this situation, because it will improve your life experience. You will be able to get the new information about that person and in the future, you will be able for these situations. The examples of the essays, which were written by our writers is possible to check here, on our site. You should replace your insult with the different adequate reactions. It is needed to analyze the situation and to think a lot, what is possible to do. Your reaction should not be immediately, because if you do not analyze it, you can make a lot of mistakes. Foe example, just imagine the situation, when the person did not want to do something bad for you, maybe he/she did not know something and if you do not analyze it, you can have a lot of conflicts and problems. If you can accept all your problems with the fun, you will easily overcome the problems and you will not get a lot of stress. If someone tells you about your problems, you can say something funny. You should not show, that it plays the important role for you. But later, you need to change the situation and improve everything you need. Also, it is important to forgive the people, because all can have the different sense of humor. It is possible to find the example for you and to follow it. Just imagine, what will that person do in this situation. If you want to change your life in the better way, it is needed to have a lot of power, but firstly, you need to forgive all people and forget all bad things, which happened. Yes, sure, it is very difficult to forgive the insult, because you can have a lot different emotions, but you need to put them together and make the right decision. You should leave all negative emotions. The detailed information you can find in the essays on forgiveness, which you can easily order on our site and get in the shortest time.