Biography of Benjamin Banneker, Author and Naturalist

Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731–October 9, 1806) was a self-educated scientist, astronomer, inventor, writer, and antislavery publicist. He built a striking clock entirely from wood, published a farmers almanac, and actively campaigned against slavery. He was one of the first African Americans to gain distinction for achievements in science. Fast Facts: Benjamin Banneker Known For: Banneker was a writer, inventor, and naturalist who published a series of farmers almanacs in the late 1700s.Born: November 9, 1731 in Baltimore County, MarylandParents: Robert and Mary BannekyDied: October 9, 1806 in Oella, MarylandPublished Works: Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Almanack and Ephemeris, for the Year of our Lord, 1792Notable Quote: â€Å"The color of the skin is in no way connected with strength of the mind or intellectual powers.† Early Life Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Baltimore County, Maryland. Although he was born a free man, he was the descendant of slaves. At that time, the law dictated that if your mother was a slave then you were a slave, and if she was a free woman then you were a free person. Bannekers grandmother Molly Walsh was a bi-racial English immigrant and an indentured servant who married an African slave named Banna Ka, who had been brought to the Colonies by a slave trader. Molly had served seven years as an indentured servant before she acquired and worked on her own small farm. Molly Walsh purchased her future husband Banna Ka and another African to work on her farm. The name Banna Ka was later changed to Bannaky and then changed to Banneker. Benjamins mother Mary Banneker was born free. Benjamins father Rodger was a former slave who had bought his own freedom before marrying Mary. Education Banneker was educated by Quakers, but most of his education was self-taught. He quickly revealed to the world his inventive nature and first achieved national acclaim for his scientific work in the 1791 survey of the Federal Territory (now Washington, D.C.). In 1753, he built one of the first watches made in America, a wooden pocket watch. Twenty years later, Banneker began making astronomical calculations that enabled him to successfully forecast a 1789 solar eclipse. His estimate, made well in advance of the celestial event, contradicted predictions of better-known mathematicians and astronomers. Bannekers mechanical and mathematical abilities impressed many, including Thomas Jefferson, who encountered Banneker after George Elliot had recommended him for the surveying team that laid out Washington, D.C. Almanacs Banneker is best known for his six annual farmers almanacs, which he published between 1792 and 1797. In his free time, Banneker began compiling the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Almanac and Ephemeris. The almanacs included information on medicines and medical treatment and listed tides, astronomical information, and eclipses, all calculated by Banneker himself. Many historians believe that the first printed almanac dates to 1457 and was printed by Gutenberg in Mentz, Germany. Benjamin Franklin published his Poor Richards Almanacs in America from 1732 to 1758. Franklin used the assumed name of Richard Saunders and wrote witty maxims in his almanacs such as Light purse, heavy heart and Hunger never saw bad bread. Bannekers almanacs, though they appeared later, were more focused on delivering accurate information than on communicating Bannekers personal views. Letter to Thomas Jefferson On August 19, 1791, Banneker sent a copy of his first almanac to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. In an enclosed letter, he questioned the slaveholders sincerity as a friend to liberty. He urged Jefferson to help get rid of absurd and false ideas that one race is superior to another. Banneker wished Jeffersons sentiments to be the same as his, that one Universal Father...afforded us all the same sensations and endowed us all with the same faculties. Jefferson responded with praise for Bannekers accomplishments: I thank you sincerely for your letter of the 19th and for the Almanac it contained. No body wishes more than I do to see such proofs as you exhibit, that nature has given to our black brethren, talents equal to those of the other colours of men, that the appearance of a want of them is owing merely to the degraded condition of their existence both in Africa America...I have taken the liberty of sending your almanac to Monsieur de Condorcet, Secretary of the Academy of sciences at Paris, and member of the Philanthropic society because I considered it as a document to which your whole colour had a right for their justification against the doubts which have been entertained of them. Jefferson later sent a letter to the Marquis de Condorcet informing him about Banneker—a very respectable mathematician—and his work with Andrew Ellicott, the surveyor who marked the boundaries of the Territory of Columbia (later the District of Columbia). Death Declining almanac sales eventually forced Banneker to give up his work. He died at home on October 9, 1806, at the age of 74. Banneker was buried at Mount Gilboa  African Methodist Episcopal Church  in  Oella, Maryland. Legacy Bannekers life became the source of legend after his death, with many attributing certain accomplishments to him for which there is little or no evidence in the historical record. His inventions and almanacs inspired later generations, and in 1980 the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in his honor as part of the Black Heritage series. In 1996, a number of Bannekers personal belongings were auctioned, and some of them were later loaned to the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. Some of Bannekers personal manuscripts, including the only journal  that survived the 1806 fire that destroyed his home, are in the possession of the Maryland Historical Society. Sources Cerami, Charles A.  Benjamin Banneker Surveyor, Astronomer, Publisher, Patriot. John Wiley, 2002.Miller, John Chester.  The Wolf by the Ears: Thomas Jefferson and Slavery. University Press of Virginia, 1995.Weatherly, Myra.  Benjamin Banneker: American Scientific Pioneer. Compass Point Books, 2006.

Watching Wild Animals The Documentary Blackfish Last Year

Ever since I was a little girl I loved animals. One of my favorite things to do was to spend the day at the zoo or visit an aquarium where I would have the chance to see some of my favorite animals. Each time I would go there it would be a breath-taking experience. Watching wild animals from up close, see them interacting with each other was just amazing to me. But as I got older I started realizing that it doesn’t matter how much I am pleased to be able to see these animals through a glass or cage, it is not natural, it is not the way they would choose to live if they had a say. We humans, unfortunately, have the cruelty to capture these animals from their natural habitats, against their own will, and separate them from their families for†¦show more content†¦Their diet consists of fish, squids, sea birds, turtles, and other big mammals, like sea lions, sharks and whales (Alina Bradford par.7). These animals are easily found because they have a very good adaption whe n it comes to experiencing different climates; orcas are the most widely distributed mammals, other than humans, according to SeaWorld. Weighting up to 6 tons, and growing up to a size of a typical school bus, killer whales are acknowledged as the largest species of the dolphin family. Killer whales are captured in the wild for a number of reasons: fisherman feel the need to kill them because they might eat all of their means of support, other cultures capture them for alimentation, and lastly they are captured to be used as attractions in amusement parks such as SeaWorld. Years ago, a group of killer whales were captured in Puget Sound, in the state of Washington. Knowing that men might try to capture them the orcas used a technique to keep their young ones safe. The pod would separate, while the male adults would go west, the adult females with the young ones would go north, but this tactic did not work because the fisherman also had air control so they were watching every movement in the sea. Using seal bombs and a net, they trapped only the younger whales leaving their mothers on the opposite side making high vocals of grief. Three whales were found dead in the net, so the fisherman cut them

A Separate Peace Essay On Friendship Example For Students

A Separate Peace Essay On Friendship  · Self Reflection- Last week I was driving around Redlands with a friend. We were headed to a park but got off on the wrong off ramp. We decided to find the park by using the back streets. We ended up going by my old school. I had gone to that school in 1st grade and? of 3rd grade. It was my favorite school I had ever gone to. When we approached the school I began to be rushed with memories of the time I had spent in the school. The bus rides, the classrooms, the teachers,, my best friend Sheena and the chasing games I had with Jessie. I loved those times, and I cherished them longingly as we went by, it was such a carefree time.  · Literary Terms- There was three literary terms I had noticed in this book as I read through. They were Allusion, Antithesis and Antanagoge. The meanings of these three terms are;  · Allusion- A casual and brief reference to a famous historical (could be referring to the war, even though it wasn?t historical exactly, yet) or literally figure or event (WWII).  · Antithesis- establish a clear contrasting relationship between 2 ideas and/or people (Finny and Gene) by joining them together or juxtaposing them. Human beings are systematic and catorgorize so the mind as a natural love for antithesis which creates a definite and systematic relationship between ideas.  · Antanagoge- placing a good point or benefit next to a fault criticism or problem in order to reduce the impact or significance of the negative point. How these points were used I will explain. First off Allusion. Allusion is used when referring to the WWII, and when the characters in the story state that the weather is sure like the war, comparing its circumstances happening to the war and comparing them with what they experiencing and things like that. OK now second of all, Antangoge. When Finny yells at Gene or when he is upset at Gene for making him fall off the tree he always reduces the impact of his bad deed by always saying he was still his best friend and that he was always a good friend (except when he was pushing him out of the tree of course). Now for the 3rd term; Antithesis. It is used when Finny forgives Gene over the night he had broken his leg for the 2nd time, because the next morning you?d except that Finny would still be angered At Gene for doing something that horrible. But the next morning Finny was calm and forgave Gene. Finny and Genes friendship was also an antithesis. They were opposites made into good friends. Gene was the intellectual who got good grades and Finny was an average school guy who was Mr. athletic. They are antithesis?s because they got along despite their opposites, they are the true meaning of when people say ?Opposites Attract?..  · Flashback- The whole story was basically a flashback because in the beginning Gene is older and goes back to Devon. He there reminisces and flashes back to his days at Devon which is most of the story. Another point when there is a flashback is when Gene is being accused of pushing Finny off of the tree, It forces Finny, Gene and Leper to recall the event and flashback to what had really happened that afternoon. The whole general Flashback of Gene, of his earlier days at Devon represented that Devon was a part of what made Gene the guy he was now, it also showed that he still had not overcome those days, and by coming back, it was his release of the feelings he had kept in for so long. .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be , .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .postImageUrl , .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be , .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be:hover , .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be:visited , .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be:active { border:0!important; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be:active , .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u48c8909a3f59aae22fe5ec9e735276be:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Life changing experience Essay · Point Of View- The narrative method of this story was first person main character. The author probably chose Gene to be the narrator because he was the one who had the guilt trip and had everything going on in his mind, and he could be the one who flashes back because Finny couldn?t, because he was not around any longer? Also I believe that the author chose Gene to be the narrative part because most the time authors? choose the main character who is the ?good guy?.. I?m not saying that Gene was a ?bad guy? the whole time and that he was like the enemy but he did push Finny out of the tree, causing him to miss out of the completely ?good guy? reputation. The author wanted the book less clich?, that’s why I think he chose do write it from that point.  · Setting- The boys are located at Devon, which is their school. Most of the action takes place there. The climax of the story or climaxes in the story all happen within Devons boundaries. Out of the boundaries of this school though in the years the story was occurring or the flashback was occurring (1942-1943) WWII was happening.  · Symbol 1) The tree obviously is the biggest symbol in the story. It is where Finny and Gene become friends, where they take life threatening risks together, where Finny controls Gene, and the where the end of Finny begins. It is a symbol of the base of their friendship and what it held. It is what makes their friendship start and end. 2) The tree limb, even though this is part of the tree, is also something that is symbolic to the story, at least in my opinion. The limb is a symbolism because of the instability of Genes feelings toward finny. It represents he thin line between hatred, jealously, love and friendship. 3) I think another symbolism occurrence was when Finny tried to beat the swimming record of the 100m and beat it without trying to prove himself to anyone else. The symbolism is that it shows that Finny is sure of himself and doesn?t need the proof of anything to prove himself to anyone or anything. It also showed that Gene was not yet that mature secure person yet because he was the one urging Finny to show and prove it to everyone else claming he would have done the same.  · Conflict- Gene has conflicts with himself internally. He was fighting with himself with the ideas of Finny thinking he was better than Gene and thinking that Finny was trying to compete with him and trying to make him get worse get grades and the idea that Finny was just being his friend and that’s all he was about. Later on in the story Gene had conflicts within himself about feeling guilty about pushing his best friend of a tree and breaking his leg and destroying is future. Finny has to struggle with the conflict of accepting that his best friend has pushed him off the tree destroying his life. And he has to struggle with his whole future of what it was going to be was now over. Gene and Finny never really fought with each other, only in their own minds, except when Finny had just found out that Gene was the one who caused Finny to fall out of the tree, Finny was very angered at Gene and showed it at that point.  · Protagonists- I think that Finny was the main character in everyone?s life at Devon. In the story, though, I think that Gene was the main character because he was the one who was the twisted character, had so many things going on in his mind, and was the one who was the cause of every climax in the story. Finny was also a main character I believe, in the story, everyone loved him and he was the one who made the impact on Genes? life, he was the one who was everything to everyone, while Gene was somehow in the corner looking in. I think that Finny was the 2nd Main character, even though most would think Finny was the 1st main character I think it is Gene. .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 , .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .postImageUrl , .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 , .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092:hover , .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092:visited , .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092:active { border:0!important; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092:active , .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092 .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf8481b0e9cc2b2145eb34fd7441ec092:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: 12 Angry Men Essay · Theme-Not everyone is against you? is the theme I think the novel is trying to show. A main example is that Gene thinks until the end that Finny was always trying to be better than himself when in reality he was just trying to be his friend, and do friend things. The ending of the story which I believe is the conclusion including the overall effects of all that happened, is what it is stating that ?Not everyone is against you?..  · Reader Response- This story was a little bit intriguing, but really I didn?t have much taste for it. It didn?t have much action and it rambled on too long about things that were rambled on enough about. It explained the story well and had good structure though.

Reality Bites free essay sample

Reality Bites is a simple, interesting film about a love triangle, but it is also about the differences in people and their intelligence to be successful in life. At least in my opinion, that is the one thing in this movie that is very clear. It keeps you wondering about giving yourself a sense of hope or simply complaining about how difficult life really is. I also found some of the topics we learned in class with aspects of the movie. Our three main characters are, first, Lelaina Pierce, who is a young valedictorian graduate who is in search of her place in the world. The second main character is Troy Dyer, her highly intelligent ex-boyfriend, who is smart, yet down on the world, and conforming to any social society that comes along. The character of Troy, as the film progresses shows that his layers of isolation and self-protection gradually melt away to reveal a troubled, yet warmly sincere young man. We will write a custom essay sample on Reality Bites or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Then, third, we have the very average Michael Grates, who is very successful in the entertainment industry yet, he is non-intellectual. One of the characters is also Lelainas roommate, Vicki Miner, who works at a GAP and sleeps with 66 boys before she gets tested for AIDS. All these characters together form a modern-day soap opera. From one perspective, it displays the confused interrelationship-etiquette seen in todays society. It also displays these young people struggling to fight against the commercialization that reality brings upon them. Reading the psychology book Invitation to Psychology book by Carole Wade and Carol Tavris, I found the The Modern Study of Personality topic relate to all of the characters in the film. All of them seemed to be in the extroverted side rather than in the introverted side. All of the characters included traits such as being talkative, sociable and adventurous as opposed to being silent, reclusive or cautious. None of them were likely to stay in the shadows. Vicki and Michael seemed to have agreeableness while Lalaina and Troy would often act antagonism. Lalaina and Troy were irritable, abrasive and jealous in many scenes of the movie. They were also very impulsive. In some scenes we saw Lalaina â€Å"giving up† like when she spoke on the phone for hours a day speaking to a psychich reader and acting careless about finding a job. Anyhow, she later found determination and managed to get some money to pay the phone bill. At the start of the film, you see Lelaina giving a speech at her graduation. She basically delivers a hopeless speech and admits she has no answers to give her fellow students toward any redemption or hope in the world. Many unpleasant things happen to Lelaina. Her ex-boyfriend, Troy, moves into her place, until he can find a place of his own. The guy comes across as one of the most self-centered, egotistical, arrogant people imaginable. However, Lelaina is stuck with him as she and her roommates try to cope with Troy? s overpowering intellect. In all fairness, Troy is a very annoying. I actually did not like his character for what he is, intelligent but very lazy. The next downfall for Lelaina is that she’s fired from her job at the television studio. This becomes a turning point in the film as we see her struggle in the big world trying everything to find work. Here we see the sad struggle of the young as she faces countless interviews that dissipate due to lack of experience and education. The film examines both personal and professional aspects of their lives and lifestyles. The movie comes across as a timeless story told over and over that, when you? re young, and in this case generation X, life is tough and nobody cuts you any slack. Fact is, life is tough no matter what age you are. What makes it all worthwhile is that one day you wake up and find this thing called acceptance of life and you try to enjoy the world around you.