Analysis of Stapleton Tench Eachus

I am penning these as I find myself sitting at one of the dining tables at the Salvation Army rest for soldiers in London, Blighty. Am on my way back to France after 14 days furlough and seven days extension which was granted to me by the Royal Engineer Records Chatham. I left Stafford this morning with my little boy at 11.37 am and went first to Warwick where I left Derrick in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick at 48 Avon Street. I think that these forced partings from the little chap, who is so dear to me, have caused me deeper and more cruel pain, than all other pains that I have known. If there is such a thing as love in this world, it must be surely just like that, how little Dux is loved by me. Left Warwick at 5.58 pm and arrived at Paddington at 9.10 pm. Took a bus to Victoria station and passed by the Marble Arch and Saint James Park, which was profusely decorated with flags and bunting in honour I suppose of the visit of the American president, who arrived today. At Victoria station went into the free buffet, and had a sandwich and cup of tea. Wreaths in the evergreen and other laurel decorations were hanging up everywhere and welcome greetings to the soldiers were emblazoned in large letters upon the walls, one inscription ran something like this “We pray for all who have died and we thank all for bringing us victory and peace” another ran “Welcome home the nation thanks you”. Was directed by a gentleman to board a small motor lorry, which had two seats down the centre and a roof, something after the style of the well known Irish “stage coach”. This vehicle took a party of us to the pace where I am now and where I have engaged a bed no 182 for the night for the price of half a shilling.

This diary was written by Stapleton Tench Eachus, who was a British soldier. He was born in Stafford, England in 1889. After finishing school, Stapleton joined the post office where he worked until 1910, he then enlisted with the South Staffordshire Regiment before moving to the Warwickshire Yeomanry. Stapleton fought with the Warwickshire Yeomanry in Egypt before he transferred to the Royal Engineer's Signals. Stapleton was sent to France in 1916, and over the next 3 years, he wrote in tiny notepads a set of 15 diaries about his adventures in the Great War, which was what Worl War 1 was called. The diary entry above was written in 1918, when Stapleton was at rest at Salvation Army. He is talking about how he recently visited his family, and discussing his reception by the general public.

At the start of the entry, Stapleton writes "Many months have elapsed since last I made any notes", which shows how little time soldiers have for anything while at war. Every minute they have to be alert and ready for battle, so obviously Stapleton has not had time lately to do something he enjoys, which is writing in his diary. He also writes about visiting his family for two weeks. He seemed really excited about the visit, but also upset that he had to leave his family once again. He described his little boy, and I could feel the sadness radiating from the entry as he left his child. He writes, "I think that these forced partings from the little chap, who is so dear to me, have caused me deeper and more cruel pain, than all other pains that I have known. If there is such a thing as love in this world, it must be surely just like that, how little Dux is loved by me." Out of all of the suffering, pain, and death he has seen in his life as a soldier, the pain that hurts him the most is the pain of leaving his boy. This shows how little he got to see his family, and how long the soldier has to be away from his family. Finally, at the end of his entry, Stapleton describes the welcome he got from the public. There were wreaths and signs that said “We pray for all who have died and we thank all for bringing us victory and peace” another ran “Welcome home the nation thanks you”. This shows the support system the soldiers had in the war, as well as the nationalism displayed during the war. The country was proud of the soldiers representing it, so it used many different obvious signs and decorations to showcase this.

Stapelton Tench Eachus

I chose a diary entry from Stapelton Tench Eachus.

26/12/18

I here once more take up my pen, to jot down the objects and scenes with which I may come into contact during the closing days of the titanic upheaval, which has rocked and badly shaken the whole framework of civilisation and indeed the very world itself. Many months have elapsed since last I made any notes and now as I am penning these I find myself sitting at one of the dining tables at the Salvation Army rest for soldiers in London, Blighty. Am on my way back to France after 14 days furlough and seven days extension which was granted to me by the Royal Engineer Records Chatham. In spite of many thing I have spent a really pleasant and enjoyable time, at the old home in Stafford, in the company of my father, Sister Doris and my little treasure boy Derrick. I left Stafford this morning with my little boy at 11.37 am and went first to Warwick where I left Derrick in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick at 48 Avon Street. I think that these forced partings from the little chap, who is so dear to me, have caused me deeper and more cruel pain, than all other pains that I have known. If there is such a thing as love in this world, it must be surely just like that, how little Dux is loved by me. Left Warwick at 5.58 pm and arrived at Paddington at 9.10 pm. Took a bus to Victoria station and passed by the Marble Arch and Saint James Park, which was profusely decorated with flags and bunting in honour I suppose of the visit of the American president, who arrived today. At Victoria station went into the free buffet, and had a sandwich and cup of tea. Wreaths in the evergreen and other laurel decorations were hanging up everywhere and welcome greetings to the soldiers were emblazoned in large letters upon the walls, one inscription ran something like this “We pray for all who have died and we thank all for bringing us victory and peace” another ran “Welcome home the nation thanks you”. Was directed by a gentleman to board a small motor lorry, which had two seats down the centre and a roof, something after the style of the well known Irish “stage coach”. This vehicle took a party of us to the pace where I am now and where I have engaged a bed no 182 for the night for the price of half a shilling.

I got the diary entry here.

Zalcra

Flag

National Anthem

From mountain to mountain
From snow to sand
Coco to coconut
Land to island

We wanted to talk
They wanted to fight
A tragic mistake
In the night

We won the battle
Us, proud and true
The beautiful land
For me and you

Now there is peace
Peace is our hope
We only want peace
Our only hope

National Identity

Lizzie, Agustin, and I created the nation of Zalcra where Zalcranians live. The original founders of this nation were from Switzerland, one of the only neutral countries that is involved in no wars. These people traveled to Hawaii, and planned to settle on an island off of the state. Since we are settled on an island, we have resources such as coal, iron from the volcanoes, water, sand to make glass, and forests for trees. Majority of our people are from Switzerland so they speak English, French, Dutch and German. Since we come from a neutral environment and then settling into a new are, our classes in society are all equal. I will be designing a national flag for Zalcra that is found as a logo on many of our products also.

National History

The history of Zorcra is a rich one indeed. Zorcra was founded in the early 1800s, after the great Battle of Hapunawaha. It is a small island near Hawaii, which was actually formed from a volcanic eruption as early as the 1600s. Originally, Zorcra was inhabited by Pacific Islanders who called themselves Palma’as.  They were fierce warriors and were also a very advanced society who had made many different types of weapons, as well as herbal medicines, vaccines, and sturdy building materials.  They were also very smart and most of the population was literate in the island language of Palms.  The Palma’as were indeed in tune with nature, as the name of their people suggest.  They had many natural resources that were worth celebrating, such as strong bamboo, all kinds of different fruits and crops, fresh water and mineral springs, coal and volcanic rock, rich farmland, and iron and other metals in the Ho’ana mountains.  In 1790, the Swiss government had heard about all of these incredible resources from some early explorers that had stumbled upon this island, and they began to grow extremely interested in the area.  They sent a fleet of ships to check out the area and meet some of the settlers.  The voyage was only intended to check the island out and see if the tales were true, but the islanders mistook the gesture as a threat.  Not only were the islanders threatened, but England was there as well, and they had settled part of the island in the hopes of conquering the Hawaiin Islands and taking them in the name of the queen.  The Swiss tried using their neutrality and their peacefulness in order to make a treaty with the islanders, but most of the islanders did not speak English, and the English weren’t willing to translate, so as a result the Battle of Hapunawaha began.  Hapunawaha was the Palma’a general in charge of the army.  The battle lasted 3 days, but in the end, the Swiss won out.  The battle wasn’t particularly bloody because the Swiss simply took out a few of the key leaders, putting the island into chaos and taking as few lives as possible.  The total death toll was around 200, 130 islanders and about 70 British people.  The total island population was around 2,000 at the time, comprising of about 1,800 islanders and 200 English settlers.  The Swiss fleet comprised of about 3,000 sailors.  After the battle, the Swiss cleaned up the island of any collateral damage, as well as treated the wounded and the sick of the island, as well as built a beautiful memorial to the fallen warriors.  This clearly pleased the islanders, who decided a treaty was indeed a great idea so that the Swiss and the Palma’as could live side by side peacefully.  This is how the country of Zorcra was founded. The people are called Zorcranians, as well as a few Palma’as.  The language is called Palmekens, which is a mix of Palms, German, Italian, and French.  These languages are also spoken separately in Zorcra, as well as Romanish, English, and Palms.  

Alliances and Connections
We Zalcranians look down on a lot of the nations around the world for being so violent. We don't like to acquaint ourselves to very violent nations, because we fear that they will bring all of their violent people to our island. We do accept people who are being prosecuted for reasons having to do with anything but crimes. We love to change these peoples lives and show them what a nation should be like. If we really had to be allied with three nations, even though we feel as if we are better off solo, we would be allied to Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland. We would be allied to them, because we never hear of any type of disputes in these places.

Hawaiian National Anthem

I was looking through the national anthems, and Hawaii caught my eye. Hawaii is obviously is a state, but yet it still has its own anthem. The anthem is entitled "Hawai'i Pono'i", and it was written in 1876 by King David Kalakaua in honor of King Kamehameha I, who founded the Hawaiian Kingdom. I think the fact that Hawaii even has its own anthem defines it so well. Hawaii has always been its own independent nation, no matter what. The Hawaiian people have a sort of Hawaiian nationalist spirit, which includes remembering the history of the people, a warrior spirit, and a sense of community and family. All of these are present in the national anthem. I think that the feeling of the anthem is trying to unite the nation as one, and celebrate the rich history and the great leaders that Hawaii has had, especially King Kamehameha, who actually established Hawaii as a true kingdom. It was abolished when the monarchy was overthrown and the US took control, but it was later put in place as the state song, which shows how important the meaning of the song is. Even though Hawaii was no longer its own independent nation, it still could be independent in spirit and still remember the great chiefs who made life for the generations after it the best that they could. Also, if you have ever been to Hawaii, or even if you just know some things about it, they call everyone who lives on the US continent "mainlanders", and sometimes if you visit Hawaii and they don't like your vibe, they will tell you to go back to the mainland. Hawaii seems to be all about the island spirit, and the song showcases this very well.

I used this link for lyrics.

I used this link for information.

I used this link for additional information.

Sepoy Rebellion

The Sepoy rebellion was both a nationalist and a non-nationalist rebellion. It was nationalist because the Sepoys were rebelling against something that was offensive to their primary religious culture of Hinduism and Islam. Because the British needed new cartridges, they made them using pig and cow fat, which were animals that both Hindus and Muslims alike held holy. The Sepoy rebellion stood against something that was offensive to their culture, which is the definition of nationalism. They were proud enough of their nation to be willing to die for its cause. It was anti-nationalist because the British had colonized India, and at that point in time, it was a British country. The Sepoys did not go along with the new identity of their nation, which was anti-nationalistic for the time they were in. So, in conclusion, I can argue that the Sepoy rebellion took on both charecteristics.

Ota Benga

This picture is of Ota Benga, the African Pygmy who was brought from the Congo to live in the Bronx Zoo in New York. This action shows the start of classifying races in American and European society in the late 1800s early 1900s. Instead of seeing this as something cruel, this was regarded as scientific, and the exhibit was something that was "intriguing" for everyone to see. Ota Benga was placed in the same habitat that the monkeys were in, which showed how the European mind classified races at the time. The zoo director William Hornaday apparently saw no difference between an orengutan and a "little black boy".

I got my picture here.

I got some information here.

Colonial Empires

Reading my textbook section, I had a hard time figuring out what the motives were for the European people to colonize Africa. At first, I thought that perhaps the European colonists were power hungry and had large superiority complexes, thinking that they could go to any country and take whatever land that they wanted. This seems to make a lot of sense because the white men were usually referred to a bwana, which means master, and they usually called the African men "boys" no matter how old or young they were. They also drastically changed the culture of wherever they went, imposing racial stereotypes and attempting to create industries based on cheap African labor. They also imposed taxes and limited education for the Africans. However, there seems to be another motive, which would be collecting scientific information from the African populace. The more evident one seems to be the land hungry motive. The people being colonized did not respond very well. They attempted to revolt, but in the end, the European power was too great for them to overcome.

Trial Reflection

Not only did this trial help us learn and review everything we have learned about the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, it also helped us gain skills to use in the future in academics. This trial helped me learn how to research for a specific person, mentally prepare to address a jury of people and know exactly what I am talking about, compact my ideas into a compact speech, and work with others while still working individually. I had to research Thomas Hobbes and know so much about him that I could ask him any question and still have the answer be exactly what I want. This is a very important skill to have. Mentally preparing to address a group of people dramatically in order to prove a point is important as well, because it is always a good thing to be able to pursuade people to see things from your point of view. Being able to summarize points into a compact speech is better than reciting a huge long essay because people can better understand and pay attention to your point and not just how bored they are of listening to your voice. Finally, I learned how to work on my own part of a project and then have it be able to easily fit in with the style and tone of other people individual part of the same project. All of these skills will greatly help me in the future.

History of Execution Methods in France

In class we discussed the reign of terror, in which countless people were beheaded using the guillotine. Even though we look upon this as an inhumane and disgusting method to kill someone with, it was said to be the most humane method at the time. In order to better understand why this was so, I decided to research the history of execution methods in Europe up until the guillotine.

Burning was a very popular method of execution in the 1500s and 1600s. Many suspected witches were burnt at the stake during this time period, until it was later abolished in 1834. However, this punishment was mostly reserved for witches, as it was considered the most humane punishment for a woman at the time. Another device used not only for death but also for torture is the wheel. A person was either attached to the outside of the wheel and rolled over spikes, or to the spokes and beaten until all of their bones were broken. This was mostly used during the middle ages. Then came the Headman's Axe. The criminal would be decapitated using an axe or a sword. The axe would sometimes miss, prolonging the agony of the person. Finally, the guillotine was invented in France in 1789 by Dr. Joseph Guillotin. It was invented so that everyone could be killed in the same way, and more humanely. The blade was finely perfected in 1792, and then the first public use was in the same year. It was used during the French Revolution mostly, and the last official use was in 1977.

Looking at the preceders to the guillotine, it seems like a very humane method of execution for the time. During the French Revolution, everyone was looking for equality, and good treatment of every citizen. But with the guillotine being used so many times, it feels to us like many people were treated inhumanely. But to the French at the time, it probably was similar to lethal injection of these times, though it was public, which is another reason why we look upon it so hatefully. This was the culture of the time, but to us it seems strange and horrifying. Because of this technology gap, maybe we make all of the blood seem more horrifying then it might actually be, though not much.

Citation: RIN.RU. Unexplained. http://istina.rin.ru/eng/ufo/text/296.html (October 9 2009).

Religion vs. Science

While I was reading the section, I noticed that even though the theories of the scientists in this age went against the church, the scientists themselves were religious men and believed in some teachings of the church. Some of them also believed in a divine being, which is interesting to think about when science is involved. Science explains a lot of things, but one thing it doesnt explain is why everything is how it is and why it all started and continues to work. I am sure this question plagued and continues to plague many scientists and regular people.

I was interested to find out more about Galileo's like in particular since he is one of the most famous cases of religion vs. science. Galileo was born in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564. His family was noble. Galileo considered priesthood as a child, but his father believed that medicine would be the best path for him to take. However, Galileo dropped out shortly there after to pursue his passion for mathematics and mechanics. Soon, he became well known by improving on the first versions of the telescope, as well as being the first to observe the seas of the moon and the satellites of Jupiter. Copernicus theorized that the earth was not the center of the universe, but was just one the many planets that orbited around the sun. Though he was smart and very wise, Galileo refrained from becoming a public supporter of the Copernican view for fear of ridicule, and his battles with the church over the subject became legendary in the scientific community. His legacy lives on , however, in physics and is considered to be the first modern scientist. He was a different kind of scientist; Galileo broke tradition and went straight to nature. He was one of the first scientists to experiment to investigate. Physics in his time were seriously erred, and he was out to correct them. In fact, Galileo is considered to be the father of modern physics. His findings are still alive and used today. His life was definitely an interesting and revolutionary one.

http://math.berkeley.edu/~robin/Galileo/life.html

Inca Beliefs

While reading the section on the Incas, I became very interested in what exactly their religious beliefs were. I decided to research further on their spiritual beliefs. The Incas worshiped their dead ancestors, founders of their culture, and their king who they regarded as divine, as well as nature and the cycles of nature. Because of the importance of the cycles, time was considered sacred and each month had its own festival. The most important cult of the Inca religion was that of the sun god Inti, who's feast was the most important of all festivals. To celebrate this festival, offerings were made, as well as sacrifices of animals or children. Though offerings were made daily, the sacrifices of children or animals were only made in times of great importance, such as when an Inca king took the throan or when there was an epidemic or famine. The god of the earth was also heavily worshiped. ANother part of the Inca religion was divination. Everything was done by consulting an oracle. Finally, they belived that after a person died, their two souls would travel on seperate paths, and like the Egyptians, the Incas mummified their dead and burried them with their worldly possessions.

One section of the reading focuses on the relationship between men and woman. Though woman were not necessarily treated horribly, they certainly werent equal to men. As I researched the Inca religion, I noticed why this was the case. The Incas believed in polarity in the universe. This notion was expressed by the words hanan and hurin. Hanan referred to the high, superior, right, masculine, and hurin to the low, inferior, left, feminine. This polarity was noticeable in the cult to the Quilla, the moon, considered as the female counterpart to the all-important sun. From doing this research, I can now understand why their is an inequality and hierarchy in the Inca society.

The Ottoman Empire

While I was doing the reading in the book, I noticed a few interesting things regarding Islam and the numerous other religions present in the empire. First of all, the religions lived side by side, tolerant of each other and peaceful. Second of all, the Muslim rulers of the empire even funded some of the churches, not forcing the Christians or Jews to convert to Islam. As I read this, I mentally compared this situation to the situation of the present. In the Middle East, the radical(and I stress that I mean radical, not mainstream) Muslims have not been so tolerant of western religions and western ideals. In fact, people have died or have been killed because of the lack of tolerance towards their religion, or have at least been threatened or persecuted. This is an interesting parallel. Radical Muslims have been talking about reestablishing Islam as the religion of a giant empire, just like the Ottoman Empire. For some reason, this time around, not everyone is welcome and accepted, and the rule would definetly be stricter if the radicals have anything to say about it. In the Ottoman empire, the Muslims were establishing themselves as a world power, and didnt only want to intimidate people. They also wanted to make friends with the other religions to keep the peace. Now, it seems to me that the radicals are using scare tactics to keep their advantage and make themselves more well of than anyone else to establish themselves as the world power once again. Comparing these two time periods have helped me to understand what the empire was trying to accomplish and how their methods worked. Now I can better understand what is happening in my world today.

Mexico's new drug use law worries US police

Recently, Mexico has legalized the use of small amounts of personal recreational drugs. I read two articles about these new laws, but the second one I read seemed to be much longer and much more biased and opinionated. Why and how does the author do this? Unlike the first article, this second article has an interview with a homeless addict in order to use our basic human sympathies and emotions to make us believe the author's point. There are a few facts included in the article, enough to help the reader understand what the laws do, but other than that, the majority of the article has complaints by different people about why these laws are worrisome. I think the author chooses to omit a lot about why the laws were passed and what they intend to do, as well as a few basic aspects of the law that were in the other article. In the middle, there is another sob story about how the same addict lost his brother to drugs and how they were "finishing him off". Next, the author tries to hit home by discussing how legalization will lead to drug-fueled vacations and spring breaks, which could lead to many deaths and other tragedies for citizens of other countries other than Mexico, such as our own friends and family. Finally, the author adds a counter argument just to show that he knows the argument for the other side, but only briefly in about one sentence. It seems that the author's main way to convince us of the point is to basically let us forget there is another side to the argument as well. If the author gave us the other side, could we have made a more educated decision?

One of the parts of the article that interested me the most was the part in which the addict is being interviewed. The man, Ivan, talks about how drugs have ruined his life and killed his brother. The author is using our emotions to get us to agree that these laws are dangerous and negative. By telling us about how his life has been ruined, we can't help but feel sympathetic and side with the argument being presented to us. A counter argument could possibly be that while drugs have ruined Ivan's life, legalizing the drugs will make it easier for Ivan to stay out of jail and focus on treatment instead. Why does the author omit this if she want us to make an informed decision?