EMMA GOLDMAN, ALEADING CHARACTER IN A PATRIOTIC ERA

CHARACTER ANALYSIS: EMMA GOLDMAN

Emma Goldman previously called “the most dangerous woman in America” and now one of the most famous heroines of the history of liberal democracy. She was a great orator and a gifted writer who sacrificed her life for her ideals. She is considered one of the strongest leaders of Anarchism and her activities have had enduring effect on anarchist political theory, women’s rights, radicalism, birth control and etc (wikipedia.com).
She was born June 27, 1869 in Kovno, Lithuania, later Russian Empire (answers.com). The anti-Semitism wave made her Jewish family to migrate to the United States. Young Emma who was encountered with inequality, violence and poverty in Russia faced labor force dissatisfaction and worker union strikes in America. By the time capitalism and thrusts had become leading economic forces and the labor unions were struggling to be born to defend the work force rights who were from the lowest and weakest layers of the society (wikipedia.com). Emma, as a poor girl of an immigrant family worked as a seamster and was engaged and influenced by the events. Emma Goldman lived in a critical period of the western history. Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Spanish civil war, Fascism, Nazism and World War I in international scope and Capitalism, Red Scare, First wave of feminism with the women suffrage movement labor unions inside America. (about.com, wikipedia.com)
Emma’s mother was a happily married woman with two daughters Helena and Elena when her husband died. She then entered a family made marriage with Abraham Goldman. A poor unsuccessful worker, with a bad temper, who hoped for a boy and believed that a girl would be another sign of failure (wikipedia.com). However, Emma was born as his first child. And three sons followed. He punished his children and above all Emma who was the most rebellious. After sometimes studying at school she was deprived to continue as she was a girl and according to her father “girls do not have to learn much! All a Jewish daughter needs to know is how to prepare gefilte fish, cut noodles fine, and give the man plenty of children” (wikipedia, Goldman,living p12). So Emma, fond of study, started studying for herself both books and events around her. Among them tow were very much inspiring. One was a novel named “what is to be done?” by Nikolai Chernyshevsky. The other was studying the Nihilists responsible for assassinating Alexander II of Russia. Unhappy atmosphere and poverty of the family and witnessing the society as a place for inequality and violence beside the revolutionary movements and schools of thought all helped forming her mind (wikipedia.com).
In 1885, she migrated with her sister, Helena, to the United States just to be followed by her other members of family the year after. Her family had to escape the anti-Semitism waves which were growing in Russia. They settled in Rochester, New York and she started working in a factory. After sometimes she married but separated soon. Once, she returned to her husband but couldn’t endure. This time, her family calling her “loose” rejected her and she went to New York. There she met Alexander Berkman and Johann Most, tow leaders of the Anarchism. Berkman became her life long friend and lover and Most taught her methods of oratory and public speaking. She very soon founded her base of thought as an Anarshist and gradually became a powerful orator talking for the public of her revolutionary ideas (wikipedia.com).
They believed in direct effort in making reforms or stimulating workers to revolt. The first and most important effort was the plan to assassinate Henry Clay Frick. Frick was the factory manager for the Carnegie Steel Company and a fierce opponent of the labor union. Emma and Berkman decided that by killing him they can stimulate the workers to revolt against the Capitalism. Berkman did the deed and Emma stood behind to explain the motives for the people. However, the attempt was unsuccessful and Frick, though injured, stayed alive. Berkman was captured and sentenced to twenty tow years prison. To their bad luck, workers and anarchists both condemned the action (wikipedia.com).
Emma Goldman finally gets arrested for her activities. In prison she reads many books including medicine and the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, poet Walt Whitman and philosopher John Stuart Mill. After release, she traveled to Europe to follow her favorite fields in nursing. She met anarchist leaders and hold lectures as well during the time. In 1899, Goldman returned to US, met Hippolyte Havel, an anarchist leader and began a relationship with him. They went to France together and founded the International Anarchist Congress in Paris (wikipedia.com).
In 1901 she was mistakenly put under persecution for President McKinley’s assassination (about.com, Jewish Women Association). The person who did it though admitting her separation of the issue but had said that by taking part in one of her lectures on anarchism had decided to do so. By the time she had become an absolute unpleasant figure for the American government. “Meanwhile, socialism gained support over anarchism among US radicals” (wikipedia.com) and Theodore Roosevelt informed of his decision to suppress anarchists. Therefore, Emma decided to side from her activities for a while and by using the false name of E.G. Smith took on some private nursing jobs (about.com, JWA).

At the time of World War I and the second term of President Woodrow Wilson, the Selective Service Act of 1917 which obligated all men of 21 to 30 to go to war was passed. Goldman saw it as a “militarist aggression driven by capitalism”. Although the war seemed to be for democracy, in reality it was “the imperialist venture fought on behalf of capitalists at the expense of working class and all those who were oppressed” (about.com, JWA). She was imprisoned then under Espionage Act. When she was released the red scare was the horrible issue of the country. Many of the ordinary or important people were deported on the claim that they worked for the communist party or had some communist leanings. Goldman married Jacob Kershner to obtain legal citizenship. But the government by using the Anarchist Exclusion Act deported both Goldman and Berkman with hundreds of other Russians to Russia. Unexpectedly the tow were disillusioned with the dogma of the Bolshevik regime, so left the country and finally reached to Berlin were they lived for several years. There she started writing in the New York World which later became tow books, “My disillusionment in Russia” (1923) and “My further disillusionment in Russia” (1924).
Emma Goldman suffered a stroke on Feb. 17, 1940. The great orator became unable to utter a word. Finally, she died in May 14 in Toronto, Canada. The US naturalization and immigration service allowed her body to be brought back to US. She is buried in Chicago among those who were executed after the Hay Market affair (wikipedia.com).
Emma Goldman was a real anarchist, rejecting the orthodoxy and fundamentalist thinking.

She was influenced by Emerson, Chernyshevsky, Wollstonecraft and Nietche. Anarchism was central to her world view. “Anarchism then really stands for the liberation of human mind from the dominion of religion, the liberation of the human body from the dominion of property, Liberation from the shackles and restraints of government. Anarchism stands for a social order based on the free grouping of individuals for the purpose of producing real social wealth. An order that will guarantee to every human being free access to the earth and full enjoyment of the necessities of life according to individual desires, tastes and inclinations” (wikipedia.com).
She also, believed in the absolute destruction of the State to gain absolute freedom (about.com).
On the other hand, she believed that capitalism was inimical to human liberty. As it is after more wealth so more power will be gained to exploit and enslave (about.com).
She is one of the opponents of the marriage. “How much sorrow, misery, humiliation … men and women grown under the iron yoke of our marriage institution and there seems to be no relief, no way out of it.” She believed that women must be independent from all the bondages and try for their individual progress. Despite her liberal views she was not an advocate of women suffrage in the first wave of feminism. She believed that women issue must be solved fundamentally and just gaining suffrage is a means not to count women as equal to men but to conceal the way laws are passed and put into action (about.com).
Emma Goldman was a revolutionist who suffered much for her ideals. Despite her disadvantage to reach to her goals while alive, she was able to put her mark on the history of human being. This paper is not to judge her anyway, but what she tried for, being considered an anti-religion and anti-value at her time, is now praised for as the liberal rights of human being.
Her publications are:

Founded the journal of Mother Earth in1906.

Anarchism and Other Essays. New York: Mother Earth Publishing Association, 1910.
The Social Significance of the Modern Drama. Boston: Gorham Press, 1914.
My Disillusionment in Russia. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page and Co., 1923.
My Further Disillusionment in Russia. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page and Co., 1924.
Living My Life. New York: Knopf, 1931.
Voltairine de Cleyre. Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Oriole Press, 1932.

SCHEMA

Schemas are “idea’s, images and theories which might be negative, positive or relatively neutral” as John Bowen says in his paper, Anti-Americanism as Schemas and Diacritics in France and Indonesia. Schemas are different according to national, geographical, political, historical, and religious and all the features which are influential in forming people’s minds. They might be universal, national or regional. (Bowen)
According to Bowen, different people have different or even contradictory schemas in mind. They may be positive, negative or neutral and current events can change them or bring some of them into salience.
Worldweb.princton.edu defines Schema as “an international representation of the world, an organization of the concepts and actions that can be revised by new information about the world”.
America as a country with universal influence has got a variety of schemas in the universal or national scales. Power, technology, liberalism, individualism and pluralism are some of the universal schemas about America. In the national scales, in France for example, it is famous for liberalism, economic imperialism and especially among French Muslims, Jewish media control, as Bowen says. In recent years, after attacking Iraq and America’s unlimited support for Israel, negative schemas have gained salience among Muslims. War, conspiracy and anti-Islamism are among them.
In Iran, regarding the history of United States’ meddling with the internal affairs and its backing Iraq in the eight year war against Iran, negative schemas have been so dominant. Expansionist, exploitative, pro-Israel, anti-Islam are some of them, besides other ideas which could be considered positive or neutral exist as well. Among them are words such as economic and military power, technology and science.
I asked some students in the University of Tehran and Olum Tahghighat to write down the first three words that come to their minds hearing the word “America”. Let’s have a glance at the answers.

Age 23, MA French literature:
Democracy, Oil, freedom of thought and speech

Age 26, PhD Geomorphology:
Superpower, Nuclear power, Oppression

Age 24, MA Environment Designing
Gray, Undisciplined, Crowded, Expansive

Age 24, MA Educational Management
Iraq, Bush, Lie

Age 24, MA Adult Education
War, Power, Science

Age 24, MA City Designing
Ambiguity, Multiple Ethnicities, Scare

Age 23, MSC Accountancy
Welfare, Oppression, Economy

Age 24, Electronic Engineering
Offence, Science, Obama

Age 25, PhD Philosophy
Multiple Ethnicities, Technology, Humanism

Age 25, PhD Biology

Multilateral strength, Modernism, Expansion

US JUDICIARY INDIPENDANT?

Judiciary is one of the key organs of governance in each country. In the United States it works side by side of legislative and executive powers. But the critical and sensitive roles and duties of the judiciary highlights the significance of some necessities in treating it. In order to conserve fairness of the decisions and unbiased interpretation of constitution, judiciary is best suitable to be independent from the other tow organs or any other force that potentially can lead it to the wrong side. In some countries courts are the instrument of the executive system meaning the specific party ideology and philosophy and most probably the individuals are highly influential in the judiciary system. Thus the courts decisions which ought to be fair and unbiased ultimately get biased by partisan demands. In the United States from the beginning it is tried constitutionally to keep the judiciary as independent as possible.
“Article three of the United States constitution establishes the federal courts as part of the federal government” (wikipedia.com). Federal judges are chosen by the president for life term. They are removed from the post either by death, resignation or impeachment. However, by now only thirteen judges are impeached by the congress. On the other hand it falls to the chance of a president to face vacancies in his term. Some have had no chance like Jimmy Carter and some surprisingly had appointed four judges like President Reagan.
Supreme Court as the highest rank of judiciary is mostly engaged with determining acts and laws to be constitutional. It can easily declare any act in every branch of government, unconstitutional (APS). However, this can be returned by constitutional amendments, something that happens rarely. Another way that congress can interfere or in some sense control judiciary based on constitution is that congress can regulate the “size and administration of federal machinery of justice” (APS, 255). President on the other hand controls judiciary by appointments and his influence on public or congress. The latter is done by motivating the opposition or support for a particular issue. These mild safeguards seem necessary but still do not threaten the judiciary’s independence. One other factor which must be taken care of to keep it independent is the job security. Their salaries should be high enough to prevent bribes; furthermore, it should not be dependant on the executive power in order to ban partisan pressures. On the other hand judges must be trained to ethically stay aside and decide on the truth and based on constitution and previous laws.
As we see judiciary system in the United States is an independent system coordinating with the other branches. There are some moderators designed in constitution in the structure of executive and legislative branches which keep the judiciary still in relation and in line with them. But the overall system is intended to be independent.

THE PATRIOT

The film is supposed to be historical melodrama about the American Revolution. It’s the story of a South Carolina planter who is the veteran of French-Indian war, named Benjamin Martin. He is a widow with seven children who intends to stay aside from the revolution wars. When Colonel William Tavington, from the British army kills his son in front of his eyes, Benjamin attempts to revenge and free his other son who is going to be hanged. Leading a group in his fighting, he becomes famous as “the ghost”.
The film ends with the victory of Americans and gives good tidings for hope of a better society of their own.

The Hollywood criteria seem to override the history. The black issue that is shown as a positive happy life in the southern America seems dramatic rather than reality. The British are shown as the pure evil and the Americans as the good righteous guys who are brutally and cruelly treated. On the other hand the title, “The patriot” seems unsuitable as Benjamin Martin primarily did not take part in the war for his country but to revenge his Thomas’ death and to save Gabriel. However, Gabriel can be called a real patriot. From the beginning he takes parts in the wars, even after he’s injured.
However, too long and a bit boring, the special features, good acting and the historical setting of South America make it worthy to watch. What’s more, there are too much of brutality and violence shown in the movie adding to the unpleasant face depicted of the Britons.

The term “patriot”, best suits the necessities and the situation of the now- America. From the revolution till today, Americans have not developed nationalist feelings but patriotism. As we see at the end of the film, a house is being built in a new land. And people intend to live together in the hope of a better life in a new made structure.

FILM REVIEW: THE GREAT DEBATERS

“THE GREAT DEBATERS” is a film on black issue set in the 1930s at Marshal, Texas where surrendered as the last city after the civil war, as James Farmer Jr. says. (1) It’s the story of a team of four, leading by professor Melvin Tolson in the small Wiley College who try to prove black equality in the time of “Jim Crow laws, lynch mobs and …the great depression” of Texas. (2) A young, black, debate team who finally succeeds to win the Harvard debate. The team is consisted of “Henry lowe, a handsome, clean-cut youth with a lurking bad-boy streak, Hamilton Burgess, a dutiful, eager, beaver…, Samantha Booke, a straight-laced, aspiring –would be-lawyer and a soft-edged proto-feminist, and finally James Farmer jr, a preachers son whose father keeps him on a tight lash”. (3) The leader of the team, professor Tolson, happens to be a recognized African-American poet with political leanings who organizes the National Sharecroppers Union working for both poor whites and blacks whose ‘servitude is the same’.(4)
Although the dominant theme is progress and change, it is highly concerned with racism. The characters face lynching mobs who had killed and were burning the body of a black, Dr. Tolson was under restrictions by the Sheriff for his political activities and many other signs of black segregation and inequality in the liberal democrat society of America. However, the team brings forth issues like Gandhi, World wars, justice and law to make the context more humanitarian. The concepts repeating in different senses several times are “an unjust law is no law at all” (a paraphrase of Augustine of Hippo) (5) and “doing what you ‘have to do’ in order that we ‘can do’ what we ‘want to do’.” (6) According to Denzel Washington, the director and the actor for Dr. Tolson, “It is not a film about ‘racism in Texas in 1935. It’s what these young people did about it … to overcome whatever obstacles were in their way… It’s the story of hope rather than race’.” (7)
Based on a true story, the real character of James Farmer jr, became a civil rights movement leader in 1950s-60s and founded the congress of Racial Equality. Samantha Books also became an aspiring lawyer. (8)

The director of the film, is the Oscar winner Denzel Washington, born in 1954, New York. He has acted in 51 movies starting with Wilma (1977) and the last which is still in production, “Inside Man2” (2010). He also has produced four movies and directed “the great debaters” (2007) and “Antowne Fisher” (2002). (9)

The writer of the film is Rbert Eisele, born in 1948, California. With tow wins and four nominations he has written 15 movies among them “Breach of contract” (1982) and “Hurricane season” (2009), produced 7 including “Last night” (1993) and “Resurrection blvd” (2000) acted in 2. Eisele had taught acting and playwriting at the Rio Hondo College in Whittier. (10)

The producer of the film is Oprah Winfrey who “rose from poverty and a troubled youth to become the most powerful and influential woman in television. She is a recognized talk show hostess, producer and actor”. (11)

The Great Debaters
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Denzel Washington
Produced by
Oprah WinfreyJoe RothBob WeinsteinHarvey Weinstein
Written by
Jeffrey PorroRobert Eisele
Starring
Denzel Washington

Forest Whitaker

Nate Parker

Denzel Whitaker

Jurnee Smollett
Music by
James Newton Howard
Cinematography
Philippe Rousselot
Editing by
Hughes Winborne
Studio
Harpo Productions
Distributed by
Metro-Goldwyn-MayerThe Weinstein Company
Release date(s)
December 25, 2007
Running time
126 min.
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$15 million
Gross revenue
$30,236,407

1)www.imdb.com/title/tt0427309
2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters
3)http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/movies/25deba.html
4)http://rogerebet.suntimes.com
5)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters
6)ibid
7)www.npr.org
8)http://movies.nytimes.com
9)www.imdb.com/name/nmoooo243
10)www.imdb.com/name/nmo2519351
11)http://movie.nytimes.com
Production details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters

CONGRESS VS PRESIDENT

In the history of American governance there has been a competence between the legislative and executive powers. Imperial presidency and imperial congress are coined in his occasion. For example at the end of Vietnam War, congress tried to practice a stronger control and limitation on the White House. Micro-managing the domestic and foreign policies, committees to impose rules and regulations and refusing presidents appointees on ideological grounds were among congress’ attempts. (McKay,CAPS 55).
Constitutionally congress is appointed to maintain all the legislative power, declare wars and ratify treaties and finally, specifically senate is empowered to ratify treatise and approve appointments by the president (McKayAPS 129-130).
In the latter case for example, congress rejected largely the president’s appointees on ideological or partisan reasons. In case of committees in 1950s, the McCarthy committee, famous as the red-baiter, went too far to recognize the communist figures not only in government but in the national scene. In recent years the senate select committee on campaign practices, earning national attention for its inquiries in the Watergate scandal. In 1987, the Reagan administration was investigated for Iran-contra affair. In this case the executive branch had unilaterally entered a process which needed congress’ approval. Again there has been an investigation on President Clinton and his wife’s involvement in Whitewater property Company. In recent years congress has claimed executive privilege to certain information, however on no clear constitutional status.
Congress also uses impeachments on the executive officials. Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton were the presidents who were impeached but not convicted; however, Nixon resigned before impeachment.
Historically the first congressional investigation took place in 1792, on the disastrous expedition led by General Arthur st. Clair against Shawnee and Miami Indians in which 657 American troops were killed (answeres.com/topic/congressional-investigations).
During 19th cent congressional investigations on Civil War, Ku Klux Klan, purchase of Alaska, some rail road scandals like Credit Mobilier took place. In 1923, investigations on Teapot Dome scandal sent the secretary of interior of President Harding in prison and discredited his administration. As mentioned before, Watergate, Sam Ervin, McCarthy and Wall Street investigations are among the most important congressional attempts to limit the government.

CAPS: controversies in American politics and society by David McKay

APS:American politics and society by David Mckay

ASSIMILATING IMMIGRANTS

Huntington is the latest and highest profile critic of Latino migration. He believes that they will make America to a bifurcated country. This paper tries to reject his idea.
America is a country with mass migration. Each wave of migration during history has changed its culture. Experience shows that all the previous groups were finally assimilated to the new context however entering parts of their own culture to it. So American culture, as Huntington believes, is not a homogenous pure Anglo-protestant culture to be worried about in this new wave of Latino migration.
A historical survey shows this fact. For example, Scotch-Irish fit well into Huntington’s Anglo-Saxon model but the black slaves did not though converting to Protestantism.
Two million Irish immigrated to the United States in the 1840s, making ten percent of the whole population. Up to the 20th century they had remained in their enclaves but had also gained political power. They entered economy through public jobs. And finally JFK became the president. The assimilation process itself had made America partly Irish. Irish cop, Roman Catholic churches and St. Patrick’s Day became norms of the society.
Jews also made a wave of immigration to US after World War II; their Talmudic tradition led to a strong educational ethos helping their fast progress. They retailed trade in clothing and many other commodities, invented Hollywood and largely became teachers. Pop culture, literature, American politics; all were affected largely by Jews. They moved fast to the managerial and ownership positions. After all,the full assimilation for all groups took 80 to 100 years.
The new wave are Hispanics mostly Mexicans. The long border offers many illegal and legal crossing. Though the case this time is a bit different as they go to the service and labor jobs and their cultural and linguistic factors are largely entering the American culture, Americans shouldn’t worry as it is not a new procedure. In the past the same happened with the other waves of immigration but finally they were assimilated in the American culture.
On the other hand France has had little success in assimilating the massive Muslim immigration from Maghrib. Certainly the French did not allow their culture to adapt to these new-comers. France has to allow a major and continuing cultural exception or adapt its own culture. The current scarves-ban in public schools shows that French cannot tolerate other identities harming their secularism. The French policy also didn’t allow Muslims to enter the economic mainstream. It seems that France is moving in the opposite direction for the assimilation.
Finally, America provides the best headstock for assimilation as it is itself open to change. This flexible status has made new definitions and identities. Therefore, migration and immigration not only is not a crisis to America, according to his paper, but is the element of its elasticity, dynamism and continuity. These dual adaptations is necessary for assimilation and if a country likes France claiming to be the most democrat of the Europe does not adopt this rule will certainly lose.
However, still there's a big questionmark in front of the word "IDENTITY". Can this new American identity without any roots firm in the ground of history, culture, religion ... last for too long? Can it answer the essential inner needs of people it is protecting?
considering the case for Iran, as a country in which religion and ancient-deep culture are dominant, can we expect this kind of free adaptation to the other cultures? of course it is not possible in a large scale but we should prepare the ground to adapt the new and necessary elements in our established frameworks.

Assimilating Immigrants by Robert Levine