1982 Essays - Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mass Surveillance,

1982 Outline Thesis Statement- This paper will examine how George Orwell wrote 1984 as a political statement against totalitarianism. I Introduction II Summary of 1984 III Roles of major Charters A. Big Brother B. Winston C. O'Brien D. Julia E. Shop owner IV Propaganda A. Ministry of Truth B. Ministry of Love V Orwell's thoughts on Totalitarianism A. From life experiences B. From a writers point of view VI Conclusion Introduction "Orwell observed that every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as I understand it" ("George Orwell"). George Orwell has been a major contributor to anticommunist literature around the World War II period. Orwell lived in England during World War II, a time when the totalitarianism state, Nazi Germany, was at war with England and destroyed the city of London. " I know that building' sai d Winston finally. Its a ruin now. It's in the middle of the street outside the Palace of Justice.' That's right. Outside the Law Courts. It was bombed in-oh many years ago'" (Orwell 83). This reflects Orwell's own life experiences as a citizen in war torn England and how he uses this in 1984. George Orwell is famous for two major novels which attack totalitarianism. The first is Animal Farm a satire describing the leaders of the Soviet Union as animals on an animal farm. The second novel is 1984 a story of dictators who are in complete control of a large part of the world after the Allies lost in World War II . The government in this novel gives no freedoms to its citizens. They live in fear because they are afraid of having bad thoughts about the government of Oceania, a crime punishable by death. This is the gem in Orwell's collection of novels against totalitarianism. This paper will show how George Orwell wrote 1984 as a political statement against totalitarianism. 1984 is about life in a world where no personal freedoms exist. Winston the main character, is a man of 39 who is not extraordinary in either intelligence or character, but is disgusted with the world he lives in. He works in the Ministry of Truth, a place where history and the truth is rewritten to fit the party's beliefs. Winston is aware of the untruths, because he makes them true. This makes him very upset with the government of Oceania, where Big Brother, a larger than life figure, controls the people. His dissatisfaction increases to a point where he rebels against the government in small ways. Winston's first act of rebellion is buying and writing in a diary. This act is known as a thought crime and is punishable by death. A thought crime is any bad thought against the government of Oceania. Winston commits many thought crimes and becomes paranoid about being caught, which he knows is inevitable (Greenblast 113). He becomes paranoid because he is followed by a young woman who is actively involved in many community groups. Winston is obsessed with the past, a time before Oceania was under strict dictatorship. He goes into an antique shop and buys a shell covered in glass which is another crime punishable by death. He sees the same woman following him. Many thoughts race through his mind "I wanted to rape you and then murder you afterwards. Two weeks ago I thought seriously of smashing your head in with a cobblestone. If you really want to know, I imagined that you had something to do with the Thought Police" (Orwell 101). The girl who was following him slipped him a note while at work. The note said "I love you"(90). They make plans to meet each other and carry on an illegal love affair. This love affair is another rebellion against the government. It goes on for some time. Winston rents a room where he and Julia can be secluded from the outside world. They meet a man named O'Brien who indicates that he is another revolutionary. Winston and Julia go to his house to meet with him. O'Brien gives than a seditious book to read. Soon after that, they are caught by the Thought

How does Shakespeare make the start of the play gripping and exciting Essay Example

How does Shakespeare make the start of the play gripping and exciting Essay Example How does Shakespeare make the start of the play gripping and exciting Essay How does Shakespeare make the start of the play gripping and exciting Essay Essay Topic: Romeo and Juliet Originally written by Arthur Brooke in the form of a long poem called The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet was later rewritten by former actor and playwright William Shakespeare. Shakespeare, a magician with words, added more depth, detail and characters to the tragedy. The famous play, The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, more commonly referred to as Romeo and Juliet, was believed to be written roughly between 1591 and 1595, in the Elizabethan era. In the Elizabethan era theatres were popular. Whilst watching a play the audience were not expected to be silent: people ate, talked and fidgeted through the performance. Going to the theatre was like going to a social event thus people would be loud and mingle around; you had to earn the audience’s attention by having a riveting start to the play. In addition, there were hardly any props for the actors so the story had to be told through words. Shakespeare creates an engaging and gripping opening to Romeo and Juliet with the use of various linguistic techniques, dramatic devices, metaphoric imagery and humour. Shakespeare ingeniously starts the play with a prologue containing the whole story, start to finish, in a carefully written sonnet; this leaves the audience waiting in anticipation for the prologue to be brought to life. He uses this dramatic device to enliven and alarm the audience as well as inform them about the feud among the two families and the effect it causes. It is apt that the Prologue is written in the form of a sonnet; they are often associated with love and as the play is a tragic love story, it is appropriate. The audience are told that in the play that â€Å"A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life† and their deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. The phrase â€Å"star cross’d† literally means against the stars; the expression links to the texts historical context because during the Elizabethan era nobility had personal astrologers to give them their horoscope and â€Å"star cross’d† had meant that their stars were aligned. This would have scared an Elizabethan audience as they strongly believed in the idea of having a destiny and fate mapped out already in the stars. A modern day audience today would not have believed in fate so strongly. In Act 1 Scene 1, immediately following the Prologue, the scene picks up on the theme of hate; the audience found out in the Prologue that there is going to be a lot of â€Å"civil blood† lost and after a short, comical conversation between two servants, the Prologue begins to come to life. The use of humour holds the audience’s attention and makes them laugh. One of the ways Shakespeare incorporates humour into the play is with the use of puns and references to male anatomy. The scene starts off with a witty and bawdy conversation between two Capulet servants. The joke Gregory says: Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor-John, is coarse and is used to tease Sampson. In Elizabethan times â€Å"Poor-John was the cheapest kind of dried fish. Dried fish were commonly sold whole and were so thoroughly dried that they were as hard as wood. Thus a dried fish could be compared to a mans erection. It was vital that the audience were entertained and the vulgar jokes were fun to watch at the start and warm the audience up. Quickly after the jokes the violence starts to emerge; the silly gags contrast with the seriousness of the fight. Gregory says: â€Å"Draw thy tool! Here comes two of the house of the Montagues. † The servants wonder if they should provoke a fight or start a fight themselves. We knew there was going to be a fight because it was inevitable; it was just a matter of who is involved and when it occurs. The Capulet servants deliberately rouse the Montague servants. We can see this where it says: â€Å"Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it. These servants decide to provoke the fight by biting their thumbs. This would be like flipping someone off today. That stirs up the opposing familys servants and a fight ensues. The provoking makes the feud seem silly and pointless because flipping some off today would not start a fight in which blood would be shed. Here we are shown the full extent of the grudge and introduced to a few minor characters and the antagonist Tybalt. The audience is already made aware of the personalities of each of the characters and their part in the main story: Tybalt is the villain and loves to fight. This leads the audience to think that Tybalt is the person that comes between Romeo and Juliet and influence’s their feelings to immediately despise him. The Prince’s Speech is engaging because we know the quarrelling families will be rebellious and not listen so there will most likely be more fights; the audience are on stand-by until this happens. Throughout the speech there is a lot of metaphoric imagery which interests us as we imagine the image in our heads. An example of this would be: â€Å"With purple fountains issuing from your veins the word â€Å"purple† is used here because in the Elizabethan era nobility were thought to have had blue blood whereas commoners had red and blue mixed with red made purple therefore both noble and common people died. On the other hand it could be interpreted as a dark or deep wound such as the deep hatred the families have for each other. The Prince threatens the families at the end. We can see this where it says: â€Å"If you ever disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. The sinister threat is exhilarating for the audience because they know that it would have to be put into action and people’s lives will be lost. However it seems less real for a contemporary audience as it is not part of the new justice system, yet the modern day adaptation does not fail to hook the audience. In Act 1 Scene 5, at a party hosted by the Capulet family, Romeo sees Juliet for the first time. As Romeo sees Juliet for the first time, all the old romantics begin to swoon and sigh over his amorous sonnet for her. At this point it is crucial that the audience believe that Romeo is truly in love with Juliet or else their deaths will not be as heart-rending. One of the ways we are shown Romeo’s strong feelings is through light and dark imagery. An example of this is: â€Å"a snowy white dove trooping with crows. † He is speaking about binary opposites: doves are white and crows are black. This emphasises how Romeo sees Juliet; she stands out to him. Moreover â€Å"doves† are seen as symbols of live and â€Å"crows† are seen as evil or ugly birds. This is a highly important moment because we realise that Rosaline is the crow in this quote. This links back to where earlier in the text where Benvolio was telling Romeo to â€Å"examine other beauties† and he â€Å"will make thee think thy swan a crow. † Another way Romeo’s love is indicated is through the use of words that appeal to the eyes. Throughout the speech words like â€Å"watch†, â€Å"light†, â€Å"sight† and â€Å"beauty† are used. These words imply that Romeo is smitten with her and can’t take his eyes off of her. Alternatively, Romeo can be seen as rather shallow and superficial as well as young and naive; he doesn’t know what love really is. Shakespeare uses religious imagery to ensure that the love between Romeo and Juliet is perceived as pure and true. Phrases such as: â€Å"This holy shrine† and â€Å"blushing pilgrims† influences the audience’s feelings by making us feel the love radiating off the character and believe that they are meant to be. The way in which Shakespeare portrays the love between Romeo and Juliet is exceptional however it is less likely for a modern day audience today to believe that the two are really in love; they would see it as an infatuation. Furthermore, the audience are captivated by antagonist Tybalt because his choleric character suggests to them that whenever he is around a fight may arouse. He speaks in rhyme like Romeo but this time to declare his hate for the Montague family rather than love; this shows that he is of equal status to Romeo. His hate for the Montagues is clear through his use of words which describe hatred and anger. Some of the words he uses are: â€Å"scorn†, â€Å"sin† and â€Å"strike. † The use of sibilance when he speaks suggests that he is like Satan and is evil. The words make a hissing sound like a snake and this links to the book of Genesis from the Bible where Satan in form of a snake causes the downfall of Adam and Eve. The audience were familiar with the stories from the Bible and the majority were Christian so this was a strong way of showing evil. They can also see his rage in the way Shakespeare has created the sonnet to have a staccato rhythm. People usually use sharp and quick words when they are angry as they do not use elaborate words. This also makes Tybalt sound like he is clenching his teeth and heightens the sense of resentment. In conclusion, the moment that all viewers wait for and the moment that is the most important to the play is the scene where Romeo and Juliet, the â€Å"star cross’d lovers† meet for the first time and fall in love. From that moment the story builds to the ultimate scene where they go on to â€Å"take their life†. In my opinion it is the best scene in Romeo and Juliet because I like romantic scenes; the lines he says about her are moving and even though I would not believe they are really in love, Romeo talks about Juliet the way any girl would like her boyfriend or husband to talk about her. Moreover this scene is thrilling because both themes run through it in complete contrast allowing the audience to sense the strong emotions better whilst they are forever sitting in the stands waiting for the moment where Romeo and Juliet die; Tybalt is fuming that Romeo intruded and so it seems like a colossal brawl will occur right there and then. In Elizabethan times it was vital the audience were gripped right from the very start. They treated the theatre as a social gathering and the racket was the equivalent to a modern day rock concert. Nowadays when people go to the theatre it is a more formal gathering where people sit quietly and watch; being noisy would be considered very discourteous and the lack of props would have made the play extremely dull as these days people tend to be more interested in the acting rather than the dialogue. Shakespeare had to capture the Elizabethan audience’s attention right from the beginning but a modern day audience would not need as much persuading which is why the modern day adaptation by Baz Luhrmann is a big hit today. The Prologue in the Baz Luhrmann’s version is still exciting but more realistic than a person standing on the stage telling you what the story will be; it is told through a news report on a television screen. In my opinion Shakespeare’s opening of Romeo and Juliet is clearly legendary for a reason. It does more than grip the audience’s attention; it seizes it and does not let go. In conclusion, Act 1 is jam-packed with remarkable scenes that would keep you on the edge of your seat (unless you were a stinkard) craving more.

Lesson Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lesson Study - Essay Example The process of Lesson Study can be categorized under four stages, which are unique to this methodology and also cater to the improvement if student achievement in school curriculum; while promoting a detailed analyses of the subject matter as well. The stages are as follows: This stage consists of a study of the academic curriculum, by weighing the topics and subject matter of study. In addition to this, the authorities and teachers also keep in mind the futuristic interests of the students and the betterment of the quality of education transmitted. On doing this, they formulate the goals for this methodology. This stage comprises of the planning for the research that comes along with this methodology of instruction. It included analyzing the comprehension and absorption levels of students. Based on this, the extent of data collection, the mode fo collecting it and the plan of action to carry forward the approach is planned and scheduled. This method is the actual practical component of this methodology of Lesson Study, wherein one of the teaching faculty members

GOVT 480 Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GOVT 480 Final - Essay Example Today, international terrorism has become a major threat to the security of the United States. Domestic terrorism in the United States has been a big threat in the 20th century. The Los Angeles Times Building and the Wall Street bombing are examples of bombings that happened early in the 1920s. In the later 1990s, there was evidence of Unabomber attacks that used sophisticated technology. For instance, a mathematics professor Theodore was involved in the design of letter bombs that exploded on opening. However, the government has put enough efforts to disarm bombers and to contain the threat. The counter terrorism body has remained all eyes in containing domestic violence and has intercepted such actions with great efficiency. Clancy (2012), the deputy assistant director of the counter terrorism division stated that although the risk stills persists the public has little to worry as domestic violence is no longer a threat in America. However, the US government has a new problem to handle. In the recent past, the United States has had friction with hostile groups such as the Al-Qaeda, resulting into new threat of international terrorism. International terrorism is a greater reason to worry than domestic violence due to the severity of these attacks. For instance, in 11th September, 2011, the Al-Qaeda attacked the twin towers in United States killing over 3,000 citizens. Although various efforts have been launched to end the tension between US and Al-Qaeda, it is clear that there is likelihood of a revenge mission following the US involvement in the war in Iraq. The US president Barack Obama has put efforts to apply diplomacy in neutralizing the threat but since Al-Qaeda is a violent group, international terrorism remains a major threat whose solution is yet to be found (Clancy, 2012). On this ground, neutralizing domestic violence has been a great leg for America but the challenge of international terrorism is st ill

Cosmetic Surgery Essay Example for Free

Cosmetic Surgery Essay â€Å"I wish I had a twin, so I could know what Id look like without cosmetic surgery† a quote by Joan Rivers. She is an American famous person who has done so many cosmetic surgeries. Rivers most likely said this quote because she regretted about all of the cosmetic surgeries that she had. Cosmetic Surgery is a phenomenon that has increased over the past few years and became popular in everywhere on the world. Moreover, many people have been thinking of doing it because it sounds interesting that people can change how they look likes or to improve a normal part of their body appearance. One of the biggest reasons of why cosmetic surgery is so popular is that people are striving to become physically perfect. However, those people are not aware of the risks that can result from these kinds of surgeries. Cosmetic surgeries affect the emotions of people who go under the knife and make them addicted to it. Also, it is dangerous and isn’t worth the risk. Patients will possibly suffer from depression, and encounter emotional difficulties that are hard to overcome after cosmetic surgery. This psychological pressure lasts for a long time and sometimes forever. For example, Olesen mentions that one of the disadvantages of cosmetic surgery is including depression (3). Also, Iverson says that there are studies that say cosmetic surgery cause undesirable feeling for patient (1). As for my own experience, a year and half ago my sister have done a cosmetic surgery in her nose. She didn’t like how she looks like, so she felt so bad about herself and didn’t want to see anyone of her friends. So, my father had to take her to psychiatrist to make her feel better. Thus, these examples indicate that cosmetic surgeries cause the patient so much depression and that is really a big problem that might affect the patient life. Because the patient unused to the new look or difference, the patient might stay secluded and stop socializing with friends and people for long time. Also, the bandaging wouldnt take off before three months. Furthermore, the patient cannot judge the result before six months until it takes its natural form. So, between the periods after the surgery until the result takes its natural form the patient would stay long time without knowing how the result looks like. And that is going to let the patient in a state of depression because prevent the patient to communicate with people . In some cases the result fails to improve and the appearance looks worse than before the surgery. Under this circumstance, the patient goes to another level of emotional effects of depression to the feeling of isolation forever. Thus, it would be hard for the patient to adjust whether he/she likes the result or not because the patient has to undergo days or months of healing process. Sometimes, that wound take forever to heal. In sum, cosmetic surgeries certainly let the patients feel depressed and affect their emotions. Although cosmetic surgery causes a lot of emotional depression, this is not the only reason. One very serious addiction that is often overlooked is cosmetic surgery addiction. Unlike drug addicts who suffer from chemical addiction, cosmetic surgery addicts experience mental obsession to alter their bodies and faces. For instance, Sciarretto says Michael Jackson’s mother admitted that he was addicted to cosmetic surgery (1). Another example, Dr.  Samuels states, â€Å"After one surgery, addicts will find a reason to have a second, then a third and so on in their quest for perfection. The results they are after are unattainable†(4). In addition, Frankr states, â€Å"plastic surgery shouldnt be undergone because it can lead to addiction†(3). Hence, these three examples show cosmetic surgery is a serious problem that can really make patient to become addicted to it. Many of patients begin their journey simply wanting to correct a few specific anatomical issues, but progress to addiction after completing their initial surgical desires. When the patient does one cosmetic surgery and like the result of it, he or she would find a reason to do it again to look better. Similarly, if the patient doesn’t like the surgery result also would do it again until to get satisfied with the results of the surgery. Thus, in both cases whether the patient like the result or not would get addicted. In addition, once the first surgical operation was already done, second, third, fourth, and even more is easy to follow. The patients are always looking for perfection and would never satisfy with their looks because this is the nature of human. As has been noted, Michael Jackson is an evidence to prove this theory. Michael got addicted and he transforms his appearance hundred and eighty degrees. So, cosmetic surgery is grave problem that patient should be aware of before doing it because it have the ability to let the patient obsessed about it. As the case with any kind of surgery, cosmetic surgery does involve risk that in some cases death. In addition, isn’t worth the risk because it could take person’s life forever for unnecessarily reason. For example, Frankr says, â€Å"Just like any surgery, plastic surgery can be dangerous. They involve anesthesia, wound healing and other risks†(2). Another example, John writes an article about a woman named Kathleen Kelly Cregan who died while she was having a cosmetic surgery. So, these two examples show that cosmetic surgeries are not easy and carry risks that might lead to death. A risk that should be taken into consideration is that when cosmetic surgery is undergone and uses anesthesia. Anesthesia is put on a patient to sleep, and to numb the body so the patient won’t feel pain during the surgery. Even though anesthesia prevents pain during the surgery, it has its risks. There is no guarantee that the patient will wake up from the anesthesia, patient can fall into a coma, if not given the right amount of it and if not put in the right place. Furthermore, there is no surgeon who can guarantee that the surgery would succeed. There are always risks of things going amiss. I guarantee that if Cregan knew she would die because of a cosmetic surgery she wouldn’t do it because she could live without it. Doing cosmetic surgery isn’t worth the risk because it’s unimportant surgery that many people could live a happy life without it. Also, it carries risks that could take patient life forever. Cosmetic surgery being so popular and the idea of it sound good. However, many people are not aware of the side affects that can bring into their life. Additionally, it could turn patients life into depressed. Patients always want to perfect in their appearance, which is impossible to reach because this is the nature of human. Cosmetic surgeries have so many disadvantages and I just mentioned few of them.

Smoking Cigarettes Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Example Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alice Walker makes a great argument against smoking in her short essay, â€Å"My Daughter Smokes†, by sharing with the reader a personal experience that she had concerning cigarette smoking. She describes what happened to her father because he was a smoker for most of his life. Walker talks about what happened to his appearance and his health because of smoking. She also makes a point in showing how society and Hollywood make smoking out to be attractive. Walker wrote this essay against smoking for one purpose, to try to get her daughter to stop smoking so she wouldn’t have to go through what her grandfather did. I agree with Walker’s argument against smoking, there are no benefits to smoking; everything associated with smoking is harmful. While Walker does talk about a few of the health affects associated with smoking, she doesn’t go into much detail about them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smoking is a major killer in this country. It contributes to the premature deaths of up to two million Americans each year, and chronic diseases in millions more. Tobacco is both toxic and addictive. The nicotine in tobacco is five to ten times more addictive than cocaine and a thousand times more powerful than alcohol in altering the mood and behavior. It is classified as a euphoriant drug, because of its ability to alleviate anxiety and boredom. The tar in cigarettes destroys the sacs in the lung where air exchange takes place, and causes a build up of mucus. ...

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) remains a pivotal figure in American culture nearly thirty-five years after his death.   In his twenties and thirties, he was one of jazz’s foremost innovators, elevating the instrumental solo to a new and important role and helping invent the jazz style of singing.   Later in life, he became a widely popular entertainer rather than an innovator, a sort of â€Å"living legend† who preserved the music of yesteryear and projected a friendly, comical, widely imitated persona by which he is still remembered. Louis Armstrong was born in a poor section of New Orleans on 4 August 1901 but was unaware of his actual birthdate throughout his life.   He always claimed to be born on 4 July 1900, and this was accepted as fact until researchers found a birth certificate long after Armstrong’s death (Wikipedia). Fatherless and virtually motherless (his mother was a part-time prostitute who left him in his older sister’s care), he received little schooling and worked a series of menial jobs from an early age, including delivering coal and working for a family of Jewish junk merchants.   Despite a harsh, impoverished childhood in one of New Orleans’ most crime-ridden neighborhoods, he developed the optimistic personality that many Americans recognize. His musical training began at New Orleans’ Colored Waifs Home, where Armstrong was sent in early 1913 for firing a pistol in the air during a New Year’s Eve celebration.   During his 17 months at the home, he received instruction on the cornet and later recalled, â€Å"The place was more like a health center or a boarding school than a boys’ jail,† though the home was known for its harsh, militaristic discipline (Bergreen 73). After his release, he joined the city’s fertile musical community by performing in local jazz bands under Fate Marable (who taught him his strong professional ethic) and Kid Ory, as well as on riverboats. After meeting Joseph â€Å"King† Oliver and joining his pioneering jazz band, Armstrong became an exceptionally skilled instrumentalist and traveled to Chicago with Oliver, where he began recording in 1922 and went on his own within a few years. After leaving King Oliver’s band, Armstrong’s career flourished.   Biographer Laurence Bergreen writes, †It was as though Louis had taken [jazz] out of its infancy and given it a powerful breath of new life and independence† (Bergreen 200).   He formed a series of bands, most notably the Hot Five, with whom he had numerous hits (the first being â€Å"Muskrat Ramble† in 1926) and displayed his improvisational and interpretive skills.   Though he began as a trumpeter, he began singing as well during this period, using his unconventional, gravelly voice to develop scat singing, which other jazz artists adopted. He attained especially high standing among other jazz musicians for his virtuosity and ability to translate jazz (formerly the music of New Orleans’ street parades and dives) to records.   Bergreen notes that Armstrong â€Å"was the first important jazz musician to anticipate that his legacy would be actual recordings, not half-forgotten memories† (Bergreen 219), showing a shrewd side of his personality because early jazz artists (like its supposed creator, Buddy Bolden) were never able to reach a wider audience simply through live performance. After World War II, Armstrong was no longer a cutting-edge innovator, since jazz had by now evolved away from its New Orleans roots and transformed into swing and bebop.   However, says Bergreen, Armstrong â€Å"carved himself a unique niche in the music world . . . as a newly minted traditionalist† (Bergreen 433).   He began performing not only the New Orleans â€Å"hot† jazz he helped create but also pop, blues, Tin Pan Alley, and show tunes, winning him great popularity with the public but critical scorn. According to music critic Gary Giddins, â€Å"he was excoriated for playing pop tunes, fronting a swing band, appearing with media starts, sticking to a standardized repertory, engaging in vaudeville routines . . . mugging, entertaining† (Giddins 4).   However, this second phase of his career is as important as the first, since he never lost stature among his peers, produced some vital work (especially his collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald), and won an even wider following late in life. Armstrong was largely apolitical but strongly supported the civil rights movement, having experienced the effects of segregation his entire life.   He harshly criticized Dwight Eisenhower’s perceived inaction during the 1957 Little Rock school integration crisis, called Arkansas’ segregationist governor Orval Faubus â€Å"ignorant,† and snubbed the federal government by refusing to participate in a government-sponsored tour of the Soviet Union in 1958 (Wikipedia).   His warm, effusive, laid-back personality and friendliness toward people regardless of race led some to incorrectly dub him an â€Å"Uncle Tom,† though he generally refused to make race a personal issue. Armstrong essentially left two legacies – as innovator and entertainer.   Before reaching middle age, Armstrong’s accomplishments included his helping define jazz in its earliest years, as well as making the solo an important element of modern music.   In addition, he helped define jazz vocals and popularize scat singing, long a key element of jazz. After age forty, his second legacy was his familiarity to the American public and abroad, and he cared little about how some critics dismissed him for joining the cultural mainstream.   According to Giddins, Armstrong played almost any kind of material because he knew â€Å"that no song could diminish him and that he could lift most songs beyond their earthy calling† (Giddins 4).   According to Bergreen, â€Å"He was not just America’s greatest musical performer, he was also a character of epic proportions† (Bergreen 1).   More than thirty years after his death, Louis Armstrong remains one of the most recognizable Americans, hailed as both a creator and performer more than thirty years after his death. REFERENCES Anonymous.   †Louis Armstrong.†Ã‚   Wikipedia.   4 November 2005.   . Bergreen, Laurence.   Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life.   New York: Broadway Books, 1997. Giddins, Gary.   Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong.   New York: Da Capo Press, 1988.