Stonewall Jackson essays

Stonewall Jackson essays On January 21, 1824, a baby would soon become an ambitious man. That man, though, will soon be in the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. This man is Stonewall Jackson or Thomas Jonathon Jackson (his real name). When he first got to the Academy he looked awkward, only carrying two saddlebags and wearing homespun clothing. Even though he looked awkward, people saw him and could tell he was here to stay. Staying was not easy for Jackson. He was ready for military life, but had trouble with the academics. Every night he piled his grate full of coal and studied till it went out. Finally that helped, when he graduated he was seventeenth of fifty-nine compared to last of ninety-two who made it to enter. Though the academics were hard for him at the Academy, his schooling (in his childhood) were limited to classes taught by traveling teachers. He could only read, write, and do a little arithmetic. Also, he taught for a few years and got paid $5.64. That was one of the only good things in his childhood. Other than that it was very sad. To start this whole thing off, in 1826, his sister and father, died from typhoid fever when Tom was only two. Though, the very next day, after his fathers death, Laura was born, his younger sister. His mother tried to run the house, but couldnt do it by herself. So she married Blake B. Woodson. Even that couldnt stop what was going to happen next. While she was pregnant with her fifth child, her health began to decline. She then sent he and Laura to live with relatives. Shortly after, she died. He had to go spend time with his Uncle Brake. He hated it there, but needed money so he was serving legal papers on people and collecting bad depts. But Tom was an ambitious lad; he knew that he needed an education if he wanted to make something of himself. When he had an opportunity to apply to the U.S. Military Academy at West Poin ...

The Story of Philemon and Baucis

The Story of Philemon and Baucis According to ancient Roman mythology and Ovids Metamorphoses (8.631, 8.720.), Philemon and Baucis had lived out their long lives nobly, but in poverty. Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods, had heard of the virtuous couple, but based on all his previous experiences with humans, he had serious doubts as to their goodness. Jupiter was about to destroy mankind  but was willing to give it one final chance before starting over again. So, in the company of his son Mercury, the wing-footed messenger god, Jupiter went about, disguised as a worn and weary traveler, from house to house among the neighbors of Philemon and Baucis. As Jupiter feared and expected, the neighbors turned him and Mercury away rudely. Then the two gods went to the last house, the cottage of Philemon and Baucis, where the couple had lived all their long married lives. Philemon and Baucis were pleased to have visitors  and insisted that their guests rest before their little hearth fire. They even lugged in more of their precious firewood to make a greater blaze. Unasked, Philemon and Baucis then served their presumably starving guests, fresh fruits, olives, eggs, and wine. Soon the old couple noticed that no matter how often they poured from it, the wine pitcher was never empty. They began to suspect that their guests might be more than mere mortals. Just in case, Philemon and Baucis decided to provide the closest they could come to a meal that was fit for a god. They would slaughter their only goose in their guests honor. Unfortunately, the legs of the goose were faster than those of Philemon or Baucis. Even though the humans were not as fast, they were smarter, and so they cornered the goose inside the cottage, where they were just about to catch it.... At the last moment, the goose sought the shelter of the divine guests. To save the life of the goose, Jupiter and Mercury revealed themselves and immediately expressed their pleasure in meeting an honorable human pair. The gods took the pair to a mountain from which they could see the punishment their neighbors had suffered a devastating flood. Asked what divine favor they wanted, the couple said that they wished to become temple priests and die together. Their wish was granted and when they died they were turned into intertwining trees. What Is the Moral of the Story? Treat everyone well because you never know when youll find yourself in the presence of a god.