About the Vice President of the United States

About the Vice President of the United States Sometimes, the Vice President of the United States is remembered more for things they say wrong than for things they do right. If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, theres still a 30% chance were going to get it wrong, said Vice President Joe Biden. Or as Vice President Dan Quayle put it, If we dont succeed, we run the risk of failure. Thomas R. Marshall, 28th Vice President, said of his office, Once there were two brothers. One went away to sea; the other was elected vice president. And nothing was heard of either of them again. All verbal gaffes and disparaging remarks aside, the vice president remains our second highest federal government official and a single heartbeat away from ascending to the presidency. Electing the Vice President The office of Vice President of the United States is established along with the office of President of the United States in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which also creates and designates the Electoral College system as the method by which both offices are to be elected. Before enactment of the 12th Amendment in 1804, there were no separately nominated candidates for vice president. Instead, as required by Article II, Section 1, the presidential candidate receiving the second-highest number of electoral votes was awarded the vice presidency. In essence, the vice presidency was treated as a consolation prize. It took only three elections for the weakness of that system of choosing the vice president to become obvious. In the 1796 election, Founding Fathers and bitter political rivals John Adams - a Federalist - and Thomas Jefferson - a Republican - ended up as president and vice president. To say the least, the two did not play well together. Fortunately, the government of then was quicker to fix its mistakes than the government of now, so by 1804, the 12th Amendment had revised the electoral process so that candidates ran specifically for either president or vice president. Today, when you vote for a presidential candidate, you are also voting for his or her vice presidential running mate. Unlike the president, there is no constitutional limitation on the number of times a person can be elected vice president. However, constitutional scholars and lawyers disagree whether a twice-elected former president can be elected vice president. Since no former presidents have ever tried running for vice president, the issue has never been tested in court. Qualifications to Serve The 12th Amendment also specifies that the qualifications required to serve as vice president are the same as those required to serve as president, which are briefly: be a natural born U.S. citizen; be at least 35 years old, and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years. My mother believed and my father believed that if I wanted to be President of the United States, I could be, I could be Vice President! said Vice President Joe Biden. Duties and Responsibilities of the Vice President Having been kept in the dark about the existence of the atomic bomb by President Roosevelt, Vice President Harry Truman, after taking over as president, remarked that the vice presidents job is to go to weddings and funerals. However, the vice president does have some significant responsibilities and duties. A Heartbeat from the Presidency Certainly, the responsibility most on the mind of vice presidents is that under the order of presidential succession, they are required to take over the duties of the President of the United States at any time the president becomes, for any reason, unable to serve, including death, resignation, impeachment, or physical incapacitation. As Vice President Dan Quayle said, One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is to be prepared. President of the Senate Under Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, the vice president serves as president of the Senate and is allowed to vote on legislation when necessary to break a tie. While the Senates supermajority vote rules have reduced the impact of this power, the vice president can still influence legislation. As president of the Senate, the vice president is assigned by the 12th Amendment to preside over the joint session of Congress in which the votes of the Electoral College are counted and reported. In this capacity, three vice presidents John Breckinridge, Richard Nixon, and Al Gore have had the distasteful duty of announcing that they had lost the presidential election. On the brighter side, four vice presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, and George H. W. Bush - were able to announce that they had been elected president. Despite the vice presidents constitutionally assigned status in the Senate, the office is generally considered to be a part of the Executive Branch, rather than the Legislative Branch of the government. Informal and Political Duties While certainly not required by the Constitution, which wisely includes no mention of politics, the vice president is traditionally expected to support and advance the policies and legislative agenda of the president. For example, the vice president might be called on by the president to draft legislation favored by the administration and talk it up in an effort to gain the support of members of Congress. The vice president might then be asked to help shepherd the bill through the legislative process. The vice president typically attends all Presidential Cabinet meetings and may be called on to act as an adviser the president on a wide variety of issues. The vice president might stand in for the president at meetings with foreign leaders or state funerals abroad. In addition, the vice president sometimes represents the president in showing the administrations concern at sites of natural disasters. Stepping Stone to the Presidency Serving as vice president is sometimes considered a political stepping stone to being elected president. History, however, shows that of the 14 vice presidents who became president, 8 did so because of the death of the sitting president. The likelihood that a vice president will run for and be elected to the presidency depends largely on his or her own political aspirations and energy, and the success and popularity of the president with which he or she served. A vice president who served under a successful and popular president is likely to be seen by the public as a party-loyal sidekick, worthy of advancement. On the other hand, a vice president who served under a failed and unpopular president may be considered as more of a willing accomplice, worthy only of being put out to pasture.

‘Toads’ and ‘Toads Revisited’ Comparison Essay Essay Example

‘Toads’ and ‘Toads Revisited’ Comparison Essay Essay Example ‘Toads’ and ‘Toads Revisited’ Comparison Essay Paper ‘Toads’ and ‘Toads Revisited’ Comparison Essay Paper Essay Topic: The Visit Frogs and Toads Revisited are poems in Philip Larkin’s aggregation that describes both the fringe benefits and loads of a work life. Larkin’s position of work in ‘Toads’ is seen as a heavy burden whereas in ‘Toads Revisited’ . it is seen as something that keeps him occupied and helps him though life. ‘Toads Revisited’ was written after Larkin became a steadfastly established main bibliothec of the Hull Library and he had no farther to travel because he had already reached the top place. His attitude to work had undergone elusive alterations from eight old ages ago to Toads Revisited. In this verse form. Larkin has managed to get away from the humdrum of his desk. possibly during tiffin or interruption. He takes a walk around the park where he observes and sees more than he expects which triggers memories of the frog that used to crouch on him. Written eight old ages apart. the two verse forms reflect a sense of solitariness combine d with the alteration in Larkin’s attitude towards work and how it helped him subsequently in life instead than impede him. In ‘Toads’ . Larkin opens with a rhetorical inquiry with an image of an unpleasant frog crouching on his life. ‘Squatting’ is an unworldly and an about crude place to be in. Larkin compares the work burden he gets with a ‘toad’ which squats on his life as if to stool on him and ‘waste’ his clip. The usage of a simile in utilizing his ‘wit as a pitchfork’ suggests an thought of jabing to toad to seek and acquire it to travel from his life. The frog is described as a ‘brute’ who bullies him by giving him tonss of work merely to do his life miserable. The thought of him working six yearss a hebdomad and merely holding one twenty-four hours off for remainder indicates how this was a long clip ago where people worked longer. The sibilance in the first two lines of the 2nd stanza suggests a hushing sound over his life and the craft of the frog. The dash indicates a sudden arrest where he contemplates the fact that he has been poisoned with work by this frog. Juxtaposition is incorporated in the 2nd stanza. Larkin refers to ‘toads’ . ‘pitchforks’ and ‘poison’ which relate to a supernatural presence and are associated with witchery. However. he so goes on to province ‘paying a few bills’ which returns the descriptions back to world. The exclaiming grade illustrates Larkin’s aggravation over how on the job incredibly difficult six yearss a hebdomad is non deserving ‘paying a few bills’ . Larkin describes this as ‘out of proportion’ . Larkin’s drama on the initial rhyme of ‘L’ in the 3rd stanza somehow makes the stanza sound farcical. The usage of lists that Larkin uses suggests how there’s a batch of people in the universe who rely on their common sense to gain a life. He himself writes poesy which is a contrast and he mocks the Hull University ‘lecturers’ . They do non needfully make anything. they merely have to talk and distribute the word to gain money. Peoples who are ‘louts’ and unworldly. uneducated bully neer stop up as ‘paupers’ . They ever tend to hold adequate money to feed themselves and a household without holding a frog crouching over their life. Larkin compares this to his ain life where he doesn’t merely rely on his ‘wits’ to gain a life but still has a ‘toad’ that sits on his caput like a heavy burden of work waiting to be done. The elan at the terminal of ‘lout’ indicates and ongoing list of people who live off their ‘wits’ without really making anything. The repeat of ‘lots of folk’ suggests how there are so many people who don’t have a frog shadowing their life and yet go on to populate. They live up ‘lanes’ which are non glamourous countries. they scavenge and eat the cheapest. long permanent nutrient s available such as ‘tinned sardines’ . The elan indicates the eternal list of their cost decrease techniques which they seem to bask so non mind holding to give so much in their lives. Furthermore. they can non afford to purchase their kids places. their married womans are every bit scraggy as greyhounds. likely from malnutrition but however. no 1 starves. Larkin’s usage of strong vocabulary such as ‘windfalls’ . ‘nippers’ and ‘whippets’ suggests how he is accustomed with the street idiom. The usage of rough linguistic communication suggests the abrasiveness of life on these streets. The word ‘starves’ between two underlines adds accent and that people go hungry but no 1 goes through famishment. Larkin besides does non conceal the thought that his difficult work goes to pensionaries. The thought of shouting ‘stuff your pension! ’ is a instead disrespectful idea towards aged people. enhanced by the exclaiming Markss. However. Larkin uses a quotation mark from Shakespearian literature. ‘the material that dreams are made on’ from the Tempest. Act 4. Scene 1 spoken as portion of Prospero’s ‘resignation speech’ refers to a scenario can merely be fantasised and wished. â€Å"Stuff† refers to the stuffs that go into making an semblance. non to the object of a wish. Regardless of his complains. Larkin understands and knows that something ‘toad-like’ exists in him every bit good and ‘squatsâ₠¬â„¢ within himself. Larkin’s drama on the initial rhyme of ‘h’ suggests the sound of heave and weightiness. The frog in him will neer let him to ‘blag’ his manner through acquiring all the things he wants in life. He is neer traveling to be able to agitate off work because of this frog in him that drives him to go on making everyday undertakings every twenty-four hours. He knows he will be invariably discontent and disgruntled with his life. With one frog sitting on his life and the other sitting inside him. Larkin states that the ‘spiritual’ truth of either truth is embodied by the other and that it is ‘hard to lose either. when you have both. ’ In Larkin’s instance. it was non merely hard to pull off both frogs but it was impossible to go on without them and Larkin would non hold been Larkin without his frogs. ‘Toads’ involves nine four line stanzas with an ABAB half rhyme strategy with an occasional true rime giving the verse form an consequence of limited construction yet uncertainness running through it. ‘Toads Revisited’ besides involves 9 stanzas with 4 lines each and uses half rimes on occasion uses a complete rime. It besides has a different rime strategy in comparing to ‘Toads’ . it is AABB alternatively of ABAB. In ‘Toads Revisited’ . Larkin would believe that being able to walk freely round this park would experience much bet ter than sitting at his desk. ‘The lake. the sunlight. the grass to lie on’ . a power of three is used to heighten the relaxing ambiance that nature brings to Larkin. The alliterative consequence of ‘b’ in ‘Blurred†¦Beyond black-stockinged’ suggests the consequence that barricading noise from the milieus have. He begins to detect life around him and he thinks it is ‘not a bad topographic point to be’ but it still doesn’t ‘suit’ him. Larkin can non conceive of being one of those ‘men’ who are old. ‘hare-eyed clerks’ with unstable occupations. ‘jitters’ who are alkies. drug nuts or war-wounded people. He can non believe of being one of those ‘waxed-fleshed’ people whose lesions are still ‘vague’ and hold merely left infirmary or being a individual in a ‘long coat’ . frequently tramps or tramps who walk around scavenging for nutrient. He believes they are all jumping their portion of the frog crouching on their lives by ‘being stupid or weak’ . In ‘Toads’ . Larkin listed the people who might be non-workers and here. he reflects his aggravation by constructing up a list or the type of people in the park at this clip. Able people should be at work ; they have no ground to be walking about in a park. ‘Think of being them! ’ suggests how Larkin views their life much easier in comparing to his and he tells us to conceive of life as them. However. he contradicts this by saying ‘Hearing the hours chime’ . utilizing initial rhyme of ‘h’ which highlights the ennui and sophistication in th eir lives. It is similar clip merely goes on and on and all the people walking around the park. who are non economically active. delay for the hours to travel by. Small events such as the ‘bread [ being ] delivered’ and the ‘children traveling home’ are used as clip markers which these people use to state what portion of the twenty-four hours it is. Each twenty-four hours as the hours pass. they wait for the following tie marker to get and transport on with a life where they do nil. The Sun being covered by ‘clouds’ produces a soft alliterative consequence combined with vowel rhyme which portrays how slowly clip base on ballss. It passes slow plenty for these people to watch the clouds base on balls the Sun and cover it with clouds. The repeat of ‘Think of being them’ suggests how Larkin really feels commiseration towards these people. A really Larkin sentence is incorporated in the 7th paragraph. ‘turning over their failures’ by a common garden bed of ‘lobelias’ . common flowers. In this stanza. Larkin reflects a intimation of solitariness ; ‘nowhere to travel but indoors’ and ‘no friends but empty chairs’ where apposition is used in a blue. alone mode to stand for the purdah that Larkin may hold been sing. Nonetheless. Larkin truly valued the minutes of his calling which he describes in the 8th stanza. He enjoyed being asked for things and enjoyed the company of his ‘loaf-haire d’ secretary. The dashs between the words ‘shall-I-keep-the-call-in-Sir’ illustrate repeat and is possibly something Larkin heard about every twenty-four hours. Regardless of how annoying it may hold been at the clip. he still prefers to be in the place he presently is in instead than be one of the people in the park. In the last stanza. Larkin references ‘lights come on at four’ which indicates the clip of the twelvemonth when the visible radiation have to be switched on by four in the afternoon. It begins to acquire darker earlier and this possibly symbolises how close decease is going. The thought of Larkin inquiring the frog for his ‘arm’ to tilt on to is like an old friend who is willing to assist him walk down the route. The way he is taking is down to the terminal of ‘Cemetery Road’ and basically. to decease. He understands he requires support and he realises that the frog was non all bad. Although in ‘Toads’ . the frog may hold squatted on his life but now. it was at that place to assist him through his life. Overall. Larkin’s sudden yet elusive alterations of his thoughts of work were chiefly due to these experiences. Both verse forms continue to stand for the frog as something revolting and filthy. However. in ‘Toads Revisited’’ . Larkin begins to gain that a life which involved a batch of difficult work and a frog knee bend over his life was non all bad. Without the frog in himself and the frog crouching on his life. he would hold been like the people in the park. a life style that would non hold suited him.

What is existentialism in the art world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is existentialism in the art world - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that existentialism can be described as a philosophy that came about during the occupation together with the French post-war era of 1945.This was an era of great transformation with the atrocities and aftermath of the World War II leaving Europeans and possibly the whole world’s population re-examining the significance of their existence and simultaneously being confronted by not only death, nuclear threat but also mass destruction. During the post-war era, existentialism spread through to all aspects of mainline modern-day thinking which saw a general interest for explaining man’s place within the field of things being developed. The greatest exponent of existentialism Jean-Paul Satre took Martin Heidegger’s and Soren Kierkegaard's texts and re-examined and added them to a contemporary existentialism philosophy. Other prominent existentialists comprise Genet, Beckett, Camus, Ponty, Ponge as well as Simone de Beauvoir w ho was also Sartre’s partner. Thus, the post-war climate brought with it not only a new but also devastating dimension for the person as well as the world politics. The philosophy of existentialism is closely related to art production. Thus according to Sartre, the consciousness of man is subjective and therefore can never objectively become aware of its own self except via â€Å"Other’s gaze†. Consequently, if other individuals act as mirrors, then it means the work of art too can be viewed as a mirror.