Theme Assignment- Night Essay Example for Free

Theme Assignment- Night Essay Night Theme Assignment Holocaust survivors provide an opportunity for studying the lasting effects of massive suffering and extremely stressful experiences. Before the Second World War, the Germans made laws, which said that Jewish people are no longer welcomed in Germany. German people began to persecute them. When the Second World War started most of the Jews were brought to concentration camps all over Europe including Eliezer and his father. Everyone who was in one of these concentration camps will never forget their experience during the war. In the novel, Night, Elle Wiesel states the theme, that the victims of the Jewish holocaust are profoundly affected by their hellish experiences. Many quotations from different major characters extracted from the novel support the theme. â€Å"One day I was able to get up, I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the opposite wall. I had not yet seen myself since the ghetto†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 115) this quotation is a final statement about the effect the Holocaust has had on Eliezer. He implies that even though he has survived the war physically, he is essentially dead; his soul was killed by the suffering he witnessed and experienced. In this quote he indicates a fundamental separation between his sense of self and his identity as a Holocaust victim. His body-image reminds him of how much he suffered throughout the holocaust and how much of himself-his faith in God, his innocence, his faith in mankind, and his family. Eliezer survives and develops a sense of identity that will endure beyond the Holocaust. In assessing the impact of the Holocaust on survivors, it needs to be said that no person could have survived Hitlers concentration camps and emerged totally unchanged. Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed â€Å"(p. 34, 11-12) this is one of the first quotation which shows that Eliezer’s life change from the beginning of the camp. The quotation is taken after Eliezer is brought to the camps. In his head there are always these memories from the journey they had to make. He thinks about Mrs. Schachter who went crazy in the train because she had no water. He thinks about the smoke from the crematoria which scared him a lot. And he thinks about all his lost hope. Elizer doesn’t believe in god anymore beginning from this point. He thinks if someone like god would exist, he wouldn’t have to suffer in a concentration camp and he wouldn’t have to see all these pain. â€Å"That night, the soup tasted of corpses† (p. 65) this passage occurred after the pipel suffered, struggled between life and death, under Eliezer’s eyes, as he was obligated to watch a criminal act. Eliezers had seen worse, like the old man and the Polish boy who had done wrongs to deserve the punishments they received. The Polish boy stole during the bombing session and the old man ate soup from the cauldron. The pipel on the other hand did not really do anything wrong, but refused to talk and sacrificed his life. The death of the innocent child represents the death of Eliezer’s own innocence. Elizer was starting to lose faith in god in a world where an innocent child could be hung on the gallows and his entire emotional worldview transformed. The fact that the young boy remained alive and experienced death slowly made them cringe the most, which is why the soup tasted like corpses. Many psychological effects caused by the Holocaust forever changed the way the Jewish people view the world and themselves. â€Å"Many years later in Paris, I sat in the Metro, reading my newspaper. Across the aisle, a beautiful woman with dark hair, and dreamy eyes. I had seen those eyes before. † (p. 53, 21-23) this quotation occurs when Eliezer is working in a factory. One day, unprovoked, Idek, a German officer, savagely beats Eliezer, after which a French girl who works next to Eliezer in the warehouse offers some small kindness and comfort. She tells him to keep his anger for another day and advise him not to begin consider rebellion but to rely on faith. Eliezer sees after many years this one French girl again in Paris. He still remembers her look, especially her eyes. They talk about what happened in their past and in this one moment they shared. This quotation proves that pain goes by, but the horrible memories are still alive and can be affective in a person’s life. â€Å"Men to the left, women to the right† (p. 29) eight words spoken, indifferently, without emotion with painful life changing meanings. These ords separated Eliezer and his mother and sister forever, as well as countless other husbands and wives, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters on their arrival. The weak, old, and young people were basically worthless and had to be immediately executed by the SS officers. It emphasizes the cruel Nazi guards and the tragedies that were daily upon Jews in Auschwitz concentration camp. Millions of J ewish lives were profoundly affected by the Holocaust as a result. Being separated from your loved ones at such a young age is something that sticks with you your whole life and can make you cold as a person. Years later I witnessed a similar spectacle in Aden. Our ship’s passengers amused themselves by throwing coins to the â€Å"natives,† who dove to retrieve them† (p. 100, 18-20) in this quotation Elizer is after the Holocaust on a ship for holidays. When this ship passes natives the passengers starting to throw coins to them. Elizer sees how to young children are fighting in the water to grab these coins. Immediately his old memories are coming up when he is sitting in the train and people try to help by throwing bread into the wagons. But the people in there are starting to kill each other for bread. Deeply in Eliezer’s memories is one moment when a son kills his own father just to eat his bread. Elizer who felt this pain already once doesn’t want to happen it again, so he tells the passengers on the ship to stop it. All this proves that his experience and all the things that happened in concentration camps will never be forgotten by the prisoners â€Å"Jews, listen to me! That’s all I ask of you. No money. No pity. Just listen to me! † (p. 7) this passage occurs after Moshe returns and describes how the deportation trains were handed over to the German secret police at the Polish border. He escaped the concentration camp in order to warn Eliezer about the situation, but no one wanted to believe his story and people thought he was a lunatic. Moshe was a different person when he returned to his hometown; the joy inside of him was gone. His horror stories about deprivation, killing, and taking away everything you owned sounded so awful and unbelievable that his truth was dismissed. Moshe tried his best to warn the people from Sighet, but they ignored him and as a result everything that he was telling the citizens actually occurred again in 1944. This time he was clever enough to slip away before getting caught again. This quotation proves that Moshe’s previous hellish experience affected his chance of surviving. â€Å"I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name. † (p. 42, 23) The Nazis started in the camp to mark people. They did it so they wouldn’t have to learn the names of the prisoners and the Nazis could handle with numbers and letters to identify them. Every prisoner became his own number. This number is a symbol for how he was seen in Auschwitz, as a slave and not as a person. This tattoo will always stay on Eliezer’s body, and it constantly reminds him of the many bad memories and feelings at the camp. So the most terrible thing which will always remind Elizer of his ominous time at Auschwitz is his tattoo. Night mostly occurs when suffering is worst, and its presence reflects Eliezer’s belief that he lives in a world without God. In Night, Eliezer exploits this allusion and develops the theme that the victims of the Jewish holocaust are deeply affected by their hellish experiences. Wiesels experiences in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald are very well detailed in the story; his accounts of starvation and cruelty are shocking—an intense testimony to the penalties of evil. The Holocaust was perhaps the most evil single event ever performed by human beings. Today, he is a writer, professor, political activist, and a holocaust survivor. â€Å"No human race is superior, no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them† Eliezer Wiesel.

Reality and Illusion in Death of a Salesman :: Arthur Millers play Death of a Salesman

Reality and Illusion in Death of a Salesman In Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman, the major theme as well as the main source of conflict is Willy's inability to distinguish between reality and illusion. Willy has created a fantasy world for himself and his family, a world in which he and his sons are great men who "have what it takes" to make it in the context of business and free enterprise. In reality, none of them can achieve greatness until they confront and deal with this illusion. Willy's most prominent illusion is that success is dependant upon popularity and personal attractiveness. Willy builds his entire life around this idea and teaches it to his children.   When Willy was young, he had met a man named Dave Singleman who was so well-liked that he was able to make a living simply by staying in his hotel room and telephoning buyers. When Dave Singleman died, buyers and salesmen from all over the country came to his funeral. This is what Willy has been trying to emulate his entire life. Willy's need to feel well-liked is so strong that he often makes up lies about his popularity and success. At times, Willy even believes these lies himself. At one point in the play, Willy tells his family of how well-liked he is in all of his towns and how vital he is to New England. Later, however, he tells Linda that no one remembers him and that the people laugh at him behind his back. As this demonstrates, Willy's need to feel well-liked also causes him to become inten sely paranoid. When his son, Biff, for example, is trying to explain why he cannot become successful, Willy believes that Biff is just trying to spite him. Unfortunately, Willy never realizes that his values are flawed. As Biff points out at the end of the play, "he had the wrong dreams." In many ways Biff is similar to his father. In the beginning of the play we see that Biff shares many of the same ideas as Willy. He values being well-liked above everything else and sees little value in being smart or honest. One of Biff's main flaws is his tendency to steal. Early in the play we learn that he has stolen a football from the school locker. When Willy finds out about this, instead of disciplining Biff, he says that the coach will probably congratulate him on his initiative.

Ethics Issues Essay

Ethics Issues Shawnez M. Mckenzie MGT/216 August 12, 2010 Carrie Baird The nature of business ethics is described as, what is fair, and Just. According to Jentz, Miller, and Cross (2002) states, business ethics concentrates on the beliefs, which is right and wrong actions in the business world and the philosophy of morality and how moral principles are consequentially applied to a person’s daily life in the business or social environment. Although some issues seem unethical, it is not necessarily illegal (Rainer ; Turban, 2002, p. 2) Society states the terms ethical and oral are not the same and used interchangeably. Here are three specific examples of ethical issues within todays businesses. Bribery, embezzlement and deceptive advertising can be defined and discussed in this essay. Bribery is considered offenses related to the improper influencing of people in position of trust. Bribery is a white-collar crime, intentions must be clear and verified, and the crime of bribery m ust occur when the bribe is offered. Bribery can affect the local legal system, which can leave the citizens in doubt of who is trustworthy in maintain the laws. An example of bribery would be to influence a public official to act in a manner that services a particular private interest. Bribery affects communities with dishonesty and mistrust of authority in any business or organization. Second, is embezzlement it is the act of stealing funds from a business or organization that was entrust to safeguard, and fraudulently mislead financial records. Embezzlement affects the community and people when a banking intuition is involved. According to Fridell (2009), two bank employees embezzled 1. 3 million dollars over the course of our years, by using hundreds of separated banking transaction. The two women cost six victims their homes, savings and investments by pocketing the funds from the bank and going on lavished vacations. The act of embezzlement can financially affect the lives of others as well as the business. It could leave any company with shame and humiliation, if proper protocol or policy was not enforced or in place to avoid such a crime. However, the act of betrayal within any business, the organization needs to rebuild the trust of the community. Last, is deceptive advertising, is onsidered when businesses are misleading or making false statements regarding a product to mislead consumer. The purpose of the advertising are hopes that advertising would convince consumers to purchase their products. The Federal Trade Commission states, advertising must be truthful and non-misleading, advertiser must be able to support their claims; and advertisement cannot be dishonest with consumers. Under the FTC Deception Policy Statement, an ad is deceptive if it contains a statement or leave out information that is; likely to misinform consumers cting convincingly under the circumstances and â€Å"material† that is vital to a consumer’s decision to purchase or use products. Deceptive advertising as a are genuine and the business are trustworthy, which can affect how consumers and the community view unethical issues. In conclusion, business ethics focuses on what makes up the right and wrong theory in the business and how ethical principles and morals are useful by business people. More important, ethical or moral standards guide our behavior, as parents, children, or students who apply to our everyday lives in the business or social profession. As current members of the business world, we have a moral and business obligation to be ethical in how we deal with others, no matter in what capacity. References Federal Trade Commission, Inc. (2010) Consumer Protection. Retrieved from http://www. ftc. gov. gov Gaylord,J. , Miller, R. , cross, B. F. (2002). wests Business Law. USA. Rainer, K. , & Turban, E. (2008). Introduction to Information Systems. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Fridell, Z. (2009). Effects of embezzlement still felt as families, bank rebuild. Steamboat Today. Retrieved from http://www. steamboatpilot. com

Practitioner

Counseling as describe by Reform (2010) is a proactive, holistically oriented process for helping persons learn to cope with problems of living and for promoting healthy development. It is an interpersonal process Involving a professional with the requisite graduate education and experience In counseling (the counselor), using scientifically validated methods, working with an Individual, family, group, organizations or segment of a community that Is seeking assistance (the client).Reform (2010) describe Psychotherapy as an assumed a medical model, meaning the arson receiving help was sick. The goal of psychotherapy was to alleviate the sickness, with therapist as expert using Information about the clients past to provide Insight Into thoughts previously kept out of awareness. A good understanding of counseling and psychotherapy will contribute to my development as a scholar-practitioner.Walden offers courses that help their students to understand what counseling is about, the diversi ty of ways we can help clients and how to become a prepare counselor. Walden have the tools to help students to become good counselors and enable them to understand and use the psychotherapy theories as a guide in our Journey as scholar-practitioners; this will help me to help the people in my community. I believe that a good understanding of what is counseling and how to use the psychotherapy is going to help me to become agent of positive social change.I'm interested in a few fields of counseling, but at this moment the one that have my attention is mental disorders. I believe that a mental disorder is an increasing illness in our communities; this is the area that I will like to focus on. I will like to help people with mental illnesses to become a successful part of our society. Reference Reform, B. T. 2010). Orientation to the Counseling Profession: Advocacy, Ethics, and Essential Professional Foundations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.Practitioner By gamekeepe r development. It is an interpersonal process involving a professional with the requisite graduate education and experience in counseling (the counselor), using scientifically validated methods, working with an individual, family, group, organizations or segment of a community that is seeking assistance (the client). Sickness, with therapist as expert using information about the client's past to provide insight into thoughts previously kept out of awareness.

Geology vs. Earth Science vs. Geoscience

Geology vs. Earth Science vs. Geoscience Geology, Earth science and geoscience are different terms with the same literal definition: the study of the Earth. In the academic world and professional realm, the terms may be interchangeable or have different connotations  based on how they are being used.  Over the last few decades, many colleges and universities have changed their geology degrees to Earth science or geoscience or added those as separate degrees altogether.     On Geology Geology is the older word and has a much longer history. In that sense, geology is the root of Earth science. The word arose before todays scientific discipline. The first geologists werent even geologists; they were natural philosophers, academic types whose novelty lay in extending the methods of philosophy to the book of nature. The first meaning of the word geology, in the 1700s, was a treatise, a theory of the Earth, much like Isaac Newtons triumph,  the cosmology or theory of the heavens, a century before. The still earlier geologists of medieval times were inquisitive, cosmological theologians who treated the Earth by analogy to the body of Christ and paid scant attention to rocks. They produced some erudite discourse and fascinating diagrams, but nothing that we would recognize as science. (Todays Gaia hypothesis might be thought of as a New Age version of this long-forgotten world view.) Eventually, geologists shook off that musty medieval mantle, but their subsequent activities gave them a new reputation that was to haunt them later. Geologists are the ones who explored the rocks, mapped the mountains, explained the landscape, discovered the Ice Ages and laid bare the workings of the continents and the deep Earth. Geologists are the ones who found aquifers, planned mines, advised the extractive industries, and laid straight the road to wealth based on gold, oil, iron, coal and more. Geologists put the rock record in order, classified the fossils, named the eons and eras of prehistory and laid out the deep foundation of biological evolution.   I tend to think of geology as one of the true original sciences, along with astronomy, geometry and mathematics. Chemistry began as a purified, laboratory child of geology. Physics originated as an abstraction of engineering. This is not to downplay their wonderful progress and great stature, but only to establish priority. On Earth Science and Geoscience   Earth science  and geoscience gained currency with newer, more interdisciplinary tasks that build upon the work of the geologists. To put it simply, all geologists are Earth scientists, but not all Earth scientists are geologists.   The twentieth century brought revolutionary progress to every field of science. It was the cross-fertilization of chemistry, physics and computation, newly applied to the old problems of geology, that opened up geology into a wider realm referred to as Earth science or geoscience. It seemed like a whole new field in which the rock hammer and field map and thin section were less relevant.   Today, an Earth science or geoscience degree entails a much wider realm of subjects than a traditional geology degree. It studies all of Earths dynamic processes, so typical coursework may include oceanography, paleoclimatology, meteorology and hydrology as well as normal traditional geology courses like mineralogy, geomorphology, petrology and stratigraphy.   Geoscientists and Earth scientists do things that geologists of the past never contemplated. Earth scientists help oversee remediation of polluted sites. They study the causes and effects of climate change. They advise the managers of lands, wastes and resources. They compare the structures of planets around our Sun and around other stars. Green and Brown Science It appears that educators have had an extra effect as curriculum standards for primary and secondary-school students have grown more complex and involved. Among these educators, the typical definition of Earth science is that it consists of geology, oceanography, meteorology and astronomy. As I see it, geology is a burgeoning set of subspecialties that is expanding into these neighboring sciences (not oceanography but marine geology; not meteorology but climatology; not astronomy but planetary geology), but thats clearly a minority opinion. A basic Internet search turns up twice as many Earth science lesson plans as geology lesson plans.   So where are we today? I see the field dividing into two pedagogical tracks: Geology is minerals, maps and mountains; rocks, resources and eruptions; erosion, sediment and caves. It involves walking around in boots and doing hands-on exercises with ordinary substances. Geology is brown. Earth science and geoscience are the study of geology as well as pollution, food webs, paleontology, habitats, plates and climate change. It involves all of Earths dynamic processes, not just those on the crust. Earth science is green. Maybe its all just a matter of language. Earth science and geoscience are as straightforward in English as geology is in scientific Greek. And as a sarcastic defense to the increasing popularity of the former terms - how many college freshmen know Greek?   Edited by Brooks Mitchell

Television Criticism in Advert

Television Criticism in Advert The ad, Audi 2010 Green Car Super Bowl Commercial has segments that ensure citizens adhere to green energy and general management of the environment. The effort made is shown by â€Å"Green Police† checking all waste bins in case somebody flouts regulations.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Television Criticism in Advert specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As police hunt for environmentally noncompliant vehicles, the Audi brand on a car makes them believe it is green compliant. An Audi does not need to be put through rigorous evaluation since the car has the best efficiency in burning oil and it does not produce pollutant gasses to the environment. The other ideology brought out by the commercial is that with an Audi, there is no need for much effort to conserve the environment given that it is highly efficient in doing so. The advert however uses a lot of segments to bring out the final message to the consumers. The use of â€Å"Green Police† in the advert to arrest a young man at the mall and the guys at the road for using plastic containers and a bottle respectively, at first fails to bring out the intended meaning of the advert (Bianculli 7). On the other hand, the advert intends to educate the society on the need to conserve the environment and sensitizes them on the materials that are environmentally unfriendly. This is brought out clearly by informing them that vehicle emissions pollute the environment, meaning they should make sure their vehicles are compliant with the regulation; according to the advert, one can be saved from this difficulty by purchasing the Audi Green model car. The advert communicates to a wide range of people but the message passed to them varies depending on the social classes in the audience (Bianculli 7). The advert mostly applies to urban dwellers since most of the scenes revolve around city life.Advertising Looking for critical wri ting on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It also communicates to different economic classes as well, since it cautions against use of incandescent bulbs and heating water in the saunas above specific temperatures (â€Å"Audi 2010† 7). This does not only apply to specific economic social classes in the society, but also depicts a bit of caution to those that are fond of parting and using plastic containers that are environmental pollutants. In some cases, it communicates to a wide variety of audience since it cautions against use of plastics, which are generally used by quite a number of social classes. In most of the scenes, the advert excludes low income earners who live in places that do not have well defined refuse management policies. Despite all the meanings that can be drawn from the advert, it is clear that an Audi car is very efficient in conserving the environment (â€Å"Audi 2010† 7). With present interests in controlling green gas emissions as stipulated by the Kyoto protocols, there is increased need to monitor the average emission of green gas in the country and the world at large. Monitoring of emissions from faulty cars is important in maintenance of acceptable volume of greenhouse gases. The advert therefore asserts that with an Audi, green gas emission from car exhausts is checked and kept under control (â€Å"Audi 2010† 7). The advert shows different scenes and this is an effective strategy in communication (Butler 23). The author thought that the audience believed that car fumes are major a contribution to green gas emissions. They further thought that the audience believed that green gas emissions are the greatest contributors to the present global warming. The advert assumes that the audience values the environment more than the amount of money they spend (Butler 23). Purchasing an Audi model is expensive hence, only those who only care about qualit y will be helped by the advert. The advert harbors a contradictory message to the audience; the brand of a product does not always guarantee efficiency and accuracy as indicated by the use of an Audi.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Television Criticism in Advert specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As stated earlier, the advert has a varied range of meaning that depends on the context of the audience as guided by socioeconomic classifications in North America. The advert shows that despite all the efforts made by the government to ensure the country reduces its green gas emissions, there are individuals who are not concerned about the measures. The advert will sensitize North Americans on the need to control green gas emissions, which can be achieved by purchasing an Audi 2010 Green Car model. Work Cited Audi 2010 Green Car Super Bowl Commercial. YouTube, 14 May. 2011. Web. Bianculli, David. Teleliteracy: Ta king television seriously. California, CA: University of California Press, 1996. Print. Butler, Jeremy. Televsion,s Ebb and flow in the Postnetwork Era. New Jersay, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2007. Print.

The Battle of Buena Vista - Mexican American War

The Battle of Buena Vista - Mexican American War The Battle of Buena Vista took place on  February 23, 1847 and was a hard-fought battle between the invading US army, commanded by General Zachary Taylor, and the Mexican army, led by General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna. Taylor had been fighting his way southwest into Mexico from the border when most of his troops were reassigned to a separate invasion to be led by General Winfield Scott. Santa Anna, with a much larger force, felt he could crush Taylor and re-take northern Mexico. The battle was bloody, but inconclusive, with  both sides claiming it as a victory. General Taylors March Hostilities had broken out between Mexico and the USA in 1846. American General Zachary Taylor, with a well-trained army, had scored major victories at the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma near the US/Mexico border and had followed up with the successful siege of Monterrey in September of 1846. After Monterrey, he moved south and took Saltillo. The central command in the USA then decided to send a separate invasion of Mexico via Veracruz and many of Taylors best units were reassigned. By early 1847 he had only some 4,500 men, many of them untested volunteers. Santa Annas Gambit General Santa Anna, recently welcomed back to Mexico after living in exile in Cuba, swiftly raised an army of 20,000 men, many of whom were trained professional soldiers. He marched north, hoping to crush Taylor. It was a risky move, as by then he was aware of Scott’s planned invasion from the east. Santa Anna rushed his men north, losing many to attrition, desertion and illness along the way. He even outpaced his supply lines: his men had not eaten for 36 hours when they met the Americans in battle. General Santa Anna  promised them American supplies after their victory. The Battlefield at Buena Vista Taylor learned of Santa Annas advance and deployed in a defensive position near the Buena Vista ranch a few miles to the south of Saltillo. There, the Saltillo road was flanked on one side by a plateau accessed by several small ravines. It was a good defensive position, although Taylor had to spread his men thinly to cover it all and he had little in the way of reserves. Santa Anna and his army arrived on February 22: he sent Taylor a note demanding surrender as the soldiers skirmished. Taylor predictably refused and the men spent a tense night near the enemy. The Battle of Buena Vista Begins Santa Anna launched his attack the following day. His plan of attack was direct: he would send his best forces against the Americans along the plateau, using the ravines for cover when he could. He also sent an attack along the main road to keep as much of Taylor’s force as possible occupied. By noon the battle was progressing in favor of the Mexicans: volunteer forces in the American center on the plateau had buckled, allowing the Mexicans to take some ground and direct fire into the American flanks. Meanwhile, a large force of Mexican cavalry was making their way around, hoping to surround the American army. Reinforcements reached the American center just in time, however, and the Mexicans were driven back. The Battle  Ends The Americans enjoyed a healthy advantage in terms of artillery: their cannons had carried the day at the battle of Palo Alto earlier in the war and they were again crucial at Buena Vista. The Mexican attack stalled, and the American artillery began pounding the Mexicans, wreaking havoc and causing massive loss of life. Now it was the Mexicans’ turn to break and retreat. Jubilant, the Americans gave chase and were very nearly trapped and destroyed by the massive Mexican reserves. As dusk fell, the weapons went silent with neither side disengaging; most of the Americans thought the battle would be resumed the next day. Aftermath of the Battle The battle had ended, however. During the night, the Mexicans disengaged and retreated: they were battered and hungry and Santa Anna didnt think they would hold for another round of combat. The Mexicans took the brunt of the losses: Santa Anna had lost 1,800 killed or wounded and 300 captured. The Americans had lost 673 officers and men with  another 1,500 or so  deserting. Both sides hailed Buena Vista as a victory. Santa Anna sent glowing dispatches back to Mexico City describing a triumph with thousands of American dead left on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Taylor claimed victory, as his forces had held the battlefield and driven off the Mexicans. Buena Vista was the last major battle in northern Mexico. The American army would remain without taking  further offensive action, pinning their hopes for victory on Scotts planned invasion of Mexico City. Santa Anna had taken his best shot at Taylors army: he would now move south and try and hold off Scott. For the Mexicans, Buena Vista was a disaster. Santa Anna, whose ineptitude as a general has become legendary, actually had a good plan: had he crushed Taylor as  he planned, Scotts invasion might have been recalled. Once the battle started, Santa Anna put the right men in the right places to succeed: had he committed his reserves to the weakened part of the American line on the plateau he might have had his victory. If the Mexicans had won, the entire course of the Mexican-American War may well have changed. It was probably the Mexicans best chance to win a large-scale battle in the war, but they failed to do so. As a historical note, the St. Patricks Battalion, a Mexican artillery unit comprised largely of defectors from the United States Army (mainly Irish and German Catholics, but other nationalities were represented), fought with distinction against their former comrades. The San Patricios, as they were called, formed an elite artillery unit charged with supporting the ground offensive on the plateau. They fought very well, taking out American artillery placements, supporting the infantry advance and later covering a retreat. Taylor sent an elite squad of dragoons after them but they were driven back by withering cannon fire. They were instrumental in capturing two pieces of US artillery, later used by Santa Anna to declare the battle a victory. It would not be the last time that the San Patricios caused great trouble for the Americans. Sources Eisenhower, John S.D. So Far from God: the U.S. War with Mexico, 1846-1848. Norman: the University of Oklahoma Press, 1989 Henderson, Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States.New York: Hill and Wang, 2007. Hogan, Michael. The Irish Soldiers of Mexico. Createspace, 2011. Scheina, Robert L. Latin Americas Wars, Volume 1: The Age of the Caudillo 1791-1899 Washington, D.C.: Brasseys Inc., 2003. Wheelan, Joseph. Invading Mexico: Americas Continental Dream and the Mexican War, 1846-1848. New York: Carroll and Graf, 2007.