American Foreign Policy since the Second World War Essay Example Essay Example

American Foreign Policy since the Second World War Essay Example Paper American Foreign Policy since the Second World War Essay Introduction Right through its history, America has not hesitated to use force under the pretexts of principles, sovereignty and justice. American military intervention in world affairs has risen drastically since the end of the Second World War. The period following the Second World War saw America assume the role of a superpower that headed the western coalition in what was a bipolar world. In a way, the nuclear bombing of Japan was the first of its international digressions and the ongoing Iraq quagmire the latest. Since the collapse of Soviet Union, America has had at its disposal the most potent military force. Its economic structure complements military spending; leading to a military industrial complex. The 2003 Allied invasion of Iraq was not an exception. Neither was United States’ role in the ugly end to the Second World War. Noted political commentator Ivo Daalder raises some valid questions regarding the legitimacy of the invasion of Iraq. Daalder argues that the invasion was i llegitimate on two counts: 1.there was no provocation from Iraq and 2.the United Nations Security Council did not approve of the war. Military actions of countries such as Iran and North Korea were condemned by the U.N. and the United States alike. In the same vein, the dropping of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki also don’t meet basic humanitarian standards. De-classified information from the period suggests that there was no significant threat from Japan at the time of these bombings. Hence, it could be stated that the United States deserves the worldwide condemnation that it elicited then and continues to elicit now (Gaddis, 2005). American Foreign Policy since the Second World War Essay Body Paragraphs On the eve of the American invasion of Iraq, the German Foreign minister Joschka Fischer openly questioned American intentions behind the intervention. Such doubts were expressed by other members of the European Union as well. The differences were not just at the diplomatic level. A public opinion poll conducted on the eve of the war revealed how an overwhelming majority of people in Europe disagreed with the American official line. More importantly, they believed that the war was illegitimate. The public sentiment in the United States was exactly the opposite. Some analysts point that the divide in public opinion is nothing more than a reflection of the prevailing world order. Nevertheless, such a simplistic reason is insufficient in explaining a pervasive set of beliefs and attitudes. Similar sentiments were expressed by allies and rivals alike with regard to the situation in Japan in 1945. Hence, some historical parallels could be discerned (Anderson, 2005). The Coalition of the W illing’s failure to properly plan and execute its â€Å"liberation† of Iraq has led to a complete breakdown of law and order in the country. The insurgency following this collapse has affected the Iraqi civilian population more than the coalition troops. This outcome is in contradiction with the mission of â€Å"liberating the people of Iraq†. The setting of the Iraqi Governing Council to restore the situation has proved to be a failure. The exercise of setting up a democratically elected leadership in Iraq is perceived as a sham by neutral observers. Similarly, the victims of the nuclear bombardments in Japan were mostly civilians. So, in essence, the present situation in Iraq is comparable to the post-bombardment Japan (Anderson, 2005). It is an open secret that the middle-east region is of strategic importance. Any country with aspirations to dominate the world will have to have â€Å"control† over the region’s resources (read oil) and governmen ts. The United States, the only superpower at the time, was not above this ambition. Noted American intellectual Noam Chomsky points to glaring misinformation released by the White House in his recent scholarship. In Chomsky’s own words, â€Å"The US wasn’t upholding any high principle in Iraq, nor was any of its allies. The reason for the unprecedented response to Saddam Hussein wasn’t his brutal aggression — it was because he stepped on the wrong toes. Saddam Hussein is a murderous gangster — exactly as he was before the War. He was even our friend and favored trading partner at one point in time. His dictatorship of Iraq comprises many atrocious acts, but well within the range of many similar crimes conducted by the US and its allies, and nowhere near as terrible as some.† (Chomsky, 2004) Unfortunately, not many people know this reality. The false propaganda from the government quarters was so grand in scale that it appeared genuine and t ruthful. If maintaining sovereignty of independent countries is the reason for the war, then why didn’t the U.S. Government interfere with the Chinese annexation of Tibet and other such atrocities across the world? Hence, the real motivations for American intervention were buried under a veil of propaganda. In this sense, the Iraq War, as understood by the general public, is illegitimate. More importantly, the leaders (military as well as executive) who are responsible for the present mess are culpable under international human rights laws (Gaddis, 2005). In this context, which was eventually modified, and always subject to criticism, when it became clear toward the end of 2003 that Iraq did not possess WMD, by the 2004 updating of rhetoric to â€Å"Iraq had only had the potential to acquire and use them†, and the official line that terrorism was a result of regime change in Iraq (which escalated the activities of guerrillas and insurgents). Just as the Afghanistan and Iraq wars have called for an acceptance of law and legitimacy, they have also raised questions regarding the suitability of such terms as â€Å"insurgents, guerrillas, rebels, resistance members, terrorists, detainees, prisoners of war, lawful combatants, unlawful combatants, military commissions, competent tribunals, as well as others expressions.† What is required at present is a critical need to clarify concepts of law and legitimacy in the wake of these invasions (Chomsky, 2004). While the chief cause for both incidents of aggression is largely systemic, individual decision making played a part too. De-classified information of the Second World War period indicates that President Truman gave orders for using nuclear weapons against the general consensus of his inner circle. In the case of the Iraq war too, President Bush’s decision to invade is attributable to his personal stake in the oil industry. Kofi Annan, the then Secretary-General of the United Nations had displayed tact and skilful diplomacy in all his interactions with the United States government. It is an indication of the gravity of the violation, that he openly questioned the legality of the Iraq war. Other notable diplomats too joined Annan in his condemnation of the war. For example, A.M. Slaughter argued that the invasion of Iraq by America and its allies â€Å"was categorically illegal under international law†. Richard Falk noted that â€Å"the illegality of recourse to war against Iraq in 2003 was clear. It was also clear before and after the war that there was no reasonable basis for invoking the ‘illegal but legitimate’ formula used by the Independent International Commission for Kosovo to deal with an exceptional circumstance of humanitarian emergency.† The academia across the world was also of a similar view. A majority of influential diplomats and political commentators outside of the United States concurred with these views. At the time of t he Japanese bombings though, there was no United Nations or any influential mediating organization. In this sense, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was legal, but only at a technical level. If standards of basic human rights and humanitarianism are applied, then the Japanese episode is as gross a violation as the present Iraqi one (Anderson, 2005). The sentiments of people outside of the United States in this debate are understandable. For example, there are widespread concerns regarding American hegemony in general and its foreign policies in particular. The adoption of a philosophy of unilateral action made the concerns all the more real. American policies tended to focus heavily on its security. The rationale was that if the only superpower in the world were to be secure, world security as such will advance. This sounds reasonable at a theoretical level. But the actual results tell a different story (Gaddis, 2005). The meaning of Article 51 of the UN Charter is of relevance in determining the legitimacy of the war in Iraq. Most legal professionals and civil law experts agree that the words â€Å"armed attack† mentioned in Article 51 of the 1945 edition must be read literally. In other words, there must have been material damages suffered by the affected nation before there can be a legitimate military response against the instigator. But there is a problem with such an interpretation. The weaponry and military systems of now are far more advanced than the ones used in 1945. Similarly, international consensus, as provided by the United Nations, was absent during the Second World War. With the acquisition of nuclear technology, a country can annihilate its target with the push of a button (Simes, 2003). All it takes is a few seconds and there is virtually no time to defend or respond. The judiciary is now gaining an understanding of this new reality and hence has come to accept â€Å"pre-emptive or anticipatory military action† as a lawful one. Without such proactive actions international peace and security will be jeopardized. So, if the U.N. Charter were to be read literally, the Iraq war is illegitimate. But, when it is placed in the context of advances in military technology and interpreted more broadly, the Iraq war may be declared a lawful one (Gaddis, 2005). 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Alkali Metals - Properties of Element Groups

Alkali Metals - Properties of Element Groups Learn about the properties of the alkali metals, one of the element groups: Location of the Alkali Metals on the Periodic Table The alkali metals are the elements located in Group IA of the periodic table. The alkali metals are lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium. Alkali Metal Properties The alkali metals exhibit many of the physical properties common to metals, although their densities are lower than those of other metals. Alkali metals have one electron in their outer shell, which is loosely bound. This gives them the largest atomic radii of the elements in their respective periods. Their low ionization energies result in their metallic properties and high reactivities. An alkali metal can easily lose its valence electron to form the univalent cation. Alkali metals have low electronegativities. They react readily with nonmetals, particularly halogens. Summary of Common Properties Lower densities than other metalsOne loosely bound valence electronLargest atomic radii in their periodsLow ionization energiesLow electronegativitiesHighly reactive Metals  |  Nonmetals  |  Metalloids  |  Alkali Metals  |  Alkaline Earths  |  Transition Metals  |  Halogens  |  Noble Gases  |  Rare Earths  |  Lanthanides  |  Actinides

The role of competitive intelligence in an organization (Samsung) Essay

The role of competitive intelligence in an organization (Samsung) - Essay Example The intelligence that is gathered and applied for business advantage includes information on consumers, business competitors, products and services. During market research that is conducted within the framework of competitive intelligence, a company invests resources in collection, analysis, application and communication of information on all aspects of the market. Therefore competitive intelligence is an aspect of the external environment of an organization or company. Advantages of Competitive Intelligence The role of competitive advantage within a business entity is demonstrated by the application of collected and analyzed data on the market by the management as a basis of making operational and strategic decisions for business success (Gaidelys 1060). Competitive intelligence is an ethically and legally acceptable business practice which allows companies to make informed decisions that allow them to effectively survive in a competitive market. Uncertainty on the market is signifi cantly reduced through competitive intelligence (Kamal 312). ... Competitive Intelligence at Samsung Through competitive intelligence, Samsung analyses its plans in relation to the response of consumers or the market to allow its management to reach informed and accurate decisions on business strategy (Datamonitor 5). For example in the production of smart phones, android phones, notebook and tablets, Samsung collects intelligence from the market on the likely response of the consumers before the sale of these products. This concept is referred to as pressure test of corporate plans to determine the reaction of the market to new or improved products. It is through this process that Samsung has been able to obtain a positive response from the consumers a factor that has allowed the company to become more competitive as compared to its business rivals. The android products that are produced by Samsung are received well by the company’s markets across the world because of the quality, values and authenticity which the company achieves for its products based on the intelligence information that is gathered and analyzed within competitive intelligence. The need to improve credit rating within Samsung called for elaborate analysis of intelligence about its consumers and business competitors. This allowed the company management to decide upon effective corporate strategies which allowed the company to have a higher credit rating as compared to other companies within the industry (Karim 196). In this regard therefore, competitive intelligence has played a significant role in defining the business strength within Samsung and its application to achieve success in the mobile phone and electronic markets. The strength of Samsung’s telecommunication commerce is also

Total Compensation Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Total Compensation Methods - Essay Example Compensation and benefits, like we all know are rewards that an organization gives to its employees in return of their efforts and services that they have given. These rewards may vary from direct to indirect forms. There are various methods to compensate employees and each method and benefits may have its own impact on the employees and on overall the organization, and this is what we are going to discuss below. This is one method of compensating those employees who have certain needed skills, whether job related or not. This is a creative way of paying for the internal skills and gives a flexible job design, where employees could move from one assignment to another on periodic basis. This is another method of compensating employees. Here those employees are compensated who are the key performers. They are though paid within a certain pay range. The organization here does not need to promote its employees, as they would already be paying them more comparatively. Broadbanding normally provides flexibility, entrepreneurial management style and performance orientation. Provides flexibility to the employees, promotes lateral development of employees, helps in developing employees skills and encourages a team focus and directs employees attention away from vertical promotional activities. Impact on organization It make compensation system more simpler that de-emphasizes structure and control and places greater importance on judgment and flexible decision making. Group Incentives, Gain Sharing, Success Sharing These are other methods of compensating employees. Here the compensation, which is the certain amount of profit of the organization, is given not to one but a group those employees who are identified directly with the improvement. The key here is to share the success of the organization with the employees. Impact on employee When the employees see that gain sharing supports a true pay for performance culture, hence they see their progress linked directly to the organization. The commitment to the organization is thus increased. Impact on organization Many organizations already having gain sharing as their means of compensating employees and have found an improved organizational communication, especially between labor and management and between different functional units. Benefit Programs Workers Compensation This is one kind of legally required benefit, which like others is meant for benefiting the employees. This benefit provides a degree of financial protection to those employees who have incurred expenses resulting from job related accident or illness. The organization pays for the workers compensation insurance, and the expense is tied to their past experience and job related accidents and illness. Impact on emplo

American Expansionism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

American Expansionism - Essay Example However, the expansionism was not good for the American population and other people across the world. The most important reason why United States wanted to expand was for economic benefits. During the time of Confederation, the United States continued to extend its territory westwards. For instance, between 1960 and 1890, United States created nine new states after purchasing Alaska from Russia. After the end of the American Civil War, the interests of expanding the country’s territory rejuvenated. There was renewed investment in land, railway construction, and exploitation of natural resources in the west part of the country. The American traders started looking for land for investment in the western part of Canada. This raised the interests of the country towards this part. This is because majority of these investors opted to settle in these areas. Americans believed that acquiring more territory will make it easy for them to produce products at decreased costs. The second aspect that led to expansion is the spirit of nationalism. With the European nations expanding their t erritories, Americans also wanted to take pride in expanding its boundaries further. This was fueled by the increased scramble for territory by other major economies. United States expanded its role and influence through military influence. For instance, the country treated its colonies as military bases. The country established military bases in these areas in order to take control of their economic, political, and social activities. Secondly, the US used its cultural influence to expand its role. The country expanded its cultural ideologies to other areas. This was achieved through the spirit of nationalism and propaganda. Thirdly, the US used economic influence to expand its boundaries. This is through funding major investments in the

Responsibilities of the Graduate Nurse

Responsibilities of the Graduate Nurse Privacy and confidentiality are important aspects of the nursing profession. It is important for the Graduate Nurse to understand and respect the need for patient confidentiality. As healthcare professionals, the nurse’s connection to their patients and colleagues depends on it. Nurses have the ethical responsibility to safeguard the information they obtain whilst caring for a patient. When patients entrust their healthcare and personal information to a nurse, they expect it to be kept confidential (Erickson Millar 2005, p. 1). In most situations, nurses must keep information given to them by patients confidential. However, they are required to report information they receive if they have serious concerns about the clients or someone else’s safety. It is also important to realise that confidentiality is not to be broken unless it is absolutely necessary. It is not something that nurses take lightly. They want to do what is best for the patient and a decision to break confidentiality only happens after a lot of thought, and should be done in consultation with the relevant supervisor. The nurse should only tell those who absolutely need to know, and this is usually a very small number of professional or relevant authorised people. In all areas of healthcare there will be many personal things that as a nurse we will learn about the people that they care for. A nurse will be privy to information regarding a person health, family, social history, personal needs and financial affairs. All of this information is to be regarded as confidential unless consent for the disclosure of such information is given by the patient or as stated earlier the nurse deems that there is a danger to the individual or to someone else. Nurses are only permitted to talk about these things at our workplace with other healthcare professionals who care for the same patient. It is also important to note that when nurses talk about a patients personal details that it is done in a respectful way. All individuals have the right to have their details and personal information kept private. There are laws in Australia which state what nurses can and cannot do with confidential information. Discussing confidential information of a patient in your care to other people outside of the workplace may lead to legal action. When a nurse discloses personal information about their patient they are breaking their duty of care to that patient. Confidentiality is seen as an obligation to the provider of information whereas privacy is an obligation to the source of the information. Confidentiality and privacy require that all parties must ensure that information is restricted to those who genuinely need to know, and that those people should only be told as much as they need to know and no more. For example, a healthcare professional may need to know of the medical condition so that they can provide advice, but not of the identities of the patients involved. Every person has the right to equal recognition and protection before the law. Everyone is entitled to equal and effective protection against discrimination, and to enjoy human rights without discrimination. This applies regardless of a person’s age, gender, race, disability, religion, marital status and a range of other personal characteristics. Scenario- An emergency medicine technician (EMT) responded to an emergency call regarding a possible overdose. On arrival, the patient was found unresponsive and transported to the hospital. The EMT later told a friend that she had helped transport the patient to the hospital for treatment of a possible overdose. The EMT’s friend told another nurse about the medical treatment. The EMT then learned that her friend worked with the patient (a nurse at the other hospital). The patient claimed that the EMT had defamed her and violated her privacy by publicizing information regarding her medical condition and making untrue statements including that she had attempted suicide. The patient was awarded $3,000 in compensatory damages and more than $30,000 in legal fees. Casual sharing of personal and health information regarding a nurse is a failure to respect them as a person. Nurses value the keeping of confidential information between friends, colleagues and other authorised individuals. All nurses should expect that our relationships with one another will allow us to trust that particular private information will not be exposed. Exposure of confidential information can lead to low self-esteem if made public. Everyone has secrets that they don’t want to be made public. Nurses need the benefit of confidentiality when seeking health advice or assistance. In order to support confidentiality of nurses private information, there needs to be respect for an individual’s autonomy and their right to privacy, the promise of information remaining confidential and the benefit that the security of confidentially offers us. Graduate nurses have the right to work in an environment that supports and facilitates ethical practice in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia (2008) and its interpretive statements. One provision of the code is ‘nurse’s value to management of information’. This statement refers to the management and communication of health information. Graduate nurses are entitled to the same moral, professional and legal safeguards as any other person in regards to their personal information. Personal information is any identifying information about a person that is verbal, written or electronic form. This information can relate to physical or mental health, including family health history. (McGowan 2012, p. 61). Factors that may influence confidential and private communication: Communication is the transfer of information between or among people. The practice of nursing utilizes constant communication between the nurse and the patient, the patient’s family, the nurse’s co-workers, supervisors, and many others. Professional relationships Graduate Nurses are required to care for and safeguard the public. They must practice autonomously and be responsible and accountable for safe, compassionate, person-centred, evidenced-based nursing that respects and maintains dignity and human rights. They must show professionalism and integrity and work within recognised professional, ethical and legal frameworks. They must work alongside other healthcare professionals, carers and families including the community. All nurses must use excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Their communication must always be safe, effective, compassionate and respectful. They must communicate effectively using a wide range of strategies and interventions including communication technologies. All nurses must practice autonomously, compassionately, skilfully and safely and must maintain dignity and promote health and wellbeing. They must assess and meet the full range of essential physical and mental health needs of people of all aged who co me into their care. Self-disclosure In nursing there are many boundaries that one must not cross. Self-disclosure is the easiest and most often crossed by nurses today. Self-disclosure refers to the nurse sharing personal information, experiences, feelings, ideas, thoughts and views with their patient. It can be comforting to the patient because it shows that the nurse has an understanding of the patient’s current situation and reinforces that their experience is not unique. Self-disclosure should only be used if it is deemed as helpful to the patient, aimed to benefit the patient and the focus will not remain on the nurse after self-disclosure has occurred. Self-disclosure can be used to promote and encourage patients to express fears, feelings and experiences. It also shows the patient that the nurse trusts them with personal information, making them feel more comfortable therefore reciprocating that trust. In deliberate self-disclosure the nurse intentionally tells the patient information about themselves. The nurse can tell personal experiences and their personal history or they can intentionally tell their feeling about the patient or the situation. This disclosure gives the patient a glimpse of the nurse’s life and likes. The patient did not ask to see these things; they were the nurse’s decision. Also information that the nurse posts online are another form of deliberate self-disclosure. Scenario- You are the nurse on a surgical unit preparing a woman who is undergoing a mastectomy. She is very upset and says that she feels alone. She is afraid she will no longer be attractive and she may even die. You are the same age as the patient and have also had a mastectomy. You are now healthy and work full time. You remember the challenges you faced when you were diagnoses and wonder if it would be helpful to share your experience with your patient. It is generally not appropriate to disclose personal information to patients. However, after careful consideration it may be appropriate for you to disclose a limited amount of information to the patient. You would firstly acknowledge the patients fears and then explore her grief and focus on her needs. It may then become apparent that it is appropriate to disclose a limited amount of information about your past experiences. The disclosure of personal information provides information, support and hope for the patient. Eg./ in relation to the patient feeling alone, the nurse may refer to a time when she also felt alone. The nurse would then offer information regarding a support group that helped the nurse and other patients in the same situation. Unavoidable self-disclosure is another type of disclosure that a nurse does not have much control over. Pregnancy is something that is disclosed at a certain point, whether the nurse wants to disclose it or not. A physical disability is also hard to hide whether it is a limp or a brace, as these are things that can be seen. A wedding ring or lack of ring show a patient if the nurse may be married. These forms of personal expression are outward expressions that are left to the patient to interpret. Another unavoidable self-disclosure is if a patient sees the nurse at an outside establishment such as a restaurant or the mall. This inadvertent disclosure sheds light on the nurse’s personal life and choices. Accidental self-disclosure occurs when the nurse discloses something by mistake. A nurse’s facial expression or subtle response to a patient is a good example of accidental self-disclosure. Emotions can be hard to control even for the most experienced clinician. Positive uses of nurse self-disclosure occur when the nurse uses the disclosure therapeutically. Always think about what you are going to use therapeutically and use good judgment at all times. A nurse talking about healthy lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise that has worked for them is a positive disclosure. The negatives of nurse self-disclosure is the fact that there is too much self-disclosure by the nurse. Therefore the roles can feel reversed and the patient can feel like they must comfort them. Nurse self-disclosure shows the patient and their family that the nurse is unable act in a professional way. Professional boundaries One thing that most nurses encounter daily is a patient asking them a personal question. Whether it is curiosity or uncomfortable silence, patients ask questions. Many nurses find it hard to redirect or reflect these questions, and end up answering them, especially if it is just casual conversation. Nurses need to practice situations like this so they know how to give a patient centered answer. It is the nurses duty and in the patients best interest to divert all conversation to the patient for a successful nurse patient relationship. Patients often ask these harmless questions not realizing that it is not in the best interest for them. Sometimes not answering the questions might make the nurse seem evasive and closed off. Nurses need to practice so their answers to the questions do not offend the patient that is making casual conversation Confidentiality When thinking about privacy and confidentially, it is important that the nurse questions themselves â€Å"what would I want if it was my personal and health information?’ Scenarios One of your nurse colleagues is expecting and its been decided that you will organize the baby shower. Not having access to co-workers addresses, you only look in the demographics portion of the electronic medical record to obtain this information. You do not look at any clinical information. Would this be OK? Answer: No, even demographic (address, phone number, etc) information is considered protected health information under the privacy regulations and should not be accessed without approval of the patient. You have a very good friend who is a nurse practitioner and is away from the hospital on vacation. While she is out, her breast biopsy results come back. Because she had told you she was having this procedure, you felt it would be the right thing to do out of concern to look up her results and call her with this information. Is this appropriate? Answer: No, just because a colleague chooses to disclose certain portions of her health information with you, it does not mean you have the right to continue and follow up on any related results or findings.

Death in the Life of John Donne :: John Donne Poetry

Death in the Life of John Donne Professor Choi Jae Hun 2006-12-07 MA English Literature 2006201044 Yoon Hyeon Jeong Contents INTRODUCTION 2 I. DEATH OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS 3 II. MARRIAGE AND HIS WIFE’S DEATH 6 III. HIS OWN DEATH 8 IV. SUICIDAL THOUGHTS 9 CONCLUSION 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY 11 Introduction John Donne is one of the most important poets in English literature. To understand John Donne’s poems better, studying his poetic skills such as symbolism, wit, metaphor, and exaggeration are crucial, but the most important subject, death, in his poems cannot be overlooked. John Donne wrote songs and sonnets as well as divine poems and death is often mentioned in his poems. Why did he always think about death? Did he experience death or similar occasions very often in his life? For human beings, death is a depressing image. Humans are afraid of death because we are mortal, so, we often worship the immortality of gods. I think the image of death is darkness and I never thought of death when I was younger, but, John Donne seemed to think about death even when he was relatively young. Instead of researching poems, we can look into the background of John Donne’s family members’ death, his marriage life and his wife’s death, his own death and his suicidal thou ghts. Most people research John Donne’s metaphors in his poems, John Donne’s image of love, John Donne’s thoughts on women and his death in his poems. However, we can examine his personal background which is linked to death, which will make us understand his poems far better and easier. I. Death of his family members John Donne was born in Bread street, London, in 1572. His family was a well-off Roman Catholic family. His father died suddenly in 1576 when Donne was only 4 years old. He was raised by his mother, Elizabeth Heywood. She delivered 6 children, but, 3 children died, so, 3 children, Anne, Henry, Donne were brought up together. Elizabeth Heywood’s family was strict Catholic, so, Donne was educated as a serious Catholic when he was a child. His mother was John Heywood’s daughter who was an epigrammatist and a playwright and Sir Thomas More’s niece. John Heywood (c.1497-c.1580) was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. He was born in or near London, but fled to Europe to avoid religious persecution for his Catholic faith and is believed to have died in Mechelen, Belgium. Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 - 6 July 1535) was an English lawyer, author, and statesman.