The Donner Party Essay, Research Paper

Donner Party Persuasive Essay

The idea of go forthing one & # 8217 ; s place is a chilling one to state the least. Picking up everything and going to a new and ambitious topographic point is non an thought that many accept as a fun thing to make. But mundane people are moved across the state, or even across the universe to a new topographic point. Such things happen to employees of large companies such as IBM or Kraft who move their employees to a new location that creates a more effectual concern. In many instances these people despise being moved do to their fright of losing friends or chances, but frequently there is about a sense of escapade involved. Sing new topographic points run intoing new people and happening a new topographic point to populate. There is a changeless battle in the American character to invariably regenerate one & # 8217 ; s life style. Change is a changeless thing in our society and along with it comes an exciting project. As people travel in this sense there is much fright involved. One tends to experience exposed as the travel abroad and run into new people. Such blind religion and credulity can frequently take to catastrophe. In the 1840 & # 8217 ; s the Donner party made a trip to California with dreams of a new life and wealth. The members of the Donner party thought nil of the dangers that might confront them during their journey. Such ignorance, one-upmanship and desire for success is paralleled to today & # 8217 ; s society. The Donner Party & # 8217 ; s escapade is, in fact, a microcosm of the American Character.

The Donner Party showed an American feature of ignorance in their journey to the West in many ways. The showed their ignorance foremost by taking an chartless path

suggested by a alien seemingly didn & # 8217 ; t cognize what he was speaking approximately. This & # 8220 ; Hastings & # 8217 ; & # 8221 ; path presented a false cutoff through the Sierra Nevada. Besides they showed their ignorance by non paying attending to a extremely experience mountain adult male who warned the party of extremely unsmooth terrain. in front. By disregarding both their ain intuitions and the advice of an expert, they showed that their hungriness for completion lead to an ignorance that prevented them from doing any educated determinations. This deficiency of attending to critical information is what finally lead to the missions partial failure. In America today we frequently show our ignorance, particularly when I

T comes to acquiring what we want. Peoples make hapless determinations and ignore other’s advice when we allow our desire for money or power overwhelm our ability to be competent existences.

One-upmanship is non a word we hear mundane, allow entirely as a description of a people. But it is the perfect description of the American character. One-upmanship was what drove the Donner Party on their mission even when it seemed hopeless. James Reed & # 8217 ; s end on the trip was to do it to their finish in the fastest possible clip. They had to acquire to California before anyone else in order to acquire an advantage over all the other people who intended to do a new life in the new frontier. This desire to be faster and richer was what lead the Donner & # 8217 ; s to their death. By taking cutoffs and seeking to acquire to their finish the fastest, half the party was killed after acquiring stuck in their alleged cutoff. This is really much a feature of any American today. The desire to be better than the remainder is what drives many Americans to travel to work mundane and do a life. How frequently have you felt better about yourself when you do a better occupation and output greater additions than person else who didn & # 8217 ; t seek rather so difficult. The

desire to experience superior is what drove the Donner & # 8217 ; s and really frequently drives American & # 8217 ; s today. Our economic system would non be about every bit successful if America wasn & # 8217 ; t on top of the universe and giving more net income than the remainder of the universe.

One good feature of the American Character that the Donners portrayed was the desire to win. Every kid in America grows up with the dream of being affluent or happy as an grownup. The desire to win is non an uncommon privation of the typical American. The whole ground that the Donners left their places at all in the first topographic point was their phantasy of wealth and power in their new places. As Americans we are ever looking to be successful. America is one of the hardest working states on Earth. And we work this difficult so that we may populate a more successful life and may be more comfy in our life styles.

In decision, the Donner Expedition is really much a microcosm of the American character. The Donners showed ignorance, one-upmanship, and desire for success in their journey. All of which are features of the typical American