Market Forces Essays - Economic Ideologies, Production Economics

Market Forces Wealth or Health: How Capitalist Structure has Failed Us Spring 2001 Market forces, in my belief, have always shaped the relationship between humans and their environment, and I have found it a daunting task to consider the history of such a long and complicated relationship. In all truth, market forces can be considered as anything that drives our means of consumption and our economy as a whole, and from this point of view, they can be seen as existing in some way since the dawn of time. So, instead of starting at the beginning, I will instead focus on the relationship between humans and nature from the start of what I see as the beginning of the end. The capitalist economys history, when viewed in light of mans entire existence, has been rather short and in that span of time, it has managed to catapult much of the world into a very new and destructive relationship with the Earths natural resources. While the changes that capitalism has brought about have been slow to evolve, it is a system that has deeply altered much more than the marketplace and which has forever changed the world. In this paper, I intend to demonstrate how the core concepts of the capitalist economy have lead the world into ecological disaster. There are many structures on which capitalism is built and a few of the most core principles are the ones that are most destructive. The tenets of individualism, efficiency, profit maximization and consumerism can be found at the heart of many of the most damaging practices of todays world. Since they are main pillars of the capitalist marketplace, they are very pervasive and have become widespread, standard practices and ways of thinking. Individualism it is a new development in our social structure and one that has left a very deep impression. While capitalism did not spring up overnight, the period of its development is not relevant to this analysis, so I shall consider capitalism from some hypothetical starting point. Up until this starting point, the community was the central unit of sociological structure. Families and communities were tightly knit and gave support to one another. This type of lifestyle provided an accurate sense about how one persons actions affect everything around them and the relationship that humans had with their environment reflected this awareness. Yet, with the rise of capitalism, individuals and not groups, became the focus. This shift in viewpoint now emphasized the rights of the person over the rights of the community and set up a sociological structure that could condone the overuse of natural resources, the contamination of public goods, such as water, and general disregard for the impacts of ones actions. Communities no longer had the right to control the environment that they lived in, since that environment was now owned, and the law now protected the rights of the businessman and the property owners. The capitalistic view of efficiency, which in modern times has involved touting the benefits of privatization and self-regulation, is another culprit in the devastation of the worlds natural resources. While efficiency in the market may have been intended to prevent the misuse and overuse of resources, modern corporations have seriously modified it. They have come to use this tenet to protect their interests and to allow them to continue, unchecked, behaviors which are detrimental to all living beings. They claim that their more complete knowledge of the situations at hand empower them to be the best planners and in the name of efficiency, governments have been allowing businesses to self-regulate. Even when a problem is so serious as to demand regulation, corporations have been the authors of the very regulations they are subject to. In The Globalization of Corporate Culture, Karliner sites how U.S. corporations also helped write laws that use a risk assessment formula to make econo mic consideration the determining factor over health protection when setting environmental standards He also mentions that even the Business Council for Sustainable Development argues self-regulation as the most efficient mechanism for change, and promotes the spread of capitalist free-market systems as the ticket to sustainability in the world. The idea that efficiency can be achieved through the capitalist economy is

August Wilsons Pittsburgh Cycle

August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle After writing his third play, August Wilson realized he was developing something quite monumental. He had created three different plays set in three different decades, detailing the hopes and struggles of African-Americans. In the early 1980s, he decided that he wanted to create a cycle of ten plays, one play for each decade. Collectively, they would become known as the Pittsburgh Cycle - all but one take place in the citys Hills District. August Wilsons 10 play series is arguably one of the finest literary achievements in contemporary drama. Although they were not created in chronological order, here is a brief synopsis of each play, organized by the decade each one represents. Note: Each of the links connects to an informative New York Times review. Gem Of the Ocean Set in 1904, a young African-American named Citizen Barlow, like many others traveling north in the years after the Civil War arrives in Pittsburgh in search of purpose, prosperity, and redemption. A woman named Aunt Ester, who is rumored to be 285 years old and possess healing powers, decides to help the young man on his life’s journey. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone The title warrants a bit of historical context - Joe Turner was the name of a plantation owner who, in spite of the emancipation proclamation, forced African-Americans to work in his fields. In contrast, Seth and Bertha Holly’s boarding house offers room and nourishment to wayward souls who have been mistreated, abused, and sometimes even kidnapped by members of white society. The play takes place in the year 1911. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom As four African-American blues musicians wait for Ma Rainey, the famous lead singer of their band, they exchange off-the-cuff jokes and cutting-edge barbs. When the blues diva does arrive, the tensions continue to mount, pushing the group towards its breaking point. The tone is a combination of bitterness, laughter, and the blues, an ideal representation of the black experience during the late 1920s. The Piano Lesson A piano that has been handed down for generations becomes the source of conflict for members of the Charles family. Set in 1936, the storyline reflects the significance of objects in relationship to the past. This play garnered August Wilson his second Pulitzer Prize. Seven Guitars Touching upon the theme of music once again, this drama begins with the death of guitarist Floyd Barton in 1948. Then, the narrative shifts to the past, and the audience witnesses the protagonist in his younger days, ultimately leading up to his demise. Fences Perhaps Wilson’s most renowned work, Fences explores the life and relationships of Troy Maxson, an activist-minded trash collector, and former baseball hero. The protagonist represents the struggle for justice and fair treatment during the 1950s. This moving drama earned Wilson his first Pulitzer Prize. Two Trains Running This multiple award-winning drama is set in Pittsburgh 1969, in the height of the battle for civil rights. In spite of the political and social change that sweeps through the nation, many of the characters of this play are too cynical, too down-trodden to experience hope for the future or rage for the ongoing tragedies. Jitney Set in a cab driver’s station during the boisterous late 1970s, this character-driven play features sharp-witted, hustling co-workers who gossip, argue, and dream in between jobs. King Hedley II Often thought of as the bitterest and most tragic of Wilson’s cycle, the play focuses on the downfall of the prideful ex-con protagonist, King Hedley II (the son of one of the characters from Seven Guitars). The mid-1980s setting finds Wilson’s beloved Hills District in a dismal, poverty-stricken neighborhood. Radio Golf With this 1990s setting, the final play in the cycle tells the story of affluent Harmond Wilks, a successful politician and real estate developer - who considers tearing down a historic old house that once belonged to none other than Aunt Ester. It all comes full circle!

Using Qualitative Technique To Investigate A Problem At Work Assignment

Using Qualitative Technique To Investigate A Problem At Work - Assignment Example The technique was chosen because it is significant in dealing with practical situations that require a proper understanding of behavior. Consequently, observation is influential in determining the meaning as well as the context over which an issue occurs. Misunderstanding about the responsibilities is a behavioral issue that can only be understood by analyzing the behavior of other people. Another rationale for choosing the technique is that I wish to determine the reasons why other employees cannot fulfill their duties as stipulated by the firm. Sometimes I find myself performing most of the tasks because the other employees consciously or unconsciously fail to undertake their duties. Essentially, the objective is to analyze and evaluate the situation through observations before employing other measures that can aid in solving the impasse. Observation avoids direct contact with the target group yet retrieves vital information.The issue under investigation is a misunderstanding about the responsibilities. Each of the members of the department will be observed against the duties they perform. After the responsibilities are assigned to the group, I will observe what each person does and the amount of time taken to complete a particular task. Consequently, documenting the people who have done their work will provide a perspective on the genesis of the problem. The observation will also focus on those directly involved and the ones who are dormant or focusing on other functions different from the duties assigned to them.

The Impact of Host Country National Managers Contribution to Success Dissertation

The Impact of Host Country National Managers Contribution to Success of Expatriates - Dissertation Example However, research indicates that there are problems with disparities with regard to compensating expatriates working in a wide variety of environments (Caruth & Handlogten-Caruth, 2002; Lee, 2005; Herrera, 2005; Latta, 2006; Minter, 2008). Human resource lacks comprehensive planning in advance for disparities of pay scales, taxation, or even, cultural adaptation; failure to concentrate on offering international training and management development skills for new expatriates. One approach is by asking the following question: what can organizations and their managers do so as to gain a better understanding of policies regarding international compensation? One way to gain a better understanding is through an effective training program for the new expatriate workforce, and compensation policies that are externally competitive and internally equitable for the success of any MNC (Human Development Report, 2009). METHODOLOGY This section shows how data was collected so as to find the answers to the research question, hence fulfilling the purpose of this dissertation paper. This will be subdivided into a description of the purpose of research, research approach and strategy. Later, data collection, sample selection and analysis of data will be presented. Lastly, we conclude the chapter with discussion on how the data collected and presented is valid and reliable (Creswell, 2009). Purpose of the Research This paper aims at showing how the host country’s managers contribute to the success of the expatriates. This objective is descriptive in nature as it seeks to explain how the impact of the host managers leads to success of expatriates. Research Approach Qualitative approach to this research is the most appropriate basing on the purpose of this dissertation paper. It is the most appropriate approach to deal with people’s perceptions that are intangible. It also ensures close contacts to the study objects (Tayeb, 2005). Data Collection Data can either be pri mary or secondary, where each of the methods is a high complement of the other. It is highly recommended that a researcher uses as many measurements as possible so as to improve the validity of the study, hence leading to more convincing and accurate findings and conclusions. In this paper, the main data sources used were interviews evidence from documentation. Interviewing was chosen as the most appropriate primary data collection method as it directly focused on the topic of this dissertation. The discussion involved questions dealing with a wide range of concepts, hence, enabling me attain the open character of the interview. This also ensured flexibility in the respondent’s answers, and at the same time focusing on the certain issues in the guide. Data gathered through documentation is vital in substantiating evidence from other sources (Liu & Shaffer, 2005). Data Analysis Data was analyzed depending on my style of thinking, accompanied with sufficient presentation of evi dence, while considering available alternatives and interpretations. Data was simplified by reducing and later on displayed, from where conclusions based on the findings were drawn. Data Validity and Reliability Validity is the ability of the measuring instrument to determine what it is supposed to access with the highest

Fin hw1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fin hw1 - Assignment Example lobalization and International Business, Johan asserts that indeed, sweatshops are an essential stepping stone if a developing country is to achieve economic progression. I fully concur with the statement for several reasons. In the documentary, Taiwan is presented as one of the countries that has seen the fastest economic growth rate in the last four decades. The same thing has also been seen more recently with the adoption of sweatshops in Vietnam, another country showing signs of gradual economic progress. Looking at these two examples, it is easy to tell that the countries in question had to endure the awful working conditions that come with the sweatshops for a short time in order to gain the economic progression at the end of it. Countries such as Kenya which declined to open up to the foreign â€Å"exploitation† have been forced to lag behind economically since little foreign investment made way into the country due to its restrictions towards adopting the sweatshops. In conclusion, it is true that sweatshops do a substantial harm to a country in terms of environmental deterioration and advancement of poor working conditions. However, it is important to understand that in most cases, the conditions provided in these sweatshops could be even better than those currently in place in that country. The baseline of it all is that sweatshops are key in stimulating the growth of a country through the creation of jobs and provision of skills that ultimately form the basis of development after the short stint of

Factors Affecting The Weight a Column Can Withstand

Factors Affecting The Weight a Column Can Withstand Matthew Keeley   Physics EEI This extended experimental investigation explores the weight a paper column can withstand before it buckles and how changing the diameter, length and thickness of a column affects its critical load. Multiple columns with varying diameters, lengths and thicknesses were constructed and each one had masses added to it until it buckled. The hypotheses If the diameter of a paper column is increased, then the weight the paper column can withstand before buckling will also increase exponentially and If the length of a paper column is decreased, then the weight the paper column can withstand before buckling will increase exponentially were not supported while the hypothesis If the thickness of a paper column is increased, then the weight the paper column can withstand will also increase proportionally was supported. Columns are used in architecture and structural engineering, in the walls of houses and buildings, to transmit weight through compression from the structure above the column to the structural elements beneath (Merriam-webster.com, 2017). Objects are only referred to as columns when the force is applied axially; they are referred to as beams otherwise (Waddell, 1925). Column buckling is likely the only area of structural mechanics where failure is not due to the strength of the material, but the stiffness of the material and the shape of the column instead (McGinty, 2017). Buckling occurs in a column when its critical load is reached and this value can be determined by the Euler column formula, which is as follows: Where is the critical load (), is the modulus of elasticity (), is the area moment of inertia (, is the length of the column () and is the column effective length factor (Engineeringtoolbox.com, 2017). Engineers commonly use mm instead of regular SI unit, examples of the formula being used use mm (Critical Buckling Load (Example 1) Mechanics of Materials, 2013). This formula is used mainly to calculate the buckling load of steel and wooden columns so its application in the buckling of paper columns is questionable although it is the only method available. There are some unknown values in the equation without researching them using other sources, the value, the value and the value. The value, the modulus of elasticity (also known as youngs modulus, the elastic modulus or the tensile modulus) is a constant that is a measure of the stiffness of a material (Askeland et al., 1996). It is the slope of the stress-strain curve in the elastic region given by: A relationship known as Hookes Law, Hookes law states that the strain in a solid is proportional to the applied stress within the elastic limit of that solid (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). For example, if an object with a high modulus of elasticity had the same force applied to it as an object with a low modulus of elasticity there would be a greater change in dimension in the object with the smaller modulus of elasticity. The modulus of elasticity is represented in pascals () but the value is usually very large so it is found in gigapascals instead (. When calculating theoretical data to keep the units the same the modulus of elasticity was represented in as. The modulus of elasticity for paper is 2 (www-materials.eng.cam.ac.uk, 2017). The value represents area moment of inertia (also known as second moment of area). It is a geometrical property of an area representing how its points are distributed regarding an axis within the object (Beer and Johnston, 1990). It is calculated using multiple integral over the columns cross-section, but its easier to utilise an already existing formula for the second moment of area of the column in question. Since the column that will be used in the experiment is rolled up paper it will have a hollow cylindrical cross-section which will appear as: The formula for second moment of area for a hollow cylindrical cross-section is as follows: Where is the radius of the outside circle and is the radius of the inside circle (Efunda.com, 2017). The second moment of area also determines the way a column is most likely to buckle (towards the plane or the plane). Usually there would be multiple formulae for the second moment of area, one for buckling towards the plane and one for buckling toward the plane, but since the cross section in question is hollow cylindrical and the axis (where the weight will be applied) is in the centre of the cross-section the formulae are identical. If the cross section was a filled rectangular area, for instance, and appeared as: Then the formulae for second moment of area are as follows: One would have to solve for both and and find out on which plane the column is most likely to buckle along and use that value as the second moment of area in the Euler column formula (What is second moment of area?, 2015). The units for second moment of area are metres to the fourth power (, but since the units need to be kept the same and the radius will be represented in millimetres when doing theoretical data, it will be in millimetres to the fourth power () instead. The last unknown value is which is the column effective length factor (Wai-Fah and Duan, 1999). It is determined by the boundary conditions. The value changes depending on if the column is fixed on both ends, hinged on both ends, fixed on one end free on another, etc. The columns used in the experiment are free on both ends so the theoretical value is 1, but the actual value derived from various other experiments is 1.2, so that value will be used in theoretical data (Efunda.com, 2017). For this experiment to be a success many variables must be remain the same that were quite difficult to control. To attempt to control these variables some precautions were taken. For example, to keep the distribution of weight the same a transparent board was used so the weight could be placed in the centre of the column and distributed evenly. Also, the paper columns need to be made carefully so that there are no weaknesses in the column because weaknesses in the column arent factored into Eulers column formula. The dimensions for paper are 29.7mm x 21mm x 0.1mm (for 80gsm A4 paper). Theoretical Data Calculating second moment of area (). Substituting into Eulers column formula and solving to find critical load. Calculating the mass the column could withstand using . This value is very large and a paper column of the dimension used in the calculations would certainly crumble under this amount of force in real life applications, but this may be due to all the other variables that are difficult to control at play, such as weaknesses in the column geometrically and weight distribution rather than the formula being incorrect. Theoretical data results tables and graphs Changing Columns diameter Columns diameter (mm) Mass before column buckles (kg) 95 1063.45 90 904.06 85 761.45 80 634.69 75 522.84 70 424.96 65 340.14 60 267.42 55 205.89 50 154.60 Changing Column Length Column thickness (mm) Mass before column buckles (kg) 0.1 934.57 0.2 1862.98 0.3 2785.27 0.4 3701.46 0.5 4611.57 0.6 5515.63 0.7 6413.67 0.8 7305.72 0.9 8191.81 1.0 9071.95 Changing Columns Thickness Columns Length (mm) Mass before column buckles (kg) 210 934.56 200 1030.36 190 1141.68 180 1272.05 170 1426.11 160 1609.94 150 1831.76 140 2102.78 130 2438.73 120 2862.12 The following hypotheses that were prompted due to the background research are as follows: Changing Columns Diameter If the diameter of a paper column is increased, then the weight the paper column can withstand before buckling will also increase exponentially. Changing Columns Length If the length of a paper column is decreased, then the weight the paper column can withstand before buckling will increase exponentially. Changing Columns Thickness If the thickness of a paper column is increased, then the weight the paper column can withstand will also increase proportionally. Changing Columns Diameter Various paper columns were constructed carefully (as to reduce weak points in the column) with different diameters, starting at 9.5cm diameters reducing the diameter by 0.5cm for every column until 10 columns had been made, so that there was enough variation in the data to develop more accurate results. The column with the smallest diameter had a diameter of 5cm. The experiment was then set up like the diagram on the previous (without the weights). The board on the bottom of the column was set up to protect the bench from damage from the falling weights and a small transparent board was placed on top of the column so that the weights could be accurately placed in the centre of the column to keep the distribution of weight even.   50g masses were then added to the column until it buckled and the mass that is buckled at was graphed for later analysis. This process was completed for all the columns made beforehand and the experiment was repeated until 3 trials had been completed so the data discovered was more accurate. Changing Columns Length Paper columns with various lengths were constructed carefully, starting at a length of 21cm and reducing by 1cm until 10 columns had been made, so there was enough variation in the data to provide more accurate results. The column with the smallest length had a length of 12cm. The experiment was then set up like the diagram (without the weights). The board on the bottom of the column was set up to protect the bench from damage from the falling weights and a small transparent board was placed on top of the column so that the weights could be accurately placed in the centre of the column to keep the distribution of weight even.   50g masses were then added to the column until it buckled and the mass that is buckled at was graphed for later analysis. This process was completed for all the columns made beforehand and the experiment was repeated until 3 trials had been completed so the data discovered was more accurate. Changing Columns Thickness Paper columns with varying thicknesses were constructed by taping pieces of paper together (1 piece of paper has a thickness of 0.1mm, 2 taped together 0.2mm, etc.) until 10 columns had been made, so there was enough variation in the data to provide more accurate results. The experiment was then set up like the diagram (without the weights). The board on the bottom of the column was set up to protect the bench from damage from the falling weights and a small transparent board was placed on top of the column so that the weights could be accurately placed in the centre of the column to keep the distribution of weight even.   50g masses were then added to the column until it buckled and the mass that is buckled at was graphed for later analysis. This process was completed for all the columns made beforehand and the experiment was repeated until 3 trials had been completed so the data was more accurate. Variables Dependent Variable The independent variable is the mass the column can withstand before it buckles, as this is what the experiment is testing and what changes when the independent variables are manipulated. Independent Variables The independent variables in this experiment are the ones that get changed, the diameter, the length and the thickness. Changing these will affect the dependent variable. Controlled Variables The controlled variables are everything that was kept the same during the experiment, although these may have changed regardless of efforts to keep them the same during the experiment. They include: the temperature and pressure, brand of paper, consistency of columns, distribution of weight, wind conditions, material of column, weights that were used, elevation and the material experiment was performed on. Safety When the column buckles, the weights will fall off the column and potentially an injury could occur. To deal with this the falling weights must be avoided and people entering the area of the experiment should be careful walking through. A mechanism to catch the board so the weights dont fall could also be constructed. Scissors could potentially be used to cut someone. To deal with this the scissors were treated with caution and used appropriately. Wearing goggles will also protect the eyes. Changing Columns Diameter Diameter (mm) Mass before column buckled (kg) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average 95 2.0 1.4 1.7 1.7 90 1.7 1.6 2.0 1.8 85 1.7 1.1 1.5 1.4 80 1.2 1.8 2.0 1.7 75 1.3 2.4 1.5 1.7 70 1.5 1.4 2.0 1.6 65 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5 60 1.2 1.6 1.7 1.5 55 0.9 1.3 1.0 1.1 50 0.8 1.0 0.6 0.8 Changing Columns Length Length (mm) Mass before column buckled (kg) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average 210 2.0 1.4 1.7 1.7 200 1.2 1.5 1.6 1.4 190 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.1 180 1.5 0.9 1.0 1.1 170 1.0 2.0 1.7 1.6 160 1.6 2.0 2.1 1.9 150 1.6 2.0 1.9 1.8 140 1.0 1.8 2.3 1.7 130 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.5 120 1.7 2.1 1.8 1.9 Changing Columns Thickness Thickness (mm) Mass before column buckled (kg) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average 0.1 2.0 1.4 1.7 1.7 0.2 2.1 1.8 2.3 2.1 0.3 2.8 3.0 1.7 2.5 0.4 3.3 4.2 2.6 3.4 0.5 4.2 3.4 4.8 4.1 0.6 5.1 5.4 4.5 5.0 0.7 5.9 6.3 5.7 6.0 0.8 7.6 6.6 7.8 7.3 0.9 8.0 8.5 9.0 8.5 1.0 10.0 9.0 8.9 9.3 The results for changing column diameter seem to have a pattern to them, the weight that the column can support increases with diameter, but while the mass the column could withstand changed with diameter the increments in which the value changed reduced every time the diameter increased (logarithmic relationship). The results for changing the length of the column provided results that were expected, the weight the column could withstand decreased as the length of the column was decreased though a proper relationship between the points was underivable. The results for the thickness of the column were as expected, the mass the column could withstand increased proportionally with the thickness of column. As evident by the graphs above the theoretical data differs greatly to the empirical data. The theoretical data shows an exponential relationship between the mass withstood and the diameter of the paper column while the empirical data shows a more logarithmic relationship (if the experiment was continued further the mass withstood would have continued to increase with diameter). The mass the column can withstand is also much larger in the theoretical data than the empirical data. This is because the theoretical calculations dont factor in the weaknesses in the column geometrically and its extremely unlikely that the distribution of mass was perfect, even if the mass was placed a millimetre off the axis the mass the column could withstand would decrease drastically. Therefore, it would be difficult to get empirical results the same as the theoretical data due to many variables that are nearly impossible to control when dealing with paper columns. As shown in the graphs above the mass the column can withstand does decrease as length increases in the empirical data but is hard to decipher a relationship when looking at the empirical data due to anomalies. These anomalies would yet again be caused by variables that are too difficult to control within the experiment and for the same reasons the mass the column can withstand in the theoretical data is much greater than the mass the column could withstand in reality. The relationship between these two sets of data is identical (both increasing proportionally) although the mass the column could withstand theoretically is much greater than the mass it could withstand empirically. A possible reason that the relationship was evident in the empirical data for changing the thickness of the column and not for changing the diameter and length could be that changing the thickness affects the mass the column can withstand much more than changing either the length of the column or its diameter (reducing anomalies), this is evident when comparing the theoretical data for the three variables. Due to the varying relationships found in the empirical data and the complexity of the formula used it is difficult to relate Eulers column formula to existing mathematical models when looking at changing the columns diameter or length because the relationship is either exponential () or logarithmic (). Eulers column formula can be related to the linear function that is found when changing the columns thickness though. because a column with 0 length, diameter or thickness

Analysis of Characters from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy E

Analysis of Characters from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy A young Scot who arrives in Casterbridge at about the same time as Susan and Elizabeth-Jane, Donald Farfrae becomes Michael Henchard’s business manager. He quickly becomes Henchard’s only trusted friend and, later, his adversary in both business and love. Hardy draws Farfrae as Henchard’s counterpart in every way. He is physically small, polite and charming, careful and controlled, forward thinking, and methodical. Whereas Henchard propels his fate through moments of rash behavior, Farfrae is cool and calculating in all he does. Although his personality is friendly and engaging, Farfrae maintains a certain detachment from people and events, always considering the possible consequences of his decisions and actions before he makes them. As a result, his path through life is as smooth as Henchard’s is rough. Farfrae initiates a relationship with Henchard by providing information that is a great help to Henchard in solving a business problem and by refusing Henchard’s offer of payment for the information. Henchard is so grateful and impressed that he talks Farfrae into abandoning his plans to go to America and convinces him to take a job as Henchard’s business manager. Because Farfrae is more organized and methodical than Henchard, the business prospers under his management. Farfrae is ambitious enough to eventually go into business for himself, though, and this enrages Henchard even though Farfrae, in his typically principled way, tries to minimize competition between the two firms. Farfrae courts Elizabeth-Jane and even hints that he would marry her if he were in a financial position to do so, but when he meets the newly wealth... ...ng woman who, like Henchard, suffers several reversals of fortune and ends badly. Henchard has an affair with her before Susan arrives in Casterbridge, and this affair ruins Lucetta’s reputation. To try to repair the damage, Henchard, thinking that Susan is probably dead, offers to marry Lucetta. Before the marriage takes place, though, Susan returns, and Henchard must call off the wedding. After Susan dies, Lucetta inherits wealth, and Henchard renews his interest in her. Lucetta is more interested in Farfrae, though, and marries him. When Lucetta’s old letters to Henchard become public, the scandal of their affair returns to haunt them both, and Lucetta is so distraught by this that she suffers a seizure and dies. Farfrae soon realizes that Lucetta was not a good match for him and that, had she lived, their marriage would not have been happy. Themes

Character Analysis – the Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon Moncrief)

Algernon Moncrief in Oscar Wilde's â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† is quite simply a child at play. Algy, as he's known to his friends, is a young bachelor not yet in his thirties living the aristocratic life of a Victorian gentleman. He has an underdeveloped sense of morality and of the world beyond him. Algy has an excellent skill for wit and as an â€Å"Oxonian†, his education is also rather noticeable. You might also surmise him to be unhappy if he were eating muffins as if there was no tomorrow, and he doesn't seem fond of sharing his cucumber sandwiches in any case. He expresses indifference to everything that fails to give him a moment's amusement as he refers to his manservant's short marriage, â€Å"I don't know that I am much interested in your family life†. Bills would likely pile in his flat in London on Half Moon Street, if he didn't tear them up. Responsibility isn't in his vocabulary, and he certainly doesn't place very much importance on being earnest. John (Jack) Worthing is Algy's best friend and is quite serious about everything that Algy takes for granted. Although they do share a mutual fondness for a particular past time called â€Å"Bunburying† that involves the creation of a fictional double in the form of a brother or friend. The point of which to allow them to easily create excuses to travel as they like. Additionally Algy enjoys using his â€Å"Bunbury† character to avoid dinner with his aunt Lady Bracknell. He believes once a week is enough time to spend with relatives. While Jack utilizes his â€Å"Bunbury† character, ironically named Earnest, to see Algy's first cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax. In the first act of the play, Algy was curious about an inscription in a cigarette case that Jack had left behind. The inscription read â€Å"From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack†. Up to this moment, Algy had only known Jack only by the name Ernest, but now Algy discovers Jack's own â€Å"Bunburying†. Not seemingly fazed, as Algy seemed more interested in the specifics of the one named Cecily, he continued to question Jack about the case only to discover that Cecily is not Jack's niece, but his ward. Enticed by the thought of this young female ward of Jack's, Algy presses him by expressing his interest. This results in Jack revealing that Cecily is â€Å"excessively pretty† and â€Å"only eighteen†. Quite determined now, but resolving that he was â€Å"not going to be invited† by Jack, he decided to overhear Jack's conversation with Gwendolen. Fortunately for Algy, Jack reveals his country address to Gwendolen. Algy certainly had a scheme in his mind as he was writing down the address on his shirt cuff. Algy is quite a bored person. To avoid boring activities and to broaden his scope of entertainment, he created a fictitious character, Bunbury. As Bunbury, he can escape to the country side or just his aunt's dinners. Algy also finds entertainment in being witty and appreciating life as an art form. He doesn't avoid scrapes as he â€Å"love scrapes†. His scheme to see Cecily certainly turns into one, and many things change for him once he does finally meet Cecily. I think it is best summed up by Algy saying â€Å"I killed Bunbury this afternoon† when he had just told Jack that â€Å"Nothing will induce me to part with Bunbury†. After meeting Cecily and falling madly in love with her, he's willing to give up his â€Å"freedom†. Both he and Jack even resort to scheduling baptisms to correct their lies, and in turn both become earnest. Algy always seemed quite amused with his own wit, even remarking on one occasion on his statement concerning women and their mothers, â€Å"It is perfectly phrased! â€Å". He believed women to become their mothers while men don't become their fathers. He also shows his keen understanding of human behavior when remarking about the music selection for his aunt's dinner, â€Å"if one plays good music, people don't listen, and if one plays bad music people don't talk†. Along with his wonderful taste in music, he's particularly fond of fashion. He would â€Å"never have any appetite† without â€Å"a buttonhole first†, and as much of a glutton he is, that's saying a lot. He also comments of the fashion of others or rather the lack thereof such as Jack and how he â€Å"has no taste in neckties at all†. Another thing Algy knew, was that he loved Cecily and was willing to do anything to marry her. Algy may have fallen in love and forever lost his dear invalid friend, Bunbury, but his interest is fleeting. As well Cecily, for she even states she â€Å"hates waiting even five minutes for anybody†. I believe it likely for their love to burn brightly and quickly. A man that could fall in love with a woman in ten minutes and a woman that could love a man just for his name alone is not an ideal match. Although, their mutual whimsy could be that which makes them an ideal match. I would just hope Algy does as his said and forgets how after the proposal â€Å"the excitement is all over†. Although, technically speaking, Algy never did propose to Cecily as they had been engaged nearly three months before they even met. It is widely believed that Algernon is a representation of Oscar Wilde himself, as both men are rather witty dandies that lead double lives. While it can be argued whether Algy had truly changed, I'd like to think that he came to the realization â€Å"that Bunbury could not live†. Algy had finally bumped into someone in that castle in the sky and was sure to provide him with plenty of entertainment as Cecily's imagination seemed to constantly create stories out of thin air. When she told him of their imaginary break up before they even met, Algy was â€Å"very much hurt indeed† and found Cecliy's reacceptance of the engagement to make her a â€Å"perfect angel†.

How to Write a Good College Application Essay

How to Write a Good College Application Essay How to Write a Good College Application Essay The first and the most important thing about writing a good college application essay is that it takes a lot of time. This essay will be one of the most important things you will write in your adolescent life but this is not a reason for panic. On a contrary, this is the moment where you will have to sit down and evaluate what you want and what is important for you in terms of your education and personal development. This will be an essay about yourself and your dreams; yes, it has to be smart, it has to be sharp, it has to attract attention and make you stand out but still, this is an essay about yourself and you are the one writing it. So keep it calm and take your time. How to write a good college application essay First, brainstorm on your essay, pick a couple of ideas, write drafts and take your time. Also, do not forget to think about your audience, what they will want to hear from you. Your essay has to be strong and have a clear point. In your essay tell a story, do not list all your accomplishments, stay honest and be an individual. Capture your audience’s attention by showing them who you really are. Choose a story or detail about yourself and write about your passions and what you want to become. Your grades are visible when you have applied for the university, they show that you are smart but apart from that, they do not tell anything about you. So take your time, concentrate, write and pre-write drafts after you have picked the topic for your college application essay. Keep it clear and use a strong tone by using active verbs. Useful tips for writing an essay for college application After you have written the final draft of your essay, revise it; make sure it is a strong one. One of the ways to do that is by removing introduction and conclusion. It’s great if the essay sounds strong, clear and convincing. Ask for a second opinion, preferably by a professional. A little bit of humor will be very helpful but you have to use it carefully. It could use clever witticism or well-placed metaphor but not, in any case, immature jokes about you or your future. The tone of your application essay is of extreme importance. Keep a balanced, modest and generous tone. In the essay, show your character. Try to sound like a good addition to the university campus. In order to achieve that, research the university you are applying to, its extracurricular activities, check out the university official website or ask friends or family members that have studied there for some inside information that can help you show that you will blend in there perfectly. Last but not least, your vocabulary, style, spelling and grammar matter a lot. Write in a simple but well organized manner free from spelling or grammar mistakes. Write with quality and keep your word count in mind. Seek help from a professional even if you are sure that your essay is perfect. Do not expect miracles from your essay. Try and do your best. The application essay is important but it is not all; if you do not have good academic records, even the most perfect essay in the world will not help. Your application is a combination of your academic records, extracurricular activities, tests and a lot of other factors. Once you realize that the essay is just an addition to all that, you will feel more secure, the pressure will fade away and the essay will be written easier than you expected. Once again, seek professional help when writing your college application essay and decide how much of it you will use. Keep it clear and honest and your application essay will surely be appre ciated.

deserts essays

deserts essays To look at the novel as a whole, it is a very well-written piece, which draws out the theme quite simply to the reader. The theme being the shift from individual thinking to wide-spread thinking. This shift is most directly seen in the actions of Tom Joad. In the opening of the novel, he is mainly concerned for his own welfare. He wants to make up for all the things he missed when in prison. Later on in the novel, he is more concerned with the welfare of the family. At the end of the novel, he has shifted to trying to do what is best for all the migrant people by trying to organize them even though he knows this involves him in great personal danger. That shift in thinking is also accompanied with the replacement of the individual family by the world family. The thing that started the breakup of the individual family was the loss of their land. The family had lived there for many generations and had strong ties to the land. Getting thrown off the land was like losing their family history. The same concern for humanity at large is seen in Ma Joad. At first, she is concerned with keeping the family together. But, as the novel progresses, she begins to become a part of a larger human family. As she says at the end of the novel, at first, it was the family and now it is just anyone who needs help. Next, Grampa Joad died because he could not take leaving his home. He is the first family member to leave. However, it would seem that, as Peter Lisca points out, Grampa is "symbolically present through the anonymous old man in the barn (stable), who is saved from starvation by Rose of Sharon's breasts..." At the same time th ough, the family's joining with the Wilsons shows that the larger world family of the migrant society is replacing the individual family. Chapter Seventeen is one of the general chapters that shows the growth of the new migrant society that has its own laws and leaders. At the border of California, ...

Kants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kants - Essay Example But the only thing that could be an object of respect for me is something that is conjoined with my will purely as a ground and never as a consequence, something that does not serve my inclination but overpowers† (320). From the definition above of Kant’s categorical imperative, one can see that the categorical imperative aims to test whether the reason behind an action contradicts itself if one uses a rational basis for it. Kant actually explains it in this way: â€Å"Is it a necessary law for all rational beings to judge their actions always in accordance with those maxims which they can themselves will that they should serve as universal laws?†(332). The formula has a procedure that states what one is supposed to do. It therefore clearly distinguishes between what one has to do and what one wants to do. The basis of the categorical imperative is therefore not in the necessity of the action, not in the motivation of the desire or pleasure but in the rationality of the action. For a motivation to be acceptable, it must be purely rational and its being rational is for the greater good, or for what is good to all people without any exceptions. Based on Kant’s definition of the categorical imperative, the motivation for the first case is that if the action were to be made into a universal law, then no one would say such things because one would expect the other person to say it. Thus, it would contradict itself. For the second case, the motivation should be a situation which is debt free so that it would not contradict itself. As for the third case, it is similar to the first. In short, if the motivation would be getting something in return, and if this were to be converted to a universal law, then there is no one would give anything anymore. Thus, one should wait to be that second person. For the fourth case, the motivation would be to get a good grade. However, if everyone would do this, then there would be no

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 88

Case Study Example The project will further result in the region’s infrastructure develop as well as increase trading activities. According to the theory of utilitarianism, an act should be classified as immoral only if its consequences are so severe that people would wish the agent of that action obliged to act otherwise (Hinman 142). Despite its effects on the environment, the positive consequences of this project outweigh the negative consequences mainly due to its economic significance to the region. In addition to the above macro issues, several micro issues too should also be considered. Investing in this project involves both money and time and getting returns from these two investments will be significant to personal happiness, according to the theory of eudemonia, which states that the ultimate goal of human life is happiness and good life. This goal can be achieved by practicing virtues in one’s daily life and is defined as a quality that allows a person to succeed at an idea (Hinman 145). In this sense, the investment is recommended as long as it promises personal happiness. The investment should therefore be implemented as both theories support