The New World free essay sample

The idea of a glorious earthly paradise far from the known world had existed in the European imagination long before 1492. That idea of a distant paradise on earth shaped the way Europeans came to think of America after Columbus and his successors reported their discoveries. For example, the following mythic lands may have served as inspirations for the alluring idea of America as a place of joy, ease, riches, and regeneration: a. the Garden of the Hesperides of Greek myth b. the Elysian Fields described by the poet Homer c. the Islands of the Blessed, described by Hesiod, Horace, and Pindar d. Atlantis, described by Plato in the Timaeus and the Critias e. the Garden of Eden f. the Fortunate Isles, described in the Voyage of St. Brendan (ninth century) g. the enchanted gardens of Renaissance literature Columbus’s discovery of America has been described as â€Å"perhaps the most important event recorded in secular history. We will write a custom essay sample on The New World or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † On the other hand, it has been pointed out that had Columbus not discovered America, it would soon have been discovered by some other explorer. Edmundo O’Gorman, in The Invention of America (1961), asserted that America was not discovered but was invented by Europeans in the 16th and following centuries. The contrary idea of America as a place of degenerated plants, animals, and humans was also held by Europeans long before it was set forth by the French naturalist Buffon (1707–1788) in the early volumes of his Natural History (1749–1804). Thomas Jefferson made effective reply in his Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), but remnants of the idea continued to persist in the European popular mind. Modern readers are often surprised to learn of Columbus’s never-ending insistence, even in the face of contrary evidence, that he had reached the coast of Asia, not a new continent. That mistaken certainty was in large part caused by his faith in faulty calculations showing the earth’s circumference to be about 18,000 rather than 25,000 miles. The ancient geographer Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the earth with nearly perfect accuracy in the third century BCE. But Columbus, as did the best navigators of his time, relied on charts based on measurements made by the second-century-CE astronomer Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus). The calculation of the earth’s circumference presented in Ptolemy’s Guide to Geography (published, in Latin, in 1409) was off by more than 25 percent. Had the calculation been accurate, Columbus would have been correct in assuming that after sailing west for 33 days, he had indeed reached the Orient. Columbus’s writing style is spare and unornamented. In contrast, the letters (the first published in 1504) of Amerigo Vespucci, reporting his voyages to the New World from 1497 to 1504 (he claimed four,historians credit him with two), were filled with vivid and titillating details describing the new land and its inhabitants. As a result, Vespucci’s reports received greater attention throughout Europe than the reports (as distinct from the discovery itself) of Columbus. Because of Vespucci’s renown and because of his real accomplishments, the German geographer Martin Waldseemuller, in making his influential map of the new continent (1507), applied the name â€Å"America† to South America. Eventually, through popular usage, â€Å"America† came to be used for the North America as well. Vespucci’s voyage of 1501–1502 (under the flag of Portugal) along the coast of South America was the first extended exploration of the coast of the New World and the first to show clearly that the new lands were not a part of Asia but a new continent. That discovery is said by Vespucci’s partisans to justify naming the new continent America. Nevertheless, Vespucci has been vilified as a braggart and a windbag. Doubt has been cast on his accomplishments, although in recent decades they have in part been verified and shown to be substantial. Columbus’s first letter was printed and published in nine versions in 1493, and by 1500 it had appeared in nearly twenty editions. Yet his reports did not inspire the immediate outpouring of writing, personal and public, on the New World that might be expected. Indeed, from the last decades of the fifteenth century to the beginning decades of the seventeenth century, â€Å"four times as many books were devoted to the Turks and Asia as to America, and the proportion of books on Asia actually increased in the final decade† of that period (J. H. Elliot, The Old World and the New [1992] 12). When Columbus died in Vallodolid, Spain, in 1506, his death went unrecorded in the city chronicle. His fall to obscurity was in part caused by the fact that he was overbearing and irascible, creating many enemies. In addition,  the stories of his failures and his greed as a colonial administrator diminished him in the eyes of his contemporaries, further discouraging the celebration of his name in poems, romances, dramas, and histories. Columbus had failed to produce the expected supply of riches. He had failed to provide his voyages with effective chroniclers who could glorify his achievements, and he had no ability to effectively glorify himself in his written reports. Nor was he associated with a singular dramatic achievement—such as the conquest of the Aztec empire that raised Cortes to the stature of an epic hero. In the sixth century BC the Greek mathematician Pythagoras declared that the earth is a sphere. By the fifteenth century AD that fact was believed by the vast majority of educated Europeans. Yet a longstanding myth holds that Columbus was almost alone in believing that the earth is a sphere and for that belief suffered the ridicule of his learned contemporaries. The myth survives today, preserved in popular histories, tales, and even in popular song lyrics that proclaim: â€Å"They all laughed at Christopher Columbus /When he said the world was round. † In reporting that he was the first to see a light in the distance, on the night of October 11, before the actual sighting of land on October 12, Columbus appears to claim that he was the first to see the Indies. Note also Columbus’s solicitation of support for further exploration, his offering, if â€Å"their highnesses will render very slight assistance,† to provide gold, spice, cotton, mastic, â€Å"aloe-wood,† and â€Å"slaves, as many as they shall order to be shipped.   The explorers and conquerors of the New World in large measure based their justifications (stated or implied) for conquest on a  the cultural superiority of the conquerors; b. the physical and mental inferiority of the conquered; c. the backwardness of the Americans’ culture and technical development; d. the obligation and the ability of the intruders to make better use of the land and its resources; e. the duty to bring Christianity to the heathen. Columbus does not use all such justifications. Note his report that the Indians are â€Å"of a very acute intelligence. † Modern critics of Columbus assert that his treatment of the Indians showed a disregard for their natural rights. But the popular idea that individuals have natural rights (much less â€Å"unalienable† natural rights) did not arise for several centuries. Columbus took possession of the newly discovered land â€Å"by proclamation made and with royal standard unfurled. † His act was not a dramatic gesture meant to awe the natives but a formal step (compare the flag planting by the American astronauts on the moon in 1969) to establish, according to the international law of the day, that the lands and their inhabitants were now the possessions of Spain and subject to Spanish authority. Having taken formal and legal possession of the land and its inhabitants for Spain, Columbus assumed that he, as a royal official, was therefore justified in capturing six Indians and returning them as exhibits to the Spanish king and queen, just as a royal official could order the lives of men and women in Spain itself. Because he believed that he had landed in the Indies, Columbus used the word â€Å"Indians† to describe the people he saw. In recent years the word has been attacked as inaccurate and demeaning, although Columbus did not intend it to be so. The substitute â€Å"Native American† has been advanced, and is the most widely preferred term. The term â€Å"Siberian American† has been offered in its place as a more accurate term, but it is seen as derisive by some and remains unpopular. Columbus reported of the Indians, â€Å"With 50 [European] men all of them could be held in subjection and can be made to do whatever one might wish. † Columbus was wrong. The attempt to coerce and enslave the men and women of the New World eventually failed. Yet the alluring idea of forcing native inhabitants to work for their conquerors long endured. For instance, John Smith reports of North American native inhabitants that they could be brought â€Å"all in subjection† and exploited by â€Å"forty or thirty† Englishmen. Discovery narratives traditionally report on the technical backwardness of the people of the discovered lands. In Columbus’s age the lack of technical development and the absence of metals such as iron and steel were taken as signs of primitive inferiority. In later ages, especially after the rise of the idea of the Noble Savage, a lack of technical achievement was taken as a sign of virtuous simplicity, of a life free of the dominance of the machine and the technological horrors that accompany it. Columbus describes the technical ignorance of the inhabitants and their unfamiliarity with metal-edged weapons: â€Å"I showed them swords and they took them by the edge and through ignorance cut themselves. † Compare John Smith’s report of the Indians’ fear of gunpowder and firearms their amazement at the movements of a compass needle. The technical ignorance of a reportedly benighted people has often been and is still used to justify their subjugation and colonization by a technically superior culture that asserts its right to conquer, usually because it can â€Å"make better use of the land. † In addition, there was recourse to the religious justification for colonization—the argument that Christians have the right and the duty to lead (by force if necessary) those living in spiritual darkness into the light of religious truth and to the blessings of heaven. The religious justification is offered as a benefit to the pagans themselves. The technological argument is not. Rather its end is the fruitful exploitation of the land and its natural resources for the colonizers. But even the technological argument for exploiting the land has its biblical justification in the declarations that the land exists for the benefit of man, who therefore has an obligation to exploit and â€Å"subdue† it (Genesis 1:28). That Columbus was a sincere believer in Christianity is not in doubt. His devout faith is evident inthe names he gave the first islands he encountered in the New World: San Salvador and Isla de Santa Maria de Concepcion. Yet his religious motives for colonizing the lands he discovered have sometimes been dismissed as a disguise for his true motives: greed for gold and desire to extract riches from the land. The desire for religious conversions and for gold is evident in almost all the early narratives of New World discovery. Columbus hoped to bring Christianity to the heathen by establishing the religion of Spain in the new lands. He had no desire to promote religious liberty and would have strongly resisted the idea. John Smith similarly believed that the English lands in North America should be colonized under the protection of an established church—the Church of England. It is worthwhile to compare the views of Columbus and Smith to the views of the Pilgrims and the Puritans who wished to escape what they believed to be an oppressive established church—though they themselves then demonstrated an oppressive narrowness with respect to departures from the confines of their views. Notice the appearance in Columbus’s reports of themes later apparent in American literature: a. America as a land suited to Christian evangelism and the ultimate coming of â€Å"the church triumphant† b. America as a paradise of exotic landscape and people and of simple and innocent life c. America as a place for economic, political, and spiritual opportunity and personal fulfillment. THOMAS HARIOT Thomas Hariot was among the first British explorers to arrive in the New World. Unlike Columbus, he was at least as much a scientist as an explorer. He was particularly interested in astronomy, optics, and the study of mathematics. Hariot’s A Briefe and True Report of the Newfound Land of Virginia gives perspectives on the New World that differ from Columbus’s in accordance with his intellectual interests, as well as his nationality and the part of the world (Virginia, as opposed to the West Indies) that he visited. The third, and final, part of his report, presented in the anthology, offers another view of the inhabitants of the newly discovered land. JOHN SMITH John Smith has been described as the author of â€Å"the first English book written in America† (for his A True Relation of Occurrences and Accidents in Virginia [1608]), and his work is seen as a forerunner of a native, American literature. Smith’s accounts are also an early example of New World writing that emphasizes human qualities commonly thought to be typically American. Note his references to a. Practicality; b. Boastfulness; c. dislike of showy elegance; d. desire to exploit the environment. Smith’s description of New England combines two images of the New World that were current in Europe in the seventeenth century: a  the image of America as a paradise, a voluptuous land of easy riches b. the image of America as a land that would reward those showing the Protestant virtues of enterprise and willingness to work hard. The first image draws upon ancient myths that describe gardens of ease, joy, and eternal life. The second derives from the ideals of the capitalist middle class that rose to power with the end of feudalism in Europe. A third image, of America as a New Jerusalem, as a place for religious salvation, is not evident in Smith’s writings. Consider the rise to prominence of that third image after 1630 and the coming of the Puritans to Massachusetts Bay. Note how Smith writes of the visible, material world—describing plants, animals, and men—rather than the immaterial, speculative world of philosophy and theology. Smith assumed that the New World is for man’s exploitation, for his physical enjoyment, and for his earthly fulfillment—an assumption at odds with the Puritans’ view of the New World as a place of spiritual testing and of preparation for a fulfillment to be achieved only in heaven. Smith is often contrasted to the Puritans (and the Pilgrims), but there are these similarities: a. Both saw America as a place where individual men and women could escape from Old-World restraints and traditions. b. Both celebrated the possibility of communal, as well as individual regeneration in the lands claimed by England in the New World. c. Both condemned luxury and emphasized the virtues of hard work, abstinence, and enterprise. d. And both saw a life of ease and luxury as a sign of decay that portends inevitable destruction. Smith made no mention of religious freedom as a reason for colonizing. His own motives for colonizing (and what he believed to be the prime motives of others) were secular and materialistic: â€Å"For I am not so simple as to think that ever any other motive than wealth will ever erect there a commonwealth. † General History and his Description of New England are propaganda for colonization as much as they are descriptions of the New World. That is evident in the number and the variety of advantages he cites for colonization: a. profits for investors—†satisfaction of the adventurers† b  markets for English manufacturers—a letter survives, written by Smith to the London Society of Cordwainers (shoemakers) to point out that the Cordwainers, in their own self-interest, should support the settlement of Virginia because the rough land and the shell-strewn beaches of the New World were certain to wear out many shoes c. glory for the colonizers and their monarch—†eternizing of the memory† d. abundant raw materials, especially timber and naval stores (â€Å"pitch, tar, masts, yards†) e. good health for colonists—†not any was sick but two† f. riches (especially from fish)  freedom from harsh landlords, from law-breaking multitudes, from â€Å"tedious pleas in law† h. abundance of land. Who can desire more content† i. the bringing of â€Å"poor savages to know Christ and humanity† j. work for the poor, the idle, orphans, apprentices, and their masters k. sport for gentlemen—†For gentlemen: what exercise† Until the settling of Jamestown, English colonizing efforts in the New World were conspicuous for their failure. The only colonies that England had successfully established before Jamestown and Plymouth were colonies planted in Ireland. Some of the essentials for colonizing success set forth by Smith in A Description of New England (â€Å"provided always that first there be †): a. potent local government b. housing c. means of self-defense d. adequate provisions e. trained craftsmen Many reasons have been offered to explain why the Jamestown colonists failed to exert themselves sufficiently in establishing their colony: a. that too many of the colonists were â€Å"ne’er-do-wells† and gentlemen who were unused to hard work b. That the colonists were weakened by hunger and disease c. that the â€Å"communal basis† of the settlement discouraged individual enterprise   that many of the early colonizing reports, especially those written by the Spanish colonizers, encouraged the expectation that riches would be quickly found and profits quickly earned, that the â€Å"naturals† could be forced to supply the colonists with food, and that therefore diligent labor was unnecessary e. that the colonists expected their needs to be met by their London backers Note that none of the above explanations suggests that the English colonists, lacking government support such as the Spanish enjoyed, failed because their attempt to colonize Virginia at that time and place was simply beyond their abilities. Smith attributed the difficulties at Jamestown to dissension, weak government, lack of organization, and mistaken attempts by a central governing body (in London) to exert control at long distance. Such problems of government and society arose partly from human characteristics that later came to be considered distinctly American: a. radical individualism b. disrespect for law and governments c. hostility toward distant, central governments. Contempt for traditions of rank, privilege, and authority Note how such characteristics were prominent among the causes of the American Revolution, 170 years later, and how those same characteristics win popular praise today. It is also notable that the American environment and its great distance from Europe prohibited the easy transfer to America of England’s a. feudal class structure; b. widespread belief in the worth of a noble class and an idle gentry; c. upper-class contempt for those in â€Å"trade† or whose jobs required hard, physical labor; d. high valuation of the contemplative, intellectual life. The New World free essay sample That idea of a distant paradise on earth shaped the way Europeans came to think of America after Columbus and his successors reported their discoveries. For example, the following mythic lands may have served as inspirations for the alluring idea of America as a place of joy, ease, riches, and regeneration: a. the Garden of the Hesperides of Greek myth b. the Elysian Fields described by the poet Homer c. the Islands of the Blessed, described by Hesiod, Horace, and Pindar d. Atlantis, described by Plato in the Timaeus and the Critias e. the Garden of Eden f. the Fortunate Isles, described in the Voyage of St. Brendan (ninth century) g. the enchanted gardens of Renaissance literature Columbus’s discovery of America has been described as â€Å"perhaps the most important event recorded in secular history. † On the other hand, it has been pointed out that had Columbus not discovered America, it would soon have been discovered by some other explorer. We will write a custom essay sample on The New World or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Edmundo O’Gorman, in The Invention of America (1961), asserted that America was not discovered but was invented by Europeans in the 16th and following centuries. The contrary idea of America as a place of degenerated plants, animals, and humans was also held by Europeans long before it was set forth by the French naturalist Buffon (1707–1788) in the early volumes of his Natural History (1749–1804). Thomas Jefferson made effective reply in his Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), but remnants of the idea continued to persist in the European popular mind. Modern readers are often surprised to learn of Columbus’s never-ending insistence, even in the face of contrary evidence, that he had reached the coast of Asia, not a new continent. That mistaken certainty was in large part caused by his faith in faulty calculations showing the earth’s circumference to be about 18,000 rather than 25,000 miles. The ancient geographer Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the earth with nearly perfect accuracy in the third century BCE. But Columbus, as did the best navigators of his time, relied on charts based on measurements made by the second-century-CE astronomer Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus). The calculation of the earth’s circumference presented in Ptolemy’s Guide to Geography (published, in Latin, in 1409) was off by more than 25 percent. Had the calculation been accurate, Columbus would have been correct in assuming that after sailing west for 33 days, he had indeed reached the Orient. Columbus’s writing style is spare and unornamented. In contrast, the letters (the first published in 1504) of Amerigo Vespucci, reporting his voyages to the New World from 1497 to 1504 (he claimed four,historians credit him with two), were filled with vivid and titillating details describing the new land and its inhabitants. As a result, Vespucci’s reports received greater attention throughout Europe than the reports (as distinct from the discovery itself) of Columbus. Because of Vespucci’s renown and because of his real accomplishments, the German geographer Martin Waldseemuller, in making his influential map of the new continent (1507), applied the name â€Å"America† to South America. Eventually, through popular usage, â€Å"America† came to be used for the North America as well. Vespucci’s voyage of 1501–1502 (under the flag of Portugal) along the coast of South America was the first extended exploration of the coast of the New World and the first to show clearly that the new lands were not a part of Asia but a new continent. That discovery is said by Vespucci’s partisans to justify naming the new continent America. Nevertheless, Vespucci has been vilified as a braggart and a windbag. Doubt has been cast on his accomplishments, although in recent decades they have in part been verified and shown to be substantial. Columbus’s first letter was printed and published in nine versions in 1493, and by 1500 it had appeared in nearly twenty editions. Yet his reports did not inspire the immediate outpouring of writing, personal and public, on the New World that might be expected. Indeed, from the last decades of the fifteenth century to the beginning decades of the seventeenth century, â€Å"four times as many books were devoted to the Turks and Asia as to America, and the proportion of books on Asia actually increased in the final decade† of that period (J. H. Elliot, The Old World and the New [1992] 12). When Columbus died in Vallodolid, Spain, in 1506, his death went unrecorded in the city chronicle. His fall to obscurity was in part caused by the fact that he was overbearing and irascible, creating many enemies. In addition,  the stories of his failures and his greed as a colonial administrator diminished him in the eyes of his contemporaries, further discouraging the celebration of his name in poems, romances, dramas, and histories. Columbus had failed to produce the expected supply of riches. He had failed to provide his voyages with effective chroniclers who could glorify his achievements, and he had no ability to effectively glorify himself in his written reports. Nor was he associated with a singular dramatic achievement—such as the conquest of the Aztec empire that raised Cortes to the stature of an epic hero. In the sixth century BC the Greek mathematician Pythagoras declared that the earth is a sphere. By the fifteenth century AD that fact was believed by the vast majority of educated Europeans. Yet a longstanding myth holds that Columbus was almost alone in believing that the earth is a sphere and for that belief suffered the ridicule of his learned contemporaries. The myth survives today, preserved in popular histories, tales, and even in popular song lyrics that proclaim: â€Å"They all laughed at Christopher Columbus /When he said the world was round. In reporting that he was the first to see a light in the distance, on the night of October 11, before the actual sighting of land on October 12, Columbus appears to claim that he was the first to see the Indies. Note also Columbus’s solicitation of support for further exploration, his offering, if â€Å"their highnesses will render very slight assistance,† to provide gold, spice, cotton, mastic, â€Å"aloe-wood,† and â€Å"slaves, as many as they shall order to be shipped. The explorers and conquerors of the New World in large measure based their justifications (stated or implied) for conquest on a.  the cultural superiority of the conquerors; b. the physical and mental inferiority of the conquered; c. the backwardness of the Americans’ culture and technical development; d. the obligation and the ability of the intruders to make better use of the land and its resources; e. the duty to bring Christianity to the heathen. Columbus does not use all such justifications. Note his report that the Indians are â€Å"of a very acute intelligence. † Modern critics of Columbus assert that his treatment of the Indians showed a disregard for their natural rights. But the popular idea that individuals have natural rights (much less â€Å"unalienable† natural rights) did not arise for several centuries. Columbus took possession of the newly discovered land â€Å"by proclamation made and with royal standard unfurled. † His act was not a dramatic gesture meant to awe the natives but a formal step (compare the flag planting by the American astronauts on the moon in 1969) to establish, according to the international law of the day, that the lands and their inhabitants were now the possessions of Spain and subject to Spanish authority. Having taken formal and legal possession of the land and its inhabitants for Spain, Columbus assumed that he, as a royal official, was therefore justified in capturing six Indians and returning them as exhibits to the Spanish king and queen, just as a royal official could order the lives of men and women in Spain itself. Because he believed that he had landed in the Indies, Columbus used the word â€Å"Indians† to describe the people he saw. In recent years the word has been attacked as inaccurate and demeaning, although Columbus did not intend it to be so. The substitute â€Å"Native American† has been advanced, and is the most widely preferred term. The term â€Å"Siberian American† has been offered in its place as a more accurate term, but it is seen as derisive by some and remains unpopular. Columbus reported of the Indians, â€Å"With 50 [European] men all of them could be held in subjection and can be made to do whatever one might wish. † Columbus was wrong. The attempt to coerce and enslave the men and women of the New World eventually failed. Yet the alluring idea of forcing native inhabitants to work for their conquerors long endured. For instance, John Smith reports of North American native inhabitants that they could be brought â€Å"all in subjection† and exploited by â€Å"forty or thirty† Englishmen. Discovery narratives traditionally report on the technical backwardness of the people of the discovered lands. In Columbus’s age the lack of technical development and the absence of metals such as iron and steel were taken as signs of primitive inferiority. In later ages, especially after the rise of the idea of the Noble Savage, a lack of technical achievement was taken as a sign of virtuous simplicity, of a life free of the dominance of the machine and the technological horrors that accompany it. Columbus describes the technical ignorance of the inhabitants and their unfamiliarity with metal-edged weapons: â€Å"I showed them swords and they took them by the edge and through ignorance cut themselves. † Compare John Smith’s report of the Indians’ fear of gunpowder and firearms their amazement at the movements of a compass needle. The technical ignorance of a reportedly benighted people has often been and is still used to justify their subjugation and colonization by a technically superior culture that asserts its right to conquer, usually because it can â€Å"make better use of the land. † In addition, there was recourse to the religious justification for colonization—the argument that Christians have the right and the duty to lead (by force if necessary) those living in spiritual darkness into the light of religious truth and to the blessings of heaven. The religious justification is offered as a benefit to the pagans themselves. The technological argument is not. Rather its end is the fruitful exploitation of the land and its natural resources for the colonizers. But even the technological argument for exploiting the land has its biblical justification in the declarations that the land exists for the benefit of man, who therefore has an obligation to exploit and â€Å"subdue† it (Genesis 1:28). That Columbus was a sincere believer in Christianity is not in doubt. His devout faith is evident inthe names he gave the first islands he encountered in the New World: San Salvador and Isla de Santa Maria de Concepcion. Yet his religious motives for colonizing the lands he discovered have sometimes been dismissed as a disguise for his true motives: greed for gold and desire to extract riches from the land. The desire for religious conversions and for gold is evident in almost all the early narratives of New World discovery. Columbus hoped to bring Christianity to the heathen by establishing the religion of Spain in the new lands. He had no desire to promote religious liberty and would have strongly resisted the idea. John Smith similarly believed that the English lands in North America should be colonized under the protection of an established church—the Church of England. It is worthwhile to compare the views of Columbus and Smith to the views of the Pilgrims and the Puritans who wished to escape what they believed to be an oppressive established church—though they themselves then demonstrated an oppressive narrowness with respect to departures from the confines of their views. Notice the appearance in Columbus’s reports of themes later apparent in American literature: a. America as a land suited to Christian evangelism and the ultimate coming of â€Å"the church triumphant† b. America as a paradise of exotic landscape and people and of simple and innocent life c. America as a place for economic, political, and spiritual opportunity and personal fulfillment. THOMAS HARIOT Thomas Hariot was among the first British explorers to arrive in the New World. Unlike Columbus, he was at least as much a scientist as an explorer. He was particularly interested in astronomy, optics, and the study of mathematics. Hariot’s A Briefe and True Report of the Newfound Land of Virginia gives perspectives on the New World that differ from Columbus’s in accordance with his intellectual interests, as well as his nationality and the part of the world (Virginia, as opposed to the West Indies) that he visited. The third, and final, part of his report, presented in the anthology, offers another view of the inhabitants of the newly discovered land. JOHN SMITH John Smith has been described as the author of â€Å"the first English book written in America† (for his A True Relation of Occurrences and Accidents in Virginia [1608]), and his work is seen as a forerunner of a native, American literature. Smith’s accounts are also an early example of New World writing that emphasizes human qualities commonly thought to be typically American. Note his references to a. Practicality; b. Boastfulness; c. dislike of showy elegance; d. desire to exploit the environment. Smith’s description of New England combines two images of the New World that were current in Europe in the seventeenth century: a.  the image of America as a paradise, a voluptuous land of easy riches b. the image of America as a land that would reward those showing the Protestant virtues of enterprise and willingness to work hard. The first image draws upon ancient myths that describe gardens of ease, joy, and eternal life. The second derives from the ideals of the capitalist middle class that rose to power with the end of feudalism in Europe. A third image, of America as a New Jerusalem, as a place for religious salvation, is not evident in Smith’s writings. Consider the rise to prominence of that third image after 1630 and the coming of the Puritans to Massachusetts Bay. Note how Smith writes of the visible, material world—describing plants, animals, and men—rather than the immaterial, speculative world of philosophy and theology. Smith assumed that the New World is for man’s exploitation, for his physical enjoyment, and for his earthly fulfillment—an assumption at odds with the Puritans’ view of the New World as a place of spiritual testing and of preparation for a fulfillment to be achieved only in heaven. Smith is often contrasted to the Puritans (and the Pilgrims), but there are these similarities: a. Both saw America as a place where individual men and women could escape from Old-World restraints and traditions. b. Both celebrated the possibility of communal, as well as individual regeneration in the lands claimed by England in the New World. c. Both condemned luxury and emphasized the virtues of hard work, abstinence, and enterprise. d. And both saw a life of ease and luxury as a sign of decay that portends inevitable destruction. Smith made no mention of religious freedom as a reason for colonizing. His own motives for colonizing (and what he believed to be the prime motives of others) were secular and materialistic: â€Å"For I am not so simple as to think that ever any other motive than wealth will ever erect there a commonwealth. † General History and his Description of New England are propaganda for colonization as much as they are descriptions of the New World. That is evident in the number and the variety of advantages he cites for colonization: a. profits for investors—†satisfaction of the adventurers†. Markets for English manufacturers—a letter survives, written by Smith to the London Society of Cordwainers (shoemakers) to point out that the Cordwainers, in their own self-interest, should support the settlement of Virginia because the rough land and the shell-strewn beaches of the New World were certain to wear out many shoes c. glory for the colonizers and their monarch—†eternizing of the memory† d. abundant raw materials, especially timber and naval stores. Some of the essentials for colonizing success set forth by Smith in A Description of New England (â€Å"provided always that first there be †): a. potent local government b. housing c. means of self-defense d. adequate provisions e. trained craftsmen Many reasons have been offered to explain why the Jamestown colonists failed to exert themselves sufficiently in establishing their colony: a. that too many of the colonists were â€Å"ne’er-do-wells† and gentlemen who were unused to hard work b. that the colonists were weakened by hunger and disease c. that the â€Å"communal basis† of the settlement discouraged individual enterprise. That many of the early colonizing reports, especially those written by the Spanish colonizers, encouraged the expectation that riches would be quickly found and profits quickly earned, that the â€Å"naturals† could be forced to supply the colonists with food, and that therefore diligent labor was unnecessary e. that the colonists expected their needs to be met by their London backers Note that none of the above explanations suggests that the English colonists, lacking government support such as the Spanish enjoyed, failed because their attempt to colonize Virginia at that time and place was simply beyond their abilities. Smith attributed the difficulties at Jamestown to dissension, weak government, lack of organization, and mistaken attempts by a central governing body (in London) to exert control at long distance. Such problems of government and society arose partly from human characteristics that later came to be considered distinctly American: a. radical individualism b. disrespect for law and governments c. hostility toward distant, central governments d. Contempt for traditions of rank, privilege, and authority Note how such characteristics were prominent among the causes of the American Revolution, 170 years later, and how those same characteristics win popular praise today. It is also notable that the American environment and its great distance from Europe prohibited the easy transfer to America of England’s a. feudal class structure; b. widespread belief in the worth of a noble class and an idle gentry; c. upper-class contempt for those in â€Å"trade† or whose jobs required hard, physical labor; d. high valuation of the contemplative, intellectual life; Customs of labor, farming, law, and political organization. The travel literature of the 16th and 17th centuries commonly reported incidents in which New World savages were awestruck by examples of European science and technology. When Powhatan’s followers captured Smith, in December 1607, he was first exhibited before neighboring tribes. Smith’s description of events permits the conclusion that the Indians displayed him as a great trophy because he was a noble warrior (for his brave resistance) and a mighty wizard (for his tricks with a compass). Perhaps a better reason for the exhibition before local sub-tribes and their chiefs was revealed in 1845 when a manuscript letter (written in 1608) by Edward Maria Wingfield, former President of the Colony (and Smith’s enemy), was discovered and published. Wingfield wrote: having him prisoner, [they] carried him to [their] neighbors to see if any of them knew him for one of those which had been, some two or three years before us, in a river amongst them northward and [had] taken away some Indians from them by force. At last [they] brought him to the great Powhatan (of whom before we had no knowledge) who sent him home to our town the 8th of January [1608]. Pocahontas’s formal, tribal name was â€Å"Matoaka. † The nickname â€Å"Pocahontas† (meaning â€Å"playfulone†) was given to her by her father, Powhatan. Such nicknames were common among the Native peoples in Virginia. Powhatan himself had the tribal name of â€Å"Wahunsonacock,† the name â€Å"Powhatan† later takenfrom the name of the region in which he ruled. At the time of their adventure, Smith was 28 and Pocahontas 12 or 13. She died in 1617 while on a visit to England, well before any detailed description of her rescue of Smith was published. It is not known whether Smith saw Pocahontas while she was in England, and little is known of her true character. In his History of Travel into Virginia Britannia (1612), William Strachey described Pocahontas as: a well featured but wanton young girl, Powhatan’s daughter, [who], sometimes resorting to our fort, of the age then of 11 or 12 years, [would] get the boys forth with her into the market place and made them [cart]wheel, falling on their hands turning their heels upwards, whom she would follow, and [cart]wheel so herself, naked as she was, all the fort over. It is interesting to consider what qualities in Strachey’s â€Å"wanton young girl† and Smith’s savior helped make her the first heroine of American myth and folklore. Some points to note: a. Pocahontas’s similarity to ancient mythic heroines, daughters of kings who protect a heroic stranger renounce their native lands and people, yet fail to marry the hero—heroines . b. the similarity of Pocahontas’s experiences to those told in the various medieval romances c. Pocahontas’s similarity to historical American Indian heroines, such as Sacagawea (who served as guide and interpreter for Lewis and Clark) and Malinche (interpreter for Cortes in his conquest of the Aztecs) d. Pocahontas’s early appearance in literature, first referred to in Ben Jonson’s play Staple of News (1625) and then the subject of later works, such as (1) The Female American (1767), a novel published in London and described as â€Å"a second Robinson Crusoe†, and (2) The Indian Princess (1808), an American play, the first of many Pocahontas dramas, and the first of the vastly popular â€Å"Indian Plays† of the nineteenth-century American stage.

Enron Scandal Essays

Enron Scandal Essays Enron Scandal Essay Enron Scandal Essay Enron and why it was a failure Enron and why it was a failure Marcus E. Tucker University of Phoenix Enron and why it was a failure Enron, known today as one of the biggest business failures this country has ever seen. Enron who in the late ninetyâ„ ¢s controlled twenty five percent of all electricity and natural gas contracts traded worldwide, and was billed by Fortune magazine as Americaâ„ ¢s Most Innovative Companyâ„ ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢ for six years straight, became one of the largest bankruptcies in U.S. history in December 2001(MSN, 2008). This paper will explain how Enron failed as a company by using unethical business practices and also compare and contrast Enronâ„ ¢s leadership, top management and organizational structures to certain Organizational Behavior theories. Enron failed because it lacked proper leadership and poor decision making from its top executives. Leadership is a very important component of OB; it also is a huge reason behind Enronâ„ ¢s downfall. Enronâ„ ¢s top executives were good leaders; the only problem is that they were leading the company to destruction. One of the many definitions of a leader states Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (). Kenneth Lay was able to accomplish this task with his people, his employees bought into his beliefs and the culture of the company. He was not only able to gain a following from his employees, but also from outsiders who were invested in his success such as the United States government. Employees were working eighty our weeks and sacrificing their today for a better tomorrow, they believed that by working for Enron that they were going to richer than they had ever imagined. If Enronâ„ ¢s managers had made better decisions and had stuck to OB theories such as planning, organizing, leading and controlling they should have realized that the company was running unethically and blown the whistle on the company and its top executive officers. Enron should have been focused on the future, building a stronger structure and using ethical procedures that would help the company grow. The structure of the Enron did not give other managers or top executives the ability to make decisions for the company. Enronâ„ ¢s decisions were made by Lay or Skeeling, who had immense and unchallenged authority there should have been a board of directors who voted on the decisions and the direction of the company. If you were to compare Enronâ„ ¢s structure, to a company that has high ethical standards the two companies would be identical on the surface. If you were to take a closer you look you would find that Enron priced the value of its deepwater drilling operations higher than what its reserves merited. It claimed that contracts due in the future were worth more than they were. And most famously, it hid losses in partnerships, or what were legally called special purpose entities (). Reference: MSN?  (2008).?  Enron Scandal. Retrieved February?  22, 2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_701610398_2/Enron_Scandal.html.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion Kits

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion Kits Compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion kits  allow a mechanic to convert a conventional gasoline car to one that runs on the CNG. Although the process is complex, it is not necessarily difficult and quite doable. And if you are mechanically inclined, it could feasibly be done in your own garage. The other option is to find a willing mechanic that will install a CNG kit for you! This type of alternative fuel also comes with its fair share of advantages including more engine power, better fuel efficiency and longer engine life overall. However, there are also several concerns you should address before committing to fully converting your vehicle. You should consult a trusted mechanic for more information regarding the logic of making this change. Common Concerns One potential hoop to jump through could be emissions certification for your particular state - some states require special conditions since youd be changing the vehicles engineered fuel type. They all differ, and some are easier to work with than others. The U.S. Department of Energy offers this emissions certification information and CSA America offers a searchable database of compressed natural gas cylinder inspectors. Another be-aware-before-you-do-it-item is to locate the CNG fueling stations in your area to be sure you’ll have regular access to the fuel. This station finder for CNG and alternative fuels includes pricing for the United States. Another alternative, if you have natural gas in your home, is to install a Phill home refueling appliance. These devices compress and dispense a tank of fuel in about 8 hours. They are designed to be attached overnight, delivering a full tank by morning. Another option could be to install a CNG compressor at your house, which typically runs upwards of $4,500. Where to Get the Kits Fortunately, there is no shortage of vendors for these CNG conversion kits. Websites like  CNG Interstate  which not only offers a bi-fuel CNG/gasoline conversion kit and CNG cylinders but also a plethora of information related to understanding how they work.   Grimhall Vehicle Upfitters also offers CNG conversion advice for home installation and is a valuable reference for regulatory and safety information. Although their online store is still relatively new, they offer plenty of products for CNG conversion. Speaking of, chances are your local mechanic will also be able to get the right tools for the job, but if you live in the Denver Metro area, Redmark CNG Services offers alternative fuel conversions for a variety of American vehicle makes and models with installations available directly at their facility. Similarly,  Tulsa Gas Technologies  offers full conversions in Tulsa, OK, and Dallas, TX.

Unit 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Unit 2 - Essay Example (CFA, 2009) II. There is no single or correct value for a ratio. Normally, the ratio value may be too low or too high in comparison to reference value. Ratios can therefore mislead especially when they are not combined with economic need and management of the company. Therefore, one must consider the products, competitors and the vision of the company. III. It is generally hard to define the goodness- appropriateness of the ratio or its badness. Ordinarily, high cash ratio is historically classified and may be interpreted as a good sign especially when the company is growing, but could also interpreted as a sign that the company is no longer a growth company. V. The inflation also changes companys balance sheet hence affecting the profits accrued from the organization. Therefore, a ratio analysis of one company over time or a comparative analysis of companies of different ages must be scrutinized with understanding (CFA, 2009) I. Free cash flow is the amount of cash that a firm has in the bank at any given time, after all of its bills and payables are accounted for. It is determined on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. Free cash flow is given by the total cash flow or the earnings with noncash charges added back in, minus capital spending. II. Free cash flow is important in the progress of any business because an excellent indicator of the strength of the marketplace. It normally focuses on the ability to pay bills and the remaining cash invested in growth and expansion projects. It is vital in assessing financial health of the company because it strips away all the accounting assumptions built into earnings III. Free cash flow is vital and it represents the operating cash flow after interest, the cash taxes, and normal capital expenditures. This is the cash flow that is available to a firm or a company used for dividends, debt repayment or the acquisitions of a new business. Investors use free cash flow in

Effective Ways to Prevent Animal Abuse Research Paper

Effective Ways to Prevent Animal Abuse - Research Paper Example Hence, it is important to ensure that diverse means of protecting animals from abuse is done so that not only their rights are recognized, but also for ensuring the absolute end of such abuse. Among the most important things that can be done to ensure that animal abuse if prevented is for individuals to know who to contact when instances of such abuse are detected. For instance, in several States in the United States there have developed instances where there are agents whose main duty is to ensure that humane laws are enforced. It is these agents who have to be contacted whenever an individual suspects or witnesses instances of animal cruelty so that these cases can be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice (Beirne, 2011). In addition, it is imperative that all individuals in the society learn that all animals have rights and if their locality does not have Humane Law enforcement agents, then it is their duty to ensure that they report instances of animal abuse to the police. Once this is done, it would be much easier for there to be the prevention of animal cruelty because the involvement of law enforcement would act as a deterrent against those individuals who would normally abuse their animals. Additionally, for those individuals who live in a neighborhood they should ensure that they look out for the animals that live in the said neighborhood. In the circumstances when individuals are made aware of the animals that their neighbors keep, there will be an assurance that they will appreciate and be responsible for the physical health of these animals. As a result, for example, an individual will be able to notice the way an animal behaves; whether it is healthy of whether it has lost any weight. It has been found that the latter condition is normally a sign that the animal is being abused, and this should be reason enough to ensure that the matter is reported to the relevant authorities so that it is investigated. The result might be the possibl e saving of the animal not only from abuse, but also from possible death at the hands of its owner. It is a fact that without the calls that are made to relevant authorities concerning the abuse of animals, the authorities would not be made aware of the problem, hence nothing would be done (Girardi & Pozzulo, 2012). It is therefore the responsibility of all the individuals in the society to ensure that they take the responsibility of reporting animal abuse because it is the right thing to do, despite the possible consequences, such as the loss of friendships. In order to make accurate reports to the relevant authorities, it is important to ensure that individuals keep their eyes and ears open so that they are aware of any instances of animal abuse that take place in their neighborhoods. Concerning individuals who provide information related to animal abuse they should give as accurate, detailed and reliable information as possible so that a thorough investigation can be carried out by the authorities in order to curb the vice. In addition, it is essential for the individuals who are reporting to have a written description of the abuse that they witness so that there can be more accuracy in the report that may be used against the abuser (Peak & Ascione, 2008). Furthermore, it is essential

Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Swot Analysis Essay This paper gives a detailed description of the business plan that I have chosen. The SWOT Analysis will discuss strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for my proposed tanning salon. The paper will discuss in detail and, in some instances, how different factors of external forces and trends and internal forces and trends have different effect on the SWOT Analysis. The Business Plan The company and business plan that I selected was a business plan made specifically for a tanning salon. The business plan was an executive summary. It included the objectives, mission, and the keys to success. It also included a summary of the company and the products and services that the salon will offer. Strategy, Implementation, and Management summaries were included. Finally, it gives a detailed financial plan. This business plan is extremely detailed and can help give anyone an clear understanding of how to get a business started, what it takes in detailed to get started, and actually how much work and precision it will take to get started. This business plan helped me to understand and outline the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that could affect my proposed tanning salon. SWOT Analysis – Strengths The strengths of my proposed tanning salon are significant. The main strength that will make this salon become and remain successful is the desire and passion I have for the tanning business and the dream of expanding to different areas. Another strength that I have is the strategic planning and development before the salon ever opens. My planning has been extensive. I have planned around some more common pitfalls and possible failures. I also plan to send all of my management team to training so that they can receive the skills necessary to run my salon with minimum errors. SWOT Analysis – Weaknesses I have tried to minimize my weaknesses for the salon. However, there are some known weaknesses that I will have to face and overcome without any down time. The greatest weakness that I will be faced will is the challenge of competing with our salons in the area and getting my clientele built up. Another small weakness is the hiring of new employees. The weakness falls in to place by having to take the time to train and educate the new employees on all the rules and regulations. SWOT Analysis – Opportunities The opportunities for my proposed tanning salon are endless. The greatest opportunity for the salon would be the potential for growth in all areas of the business. The growth potential for this salon to expand to different regional areas is unlimited. The opportunity for new and up-to-date training for all employees will always be available and offered. Improvements within the day to day running of the salon and customer feedbacks are opportunities that can be taken advantage of. These opportunities can improve the overall customer satisfaction and efficiency of daily tasks. Through trail and error and making necessary improvements, the opportunity of making a better, more pleasurable tanning experience for the customer is very much available. Opportunities can be taken advantage of every day. With this business, there is no stopping point and the opportunities are never-ending. SWOT Analysis – Threats Threats are another component that I have planned and prepared for to the best of my ability. The best threat that stands against the success of my proposed tanning salon is competitors and competing businesses. My tanning salon will always have to stay on top of its marketing, special offers, and customer improvements. If anything lacks in these areas, my competitors will get ahead and gain the attention of current or potential customers. My staff can be another threat to the success of the tanning salon. If the management team is not effective in their leadership or faulty in their actions then the employees will become nonchalant in their actions and responsibilities. Having a disrespectful and disobedient staff will be a down fall to the success of the business. I plan to try to avoid this from happening by continually training and periodically inspecting my staff’s action. Although I can not make the threats disappear, I can effectively handle them as they come. Conclusion It can be said without a doubt that to establish a good tanning salon business is not an easy task. It requires extensive planning and preparation. A detailed and thorough business plan along with a well thought out SWOT Analysis should be an outstanding starting point. Although every detail can not be planned or worked out, the key to success is learning from a mistake and correcting it two-fold. In order for my proposed tanning salon to be a success, I must endure the tribulations and accomplishments through my own trails and error.

Maquiladoras and the Exploitation of Womens Bodies Essay -- Murder Fe

Maquiladoras and the Exploitation of Women's Bodies Works Cited Missing In a changing economic and political climate gender stereotypes in Juà ¡rez, Mexico refuse to change. With an increasing number of women forced into the workplace in maquiladoras(1), men's position and women's assumed position in society is being challenged. This changing economic environment in an unchanging cultural environment is part of the reason that young women are disappearing being raped and mutilated before ultimately being killed and "abandoned like meat by-products in the desert" (Pà ©rez, March 2004). These women's bodies are entering unknowingly and unwilling into a war about cultural norms and a changing economic atmosphere. The exploitation of and war on women's bodies in Juà ¡rez was set in motion long before they began being murdered in large numbers; it was instigated in the maquiladoras were they were working. Juà ¡rez is a popular site for US Fortune500 companies to place factories that have very law cost and optional taxes. The more than 500 maquiladoras operating in Juà ¡rez have drawn an influx of Mexicans who hope to get rich quickly. While the workers in maquiladoras are better of financially than they would be anywhere else, the maquiladora environment and cities are far from ideal. Maquiladoras employ mostly young women.(2) In a machismo culture women are preferred to men as workers in the maquiladoras because they can be paid substantially lower wages, while they also have better manual dexterity. Years of sexist attitudes have created an environment where this pay gap not only possible but entirely acceptable. The average wage is from four to seven dollars for a nine-hour work day and there are no benefits offered to workers. ... ...gainst societal norms that require them to be at home. This violation of the cultural norm may be part of the reason why their bodies are later abducted, raped, mutilated and later left in the desert. This phenomenon of murder is a clear message to the women of Juà ¡rez that they are overstepping their bounds and that the murders will continue—either until views change or the women step back into their prescribed roles. 1. Spanish word for factory. Used to refer to the factories in Mexico run by American companies where many of the women of Juà ¡rez work. 2. Although most of these factories have an official policy of hiring only women aged sixteen or older, many workers can forge documents and be hired as young as twelve possibly younger. 3. Mestiza means mixed in Spanish. Mestiza was originally used to refer to someone with mixed native and European blood.

Combating Juvenile Delinquency

These programs are the most recent ones in which as been around since 1901 to 1983 . There's two programs in which I look for has being able to geared on a straight path for success. Both are similar around the same action being pointed out for understanding in others viewpoint that take on with In a community that makes It stay in a clean community.The programs are the BSP and D. A. R. E. Programs that has taught our kids success from personal experience and from strict up bring Instead of spearing the rod rules. The BSP stands for The Big Brothers Big Sister Programs which is geared around families needs that helps to instill children who needs help focusing in living arrangements raising up on a not so good area neighborhood or just need that guide to achieve a goal in general with in the community. Dealing with problems with family incarceration.The kids age group are from 6-18 years of age. The BBS programs are models shown one-to-one relationship. The most that are active in th e immunity are Community-based mentoring school, Mentoring children of prisoners, being able to build blocks health children Initiative. Another program is the D. A. R. E program that stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education that's been around since 1983 It works with in 43 countries around the world. The D. A . R. E programs age starts form preponderating to the 12th grade.The police educators teach with In a class room setting, by which teaching kids ways to avoid outsides trying to drift them away to drugs gangs, and violence. The performance an clean and better life structure. The main sociological theory shown tit in two programs above shows teaching and educate kids to stay on the good path to keep a good community, stop the crime form occurring in the society, is the Theory Institutions Anomie Theory which Steven Messier and Richard Responded presented o the Marten's. Propose an idea that would improve the community would be to having better information about different way in which families work on keeping kids in more extra activities. Such as being able to teach with out hold low standers on their children. Be able to work with more educated adults that truly care of the well being of other regardless of their background. In the community have the church's step up and be more concise with trying to put forth more resource an time an money alone with outsource programs to encourage families an friends to educate instead of discriminate toward others.References (2011) Big Brother Big Sister of the Triangle, So many ways to get started 2/23/2014 Http://www. Abstracting. Argot (2014) Dare Dare Teaching students good decision making skills to help them lead safe and health lives. 2/23/2014. Http:// w. W. W. Dare. Org/about-garage Delis, M. , Hewitt, J,. & Region, R. (2014). Delinquency in Society ( 9th deed. ). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

April Raintree : Storyline Plot Essay

Through out this novel, a lot of tragic and powerful events transpire. They make the reader think quite a bit on what they have just read and after this, you tend to react. These events and occurrences are the main idea behind the story and they continue to constantly grab your attention and you keep you focused on what is going on in the novel. However, too many big impact and negative events take away from the story and it’s traditional role of focusing on one major element through out the book. The reader is ceased of time to actually think about what has just happened, before something else suddenly does. Beatrice Culleton has a liking for an eventful novel and it is definitely noticeable. In the first chapter of this book, we learn that April and her younger sister, Cheryl are taken away their parents, due to a severe alcohol problem. From here in, the negative events start to occur. After April and Cheryl are removed from their family home, they tend to grow independent and look out for each other. Along these lines, they endure many challenges and new experiences. They end up going to endless foster homes during their child hood years. The two of them travel from home to home and are involved in different situations at each. One of the worst environments from both of the girls was at the DeRosier residence. After April begins to form into a mature woman and moves on with her life, she ends up moving to the city of Winnipeg living in the core of downtown. At this point, she begins to see the occasional man every now and then, due to her acquaintances at her law firm office. Just when you thought everything was going good for April, things take a turn for the un-expected. The man who April believed was a wholesome, respectful business associate was nothing more than a cheating coward going behind his wife’s back to see April. Although this is a serious problem, I couldn’t help it laugh when this was mentioned in the novel. The reason being, is how many things can go wrong for April at this point? She’s had a rocky childhood, troubles at work with co-workers, and now this? The second most striking and shocking event that Culleton brought upon the reader was in Chapter 12, when April was raped while in the car. It was not  only bad enough that Cheryl was in the hospital prior to this, due to severe injuries after being beaten, but also now it was April who was in the worse situation. The reader is almost shocked, but at the same time, wondering what is going to happen next. If it was Beatrice Culleton’s intention to place these tragic events in place after each other repeatedly to the keep the reader involved, she did an excellent job. April and Cheryl experienced a string of bad luck and misfortune their whole life, and to read all of this is sometimes unbelievable. That goes to show that the native culture can be treated poorly, and it isn’t right. The final and biggest occurrence in April Raintree is in Chapter 16. Cheryl decided she couldn’t go on with life anymore and committed suicide by jumping off of a bridge. It’s ironic how this happened, seeing as how their mother took her own life by enduring in the same tragic practice. April then moves into a state of mourning with Roger Madison by her side for comfort. Before the reader can make sense of what has just happened, we are told of another detail of Cheryl’s past, her child. Not to mention, finding out about their long lost parents from Cheryl’s many journal entries left underneath her bed in a shoebox after her death. I can give Culleton credit for writing an exciting novel and taking the reader to the final end of the book still trying to get over what they have just read. In conclusion, this story line would have made sense starring more action filled characters and not young native women. Beatrice Culleton throws in negative occurrences way too often, and the story looses its happiness that we once had read while April and Cheryl were only children. The memories of each of the girls writing back and fourth to each other while in the foster homes sounds bliss at this point. It seems so un-real and out of the ordinary that both of the sisters experience all of this during one lifetime. On the positive side however, the author wrote a memorable novel that kept you in tune through out the story. You were provoked to keep on reading more and more, and for some, that rarely is the case while doing a novel study such as this one. One thing that was impressive is how Culleton ended the book off of on a positive note for once. April ends up being the foster mother to her sister’s child, Henry Liberty. With Roger by her side as always, April finally has some happiness in her life.

Masturbation Research

Masturbation Research Masturbation, although commonly practiced, is a sexual behavior that continues to elicit negative reactions, including embarrassment, shame, stereotypes, and misunderstanding. Indeed, contradictory cultural messages continue to exist regarding sexuality in general and masturbation in particular. While sexologists (sex researchers) and sex therapists describe masturbation as "touching one's genitals in a sexual way" as a means for overall physical, mental, and sexual health, others, such as religious leaders, have described masturbation as immoral (sinful), harmful, unnatural, and dirty. Various research studies focusing on masturbation have found differences in rates of and motivations for masturbation by gender, age, marital status, race and ethnicity, religion, education, and even body image. Further, individuals' use of masturbation may be influenced by prevailing cultural messages about its relative acceptance in contemporary society. Perhaps no other sexual act is both extremely private and publicly ridiculed. Numerous slang expressions are used to represent solitary sex, such as "spanking the monkey" or "dipping into the honey pot."MultipleMasturbate-a-Thon logohistorical records indicate that masturbation has been a consistent part of human existence. Historian Reay Tannahill discusses several ancient civilizations' implicit acceptance of masturbation amid other more regulated sexual behaviors, though masturbation is less accepted for status-conscious men than women. Some Greek women used olisbos, or the ancient equivalent of the dildo, an artificial phallus. However, by the 11th to 16th centuries, many social commentators, mostly religious thinkers, contributed to a discourse that increasingly described masturbation (or any sexual act not leading to conception) as dangerous. These proclamations influenced public opinion to view masturbation the same way. In the early 1700s, masturbation was erroneously called onanism, after Onan of the Old Testament "sp illed his seed on the ground." Religious scholars, though, have since explained that Onan engaged in coitus interruptus rather than masturbation.In the mid-1700s, Swiss physician Samuel Tissot promoted the...

Analysis of Stings by Sylvia Plath

In line 51 of Stings, writer Sylvia Plath uses images, suggestions and oppositions to develop her attitude toward men. In this part of Stings, Plath uses Bee King as his symbol - a man (Ted of her husband) is explained in lines 38-50, but she is a fierce, angry It is the girl of revenge. I am still awake. Because most of Plath's works are confession poems, they can be analyzed not only through the use of her poetry device but also through her private history. This poem was written on May 21, 1962, the second day we visited Wevils at the weekend. In most of Sylvia's biography, there is a frequently repeated story about what she returned to Smith University after trying suicide and subsequent hospitalization. This was the beginning of the spring semester of 1954 and when the plasma first saw a young woman occupying her dormitory during her illness - later Nancy Hunt, later Nancy Hunt Steiner became a plaque Let's take a closer look at Ariel by writing a short memoir about Sri Lanka's b est friends, their relationship. As the story says, Hunt spent a while in Silvia's room. And I felt that the previous resident was ghosted. Thanks to student talent and attempted suicide, Plath is a legend of Smith. According to Steiner, ... as time goes on I am getting more and more familiar with Plath's legendary details while guessing gossip by mentioning her name. Sylvia Plath was born on 27 October 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother, Aurelia Schober, is a master's program student at Boston University when she met Otto Plas, her father, Plath's father, who was her professor. They married in January 1932. Otto teaches German and biology, focusing on genetics and bee research. Plath returned to Massachusetts in 1957 and began studying with Robert Lowell. Her first poetry collection, Colossus, was published in England in 1960 and was published in the United States two years later. She returned to England and gave birth to her children Frida and Nicholas in 1960 and 1962, res pectively. On 27th October 1932, at the Memorial Hospital in Boston, Aurelia (Schober) Plath and her husband Otto Plath (3 years old) gave birth to a woman's baby named Sylvia. Otto Plas is a writer of the book Bumblebee and their way published in 1934. Silvia is still very young, but her father is sick. His toes were cut, heels only, and later the legs were cut. Immediately after these incidents, another member of the Plath family was born. Warren Plass entered the world on April 27, 1935 (Sylvia is two and a half years old). When Sylvia came to eight things, she spent the rest of her life on her. Her father Otto died as a victim of diabetes

Web-based HR Company Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Web-based HR Company Analysis - Essay Example The role of human resource management has therefore changed significantly, evolving from the traditional administrative task of predominantly payroll regulation and support to a more strategic role in a company’s administration. Some of the emerging new roles include occupation development, travel administration, production scheduling. Many companies have recognized that enhanced staff morale not only generates agreeable employee relations but also translates to higher productivity to the company. The establishment of a web-based human resources strategy has proven to be an effective way of solving many of the contemporary employee problems which have habitually plagued the employee relations between the employer and staff leading to low productivity levels especially in large firms that have complex staff problems. According to Richard Hubbard a director at Watson Wyatts Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm as, â€Å"compensation and benefits continue to become more c omplicated at most companies †¦the variety of health plan choices and the number of changes in the pension arena, employees constantly hunger for more information. As a result, there’s a growing demand to put data at employees’ fingertips through Web-based tools.† (Watson-Wyatts, 1). Hawking and Stein (2003) however argue that although there has been a lot of emphasis on business to business (B2B) and business to customer (B2C) planning, there has been minimal development on the potential of business to employee (B2E).