Discontinuity in Self-Reliance and When I Consider How My Light Is Spen

Discontinuity in Self-Reliance and When I Consider How My Light Is Spent  Ã‚        Ã‚   Ralph Waldo Emerson emphatically proclaims in "Self-Reliance" that "the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is that they set naught at traditions but spoke†¦what they thought" (515). Emerson declares that Milton’s greatness is attributed not to conformity but rather to originality. Milton’s break with consistent expectations is epitomized in his use of a Petrarchan sonnet in the poem "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent." Nonconformity and discontinuity in a man’s approach to life are the doctrines espoused by Emerson in his work "Self-Reliance," and Milton embodies an Emersonian outlook while inwardly searching for personal truth in his sonnet. The lack of formal structure in the works of the two authors enhances rather than inhibits the reader’s grasp of the literature. Although both Emerson and Milton employ a discontinuous literary style in their respective works, Emerson revels in his lack of continuity to further prom ulgate his ideology of nonconformity and inconsistency while Milton’s use of discontinuity is procured in an attempt to understand his place before God. The foundation for comparing the two works will be based on the following definition of discontinuity: any literary approach that deviates from standard structural form. The absence of formal structure in Emerson’s "Self-Reliance" has been derided by some critics as an "insuperable handicap" to an appropriate understanding of the work (Warren 200). A thorough examination of the work, however, evokes two fundamental claims: Emerson provides a basis for some semblance of structure, and complete continuity is antithetical to the fundamentals of Emerson’s "Se... ..." The American Tradition in Literature. Eighth Edition. Ed. George Perkins. New York. McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994. Milton, John. "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition. M.H.Abrams et al. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1996. Nicolson, Marjorie Hope. John Milton: A Reader’s Guide to His Poetry. New York: Octagon Books, 1983. Packer, B.L. "Emerson’s Fall: A New Interpretation of the Major Essays." 19th Century Literary Criticism 38 (1993): 200-208. Robinson, David M. "Grace and Work: Emerson’s Essays in Theological Perspective." 19th Century Literary Criticism 38 (1993): 223-230. Warren, Joyce W. "Transcendentalism and the Self: Ralph Waldo Emerson." 19th CenturyLiterary Criticism 38 (1993): 208-213. Wilson, A.N. The Life of John Milton. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983.      

Based on the thematic content of each of their respective works, what do you think Muriel Rukeyser, Adrienne Rich and Ursula Le Guin would have to say to one another about the social construction of Gender?

Muriel Rukeyser’s â€Å"The Birth of Venus† (Gubar and Gilbert, 1996, p. 1695) and Adrienne Rich’s â€Å"Diving into the Wreck† (p. 1960) are both poems which use mythical images relating to the sea, while Ursula Le Guin’s â€Å"She Unnames Them† (p. 1943) is a short story which uses mythical images relating to the earth.This paper examines how the three authors share a common thread in their intention to depict patriarchal constructions of gender but use different aspects of an imagined physical environment to show three non-patriarchal responses to this sexist culture.The title of the Rukeyser poem is borrowed from the title of a famous painting â€Å"Birth of Venus† by Botticelli, which shows the near-naked goddess standing on a shell and being transported by the waves on to the shore. This picture in turn is based on ancient Greek mythology and Rukeyser stresses the journey that the goddess has made from being created in a tempestu ous and bloody sexual act by the â€Å"father-god†, by which she means Zeus, to being re-created in a â€Å"lovely surf† by the male artist â€Å"as he saw her† by which she means Botticelli.Rukeyser sees the goddess as moving from one patriarchal extreme (the accursed and terrible goddess of love) to another (the rose and saving image) of human love. The poem shows a changed awareness of feminine power over human history, but it stops short of making comments on what could or should be done with this knowledge. Adrienne Rich also depicts a journey, but this one goes from the surface deep down into the sea. The main figure in the poem takes slow and difficult steps into an alien world where he and she and you and I are no longer relevant distinctions.The undersea world is a gender free zone, and it rejects not only the patriarchal technology that operates by power and force, but also the very distinction between categorizations of male and female. It is likely t hat Rich would be appreciative of Rukeyser’s insights, but much more insistent on doing something about them and moving on to find ways of freeing human beings from restrictive gender roles which are nothing more than mythical or artistic creations.Ursula Le Guin’s story takes the archetypal myth of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and explores an alternative ending where Eve rejects and undermines the patriarchal world order set first by God and then by Adam. The story focuses on the art of naming as the key to control over the beasts, just as Rukeyser identifies the act of storytelling or painting as a way of controlling women.Le Guin’s this story undermines the whole notion of hierarchy and classification. It is more radical even than Rich’s world view, because it transcends all notions of the individual as a gendered or even as a human being. Le Guin renames trees as â€Å"darkbranched tall dancers† and the moon as â€Å"winter shining† which stresses what the entities do, and how they appear at that specific moment, rather than what some patriarchal authority defines them to be for all time.In conclusion, then, it is clear that all three authors share some common starting points in revisiting the patriarchal view of gender, where men are superior and women inferior, but they would probably have many points of disagreement and discussion about how to respond to this, whether by just describing it, insisting on the fluid nature of gender identity or imagining a whole new egalitarian world where individuals escape all categorization, taking nothing for granted and approaching every element in the world as something new.Works Cited. Gubar, S. and Gilbert, S. M. (eds) (1996) The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Traditions in English. New York: W. W. Norton and Co.

Analysis of Competitive Advantage in an Absolut World Essay

Currently the fourth largest spirit brand in the world, Absolut Vodka is a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, the world’s co-leader in spirits and wines. (Top Ten Premium Spirit Brands Worldwide 2007, 2007). Considerably young in the market, and then a part of ‘V & S Vin and Sprit’, Absolut started branding and exporting their premium blend of vodka a mere 30 years ago, in 1979, where in, began the start of the iconic ‘Absolut’ brand. History of ‘Absolut’ Though the production and export of Absolut started in 1979, the start of the story goes aback a hundred years to 1879, when in Ahus, Sweden, a young man named Lars Olsson Smith, also popularly know as the ‘King of Vodka’ revolutionized the production and purification of Vodka by a process called ‘Continuous Distillation’. He called the Vodka made through this process ‘Absolut rent Branvin’ which in Swedish means absolutely pure Vodka (Lewis, 1996). Realizing the power of the name ‘Absolut’ he registered the brand name in 1879. A hundred years passed, as Absolut vodka continued to be refined and sold in Sweden, but by the late 1970’s, it became obvious that in order to sustain the distillery, they had to export their vodka to improve sales. The American market were the biggest consumers of vodka in the western world, so it was natural that Absolut decided to start their journey in America in 1979. In five short years, Absolut Vodka found itself being available in eighteen countries and by 1985, it was number one among imported vodkas being sold in the United States. (Absolut The Story, 2004) Production – The ‘One Source’ Concept Lars Olsson Smith had transformed Swedish Vodka, which was traditionally unrefined since the invention of the continuous distillation process. Absolut has continued to produce vodka in this manner. This production of superior quality vodka involves the use of high quality raw materials. Absolut’s concept of production is the ‘One source’ concept, where in, all the raw materials have been obtained from the same, singular source. The raw material for Absolut, which is winter wheat, is cultivated in fields surrounding the small town of Ahus in southern Sweden. The water which is used comes from their own deep wells which they claim are untouched by pollution and impurities, and the vodka is distilled, produced and packaged in the Absolut’s Ahus distilleries. 50,000 bottles of Absolut that are produced everyday are shipped from the small Ahus Harbor, to consumers the world over. Every single bottle of vodka imprinted with the Absolut brand name comes from this one source, ensuring that Absolut Vodka tastes exactly the same wherever it is sold in the world (Absolut The Story, 2004). The Absolut Brand When V & S Vin & Sprit decided to export their brand of Vodka, they hired Gunnar Broman, a creative director from a Stockholm agency to help with the branding, packaging and marketing their product. After much deliberation on possible packaging, they chose a bottle design that had been inspired by an old Swedish pharmacy bottle they found in an antique shop in Stockholm (Absolut The Story, 2004). As opposed to other alcohol liquor bottles that had long necks and square shoulders, the Absolut bottle had a short neck and round shoulders. The team decided to have the label printed directly onto the bottle, which was a brilliant innovation, as it further established the quality and clarity of the product (Lewis, 1996) As observed by Giep and Moriarty (2009, p. 79), â€Å"Thanks to its cylindrical simplicity and transparency, the Absolut bottle, though solid and heavy, is elegant and utterly distinctive†. With bold and colorful typography proclaiming the brand name and a brief story about the brand, these different and distinct features made the bottle stand out, and this is how the iconic ‘Absolut’ bottle came to be. The Absolut bottle has been at the forefront of every single advertising and marketing campaign that the company has put out, and is, literally as well as figuratively the image of the brand.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Ignorance is Bliss In Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus Rex† and Athol Fugard’s â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† we see the protagonists evolve from ignorance to knowledge in several different ways. As we watch this evolution we see both characters start at ignorance in very similar ways and while both take very different routes they end their journeys with similar complex consequences resulted from the knowledge they gain along the way. In â€Å"Oedipus Rex† the protagonist, Oedipus, starts from his entrance in the story at a place of ignorance.He is naive to the truth about his life and the direction it is heading. Oedipus is unaware that he is King Laios’ son and he will ultimately fulfill his destiny to kill his father and marry his mother, no matter what steps he or his parents take it is a fate they cannot run from. Oedipus’ knowledge comes only later when he realizes the truth, that he is in fact King Laios’ son and when he murde red the king along the road where the three highways meet he did in fact kill his father and go on to marry his mother (Anti 2. 192).The knowledge of the seer’s prophecy coming true leads to Oedipus’ ruin. In â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† the protagonist is Hally the seventeen year old shop owners son. The reader is shown Hally’s ignorance by how he acts with Sam and Willie. Hally treats these men as friends, particularly with Sam, the two are more like companions then a white boy and black hired help. Instances of this ignorance are seen in the way they spent their time together. Hally naively believes that him and Sam can be friends despite the place and time they are in and how is father treats them.Hally believes that since progress is seen in the world that he can escape his fathers beliefs and that despite Sam’s observation that some people are bad and that’s just the way it is: â€Å"Hally: It doesn’t have to be that way. There is something called progress, you know. We don’t exactly burn people at the stake anymore† (482). Like Oedipus, Hally is trying his best to fight his fate but he is only moving himself closer to it. Hally’s knowledge really comes when he and Sam begin fighting. When Hally is upset he takes that out on Sam because he can.He talks to Sam in a way only previously done by his father. This entire scene shows the realization that Hally truly is more like his father then he wanted to admit. Both Hally and Oedipus discover truths about themselves that they did not like and tried to run from, however they were unable to escape their fate and eventually succumbed to it. Oedipus’ truths are similar to Hally’s in several ways. First Hally realizes he is more like his father then he wanted to admit and in the end he just started the cycle of his fathers negative beliefs and attitudes all over again.Oedipus like Hally is also destined to become like his fat her, he follows in his fathers footsteps first by running from a prophecy then eventually following him to his own ruin. While Oedipus’ knowledge is more literal then Hally’s both men commit actions that have severe consequences leading them to the truths they uncover about themselves. Hally’s actions of taking his anger and frustration out on Sam causes his true ideals to come out. When he begins to act out the audience is shown just how much he really thinks like his father.Despite his best efforts to show that he believes things can change in the dynamics between whites and blacks, it is really not a strongly held idea as the beliefs of his father, that he as a white man is superior to his black help. The words he says to Sam can never be taken back and forever shifts the relationship between him and Sam, no longer friends they are now master and servant. Oedipus also deals with a similar problem. He also commits actions that completely change the shape of hi s life and can never be taken back. Like Hally Oedipus wants to change is fate.Where Hally does so by trying to be friends with Sam and Willie, Oedipus does this by leaving home putting as much distance as he can between himself and the man he believed to be his father. However like Hally, Oedipus in the end realizes that consequences for his actions. Killing King Laios and then marrying his queen are actions that have dire consequences for Oedipus and like Hally’s they can never be undone. While both Hally and Oedipus try to fight their fate and both commit actions that forever alter their futures, they come about in very different ways.Oedipus deals with his fate in a more literal way. Oedipus learns the prophecy he had feared his whole life was actually true by the realization that he did murder is father and marry his mother. These physical actions lead to Oedipus’ downfall and are permanent. Hally, on the other hand, comes to learn the truth about himself, that he is like his father, by his actions toward Sam. While no less severe they are more emotionally damaging and speak to the relationship Sam and he tried to have but wound up losing because of the fight.This is damaging but not quite as physical as what Oedipus went through. Throughout each story we see the evolution of the characters from their naive beginnings to the painful realization of who they truly are. Both characters come to several truths about themselves during their respective stories, in both cases their truths have significant effects. Oedipus’ knowledge leads him to his own downfall in order to save his kingdom from certain death. Hally’s truths about himself has a more hidden effect that is very significant and the true meaning behind the play.Hally’s actions during his fight with Sam causes a divide between them that is irreparable, it is the effect of this rift that is most significant. Throughout the play we see several instances of imagery used to describe the world the characters are living in and here is no different. The argument between Hally and Sam causes the same â€Å"dance† to continue. This dance is a symbol for the beliefs held by Hally’s father and the world they live in. By acting the way he did toward Sam, Hally is causing the imperfect dance to continue on.The effect of Hally’s actions causes him to start becoming more like his father then he wanted but cannot avoid. In both â€Å"Oedipus Rex† and â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† we see several instances of the main characters moving from ignorance to knowledge. While they gained insight into themselves it came at a price. For Harold it was the loss of his innocence and a bleak look at his future with Sam and Willie, with Oedipus it was the loss of everything he thought he had and his own painful exile.Each character tried to fight their fate, Oedipus literally by trying to flee the seer’s prophecy and Hally by doi ng the exact opposite of his father and befriending Sam and Willie. No matter the path they took each eventually succumb to their destiny and was forced to learn more about themselves then they wanted. Despite the painful ending it was a journey they were meant to be on. Works Cited Fugard, Athol. â€Å"’Master Harold’†¦and the Boys†. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2006. Print. Sophocles. â€Å"Oedipus Rex†. Trans. Fitts, Dudley & Fitzgerald, Robert. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print.

2008 Financial Crisis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

2008 Financial Crisis - Term Paper Example In 2007, the US entered a financial crisis, consequences of which are still suffered by the entire country. Until the crisis began and unraveled in 2008, most economists were optimistic. The US economy was growing, markets were considered to be liquid and employment levels were high. However, within one year, everything changed. According to Reavis, â€Å"the collapse of the U.S. housing market triggered the financial crisis† (3). Weak financial regulatory structure, lack of understanding the innovations in the financial sector, over borrowing and securitization of mortgages are seen as main causes of the crisis. Though already in 2006 the Treasury recognized the need for a stronger financial regulatory structure, the crisis was unexpected. Short run potential financial market challenges together with the long run challenges were discussed by the Treasury staff (Swagel 6). The result was March 2008 Treasury Blue print for a Modernized Financial Regulatory Structure in case of policy changes in the long run (Swagel 6). Possible near term scenarios were considered, with some of them being: market driven events such as the failure of a major financial institution, a large sovereign default, or huge losses at hedge funds; as well as slower-moving macroeconomic developments such as †¦ a prolonged economic downturn (Swagel 6). ... ge – backed securities, because â€Å"they added to the liquidity and efficiency of capital markets and made it easier for firms and investors to lay off risk† (8). The policymakers did not have a solid plan to save the economy. Moreover, the US politicians, financial regulators, and monetary authorities did not view any of the risks to be plausible threats (Obstfeld & Rogoff 6). This paper will focus on causes and solutions to the 2008 crisis. Previously mentioned causes of the crisis will be discussed in more detail. It will also be shown how causes interacted and thus also deepened and prolonged the scope and length of the crisis. As also mentioned previously, policymakers were not prepared for the 2008 crisis. Thus, solutions will be discussed as well. Prior to the crisis, the economy was over performing. According to Reavis, the US real estate markets were blooming: From the late 1990s into the mid-2000s, housing prices around the country rose at a compound annual growth rate of 8%. By 2006, the average home cost nearly four times what the average family made. (Historically, it had been between two to three times.) Demand was outstripping supply (Reavis 3). Despite flat incomes, families bought houses whose prices were rising. The Clinton administration enabled them to do so by easing the eligibility requirements (Reavis 3). Risky homeowners and the housing boom from the late 1990’s till the mid 2000’s drove the US economy’s growth through additional jobs in construction, remodeling, and real estate services ( Reavis 3). Families borrowed $2 trillion (Reavis 3). Mortgage-backed securities and credit default swaps (CDSs) became popular. A mortgage-backed security is a pool of mortgages that were bundled together and sold as securities (Reavis 7). They became

Teenagers' cool culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Teenagers' cool culture - Essay Example Rushkoff describes in vivid detail this loop, as the media studies the kids in order to acquire popular images and then sells them the images of themselves. The youth and teens are instantly drawn to these images thereby desiring them. Following this replication, the media observes the interaction among the adolescents and then create new images to fit with the latest trend, and so on. The important question here is the authenticity of the images of the prevalent teen culture ardently pursued by the youth, which is shaped by the advertisement conglomerates, whose sole purpose is the sale and profits of their businesses, regardless of the protection and protection of the true teen American culture and identity. The ‘cool’ youth culture is actually known to have been initiated in the 1980s when parents began to spend more and more on the needs and desires of their children, as a result of the onset of the nuclear family systems coupled with the double income from both working parents. This also happens to be the period when conglomerates began their cold wars with each other in order to hook the teens into buying their brands and maintain loyalty towards their brands. Marketing and selling acquired a major role in the process, where marketing companies began to hire spies, to inculcate the ‘cool’ teen behavior into their advertisements, in order to lure the youth into buying their products. The impressionable adolescents were obviously drawn towards these images of themselves like a pierced nose or eyebrow, or cuffed leg or sleeve. The cycle of pursuit of ‘cool hunting’ was a vicious and never-ending one because the moment a ‘cool’ behavio r was identified and adopted it ceased to be â€Å"cool†! The intelligent kids obviously became aware of this cycle and the 1990s saw an absolutely new defensive to this mechanism, a rebellious defensive by the youth culture. The smart teens refused to accept or adopt anything that was publicized as

Human Rights and Catholic Church Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Rights and Catholic Church - Essay Example The present age has been marked by the attempts of different types that ultimately aim at human rights. Catholic community has been safeguarding the human right endeavors universally. As opposed to the general conception, Catholic Church has always been advocating for the Human Rights and other privileges that make the life of the human beings better and easier. The Church has always given priority to the necessities of all the men and has stood for the well-being of the humanity. This humanity-based approach of the Church has been made clear through the various types of teachings and preaching of the Church. It is, by nature, driven by the better living standard of its followers as well as the entire human race. This is the same reason why the Catholic Church has always raised chorus of disapproval whenever there is a violation of human freedom and threat to the peaceful existence of human. Such uproars for the cause of the humankind have been powerful voice that has touched the uni versal conscience. Among the many examples of this human concern of the Catholic Church stands the contribution made by Pope John XXIII who made a major appeal for the universal Human Rights through the encyclical Pacem in Terris or, to use the English full title, On Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity and Liberty which was issued on 11 April 1963. The encyclical that addressed the faithful of the Catholic Church as well as "All Men of Good Will" obviously aimed at the human race as a whole. (John XXIII, 1963). Apart from the reaction to the political situation of the time, the encyclical also intended to emphasize the significance of respect of Human Rights as an indispensable corollary of the Christian understanding of men. In the encyclical the Pope emphatically states, "By the natural law every human being has the right to respect for his person, to his good reputation; the right to freedom in searching for truth and in expressing and communicating his opinions, and in pursuit of art, within the limits laid down by the moral order and the common good; and he has the right to be informed truthfully about public events." (John XXIII, 1963, para 12). The first section of the encyclical that aims to establish a vital relationship covers the issues of human rights and moral duties. It is the relationship between man and man as individuals. The encyclical, in the next section, goes on to address the relationship between state and man residing on the shared authority of the former. In the third section, the encyclical makes clear the necessity for equality among the different nations and the need for the state to be subject to rights and duties that the individual has to oblige by. The fourth and the final section of the encyclical clarifies the inevitability for greater relationship between world nations thereby mutually assisting for the cause of the humanity. The universally acclaimed encyclical ends with a plea to the entire Catholic community to assist the non-Catholics as well as the non-Christians in political and social aspect.