Cabinet essays

Cabinet essays 1. What factors does a Prime Minister take into account when appointing The cabinet is at the apex of machinery of government as the central controlling body of the executive. It has a dual purpose - it is both administrative and a political unit brining together policy formulation and policy implementation at the highest level. As the cabinet is comprised of between 20 and 24 senior ministers, who are selected by the Prime Minister, it is imperative that when appointing his cabinet, his decision is governed by political and administrative considerations. Politically the heads of the main spending departments will be included as they contribute to and implement government policy as it effects their own area. Theoretically a Prime Minister will also balance the Cabinet to ensure all shades of party opinion have an outlet at the highest level. In practice, both Margaret Thatcher after 1983 and John Major from 1995 tended to balance their cabinets to the right and center respectively. Tony Blairs first New Labour Cabinet of 1997 included a balance of new and old left, but after his second election victory in 2001 he gave the impression that he was less concerned with driving forward government policy with a Cabinet of loyal Blairites. Therefore a Prime Minister must take political considerations into account i.e. he must include the leading members of the party e.g. the chancellor, as the economic dominion is frequently inclusive in much of the policy decision making process. Loyalty and therefore close allies of the Prime Minister are likely candidates of the cabinet as the Prime Minister must seem invariably on message and in agreement with decisions, views and policy in order to maintain collective responsibility and a defiant public image. Inclusion of opposing ministers is also considered as in cabinet they are unable to ...

6 Reasons Why Your Company Is Not Your Friend

6 Reasons Why Your Company Is Not Your Friend We all want to believe that the company we work for has our best interests in career development at heart. We want the company to be our friend, our rock, our resource. We want trust. But the truth is, when it comes to your company, you are the resource. And the only thing you can really trust is yourself. There are some rare companies out there that truly care about their employees. Yours might be one of them. That doesn’t mean you can let your guard down for any length of time. Loyalty used to be an important thing, but as employee tenure at different jobs has shrunk from long-term to medium-term and even shorter, and as layoffs and cutbacks become more common, you’ll have to look out for yourself.Here are a few reasons to help convince you to remember you are number one.1. Loyalty is a joke.Imagine this scenario: you work late, come early, put in all the extra time and effort- thinking that will be rewarded. Then the wind changes and you’re tossed out on your very loyal rear end. Your employer gets to walk away thinking itself a shrewd and prudent business, and you’re left devastated. You should have kept your eye on the ball.2. HR is likely not there for you.You may think Human Resources are there for you- to help you, protect you. Think again. HR is really a mechanism to handle paperwork and payroll- and sometimes training or morale-building- so managers can concentrate on their own work. And though they are there to try and settle disputes, they will side with the company every time. They’re paid by the higher-ups, remember. Not by you.3. You never know when†¦A layoff or a merger or even just a wholesale staff-culling might be just around the corner. Don’t stop looking for a job just because you found one. Keep your feelers out there. Keep a few opportunities on your back burners at all times. You’ll never know when you might need one.4. They need you more than you need them.This may seem contradictory , but if you keep this mindset, you’ll be able to adapt better when things go awry. If you get stuck in a position and you start feeling desperate- and scared you might not be able to find another job quickly- then start looking to build your confidence and flexibility back up.5. You’re never valued enough.Again, there are outliers here. You might be valued every bit as much as you should be at your current job. But if you aren’t- and you start to feel as though you’ve faded into the wallpaper, or worse, you’ve become a doormat, remember that you should be looking out for you. Find yourself a better opportunity and make a change.6. Opportunity doesn’t knock often.If you’re so loyal that you find yourself passing up opportunities because your boss â€Å"needs† you or your company can’t do without you? Danger sign! Of course they need you. But you are almost always replaceable. And they will remember that when convenient f or them- and most likely inconvenient for you. Make your path your priority instead.Loyalty can cloud your perception of how things are going in your department. Don’t let it. Keep your eyes open for signs that your company is imploding. Get out with the first rats, rather than the ones that go down with the sinking ship.

Rationalism and Empiricism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rationalism and Empiricism - Essay Example Empiricism after Hume’s philosophy, however, requires an a posteriori knowledge apart from analytical endeavor for such theory posits that matters of fact in the world may only be ascertained by perceiving through the senses. In the light of an empirical attempt for one to obtain certainty with truths that may be contingent, Hume necessitates engagement with observations wherein an observer becomes capable of designating philosophical connections with contiguity and identity of objects [2]. _____________________ 1. â€Å"Rationalism – Rene Descartes.† 2012. Web. http://science.jrank.org/pages/10983/Rationalism-Ren-Descartes.html. 2. Harrison-Barbet, Anthony. â€Å"Philosophical Connections: Hume (1711-76).† 2011. Web. http://www.philosophos.com/philosophical_connections/profile_068.html. A rationalist like Descartes proposes that the knowledge we may acquire is derived from the ideas that are intrinsic by nature. As such, the mathematical knowledge that th e sum of all three angles in any triangle is always equal to 180 degrees is an innate conception that is part of a universal set of absolute truths the discovery of which is made by reasoning. It is believed under the argument of Descartes that since genuine knowledge is inborn, God has created the natural laws for this knowledge to constitute our mental faculties inherently. The rationalist thereby goes on to state – â€Å"there is no single one we cannot understand if our mind proceeds to consider it† for the things conceived already exist as they are and are brought to cognition only to reveal their proofs yet to be unfolded in the absence of regard for senses [3]. On the contrary, nevertheless, an empiricist like Hume maintains that beliefs regarding matters of fact, hence, determine genuine progress for explicating that no self-evident relation exists when ideas bear apparent distinctions and separability within their number. For Hume, we possess no knowledge of s uch factual matters since connections in beliefs presupposed by cause and effect can only be yielded at after experiencing cases with similar characteristics that not even inferential validity of previous encounters would do alone to make adequate explications of these same beliefs [4]. What –ism seems to be stronger   in your mind and why? What are the arguments for and against Rationalism and Empiricism? Descartes is suspicious of the senses because for him, in order to fathom a significant truth, one must doubt all perceived knowledge. Since preconceptions are normally acquired by _________________ 3. â€Å"Descartes – The Rationalist.† 2012. Web. http://www.creatorix.com.au/philosophy/11/11f09.html. 4. Kemerling, Garth. â€Å"Hume: Empiricist Naturalism.† 12 Nov 2011. Web. http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/a5.htm#a-pr. the senses then these senses should be subject to scepticism as well. Once the intellect has been purged of its old content with the attached senses by the method of doubt, only then can scepticism be defeated on its own ground in the process of rebuilding knowledge upon pure cognition that enables a rational person to yield to clarity and distinction of ideas. On the other hand, Hume suspects reasoning on the

Retail Marketing Bachelor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Retail Marketing Bachelor - Essay Example Other important applications include informing the details of the company to the sales personnel, suppliers and others so that they become aware of company's goals and achievements. Let's look at the essential elements of marketing plan for a computer-centralize system for a group of hotels. High fields Hotels comprises a group of five hotels based in Southampton and concentrates more on weeknight business clienteles. Employing proper technological applications for appropriate work solves many problems. High fields Hotels uses outdated technological applications that create more problems than solutions. High fields Hotels use standalone PCs to meet the requirements like billing, checking in and checking out of the customers etc. Using PCs is not the problem; the problem arises due to non-availability of network systems in the five hotels. They don't have any central reservation systems that can keep them updated about the different activities of the hotels all the time. Most of the work is done manually at these five hotels. All the five hotel general managers are answerable to group managing director (MD). The hotel general mangers prepare a report by extracting the required data from various systems of the hotels and create management reports using a word processing application. This report is submitted to the group-managing director that would be analysed to make any changes in the daily activities of the hotels. FEASIBILITY STUDY Feasibility study is an important phase in the software development process. It enables the developer to have an assessment of the product being developed. It refers to the feasibility study of the product in terms of outcomes of the product, operational use and technical support required for implementing it. Feasibility study should be performed on the basis of various criteria and parameters. The various feasibility studies are: Economic Feasibility Operational Feasibility Technical Feasibility Economic Feasibility: It refers to the benefits or outcomes. We are deriving from the product as compared to the total cost we are spending for developing the product. If the benefits are more or less the same as the older system, then it is not feasible to develop the product. In the present system, the development of the new product greatly enhance the accuracy of the system and cuts short the delay in the processing of Birth and Death application. The errors can be greatly reduced and at the same time providing great level of security. Hence, we do not need any additional equipment except memory of required capacity. No need of spending money on client for maintenance because the database used is web enabled database. Operational Feasibility: It refers to the feasibility of the product to be operational. Some products may work very well at design and implementation but may fall in the real time environment. It includes the study of additional human resources required and their technical expertise. Technical Feasibility: It refers to whether the software that is available in the market fully supports the present application. It studies the pros and cons of using particular software for the

Tunnel of Love Essay Example for Free

Tunnel of Love Essay Earth has many hidden, unique and beautiful places. Ukraine boasts one of the most romantic places in the world: Tunnel of Love. Located near the town Klevan, â€Å"The Tunnel of Love† became an unique attraction in the world. It was formed on the train tracks, through union branches of trees, turning into a tunnel of green vegetation. There is however one problem with this â€Å"tunnel†. As it passes a train track and should be on your toes if you want to visit him. The Tunnel which covers railway conducted over a length of about three kilometers. This is the way of a train carrying for a wood factory in the region three times a day. They say that couples who go through the tunnel and make a wish have their wish fulfilled. Klevan is an urban-type settlement in the Rivne Raion of Rivne Oblast in western Ukraine. Its population is 7,470 as of the 2001 Ukrainian Census. Klevan is accessed via the T1B17 and H22 roads, and is located 28. 3 km northwest of Rivne and 50. 4 kilometres southeast of Lutsk along the H22. Klevan lies on the Stubla River. There’s a real place in the Ukraine that looks like this. This beautiful train tunnel filled with greenery is located in Kleven, Ukraine. Locals call it the â€Å"Tunnel of Love† and it’s beautiful even when it’s not all green. We love seeing natural architecture here at Inhabitat, and the leafy green Kleven train tunnel is a beautiful example of what happens when nature is allowed to grow freely around manmade infrastructure. The tunnel was made over many years as the passing train molded the trees’ lines. The train turned a luscious piece of woodland into a unique passageway as it traveled back and forth 3 times a day over several years. In addition to serving as a train route, the tunnel is used by lovers to make a wish – it is said that if they are sincere in their love, their wishes will come true. If you are out and about Ukraine, don’t miss this fantastic green passageway – whether you are with a loved one, or on your own. This gorgeous long, leafy tunnel looks like a green dream or a scene from a film but it can actually be found deep in the forests of Ukraine. Located near the town of Kleven, this luscious green tunnel provides passage for a private train that provides wood to a local factory. Measuring 1. 8 miles long, the unusual rail route in Eastern Europe is also a popular spot for lovers promises. The train turned a luscious piece of woodland into a unique passageway as it traveled back and forth 3 times a day over several years. The tunnel was made over many years as the passing train molded the trees lines. In addition to serving as a train route, the tunnel is used by lovers to make a wish it is said that if they are sincere in their love, their wishes will come true. If you are out and about Ukraine, dont miss this fantastic green passageway. Its worth seeing whether you are with a loved one, or on your own.

Inaugural Address to the People of the US :: essays research papers

Inaugeral Address to the People of the US   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hello ladies and gentleman, citizens of the United States of America. Today I will be reading to you my inaugural address, and will hopefully cover any and all issues or questions you may have about why you should, and trust me, you should, vote for me to be your president. The ten issues I will be addressing in my speech are: education, medical care, employment, welfare, crime, drug trafficking, language, environment, media, and abortion. Let me start with education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education is not something to be taken lightly. To many kids today are not getting sufficient education, starting as soon as kindergarten. My plan for education is to set guidelines and standards that will be relevant in every school. By a certain grade, each student should have been taught everything sufficient for that level of education. This way all students will have been taught the same amount of information at the same time. I would take away AP classes and instead put children who learn at an accelerated rate in their choice of a grade above their current level, or at a school specifically designed for children of their intelligence. This way in public schools, children not in AP classes will not in any way feel inferior. I will press for smaller classes, and more teachers, that way, children can get more individual attention that so many of them need. I will also make it so that colleges must pay more attention to the motivation of the student rather then the grade point average. To often high school students get rejected from colleges because their grade point average doesn’t meet the standards of a certain school.

How far does Somerset deserve his reputation as the ‘Good Duke’? Essay

Edward Seymour, also known as the 1st Duke of Somerset, in many ways did not deserve his title as the ‘Good Duke’ due to the fact that not only did he used his position as Edward VI’s uncle to gain autocratic power as ‘Lord Protector’, his arrogant and selfish style of government led to a collapse of not only the economy, but created many social, religious and political problems, leading to rebellions spreading across the country. Because of this, it would be unfair to call him a ‘Good Duke’ as his legacy did little good for his successors, having created a nation in a terrible state to save the governing of. Somerset (then known as Earl of Hertford) claimed the title of Lord Protector after the death of Henry VIII, when sometime before it was decided that he and an equal group of others (forming the Regency Council) would manage the throne for Edward VI whilst he was a child, ‘thinking it the surest form of government and most fit for that commonwealth’. Being the boy king’s uncle, it seemed natural for him to be his guardian, and he had soon gained trust by many members – allowing him the favour of being one of the leaders on this council. Somerset, however, played a game of factions, and his rise to power quickly as (self-named) ‘Lord Protector’ allowed the so called ‘Good Duke’ to successfully alienate others – giving his supporters positions of authority around him, whilst leaving those with other ideas along the sides to look upon with confusion and bitterness. Ruling alone was his style of government, and appeasing his supporters with wealth, offices, land and titles was one of his ways to keep control. Somerset, who had made himself Duke – building a grand estate for himself as if he were the real king – gained much resentment from the Privy Council, who, although offered Somerset advice, could see that he was not interested in their views. Sir William Paget – an advisor to the former king – often criticised Somerset’s way of government, noticing that the policies created by the so called council were those only of Somerset, and later he would be one of the forces bringing Somerset down from power. It seems right to suggest that the power Somerset held had gotten to his head – where every policy he wrote, decision he made, and action he took were nothing but his own, and this can be an argument opposing the title of the ‘Good Duke’ he has earned by some, being quite selfish and power-hungry, cavorting around as if he was the actual king. As historian Susan Brigden put it (New Worlds, Lost Worlds): ‘Since Somerset had taken the devising of policy to himself, his would be the blame if, and when, it failed’. As a hard on, military commander, it seemed only natural that Somerset’s attention would have been strongly focussed on foreign policy, particularly, the issue of Edward VI’s suzerainty over Scotland. However, it can be said that Somerset was obsessed with the idea of ruling over Scotland – perhaps using Henry VIII’s initial idea of marrying the young Edward VI to the infant Mary Queen of Scots to strengthen the alliance between the two countries, as an excuse for the insanely increased expenditure over the war. Although relations with France so far had been fairly calm, the idea of Mary Queen of Scots marrying the dauphin of France allowed Somerset to see clearly in his way what was needed to gain Scotland – a war – in his opinion. All seemed well for Somerset, who’s tactic was to defeat the Scots and French in battle and force rule, and this subsequently started off successfully – bringing England victory with the Battle of Pi nkie in September 1547. Nevertheless, Somerset failed to recognise the fierce economic problems that were facing the nation at the time. The previous ruler, Henry VIII had already mangled inflation with the debasing of the coins – yet Somerset foolishly allowed this to continue, trying to fund the war with the Scots. In his Lenton Sermon of 1549, Latimer spoke of the debasing of the silver coin ‘so reddened with copper it blushed for shame’. Financing the war was still a huge problem and Somerset’s tactics seemed to have been failing due to the inability to defend all the forts that had been blocked previously. Without money, the war was crumbling, which led to further problems with the economy. Crop prices were a new high, and it was hard enough to grow grain as it was – this allowed the people of England to start resenting Somerset. In terms of his reputation at the ‘Good Duke’, his actions did not support this title – firstly, he chose to ignore the increasingly terrible economic situation of the country, allowing the rise of inflation and poor exchange rate to continue as a result of the debasing of the silver coins. Likewise his obsession with resolving the Scottish conflict led to heavy military expenditure for little gain, with the resultant garrisoning expensive and frail. Also, by avoiding confrontation with France, Somerset simply passed on England’s major concerns to future monarchs. These decisions were clearly poorly made and short sighted, and whilst he continuously debased the coins of the ordinary, spent much money on his own lavish property and funding a war that he seemed to have underestimated (both financially and skilfully – he realised the French Army was very strong), he refused to admit fault in his own policies, placing ‘the cause of society’s ill elsewhere’ (Brigden.), the ultimate show of arrogance, allowing further bitterness from the Council towards him. As a protector and so called ‘Good Duke’ he seemed to have failed to make any effective progress. In terms of Religious Policy, it was under Edwards VI’s rule, and so under Somerset, that the real changes to the church started to happen. Henry VIII had not only left a legacy that was riddled with debt for the economy, but also tensions amongst the Catholic Church after Henry’s controversial break from Rome. Edward VI, who at the time was being raised protestant, was sure to make reforms that made the majority Catholic country convert, according to his father’s wishes. How things were done was up to Somerset, who, totally different from his hard-faced and somewhat cruel military persona, was quite tolerable in terms of religious change. February 1547, one of the first and noticeable moves to convert to Protestantism made was the denunciation of images in churches in London, although it was not an official change, this act of iconoclasm was fully supported by the government and the protestant extremists such as Nicholas Ridley, showing the starting of religion reform under Somerset. It was not until July of that year that the government sent out injunctions to further attack the Catholic church – this time picking up on things such as candles, bell ringing, stained glass windows and images of saints in Catholic churches across the country, with visitations made by government which were to ‘precipitate the most sweeping changes in religion England had yet seen’ (Eamon Duffy, The Stripping of the Alters). In December of that year came a further change which had significant impact. Chantries, which were used to pray for the souls trapped in Purgatory – a state between heaven and hell in Catholic belief – were dissolved, with these buildings turned into bookshops and other things. Although these changes were changing the appearance of Catholicism in England, Somerset seemed to have ‘gotten away with it’ so far, as although people were perhaps angry with the changes, a lot of people accepted the changes quietly – after all they were not too hard to live with. It can be argued that these policies were soft – and Somerset in a kind fashion had not introduced any cruel punishment to punish those who opposed his idea – which led a lot of Catholics to hide their churchly images in annoyance rather than rebellion. It was not until May 1549 that Somerset introduced the Book of Common Prayer, did he really have a huge impact in terms of the religious reforms. These books were a guideline of what was to be said at all church services, and were completely in English, which was a huge leap from catholic Services which were held in Latin. This change aimed to make churches simpler – less about money and the show of religion, but more about the faith – according to the most radical Protestants. If the Book of Common Prayer was in English, it would be easier for everyone to hear the messages of God in clear plain English, something Catholics disagreed with, as they thought only trained and blessed priests should have been able to read the bible. It was this change that acted as a catalyst for the later rebellions. Although these religious changes seemed somewhat inevitable, and perhaps would have happened under anyone – not just Somerset – it can be argued that Somerset did not do much to drive the changes that were being made, and instead he cared about the conflict with Scotland overall much more. Another thing to take notice was that Somerset was interested in foreign policy, and of course for the future succession of the throne after Edward VI. At that point, most of Europe was Catholic, and Somerset knew that if there was much radical change in England with the church, England would lose important links to major countries such as Spain – which to Somerset – perhaps was not worth the risk of fast change. On the whole, this could have been the reason as to why he didn’t make too obvious changes at the beginning, explaining the relatively slow progress of change, with some policies not lasting very well under Somerset, which would explain why he seemed to be tolerating of religious change and didn’t try and force it too hard, even though it did eventually lead to rebellions. In 1549 many commons’ uprisings were occurring. These were surprising – ‘Not since 1381 had there been such widespread rebellion’ (Susan Brigden, New Worlds, Lost Worlds). Particularly significant, two rebellions occurred under Somerset – the first being the Western Rebellions, in the Cornish area of England. There was a building of tension here with the Cornish, who had a history of disliking the government as they wanted independence. This very strongly catholic state was outraged with the religious changes being made – and so challenged Somerset and his government with a list of demands. The second rebellion was the Kett Rebellion, taking place in East Anglia – which occurred less due to religious reforms, but in rise of the desperation of economic reform, especially after the extreme expenditure thanks to the Scottish war conflict and the over-debasing of the silver coins. The rebellion – named after Robert Kett who took lead – also had a list of things they wanted changing, however interestingly, were written with much more politeness, and had nothing to do with the religious reforms. This suggests to us that only a few parts of the country had so far been greatly affected by the religious reforms under Somerset. These rebellions tell us the general antagonism and resentment the population felt towards the condition of the country under Somerset, suggesting that he was far from being a ‘Good Duke’ However, it is important to argue that it was not just Somerset’s fault – it was too the gentry, ‘who in pursuit of self-interest had abdicated their duty to the commons, seemed powerless to act and looked upon one another’ (Susan Brigden). Although about different problems and the uprisings seemed to be unrelated, there was a ‘particular sharpness in social conflict’ (Andy Wood, the 1549 Rebellions and the Making of Early Modern England) that was very significant, and this blame that fell onto Somerset led to his demise in the time coming. Somerset was growing increasingly desperate to sort out the problems with the rebellions, and so appointed Lord Russell, a nobleman in the West, to sort out the uprisings in the area. Although it took time and strength, on the 4th August 1549, Somerset was able to defeat the rebels in the west, leaving him only the rebels in Kett, against whom he was defeated humiliatingly later on. Somerset then turned to his last hope, as he saw it, the Duke of Northumberland (then known as Earl of Warwick) to help him out with Kett, despite knowing that Northumberland was actually his potential rival. His strong opponent successfully sorted out the rebels, and bought light to the failures of Somerset – his demise was inevitable – and his enemies (Northumberland, Cranmer) who once sat in the shadows in resent towards his arrogant and autocratic rule were able to speak up against Somerset, using his failure against Scotland, worsening of the economy and religious reforms done poorly to accuse him of being a unsuitable Lord Protector, as after all, he did fail to protect the country from rebellions. Somerset, knowing his end was near and his enemies were plotting against him, moved himself and the young King to the Windsor Palace where they were safer. Edward in his diary, wrote ‘Me thinks I am in a prison’, and when it was discovered that Somerset had in fact locked Edward up – thinking that the ‘possession of his person was the key to power’ (Brigden). When discovered, Somerset surrendered and was executed for treason – offering ‘his life, not his liberty’ (Brigden). The fall of Somerset seems like he was perhaps targeted and plotted against, and the fact that he had many enemies alongside the knowledge of his failing policies, supports the argument that Somerset perhaps didn’t deserve the title of the ‘Good Duke’. On the other hand, to not argue Somerset as the ‘Good Duke’ would be unfair as there are things that made him perhaps not as bad as it seemed. Somerset did indeed inherit a legacy full of debt, economical issues, and religious conflict from Henry VIII, and so it would be unreasonable to say that the rebellions started solely due to Somerset’s policies – as he believed he was just carrying out the will of Henry VIII. Furthermore, Somerset was often described being very caring of the poor – ‘Somerset saw himself as the champion of the oppressed, hearing complacently the benisons if the poor.’ (Susan Brigden). This suggests that he was not as brutal as he was made out to be (normally because of his cruel Military regime against Scotland), another reason as to why he good have been considered ‘Good’ to an extent, as previous Monarchs/rulers weren’t often praised with ‘Oh the commons pray for you sir’. Also, he could also be compared to the Duke of Northumberland, who inherits his position as Lord Protector. Northumberland has been compared to being a typical ‘Machiavellian’ character – a person who stabbed the back of others to get what he wanted, and although reform was perhaps more effective under Northumberland, it would be unfair to, if talking in terms of morals, call Northumberland a better Duke than Somerset. Overall, there are some things supporting the argument that Somerset could be described as a ‘Good Duke’ if comparing him to Northumberland. Overall it would seem that Somerset did not deserve the title as the ‘Good Duke’ because of the overall negative effect he had in government, and his policies that failed to successfully bring religious reform in the country, whilst causing further economic damage due to his blind war expenditure from his obsession with the Scotland conflict. Somerset’s overall attitude towards governing was also partly to blame – he created many enemies for himself due to making decisions on his own constantly, alienating certain members who would then plot against him and because of this, he would be solely to blame for the actions he took. Although he didn’t mean to cause extra damage, it is undeniable that his actions proved that he didn’t deserve to be called the ‘Good Duke’.

English Literature Commentary Essay

‘The Crystal Cabinet’ is an outstanding example of Blake’s use of an alternative reality to evoke readers to contemplate the boundaries of their society in light of knowledge about another world where these boundaries do not exist. Through the poem which was written just after the French Revolution, Blake offers the extreme of human experiences; as the central metaphor of the poem symbolizes a deep human truth which can be adopted with his poem, ‘London’. The poem’s simple goal is to tell a story and share a wisdom. The poem contains seven stanzas, several stanzas containing a different world and a different boundary; within each stanza one is able to find a rhyme scheme which closely follows a broken dactylic tetrameter. The Crystal Cabinet’s seven stanzas forms a superstructure upon which the story elements can be intertwined, and imagination can be overlaid as deeper themes of Blake’s philosophy can be also be embedded. The first stanza is the main and central metaphor which one should focus on as it unfolds line by line before connecting with the second stanza to further evoke readers on the different dimensions and boundaries. The first two lines in the first stanza seemingly represent’s a form of innocence, a new born into a new world that deserved a celebration which is where and why Blake uses the term â€Å"merrily†. However, one notices the semi-colon after the â€Å"merrily† as it drifts further away from the supposed celebration, as the narrator’s ‘Maiden’ puts the persona into a cabinet and â€Å"lock’d me up with a golden key†; the poems happiness and joy thus comes to a dramatic halt. The broken dactylic meter in the first stanza seems to be contradicting, as ‘merrily’ representing a form of happiness and freedom, is partnered with ‘key’ which in terms symbolizes a place where freedom is lacked and limited, where one is locked. The cabinet in which the narrator/Blake finds himself in is â€Å"form’d of gold, and pearl and crystal shining bright†, a contrast to the large and dull world of nineteenth century London. The second stanza, from lines 5-9, Blake is using the cabinet for which the narrator is locked in to emphasize an escape to a different world as opposed to a world for which he lives in, a dull and fearful nineteenth century world, in London. The second stanza contains two broken rhymes/dactylic meters as Blake rhymes â€Å"gold† and â€Å"world†, and â€Å"bright† and â€Å"night† together. Inside the cabinet is where we find â€Å"another London with its tower† – Blake uses to represent a temporarily forgotten evil of which the real city contained and the imaginary one within the cabinet was freed from. The cabinet that is described through the second stanza is a cabinet full of dreams and light, of beauty and no fright. A â€Å"world† that is surrounded by â€Å"gold†, a â€Å"night† that has a â€Å"crystal shining bright† light; this as opposed to a world where the narrator/persona is captured dancing merrily and locked up into a world of limits. The images inside this crystal cabinet â€Å"translucent, lovely, shining clear†; all of the people and places are presented in their perfect forms. Here, Blake comes to an agreement with Plato’s philosophy ‘that a world of ideal forms only exists beyond our perception’. His poem presents an encounter with the world, as the fourth stanza seems to be Blake pleading in hope that his readers will one day realize the possibility and potential which one can escape from their repressed society. â€Å"O, what a pleasant trembling fear!† is not necessarily speaking of fear itself, but the fear that this translucent, lovely and shining clear world of his will dissipate and once again, be ruined by repression – in contrast to the French Revolution and its impact on England and the people of England. Here, Blake uses another broken dactylic meter of ‘clear’ and ‘fear’; the ‘clear’ representing/symbolizing a form of clarity, purity, innocence, and happiness and the ‘fear’ that represents the loss of that clarity. Thus, allowing one to see the desperate desire that the narrator must have towards a peaceful world, a peaceful life that is not full of danger and fearfulness. Through this poem which catapults the reader into a realm of the persona’s imagination, Blake description and different realm throughout the fifth stanza is a world containing ‘love’, for which was given and returned. This particular stanza differs from the first four as it is filled with joy, happiness and love, without having a halt. ‘O, the happiness and joy for which fulfilled my soul as though a flame being burnt, no composition, no question, I seek the love as I kiss the lovely ‘Maid’ and found that the love I seek was returned.’ Notice the ‘Maid’ in the third line of this stanza, is capitalized, which in terms represents something more than just a maid we understand in modern day, for this ‘Maid’ is not one who cleans up after our mess, but a context used metaphorically to describe a woman in particular, a woman whom the persona is trapped with respects and cares about, perhaps a lover. Linking to Blake as the poet of this poem, must represent a time in his human experience of a lover which made him burn like a flame and smile ‘threefold smiles’. Another point for which one notices while reading this poem is the broken rhyme of ‘burn’d’ and ‘return’d’; the burn’d here represents a fire (danger), a wrath, however symbolizing much more than just a fire object itself, as it symbolizes a warmth, the warmth of love, which in contrast was ‘return’d’. Here in this new world of The Crystal Cabinet, the persona trapped is happy and is in a world where his desires are fulfilled, as is the desire of his lover, his ‘Maid’. When the persona suddenly breaks the crystal cabinet in the fifth stanza, after having tried to â€Å"seize the inmost form†, the world was ‘fierce’ and shattered; and the reader is convinced that both imagination and reason are incompatible to one another. Here, the poem suggests that our lives have been so dominated by the doctrines of society that if we do try to find any reason in anything beyond the confines of the familiar lives for which we’ve been put in, we will not succeed, but will fail. In terms of Blake during his time, this particular part of the poem suggests that people during this time, their lives, are so dominated by not only the doctrines of society, but the doctrines of the Church, that if they do find reasoning and truth beyond those lines that have been drawn for them, they will die, and that truth does not prevail because of the imposed laws and rules. Therefore, the realm of the imagination that is transcended can not be quantified by either science or mathematics, nor can it be philosophized according to the laws of the State or the Church’s teachings, limiting the human minds, locking each human up with a golden key, only allowing the locked up humans to use their ‘alternative reality’ minds to go into other realms of the world. The last stanza, striking to the reader as to the narrator, basically states that ‘although one has been locked up into a crystal cabinet with a golden key, having experienced different realms of the world and having loved and loved back, one opens their eyes (†¦seize the inmost form†¦ but burst the Crystal Cabinet†¦) they break through the cabinet and once again, is back into the reality of fear and danger, back to the fearful nineteenth century world of London. As babies crying because their births are of no happy events as it only represents a continuation of this ‘woe’ (linking to ‘London’ as well as last line of ‘The Crystal Cabinet’), and ‘weeping Woman pale reclin’d’, representing the ‘plague’ from the Sexually Transmitted Diseases woman get from their husbands; there is no happiness, no other dimension that is capable of allowing one to escape reality forever, as the persona is born i nto a world ‘fill’d with woes the passing wind’. In conclusion, this crystal cabinet symbolizes a unique opportunity to unfold meaning and explore further into those minds of the nineteenth century. Using the metaphorical visionary/images to help set a stage for a greater understanding of the environment, situation and journey for which is also a realization of the philosophy of William Blake. This poem is independent, yet linked through the narrative, using color scheme and the re-use of objects and words from other narrative elements, these different realms of world’s and spaces produces a unique, harmonic, and fearful resonance to viewers. It is when the four-fold vision is sought as the Crystal Cabinet breaks, in the seventh and final stanza, summing up everything the poem means and has stood for, is returned back to the original place and location for which they had entered, in the town squares of London. Here, the readers experience has thus triggered a new perception of London, as this perception is the perception seen through the eyes of William Blake himself.

Notes on the Fourteenth Amendment essays

Notes on the Fourteenth Amendment essays On June 13, 1866, Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the House of Representatives and the nation's most prominent Radical Republican, addressed his congressional colleagues on the issue of the Fourteenth Amendment. The purpose of this amendment was to secure the fruits of Union victory in the Civil War by guaranteeing equal civil rights for the freed slaves and loyal governments in the South. Stevens had a public career that included the "Slave Power" and for equal rights for black Americans. He refused to sign the state of Pennsylvania's new frame of government because it abrogated the right of the African American to vote, he fought against the expansion of slavery, and during the secession crisis, opposed compromise with the South. Once the Civil War began, he was among the first to advocate the emancipation of slaves and the enrollment of black soldiers. During the era of Reconstruction, he was the most prominent advocate, for example, of distributing land to former slaves so that they might have an economic foundation for their freedom. Stevens gave a speech on June 13 of his political creed. A few moments later, the Fourteenth Amendment was approved by the House with a final vote of 120-32. Three days later, having been approved by the Senate shortly before the House vote, the amendment was sent to the states for ratification. It became a part of the Constitution on July 28, 1868. The Fourteenth Amendment prohibited the states from abridging the equality before the law of American citizens, provided for a reduction in representation in Congress should any state deprive male citizens the right to vote, excluded Confederates who had previously taken a constitutional oath from holding state or federal office, and prohibited payment of the Confederate debt. In May 1865, President Andrew Johnson announced his plan for reuniting the nation, launching the era of presidential Reconstruction. The essentials of his Reconstruction plan a...

Tips for perfect proofreading - Emphasis

Tips for perfect proofreading Tips for perfect proofreading Its turned into proofing week here at the Emphasis blog. In this final part, we aim to finish turning you into mistake-spotting machines. How Stocking up on red pens is just the beginning. Follow these tips to ensure you always prove your proofreading prowess. Proofread in the morning if you can if youre tired, youre more likely to miss things. Proofread at least twice once for sense, once for technical accuracy. Read backwards for typos so youre not distracted by the meaning of the words. Use a blank sheet of paper to cover material not yet proofed and point to each word as you go. Print documents off to proofread its much more effective than trying to do it onscreen. [Note: If, however, your office or personal policy is to minimise printing for the sake of the environment, at least use a pen or pencil to point to each word onscreen as you go.] What Look out for: clusters of mistakes: the elation of spotting one may lead you to miss the one right next to it repetition of words particularly split over two lines commonly mixed up words, eg there and their, or principle and principal little words big words draw the eye brackets and speech marks is the second one in the right place? And finally Here are a few clarifying pointers inspired by the challenge worth raising: Its very easy to overlook titles, subtitles and headings, or subject lines in email (particularly as they wont be spellchecked). Dont! There was a howler in this one. Depending on your companys style, you may not need to put a comma after the salutation and sign off in letters and emails. If you do use them, be consistent ie use them after both Its only needs an apostrophe when its short for it is or it has. When it shows possession, it doesnt have one. If youre having trouble placing an apostrophe in a less-than-familiar construction (eg each others work), just reverse it like so: the work of each other (not others). So here it needs to go after the r. Youd only put a full stop or any other punctuation inside a bracket if the brackets contain a full sentence. If they contain an aside, the punctuation will be outside. For example: From now on, lets make sure that nothing is sent out without first being proofread (this includes email). Happy proofing!

The Basques Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Basques - Research Paper Example With the incursion of the modern industrial age, however, in the form of mines and steel mills, much of the Basque tradition has disappeared along with its unique language, Catalan. Over the past thirty or so movements have arise to stop this progressive cultural deterioration and to restore the identity of the Basques—their language and culture—to former glory. These movements, however, suggest a separatist government apart of the central government of Spain, a demand fought violently by separatists groups that have to an extent damaged the Basque cause. The good position in which the Basques now find themselves can only maintained by denying the separatist movement as a radical tool of the past no longer necessary. The Basques: Background and History The homeland of the Basques, known by Basque nationalists as Euzkadi, lays claim to some of the oldest known people in Europe. Their land occupies the area on the French border near the Bay of Biscay and east to the area of San Sebastian. Although over the centuries overrun by scores of invading hordes from the south and east, the Basques remained until the tenth century â€Å"a fairly isolated† (Solsten and Meditz par 3) and distinct cultural group. Divided originally into two autonomous regions, the area was eventually absorbed by the powerful kingdom of Navarre. By the 16th century the kingdom became fragmented and war torn, and the Basque region was subsequently absorbed by the powerful lords of Castile--an event which even today raises the ire of true Basques who see themselves as separate in culture and language from the Castilian majority. Earlier Basque provinces were recognized as separate political entities with fueros, or full local privileges by the central governm ent of Castile and all went smoothly. But with the full centralization of the Spanish state and the protracted Carlist wars of the 1800s, the fueros were abolished, leaving the Basques and their culture at the mercy of various kings. Moves to reestablish the Basque region as autonomous from Castile in the 1930s were thwarted by the bloody Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. (Solsten and Meditz par 3) Worse for the Basques, with the victory of the Falangists over the Spanish Republican army, and the rise of Dictator Generalissimo Franco, the Basques became targets of Franco’s frenetic attempts to extinguish their language and culture and force them into the Spanish mainstream. With Franco’s death in the 1970s restrictions on the Basques and their culture were largely lifted, but feelings of absorption by the central Spanish regime remained an issue. For the Basques, their unsettled history from the mid-1900s onward has been one â€Å"clash† after the next with the â €Å"other Spain.† They resent the influx of heavy industrial activity—mines and steel mills—activity which brought a steady stream of non-Basque migrants to further dilute the language and culture. This steady decline of culture, while accepted by some, has been the root of serious violent disagreement over time between the Spanish government at large in Castile and hard core separatists in the form of the well-publicized terrorist activities of the ETA and its membership. The Basques: Politics Firstly, it is important to note that what constitutes being a Basque does not require residency in Spain or the Basque region. Many Basques, for a variety of reasons include those economic had left Spain over time and settled all over the world. As with other nationalities which have dispersed, there is a tendency to continue to identify with the group. This is sometimes true of the Basque, and sometimes not. In Belgium, for instance, there is a strong tendency to follow political