Saturday, January 25, 2020
Humanism And The Renaissance Religion Essay
Humanism And The Renaissance Religion Essay Humanism was a cultural movement that began early in the fourteenth century and was chiefly associated with the Renaissance during the 15th and 16th century. Wilkins defies Humanism as a scholarly and initially reactive enthusiasm for classic culture, accompanied by creative writing in Latin on classic lines (Wilkins, 1959, p.169). Humanism became the most important intellectual movement of the Renaissance, thanks to the early efforts of Petrarch (1304-1374) and Boccaccio (1313-1375). Giovanni Pico della Mirandolas Oration on the Dignity of Man (1486) became a humanist manifesto of sorts (Davies, 1997, p.95). Humanism, of 19th century German coinage, is derived from the late 15th century Italian humanista, or humanist, a teacher of the humanities, or studia humanitatis (Wright, 1993, p.155). Humanitas, from which humanist derives, is Ciceros translation of the Greek paedeia, literally cultural education (Kenney, 1982, p.258) or simply an educational and cultural program based on the study of the classics and coloured by the notion of human dignity (Kinney, 1986, p.xi). The Renaissance humanist movement originated in Italy. It was through church and literary contacts with Italy that humanism spread to Britain in the first half of the 15th century. At first, some English patrons paid Italian secretaries and scribes to prepare for them manuscripts of ancient and more recent texts (Cannon, 2009, p.336). According to Cannon, around c.1500 the teachings of poetry, rhetoric, and those classical writers neglected in the Middle Ages had become appreciated at both Cambridge and Oxford universities (Cannon, 2009, p.336). Sir Thomas More (?1477-1535) was one of Englands greatest humanists, a Christian saint known for his piety, devotion, and integrity. He was also a Member of Parliament, a diplomat, an ambassador, and Lord Chancellor of England. He was also a man of great learning and wit. Associated with the northern Renaissance, he tried to wed the Christian ethos with ancient wisdom. In 1535, he was beheaded for not acknowledging Henry VIIIs rule of the English church (Chesney, 2004, p.163). Thomas Mores Utopia (1516) is a Christian-humanist view of an ideal society. The books real title is The Best State of a Commonwealth and the New Island of Utopia, which thus refers to Platos Republic. More offers this vision not only as a mental idea, but also as one that humans can strive to create in this world (Hansen, 2006, p.214). The text is a self-conscious effort by More to offer his readers a Christianisation of Platos Republic (Starnes, 1990, p.22). Mores book fuses the practical implications of Ciceros vita activa, and the social radicalism of the New Testament (Peltonen, 2004, p.10). Mores book, Utopia, is the last great Christian synthesis of the Renaissance. The Christian aspect of the synthesis is Christs gospel of caring for the poor, the oppressed, and the downtrodden. The Platonic, Republican tradition is the Greek aspect of the synthesis (Scott, 2004, p.32). More wrote the Utopia with a satirical tone, allowing him to speak his truth while telling his deeper story esoterically (Sider, 2007, p.139). Utopia takes the form of a dialogue led by a Socratic wise man, Raphael Hytlodaeus. The first book sets the stage for all that is to follow, and the second book is an exposition of the communal, social, and political arrangements of the Utopians (Starnes, 1990, p.24). Scholars have identified a number of classical and Christian traditions that influenced Mores conception of the polity described in Book II of Utopia. In addition to Platos Republic, these sources are: Augustines City of God, the ideals of the monastic calling; the pagan virtues of wisdom, fortitude, temperance, and justice; and the notion, derived from the Christian church fathers that private property arose as a consequence of original sin (Baker, 1999, p.57). Such sources clearly place Mores Utopia within the framework of northern Christian humanist concerns. However, the absurdities and contradictions in Utopia seem to undermine the view that More was serious. The Greek roots of names create absurdities the expression utopia is coined from Greek words and means no place (Donner, 1945, p.2); Raphael Hytlodaeus name is also unusual. His Christian name links him with the archangel Raphael and means the healing of God, however his surname, Hythlodaeus, means nonsense, therefore his name would mean something like the healing (one) of God, knowing nonsense (Starnes, 1990, p.24). The dialogue form, so familiar to Renaissance writers, allowed a writer to argue the opposite side of a case precisely to follow up its implications. Structurally, Mores immediate model was Platos Parmenides (Ackroyd, 1999, p.425). In Utopia, More presents the real world in Book I and the ideal in Book II. In Book I, in the Dialogue of Counsel, Raphael and More engage in the familiar humanist debate regarding civic duty: Should intellectuals stay aloof from public life or engage in politics? Raphael gives voice to the ideal of contemplation, while More puts the case that Cicero made in De officiis, the case for action. Who wins the argument? The case put by More follows Cicero verbatim in places. Recognising this, it is possible to argue that More (the author) has refashioned Platos image of an ideal society in order to argue that service to the commonwealth, and perhaps the best state of a commonwealth itself, involves statecraft, diplomacy, and compromise (Guy, 2000, p.46). Hence, unlike Plato, whose ideal pointed to the only solution, More sought the best possible solution. In conclusion, Utopia fuses the ideals of Platos Republic, the political pragmatism of Ciceronian humanism, and the social radicalism of the New Testament (Wegemer, 1998, p.109). There are connections between Utopia and Mores own life. Utopia embodied Mores quest to understand the proper relationship between philosophy and public life in an ongoing dialogue (Skinner, 2002, p.224). Francis Bacons fragmentary text, The New Atlantis, clearly offers an alternative to Thomas Mores humanist vision of Utopia. Though composed about one hundred years apart, the similarities between the two texts are striking. Both narratives take place on remote islands previously unknown to European explorers, and the stories are related by sailors who, having become lost at sea, discover the islands when blown off course by life-threatening storms. Both societies, though unknown to Christian Europe, have through some miraculous event become aware of and been converted to Christianity, and both have benefited from social reforms made by a wise and enlightened king. However, the differenced are equally striking. In Mores Utopia, the problems the plague European society are ameliorated by a closely ordered communal society in which power and wealth are strictly controlled and evenly distributed. In Bacons Bensalem, however, the well-ordered society is a result of prosperity that is itse lf the result of natural philosophy and technology; it is a society ruled by wise men who study of natural philosophers allows them to reap the benefits of Gods creation for themselves and their fellow citizens. Mores text is a somewhat pessimistic view of humankind, which suggests that the baser elements of our nature may only be suppressed through the most vigorous control. Bacons New Atlantis is a much more optimistic text that hints at the relative perfectibility of human nature through art and science (Salzman, 2002, p.28). The New Atlantis was most likely written sometime in 1624 and was published posthumously in 1627 by Rawley along with the Sylva Sylvarum (Coquillette, 1992, p.275). According to Spedding, the story of Solomons house is nothing more than the vision of the practical results which [Bacon] anticipated from the study of natural history diligently and systematically carried on through successive generations (cited in Coquillette, 1992, p.257). Rawley called it a fragment, and it clearly seems to be incomplete (Manuel and Manuel, 1979, p.254). Speddings confidence in Bacons intellectual integrity is impossible to confirm. Many of Bacons philosophical texts are unfinished, while the aphoristic style of others makes them seem incomplete. It was, after all, a tenet of Bacons philosophy that scientific communication should be incomplete, a goad to spur the auditor to further investigation. Whether it is complete or not, however, The New Atlantis offers an intriguing glimpse of a society led by wise men whose knowledge is secured by natural philosophy, not an ideal world released from the natural to which ours is subject, but of our world as it might be made if we did our duty by it (cited in Coquillette, 1992, p.258). For the Renaissance humanist, the issue of character was of utmost importance. The idea humanist was the vir bonus dicendi peritus, the good man speaking well, whose eloquence arose from a harmonious union between wisdom and style and whose aim was to guide men toward virtue and worthwhile goals, not to mislead from for vicious or trivial purposes (Gray, 1963, p.498). Central to the appeal of The New Atlantis is the character of the Bensalemites. They possess, in Speddings words, sober piety, serious cheerfulness, tender and gracious courtesy, open-handed hospitality, fidelity in public and chastity in private life, grave and graceful manners, order, decency and earnest industry (Bacon). In addition, the inhabitants of Bensalem were, for the most part, Christians, having encountered a mysterious chest containing the books of the Bible. They were equally well acquainted with the histories and mythologies of other lands, including those of the Far East and the Americas. This knowledge was gained both from their own travels to other lands and from travellers whom they had received throughout history. The narrator of The New Atlantis meets a number of individuals whose actions demonstrate the character of the larger society of Bensalem. The first meeting between the ships company and a citizen of Bensalem takes place after they seek refuge in their harbour following a storm. The crew saw on the shore of the city divers of the people, with bastons in their hands, as it were forbidding us to land; yet without any cries or fierceness but only as warning us by signs that they made (Bacon). When the Bensalemites deliver to the ship a scroll, which offers them sanctuary for sixteen days, as well as asking after their needs for food, water, medical treatment, or repairs to their ship, it is evident that theirs is a hierarchically-ordered, Christian society, acquainted with the world outside its borders, clearly cautious, but not apparently xenophobic. The ships company, who are put at ease by this encounter, inform the Bensalemeites of the status of their ship and health and are later in vited into a place called the Strangers House where they are accommodated of things both for our whole and for our sick (Bacon). Given their belief in the possibility of language to achieve practical certainty and to move individuals to right action, the production and consumption of literary texts were acts of great importance for early Renaissance humanists. Quattrocento humanist rhetoric was situated within the context of civic humanism and allied to the virtue of prudence, or practical wisdom. Because the marker of the individuals achievement of humanist values was eloquence, the art of rhetoric was critical to the humanist project. As it was practiced during the quattrocentro, however, rhetoric was a truncated version of classical rhetoric because it did not extend to legislative and legal settings (Kahn, 1985, p.38). Rather, it was primarily epideictic rhetoric the rhetoric of praise or blame. Unlike other scholars who stress the limitations on rhetoric and view quattrocentro rhetoric as a precursor to a purely aesthetic form of the art, Kahn suggests that the conflation of rhetoric and poetics enlarges the sphere of literature, since the written text now takes on the functions of deliberative and judicial rhetoric (Kahn, 1985, p.38). Thus, the production of the work of literature, or any work of art, was a deliberative or prudential act, as was consumption of that work through the act of reading: [P]rudence or practical reason that is deliberation about action in a social or political context is also at work in the artists production of a work of art. Prudence is, in this sense, the precondition of artistic decorum, just as it is of ethical decorum. As a result, the work of art is seen less as an object than as reflecting a certain process or activity or judgment. (Kahn, 1985, p.39) Consequently, knowledge of the literary text can only be practical, since the interpretive practice of reading requires the same acts of discrimination, the same judgments of decorum, as does the authors practice of writing (Kahn, 1985, p.39). For the humanists, then, literary texts and these included primarily poetry and drama, dialogues, and texts such as Philip Sidneys Defense of Poesy- were considered appropriate rhetorical activities that could lead individuals to right action in the realm of human affairs. Bacons New Atlantis follows in this tradition and is intended to lead both the king and fellow citizens to the right action of embracing natural philosophy. Civic humanism during the Renaissance was nowhere more fully developed than in England of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and texts such as Thomas Elyots Boke Named the Gouvernour and Thomas Mores Utopia, were critical elements in the transmission of humanist values. Although they are generically very different The Boke Named the Gouvernour is an advice book to rulers while Utopia is a detailed description of the life and habits of the citizens of a fictional island both texts are concerned with the proper way to organise and govern society. Such texts, as Kahn has suggested perform an essentially rhetorical function, in that the act of reading was seen as a deliberative and prudential act. Mores Utopia, for example, acted as a critique of various social ills, and offered as a solution a highly-structured communal society whose laws and customs were founded upon Christian and humanist values. Like his fellow humanists, Bacon was interested in improving society, and his New A tlantis, which is clearly a response to Mores Utopia, offers the very different view of how to accomplish that goal (Salzman, 2002, p.28). Both Mores Utopia and Bensalem of Bacons New Atlantis are island societies, discovered by sailors lost at sea. More imagines a communal society in which power is diffused because its leaders are drawn from the general population and serve for limited terms. In Bacons ideal society, the leaders are philosophers who are dedicated to the proficiency and advancement of knowledge as a means of improving their society. The social institutions in Utopia are based on humanist ethical principles; in The New Atlantis, ethical principles are derived from natural philosophy, and the pre-eminent social institution is a philosophical society. In Bensalem, nature is not only the source of material benefits, but serves a normative function as the source of knowledge from which serves as a basis for an ethical system. Bacons blending of Stoic concepts with humanist values. The leaders of Bacons Bensalem are more reminiscent of the philosopher-kings of Platos Republic. An essential difference between Mores Utopia and The New Atlantis is that More assumes that societys resources are limited and guards against discord by levelling class and monetary distinctions; Bacon suggests that the new philosophy will reduce discord because it creates and abundance of material goods (Price, 2002, p.2). With the political uproar of the English Civil War (1642-1648), saw the end to the British Renaissance. Nonetheless, humanism and classical culture continued to be a powerful influence in Britain. During the 18th and 19th century, architects designed new buildings applying the classical tradition, and education focused on Latin and Greek languages and literature (Cannon, 2009, p.336).
Friday, January 17, 2020
Impact Of Global Crisis On Indian Economy Essay
Abstract: The Indian economy has shown considerable resilience to the global economic crisis by maintaining one of the highest growth rates in the world. The intensity of present economic meltdown is so high that it is being compared with the global economic recession in 1873, Great Depression of 1930’s and East Asian crisis of 1990’s. Global Financial Crisis is among the greatest financial challenges to the world economy which is originated in United States of America. The global economic slowdown is unprecedented in scale and has severe implications on policy formulation among emerging market. Currently India has one of the largest developing countries in the world. Its growth was interrupted by the global financial turbulence that was started in 2008 with the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Industries such as Information Technology, Pharmaceuticals, BPO, ITES, Textiles, Automobile and Banking & Financial Services Sector in India suffered setbacks due to shrinking patronage and demand from western markets. Strong economic growth in the last decade combined with a population of over a billion makes it one of the potentially largest markets in the future. This paper provides an overview of global financial crisis and its impact on the Indian Economy. Keywords: Global Economic crisis, Indian Economy, Gross Domestic Product, Foreign Direct Investment, Balance of Payment. Introduction: Every day the main headline of all newspapers is about our falling share markets, decreasing industrial growth and the overall negative mood of the economy. It is due to the world financial system is now undergoing a global economic crisis of staggering proportions. The global financial crisis impacted India significantly, notwithstanding the sound banking system, negligible exposure of Indian banks to sub-prime assets and relatively well-functioning financial markets. The impact was mainly on account of India’s growing trade and financial integration with the global economy. What is Global Economic Crisis? Global economic crisis refers to an economic scenario where the economies of countries all over the world have taken a beating. Whenever there is a global economic crisis, some companies will remove the employees for short span or for a long run. In that case along with recession, they will feel depression as well. An Economic Recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real gross domestic product, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales. An Economic Depression is a sustained, long-term downturn in economic activity in one or more economy. Methodology: Literature review and secondary research has been used to support the aim of the paper. The information related to the study was collected from the various books, magazines, periodicals, especially from the research reports and articles available over the internet, government websites etc. The study covers the thoughts and writings of various authors in the stream of industry, academician, and research. Objective of the Study: The present study focused on the origin of the Global Economic Crisis and to analyze the reasons and its impact on Indian Economy which examines the trends of GDP growth rates, Foreign Direct Investment, Financial Sector, and overall Balance of Payment etc. Causes of Global Economic Crisis: There are several underlying causes of the current global economic crisis. Most people believe that the major causes of the crisis include the following: fraud and weak underwriting practices, uncontrolled population growth, unscrupulous lending practices, prolonged boom in house prices, massive borrowing binge in the United States and European countries, growing culture of weak regulation etc. Impact on Indian Economy: (a) Impact on Indian GDP growth rate: Economic growth is the increase in value of the goods and services produced by an economy. With the help of a structural quarterly macro econometric model, this paper concludes that significant part of the fall in GDP growth by 2.8 per cent in 2008-2009 due to global economic recession and depression. It is expected to show up growth about 1.5 per cent in 2009–2010 and now slowly is on the recovery side. Among the major developing countries, growth in India is expected to remain ‘robust’. India’s economy is expected to expand between 7.7 percent and 7.9 percent in 2012-2013, down from 8.5 percent in 2010. (b) Impact on Indian FDI inflows: During the period subsequent to dotcom burst, there has been an unprecedented rise in the cross-border flows and this exuberance was sustained until the occurrence of global financial crisis in the year 2008-09. When there was a significant deceleration in global FDI flows during 2009-10, the decline in FDI flows to India was relatively moderate reflecting robust equity flows on the back of strong rebound in domestic growth ahead of global recovery and steady reinvested earnings reflecting better profitability of foreign companies in India. However, when there had been some recovery in global FDI flows, during 2010-11. The report anticipates that foreign investments in India could increase by over 20 per cent in 2012-13. (c) Impact on Indian Balance of Payments: Fiscal 2009-10 has witnessed a global recovery after a crisis of severe worldwide proportions. The risks of economic crisis however remain, with need for caution in dealing with high public debt and unwinding of fiscal and monetary stimuli. The Indian economy also saw a turnaround, registering 7 % growth during 2009-10, after touching a low of 5.8 per cent in the third and fourth quarters of 2008-09. The balance-of-payments situation improved on the back of a surge in capital flows and rise in foreign exchange reserves, which have been accompanied by rupee appreciation. (d) Impact on Indian Financial Sector: Until the emergence of global crisis, the Indian economy was going through a phase of growing domestic investment financed mostly by domestic savings and sustained consumption demand. This overall improvement in macroeconomic performance in India was attributed to calibrated financial sector reforms that resulted in an efficient system of financial intermediation, albeit bank-based; the rule based fiscal policy that reduced the drag on private savings; and forward-looking monetary policy that balanced the short term trade-off between growth and inflation on a continuous basis. India, though initially somewhat insulated to the global developments, eventually was impacted significantly by the global shocks through all the channels – trade, finance and expectations channels. This raised the issue that whether India is more globalised than what is perceived in terms of conventional trade openness indicators. Takeaways from the Global Crisis: No doubt, India has been hit by the global economic crisis; it is clearly due to India’s rapid and growing integration into the global economy. The Global economic crisis and the current sovereign debt crisis offer, many regulatory and policy lessons that have come to the fore and are under various stages of implementation, I would flag some takeaways: too much of anything is bad like leverage, liquidity, finance etc. models do not fully reflect the realities of life and excessive reliance on quantitative models is fraught with risk and Finance should serve the real sector and not the converse. Conclusion: While the developed world, including the U.S, the Euro Zone and Japan, has plunged into recession, the Indian Economy is being affected by the spill-over effects of the global financial crisis, the strategy to counter these effects of the global crisis on the Indian economy and prevent the latter from any further collapse would require an effective departure from the dominant economic philosophy of the neo-liberalism. It needs to be emphasized that implementation holds the key to bail out the Indian economy from the economic crisis. Our President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has suggested that to reduce the pain of economic crisis, employers should cut wages all along the line to reduce costs, rather than retrenching workers and thus add to job losses. RBI needs to neutralize the outflow of FII money by unwinding the market stabilization securities that it had used to sterilize the inflows when they happened. Taxes including excise duty and custom duty should be reduced to lighten the adverse effect of economic crunch on various industries. Also, the government should try and improve liquidity, while CRR and SLR must be cut further. Perhaps growth will bounce back. And the success of Indian companies in 2012 will depend more than ever on their ability to tap into these new opportunities in emerging markets, especially as they look to counter depressed demand at home and increased risk in developed markets. References: Gotmare, Dr. Dilip and Deshmukh, Dr. Panjabrao . (June 2011). Global Economic Recession: It’s Impact on Indian Economy. Available: http://www.isrj.net/june/2011/Economic_GLOBAL_ECONOMIC_RECESSION.html. Prabhudesai, Arun. (August, 2011). Indian Economic Outlook 2011-12–GDP growth at 8.2%. Available: http://trak.in/tags/business/2011/08/01/indian-economic-growth-2011-12/. Sinha, Anand. (March, 2012). Impact on Indian economy from global crisis. Available: http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Impact-on-Indian-economy-from-global-crisis-Anand-Sinha/5381116279. (May, 2012). India’s economy – A Bric hits the wall. Available: http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2012/05/indias-economy. (2011-2012). Foreign Direct Investment Flows to India. Available: http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/bs_viewcontent.aspx?Id=2513.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Slavery And The Civil War - 1084 Words
Slavery Slavery was one of the biggest controversies in American history. The beliefs about slavery mostly varied from the North to the South but also varied from state to state and sometimes even among family members. All of these different views caused conflicts to arise in America and slavery soon became a huge contributing factor to the Civil War. The core beliefs of anti-slavery societies differed from those of the slavery societies. Abolitionists believed that slavery was a moral and national sin. They also believed that all Americans had an obligation to help put slavery to an end. They believed that they could gradually free the slaves and return them back to their homes in Africa. After reviewing the facts, the abolitionists calculated that the cost to transport all slaves back to Africa would be astronomical, and nearly impossible. Consequently, deciding that the possibility of that idea becoming a reality was not probable. However, the Abolitionists realized that fighting for the freedom of slaves was a must and of a high priority. They continued to search for a legal means to disrupt slavery in America for good. Abolitionists began to call for the freedom of all slaves immediately. Most of the people who opposed slavery were driven by their religious beliefs. Quakers were one of these groups who believed that all people are equal and should be treated that way. Other anti-slavery groups were driven by the fact that slavery was a direct violation of theShow MoreRelatedSlavery And The Civil War958 Words  | 4 Pagesblood in slavery so that many parts of America could become prosperous and recognized in the world†, this is quote from Josephine Baker, one of America’s early prominent black performers. Slavery, which will be discussed in greater detail, affected Africans kidnapped from their homeland and brought to the Americas to be sold and forced to work in horrible, vile, disgusting conditions. Slavery was also a great economic boost s for the United States due to cotton, however, overtime slavery began toRead MoreSlavery And The Civil War1706 Words  | 7 Pagesitself. The United States were no longer united, mainly over the issue of slavery. In fact, many historians believe that, â€Å"From the nation’s founding, the issue of slavery threatened to tear the United States apart.†(â€Å"The Civil War†1). The issue of slavery was always kept at bay through the utilization of various compromises; however a permanent solution was never sought after by the government. The peoples’ perspective of slavery differed by region. In the South, the economy was extremely reliant onRead MoreSlavery And The Civil War1641 Words  | 7 PagesThe American civil war was in no doubt the most crucial event in history. No other war compares or even comes close to the casualties suffered. It helped conserve and maintain the Union, drastically changed the relationship between the federal and states go vernment, and led to slavery’s abolition. This war has also stirred up many conflicts until this day about the conflicts and causes. Among the countless and even undiscovered questions comes the most common as being why the Southern states wereRead MoreSlavery and the Civil War1281 Words  | 5 PagesEscaped slaves from the South helped the north to win the Civil War by increasing the number of soldiers fighting in the war for the north and by spying on the south for the north. With the help of escaped slaves fighting the South, the north outnumbered the south in battles, which eventually led to the North’s victory in the Civil War. Escaped slaves form the south also helped the north by spying on the south and reporting to Union officials who reported the information to the Union army. TheRead MoreSlavery And The Civil War1527 Words  | 7 PagesSlavery is a lawful or monetary framework in which standards of property law are connected to people permitting them to be named property, to be possessed, purchased and sold as needs be, and they can t pull back singularly from the course of action. While a man is a slave, the proprietor is qualified for the efficiency of the slave s work, with no compensation. The rights and security of the slave might be controlled by laws and traditions in a specific time and put, and a man may turn into aRead MoreThe Civil War And The Slavery986 Words  | 4 PagesThe Civil War contributed to the enslaved period being terminated. The union allowed slaves to fight for them and this imposed on the slave masters throughout the south. During this period the slaves were very rebellious and violent towards their masters. They beat them, tortured them, and some even killed some of the slave masters. They all truly deserved it after the treatment that had been rendered towards the African Americans when they first arrived from the West Indies to the United StatesRead MoreSlavery And The Civil War1447 Words  |à ‚ 6 PagesSlavery and The Civil War When most people think of Abraham Lincoln, They remember him as the one President, or the one single entity , who freed the slaves. Most are not aware that before slavery the young nation was going though growing pains there were years of political strife and social upheaval that culminated in to Civil war that actually resulted in the Emancipation of Slaves. Slavery was pivotal to the compromises and conflicts of national politics in the decades leadingRead MoreThe Civil War Of Slavery1699 Words  | 7 PagesIn the 1800s the Institution of Slavery became very dominant in the United States, but mainly in the South. Due to the climate and their type of economy, their agriculture productions required a great amount of labor that was performed by the slaves. In the south, â€Å"slavery was key to the way of life†1 the majority of the south relied on the slaves to do all of the hard work for them and maximize the profit of their owners. The northern states however had a different type of economy and did not requireRead MoreThe Slavery Of The Civil War1701 Words  | 7 PagesIn pre-Civil War America, it was a common occurrence to witness Black families torn apart, sold off as property, and treated in hateful, vile manors in the name of a higher God. Many slave owners retained the firm belief that due to slavery being beneficial to them and the lack of clear-cut condemnation in scripture, it was a divine institution beneficial to both the slave and slave owner themselves. As a result, these ideals led to further enslavement and abuse, exploiting Blacks so that the slaveRead MoreSlavery And The Civil War Essay1963 Words  | 8 PagesSociety relates slavery to the civil war and most would argue that slavery ended in 1865. With this standpoint, we often brush off or neglect to further investigate slavery in its most modern forms. Over the course of history, there are hardly any situations where a social problem was solved. Starvation still exists, as does poverty, racism, war, segregation, injustice within government systems, and yes, even slavery. Human trafficking is modern day slavery and it exists everywhere with two different
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
What Is The Triumph Of Humor Over Human Adversity
The Triumph of Humor Over Human Adversity English Composition Eric Babiarz October 19, 2017 The Triumph of Humor Over Human Adversity â€Å"Humor is mankind s greatest blessing.†(Paine, 1910) This assertion from humorist Mark Twain remains as relevant now as it was over 100 years ago. Humor perseveres as an integral aspect of human nature as well as a misunderstood one. Through a multitude of avenues, be it controversial comedy, psychological research, or some of the worst points in human history, humor of many varieties has proven a worthy asset in alleviating the hardships people face everyday. Comedy is and has been a valuable tool in coping with tragedy and human struggles as well as overcoming enormous adversity†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœPlace a picture of Hitler on one side of me, and a picture of Goering on the other side. That way I can die like Jesus, between two thieves’†(Morreall, 1997). Josef Mà ¼ller was tried and executed for treason. Hitler recognized the danger to his image this type of humor posed. He also knew that to take it away would strip his opposition of one of their great powers: the power to change how others are perceived. Still, this type of humor persisted into the concentration camps even though the threat of greater punishment loomed over the heads of the prisoners. This was the power of humor in such a grave state of existence. The prisoners knew that to give up the ability to make one another laugh was as good as giving up entirely. But this humor was not only jabs at Hitler. Perhaps more important to survival was the gift of making light of the situation they were in. In Michael Schulder’s 2013 interview with Elie Wiesel, author of the book Night, he is asked how his sense of humor remained intact after seeing the things he had seen. In response he says, â€Å"How can I not have humor? Without humor, I think, one would fall in to a depression that could last their entire lifetime. Only humor can save it. . .†(Wiesel, 2013). One of the most famous survivors of the Holocaust believed his sense of humor was one of the only saving graces of his mind. As far asShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Importance of Identity in Homers Odyssey1433 Words  | 6 PagesHomers account, with its origin in oral tradition, the two quests are interchangeable, as a mortal defines himself with his home, his geographic origin, his ancestors, his offspring, etc. But in addition to this Homer illustrates the other aspect of human identity, shaped by the individual and his actions so that he may be recognized in the outside world. Through this Homer presents Odysseus in two ways: the first his internally given identity as ruler and native of Ithaca, son of Laertes, father ofRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1275 Words  | 6 Pagesit has been happen down from generations to generations. The Montague’s and Capulet’s forefathers were affray and this contend has comprise on over the forever. Women were possessions or baggage. This refer to the act through Capulet and Juliet’s relationship. Capulet report Juliet that she has to wife Paris this is shown by the linen â€Å"I acquaint prosper what, get prosper to kirk a Thursday, or never after look me in the shamelessness†. This denote that Capulet defect Juliet to marry Paris that heRead MoreBeethoven’s 8th Symphony, 4th Movement Narrative2154 Words  | 9 PagesThe final movement of Beethoven’s eighth symphony enacts the same drama of overcoming a struggle, but in a more comical way. As in the third symphony, serious greeting of the fourth movement of the eight symphony has brought narratives of human actions and human characters, including bodies that are struggling or threatened with falling, and a c-sharp puts those narratives in motion in both pieces. 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He demonstrated that the institution of slavery should not be the foundation of a nation that proclaims itself be free, for to claim yourself a free nation and have slaves creates in inconsolable dichotomy. In oneRead MoreFrancis Bacon15624 Words  | 63 Pages Francis Bacon: A Moralist Bacon is not a true moralist. His morality is a saleable morality. He is a moralist-cum-worldly wise man. Bacon appears as a moralist in his essays, for he preaches high moral principles and lays down valuable guidelines for human conduct. Some of his essays show him as a true lover and preacher of high ethical codes and conducts. For instance, in â€Å"Of Envy†, he puts: â€Å"A man that hath no virtue in himself, ever envieth virtue in others.†Then, in his essay â€Å"Of Goodness andRead MoreFeminine Mystique12173 Words  | 49 Pagesstudents must answer in a 500-word (minimum) essay: 1) Describe the post-WWII frustrations felt by women such as Betty Friedan. 2) During the era of â€Å"Rosie the Riveter†, what gains did women make in the workforce? How did these women feel about themselves and their contributions? What did society as a whole think? 3) What role did mass media play during the 1950s and 1960s in regard to supporting or undermining the â€Å"feminine mystique†? 4) Which television heroine -- Alice, Lucy, or Miss BrooksRead MoreSAT Top 30 Essay Evidence18536 Words  | 75 Pages................................ 37 World War I (1914-1918) ......................................................................................................................... 39 Inventors and Innovators: The Wright Brothers (Pioneers of human flight) ...................................................................................... 41 P age |3 Leaders, Politicians, and Businesspeople: Bernard â€Å"Bernie†Madoff (The greatest con artist in history) .............................Read More65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays 2nd Edition 147256 Words  | 190 PagesNews Corporation, an independent nonprofit entity, not the Harvard Business School. The Harbus contributes profits to a grant-making foundation that supports community organizations and schools in the Boston area. The Foundation to date has awarded over $850,000 in grants to forty organizations that pursue initiatives in education and literacy. The views and opinions expressed in this book do not necessarily reflect those of Harvard Business School, and the references to the school throughout the
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