A brief analysis of Sir Philip Sidney’s Sonnet Essay

Sir Philip Sidneys Sonnet 7 is from the sonnet sequence Astophel and Stella dating from the sixteenth century. It is a lament by one of the central figures, Astophel, a man who is in love with the other central figure, Stella, who is ultimately unattainable because she is married to another man. In the first few lines of the poem, Astrophil talks about Stellas black eyes and how they beam so bright (ll. 2) and how in beamy black (ll. 3) she radiates beauty. The excerpt chosen begins with Or did she else that sober hue devise,/ In object best to knit and strength our sight, (ll. 5-6) meaning that perhaps her eyes are not only black but she is actually wearing black, and uses this color as an object to help make her more noticeable among other shades and light (ll. 4). The image given here is one of black versus white specifically, beamy black (ll. 3) versus luster shades and light (ll. 4). However, as one would more traditionally see the sparkling shades and light as way of strength[ening] our sight (ll. 6), in this case it is in fact black, that makes her stand out and more noticeable, because she makes it more beautiful than anything else in comparison. In the next two lines Astrophil says, Lest if no veil these brave gleams did disguise,/ They, sun-like, should more dazzle than delight? (ll. 7-8) meaning that if nothing was to cover her black sun-like (ll. 8) eyes it would only further intensify ones confusion rather than just being a source of enjoyment for the onlooker. In the next two lines Astrophil again reiterates how with her miraculous power (ll. 9) she makes black beautys contrary (ll. 10) a source for all beauties [to] flow (ll. 11). Coming to the end of the poem, last three lines suggest that perhaps Stella also has some sort of feelings towards Astrophil, or at least respects the fact that he loves her because it is out of her minding Love (ll. 12) that she wears black her mourning weed (ll. 13) and that she wears it to honour all their deaths who for her bleed (ll. 14) meaning for all of the men who have loved and desired her but could not have her, leaving them emotionally dead. These last lines also help establish not only the ultimate truth that Astrophil and Stella will never in reality be together, but also that the only thing left for Astrophil to do is to desire her and long for her as emotionally otherwise, he is dead and not capable of much else. This theme of men falling in love with the unattainable, or in this case unavailable, woman is quite common in  romantic sonnets. For example, Wyatts Whoso List to Hunt, or even Marlowes The Passionate Shepherd to His Love also describe this longing desire that men have for these women, and ultimately reveals the trials and tribulations they will go through in order to pursue them. ~ The only work consulted during the composition of this essay was the sonnet itself.

A Brief History of Economics Essay

Through his use of dialectical materialism, Marx not only changed the history of economic thought, but found great illumination for himself regarding the bonds of human society. The concept that seems relatively simple in today’s complex economic world was utterly revolutionary in the time of Marx: people develop their ideas about the world (and thereby, their ideas for how society should be organized and stratified) based on the material aspects of their lives. It was an elegant extension of basic Marxist theory: capitalism, according to Marx, is interested in offering naked materialism as a kind of booby prize to make up for the means of production being taken away from the people. If the people can no longer work for themselves and no longer work at perfecting their own craft as individuals, then, as Marx correctly deduced, people would require something to validate their work. This became the center of capitalism, as Marx understood it: materialism exists as a kind of justification for capitalism, and since materialism has permeated our culture to such an extreme degree, eventually social orders began to revolve around it. Hence, what capitalism serves as the cause of what Marx saw as nothing less than ongoing class warfare. It is interesting to note that Marx believed a violent revolution on the part of the proletariat was not simply a possible method of changing things, but actually served as the only method of changing things. This is because materialism was so embedded into class structures (which, in turn, was so embedded in power structures), and the only way for society to functionally survive was for it to become overturned completely. It is also interesting to note the ongoing effect that Marx has had on philosophic thought: materialism had previously been dislodged by Descartes and the famous declaration â€Å"I think, therefore I am;† as far as most people who pondered these things could conclude, thought preceded matter. However, Marx not only brought materialism to the philosophic forefront—the then-controversial idea that material preceded thought—but illustrated the notion that the abstractions of materialism had been concretized by capitalism into purchasable goods. 2: Marx and the Secret Source of Profit Perhaps the most enduring notion of Marx’s is the so-called secret of the source of profit under a capitalistic society†¦though such is Marx’s legacy of intellectual thought, a great many people simply accept this notion as reality: the source of profit is the surplus value that an employer gains from laborers. After all, the means of production have been taken from the people: skilled artisan cobblers have been replaced by factory line workers churning out shoe after shoe after shoe. The money saved by employing this assembly-line method of industrial production becomes pure profit for the employer. Interestingly, Marx tethered this to his own theories on circulating capital—that is, something that does not last, and is used up in the production of other goods and services, in direct opposition to fixed capital, which is traditionally held for over a year by a business or institution. Marx astutely deduced that the distinction between these concepts is not only relative, but arbitrary: the idea that capital held for 365 days is circulating and that capital held for 366 days is fixed is absurd. However, it allows the proletariat to essentially gloss over their own necessity to the entire institution of capitalism: they are led to believe that society is held up by the fixed capital of major investors and their long-term investments. In reality, society is held aloft by the ongoing purchases of the common man (and woman): their disposable income is burned off to provide them a sense that capitalism is worth it†¦it turn, their disposable income is used to make the rich richer, as the cliche goes, all the way up the capitalist pyramid. In Marx’s view, this is one of many ways that those in power forestall the seemingly unavoidable class war that he advocates: those with power—the purchasing power of the common man—are convinced they have none, and are bought off with trinkets. It is interesting to note that this echoes the master/slave morality inversion of Nietzsche. 3: Marginalists and the Economy In the evolution of economic theory, the impact of marginalism cannot be overstated. Once one had accepted the blunt realities of Marx—specifically, that society was organized based on the perceived value of items—the logical question remained: how does one quantify the value of an item? Marginalism illustrated the diminishing returns on the marginal utility of resold products, which dramatically impacted analysis of capitalist economy, the focus of economic analysis, and theories of value and distribution. Regarding the analysis of capitalist economy, marginalism helped solidify the supply and demand notion of economics as that of mainstream economic thought, as opposed to the labor theory of value espoused by Karl Marx. To put it mildly, this has had ongoing economic effects for the last century and a half. The focus of economic analysis shifted accordingly, as marginalism interacted with price theory: this allowed economics to project demand curves utilizing marginal rates of substitution as a means of determining not only when, but why a seller is willing to relinquish a product for a particular price. Perhaps one of the most lasting effects of marginalism on economic thought has been its effect on theories of value and distribution. With the previous measures in place, economists (as well as common people) now had a more-or-less accurate measure of determining the value of any given product in any given social context. Of course, this also effects the ongoing distribution of certain products to certain demographics in order to maximize profitability. Interestingly, this is one of the chief criticisms of marginalism as well: that it is a vague pseudoscience whose intent is to maintain not only the economic status quo, but the appearance of the status quo. It is no surprise, then, that Marxists continue to grapple with marginalist theory: they see it as a means of keeping the proletariat in check, and preventing any uprisings from them. 4: Thorstein Veblen: Survival of the Fattest Thorstein Veblen, for better or worse, specialized in bringing the human element into economic theory. Specifically, he theorized that the institution of the leisure class was a parasite feeding upon America: upon the backs of workers who are actually productive are a class who seek only profit and produce nothing but waste. He essentially created and popularized the notion of conspicuous consumption as the epitome of this theory: that wealthy individuals spend large amounts of money on ostentatious goods whose sole benefit is to publicly display their wealth to the world. Unfortunately, this has become an integral part of the economy: although an engineer might weep at the man spending over a hundred thousand dollars for a car, the American economy would be crippled if conspicuous consumption vanished overnight. Hence, the parasite metaphor: conspicuous consumption and naked profit helps the wealthy to bloat themselves on the backs of the poor until the entire enterprise inevitably crumbles under its own weight. Veblen perceived quite clearly that human notions about the world are social constructs created by individuals, and as time went on, those notions would change, necessitating a change in economic thought as well. He makes frequent comparisons to evolution to further this end: idle curiosity spurs innovation, innovation spurs conflict between the old guard and the innovators, and an economic Darwinism is born. The advent of industry and technological revolutions merely expanded his original point: the parasitic relationship continued unabated, as the innovations of the productive engineer class were inevitably utilized as means of conspicuous consumption and waste on the part of the leisure class. Planes are developed as a result of idle curiosity, for instance, but it is the leisure class that necessitates the invention of first class as a way of displaying their own status in the social hierarchy.

Business and ethics essay part 2

Business and ethics essay part 2 Business and ethics essay part 2 Business and ethics essay part 2Business and ethics   essay part  1Joe Stratford, the narrator of the book was the average realtor before he has got acquainted with Marcus Burns. Joe was quite successful but Marcus has increased his ambitions enormously and raised his egoism into Joe. Joe led a routine life before he has got acquainted with Marcus, who opened the world of great opportunities for Joe, who has already been quite a prosperous person.In such a way, the egoism of the main character has proved to be stronger than his reason. At any rate, in pursuit of even greater wealth he agrees to the partnership of Marcus, which he expected to bring him exorbitant profits. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that Joe was just the mere puppet in hands of Marcus, who used him to make the deal and launch the partnership, which he believed to be prospective and potentially beneficial.Even though Marcus pretends to be friendly with Joe, as his business partner, he apparently does not care about anyone but himself as is the case of the main characters of Glengarry Glen Ross. The egoism of Marcus, as the milestone of his ethics and system of values, becomes obvious, when the partnership’s failure becomes obvious. In fact, the business run by Marcus and Joe is apparently falling apart and future prospects of the company are questionable. In such a situation, Marcus flees and takes all the money of the company with him. In such a way, he betrays his business partner and flees leaving Joe no hope for survival of their business anymore.In such a situation, the egoism of Marcus is obvious and he does not care about anyone but himself. He is apparently aware that he pushes Joe right into the abyss of bankruptcy but still he steals the money and just runs away.On the other hand, Joe is not as good as it may seem to be compared to Marcus. In fact, Joe is driven by the same egoistic concerns as Marcus is and he looks good for readers just because he is not as bad or evil as Marcus is. In this regard, he is just a good among the worst but he is definitely not good in moral terms. For instance, Joe has a love affair with Felicity, a married daughter of his mentor. Obviously, this love affair is a betrayal of his mentor but still Joe puts his personal interests, needs and wants above moral norms and laws. He easily violates them and proves to be a good student of Marcus, who teaches him to do business and live in the world of great opportunities. However, opportunities turn out to be open for the worst and most immoral persons, like Marcus because they take every opportunity regardless of the moral background of their actions. In this regard, egoism is the major, if not to say, the only moral criterion for them. What is good for the main characters of Good Faith at the moment is moral.At the same time, it is still important to place emphasis on the fact that Joe is not absolutely bad. Instead, he used to be good in a way, before he has got acquainted with Marcus. Joe was quite good. At any rate, he recognizes that he grew up in a religious family, where he learned basic moral norms of Christian community but he did not really care about them. On the other hand, he has not violated those moral norms openly before Marcus has arrived. In this regard, it is quite symbolic that his love affair with Felicity starts after his acquaintance with Marcus, as if Marcus has corrupted Joe and made him slipping to the wrong way and immoral lifestyle.In such a way, Marcus and other puppeteers from the film, like Moss, are immoral agents, who are ready to act immorally to meet their egoistic ambitions and goals. In fact, they pursue their personal interests and benefits but they turn out to be contagious in their egoism and the strife for their personal well-being regardless of needs and interests of other people. On following their lead, their puppets, like Joe, Levene and others, also turn out to be highly egoistic and pursuing their own well-being with disregard to the well-being of other people or to existing moral norms and standards.Thus, egoism turns out to be the mainstream ethical theoretical framework which determines the life, actions and decisions taken by the main characters of the film Glengarry Glen Ross and the book Good Faith. The main characters of the book and the film are quite different. Some of them look to be quite good at first, as is the case of Joe or Levene. However, under the impact of evil geniuses, like Marcus or Moss, even those characters, who seem to be good, turn out into immoral characters, who violate existing moral and ethical norms and are ready to violate legal norms and rules. In this regard, puppeteers, like Moss and Marcus, stand on the egoistic ground and view their well-being as the only moral criterion for their decisions and actions and they teach this philosophy to other characters. Remarkably, other characters learn this lesson fast and also slip to the immoral way of life. Symbolically, both the director of the film and the author of the book show that their egoistic way of life is the way to nowhere since their egoism brings them no good. On the contrary, in their pursuit of the personal well-being and success, the main characters become absolutely corrupted and ready to violate not only moral but also legal norms and rules.

How to Manage Invasive Insects in Firewood

How to Manage Invasive Insects in Firewood Nothings nicer on a cold winter day than sitting in front of a roaring wood fire in the fireplace. When you bring that firewood indoors, you might be bringing bugs indoors, too. Heres what you need to know about insects in firewood and how to keep them from coming inside. What Kinds of Insects Live in Firewood? Firewood often houses beetles, both under the bark and inside the wood. When firewood contains beetle larvae, adults may emerge as long as two years after the wood was cut. Longhorned beetle larvae usually live under the bark, in irregular tunnels. Boring beetle larvae make winding tunnels loaded with sawdust-like frass. Bark and ambrosia beetles typically infest freshly cut wood. Dry firewood may attract carpenter bees, which nest in the wood. Horntail wasps lay their eggs in wood, where the larvae develop. Sometimes adult horntail wasps emerge from firewood when its brought indoors. You dont need to worry about them stinging or damaging your home, should one surprise you. If firewood is still damp or stored in contact with the ground, it may attract a number of other insects. Carpenter ants and termites, both social insects, may make their homes in a pile of firewood. Critters that migrate into the wood from the ground include sowbugs, millipedes, centipedes, pillbugs, springtails, and bark lice. Can These Insects Damage My Home? Few insects that live in firewood will cause damage to your home. The structural lumber in your homes walls is much too dry to sustain them. As long as you dont store firewood inside your home, you shouldnt worry about insects from firewood infesting your house. Avoid keeping firewood in a damp garage or basement, where structural wood might have enough moisture to attract some insects. If insects do come indoors with the wood, just use a vacuum to remove them. Do be careful about where you store your wood outdoors. If you place stacks of firewood right up against your house, you are asking for termite trouble. Also, be aware that if the firewood contains beetle larvae or adults, the beetles may emerge and head for the nearest trees- the ones in your yard. How to Keep (Most) Bugs out of Your Firewood The best thing you can do to avoid insect infestations in your firewood is to dry it quickly. The drier the wood, the less hospitable it is to most insects. Proper storage of firewood is key. Try to avoid harvesting wood when insects are most active, from April to October. By cutting down trees in winter months, you will lessen the risk of bringing home infested logs. Fresh cut logs invite insects to move in, so remove the wood from the forest as soon as possible. Cut wood into smaller logs before storing it. The more surfaces exposed to the air, the quicker the wood will cure. Firewood should be covered to keep out moisture. Ideally, wood should be raised off the ground, too. Keep some air space under the cover and under the pile to allow airflow and quicker drying. Never treat firewood with pesticides. The more common firewood insects, beetles, typically bore into the wood and wont be affected by surface treatments anyway. Burning logs that have been sprayed with chemicals is a health hazard and could expose you to toxic fumes. Stop the Spread of Invasive Insects Invasive insects, such as the Asian longhorned beetle and the emerald ash borer, can be transported to new areas in firewood. These pests threaten our native trees, and every precaution should be taken to contain them.   Always obtain your firewood locally. Firewood from other areas could harbor these invasive pests ​and has the potential to create a new infestation where you live or camp. Most experts recommend that no firewood be moved more than 50 miles from its origin. If you are planning a camping trip away from home, dont bring your own firewood with you. Purchase wood from a local source near the camping area.

Learn About Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Learn About Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro is the capital city of the state of Rio de Janeiro and is the  second largest city in the South American country of Brazil. Rio as the city is commonly abbreviated is also the third largest metropolitan area in Brazil. It is considered one of the main tourist destinations in the Southern Hemisphere and is famous for its beaches, Carnaval celebration and various landmarks such as the statue of Christ the Redeemer.The City of Rio de Janeiro is nicknamed the Marvelous City and has been named a Global City. For reference, a Global City is one that is considered to be a significant node in the global economy.The following is a list of the ten most important things to know about Rio de Janeiro:1) Europeans first landed on present-day Rio de Janeiro in 1502 when a Portuguese expedition headed by Pedro lvares Cabral reached Guanabara Bay. Sixty-three years later, on March 1, 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro was officially founded by the Portuguese.2) Rio de Janeiro served as the capital city of Brazil from 1763-1815 during the Portuguese Colonial Era, from 1815-1821 as the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal and from 1822-1960 as an independent nation. 3) The City of Rio de Janeiro is located on Brazils Atlantic coast near the Tropic of Capricorn. The city itself is built on an inlet in the western portion of Guanabara Bay. The entrance to the bay is distinct because of a 1,299 foot (396 m) mountain called Sugarloaf.4) Rio de Janeiros climate is considered tropical savanna and has a rainy season from December to March. Along the coast, temperatures are moderated by sea breezes from the Atlantic Ocean but inland temperatures can reach 100 °F (37 °C) during summer. In the fall, Rio de Janeiro is also affected by cold fronts advancing north from the Antarctic region which can often cause sudden weather changes.5) As of 2008, Rio de Janeiro had a population of 6,093,472 which makes it the second largest city on Brazil behind So Paulo. The population density of the city is 12,382 persons per square mile (4,557 people per sq km) and the metropolitan area has a total population of around 14,387,000.6) The City of Rio de Janeiro is bro ken down into four districts. The first of these is downtown which consists of the historic downtown center, has various historic landmarks and is the financial center of the city. The south zone is Rio de Janeiros tourist and commercial zone and it is home to the citys most famous beaches such as Ipanema and Copacabana. The north zone has many residential areas but it is also home to the Maracan Stadium, which was once the worlds largest soccer stadium. Finally, the west zone is the farthest from the city center and is thus more industrial than the rest of the city.7) Rio de Janeiro is Brazils second largest city in terms of industrial production as well as its financial and service industries behind So Paulo. The citys main industries include chemicals, petroleum, processed foods, pharmaceuticals, textiles, clothing and furniture.8) Tourism is also a large industry in Rio de Janeiro. The city is Brazils main tourist attraction and it also receives more international visits per year than any other city in South America with around 2.82 million. 9) Rio de Janeiro is considered the cultural capital of Brazil because of its combination of historic and modern architecture, its more than 50 museums, popularity of music and literature, and its yearly Carnaval celebration.10) On October 2, 2009, the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro as the location for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. It will be the first South American city to host the Olympic Games. Reference Wikipedia. (2010, March 27). Rio de Janiero. Wikipedia- the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro

Financial Crisis and Lehman Brother Collapse Essay - 1

Financial Crisis and Lehman Brother Collapse - Essay Example To this end, the paper will critically evaluate all the factors responsible for the global financial crisis and identify whether there were factors that were only related to the financial sector or not. The paper will therefore conclude on whether the financial sector was solely responsible or not Financial Retail Products and the Profit Motive Prior to the financial crisis of 2007, it was believed that mass marketing of retail financial products in high income countries after the early 1980s was safe (Froud, Johal, Montgomerie, & Williams, 2010). This was a general belief that this constituted the democratization of finance and ownership in modern Capitalist society. This is because poor people and middle class persons who could not normally afford to own some kinds of properties could acquire properties through the acquisition of various financial products and services. The supporters of this school of thought believed that it was a shared framework that enabled all people in the society to own what they wanted to own. â€Å"Mainstream finance represented financial innovation in circular and technological terms as that which perfected the market.† (Engelen, Erturk, Froud, Leaver, & Williams, 2008, p. 4). This means that the growth of technology and the enhancement of the financial sector led to the growth and expansion of the debt systems and debt structures (Froud J. , Johal, Montgomerie, & Williams, 2009). This grew the trend of financial intermediation and created more financial retail products. However, this process gave way for the evils of exploitation by numerous financial intermediaries (Froud, Johal, Montgomerie, & Williams, 2010). This created a major problem that fed into the system of the credit crunch. â€Å"Empirical evidence of the United States shows that extension of credit and asset ownership in an unequal society is self defeating because it does not abolish the tyranny of

Built to Last written by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras Essay

Built to Last written by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras - Essay Example They had been in the business for a long time and had proved that they were solid and not some one-song wonder. The best thing about your book was the criteria that set some firms apart from others. It was good to see that these visionary firms had been selected on the basis of some important traits. I totally agree with the criteria. These firms had to premier institution in their industry, admired by well-known business people and left an impression on the world. All the firms you had chosen did meet that criteria, for example Motorola, Merck and GE had all been extremely successful firms. But things changed for some of them and reading your book now, I feel that some of them wouldn't make it to the list again. For example Motorola is no longer the premier institution, Merck had struggled with its position as well. But there are also the winners such as Procter and Gamble and GE that continue to outperform their competitors. But they might not meet all the standards set for a visionary company. For me today, a visionary company would include some relatively small firms that have earned the respect and awe of public and rivals alike. And my list wouldn't include the big names like Philip Morris or Wal-Mart because there has been severe criticism against their practices.