ONE Considerable Advantage That Arises From Philosophy, Consists In Th

ONE considerable advantage that arises from Philosophy, consists in the sovereign antidote which it affords to superstition and false religion. All other remedies against that pestilent distemper are vain, or at least uncertain. Plain good sense and the practice of the world, which alone serve most purposes of life, are here found ineffectual: History as well as daily experience furnish instances of men endowed with the {2} strongest capacity for business and affairs, who have all their lives crouched under slavery to the grossest superstition. Even gaiety and sweetness of temper, which infuse a balm into every other wound, afford no remedy to so virulent a poison; as we may particularly observe of the fair sex, who tho' commonly possest of their rich presents of nature, feel many of their joys blasted by this importunate intruder. But when found Philosophy has once gained possession of the mind, superstition is effectually excluded, and one may fairly affirm that her triumph over th is enemy is more complete than over most of the vices and imperfections incident to human nature. Love or anger, ambition or avarice, have their root in the temper and affection, which the soundest reason is scarce ever able fully to correct, but superstition being founded on false opinion, must immediately vanish when true philosophy has inspired juster sentiments of superior powers. The contest is here more equal between the distemper and the medicine, {3} and nothing can hinder the latter from proving effectual but its being false and sophisticated. IT will here be superfluous to magnify the merits of Philosophy by displaying the pernicious tendency of that vice of which it cures the human mind. ([editor's note] 1) The superstitious man says Tully2 is miserable in every scene, in every incident in life; even sleep itself, which banishes all other cares of unhappy mortals, affords to him matter of new terror; while he examines his dreams, and finds in those visions of the night prognostications of future calamities. I may add that tho' death alone can put a full period to his misery, he dares not fly to this refuge, but still prolongs a miserable existence from a vain fear left he offend his Maker, by using the power, with which that beneficent being has endowed him. The presents of God and nature are ravished from us by this {4} cruel enemy, and notwithstanding that one step would remove us from the regions of pain and sorrow, her menaces still chain us down to a hated being which she herself chiefly contributes to render misera ble. 'TIS observed by such as have been reduced by the calamities of life to the necessity of employing this fatal remedy, that if the unseasonable care of their friends deprive them of that species of Death which they proposed to themselves, they seldom venture upon any other, or can summon up so much resolution a second time as to execute their purpose. So great is our horror of death, that when it presents itself under any form, besides that to which a man has endeavoured to reconcile his imagination, it acquires new terrors and overcomes his feeble courage: But when the menaces of superstition are joined to this natural timidity, no wonder it quite deprives men of all power over their lives, since even many pleasures and enjoyments, {5} to which we are carried by a strong propensity, are torn from us by this inhuman tyrant. Let us here endeavour to restore men to their native liberty, by examining all the common arguments against Suicide, and shewing that that action may be free from every imputation of guilt or blame, according to the sentiments of all the antient philosophers. ([editor's note] 2) IF Suicide be criminal, it must be a transgression of our duty either to God, our neighbour, or ourselves. -- To prove that suicide is no transgression of our duty to God, the following considerations may perhaps suffice. In order to govern the material world, the almighty Creator has established general and immutable laws, by which all bodies, from the greatest planet to the smallest particle of matter, are maintained in their proper sphere and function. To govern the animal world, he has endowed all living

A Comparison of the Characters of Gatsby and Eponine

A Comparison of the Characters of Gatsby and Eponine Introduction Every human being is born with unique character traits. Even identical twins cannot have similar characters. Despite the uniqueness, some people may exhibit related characters to some extent. This paper compares the character of Gatsby and Eponine. Gatsby is a major character in from the book â€Å"the Great Gatsby,† while Eponine is one of the character in the book â€Å"Les Miserables.†Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Comparison of the Characters of Gatsby and Eponine specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gatsby and Eponine Gatsby is a noted habitual liar. Even his closest associate, Nick and his girl friend, Daisy, were equally victims of his lies. One of his obvious lies was that â€Å"he studied at Oxford University† (Fitzgerald, 156). The truth is that Gatsby worked as â€Å"an army man, sailor and bond seller† after he dropped out of St. Olfa’s college where he had learnt for only two weeks (Fitzgerald, 153). Eponine’s character was filled with malice and perception. At the age of eighteen, she would fight much like men older than herself. She chose not to disclose anything about her past like Gatsby, who instead kept lying to his friends about his past (Roche, 161). Gatsby struggled from a poor background and eventually became a wealthy man. The much wealth he amassed through illegal means made him proud and flashy. He liked showing off with his money. The author narrates how he kept on organizing generous parties for strangers. He lived in the class of the rich; his mansion was built with expensive construction materials with a luxurious â€Å"tower on one side† (Fitzgerald, 152). The nicely finished compound had a swimming pool lined with marble and enclosed in a large parcel of land on which he tended a lawn and flower gardens. Eponine was also proud just like Gatsby. She was very proud that she knew how to write and read. â €Å"I am going to write something to show you,† this was her favorite statement to express her feelings about her literacy (Hugo, 112). Her literacy placed her in a different social status with the rest of the women. Gatsby was quite a gentleman, he extended his generosity to everyone he came across. When Daisy, his girlfriend was accused of killing Myrtle, Gatsby stood by her side and defended her throughout the case (Fitzgerald, 151). He was kind to everyone and was ready to use his money to please people. In one of the parties he organized, he gave a new gown to one of the guests whose gown was accidentally torn while at the party (Bohlin, 162). Eponine was emotional and fearful. All her songs are filled with emotions (Roche, 162). She cried so often as a way of expressing her emotions.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Because of his cheating nature, Gatsb y was a susceptible character. He embraced lies as a strategy to protect himself and perpetuate his â€Å"great name† (Bohlin, 220). This character made him loose all his close friends. He also used the lies to convince her girlfriends in romance. Eponine was depicted acting more as a boy than a lady. She associates more with barricade boys and fought just like men. She bears the brand of â€Å"on my own† attitude which is rather a man’s character than a woman (Hugo, 109). Conclusion This essay made a comparison of the characters of Gatsby and Eponine as detailed in the books â€Å"The Great Gatsby† and â€Å"Les Mesrables.† The two characters were effectively used by the writers to bring out the themes of romance, social class and struggles of life. Bohlin, Karen. Teaching Character Education through Literature: Awakening the Moral imaginations in Secondary Classrooms. New York: Routledge Falmer. 2005. Print Fitzgerald, Scott and Prigozy, Ruth. T he Great Gatsby. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. 1998. Print. Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. Fairfield: 1st world Library. 2007. Print Roche Isabel. Character and meaning in the novels of Victor Hugo. New York: Purdue University.2007.Print.

Who in your life has been your biggest influence and why Scholarship Essay

Who in your life has been your biggest influence and why - Scholarship Essay Example He motivated me by reminding the real value of education by reminding me thus, â€Å"Dream of going to college is attainable if you put hard work to achieve.† Not only the words but also his deeds proved me what he said is true and genuine. As I am the eldest of 6 brothers, and having the responsibility of looking after them, naturally I thought I may not have the proper chances of pursuing my education. Fortunately, I was the first grandchild who had the chance to go to college and I have never been in trouble at school out of 12 years. I could also obtain A/B Honor roll during my education career with the unique support from my father. My father’s hardworking mentality after divorce to provide us the stable living situations is another factor that influenced me greatly. He goes to work 6 days a week to support all of us. The way he helped the neighbors and even the strangers in need has put a drive in me to help my fellowman whenever I can. Now I have realized that in fluence is the power to have an important effect on someone or something. And I feel the power in me through the magnificent influence of my father who has provided me a lot and made me what I am

Investment Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investment Risk Management - Essay Example Additionally, the company was reported bankrupt on 15th September 2008 and was ranged among the top 22 financial institutions that experienced the world largest bankruptcy (Ross, 2010). This collapse brought a big shock not only to the U.S economy but to entire world. This is because the company provided financial services not only to the affluent individuals and companies but also to the government. Among the services that were rendered by the company include; banking services, equity investments, consultancy services, buying and selling of treasury securities to mention just but a few (Sorkin, 2008). 1. Factors that contributed to financial failure of the Lehman Brothers Holding Company. According to Azadinamin, 2003 numerous factors contribute to failure of Lehman Brothers Holding Company. ... This led to higher cases of defaults as most of the house holds could not be able to repay the loans and interest rates that were attached on those loans. This consequently led to the collapse of Lehman and brother holding company (Azadinamin, 2003). Additionally, manipulation of financial statement such as balance sheet contributed to failure of Lehman failure. For example; it was reported that fifty billion dollars on loans commitment were intentionally removed from the balance sheet and recorded as sales in the income statements rather than loans. Connectively, the company was operating a negative cash flow statement prior to its collapse. Therefore, I could recommend to the senior management of Lehman brother Company to perform credit selection and moral hazards prior granting mortgages (Azadinamin, 2003). Additionally, Lehman management should avoid unethical accounting practices and propagate high ethical standards in financial reporting. The company should have realistic and a chievable strategies. For example, instead of buying assets and storing them, the company could transfer them to third party and earn more returns. Lehman management focused only at evaluating the balance sheet and ignored cash flow evaluation, making it difficult to detect the potential risk that led to its collapse. Therefore, I could have recommended Lehman management to evaluate all its financial statements in order to detect risk and failures before they occurs and establish necessary mechanism to deal with such failures (Azadinamin, 2003). 2. Sufficiency assessment of risk management techniques used by financial institutions today Financial

20th century differed from the world at the end of the 19th century Term Paper

20th century differed from the world at the end of the 19th century - Term Paper Example Asians and African have tried to function in the power structure; however, this structure of power has been engineered to uphold Western rule over economic, social, and geo-political articles (White, pg 98). At the beginning of the 20th century, racial and gender, discrimination still prevailed in the society. Even though the 19th century had seen the end of the Atlantic slave trade, the struggle for equality of Africans in the white population of Europe, South America, and North America sustained. All through the century, the societal taboo regarding gender discrimination decreased. The end of the 20th century witnessed that in almost all regions of the globe, women’s rights equaled that of men. Moreover, not only did people of other cultures get equal rights by the society, but most people criticized racial discrimination as well (White, pg 98). The term Specialism was created during the 1970s, as society began to wonder at, and question humanity’s natural prejudice regarding other species. The closing years of the 19th century, and the whole of the 20th century saw considerable amount of industrial development. Americans abandoned many farms and small towns in favor of industries and factories. These industries and factories, created for mass yield and exemplified on precipitous hierarchy, depended on manual labor, and small salaries. Labor unions slowly gained power in these surroundings. In time, they attained considerable advancements in working circumstances. They also succeeded in modifying American politics: most of the time siding with the Democratic Party, labor unions made up a crucial part of most of the social legislation endorsed from the 1930s, from the time of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, until the Kennedy and Johnson governments in the 1960s. Structured labor is still a significant economic and political power today;

Evaluation Of The Things They Carried English Literature Essay

Evaluation Of The Things They Carried English Literature Essay We had witnessed something essential, something brand-new and profound, a piece of the world so startling there was not yet a name for it. The quote from OBrien talks about an approach to exploring the American involvement in the conflict in Vietnam and it suggests that much has been carried out of this war, if not by official governmental standards the lives of those who were intimately involved in the battles of the conflict. There exists a national tension surrounding conversations about war in the United States. The anxiety of these conversations arises from discussing the lack of official closure of the war, the motivations for beginning the war, as well as the domestic social turmoil of the period. The remarkable disparity between the official government reports and the narratives and memoirs of soldiers who fought in the war as evidenced by the quotes also contributes to the tension. How do we tell the history of a conflict that is either unremarkable or a fracture in the soci o-cultural evolution of the United States? The Vietnam War itself became a field of competing discourses. The struggle to maintain the American myth, the inability of the conflict to fit into traditional war history, media coverage, and the personal narratives from returning soldiers and personnel contributed to social turmoil surrounding the place of the war in history. Personal narratives not only faced disregard by the official discourse of the war but veterans also struggled with the form in which they could communicate these strikingly different war stories. In his novels of the Vietnam War, in particular the short story collection The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien explores the experiences of soldiers in war who are themselves seeking to tell such a story. During the war and later in life reflecting on their experiences, the characters are themselves looking to tell the history of the conflict as well as their own histories. This story combines memory, fiction an personal narrative in an attempt to address some of the most complicated questions arising from their involvement in the war. OBriens writing promotes a new rhetoric of the relationship between truth, language, and knowledge specific to the historical context of the Vietnam War. OBriens postmodern notions of truth and history-telling provide a framework for encouraging communication about the Vietnam War and its stories. In order to contextualize OBriens rhetoric, it is necessary to briefly examine his own history of story telling as well as the critical responses to his work. Operating from the assumptions of postmodernism, OBriens rhetoric defines truth subjectively and examines the relationship between language and knowledge in conveying that subjective truth. Ultimately, OBrien addresses the problem of communication. He explores how we communicate our experiences to ourselves, through memory, language, and imagination and then how these experiences are communicated to others. OBrien concludes that because there is no Truth in an objective sense, language as a referent is not sufficient for communicating or understanding personal experience. This problem combined with the national tension surrounding talk of the Vietnam War complicates discussion of both personal and national histories of this war. Oà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢Brien ties these two problems together in a rhetoric that, firmly rooted in a postmodern theory, acknowledges the impossibility of relating the Truth of the war. He instead manipulates what Nietzsche calls the human will to truth, narrative structure, and language itself to produce a new discourse for addressing individual and social histories of the Vietnam War. It is a narrative discourse that makes apparent the limitations of the traditional binary of truth and fiction by continuously calling into question the interpretive strategies of the reader, the author, and the text itself. OBrien reverses the hierarchy by placing fiction over truth. Employing a postmodern reading of the text, it is possible to see that rather than simply exploring how he can invert these universals, OBrien is questioning the way we think about these terms. Rather than the Platonic assumption that there is Truth and Fiction and we must differentiate no matter which one we prioritize, OBrien is how we think about what constitutes fact (truth) and fiction. Reading from the assumptions of postmodernism can suggest that what OBrien really does is create a rhetoric that functions to demolish the traditional notions of what constitutes Truth and fiction. OBrien explores our traditional understanding of these terms and suggests not that one is better than the other, but that they do not exist in concrete reality. Through the distrust of humans desire to know any Truth, the fragmentation of his narrative structure, and the questioning of the ability of language to communicate, OBrien uses the Vietnam War (an historical event) to suggest that by rewriting the way we understand what we mean by truth and fiction we can reclaim discourse on the Vietnam War that would be traditionally marginalized. It may be that although we cannot agree on one Truth out the history of the war that we can at least engage a discourse about the individual and national struggles with Vietnam. In the final story in The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien writes, The about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might dream along with you, and in this way memory and imagination and language combine to make spirits in the head (230). In this final story OBrien writes about the purpose of storytelling. The project of The Things They Carried is ultimately communication but it is communication in a postmodern sense. Deconstructing the binary of truth and fiction, OBrien wants to communicate what he calls story truth, his blend of memory, imagination, and language. Reading through OBriens own framework for story truth, we can see that The Things They Carried presents a rhetoric for reading the Vietnam War through experience and outside of the official discourse of the war. Ultimately, the question becomes one of communication. How can we communicate histories or experience to ourselves and to others? Tim OBriens postmodern rhetoric suggests that since there is no Truth, language as a referent is no longer sufficient. Discourse, even historical discourse, must be communicated in terms of story truth that manipulates language, context, and narrative structure in order to convey always shifting subjective interpretations. The turbulent social history of the Vietnam War has resulted in the large disparity between the official discourse and the unofficial knowledge and experience of the conflict. OBrien combines the problem of communication with the historical turmoil of the Vietnam War period in The Things They Carried to address both circumstances . He produces a narrative that makes apparent the limitations of dividing truth from fiction by continuously calling into question interpretive strategies of both the writing itself and the reader. OBriens rhetoric argues that although communication of objective truth is impossible, we must focus on maintaining discourse with and about the people and events surrounding Vietnam War. Arguing that social as well as personal histories are written through discourse, OBrien suggests that the most important function of discourse is the act of listening. He argues that stories can save lives by giving voice to individual subjects whose histories can be heard as part of the discourse of the war.

snake bites Essay -- essays papers

snake bites Bob was walking in the woods one day when his life was put in great danger. He had just stepped over a log when he felt a sharp sting on the back of his leg. He looked down and saw two small puncture wounds on his leg. The stinging sensation instantly went throughout his body and that was when he saw a snake still laying beside the log he had just stepped over. Bob had many questions running through his head. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if the snake was poisonous. Bob began to panic. What next? Is Bob going to live? We will find out later but first lets learn more about the dangers of snakebites. What are snake bites? Snake bites are wounds inflicted by the mouth of a snake. A wound from a snake with short teeth and no fangs may look like a series of scratches or tiny punctures. The twin puncture wounds usually associated with snakebites appear when the paired fangs of a fanged snake break through the skin.(Encarta 99) Snakebites from nonpoisonous snakes are not serious but should be cleansed with an antiseptic to prevent infection. The bite of a poisonous snake, which can inject venom into the body, may cause a burning pain usually spreads rapidly from the place where you have been bitten. Swelling and color changes in the skin follow soon after. A person may feel feverish, thirsty, and sick at their stomach. They may even vomit.(Diseases-Encyclopedia) Bites by coral snakes produce somewhat different symptoms, including numbness, vision problems, and difficulty swallowing.(Diseases-Encyclopedia) The victim of a snakebite should seek first aid promptly. An attempt should be made to identify the snake if it can be done safely. First aid measures should focus on keeping the victim quiet so that the heart rate remains normal, thereby slowing the spread of venom in the bloodstream. The area of the bite should be kept below the level of the heart. The victim should seek medical attention immediately. Depending upon the victim’s symptoms and the species of the snake, the physician may administer antivenin, a preparation that helps to neutralize the venom and minimize its harmful effects.(Encarta96) The venom of poisonous snakes is produced and stored in specialized glands within the snake’s head. In the United States, there are four types of poisonous snakes: coral snakes, rattlesnake... ...you maintain a private or laboratory collection of live venomous species, keep all cages under lock and key; rooms where such cages are located should have a double door and vestibule, be completely visible through glass paneling from the outside and be off-limits to all but authorized personnel. If a snake appears missing from a cage you may be able to locate it before entering the room in preparation of re-securing it. Such rooms should be completely sealed. No open or screened windows and no "mouse-holes" or pipe holes through which a snake can escape. Sink drains should be also be capped and toilets, if present, always kept covered. 8. Finally if you deal with venomous snakes always make sure you have or know where to locate a supply of specific antivenom for the species you are involved with.(Snakebite Emergency Webpage) Unfortunately Bob didn’t know any of this first aid information. He passed out in the woods and had no way to get help. He died About three hours after being bitten by a large rattle snake. I hope you have read this information thoroughly, you may encounter a snake the next time you leave the house will you know what to do. snake bites Essay -- essays papers snake bites Bob was walking in the woods one day when his life was put in great danger. He had just stepped over a log when he felt a sharp sting on the back of his leg. He looked down and saw two small puncture wounds on his leg. The stinging sensation instantly went throughout his body and that was when he saw a snake still laying beside the log he had just stepped over. Bob had many questions running through his head. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if the snake was poisonous. Bob began to panic. What next? Is Bob going to live? We will find out later but first lets learn more about the dangers of snakebites. What are snake bites? Snake bites are wounds inflicted by the mouth of a snake. A wound from a snake with short teeth and no fangs may look like a series of scratches or tiny punctures. The twin puncture wounds usually associated with snakebites appear when the paired fangs of a fanged snake break through the skin.(Encarta 99) Snakebites from nonpoisonous snakes are not serious but should be cleansed with an antiseptic to prevent infection. The bite of a poisonous snake, which can inject venom into the body, may cause a burning pain usually spreads rapidly from the place where you have been bitten. Swelling and color changes in the skin follow soon after. A person may feel feverish, thirsty, and sick at their stomach. They may even vomit.(Diseases-Encyclopedia) Bites by coral snakes produce somewhat different symptoms, including numbness, vision problems, and difficulty swallowing.(Diseases-Encyclopedia) The victim of a snakebite should seek first aid promptly. An attempt should be made to identify the snake if it can be done safely. First aid measures should focus on keeping the victim quiet so that the heart rate remains normal, thereby slowing the spread of venom in the bloodstream. The area of the bite should be kept below the level of the heart. The victim should seek medical attention immediately. Depending upon the victim’s symptoms and the species of the snake, the physician may administer antivenin, a preparation that helps to neutralize the venom and minimize its harmful effects.(Encarta96) The venom of poisonous snakes is produced and stored in specialized glands within the snake’s head. In the United States, there are four types of poisonous snakes: coral snakes, rattlesnake... ...you maintain a private or laboratory collection of live venomous species, keep all cages under lock and key; rooms where such cages are located should have a double door and vestibule, be completely visible through glass paneling from the outside and be off-limits to all but authorized personnel. If a snake appears missing from a cage you may be able to locate it before entering the room in preparation of re-securing it. Such rooms should be completely sealed. No open or screened windows and no "mouse-holes" or pipe holes through which a snake can escape. Sink drains should be also be capped and toilets, if present, always kept covered. 8. Finally if you deal with venomous snakes always make sure you have or know where to locate a supply of specific antivenom for the species you are involved with.(Snakebite Emergency Webpage) Unfortunately Bob didn’t know any of this first aid information. He passed out in the woods and had no way to get help. He died About three hours after being bitten by a large rattle snake. I hope you have read this information thoroughly, you may encounter a snake the next time you leave the house will you know what to do.