Should Abortion Be Legal - 1652 Words

Teens should not be allowed to have abortions Imagine your life in the hands of a teenager. This is the case of many unborn children. In today s society teens are allowed to have abortions with or without parental consent, even under the age of 18. Allowing abortions is overriding the basic human rights. Teens under the age of 18 shouldn t be allowed to have an abortion because of the basic human rights of a fetus. Teens themselves don t have certain rights so how are they allowed to have rights over someone else s life. Teens under the age of 18 can t get major surgeries without parental consent, yet an abortion is a major surgery. To every problem there is a solution. To overcome this problem a law that no teens under the age of 18 should not be able to get an abortion without parental consent should be enacted. This law can be made by Roe V. Wade enacting an age limit up to at least teens under the age of 18 require parental consent in order to have an abortion. The article, â€Å" reasons women give for abortion: a review of the literature.† States some reasons why women decide to obtain an abortion. The most common being because of â€Å"wrong timing†. Maybe someday they do want to have kids but they think at the moment isn t the right time to do so. This might be because they are not yet ready for motherhood and the desire not to disrupt education, work, or life plans. Being to young to be a mother is a feature ofShow MoreRelatedAbortion Should Not Be Legal1647 Words   |  7 PagesOne of the most highly debated topics is abortion and whether or not it should be legal. People who oppose abortion, meaning they are pro-life claim that abortion should be completely illegal with no aspects of it whatsoever; it can be a murder for the people standing against it. The other side of the argument, meaning people who are pro-choice, defend it by believing it to be a right been given to the women. They also claim even if a bortion was to be illegal, it would still be practiced. EveryRead MoreAbortion Should Not Be Legal920 Words   |  4 Pagesworld has struggled with for ages and one thing that people are advocating around the world for is abortion. Abortion is either a procedure or pill that stops a fetus s heart. Abortion should not be legal because life beings at creation, abortions are a direct violation of the 14th amendment, and thousands of people would love to adopt a child: handicapped or otherwise. Abortion should not be legal because life begins at creation. What is creation? Some people say conception, but it actually isRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?1320 Words   |  6 PagesAbortion, as you all may know, is a really popular topic. There have long been many debates between the two groups, pro-life and pro-choice. People who are pro-life believe that part of the government’s job is to protect all forms of human life. Those who are pro-choice believe that every individual should have control over their own reproductive systems. Pro-life supporters strongly believe that even an undeveloped fetus has life; it is still growing and it needs to be protected. And this soundsRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?1217 Words   |  5 PagesNovember 2015 Should Abortion be Legal Among all the issues that have been fought for or against in the United States, abortion may be one of the most popular issues that Americans are passionate about. Abortion is defined as the removal of the embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. Thousands of abortions take place every single day, and yet public opinion remains at a standstill as to whether or not abortion is ethical. Everyone holds different opinions on abortion. The proponentsRead MoreAbortion Should Not Be Legal Essay1596 Words   |  7 Pages Abortions have been performed on women for thousands of years. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. Most often it is performed during the first 20 weeks of being pregnant. The controversy over whether or not abortion should be legal continues to divide Americans till this day. An important landmark case was the Roe v. Wade case, where the Court argued that the zone of privacy was broad enough to encompass a woman s decision whether or not to terminateRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal? Essay1089 Words   |  5 PagesWhen the word abortion is heard, it is always associated with many negative things such as murder and inhumanity. However not legalizing abortion creates a huge problem for women around the world. Having a child takes consideration, planning and preparation and if pregnancy happens without any of this, why bother to have it at all? The reasons why abortion should be legal is that it supports the fundamental human rights for women by giving them a choice, it reduces crime by reducing the number ofRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?1135 Words   |  5 PagesKelsi Hodgkin Composition 1 Professor Chipps 19 October 2015 Should Abortion Be Legal A common debate in the world today involves abortion, the deliberate end of human pregnancy, and whether or not it should be legalized. â€Å"Every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day† (â€Å"Abortions Worldwide this Year†). On one side of the argument, people are not disturbed by this grotesque number, and on theRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?963 Words   |  4 PagesLegal or Illegal? Which would you prefer? Not many are willing to discuss such a gut wrenching topic, but this needs to be addressed. It is a very controversial topic with having to do with women rights and activists. Since there are two sides to every argument, there is one side such as to make abortion legal and the opposing side to keep abortions illegal. In my opinion making abortion illegal can regulate the amount of women who do get pregnant. I believe that making abortions legal will let womenRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?867 Words   |  4 PagesABORTION Abortion is a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. There are series of legal, moral and ethical issues which may arise about abortion. Most arguments about abortion are often focused on political insinuations and the legal aspect of such actions. Some frequently asked questions’ regarding the issue is if the practice should be outlawed and regarded as murder or should women have the right to practice it. For example, prior toRead MoreShould Abortions Be Legal?939 Words   |  4 PagesShould abortions be legal? Abortions have been a big issue since the Roe v Wade case. There have been a lot of disagreements between the Pro-life supporters and the pro-choice supporters. Pro-life supporters feel like abortions deter murder, while pro-choice supporters believe that the women should be able to make their own decisions. I am a part of the pro-life supporters because I feel like abortions are wrong for several of reasons. Why should women get an abortion if there are other choices for

Analysis Of Maya Angelou s Poem, Africa - 1491 Words

Red stands for the blood lost; green for the land they took, and black pigment of the people of that great continent. These are the colors of the Pan-African flag, not simply a flag, but rather a symbol for all those whose origins begin in Africa. Maya Angelou’s poem, â€Å"Africa,† paints a portrait of the history of Africa. Her canvas depicts the beautiful landscapes with its people far and wide as well as those who were abducted from its shores. The three stanzas, which make up the poem, construct a story about a nation that was beaten, raped and left behind to die, and despite that was triumphant in the end. Maya Angelou’s poem is a tribute to the struggles and triumphs of Africa. Angelou refers to Africa as a woman throughout the poem. The use of the female pronouns creates a sense familiarity between poem and the reader. Drawing on their personal relationships with the women in their own lives. In the first stanza, Angelou sexualizes Africa by using personification, â€Å"thus she has lain,† creating an image of a woman lying in a bed. Angelou makes other references to woman by emphasizing the geography of African and connecting it to female body parts. The descriptive lines about Africa’s, deserts, riches, and mountains directly correlate to woman’s hair, feet and breast. This personification about Africa works so well because it creates this natural beauty of a woman’s body and Africa. By making Africa the image of a beautiful woman Angelou solidifies a pleasing image ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Post Colonialism 1742 Words   |  7 Pagesimplemented on them and the career of Maya Angelou, a black woman born in the h eight of racism in America, is a testament to the colonised population s vigour and power to endure.    In many of her protest poems Angelou expresses the overwhelming oppression of the black culture and cries out against a system that supports the economic oppression of blacks by the white majority. Born in 1928, Angelou s own parents would have experienced slavery, and, as a child of slaves, Angelou herself experienced the after

The Birth of Complex Cells Free Essays

Having more understanding of how the process of scientific inquiry works, t he more I felt that science is a result Of efforts made by scientists through the accumulation of time. For example, in order to provide an evidence that the SST art of a complex cells begins with having an ancestral cells hosting other living cells, scientists first need to search for an evidence that that living cell did exist. The n, they have to provide an evidence HOW did the host cells symbiosis with the living c Hence, being able to see how science is conducted, I really appreciate all the perseverance and patience the scientists put into a research just to find ONE evidence to support/overthrow a theory. We will write a custom essay sample on The Birth of Complex Cells or any similar topic only for you Order Now 2. The osmosis and strawberry DNA extraction lab allows me to understand h owe our cell membrane works and what it is made for. With the osmosis lab I understood odd how water follows from low concentration to high, and this experiment is important NT to how he nutrients are transported in and out of our cell through osmosis. From the strawberry DNA extraction lab, we first added detergent to dissolve the outer membrane causing the strawberry DNA to isolate from the rest of the residua product. This allows us to know that membranes are made of lipids, which dish solve in detergent, giving us more clue on how did our ancestral cells â€Å"endoscopies NT† another living cell by making its way through the membrane. After reading this article I still wonder, in the beginning when the complex c alls are forming, why didn’t the ancestral cell tell the living cell apart from itself? Why our ancestral cell didn’t just eat and dissolve that living cell, instead symbiosis with I t? 4. 1 like the way the article discuss not only about the different possibilities of how a cell might have formed, but also the point of views the scientists have now an d then. Another thing I really enjoy reading about this article is that it carefully written out all the steps a scientist did to conduct an experiment, including the challenges a d the outcome he received. Yet, on the other hand, I feel like this paragraph contain s way too much information needed for a beginner in biology to understand, include ding all the definitions of biological terms. 5. Yes, this paper really allows a student in biology to understand the origin of a cell, and how we became to be. Yet, I WOUld recommend this project to be assign eater on in the class because it contains great amount of information, and students wow old learn better corresponding to the knowledge they have. How to cite The Birth of Complex Cells, Papers

Grammar and expression in early Renaissance architecture Essay Example For Students

Grammar and expression in early Renaissance architecture Essay Leon Battrsta Alberti (1404-1472) exempli tie!, the shift Irom the artisan to the learned artist creator. So writes the eminent Alberti scholar Cecil Grayson, and there are perhaps few who would disagree.1 But Graysons seemingly unremarkable assertion implies the acceptance of a single standard and content ot learning, evidently in contrast to the knowledge accumulated by artisans, in which, nevcithcless, Alberti himself showed a lively interest.1 Clearly, Graysons learning is specifically that of humanism, of which Albeiti was a leading, if sometimes ambivalent, exponent Graysons brief account of epochal c hange (published, it should be noted, in 19721 implicitly assigns to Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1440) the role of artisan, as inventor of technical procedures theorized indeed transmuted into ‘learning by Alberti, an assessment bv and large also conveyed in the latest monograph on the older architect. Indeed. Brunelleschi apprenticed with a goldsmith and never si towed any interest in turning himself into a humanist a careenenham ing strategy followed by his ontemorary, the cx Ã'  asional ate bites Lorenzo Ghiberti, as well as much later, more assiduously and famously, by Andrea Palladio In my view. Brunelleschis achievement depended, even if indirectly, on a crucial late-medieval intellectual disciplinary and discursive domain—a field of learning—that humanism m general opposed and ultimately destroyed. The field in question was the philosophical study of grammar, a subiect of particular interest to Alberti, whose jpproach to the subject was, however, conduc ted on quite different premises and whose emergence as an architect, as I will suggest, depended not only on the careful formulation of a critical position toward Brunelleschis architecture in general, but also on the close involvement in the .assessment and elaboration of a particular Rrunelleschian project. Most acco unts of Albertis career represent his direct experience of architectural planning and design as rposcd to the engagement with theory and the legacy of antiquity as subsequent to the writing of his architectural treatise. l will consider the possibility that  in architecture. as in many of Albertis fields of interest, contemplation and action were dosely linked. In Florence 1441, the recently completed dome ol the cathedra! of Santa Maria del Fiore loomed over a spectacle of remarkable irrelevance to the sacred values and purposes the great building had been constructed to accommodate and express. One by one. men came forward—hardly a priest among them -and before a large and attentive audienc e dec laimed verges, not on the relations between humankind and a transcendent deity, but between man and man. The theme of the verses was friendship; the organizer, who himself wrote a lengthy prose meditation on the- topic for the occasion, was Leon Battista Alberti.8 Since 1434, Alberti had been in Florence with the papal court, which he served as an official in the secretariat of Pope Eugenius IV. The pope was in Florence to preside over a council summoned to negotiate the reconciliation of the wes tern and eastern churches, the latter motivated by the threat of Ottoman power that, in little more than a decade, would engulf Constantinople itself.9 The pope was lodged and the council sessions located at the great Dominican monastery and center of learning of S. Maria Novella. This was the site of the famous exchanges between senior representatives of Greek intellectual traditions and individuals in the western delegation who had risen to prominence through distinction in the new learning ot humanism, which ideally encompassed direct and profound exposure to ancient Greek us well as Latin letters On paper, the council ended successfully in 1439 with Use proclamation in the cathedral ot the union of the Latin ami Gieek churches, though this was never accepted In many Byzantines and was anyway soon overtaken by the Turkish advam e. Tlie advantages sought by the Florentine government in expensively hosting the council, however, were no doutst not primarily of religious nature, but had to do rather with securing the inextricably entwined commercial and cultural prominence of the city. The Medicean regime went to great lengths to attract the council to Florence, an outcome requiring extensive negotiations that were entrusted to Lorenzo de Medici, Cosimos brother. â€Å"Originality in Italian Renaissance Architecture† EssayIe Indeed, the ccrtame itself indicates that the binary distinction ot Latin and the vernacular obscured the range of stylistic idioms and models available to those concerned with literary expression in their native language (much the same was also true, of course, of writing in Latin), It is possible that the certame jurors were more willing to recognize this diversity than Alherti, with his commitment—expressly slated in the preface to 1Ã'…Ã'ŽÐ º three of the .1 Fjuniglia -to a unitary linguistic regime, at least in the context of writing.19 Alberti’s favored entry in the competition was almost certainly that of his friend and fellow papal bureaucrat Leonardo Dati, whose attempt to write Italian hexameters broke brusquely with local traditions of vernacular versification, which were upheld by most other competitors.10 The jurors were not impressed. Alberti s response is known from a highly polemi cal anonymous text known as the Protests in which the author, certainly Alberti himself, represents the lurvs   decision as aroused by envy and as a scornful riposte to the organizer.^ Many scholars have rashly taken Alberti at his word, assuming that the blow of the failed ccrtame was enough to drive Allierti to a mood of Weak pessimism and. a little later, to a return to Latin as his literary language of choice. The central themes ol the Pmtvtta appear in other of Albertis writings, however, suggesting a concern not so much to represent a given state of affairs as to focus attention on general forces affecting human conduct. The author ot the Protesta represents envy as the major force in play, and indeed Alberti proceeded to select envy as the theme ot a second ccrtame. which however never took place, though Dati and others wrote pieces for it. A more compelling reason to read the Pmtcsta skeptically, however, is that it gives the highly implausible impression that only Alberti and the jurors had significant roles to plav on this occasion.M Whatever Albertis reaction, it is surely far mote likely that the award was first of all an act of flattery to the people of Florence and, in particular, the leading c itizen who financed the event and, we may suppose, saw to it that tin cathedral was made available. This was Piero di Cosimo dc Medici, elder son of the effective ruler of Florence since 1434. Pieros key role, along with his younger brother, in the cultural policies of the Medici has been emphasized and documented in many recent studies. Ihere can be no doubt of the larger strategic purpose of he involvement in the events of 1441, while   the projected topic of the second ccrtame, envy, was a particular concern of Pieros father. Cosimo. The ccrtamc cororurto ottered Piero, though sfill young be was horn in 1416). a timely and conspicuous stage on which to display himself as a patron ot culture. Two events of 144(1 had greatly affected both the landing of the Medici in the city and Piero’s potential personal role I he victory ot Anghiari suppressed major external .is well av internal threats to the Medicean â„â€"gime;uand Pieros unc le I oreno, younger brother ar*d Ã'  lose partner of Ð ¡os. i mo rie Medic i, died, leaving a c lear oportuntty and even need for the memb ers of the younger generation to establish themselves in the political and cultural affairs of the city.26 The commission at this time of formal portraits of Piero and his brother was sorely accomplished in part to emphasize their new status.

Animals in Testing essays

Animals in Testing essays Its not a new thing. For many centuries scientists and testers in research have used animals of all kinds. Most of the animals are small ones like rodents - rats, mice, hamsters and gerbils. Some dogs, cats and a variety of goats, monkeys and rabbits have also been used. The animal rights issue is an emotional one - second only, perhaps, to the abortion debate. For decades the value of animal research has been grossly overrated. Although researchers claim that they depend on animal test data to achieve medical advances, we should demand other means of research and there should be laws assuring a minimum level of animal protection because testing on animals is cruel, inhumane, and often unnecessary. The American Medical Association has stated that it believes that research involving animals is essential to maintaining and improving the health of human beings. They point out that all advances in medical science in the 20th century, from antibiotics to organ transplants, has been achieved either directly or indirectly through the use of animals in laboratory experiments. Animal research is being used to find a cure for AIDS, cancer, heart disease, aging and congenital defects. The AMA claims that the result of these experiments has been the elimination or control of many infectious diseases. This has meant a longer, healthier, better life with much less pain and suffering for humans. Animal research is for the most part cruel and inhumane. Animal rights activists have gathered large amounts of information that has resulted in the closing down of many laboratories that violate anti-cruelty statutes. Almost daily we read about scientists and researchers who conduct animal experiments that do not consider pain and suffering. Laboratories are cited for filthy conditions, cages that are barely large enough to house animals and breeding conditions that are cruel. Animal research is often unnecessary. History has ...

Globe Limited Model of Organizational Behavior

Globe Limited Model of Organizational Behavior Introduction Organizational behavior is the field of study that focuses on application of knowledge to solve organizational problems. It pertains to how individuals and groups behave in the organization. The concept of organizational behavior utilizes the system approach to address various problems afflicting the organization. It interprets the relationships between workers and the organization in order to determine the position of the firm in the market.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Globe Limited Model of Organizational Behavior specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aim of organizational behavior is to create a superior relationship by realizing individual objectives, organizational aims and social objectives. The field encompasses a wide range of topics including human behavior, transformation, leadership and teamwork. Organizational behavior holds that employees should be guided by organization’s philosop hies, values and goals. Organizational principles should drive organizational culture, which consist of formal and informal associations, as well as social environment. Organizational culture determines leadership style, nature of organizational communication and group dynamics. Furthermore, employees view organizational culture as the value of life, which influences their motivation in the organization. The results of good management is high performance, employee satisfaction and individual growth and improvement in the organization. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of organizational behavior in increasing sales at the globe limited. The organization should adopt some models and theories in order to encourage its salespersons to achieve maximum benefits for the organization. The paper looks at some theories that are related to organizational behavior as well as techniques of motivating salespersons. The paper concludes that Globe limited must adopt supportive and collegial mod els of organizational behavior in order to realize its objectives. The organization must keep off from autocratic model, which suggests that employees must be forced to deliver positive results. Even though there is a problem at the company, the management must consider other techniques of motivating workers and adopt autocratic model as the last resort. Importance of Motivation Motivation is critical to management in the organization because it puts human resources into action. Each objective demands that physical, monetary and human resources are organized in order to realize it. Scholars have established that it is only through motivation that human resources can be used maximally. Motivation instills the spirit of willingness and cooperation in employees. Employees might be able but unwilling to use their proficiencies to achieve organizational goals and aims. Motivation would allow Globe limited to make use of both human and capital resources.Advertising Looking for ess ay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, motivation would improve the efficiency of salespersons, which would lead to high performance. Effectiveness of employees does not only rely on their academic qualifications and capabilities (Murphy 43). Motivation helps in filling the gap between capability and willingness. Through motivation, salespersons would improve their productivity, the firm would reduce the costs of operations and finally overall efficiency could be realized at the Globe limited. Nonetheless, motivation leads to realization of organizational goals and objectives because organizational goals are only achieved when there is efficient use of human resources and teamwork. This means that salespersons at the Globe limited should be goal-directed in order to behave in a purposive manner. Therefore, goals can be attained if harmonization and teamwork occurs concurrently, which ca n only happen through motivation. Recent researches show that motivation builds friendly relationships among employees. It naturally follows that motivation is a significant aspect of employee satisfaction. Top managers at the Globe limited should always remember this aspect and try to frame an appealing incentive plan that would benefit sales persons. In this regard, scholars have established some plans that can be used to motivate employees, which include financial and non-monetary inducements, promotion opportunities and sanctions for non-performing salespersons. Policy makers at the Globe limited must adopt these plans in order to motivate salespersons to perform better. Adoption of the above plans would guarantee effective collaboration, which might bring about constancy in the organization hence boosting sales. Unnecessary conflicts and inconsistencies among employees would be eliminated through adoption of the plans. Globe limited could be facing difficulties because some emp loyees are against change. The above plans could allow some employees to accept change and aspire to fulfill the wishes of the employer. Finally, motivation, especially monetary inducement, would allow salespersons to align their interests to those of the organization. The outcome of both financial and no-monetary motivation would be profit maximization because of increased productivity. Motivation encourages stability in the organization because it promotes a good reputation and benevolence. In fact, research confirms that employees’ loyalty is tied to the actions of the management. If employees are involved in decision-making processes, they tend to take active roles in the organization.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Globe Limited Model of Organizational Behavior specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Salespersons are tempted to develop extra-skills that they can use to convince customers to accept Globeâ€℠¢s products. Customers are encouraged to buy Globe’s products because of the assurances from salespersons not the company. In this respect, changing employees’ perception is critical to the performance of any organization. Motivated employees are easy to convince and manipulate. From the above analysis, it is noted that motivation is a complex concept that can only be understood by the management. Motivation is related to internal feelings, which makes it hard for any individual to understand its nature. Only managers can comprehend it because they are usually in close contact with employees. Therefore, managers are supposed to frame sound motivation plans that can boost sales at the Globe limited. It is also true that motivation is a continuous process mainly because it is based on limited needs. Increasing Sales Some actions, programs, conditions and incentives can be employed by the management to improve sales at the Globe limited. One of the actions is making use o f what is under control in the organization. The salespersons have the ability to influence buyers to purchase company products. This calls for careful handling of customers, by taking care of their demands. Some customers have no time to meet or talk to the sales team but the salespersons must strategize in order to be awarded some time by customers. In case a customer decides to talk to one of the salespersons, maximum time must be awarded to such a customer. This would give the salesperson a chance to convince the customer to accept company products. It is believed that the more the salesperson spends time with the customer, the more he/she makes sales. Whenever a salesperson handles a customer, he/she must present him/her self in the best way possible. Customers are influenced by the seller’s attitude and impression. In this case, customers must be handled with all the care that they deserve. Their concerns must be addressed fully and salespersons should always have posit ive impressions towards customers. Salespersons must be taken through orientations in order to be able to differentiate between potential and stubborn customers. Some customers may perhaps inquire about products but they do not intend to buy them. Another action would be encouraging salespersons to familiarize themselves with the company’s products, as well as competitor’s goods and services. This would help salespersons to be prepared than their competitors in the market. Through this strategy, sales persons would be ready to answer any question from customers touching on Globe’s limited products. However, this cannot be achieved unless salespersons are made to trust and believe in company products.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Motivation Theories A number of theories have been formulated to explain the conduct of employees in relation to motivation in an organization. Surprisingly, not all theories have the same postulations hence it is the role of managers to apply the best. These theories apply well under different circumstances. It should be remembered that there is no a powerful theory than others. Fredrick Winslow Tailor formulated the first theory at around 1856 to 1917. The scholar observed that workers are motivated by financial incentives. The theory was coined within the context of scientific management. The theory notes that workers are not interested in working because of various reasons. In this regard, they should be monitored closely to ensure that they comply with the company’s rules and regulations. For efficient supervision, managers should group workers into small units. Each unit is assigned a specific task and a deadline for each task is put in place. Tailor suggested that work ers should be paid according to their productivity. The less productive workers are subjected to sanctions such as demotion and salary cuts while hardworking employees are given salary increment and promotion. Each employee would be encouraged to work hard in order to keep away from negative sanctions and try to win the confidence of managers (Cofer and Appley 90). Tailor’s theory is closely related to autocratic theory of administration. At the Globe limited, Dave should apply this theory as the last resort. The model is however successful because Ford utilized it in Europe and realized high results. Globe limited can also use it successfully, especially after other techniques have failed. Dave should in fact embrace Mayo’s theory, which argues that employees are not simply interested in money. Other social needs can easily distract workers from their tasks. Dave must identify that workers are human beings whose performance rely on satisfaction. Economic contentment i s not the only type of happiness that workers pursue. Other things must be considered carefully. Mayo suggests that improving communication would be helpful in boosting sales. There must be clear lines of authority and workers must have a way of airing their views and concerns. Furthermore, Davies must participate actively in sales because it boosts the morale of employees. Mayo supports Tailor’s sentiments that workers should be encouraged to work in groups that is, forming a team with clear objectives. Maslow was not far from Mayo’s ideas when he formulated his theory that is closely related to human relations theory. In fact, his theory is referred to as Neo-human relations school. The theory focuses on psychological needs of workers. According to Maslow, employees aspire to fulfill five human needs. The needs are hierarchically arranged meaning that one is fulfilled after the other. Workers are motivated to fulfill the higher need in the hierarchy after the lower n eed in the hierarchy is fully met. Maslow posits that psychological needs such as hunger and thirst are met first. An employee dying of hunger would work hard to acquire basic salary that would help him/her obtain basic needs such as food. It is therefore the role of managers to identify the needs of each worker and move on to fulfill them. In this respect, not all employees are motivated at the same time. Therefore, managers need to learn the character of each employee in order to design an appropriate incentive. Learning Theory Apart from motivation theories, scholars have also formulated social learning theory to explain the behavior of workers in organizations. The theory postulates that human behavior can be explained in terms of continuous reciprocal interactions among cognitive, behavioral and ecological determinants. The theorists holding this view observe that an individual is not dependent. Therefore, the environment influences his/her behavior. In every organization, an i ndividual has to follow some laid down regulations. This is achieved through learning, which takes time. Unless employees are given time to adjust accordingly, they cannot deliver in their work. The management must therefore realize this and try to help workers to adjust. Dave must learn the experience of each salesperson and award tasks basing on qualifications. Some employees could have attained their experiences in different settings, which are incompatible to the existing environment (Ishmael 76). Dave must investigate this and act immediately in case sales are to increase. Human beings have five capabilities that are used in strengthening skills and knowledge. The first one is symbolizing, which is concerned about processing visual experiences. This helps an employee to sharpen his/her wits in future. Another important technique is forethought that enables workers to plan their actions in advance. Other capabilities include observation, self-regulation and self-reflection. Cof er, Charles and Appley, Mortimer. Motivation: Theory and Research. New York, NY: John Wiley Sons, 1967. Ishmael, Jones. The Human Factor: Inside the CIAs Dysfunctional Intelligence Culture. New York: Encounter Books, 2008. Murphy, Jim. Inner Excellence. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009.

Critically position the authors perspectives in relation to each other Essay

Critically position the authors perspectives in relation to each other - Essay Example He explains that it is only due to overlap and multiplicity of the various elements of a city that it appears to be a complex entity in the eyes of the observer (Alexander, 1965). Jacob’s view about cities is more or less similar to that of Alexander. Jacob’s argues that a city comprises of several entities which even though they may be very different from each other, they in one way or another have a supplementary role to play with respect to each other. She believes that efficient city planning and design on the basis of conserving and strengthening this mutual support between social and economic components of the city is the sure way to come up with successful cities (Jacobs, 1961). According to lynch, a city is a composition of both mobile and stationary elements both of which are equally significant in relation to each other. The complexity of a city occurs over time as a result of human modifications for personal reasons. He identifies a good city as one which paints a harmonious picture in the mind of the observer through ease of recognition of its constituent elements (Lynch 1960). Corbusier on the other hand breaks down the complexity of a city into being made up of mass and surface. Mass reflects the various forms that can be seen while the surface is what envelopes the mass and gives it its individuality. A good city is depicted through a proper plan that gives the city order (Corbusier, 1931). Alexander identifies that the different social systems within a city serve different social groups from different spatial areas. The effect brought about by this social organization is that within a single neighborhood, there are several social centers to serve the different social units (Alexander, 1965). Lynch on the other hand identifies that there seems to a significant agreement in the perception of the environment among people of the same social group and this affects the design of a city to give an environment that is favorable for the different

Stakeholders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stakeholders - Essay Example This turbulence is caused by the existence and emergence of different groups of people in the business arena all of whom have interest in the business. The business is therefore endowed with the responsibility of serving the interest of the so called, â€Å"stakeholders† in equal measure. This will ensure that they are all satisfied to enable the business operate profitably (Savage 1991). In dealing with the stakeholders strategic management skills come in handy to ensure the corporate objectives are also met. This report has the obligation of finding the appropriate stakeholder approach and the decisions to be made with regards to the stakeholders for the realization of the organization’s goals. Contents Executive summary I. Introduction II. Preble six step process III. Selection and discussion of two important stakeholders IV. Freeman’s Model Approach V. Conclusion References I. Introduction To catch up with the unstable environment facing many U.S. industries and businesses, business executives are required to efficiently and effectively manage all their stakeholders. Stakeholders is a wide term which is used to refer to those individuals, groups, and other organizations who have an interest in the actions of an organization and who have the ability to influence such actions either to the benefit or detriment of the organization (Post, Preston & Sachs 2002). This integrative approach assumes that an effective organization strategy requires consensus from a plurality of key stakeholders about what it should be doing and how these things should be done for the success of the organization. The case also demonstrates that executives should use an overarching strategy to change relationships with stakeholders from less favorable categories such as non-supportive that may be dangerous to the business; to more favorable ones like the mixed blessing who the business really need (Ravindra, Moray & Tom 2003). II. Preble 6-step Stakeholder Manageme nt Process Model Step 1: Stakeholder Identification Stakeholders can broadly be categorized as either primary or secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are those whose continuing participation is required if an organisation is to survive and prosper (Savage 1991). They include the Shareholders, Investors, employees, customers and suppliers. Secondary stakeholders on the other hand are those who influence or affect, or are affected by, the corporation, but are not engaged in direct transactions with it and are not essential for its survival. They include the media, students and academics, unions, socially responsible investor, special interest groups (experts from social and environmental areas relevant to Nestle) and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), activist groups, environmental organisations, human rights group. We also have Public stakeholders who provide the firm with infrastructure and legal frameworks in which to operate: Governments, community and recipients of co rporate giving and so forth (Preble 2005). Step 2: general nature of stakeholder claims and power implications We start with ownership where; Shareholders have a financial equity stake in the firm, which gives them voting power, economic power in that they can sell their stake and political power which could be exercised at the company’s annual meeting as in the case of a dissident shareholder (Post, Preston &

The Bauhaus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Bauhaus - Research Paper Example Most of these were political in nature, and this is the difference between the German art of this period, and the one that was being advocated by Walter Gropius. Therefore, the principle of Bauhaus was not political, and this was able to appeal to a large group of people, which in turn led to the embrace of these principles of Bauhaus. Furthermore, the influence of Bauhaus is depicted on the works of William Morris. William Morris denoted that there is no need of creating a boundary between function and form, and art should always carter for the needs of the society. This was a major principle and teachings of art that was advocated by the Bauhaus. Another important achievement of Bauhaus is modernism. Modernism was a cultural movement tracing its origins from the late 1880s. For instance, before the set up of the institution, the principles of functionality, mass production, and the merger of arts, and crafts had began in Germany. These are some of the ideals of Bauhaus. In the year 1907, Deutscher Werkbund, a German national designer’s organization had been formed under the leadership of Herman Muthesius to harness and collect the potentials of mass production with the single aim of maintaining Germans economy in its competitiveness with the English economy. Over the first few years the organization came to be known as the authoritative body on design in within Germany and was emulated by many other countries . The Bauhaus was founded when most of the German designers had moved.

Political Culture of Texas

Political Culture of Texas Ghiassi-Tari Texas Government The political culture of Texas is both individualistic and traditionalistic. The individualistic culture is rooted in the states frontier experience and includes economic and social conservatism, strong support of personal politics, distrust of political parties, and minimization of political parties importance. The traditionalistic culture grew out of the Old South, where a one-party system developed, policies were designed to preserve the social order, and the poor and minorities were often disenfranchised (not allowed to vote). Today, these two cultures can still be found in the values, attitudes, traditions, habits, and general behavior patterns of Texans and in the governmental policies of the Lone Star State. With more than 267,000 square miles of territory, Texas ranks second in size to Alaska among the 50 states. Cattle, cotton, timber, and hydrocarbons have at different times dominated the Texas economy and influenced the states politics. Today, Texas is a highly industrialized state in which high-tech products are of increasing importance. Texas has a population of over 25 million. More than 80 percent of all Texans live in the states most highly urbanized counties. The three largest groups are Anglos, Latinos (mostly Mexican Americans), and African Americans. Latinos are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the Lone Star State. Texas has a small but growing population of Asian Americans, and fewer than 170,000 Native Americans. Although the states energy industry has decreased in importance, Texas has become a leading manufacturer of computers and other high-tech products. Agriculture continues to be important in the states economy, though it employs relatively few Texans. Service businesses provide many low-paying jobs. Challenges that face Texas includes the need to more effectively address immigration protect the environment, develop educational programs to meet the demands of an industrial society, and formulate policies for combating poverty and social problems. Local governments are part of the federal system and thus are affected by decisions made by governments above them (state and national) and other local governments. Under Texas law and its constitution, local governments are largely limited to what is required or permitted by the state. Although local governments provide the most direct contact between residents and their government, voter apathy at this level of government remains a problem. Local government is important to most Texans day-to-day lives. Election rules and the way local governments are organized make a major difference in who is elected and who benefits from government. Texas has two legal classifications of municipalities: general-law cities and home-rule cities. Large municipalities have home-rule charters that spell out the structures and powers of individual cities. Four principal forms of municipal government operate in Texas: strong mayor-council, weak mayor-council, council-manager, and commission. Elections for cities and special districts are nonpartisan, and most are organized as at-large or single-member districts. Increased use of single-member districts; greater pluralism; and the growing number, organization, and political activity of minority Texans are all changing the face of local government. Said another way, both formal rules and socioeconomic change shape the way government works, including who wins and who loses. City governments focus primarily on delivering basic services-police and fire protection, streets, water, sewer and sanitation, and perhaps parks and recreation. They also regulate important aspects of our lives, such as construction and food service sanitation. The two major sources of revenue for cities are property taxes and the sales tax. For counties, it is the property tax. Both cities and counties are making more use of fees and debt. Local governments have a difficult time because they face increasing demands for services from their residents and from the state and national government but have limited revenue sources. County governments have fragmented organizational structures and powers restricted by the Texas Constitution. Counties provide an array of services, conduct elections, and enforce state laws. Actual county activities vary greatly between metropolitan and rural counties. Various county officials are policymakers, but the major policymaker is the commissioner’s court, comprised of the county judge and four elected commissioners. The many special-district governments are separate legal entities providing services that include public schools, community colleges, and mass transit systems. Although they are important for the multitude of services they provide, the smaller and more obscure districts are more subject to fraud and manipulation. Dealing with metropolitan wide problems is a difficult task. To do so, Texas relies heavily on councils of government to increase cooperation and on annexation, a controversial process. The output of the Texas system of justice has improved in some ways in recent years. Whereas Texas courts used to be inhospitable to claims that peoples civil rights and liberties had been violated, they are now more open to such claims. As incidents in Jasper and Tulia illustrate, Texas still contains hardcore racism, but the state judicial system is working to mitigate its effects. Although there is an argument about whether citizens have a right to keep and bear arms, upon inspection this issue turns out to be a dispute over ordinary public policy, and thus a problem for the legislature, rather than over a civil liberty that must be defended by the courts. The Texas courts have courageously taken on the rest of the political establishment, including especially the legislature, in ordering a more equitable distribution of school revenues. They have not completely succeeded in introducing educational, equality into Texas public schools, but they have forced the legislature to make the educational system at least somewhat more equitable. Arguments are ongoing over some questions of rights and liberties. Although the national and state courts participate in social struggles over abortion, prayer in the schools, and personal expression, these issues provoke so much disagreement that they cannot be settled judicially. In two areas, however the rights of criminals in Texas prisons and school segregation, the federal courts have been very active over the past three decades in forcing the reform of the system. In recent years, many businesses became convinced that the outcome of Texas’s tort laws was damaging the states economy. They complained that the courts were too tolerant of frivolous suits that sometimes cost businesses so much money that they were forced to close down. In 1995 and 2003, the legislature, at the urging of Governors Bush and Perry, rewrote many of the tort laws so as to take discretion away from the civil judiciary. It is now much more difficult to file, and to win, a civil lawsuit in Texas. This change made consumer representatives unhappy, but as long as the Republican Party controls most state offices, the changes are unlikely to be undone. Economic conditions, the political climate, and power plays are all part of the government generating revenues for state government and determining how that income will be spent. Both taxing and spending are usually incremental, with major changes rarely occurring. However, the states boom-and-bust economy over the past t wenty-five years meant more tax and tee increases than usual and less budget growth. In comparing Texas with other states, we find that the combined state and local tax burden is relatively low, with Texas ranked in the bottom tilth of all states. These rankings are based only on taxes, not total revenues. We also note the significant absence of any personal or corporate income tax, although business has been asked to pay a larger share of the tax burden through the corporation franchise tax. The fundamental difference in the Texas revenue system from that of many other states is the disproportionate burden borne by the poorest citizens. This regressive system raises serious questions about how democratic the tax system is in the state. Democracies are also responsive to the citizenry. The states spending may not meet the needs of all its citizens, particularly when one considers that it ranks in the bottom quarter of all states in its per capita spending for higher education and highways and only slightly better for welfare and public schools. Texas policymakers have dealt with all the issues described in this chapter to some extent, but problems remain on the public policy agenda: The Texas economy regularly cycles through the highs of booms and the lows of busts. The revenue implications of these cycles were discussed in the previous chapter. This chapter has indicated that such shifts result in varying periods of attention on business development. The legacy of the traditionalistic individualistic political culture is a tendency to try to fulfill the wishes of the business community even if state services go unfunded. The transformation of the welfare system into workfare is a national priority with which Texans can agree. However, the change in philosophy and the reduction in federal social spending are both boon and bane to Texas. Texas will have greater flexibility in making decisions on what programs to offer its neediest citizens. It will not enjoy having to spend more state money to pay for those programs. In addition, the state probably will continue to have one of the highest proportions of poor people in the country for the foreseeable future.

Whos Responsible for the Death of Eva Smith? :: An Inspector Calls J.B. Priestly Essays

Who's Responsible for the Death of Eva Smith? 'An Inspector Calls' is a play written by J.B. Priestly. Although the play was set in 1912, it was actually written in 1947. It was written after the events that were mentioned in the play, like the First World War and the sinking of the 'Titanic'. It is thought that J. B. Priestly's experience in World War One inspired him to write a story about how cruelly humans treat each other. In the 1910's there was a lot of cruelty and discrimination because of the different classes. The upper classes were cruel to the lower class because they were poorer and worked for the upper classes. Priestly wrote the play to make people aware of the social differences and how nasty people treat each other. If the upper classes were less pompous and treated the lower classes the same as everybody else, the country's wealth would be more evenly spread so there wouldn't be as much discrimination. 'An Inspector Calls' is a play which forces the audience to realise that every judgement made, every action taken, has an effect on another person. Priestly was well known for his involvement in human rights issues. He became known as 'The voice of the common people' The play 'An Inspector Calls' was written to show an audience about human cruelty. The inspector was there to show the family how nasty they are and he is trying to make them think about what they have done to make Eva kill herself. The inspector may have represented J.B. Priestly and he used the family to show the audience how he feels about the cruelty that goes on. The Inspector could have been a spirit, the name sounds like ghoul - Goole. He could have been representing the ghost of Eva Smith and he was trying to show the family how much they made Eva suffer. This can be shown by what the inspector said: "A pretty, lively sort of girl who never did anybody any harm. But she died in misery and agony-hating life-" and "She was here alone, friendless, almost penniless, desperate. She needed not only money but advice, sympathy, friendliness." The inspector may have represented the voice of conscience. Priestly based the inspector on his views of every day society. The inspector was annoyed with the upper classes because of the way they treated the lower classes. That might be the way Priestly thought and he was trying to get his points of view noticed by putting them into a play where many people would take notice. Priestly was also trying to say that society as a whole is responsible for tragedies, no one person

Occupy Wall Street Movement

Krystal Graham â€Å"Occupy Wall Street† Business Ethics Professor: Steven Curry â€Å"Occupy Wall Street† The â€Å"Occupy Wall Street† movement has become a big deal since it began in the fall of 2011. This movement was inspired by international protests, with thousands arriving in New York City answering the call, soon spreading to well over 500 cities. I would like to discuss more of the details of the movement, the moral and economic implications, as well as the different ethics theories to see which theory best applies to the movement.The Arab Springs protest on February 11, 2011 was the most notable inspiration of the Occupy Wall Street movement. According to the website occupy together, the occupy movement is an international movement driven by individuals. They are organized in over 100 cities in the United States, and they aim to fight back against the system that has allowed the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. All of us have many differe nt backgrounds and political beliefs but feel that, since we can no longer trust our elected officials to represent anyone other than their wealthiest donors, we need real people to create real change from the bottom up†¦ We no longer want the wealthiest to hold all the power, to write the rules governing an unbalanced and inequitable global economy, and thus foreclosing on our future. The movement works to achieve their goals by resist, In the spirit and tradition of civil disobedience #occupy takes to the streets to protest corporate greed, abuse of power, and growing economic disparity; Restructure, #occupy empowers individuals to lead others into action by gathering in the commons as engaged citizens to demonstrate a culture based on community and mutual aid. We will be the change we are seeking in the world; and finally, Remix work to make fundamental changes in the system.Now that we know a little more about the movement itself, let us look at some of the moral and econom ic implications of this movement. In the Constitution, the Fourteenth Amendment requires that the government provide â€Å"equal protection of the laws† to all citizens. The moral implications of the Occupy Wall Street movement reach far beyond the passing sensation it has created. The movement seems to be acquiring immunity from the laws the rest of us are expected to obey by calling themselves representatives of the 99 percent against the 1 percent.If 99 percent of the people in the country were like the Occupy mobs we would have anarchy, not a country. Democracy means majority rule, not mob rule, and if Occupy or any other mob movement actually represents the majority, they would have enough votes to legally achieve what they are trying to accomplish by illegal means. In problems of collective action, individuals who work solely for their own selfish interests can bring about tragic consequences for society as a whole. The only way for collective action problems to be solv ed is to create coordinated collaborations that unite social and individual interests.The â€Å"collective† element is paramount because even one â€Å"defector† (someone who acts selfishly, like those who stand accused of criminal acts at Occupy Wall Street camps) has the power to run everything by leading others to defect as well. I found an example of the Occupy movement being about the law on the national review website. â€Å"When trespassers blocking other people at the University of California-Davis refused to disperse and locked their arms with one another to prevent the police from being able to physically remove them, police finally resorted to pepper spray to break up this human logjam.The result? The police have been strongly criticized for enforcing the law. Apparently pepper spray is unpleasant, and people who break the law are not supposed to have unpleasant things done to them. Which is to say, we need to take the â€Å"enforcement† out of †Å"law enforcement. † The police are the last line of defense against barbarism, but they are equipped only to handle that minority who are not stopped by the first line of defense, moral principles. If everyone takes the path of least resistance, then the moral infrastructure will corrode and crumble.The moral infrastructure is one of the intangibles without which the tangibles don’t work. Like the physical infrastructure, its neglect in the short run invites disaster in the long run. Examples of real, measurable Occupy inspired change in the political sphere are hard to come by, though a band of millionaires did storm Capital Hill on Wednesday November 16, according to an article by the Associated Press to urge Congress to tax them more, claiming they are not paying their â€Å"fair share. The financial crisis caused a deep recession in our economy, and there are many individuals who are struggling to make ends meet and to get a job and to live their lives given the e conomic difficulties. I think there is an understandable frustration with the difficult economic circumstances that many families are experiencing now and a desire for change. There is one cost associated with Occupy Wall Street that is readily available, and that is the cost incurred by police as they patrolled the movement, originally in a watchdog status, and eventually as they cleared protestors from parks throughout the country.According to the Associated Press, as of November 24, taxpayers had paid at least $13 million in police overtime and municipal services. This includes $7 million in New York and $2. 4 million in Oakland, which faces a budget gap of $58 million this year. Utilitarianism is the moral doctrine that we should always act to produce the greatest possible balance of good over bad for everyone affected by our actions. The interests of the community are simply the sum of the interest of its members. An action promotes the interests of an individual when it adds t o the individual’s pleasure or diminishes the person’s pain.There are six points that need to be considered about utilitarianism. First, when deciding which action will produce the greatest happiness, we must consider unhappiness or pain as well happiness. Second, actions affect people to different degrees. Third, because utilitarians evaluate actions according to their consequences and because actions produce different results in different circumstances, almost anything might in principle, be morally right in some particular situation. Fourth, utilitarians wish to maximize happiness not simply immediately but in the long run as well.Fifth, utilitarians acknowledge that we often do not know with certainty what the future consequences of our actions will be. Finally, when choosing among possible actions, utilitarianism does not require us to disregard our own pleasure, nor should we give it added weight. Immanuel Kant sought moral principles that do not rest on continge ncies and that define actions as inherently right or wrong apart from any particular circumstances. He believed that moral rules can, in principle, be known as a result of reason lone and are not based on observation. Kantian theory uses the categorical imperative which says that we can will the maxim of our action to become a universal law. By maxim, Kant meant the subjective principle of an action, the principle that people in effect formulate in determining their conduct. Another way of looking at the categorical imperative is universal acceptability. Each person, through his or her own acts of will, legislates the moral law. Because reason is the same for all rational beings, we all give ourselves the same moral law.In other words, when you answer the question â€Å"What should I do? † you must consider what all rational beings should do. You can embrace something as a moral law only if all other rational beings can also embrace it. It must have universal acceptability. I n addition to the principle of universal acceptability, Kant explicitly offered another, very famous way of formulating the core idea of his categorical imperative. According to this formulation, as rational creatures we should always treat other rational creatures as ends in themselves and never as only means to our ends.Virtue ethics is identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules or that which emphasizes the consequences of actions. Out of the theories, utilitarian, Kantian, and virtue ethics, I believe the Occupy Wall Street movement tries to follow the utilitarian theory. The movement is attempting to end the relationship built on money and donations between our elected officials and corporate interests.They want a system that operates in the interest of the people and to empower people to be a part of the process. They say they represent the 99 percent, and trying to make a change to have eq ual distribution of wealth for the country, which is what they feel is the best interest of the country as a whole. The income inequality and unequal wealth distribution in the United States is something that has been building over time and is not really any one person or companies fault. Many of the wealthy have earned the money by working hard to get to where they are now.There are many issues involved in the wealth distribution in our country, including that many of the poor have gotten poorer due to the lack of jobs as well as the fact that many of the mortgage companies allowed people to get into more debt by handing out home loans to people who wanted to purchase homes way out of their price ranges. This is also the fault of the people who got themselves into those positions. I am not sure if there is an equitable outcome from this movement, but I am sure this movement will continue, and if not, there will be another movement similar to this one.

The History of Erie Canal

The History of Erie Canal During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the new nation known as the United States of America began to develop plans to improve transportation into the interior and beyond the great physical barrier of the Appalachian Mountains. A major goal was to link Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes with the Atlantic Coast through a canal. The Erie Canal, completed on October 25, 1825 improved transportation and helped populate the interior of the U.S. The Route Many surveys and proposals were developed to build a canal but it was ultimately a survey performed in 1816 that established the route of the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal would connect to the port of New York City by beginning at the Hudson river near Troy, New York. The Hudson River flows into New York Bay and past the west side of Manhattan in New York City. From Troy, the canal would flow to Rome (New York) and then through Syracuse and Rochester to Buffalo, located on the northeast coast of Lake Erie. Funding Once the route and plans for the Erie Canal were established, it was time to obtain funds. The United States Congress easily approved a bill to provide funding for what was then known as the Great Western Canal, but President James Monroe found the idea unconstitutional and vetoed it. Therefore, the New York State legislature took the matter into its own hands and approved state funding for the canal in 1816, with tolls to pay back the state treasury for upon completion. New York City Mayor DeWitt Clinton was a major proponent of a canal and supported efforts for its construction. In 1817 he fortuitously become governor of the state and was able to thus oversee aspects of the canal construction, which later became known as Clintons Ditch by some. Construction Begins On July 4, 1817, construction of the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York. The first segment of the canal would proceed east from Rome to the Hudson River. Many canal contractors were simply wealthy farmers along the canal route, contracted to construct their own tiny portion of the canal. Thousands of British, German, and Irish immigrants provided the muscle for the Erie Canal, which had to be dug with shovels and horse power - without the use of todays heavy earth moving equipment. The 80 cents to one dollar a day that laborers were paid was often three times the amount laborers could earn in their home countries. The Erie Canal Is Completed On October 25, 1825, the entire length of the Erie Canal was complete. The canal consisted of 85 locks to manage a 500 foot (150 meter) rise in elevation from the Hudson River to Buffalo. The canal was 363 miles (584 kilometers) long, 40 feet (12 m) wide, and 4 feet deep (1.2 m). Overhead aqueducts were used to allow streams to cross the canal. Reduced Shipping Costs The Erie Canal cost $7 million dollars to build but reduced shipping costs significantly. Before the canal, the cost to ship one ton of goods from Buffalo to New York City cost $100. After the canal, the same ton could be shipped for a mere $10. The ease of trade prompted migration and the development of farms throughout the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. Farm fresh produce could be shipped to the growing metropolitan areas of the East and consumer goods could be shipped west. Before 1825, more than 85% of the population of New York State lived in rural villages of less than 3,000 people. With the opening of the Erie Canal, the urban to rural ratio began to change dramatically. Goods and people were transported quickly along the canal - freight sped along the canal at about 55 miles per 24 hour period, but express passenger service moved through at 100 miles per 24 hour period, so a trip from New York City to Buffalo via the Erie Canal would only have taken about four days. Expansion In 1862, the Erie Canal was widened to 70 feet and deepened to 7 feet (2.1 m). Once the tolls on the canal had paid for its construction in 1882, they were eliminated. After the opening of the Erie Canal, additional canals were constructed to connect the Erie Canal to Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes. The Erie Canal and its neighbors became known as the New York State Canal System. Now, the canals are primarily used for pleasure boating - bike paths, trails, and recreational marinas line the canal today. The development of the railroad in the 19th century and the automobile in the 20th century sealed the fate of the Erie Canal.

The History Behind Sociology

The History Behind Sociology Although sociology has its roots in the works of philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius, it is a relatively new academic discipline. It emerged in the early 19th century in response to the challenges of modernity. Increasing mobility and technological advances resulted in the increasing exposure of people to cultures and societies different from their own. The impact of this exposure was varied, but for some people, it included the breakdown of traditional norms and customs and warranted a revised understanding of how the world works. Sociologists responded to these changes by trying to understand what holds social groups together and also to explore possible solutions to the breakdown of social solidarity. Thinkers of the Enlightenment period in the 18th century also helped set the stage for the sociologists who would follow. This period was the first time in history that thinkers tried to provide general explanations of the social world. They were able to detach themselves, at least in principle, from expounding some existing ideology and to attempt to lay down general principles that explained social life. The Birth of Sociology as a Discipline The term sociology was coined by French philosopher Auguste Comte in 1838, who for this reason is known as the â€Å"Father of Sociology.† Comte felt that science could be used to study the social world. Just as there are testable facts regarding gravity and other natural laws, Comte thought that scientific analyses could also discover the laws governing our social lives. It was in this context that Comte introduced the concept of positivism to sociology - a way to understand the social world based on scientific facts. He believed that, with this new understanding, people could build a better future. He envisioned a process of social change in which sociologists played crucial roles in guiding society. Other events of that time period also influenced the development of sociology. The 19th and 20th centuries were times of many social upheavals and changes in the social order that interested the early sociologists. The political revolutions sweeping Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries led to a focus on social change and the establishment of social order that still concerns sociologists today. Many early sociologists were also concerned with the Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism and socialism. Additionally, the growth of cities and religious transformations were causing many changes in people’s lives. Other classical theorists of sociology from the late 19th and early 20th centuries include Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim,  Max Weber, W.E.B. DuBois, and Harriet Martineau. As pioneers in sociology, most of the early sociological thinkers were trained in other academic disciplines, including history, philosophy, and economics. The diversity of their training is reflected in the topics they researched, including religion, education, economics, inequality, psychology, ethics, philosophy, and theology. These pioneers of sociology all had a vision of using sociology to call attention to social concerns and bring about social change. In Europe, for example, Karl Marx teamed with wealthy industrialist Friedrich Engels to address class inequality. Writing during the Industrial Revolution, when many factory owners were lavishly wealthy and many factory workers despairingly poor, they attacked the rampant inequalities of the day and focused on the role of capitalist economic structures in perpetuating these inequalities. In Germany, Max Weber was active in politics while in France, Emile Durkheim advocated for educational reform. In Britain, Harriet Martineau advocated for the rights of girls and women, and in the U.S., W.E.B. DuBois focused on the problem of racism. The Modern History of Sociology The growth of sociology as an academic discipline in the United States coincided with the establishment and upgrading of many universities that were including a new focus on graduate departments and curricula on â€Å"modern subjects.† In 1876, Yale University’s William Graham Sumner taught the first course identified as â€Å"sociology† in the United States. The University of Chicago established the first graduate department of sociology in the United States in 1892 and by 1910, most colleges and universities were offering sociology courses. Thirty years later, most of these schools had established sociology departments. Sociology was first taught in high schools in 1911. Sociology was also growing in Germany and France during this period. However, in Europe, the discipline suffered great setbacks as a result of World Wars I and II. Many sociologists were killed or fled Germany and France between 1933 and the end of World War II. After World War II, sociologists returned to Germany influenced by their studies in America. The result was that American sociologists became the world leaders in theory and research for many years. Sociology has grown into a diverse and dynamic discipline, experiencing a proliferation of specialty areas. The American Sociological Association (ASA) was formed in 1905 with 115 members. By the end of 2004, it had grown to almost 14,000 members and more than 40 â€Å"sections† covering specific areas of interest. Many other countries also have large national sociology organizations. The International Sociological Association (ISA) boasted more than 3,300 members in 2004 from 91 different countries. The ISA sponsored research committees covering more than 50 different areas of interest, covering topics as diverse as children, aging, families, law, emotions, sexuality, religion, mental health, peace and war, and work. Sources About ASA. American Sociological Association, 2019. Statutes of the International Sociological Association. International Sociological Association.

Movie Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Movie Review - Essay Example The actions of both Kevin O’Donnel and Sean Miller amply convey this fact. â€Å" Our society in the West has, quite literally, an investment in perpetuating the myth of an evil force... Without it, movies and writing would be less interesting because evil villains represent in some powerful manner the way many people perceive the world†(R. F. Baumeister, W.H. Freeman & Co, 1996). People often think of evil as what is outside of them, and even if an evil action is chosen, there is a justification since there is something good in the expected outcome. This is the outlook of the terrorists. The discussion shows how people can be properly be made aware of the dangers of terrorism and how realistic the two movies are in conveying the facts regarding terrorism. In the movie Patriot Games, we see the fear of terrorism casting its spell throughout the life of Jack Ryan and his family. He and his family are on a visit England. He has worked as an intelligence agent in the U.S. A. his helps him to be vigilant. He is also making use of his London vacation for his research, as he is writing a book. He has met his wife Cathy an ophthalmological surgeon and daughter Sally and they are discussing where to go for dinner that evening. At that time there is an explosion behind them. He gets his family under cover and sees three men attacking a Rolls Roys. Taking advantage of his perfect position to interfere, he charges in and kills one man and has wounded another. The men are from the Ulster Liberation Army (ULA), an ultra-violent off shoot of the violent Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Now he becomes a local hero in England, as the occupants of the car he saved are the members of the Royal Family. But the head of the ULA Kevin O’Donnell is quite upset. Sean Miller, who had planned the operation, who is now caught, is also furious at Jack’s interference. The PIRA is also not happy with Kevin O’Donnell for attacking the Royal

Benchmarking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Benchmarking - Essay Example The objective of this report is to highlight the methods that could give an exact idea of the performance of the companies and how well they use their resources. This report doesn’t consider just one perspective for the judgment of the company. Its discussion is on the basis of both the financial and non-financial factors of the company. Besides these market perception and working environment with the potential of and for the workforce have been discussed.in order to gain the complete perspective of the companies. In this report the two companies selected for the benchmarking or comparison are not only the leading companies in their industry but also on of the biggest companies overall in the global ranking. The report gives the detailed comparison of Apple and Microsoft complete analysis have been made in order to get a conclusion regarding the performance of both companies in comparison to each other. ... Apple and Microsoft have global presence and compete on international market. They both are technology based companies however they have diverse range of products and compete on different level for every market and product that they offer. Both companies almost compete in every sector of the industry as the nature, aspects and operations of their business are quite similar thus the competition is quite cut throat and is mostly regarding capturing the market share not only in the American market but on the global scale. Thus there financial data can be compared as both companies have same target market, business operations and market environment thus any difference can be associated to the non-financial factors of the company. Company Details Both the companies are technology based and compete almost in all of their product and market segments. They maintain their own stores, authorized dealers and online stores. The principle executive offices or the registered headquarters of both A pple and Microsoft along with their registered exchange, ticker symbol and logo are as follow: APPLE INC. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, California, USA Registered on â€Å"The NASDAQ stock market LLC† Ticker Symbol AAPL MICRODOFT CORPORATION One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, USA Registered on â€Å"The NASDAQ stock market LLC† Ticker symbol MSFT (Investing.money.msn.com, 2013) Company Background and Profile Apple Inc. Apple is a California corporation that was established in 1977 and today along with its subsidiaries design, manufactures and markets mobile communication devices, media devices, personal computers, portable digital music players and long

History and Theory of New Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History and Theory of New Media - Research Paper Example Modern art during the turn of the twentieth century was hence unanimously described by theorists and researchers as an art at the brink of an explosive breakthrough, which challenged and at times threatened the conventional artistic establishments, due to its innovative application (Schwarz qtd. in Picht and Stockmann 11). However the introduction of digital technology in media art has resulted in a serious crisis in the field. According to Cook and Graham (79-80) media art is going through a phase of major transformation and is constantly at loggerheads with conventional art. However since the institutions which support the conventional art continue to exist, artists in contemporary world are afforded an opportunity to pursue their choice of art thus giving an impetus to use of internet and technology in media art. Cybernetics: Meaning, origin and definition: The term ‘cybernetics’ was first put forward by a French mathematician and physicist Andre Marie Ampere and was used in reference to political science (Ascott 176 ). According to Roy Ascott's theory of cybernetic art the artists must recognize art as a scientific discipline of cybernetics whereby control and communication between the animal and the machine is studied. Technology helps in creating a new form of art which is inspired by cybernetics and is concerned with controlling and regulating behavior in the environment as well as of organizational structures (Aylett et al. 178). According to Ascott cybernetic art represents "a change in the artistic focus from product to process and from structure to systems, which will turn the observer into a participant" (qtd. in Aylett et al. 179) According to Wiener the theory of cybernetics refers to the representation of a complicated set of ideas and notions (such as the conveying of a message), and is related to the use of systems theory as well as control theory (Wardrip-Fruin and Montfort 228). Cybernetics in new media art: Theoretical perspecti ves According to Apter (qtd. in Malina 18) "Underlying cybernetics is the idea that all control and communication systems, be they animal or machine, biological or technological, can be described and understood using the same language and concepts". Along with the development of the theory of cybernetics the field of information technology is also closely related to the manner in which communication systems function and is associated with the type of information which can be encoded, transmitted and decoded. These theories are widely applied in the communication media such as radio or television whereby the signals are transmitted via computers and other similar data-processing devices. The information theory offers various models which in turn can be used to describe and decipher the manner in which messages are transmitted through feedback loops (Weiner, 348). The various theories developed recently particularly the information theory are influenced by the theory of cybernetics wh ereby the concept of processing information as an inherent element, as a means of understanding and explaining artistic process is applied. Various theories such as the theory of aesthetics, the theory of cyb

Sample Research Paper for English Essay Example for Free

Sample Research Paper for English Essay The struggle now being waged in the professoriate over which writers deserve canonical status is not just a struggle over the relative merits of literary geniuses; it is a struggle among contending factions for the right to be represented in the picture America draws of itself. (Tompkins 201) In 1850, with the help of her well-known father, James Fenimore Cooper, Susan Fenimore Cooper published Rural Hours, a natural historical account of one year in the Otsego Lake area of New York state. I mention her fathers name in order to situate Susan Fenimore Cooper in literary history, or, more accurately, to position her book in relation to our understandings of literary history. For truthfully, if literary history were faithful to the developments of, and reactions to, literature of the past, Susan Fenimore Coopers name would be well-known to all scholars of nineteenth-century American literature. Her book was immensely popular both in America and abroad; it went through six printings by 1854, the publication year of Thoreaus Walden. Rural Hours was reissued with a new chapter in 1868, reprinted again in 1876, and then abridged by 199 pages and reissued in 1887. When critics praised Rural Hours1 and the volume sold well, Susan Fenimore Cooper achieved literary fame as a writer of natural history. However, while many of her contemporaries knew her name, most scholars in the 1990s know only of her father. Why this oversight in the construction of literary history?2 In 1968, David Jones, a visitor to the Otsego Lake region in New York, reissued the 1887 edition of Coopers book. In his introduction he compares Rural Hours to the canonically established Walden and claims, Rural Hours is not, like Walden, a multi-level book (xxxvii). Instead Coopers text, Jones asserts, tells us as [well] as a book canhow a representative part of the rural northeastern United States looked, sounded, smelled, and even felt in the middle of the nineteenth century (xxxvii-viii). Admittedly, portraying a location so fully is no small task, and although Jones intimates that Rural Hours provides enjoyable light reading, he clearly believes that Thoreaus text far surpasses Coopers in its complexity and depth. I want to suggest that Joness evaluation of Rural Hours overlooks subtle but important textual intricacies, that Coopers text is  multi-levelled, and is, in fact, concerned with much more than the local flora and fauna of the Otsego Lake region. One problem in determining the literary value of Rural Hours lies in our inability to classify its genre. The book takes the form of a nonfictional journal, but Rural Hours cannot be classified as autobiography in the traditional sense of one writer imparting the story of his or her life experiences. Cooper portrays her outside world as much as her personal experiences, and she relates her writings to her community more than to her own life. One is tempted to call Rural Hours nature writing and, in fact, her contemporary supporters do classify her text as such, but Coopers text does not meet the typical criteria for this genre, either. This is in part because of the imprecision of definitions of nature writing itself. Critics generally agree that nature writing is non-fictional prose in which the writer functions as an observer of the outside world, attempts to represent that outside world in language, and typically, reflects on the process of giving language to the natural world. It is commonly agreed that nature writing also evinces the authors reflections of his or her individual spiritual growth. Sharon Cameron, in writing about Thoreau, suggests that to write about nature is to write about how the mind sees nature, and sometimes about how the mind sees itself (44). In his recent study of several nature writers, Scott Slovic echoes and expands Camerons definition: [Nature writers] are not merely, or even primarily, analysts of nature or appreciators of naturerather, they are students of the human mind (3). We find, then, that according to our current definitions, nature writers write about their environment, but they also consider their personal relationship to it. Therefore, a writer like Coo per, who concerns herself more directly with her surroundings and less with her personal reactions to them, somehow does not quite fit the criteria for the genre. How can a book such as Rural Hours, rich with observations on the botany, ornithology, and natural history of an area, not be considered nature writing? I submit that we have been trained to read books about the natural world and  the human relationship to it in ways that affect our abilities to find value in texts that deviate from the canonical Thoreauvian forma form based on personal reflections regarding ones relationship with nature, ones connection to the community, the difficulties of conveying perceptions through language, and, most importantly, perhaps, the process of forming identity. When contemporary readers realize and examine the expectations that they bring to Rural Hours, and willingly suspend those expectations, thereby allowing the text to reveal its own agenda and voice its own concerns, they will discover that Coopers work is rich with insights regarding nineteenth-century Americas social, natural, and historical politics. Rural Hours is not so directly involved in exploring how the mind sees nature or how the mind sees itself. Instead, Cooper concerns herself with the ominous task of giving words to each aspect of her natural surroundings and to exploring the implications of this environment not for herself as an individual, but for her larger community, and ultimately, for the entire nation. We must ask, then, not only if Rural Hours has literary value, but also if we as critics can consider expanding our current conceptions of nature writing to accommodate a book such as Rural Hours. In his attempt to summarize what he considers to be the weaknesses of Coopers book, Jones quotes a description of autumn in Rural Hours and uses Coopers words to create an analogy concerning her prose: autumn, like Coopers prose, is variable, changeable, not alike twice in succession, gay and brilliant yesterday, more languid and pale today (xxxvii). As literature, Jones further explains, Rural Hours varies from brilliant in one passage to languid and pale in another (xxxvii). Jones offers very little support for this critical assessment of the book and, therefore, I cannot help but wonder why he truly found the narrative to be languid and pale. As we will see, Joness explanation for the weakness of Miss Coopers work is circular and underdeveloped, and supports the conventional notion that quality nature writing portrays less of nature, and more of the authors engagement with the natural world. Further examination of his criticisms will help to explain the exclusion of Rural Hours fr om most records of literary history. Jones explains, [Cooper] brought realism and vitality to her portrait of rural life by revealing its variable and changeable nature, to be sure, but the very act produced a major flaw in the book (xxxvii). Jones here suggests that Coopers realistic portrayal of the natural world is the very downfall of her book. However, her narrative dedication to the natural world, to its vitality and constancy, necessitates that portions of the text be purely descriptive. Jones thus seems to contradict himself: the one level at which Coopers text is unsurpassed, he asserts, is in its ability to so accurately and faithfully describe the natural world. This strength, however, is also the weakness of the book. Finally, Jones does not define this flaw at all; instead, he proceeds to discuss Thoreaus Walden. Jones assumes throughout his introduction that Thoreaus book is far superior to Coopers, that readers of Rural Hours will agree with this assessment, and that, therefore, his assessment requires no justification. This method of reasoning also presupposes that Walden and Rural Hours afford the same criteria for judgement, or, that they exhibit similar attempts at representing nature.3 If Cooper and Thoreau actually engage similar projects, this assessment is valid. If, however, these writers differ in their purposes, or representand react tothe natural world in distinct ways, then we need to examine these criteria of evaluation. How do we approach a text that attempts to represent the natural world on its own terms? Have we been taught to read texts whose straightforward depiction of the natural world is, seemingly, their main goal?4 If, as Jones suggests, Coopers prose remains so loyal to her subject that it is too realistic, and therefore borders on boring, we need to ask how we expect Cooper to represent nature so as to hold our attentions and why her contemporaries were not also bored by her book. Many questions arise: what are contemporary readers expectations of writing that engages the natural world? How do our expectations differ from those of readers in the nineteenth century? Assuming that readers bought and consumed Coopers text because they found interest in both its subject matter and its perspective, how does Coopers direct conveyance of the natural world reflect her  cultures interests and concerns?5 What is the role of nature in such a text, as opposed to the role of people? How often do we require that a realistic portrayal of nature be replaced by metaphor or symbolism, thereby preventing languid and pale prose? How often do we want to read specifically about nature, and how often are we more interested in exploring the human presence in nature? Finally, is Rural Hours actually poorly written, or boring? Such questions, originating from an attempt to understand the immense success and warm reception of Rural Hours in the mid- to late-nineteenth century, cause us to examine our conceptions of how writers should relate to nature, how their relations should be represented through language, and how weas readersshould read such texts. Read within our common understandings of nature writing, a conception that stresses writings influenced by the Romantics, Coopers prose may seem languid and pale, but if we approach Coopers text in other ways, as I will demonstrate, we will discern the richness of Rural Hours. Interest in writing that depicts the environment has increased in recent years. Clearly, texts such as Emersons Nature and Thoreaus Walden have dominated our reading lists, but studies such as Cecelia Tichis New World, New Earth and Annette Kolodnys The Lay of the Land and The Land Before Her investigate the history of American interest in the environment and invite us to consider a variety of literary forms as important in understanding how Americans have related to their natural environment through the centuries. Tichi states, Consistently since the seventeenth century [environmental reform] has formed an integral and important part of our cultural and literary history (x). American interest in the land infiltrates our earliest documents, as Tichi proves in her study. In early America, the American spirit and the American continent were bonded ideologically, and arguably continue to be bonded ideologically, albeit in different ways (Tichi ix). Another important study of Americans conceptions of the wilderness as reflected in literature is Bernard Rosenthals City of Nature. Rosenthals  study focuses on Coopers predecessors and contemporaries, and concludes that two ideas of nature emerge in the writings of the American Romantics. He locates one idea of nature in the conception of wilderness as the space to be assumed by the emerging American city. The second idea of nature concerns the new religious myth, an individual journey into nature for the purpose of establishing what Rosenthal terms the city of the self (27). Put another way, two irreconcilable connotations emerged as the most important definitions of the word nature: one in which nature represented commodity being transformed into civilization, and one in which nature became the metaphor for a new spiritual mythology for the nineteenth-century individual (Rosenthal 31).6 Rosenthal suggests that, during the nineteenth century, the majority of Americans conceived o f nature in this first way, and that most of the American Romantic writers worked within the second understanding of nature (71).7 These two conceptions of nature largely inform our readings of nineteenth-century texts that center, in some way, around the natural world. We have been taught not only to conceive of the natural world as a metaphor for our own society, but also to read texts that depict the natural world in terms of what they impart regarding the individual human spirit.8 We therefore approach texts that describe the natural world and that share personal reflections regarding the landscape with the expectation that they will either consider the transformation of nature into its purest form, civilization, or that they will explore nature as spiritual place, as the site of an interior journey to a private place in the spirit (Rosenthal 18), or that the author will attempt both visions of nature.9 As readers we are taught that while purely descriptive prose may be poetically beautiful, it is boring, contains no metaphor or symbolism, and therefore lacks importance because it does not pertain to individ ual spiritual growth. In the words of a colleague, We skim over the flowers and birds and pretty things and look for what really happens. However, what really happens often happens within the descriptive prose that we overlook. In relying on metaphor for our readings of such texts either the metaphor of nature as civilization or nature as self we fail to investigate the implications of capturing nature in language or the process by which a writer envisions  elements of nature and transforms that vision into linguistic representation. We fail, finally, to ask how this investigation into the natural world functions not only for the individual or for society, but for the natural world itself. At this point, some may accuse me of oversimplifying nature writing; some may argue that metaphor and symbolism are the more complicated ways in which authors employ language, and that to dismiss these linguistic forms is to reduce nature writing to the parroting of knowledge of natural history, or the meaningless naming of colors, sounds, and sights. I am not, however, suggesting that nature writing texts not be considered for their metaphorical value, only that we consider the implications of only considering them in this way. Susan K. Harris makes a similar point in her study of nineteenth-century womens sentimental novels written between 1840 and 1870: There appears to be an unspoken agreement not to submit nineteenth-century American womens novels to extended analytical evaluation, largely because the evaluative modes most of us were taught devalue this literature a priori. (44) While Harriss study focuses on fictional writings, the implications of her study for the study of nature writing and Susan Fenimore Coopers text are multiple and deserving of some attention. Harris finds that the criteria upon which scholars often scrutinize texts in order to determine their literary merit and the methods they employ in analyzing texts disregard important alternative aspects of texts. Harris suggests reading texts through a method she calls process analysis, a method of reading and interpreting a text that foregrounds the relationship of the literary critical task to the critics stance in her own time (145) and that considers the public, political and social context from which the text emerged. 10 Harris explains her belief that it is important to establish the terms of the debate(s) in which the text participates the positions it takes, and how these positions are embodied in its textual structure  (46).11 Thus, as the language of the text is foregrounded, we look at the text as both reactive and creative, and disregard the traditional concern that the text self-consciously embody timeless truths' (45). A text such as Coopers Rural Hours faces many of the obstacles in contemporary criticism that the sentimental novels that interest Harris face, especially when considered as part of the category of writing that has come to be called nature writing. Not only does Coopers book adopt a prosaic style that is contrary to those of canonized texts, but her book also forms part of a genre that itself is not very well established in the canon. She is, finally, a woman writing in a denigrated style within in a genre largely ignored by traditional scholarship. As critics have only recently begun to realize, historical and contemporary writers who represent their relationships to their surrounding environments exemplify differing ways of using language, and the linguistic methods these writers employ to represent and conceive of the natural world reflect, in complicated ways, the ideological implications of our cultural conceptions of nature. An understanding of the content of such writings, the issues they raise, and the methods of linguistic construction they employ will enable us, as literary scholars and historians, to realize how our language reflects our attitudes toward the earth, and more pointedly, how such attitudes have determined, prevented, or justified our actions against, and reactions to, the earth. The traditional approaches to such texts consider timeless truths in the forms of metaphors concerning nature as civilization or journeys to nature as journeys to the self. But these views often neglect to consider the authors in terest in the political and social opinions of the time concerning the proper relationship of society and the earth, and how writers in our society throughout history have coded such opinions in language.12 Studies such as Harriss often center on cultural conceptions of gender in womens fiction.13 The recent critical focus on issues of gender differentiation has lead contemporary critics to ask if women naturally relate to the outside world differently than men. In keeping with this  interest, Annette Kolodny suggested in her 1975 study, The Lay of the Land, that womens writings and linguistic usages have all along been offering us alternate means of expression and perception (ix) and that an examination of womens writings on the subject of nature could yield better understandings of American conceptions of the wilderness. Kolodny also states that a conscious and determined struggle to formulate for themselves the meaning of their landscape characterizes the writings of nineteenth-century Americans (Lay of the Land 71). Certainly both Cooper and Thoreaus texts engage in this struggle, although their engagements take different forms. Although I am not aware of any critical investigations as to whether Coopers and Thoreaus alternative narrative styles are based in gender differences,14 most recent critics of Cooper (of which there are few) do seize on the issue of gender when exploring her text. Unlike Jones, they quickly dismiss Thoreau from their studies, and instead suggest that Coopers text presents a representative depiction of womans relationship to the natural world in nineteenth-century America.15 The most recent study of Rural Hours appears in Vera Norwoods Made from This Earth, in which the author devotes a chapter to Susan Fenimore Cooper and her arguable influence on the women nature writers subsequent to her.16 Norwood argues that Cooper represented a literary domestic,17 a woman writer who wrote to deliver the scenes and values of middle-class homes to a wide readership (27). Thus, Norwood suggests, Cooper used the occasion of her book not only to describe her natural surroundings, but also to impart valuable lessons to her readers in a non-threatening manner. Norwood asserts that Cooper turned to nature to discover what nature teaches about the roles of women in the domestic realm. 18 For example, Cooper describes robins and praises the mother robins dedication to her young, implicitly suggesting that human mothers should emulate the robins self-sacrificing nature (Cooper 39-40/Norwood 37-8). Thus, Norwood sees a conversation in Rural Hours, a dialogue that Cooper creates in her text between the natural and human worlds in which gender roles in nature inform and enlighten gender roles in human society. Finally, Norwood claims that Cooper was consumed with understanding what nature suggests about female roles and family responsibilities, and how gender definitions and familial arrangements help  people comprehend what they see in nature (37). Cooper does occasionally focus on gender roles and responsibilities in Rural Hours, but to state that she is consumed with such issues greatly exaggerates her narrative interests. As Norwood points out, Cooper ruminates on the devoted mother robin, but she also, interestingly, refers to the voluntary imprisonment of the mother, and to her generous, enduring patience (Cooper 40). While this patience is clearly a noble attribute of parental affection for Cooper, the scene leaves her somewhat incredulous and stunned by the mothers consistent, uncomplaining waiting: Cooper admits this is a striking instance of parental devotion (40). While she may advocate human parental devotion, she also recognizes that the natural world is more willingly generous than the human world,19 and that whereas humans can learn from nature, there are also aspects of the natural world beyond human comprehension.20 Interestingly, and perhaps even provocatively, Norwood does not point out that the voluntarily imprisoned mothering robin is accompanied by the male of the little family, who occasionally relieves his mate by taking her place awhile and exerts himself to bring her food, and to sing for her amusement (40). Cooper includes his participation in her description of voluntary imprisonment; his is also a striking instance of parental affection. If Cooper invokes the mother robin as a testament to giving mothering, her invocation of the father bird suggests his necessary assistance around the nest. Ultimately, then, to read Coopers text in terms of its interest in gender affords some intriguing insights: Cooper clearly remains within her position as a middle- to upper-class lady throughout her narrative and, just as clearly, seeks confirmation of gender divisions and domestic roles from the natural world.21 These instances, though, are rare in Coopers text. The themes and issues that arise more often in Rural Hours concern the establishment of a national identity and history, and while Cooper does not divorce her gender from the concerns that inform her larger agenda, she also does not encompass her interest in nationalism within explorations of  domesticity. Certainly one aspect of Coopers desire to explore the natural world in order to formulate a national identity concerns the place of women in society, but to read Rural Hours solely in terms of its attempt to explore the implications of gender roles as exemplified in the natural environment greatly simplifies the complexi ties and layers of Coopers book. I do not wish to suggest that traditional feminist readings of Coopers text are unwarranted or unnecessary, nor that such readings will prove unproductive. I do believe, however, that reading Coopers book through too narrow a focus is hazardous not only in seeking to establish her in the canon of serious and teachable writers, but also in that such a reading sidesteps many larger cultural issues that her text engages. A critical reading of Coopers text should investigate her representations and explorations of gender roles in mid-nineteenth century America as well as her other complex and overt concerns, such as the creation of an American history, the treatment of American Indians, the problems of deforestation, and the religious connotations of the natural world, all of which fall under the rubric, in Coopers text, of the establishment of a national identity.22 As Jones points out, the majority of Coopers text contains descriptions of her surroundings. Her reflections are not always couched in metaphor, as Jones also suggests, but this does not detract from the value of Coopers text, nor does it indicate that Cooper does not entertain significant issues in her writing. Coopers descriptions of her surroundings reflect and embody her larger concern for the development of a national identity based in the land. In her view, the establishment of a national identity is linked to individual conceptions of the land, its flora and fauna, its people, and the relationship of the countrys peoples to the land. Cooper depicts the landscape of Otsego Lake, relates the history of the land and its peoples, and describes the indigenous plants, animals, and waters of the area in an attempt to create an identity of place. The landscape, and the life the land supports, create the identity of this place. Coopers literature of place23 serves not only to create a natural identity for the Otsego Lake region, but also to assert the need for a similarly  constructed national identity. The creation of a national identity, then, is the cultural work of Coopers text; she seeks to locate the natural identity of her new nation. Coopers development of this theme a national identity rooted in the landscape is subtle and calculated, but a scrupulous reading of Rural Hours reveals the careful construction of Coopers text. The opening pages of Rural Hours share observations that reflect the intentions of the book as stated in Coopers 1850 preface: The following notes contain, in a journal form, the simple record of those little events which make up the course of the seasons in rural life. In wandering about the fields, . . . one naturally gleans many trifling observations. . . The following pages were written in perfect good faith, all the trifling incidents alluded to having occurred as they are recorded. (Preface) In her first chapter, we read of the coming of spring: snow thaws, buds appear, robins return to the area. These are seemingly little events, trifling in their lack of worldly significance. One almost immediately notices, however, the pride Cooper takes in plants and animals peculiar to her native land, those that are uniquely Americas own. In contrast to the European robin, our robin never builds [a nest] on the ground (21), and the pretty white-bellied swallow, which has been confounded with the European martin is, Cooper assures, peculiar to America (56). Cooper also explains the uniqueness of American plants, complaining that the wild natives of the woods are often crowded out by European plants that were introduced by the colonists and that [drive] away the prettier natives (81).24 In her discussion of autumn in America, Cooper ruminates, Had the woods of England been as rich as our own English writers would have praised the season in their writings long ago (336). Instead, one is led to believe that the American autumn has helped to set the fashions for the sister season of the Old World (335). American writers reflections on the landscape have encouraged English writers to do the same, Cooper  suggests. These trifling observations begin to speak together, and we find Cooper asserting the importance of knowing the natural forms indigenous to ones place. Thus, for Cooper, determining which birds, animals, and plants are native to America, as well as which of these are unknown to Europeans, helps to define the American landscape, and therefore helps to establish a national identity. She takes pride in her land and in its natural wealth. Cooper also mourns the losses that her land incurs, suggesting that any depletion of the natural aspects of a place drastically alter its identity. Like her seemingly innocent cataloging of natural plants and animals indigenous to America, which emerges as a plea for national pride and definition based on the natural world, her repeated lamentings of disappearing or decreasing portions of the natural world emerge as a plea for the preservation of the wilderness. Like Coopers gently emerging concern for identifying indigenous plants and animals, Cooper gradually develops this theme of loss throughout her text. Little events, when taken cumulatively, have large implications. Cooper observes wild pigeons in early March, for instance, and recalls a previous season when they passed over the valley in large unbroken flocks several miles in extent succeeding each other. Then she remarks, There have not been so many here since that season (18). The reader might dismiss this observation due to its early position in her book, but as one progresses through the text and continually comes across this motif of longing for previous times whensomehownature was more complete, one realizes that Cooper is truly concerned about the changes taking place in her surroundings. Her concern becomes much more overt, but not until much later in the book.25 Coopers seemingly minor concern for the losses of groups of birds or plants culminates in her consideration of the rapid deforestation occurring in the country.26 She returns to the subject many times throughout the course of Rural Hours and, further along in the book, strongly criticizes people for their careless use of timber: One would think that by this time, when the forest has fallen in all the valleys when the hills are becoming more bare every daywhen timber and fuel are rising in prices, and new uses are found for even indifferent woodssome forethought and care in this respect would be natural in people laying claim to common sense. (213-14) Clearly, Cooper is warning her contemporaries by suggesting that they discontinue the destruction of trees for purposes of fueling their homes. The continual destruction of the forests so radically alters the landscape that Cooper cannot conceive of continued deforestation. She not only seeks to educate her audience regarding the benefits of preservation; she also makes the preservation of the American landscape a moral imperative. This moral duty for national preservation becomes linked to Coopers feelings regarding the red man, or Native Americans (93). Again, Cooper subtly portrays this sense of the loss of the indigenous peoples early in Rural Hours. When standing beside a clear running spring, she states, one seems naturally to remember the red man; recollections of his vanished race linger there in a more definite form than elsewhere (93). The rolling, clear water somehow evokes the vanished race: yesterday they were here, to-day scarce a vestige of their existence can be pointed out among us (94). However, later in Rural Hours, Cooper more overtly conveys her feelings regarding the colonists treatment of the indigenous peoples, which she finds integral to the colonists treatment of the landscape. While viewing a forest grove, she laments: It needs but a few short minutes to bring one of these trees to the ground (193). She reminds her readers that entire generations will come and go in the time that it takes for one of these mature trees to reach such magnificent heights: The stout arm so ready to raise the axe to-day, must grow weak with age, it must drop into the grave; its bone and sinew must crumble into dust long before another tree, tall and great as those, shall have grown from the cone in our hand (193-94). In the same paragraph, Cooper calls for a reinstitution of wilderness, claiming that the wild deer, the wolf and the bear must return from beyond the great lakes, and then, significantly, that the bones of the savage men buried under our feet must arise and move again. . . ere trees like those ever appear again, so large, so wild (194).27 The mistreatment of Native Americans emerges as a large theme in Coopers text. She advocates retaining the names they gave to places and portions of the natural world, partly because of the beauty in Indian words, which [unite] both sound and meaning (484). In the creation of a national identity, Cooper intimates, the power of names is very suggestive: names reveal history and meaning, and the Indians words capture both elements. She argues against re-naming places not only due to the beauty of the Native Americans languages, however, but also because she believes that somehow European-Americans owe the indigenous peoples something. The refrain of loss that resonates throughout Coopers text reaches its climax in the following passage. I quote at length to impart Coopers passion: There are many reasons for preserving every Indian name which can be accurately placed; generally, they are recommended by their beauty; but even when harsh in sound, they still have a claim to be kept up on account of their historical interest, and their connection with the dialects of the different tribes. A name is all we leave them, let us at least preserve that monument to their memory; as we travel through the country, and pass river after river, lake after lake, we may thus learn how many were the tribes who have melted away before us, whose very existence would have been utterly forgotten but for the word which recalls the name they once bore. (485) As these words suggest, Coopers concerns in Rural Hours are far-reaching. Cooper finds little distinction between the establishment of a national identity based in the uniqueness of the land, the preservation of the wilderness, and the maintenance of the influence of indigenous cultures.28 The natural history of this place and its people provide its meaning. These enmeshed issues resonate even more strongly when Cooper places them in accordance with her religious ideals. Although her Christianity by no means permeates the text, its presence offers a cohesion between her many areas of interest. Cooper envisions each and every aspect of the natural world as belonging to part of Gods plan for Americans. For example, while admiring a particularly beautiful sky, Cooper says, At hours like these, the immeasurable goodness, the infinite wisdom of our Heavenly Father, are displayed in so great a degree of condescending tenderness to unworthy, sinful man, as must appear quite incomprehensible- entirely incredible to reason alonewere it not for the recollection of the mercies of past years, the positive proofs of experience.What have the best of us done to merit one such day in a lifetime of follies and failings and sins? (73-74) I do want to stress that these moments are rare in Coopers text, that her homilies are short and few, but that they clearly convey her sense of wonder about the natural world.29 She finds value in each aspect of the natural world, and seeks to preserve the world as a testament of her faith in God. While maintaining the Puritan notion that the new world was intended for the colonists to cultivate, and that their duties included imparting Christianity to the Native Americans,30 Cooper also stresses the need to balance the human presence on, and cultivation of, the land with careful preservation of it. She envisions a society that works with the land, not against it, and that creates a national identity based on its intimate knowledge of, and respect for, the natural world. She suggests this balance between humans and nature lightheartedly, saying Many birds like a village life; they seem to think man is a very good-natured animal, building chimneys and roofs, planting groves, and digging gardens for their especial benefit (63). But she also asserts the seriousness of her belief in admiring her village, rural and unambitious, and quite in proportion with surrounding objects (114). Cooper further explains her belief in a rural ideal,31 a sustainable  balance between civilization and nature, in an essay collected in The Home Book of the Picturesque, which was published in 1851: The hand of man generally improves a landscape. The earth has been given to him, and his presence in Eden is natural; he gives life and spirit to the garden. It is only when he endeavors to rise above his true part of laborer and husbandman, when he assumes the character of creator, and piles you up hills, pumps you a river, scatters stones, or sprinkles cascades, that he is apt to fail. Generally the grassy meadow in the valley, the winding road climbing the hill-side, the cheerful village on the bank of the stream, give a higher additional interest to the view; or where there is something amiss in the scene, it is when there is some evident want of judgement, or good sense, or perhaps some proof of selfish avarice, or wastefulness, as when a country is stripped of its wood to fill the pockets or feed the fires of one generation. (82) This interest in creating a national identity based upon a balance of civilization, nature, and the preservation of religious ideologies forms the basic underlying motif in Coopers text. While her words often convey seemingly simple observations about her surroundings, Coopers linking of the natural world and the human treatment of it with the necessity of establishing a national conception of the proper human relationship to nature forms a complex, intricate portrayal of the myriad concerns of nineteenth-century life. Rural Hours also reveals how issues surrounding the formation of national concepts of environmental treatment were intertwined with the establishment of pride in a new country. Additional readings of Rural Hours will undoubtedly uncover themes and tropes unexplored in the present essay. In order for this to occur, however, we must continually ask ourselves how our preconceptions may prohibit finding value in texts that do not meet established, too often unchallenged, criteria for judgements. One can approach Rural Hours, finally, as a natural history engaged in creating the story of a region and as an attempt to appreciate nature on its own terms: not as a commodity for human use, but as beautiful, powerful, and suggestive of Gods greatness. In writing a  balance between humans and nature, Cooper sets an agenda not only for her region, but for the country as a whole. Her text is filled with natural history, but it also expounds upon the concerns of an age in Americas history. As such, it greatly contributes to our understandings of the human presence on the land.