John D. Rockefeller Essay -- American History, Philanthropist

John D. Rockefeller, born on July 8, 1839, has had a huge impact on the course of American history, his reputation spans from being a ruthless businessperson to a thoughtful philanthropist (Tarbell 41). He came from a family with not much and lived the American dream, rising to success through his own wit and cunning, riding on the backs of none. His legacy is huge, amassing the greatest private wealth of any American in history. Rockefeller’s influence on our country has been both a positive and a negative one, he donated huge sums of money to various public institutions and revolutionized the petroleum industry. Along with all the positives to the country, Rockefeller also had many negative affects as well, including, by gaining his riches by means of a monopoly, often using illegal methods, by giving others a reason to frown upon capitalism, and by hurting smaller businesses. The first positive affect of John D. Rockefeller was his donations of large sums of money to public institutions. During his lifetime, Rockefeller gave away 540 million dollars (Sicilia 2006). Almost all of his philanthropies occurred after his retirement from Standard Oil. Donations varied from colleges, to churches, to hospitals. With the help of his son and Frederick Gates, the man Rockefeller put in charge of his philanthropies, he was able to help improve the lives of many (Poole 2000). Rockefeller stayed loyal to his religion throughout his entire life, not forgetting where he came from and how it helped him. Raised as a Baptist from birth, religion always played a large role in Rockefeller’s life and was a part of his upbringing. From the very start of Rockefeller’s working life, he tithed ten percent of his earnings to his church. La... ...o chance of competing with Standard Oil due to all the tactics they employed to keep their prices low. This ravished small town families and had a similar effect as to what Wal-Mart does to family run shops nowadays. Numerous families living in small town America lost their income because of Standard Oil and forced hardship upon many. The legacy of John D. Rockefeller shall always live on as he has permanently shaped how this country looks. He has funded huge advancements in the fields of education and medicine along with starting the events to end lassiez-faire economics. The petroleum industry changed greatly during his career thanks to his research and completely new business methods were thought up of by him, some still in practice today. Although the personal opinions of Rockefeller vary greatly, it is a sure thing that he changed the course of America.

Comparison of My Last Duchess and the Laboratory

Poems ‘The laboratory, the content of the play, from my point of view is about a woman whose partner has left her for another woman. The poet has planned to kill the other woman as she is jealous of her and wants revenge from her ex. We can tell she is jealous of this other woman as she says she’s not little, no minion like me! ’ this shows she is jealous of the woman as she thinks she is of higher status, the words ‘she’s not little’ shows this. She thinks the other woman is better than she is.We also know she wants to get revenge from her ex as she says ‘he is sure to remember her dying face! ’ here we know she wants revenge as she wants her ex to see the love of his life die as well as suffer, by doing this she will punish both of them. ‘My last duchess, the poem is set during the 19th century. The speaker who is the Duke of Ferrara is giving the tour of his prospective second wife a tour of the artworks in his home. He dr aws a curtain to reveal a painting of a woman, explaining that it is a portrait of his late wife; he invites his guest to sit and look at the painting.As they look at the portrait of the Duchess, the Duke describes her happy, cheerful and flirtatious nature, which had displeased him. He says, â€Å"She had a heart or how shall I say? Too soon made glad† He goes on to say that his complaint of her was that not only her husband's presence was that made her happy. Eventually, â€Å"I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together. † He now keeps her painting hidden behind a curtain that only he is allowed to draw back, meaning that now she only smiles for him The two Robert Browning poems I have chosen are ‘The Laboratory' and ‘My last Duchess'.My initial reaction on reading the laboratory was one of horror and fascination as it tells a tale of a woman scorned. I found it horrifying that a human being could plan in such a cold and calculating way, but I also found this fascinating. My feelings on reading My Last Duchess was pity for the Duke who was narrating the poem as it was clear that his jealousy and insecurity had ruined their relationship. ` Both poems have contemporary relevance, as people today are still intrigued by murder, mystery and tales of unrequited love.It is very obvious that the poems were written in the 19th century though, as some of the language is no longer in use in today's society for example durst, dared, forsooth and indeed. There are other indications that the poetry was written in the 19th century by the references made to the use of a fan and also the way the poison was prepared using pestle and mortar. ‘Grind away moistens and mash up thy paste, Pound at thy powder-I am not in haste. ‘ The theme of The Laboratory is one of the eternal love triangles.Where the theme in my last duchess would seem to be about an obsessive yet insecure lover. The similarity would be the extreme jealousy that is dis played by both narratives. The difference is that the narrator in My Last Duchess is so jealous and insecure that he ‘gave commands; The character of the narrator in The Laboratory displays an intensity of emotion through her obvious jealousy of the other woman this intensity of jealousy could only be achieved if she also had experienced the same level of love.Similarly, the character of the narrator in My Last Duchess which is a man also displays obvious jealousy although it is without such an intensity of emotion. Both poems are dramatic monologues, the tone of The Laboratory is one of anger and the mood is evil, it creates a tense atmosphere which leads the reader to rush from one verse to the next to see how the story within the poem develops. In comparison, My Last Duchess is written in a less direct way and seems less hurried the narrative's jealousy is not immediately apparent but becomes more obvious as the poem progresses.In conclusion, after having studied both poems , it is the style and content of the laboratory which has made the most impact on me. The directness of the narrative regarding her intent and the subject matter I found as I said earlier both horrific yet fascinating. The image of a 19th century alchemist was easily consumed up and I almost felt like I was there. My Last Duchess, although interesting did not have the same impact on me this is mainly due to the style of the poem which is a more meandering tale and has a less direct approach.

Privacy Is Lost Essay

Do we have privacy anymore? Some people say we have no privacy and to simply get over it. Others believe that we have really became comfortable sharing our private information with others. After considering both sides of the issue, I strongly believe that privacy is lost. For instance, a web-savvy programmer can easily infiltrate your email account, replicate the coding, and pretend to be you. In the article, â€Å"Take My Privacy, Please!† Ted Koppel widely discusses privacy with many examples of companies and systems designed to secure the confidential rights and private information. He presents the negative effects people who give all of their personal information to companies that may lose all of it. I really liked how the author started off his article by grabbing your attention right away. For Example, in the article it was interesting that he talked about the Onstar commercial. He reveals in a conversation between the Onstar assistant system, driver, and emergency services on how peculiar it is that they always know all of your information and exactly where you are. The reasoning for this position argument is for the general public to understand that some of their information isn’t so confidential. In the last part of his article he describes how many different companies lose customers valuable information. I agree with that because it’s odd to think that people put trust into companies with such private information. It should be mandatory that if a company loses a customers data they tell the customer right away. He knows that technology is useful, but the language he uses suggests he believes it takes advantage of the customer. Ted Koppel does a great job of structuring sentences with his tone in the article. He also does an exceptional job of highlighting how people’s privacy is invaded in everyday life. Ted Koppel has a very sarcastic tone which throws you off as you read this story. There are both aspects that I liked and didn’t like from the article, but it was really cool how he started off his article by grabbing your attention right away. â€Å"The patriotic act- brilliant!† With this, you know what he will be talking about and its good that he relates his topic to something that happened earlier in history. After you read the introduction, the structure of the rest of the essay starts to weaken. Koppel adds in a commercial that is typed up on the page. Others may agree that they really don’t like how he did that. He could have just described the commercial, but he instead took the time to waste space on the page. The segment of the commercial was not necessary to add. Overall, this essay did have both strong and weak points. Another thing that Koppel does well is the sentence structures that he uses in his essay that help with his tone. Every now and then he uses short abrupt transitions in the beginning of paragraphs to emphasize his thoughts that give a moment for the reader to think. Koppel uses dialogue in his article also. The dialogue that was added in the middle was very distracting and caused unnecessary line usage, but it gives people something to think about and they can relate to the commercial if they’ve seen it. People will believe what he has to say and take him more seriously, even though he used sarcastic and informal tone. The tone may have cost him some of his readers, but it was a convincing argument. In my opinion Ted Koppel shows great examples to back up his thoughts. When the title, â€Å"Take My Privacy, Please!† is read you know right away the tone of the essay, sarcastic. This is a good title and it makes the reader more interested in reading the article. Ted Koppel has a sarcastic tone in his writing. I think that it helps make his point because it makes people think about how ridiculous technology has become. â€Å"There is no end to what we will endure, support, pay for and promote if only it makes our lives easier†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This just states how we would go to such extremes and go through such struggles just as long as we benefit from it in the end. The title alone is sarcastic, â€Å"Take my Privacy, Please!† He sets the tone of being ironic and it lets the reader know that he’s not being harsh or bitter, but he’s trying to put an important point across.

Reflecting reality in film documentaries Essay

The paradox of reality stems from the fact that it is a combination of abstract and concrete concepts. Abstract since different kinds of reality can be subjectively formed and understood. It cannot be quantified from a single perspective alone. In the meantime, reality is concrete since it is something that each and every individual must readily confront. Reality is part of mankind’s constant struggle. The puzzling complexity that embodies the notion of reality is even more felt on how it is depicted, presented or articulated in other forms. Literature exploits the power of words to explain reality, singers capitalize on music. But the task becomes even harder as for the case of film makers who are expected to utilize both visual and musical elements to represent reality. In film-making, it cannot be denied that the use of different technologies somehow affect how reality is shown. For every filmmaker, there is the challenge to make their works of art convincing—convincing, in the sense that a film seems to devoid of any technological mediation and corporeal interest—and at the same time retaining the subject matter in its pure and organic form. With this pursuit, the emergence of film documentaries came into life. Kibborn once noted that film documentaries aim to offer a â€Å"window of the world (p. 53). † This would not come as a surprise since films, whether they are created for commercial purposes are indeed reflections of a much wider world view. Some filmmakers have fared well, while some, unfortunately, failed. On the other hand, there are others, who have seen film documentaries as a tool to immortalize not only their works but also their names. The film industry owes it all to the Lumiere Brothers. This generation would not experience the beauty and artistry of films if not for these two. Since early film tools and equipments are not that sophisticated during that time, silent films tend to dominate the (big screen). However, what is even more amazing in this context is the manner in which the Lumiere Brothers have managed to present reality with pure visual images alone. Films do communicate and try to reach to their respective audiences. But then again, the absence of sounds seems to make the presentation a bit complicated and difficult. However, if one would stick to the principle in which reality is comprised of events that are experienced in everyday lives, situations that are commonly confronted by ordinary people, it can be fairly said that the Lumiere Brothers stand out. If one has to take a closer look at Arrival of a Train (Nichols 83), such event is commonly encountered. The camera focuses on the train and the people that arrive in the station. A close shot is chosen as if trying to tell every intricate sequence and details of the said event. Unaware and unscripted, the actors are seen in their most natural ways and manners. Such technique is also used in Nanook of the North by Robert Flaherty. However, Flaherty incorporated some texts. Perhaps it can be argued that the Flaherty wants to make the a more vivid and descriptive storytelling approach. There is the intention to relate to the audience what is actually happening rather than to interpret the stories on their own. There is a scene in the film wherein the boat is being covered with a piece of cloth before going down the river. In this case, a close shot was again used, in order to show how intricate the processes are. Yet, during the part wherein the actual trek is going on, a long shot was utilized, thus readily evoking a feeling that the group is on their journey. The characters looked small during that shot and the notion of space and distance were further highlighted. From documenting everyday routines to inserting texts in the film, documentaries are also flavored with the directors’ political perspective as for the case of Dziga Vertov. Hicks even described Vertov as the so-called â€Å"genie† of propaganda films primarily because of its strong Marxist beliefs and visions (8). Taylor described that Vertov depicted reality through the montage technique (74). In this manner, Vertov, since he is also into propaganda reflects life beyond what is â€Å"ordinarily seen,† but rather it is on â€Å"how it should be seen (Taylor 74). † In the film, Three Songs of Lenin, different scenes are patched together. There is the part wherein a group of marching men were shown and followed by a scene that focuses on three statues. Another group of marching people is presented but this time, women, with holding high powered guns are also shown, then it goes back to the three statues. Vertov, as a propagandist who wanted to tell the people what life should be seem to purport that equality between men and women must be readily observed. At the same time, the three statues that are constantly shown is reflective of an ideology or school of thought that must be readily followed and practiced. In the meantime, John Grierson is a film critic who is one of those who laid down the foundations of realism theories in films (Aitken 162). Elis and Mclane noted that Grierson readily influenced many film makers (73). He is also responsible for proliferating such film genre in â€Å"English-speaking nations (Ellis & Mclane 73). Grierson firmly believes that in order to depict reality properly, reality should be free from all forms of manipulation—that it should be captured in its raw form rather than mastered in artificial environments (Aitken 167). Works Cited Aitken, Ian. European Film Theory and Cinema: A Critical Introduction. Scotland: Edinburgh Press, 2001 Ellis, Jack and Betsy McLane. A New History of Film Documentary. London: Continuum International Publishing, 2005 Hicks, Jeremy. Dziga Vertov: Defining Documentary Film. London: I. B Tauris Publishers, 2007 Kibborn, Richard. Staging the Real: Factual TV Programming in the Age of Big Brother. Oxford, UK: Manchester University Press, 2003 Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington:Indiana University Press, 2001 Taylor, Richard. Film Propaganda: Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. London: I. B Tauris Publishers, 1998

Han China/Imperial Rome CCOT

Han China was one of the longest dynasties in Chinese history, however, the Imperial Roman empire lasted even longer. Han China and Imperial Rome share many similarities as well as many differences. Although Han China and Imperial Rome had many similarities (patriarchy, expansion), the differences (recruitment, system of who is in authority) in methods of political control outweigh the similarities because of they had little interaction with each other. The first similarity between Han China and Imperial Rome is found when comparing their patriarchal societies.Both in Han China and Imperial Rome they were extremely patriarchal. In each society the man of the house could arrange marriages for their children, decided whether or not to keep the offspring born to their wives, and decided how to punish wives if they commit a wrongdoing. In Han China, for example they tried to strengthen patriarchal authority by emphasizing importance of filial piety and women’s subordination to men . Imperial Rome was also patriarchal, for example, because husbands would have multiple children with their wives in hope of birthing a strong, healthy son to carry on the family name and legacy.The main job given to women in Rome was to birth sons. The women had no say in the number of children they had or in keeping the children they gave birth to. If the women couldn’t fulfill this expectation of having sons, the husband would divorce the woman, have children with another woman, or simply kill his wife and find another one. The next similarity between Han China and Imperial Rome is the expansion of both their governments. Both societies sought to expand the borders of their empires through imperial expansion.They perceived threats to security led to wars and conquests, which increased the length of borders and led to more perceived threats. In vein of the Qin dynasty before the second empire, the primary goal of the Han dynasty was to unite all of China. To accomplish this , Han China invaded and brought the territories of Korea, Vietnam, and parts of modern Kyrgyzstan into Chinese society. Likewise, Imperial Rome conquered all of the Mediterranean basin and oversaw affairs from Anatolia and Palestine in the east to Spain and Morocco in the west.Both societies also had vast armies to control their new territories. Han China and Imperial Rome differed, firstly, in their forms of recruitment. In Han China, they needed educated officials to take positions in the society. To accomplish this, they created a university and civil service exams. The university they established was based on Confucianism for its curriculum and was used to prepare men for government service. The men also had to take civil service exams, which people rarely passed, to become a government official.The recruitment for Imperial Rome was simpler. A typical recruit for the Roman army would appear at an interview with a letter of introduction, often written by the family patron. Next, they had to have a medical examination. The examination consisted of checking for a minimum height which was demanded and making sure the soldiers had all their fingers, toes, and limbs. After this was over, the men were given advanced pay and would be posted to a unit. Han China and Imperial Rome are different, secondly, because of who is in control of their government.Han China’s political system was known for a centralized unit, that was ruled by an emperor through the Mandate of Heaven. Rome, however, had a centralized, interwoven structure that was ruled by a Roman monarch, who controlled their complex structure. Furthermore, Han China was divided into administrative districts that were governed by officials, selected by the emperor. Though in contrast, Imperial Rome created a monarchy, disguised as a republic, so that the emperor could have complete control, but the citizens would feel like they were contributing to the government.Han China and Imperial Rome were two ve ry influential societies in history. They shared many similarities as well as many differences with each other. Han China and Imperial Rome had several differences, like recruitment and their systems of who is in authority, but they also had many similarities, such as being patriarchal and expansion, however their differences outweigh their similarities because they had little interaction with each other so they didn’t share ideas or concepts.

E mail response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

E mail response - Essay Example Doe’s policy, the issuance of instructional handouts takes place during lectures, where I usually avail extra directives regarding on how to tackle assigned tasks using materials already provided. Therefore, in exercising fairness in class while Prof. Doe is away, I will try being lenient and offer makeup quizzes where necessary though with a lot of caution. This is to ensure when Prof. Doe resumes, there are no pending assignments or tasks that will disorient her while waiting for prolonged submissions, which may interfere with her program. I will also avail adequate and timely instructional handouts to the students so that each has the necessary materials meant to tackle the assigned tasks during lectures. Hence, ensure both timely submissions of assignments and fewer excuses for makeup quizzes. However, discouraging the latter entails clear explanations besides motivating students to inquire where they may need assistance both in class confinements and even outside. This is via email or telephone (though within the day) such that they are able to receive quick responses instead of waiting for physical interaction with them. Hence, make them feel supported, whereby they wil l tackle varied tasks with ease and in time. I look forward to a healthy interaction with students who will be under my care for this extremely short time, while Pro. Doe will be away at a conference. This encompasses resolving cordially other issues that may arise in the process between me and the

Environmental Economic, What is the theory of Coase and has it any Essay

Environmental Economic, What is the theory of Coase and has it any bearing on policies for the control of environmental pollution - Essay Example Now when the steel manufacturer makes his balance sheet he won't include these external costs into profit and loss statement for he pays nothing for that. The solution in this case may be that the government tells the company how much it can pollute air or it may impose the taxes depending upon the amount of the pollution it causes, called Pigovian taxes. This was the general theory followed before Coase came up with his theory (The Swedes Get it Right, 1). Coase approach: Coase begins by giving the example of straying cattle, which destroys the crops in the neighborhood land. In this case we get more cattle i.e. the meat at the expense of the crops. Thus we can get either the crops or the meat. The answer lies simply in deciding the value of what we obtain at the expense of value of what is sacrificed. Thus Coase gives prime importance to the value of the product (1). In this example Coase considers various options. Suppose if the value of the meat is more than the value of the crops in that case the cattle raiser may give some compensation to the farmer by mutual understanding. If the value of the crops on the other hand is more than the value of the meat in that case the farmer may build the fencing to protect its crops from the cattle and demand some compensation for doing so. In other case, if the farmer is not using some part of land he may allow the cattle bearer to use that land at some fixed costs agreed upon by both. There is also the possibility that if the cattle bearer finds that by increasing the number of the cattle he can get much more profits and he could easily pay the farmer all the cost of the crop in that case he may just compensate the farmer for completely stopping the growth of the crops. There is one more angle to these discussions. If the farmer had the initial rights to use the land for the crops, then the cattle bearer bargains with the farmer to allow the cattle rising in his vicinity. While if the cattle raiser has the initial rights to raise the cattle in his vicinity then farmer has to bargain with the cattle bearer so that his cattle create least damage to his crops (Coase, 2). In either way, what is important to come up with the solution is the value of the product that is be obtained and of the product that is sacrificed. The greatest thing is that the problem is solved by the mutual discussions and the contract is raised among the concerned parties, which benefits all. Here there is no involvement of the government, no regulations and no political or the beurauracratic proceedings. However, one of the most important things to understand is the fixing of the property rights which plays the dominant role in the success of the Coase method (Swedes Get it Right, 1). In the example considered by Coase the property rights belong to only the two persons, the cattle raiser and the farmer. Here it is quite easy for the two parties to get involved in the discussions and come out with some contract. In case of the example of steel plant if the plant owners have the initial rights to production and create pollution then the residents will bargain with the manufacturer to create the least possible pollution. In this case the residents may make some payments to them to either use some methods to stop the pollution