Segmented Marketing and Branding Big Mac Research Paper

Segmented Marketing and Branding Big Mac - Research Paper Example This paper focuses upon Big Mac, a hamburger which was introduced by McDonald’s in Pennsylvania in the year 1967 with a selling price of 45 cents. It was promulgated on a national scale in 1968. The burger was created to contend with Big Boy sandwich, a similar type of item with a bread slice in between with the purpose of holding together the stuffing and averting spill out. Over the years, it has become a signature product of the company with an exceptional brand name. It consists of two layers of beef patties merged with molten cheese and mouth watering sauce along with an onion and munch of pickle, served together in a delicious three division sesame seed bun. Iceberg Lettuce is also a core ingredient of the burger. The Big Mac is popular all over the world and is often regarded as an icon of American capitalism. In fact, the Big Mac Index is used as an indicative factor for contrasting the cost of living in countries around the world since its availability is common. This index is also considered to be Burgernomics. There exist several branding theories which identify brand as a unique feature of value proposition of a company. A branding promotion initiates with the development of a value proposition and relies on inspired apparatus along with a combination of consistency, continuity and commitment. The brand of Big Mac, ever since its establishment, has not looked back. It has been able to build its reputation not only in the United States but across 119 countries in the world. The brand of Big Mac is not just a name or a symbol. It has become a vital component of the relationship which McDonald’s has established with its consumers. For the consumers of McDonald’s in general, Big Mac, as a brand, has set its place in the hearts and minds of the consumers. For any brand, its real value exists in its ability and power to retain customer’s brand loyalty by influencing their preferences. The brand strategy of Big Mac has been so s uccessful that it has been thriving in the market as the leading hamburger choice for quite sometime. Being a powerful brand in its own domain, the brand equity of Big Mac is significant. It has been able to develop a positive differential effect upon its consumers and consequently, create a value for itself among people in different continents. McDonald’s have always made use of Big Mac’s classical taste and enriched quality in setting up its Brand Positioning. In this manner, the company has been able to devise such a competitive combination attributes, benefits, beliefs and values for the brand Big Mac that they have been able to develop the image of it in the minds of their consumers in the manner in which they wanted. Likewise, another core brand strategy

Speedy feet athletics club systems analysis Assignment

Speedy feet athletics club systems analysis - Assignment Example He will then come up with the calendar of the competitions that will be done in a given season. iii. Hannah (Venues Advisor) is the person responsible with managing venues and the facilities that are available in each of the venues. Hannah is responsible with ensuring that the venues are in good condition for the competitions that are coming. iv. Timekeeper is the person who is responsible with ensuring that time is followed and all activities are done according to the stipulated time. v. Athlete is key person taking place in in the competition. User specifications From the use case diagram, the use case that I will give specifications is that of Ethan, the club competition advisor. He manages most of the processes that happen within the club. He ensures that the athletes get the calendar and make sure that the venues are in order. He compiles the calendar basing on the facilities that are available in each of the venue. Some of the user specifications for the competitions advisor ar e stated below: i. The system should be able to give the available venues that competition can take place ii. The system should give the athletes that have been accepted to take part in the competition in a given season iii. It should give the facilities that are available in a given venue so that the competition can be scheduled basing on this information iv. The it should give the days that competitions can take place v. It should list the people who can supervise the various competitions vi. It should give the list of the athletes that have been rejected so that letters can be sent to them vii. It should be able to send letters to rejected athletes viii. It should have the time keepers who will manage the time of the competitions. Usability goals Basing on the competitions advisor, the usability goals that are required include: i. Effectiveness. Will the system do what is designed to do? The system should do what has been designed to do. The effort to come up with a list of compe titions and athletes for a given season. ii. Utility. Does the system, provide enough utility to carry out tasks that are done by a competitions advisor as natural as possible? The usability of the system should be able to accommodate a range of tasks that are normally done by competitions advisor. iii. Efficiency. This usability goal tries to answer the question of time. How long will the competitions advisor take to handle issues that are at hand? The new system should be efficient so that it takes less time to perform the tasks designed to perform. It should take less time to perform tasks that have been designed to be done. It should be faster while scheduling and compiling the calendar (Dennis, Wixom & Roth 2008). User experience goals The system should be able to enhance the experience of the user when using the system. In our case example, the following are the user experience that is required for the competitions advisor: i. Should be satisfying. The system should satisfy th e needs of the competitions advisor so that he is able to be productive in what he does. It should be productive and meet the needs of a competitions advisor. ii. The system should also be rewarding. The competitions advisor should be able to feel that he has been productive in undertaking the tasks that have been assigned to him. The competitions advisor should be in a position to undertake the tasks that have been assigned and be able to undertake what has he has been doing in the manual process and

Complex Narrative Structure Of Memento

Complex Narrative Structure Of Memento Due to the nature and complex narrative structure of Memento (Nolan 2000), one has to closely evaluate the succession of events before one could make the assumption that this film is a typical Hollywood mainstream motion picture. It is easy to assume that this film would in fact fit the criteria of the Hollywood mainstream motion picture, only upon looking at the cast and A-List director- Christopher Nolan- who one could assume would use his usual cinematic style to ensure the success of this film. The complex introduction to the film already creates the anxiety-driven need to finish watching the film, due to the unusualness of the opening scene that distinguishes Memento (Nolan 2000) from other classical Hollywood films. Jean Baudrillard: brief biography Jean Baudrillard, the French sociologist, cultural critic, and theorist of post modernity were born in Reims on the 27th of July, 1929. Even though his parents were civil servants and his grandparents were peasant farmers, Jean Baudrillard was the first University graduate from his family. He later went on to teach sociology at University and was named one of the most intellectual figures of his time. Throughout his childhood, he was exposed to the Algerian war of the 1950s and 60s, which had a significant influence on the way he thinks and perceives society (Jean Baudrillard-Biography [sa]). After becoming an assistant at Nanterre University of Paris in 1966, he was quickly connected with Roland Barthes and used Bartheses analysis of culture in his first book, namely The Object System (1968). When the students of Nanterre University revolted in 1968, Baudrillard joined in the action, and through inspiration, assisted with a distinctive journal of the time, Utopie. This journal was clearly influenced by situationism, structural Marxism and various media theories wherein he issued numerous theoretical articles about/on the environment of capitalist prosperity (affluence) and the evaluation of technology. Baudrillard then went on to teach at the European Graduate School (EGS) from the day that the school opened to the day of his death on the 6th of March, 2007 (Jean Baudrillard-Biography [sa]). Marxism and (post-) Marxism: Marxist film theory The Marxist approach to the study of films centres (focuses) on the continuous ways that cinema ideologically allow and even betrays the devises that diminishes the middle-class (bourgeois) view of society and the world. These devises (mechanisms) of ideology comprise both the social organisations (institutions), as well as the industrial knowledge that vigorously function to create (produce) the middle-class culture which society consume daily. Several precise illustrations of such social and industrial organisations are: (1) the way labour is divided to ensure revenue (capital); (2) hierarchy (social order and class-structure); (3) industrial transformation of revenue of production; and (4) replacing services (commodities). Each (and all) of the mentioned devices (mechanisms) have been incorporated into (and informed) the film trade since it originated. In the sphere of cinema and film, these mechanisms shape the influential culture-producing section of societal apparatuses that Ma rxist film theorists calls the cinematic apparatus (Netto 2000:[sp]). Jean Baudrillards opinion of Marxism In his book, The consumer society (Baudrillard 1998:183), Baudrillard makes the conclusion and commends multiple forms of refusal of common ruling (convention), obvious notable and eye-catching utilisation (consumption), and conventional thinking and behaving, which can ultimately be merged (combined) into a practice of radical change (Baudrillard 1998:183). Baudrillard then goes on to describe a state (situation) where isolation (alienation) in its entirety cannot be improved on since it is the very structure of market society (Baudrillard 1998:190). Baudrillard argues that in a social order (culture), in which everything is seen as a product or service that can be purchased and put up for sale, that isolation (alienation) is total. Thus, isolation (alienation) is ever present in the social order where everything (from products to services) can be bought (Kellner 2007:[sp]). In the early 1970s, Baudrillard had an unsure (ambivalent) relationship with the theory of conventional Marxism in the since that he agreed with the Marxian analysis of the production of social commodities, which ultimately defined and critiqued the various notions of estrangement (alienation), dominant power, and exploitation that was shaped by capitalism. One could say that Baudrillards evaluation of these notions corresponds with the traditional (standard) neo- Marxian viewpoint which puts emphasis on the culpability of Capitalism and makes the assumption that Capitalism is homogenizing, domineering and ruled social class systems whilst depriving individuals of their liberty, originality and imagination, time, and potential (Kellner 2007:[sp]). In contradiction, Baudrillard could never emphasise any revolutionary forces and above all, didnt argue the circumstances and prospectives of the working class as a driving force for an altered (changed) social order of consumption. Thus, with no suggestion of the subject as a participating driving force of societal modification, Baudrillard pursued the structuralist and poststructuralist assessment of the truth-seeking (philosophical) and practical subject matter which was extensively governed in French deliberation. Practitioners of structuralism and post structuralism argued that bias (subjectivity) was shaped by verbal communication (language), societal establishments, and cultural appearances and wasnt sovereign of its creation in these establishments and preparations (Kellner 2007:[sp]). Classical film noir: Definition, Primary characteristics, conventions and historical surroundings The role of the male protagonist In (post-) Marxist noir films, the protagonist is frequently depicted as a single white male, who is usually psychologically troubled due to disloyalty or some form of loss of something in particular. The male protagonist is also usually emotionally crippled or psychologically injured. This summary of the post Marxist noir leading male is applicable to the post Marxist neo-noir picture Memento (Nolan 2000) (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). In Memento (Nolan 2000), Nolan presents the character of Leonard Shelby (Guy Pierce) who could be seen as a combination of the typical private investigator that thrives in noir and neo-noir films and the defective (flawed) insurance salesman of the noir crime picture. The result is a brain damaged insurance investigator. This character in itself is already a complex and interesting one, but Nolen makes Leonard even more complex by turning Leonard into a serial killer who is unaware of the driving forces that influences him to commit these crimes (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). Further characteristics of classical film noir: mood, tone, visual and cinematic elements According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), that did a study on films dealing with memory, and made the conclusion that in Memento (Nolan 2000)- different from other films dealing with the memory genre- Leonards character (with some form of amnesia) maintains/retains his identity and puts emphasis on a number of strenuous daily problems regarding recollection related to mental disorders (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). After watching this film one could argue that the disjointed, mosaic-like quality of the succession of edited scenes in Memento (Nolan 2000) ingeniously simulates the perpetual present characteristics of memory loss related conditions. The film does not however merely represent mental/neurological illness, but furthermore supports the (post-) Marxian notion of the leading white male point of view. This notion is supported by purposely bringing in a cruel femme fatale character named Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss). Natalie makes use of Leonard by lying to him, whilst telling him that she is using him, since she is fully aware of Leonards condition and knows that his memory will fade. Yet again, Nolan does so to make a victim of the protagonist in order to distract the viewers from the plot by making use of empathetic relation to the character (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). Neo noir films In the 1990s, spectators all through the world were presented with a newer and darker adaptation of noir, which was concealed within old methods, yet they were presented as fresh and sleek narratives in magnificent colour. One of the things that make 90s neo-noir different from previous recreations of film noir is the reoccurring focal point on mental illness and the dilemmas caused by psychological struggles. Within this new neo-noir, a white male middle-class outlook was reflected, articulating the fear of becoming the solitary objective in an innovative bold politically correct society. neo-noir also emphasised the increasing statistics of mental illness of the 90s in America (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). Neo-noir films were made to retaliate against a variety of minorities occupied with complicated interior clashes that inhabits not only the minds of the characters, but also the mind of the filmmakers. Whereas this is a presumption as to why noir returned (resurfaced), it is evidently apparent that noir- exclusively composed of method (style) over matter (substance) was a new way of thinking in (post-) Marxist filmmaking. By entering the unknown territory of the inner workings of the mind (psyche), as supposed to the usual physical plane of existence that regularly surfaces in the narrative cinema, the matter (substance) was produced (formed) (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). In these types of films, making use of the psychological (mental) state whilst attacking unfit elements disrupting the social order, a new innovative way of filmmaking ensured an interesting and attention-grabbing combination (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). In 90s American cinema, audiences were extremely wrapped-up in paranoia. It was a time of confusion and society was faced with a civic (public) crisis when the need for truth, the status of information, and the determination of truth surfaced (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). It is ordinarily noticeable that postmodern, post-industrial, post- Marxist, and post- cold war social orders (society) shaped and produced an ongoing concern to what is real and how reality could be established and the authorization thereof. The continuing psychological (mental) focal point in/of 90s contemporary American cinema- mainly of neo-noir- revolves around the postmodern panic (fear) and uncertainty over truth and reality. The internet (made available to the public in the 1990s) not only brought an increasing stream of information, but made it more difficult for society to know what to trust and what not to trust. The 90s is known as the era where it was the fastest and easiest way of distribution of propaganda and misinformation, which added a spiralling effect of cynicism and disillusionment of a nation (Szyszka 2007:[sp] ). Strategy of the real The way in which text positions and/or fixes the viewer (consumer) is revealed first and foremost through a significant assessment surrounding the dominant (governing) structures of cinema, demonstrated by the Hollywood system (structure), and its utilization of narrative and realist forms (BaraÅ„ski and Short 1985:276). One could argue that the dominating shape of narrative used in mainstream cinema and Television creates a meticulous mode (way) of interpreting the world (dominant society): rather than focussing on the subject matter of the motion picture it is concerned with mysteries and anxiety that focuses on the attention of the audience to the method of narrative resolution, it demands and supplies endings which appear to present straightforward resolutions and conclusions to the struggles it has symbolized (represented), so that it gives a closed view of the world (modern society); attention (interest) is frequently concerned on a single protagonist rather than grou ps, and driving forces is understood in the psychosomatic rather than societal conditions (BaraÅ„ski and Short 1985:276). In the same way that it is impossible to rediscover a total (absolute) level of reality it is also impossible to stage a false impression (illusion) of what is real. The possibility of illusion is not possible anymore because the possibility of the real does no longer exist. for instance, should one fabricate (simulate) a break in at a local department store, it would be an interesting observation as to how one would be treated by the repressive state apparatus, as sopposed to what would happen to a person who organised a real brake in. A real brake in would ultimately disturb the natural order of things- individual property rights- whereas the simulation of a robbery ultimately obstructs the code of reality. Misbehaviour and aggression (committing a crime) are not as serious, because it simply challenges the natural (real) order and will be delt with. Simulation of the real is considerably more hazardous given that it constantly implies (suggests), in addition to its object, that re gulation (law) and instruct (order) in itself are merely simulations (Simulacra and Simulations 1988:[sp]). Nevertheless, after simulating a fake robbery, how would one convince the repressive state apparatus that it was merely a simulation of theft? One couldnt, for the reason that there is no objective distinction. Identical motions (gestures) and identical signs are apparent in a simulated robbery as it would in a real theft. As far as the dominant power (Ideological state apparatus and repressive state apparatus) is concerned, they (the gestures and signs) resemble those of a real robbery. After the fake robbery, one would- without knowing- find oneself instantly in the real (one of whose purpose is specifically and ideologically produced to consume all efforts of simulation) reducing everything to reality (Simulacra and Simulations 1988:[sp]). Socialist and radical practitioner have been using realism as a narrative structure, and although they have been criticised since they are significant to the realities they depict, have been presenting information of reality as trouble-free and doesnt properly give possible methods of altering (changing) the world. in addition, they present an uncomplicated truth regarding society. This is the innermost predicament of realism: that it presumes a representation which it considers as the truth, neither inquiring the course of representation nor inserting audiences into position from which they have to work to create an understanding of the text. The significance to the workings of Marxism and (post-) Marxism is that dominant cinema and TV are viewed as two of the positions through which dominant ideology is symbolized (represented) and accomplishes its effects. Narrative forms and realist forms are ideological, and their naturalness and obvious impartialities are conducts of disguising the fact that they create a meticulous vision of the world (BaraÅ„ski, Z.G Short, J.R 1985: 277). The revenge film By convincing the viewer that Leonards murderous ways are driven by vengeance (Leonard wants to avenge the rape and murder of his wife by hunting down the alleged murderer, John G) one could say that Nolan relies on the aspect of sympathy .i.e. to sympathise with a character to justify his/her actions (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). Common characteristics Although the film humorously simulates the authorative power of the case-hardened private detective (private- eye) by giving Leonard a voice-over narration, his weakening state-of-mind (short-term memory loss) undermines/and challenges any assertion that Leonard is creating a continuous, consistent narrative- either about himself or about other characters. One could say that one of the main purposes of the confusing voice-over narrative is to include comical relief throughout the picture. This is applicable in the scene where Leonard is apparently chasing a man: Okay, what am I doing? Im chasing this guy. Nope. Hes chasing me. (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). Memento (Nolan 2000), in addition to coming across as a series of fragmented scenes, is also edited so that the narrative plays out backwards. This becomes evidently clear as the protagonist (Leonard Shelby) vigorously lies to himself. One could make the assumption that Leonards condition not only makes the creation of self- trickery (dece ption) achievable but also possibly fatal (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). Analysis of the narrative structure of Christopher Nolans Memento Memento (2000)is a film written and directed by Christopher Nolan (and adapted from the short story of his brother, Jonathan Nolan), revolves around memory. In the film, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pierce), is the protagonist who has lost the ability to/of forming new memories when he was violently assaulted during the rape and murder of his wife in their own home. Now suffering from short-term-memory-loss, Leonard is not able to remember, nor recognise people even after just having interaction with them (people such as the clerk of the hotel where Leonard is staying). Leonard does, however, recall everything that happened in the past preceding his accident. The plot revolves around Leonards condition (as he calls it) and the determination of avenging his wifes death(He has a clear recollection of the actual murder of his wife) (Clarke 2002:167). The combination of his condition and the yearning to avenge the death of his wife requires him to constantly refresh his memory, which he does by making and keeping loads of mysterious/ puzzling (cryptic) notes, by taking Polaroid pictures of everyone he meets (to remember them) and even going so far as to tattoo the facts that leads his investigative search, on his body. Even though Leonard has all these clues, his memory is constantly fading and he has to function in perpetual confusion when he meets people for the first time or when he finds himself at a different location. Thus, one could say that Leonard is constantly exposed to submission (he is easily persuaded or convinced). Leonards condition is so severe that he can instantly forget what he was doing or talking/thinking about. One could argue the hilarity (comical aspect) of this situation of memory loss throughout the film (Clarke 2002:167-168). One such an example is when Leonard is running but doesnt recall why he is running. As he looks around, he quickly becomes aware that someone is running parallel/next to him, when suddenly, one can hear Leonards thoughts. He is thinking: Okay, now, what am I doing? Oh, I must be chasing that guy (Clarke 2002:168). The comical aspect arises when Leonard changes his course and starts to run after the unknown male, when suddenly, the unknown male points his gun at Leonard and starts chasing him (forcing Leonard to change his direction again when the gun is fired) after almost shooting Leonard (Clarke 2002:168). Leonard is also constantly manipulated throughout the film, not only by his own mind, but also by the characters. Various characters (will be made clear later on) misleads Leonard due to his condition and manipulates him into doing their dirty work (Clarke 2002:168). Spectacle has always been the major field of entertainment, but in todays society that is mainly concerned with infotainment, spectacle and entertainment have come into the area of society, economy, politics, and existence in significant original customs. Building on the convention of manifestation, modern figures of entertainment stretching from Television to stage include spectacle society into their schemes, changing film, television, music, Drama and other areas of society, as well as creating original structures of society, such as cyberspace, multimedia, virtual reality and psycho-crime Drama (Kelner, D 2003:4). A plot summery Leonard Shelby had been struck in the back of the head by the rapist/murderer when trying to save his wife, which resulted Leonard to sustain severe mental and physical trauma and nearly destroyed the function of memory making entirely. After recovery, Leonard is now faced with the difficult role of functioning in society without any short-term memory reconciliation. Leonard is, however, able to function in society after learning to retain information through impulse (instinct) and repetition (replication) .i.e. conditioning. He does so by taking Polaroid pictures and writing short notes (information) on them, thus, using the pictures to simulate short-term memory. This simulation evolves further, one could say, due to the fact that Leonard tattoos the fact of his investigation onto his person (like a bodily map of facts and clues). In a classical (post-)Marxist noir-ish style of filmmaking, Leonard is surrounded by characters who exploit his misfortune by helping (assisting) him, mi sleading him, and/or achieving a little of both (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). The narrative structure In the film Memento (Nolan 2000) which could be perceived as a (post-) Marxist film- it is evidently clear that the film relies on gimmick ( a devise used to grab attention). The fact that one has been hailed (interpolated) into a chain of lies can be terrifying upon watching this film, however, what is more terrifying is that the lies were created by ones own need to fabricate a real narrative (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). Just before the ending of Memento (Nolan 2000), Nolan actively places the viewer into Leonard shoes in the scene where Teddy tells Leonard the truth about the death of his wife, creating final confusion to ensure that the viewer partakes in the movie. Nolan does so by actively ensuring that the viewer takes on the role of detective (just like the role of Leonard Shelby) by trying to make sense of (decipher) the narrative truth. This however posts the question: Does one believe the character of Leonard Shelby who constantly confesses to his unreliability? Or does one believe the character of Teddy who discloses that he had been lying to Leonard and that he, himself, is also named John G Gammell? (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). In order to answer this question one has to closely evaluate various scenes from the film. One of the scenes that stands out meticulously (by using flashbacks) is the scene just before the climax of the movie where Teddy informs Leonard that Sammy Jenkins (a man described by Leonard when he talks about his job where he had to investigate an insurance claim made by the wife of Sammy Jenkins) did in actuality, not exist. The viewer is presented with a sequence of flashbacks that changes momentarily which furthermore contributes to the constant confusion of who and what to believe. One thing is certain though, given that the viewer is restricted to Leonards point of view (perspective), that when Leonard makes the subtle realisation (the flashback where he injects his wife with insulin) and squats down to the floor while convincing himself that his wife didnt have diabetes that Sammy Jenkins is in fact just a fabrication in Leonards mind, thus, showing that Teddy tells a version of the t ruth (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). Another scene that convinces one that Leonard is the one lying to himself, is the scene where Leonard tells the story of Sammys wife not believing that Sammys condition is real. She then goes on testing Sammy- according to Leonard- by telling him (Sammy) that it was time for her to be injected with insulin. After Sammy had injected his wife with the medicine she is still convinced that her husband is lying, so she turn back her wristwatch by 15 minutes and tells him that it was time for her to be injected with insulin (she was diabetic and relied on him to inject her even though he suffered from short-term memory loss). After repeating this process yet again Sammys wife overdoses on insulin and dies. Sammy was then placed into a mental asylum and in the final seconds of the black-and-white scene, just before it ends as the camera is closing up on Sammy a nurse walks past the camera-obstructing the view of Sammy- and for a brief second the shot is edited so that one sees Leonard sitti ng in the same chair as where Sammy sat, thus, emphasising that Leonard was in fact the one who was lying to himself through conditioning his mind and ultimately fabricated the story of Sammy Jenkins (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). One could say that in this particular scene, that Leonards memory of Sammy Jenkins is a simulation of himself in order to detach from the traumatic loss of his wife whom was raped and murdered before his very eyes. Here, the (post-) Marxist notion of neo-realism hits the most confusing plane of paranoia by making use of a protagonist who will never be able to believe himself and must constantly remind himself of where he is by leaving himself a postmodern network of clues to function in society (Szyszka 2007:[sp]). unified social reality In cinema, spectacle is presented as all of society, forming a part of the social order and as an instrument of unifying the general public, all at the same time (simultaneously). The spectacle is not a compilation of imagery, but rather a way for people to relate to one another socially, by mediation of imagery. An immense variety of obvious phenomena is explained and unified by the notion of spectacle. Measured in its own conditions, the spectacle confirms how everything should look (appearance) and confirms the nature of humanity (how humans should live), i.e. social life, as mere appearance. However, further analysis of the truth of the spectacle depicts it as noticeable contradictions of life, since spectacle is no longer about visual aesthetic and enriched text, but rather about mainstream cinematic ideology and revenue (Debord 1967:[sp]). Conclusion The master/slave dialectic is the story of the actualisation of a unified social reality. It is also an extension of the story of how the identity of the self is constituted in and through another. It is the story of desire (Diprose 1994:46). Even though the above mentioned excerpt speaks of the female form in modern day society, one could argue that just like the master/slave dialectic, that Leonard represents the slave and everyone else that is using and deceiving him- even his mental condition- are the masters. One could make this conclusion since Leonard is the one being used and mislead (just like the typical female character is usually exploited) without his knowledge. He thus creates, within himself, the longing (desire) to avenge his wifes death. One could thus conclude, that due to the fact that one is presented with a male protagonist, driven by loss and vengeance, in order to find closure and move on with his life, that Memento (Nolan 2000) does represent some form of unified social reality .i.e. the need to move forward. The fact that he never does move on with his life, almost contradicts the previous statement, except, the fact that Leonard is unable to realise this tragedy due to his mental trauma-paired wi th the fact that he is in actuality a serial killer- ensures the unified social reality (in accordance to the dominant power) that he gets what he deserves, an ongoing struggle of redemption. Sources consulted BaraÅ„ski, Z.G Short, J.R. 1985. Developing Contemporary Marxism. London: The Macmillan Press LTD. Baudrillard, J. 1998. The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures. Gateshead: Athenà ¦um Press Limited. Clarke, M. 2002. The Space-Time Image: the Case of Bergson, Deleuze, and Memento. The Journal of Speculative Philosophy 16(3): 167-168. Debord, G. 1967. Society of the Spectacle. [O]. Available: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/debord/society.htm Accessed 5 October 2010 Diprose, R. 1994. The bodies of woman: ethics, embodiment, and sexual difference. London: Routledge. Hurd, R. 2003. Christopher Nolans Memento Analysis of the narrative structure of a noirish revenge film. Paper presented at the Seminar: Decadence and Modernism in Late 20th Century American Cinema, 23 February 2003, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Jean Baudrillard-Biography. [Sa]. [O]. Available: http://www.egs.edu/faculty/jean-baudrillard/biography/ Accessed 2 October 2010 Kelner, D. 2003. Media Spectacle. New York: Routledge Kellner, D. 2007. Jean Baudrillard. [O]. Available: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/baudrillard/ Accessed 1 October 2010 Netto, J.A. 2000. Marxist film theory. [O]. Available: http://www.nettonet.org/Nettonet/Film%20Program/theory/marx-theory.htm Accesed 2 October 2010 Simulacra and Simulations. 1988. [O]. Available: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Baudrillard/Baudrillard_Simulacra.html Accessed 30 September 2010 Szyszka, E. 2007. Brain Damage: Neo Noir in the Nineties. [O]. Available: http://thecinephilenewyork.blogspot.com/2007/08/brain-damage-neo-noir-in nineties.html Accessed 3 October 2010

A Look Into Mechanical Engineering Essay example -- Careers, personal n

The career that I am going to pursue is Mechanical Engineering. The reason why I chose this is because ever since i was little i was always interested in building little cars. I begged by parents to buy me Legos so i could create what ever came to my head. Even there are many types of engineering i want to be the engineer that designs cars. History of Mechanical Engineering The history of mechanical engineering is very broad and dates back to ancient times. In ancient Greece, the works of Archimedes which he had designed ships and invented the Archimedes screw which is still used today ("Wikipedia"). The reason that mechanical engineering dates back so long is that people have a natural tendency to make things better then what it is now to make work more efficient and easier. In the process of making things easier some people come along and make a huge invention that influences others to invent and expand. It is known that the greatest nations throughout history in the world have made the best engineers and inventors. To have engineering and inventing grow in a nation there is one key component. A nation's agriculture has to prosper in order for the growth of better technology, for example the Aztecs in Mexico were technological superior to any other nation in the ancient Americas for the soul purpose that they can focus better on technology instead of hunger. Now in today's world we really don't need our agriculture to prosper in order for our technology to get better because it is funded by the government. Mechanical engineering also is required by war. War is the fuel that drives nations to defend themselves and in order to do this you need engineers to make better weapons and transportation. As with most other techn... ..."100 Years of Improvement?." Daily Fuel Economy Tip. N.p., March 25, 2008. Web. 12 Mar 2010. . Varassi, John. "ASME Releases Report on Future Trends in Mechanical Engineering." ASME.ORG. ASME News Online, Aug. 12, 2008 . Web. 12 Mar 2010. . "Engineers." Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of Labor, December 17, 2009. Web. 12 Mar 2010. . Harmon, Liz. "Mechanical Engineering." Graduating Engineer. Alloy Education, n.d. Web. 12 Mar 2010. . "Mechanical Engineering." Wikipeida. Wikipeida, n.d. Web. 13 Mar 2010. .

A Modest Proposal

Belliveau Patrick A00156136 ANGL 1042 November 7, 2011 As much the same as different â€Å"A Modest Proposal† is an unrealistically conceived attempt to find an easy, cheap and fair way to convert the starving children of Ireland into â€Å"Sound and useful members of the common wealth. † Swift explains how children across the country are impoverished because their families are too poor to keep them clothed and fed. A modest proposal pre-sents arguments for the many advantages on raising the children to be sold for a great deal of money as food.He expresses himself with such confidence when telling his fel-low compatriots an easy way to reduce poverty and overpopulation. The most ironic thing about â€Å"A modest proposal† is that it is not modest at all. It is a scary and insane thought to raise children to be eaten. â€Å"A Mild Suggestion† sarcastically proposes that Caucasians choose a night to lure in a few black people into their homes and poison or kill them by any means necessary. DuBois chose to ironically write about the problems that black people were having that was too often ignored, such as racism.One of the most satirist parts of the essay is when the speaker says: â€Å"The next morning there would be ten million funerals, and therefore no Negro problem. Think how quietly the thing would be settled! † It is an ironic notion be-cause it should be the other way around, the white people should be the ones coming up with ways to rid the world of black people and not the black people themselves. It is un-conceivable that this black man is suggesting these ideas and making them sound so sim-ple, when all of their lives, black people have been fighting to be respected.The essay ends with everybody shocked and disgusted at what the colored man said they should do with all black people, which is also an ironic idea, considering most of these people had racist attitudes to begin with. The one similarity between â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and â€Å"A Mild Suggestion† that sticks out most is the fact that both propositions are savage and frightening, but at the same time, obviously not serious. They both sound insane, which has the reader in shock throughout each essay. While reading both papers, people found themselves saying: â€Å"this man cannot be serious. The writers are trying to make the people from that time realize that some of their problems might not be so terrible. For example, the little old lady in â€Å"A mild suggestion† who at the start of the essay was being racist, went back to her room horrified and not saying a word after hearing what the colored man thought we should do with black people. As for â€Å"A modest proposal† people back in that time might have wor-ried about the poor and the problem with overpopulation. Once hearing about cannibal-ism and selling children as food for a profit, they may have started thinking twice about how serious this pro blem really was at the time.Another common thread in both these essays is the fact that they talk about human beings as numbers, no matter what their color. Swift writes about how to cut down poverty and overpopulation by raising children as food, and DuBois writes about how to get rid of the numbered black people around the world. Both writers show their disgust; DuBois at racism and Swift to the Irish peoples not being able to mobilize on their own behalf. One of the differences between these two essays are the people in which their mes-sages are aimed for. A mild suggestion† for example was aimed to help white readers take the issue of race more seriously, and for black people to have a greater sense of ra-cial pride. As for â€Å"A modest proposal,† this essay was mostly aimed at the compatriots of the time. These essays warn the population that instead of allowing what is most humane, natural and common, people who conceive theoretically and speculatively to solve a problem may end up thinking of the unthinkable. Also in Swift’s essay it is mostly a speech through first person, while DuBois makes use of the characters. A modest proposal A modest proposal BY green0784 A Modest Proposal In his satirical essay â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† Johnathan Swift examines treatment of the poor in Ireland during the eighteenth century: â€Å"l have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London; that a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food; whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled, and I make no doubt, that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or ragout. (Swift 763) In his essay, Swift describes a repulsive suggestion or dealing with the children of the poor in Ireland. Swift describes in detail how poor children should be raised and sold to the wealthy at age one. He details how the children should be and how they should be prepared for the wealthy to consume. Swift's abhorrent proposal for the poor children not only points out the awful treatment of the poor in Ireland during the eighteenth century, but also Ireland's inability to devis e a more desirable plan for the poor.His use of statistics and graphical depiction of the poor children's lives adds to the credibility of his essay. In the beginning of the essay, Swift describes the streets of Ireland as â€Å"crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms. † (Swift 762) Approximately 120,000 children are born annually to parents in poverty and the mothers of these children are forced into begging for money Just to care for their children.He backs up these facts with detailed approximations of the number of children born into poverty; â€Å"l again subtract fifty thousand for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by ccident or disease within the year. There only remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born. † (Swift 763) Swift's main goal of his essay was to convince the the people of Ireland that the treatment of their poor was unacceptable.By his graphical depiction of the arrangement for the poor children, Swift is able to add to the credibility of his essay. Swift first describes the use the children will have for society under his plan: â€Å"Those who are more thrifty will flay the carcass; the skin of which artificially dressed will ake admirable gloves for the ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen. † (Swift 764) He then explains how the children will be raised and sold once they reach the proper age and weight. l have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar's child to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of nutritive meat. † (Swift 764) Swift then describes how the way in children will be prepared: â€Å"This food would likewise bring great customs to averns, where the vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best recipe for dressing it to perfection, and consequently house frequented by all the fine gentlemen, who Justly value themselves upon their knowledge in good eating. (Swift 766) Swift writes his essay in a way that will attract readers to his essay and give more credibility to his essay. He does this by the use of a vulgar depiction of his plan for the poor and his use of statistics to back up his facts. Swifts tone throughout the its country and come up with a solution to the problem. A Modest Proposal Many mistake t for only being used as a mean to make mockery and turn a serious situation into a humorous one. It is actually applied to get us thinking and to help us understand the point from which the satirist is coming from. One satirist who, gruesomely but effectively, managed to push his point across to us by his shrewd application of satire in his work, is Jonathan Swift. In his widely studied â€Å"A Modest Proposal† he used many satirical devices such as irony, juxtaposition and understatement to help his essays purpose and theme sound deeper and better thought-out.This technique helps him achieving his goal of swaying us to his side and accepting his opinion. His use of irony is splattered all over the essay and many examples can be found. This helps us have a better understanding of the situation because his irony highlights the underlying events he wants us to take note of. â€Å"There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those vo luntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! Too frequent among us! Sacrificing the poor innocent babes This is very ironic because how is killing them to eat at the age of one not â€Å"sacrificing the poor innocent babes†? This makes the readers start questioning Swift and his theory but also makes us think that if this is the hypothetical â€Å"perfect† solution, then how bad are the actual possible ones that are out there? Then there's the overall irony of the whole piece: Swift actually says what he means, but says it as if he's matter-of-faculty defending an unthinkable idea.He points out that the country has no agriculture or industry, that children as nouns as six are taught to steal, that a member of the ruling class spends more on one meal than it costs to feed and clothe an Irish child for a year or even years, that Irish women are driven to abortion or infanticide because they cannot afford to support their ch ildren. The reader needs to look beyond the â€Å"proposal† Swift appears to be making to the hard facts he presents. Jonathan Swift could never be accused of writing too simply. A Modest Proposal† brims over with complex sentences and subordinated clauses, combining and juxtaposing Swifts stated opinions with those of his acquaintances. Swift begins his treatise (essay) by describing, in general terms, the overpopulation and resultant poverty Of Ireland and his plan for a solution: â€Å"As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years, upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation.It is true, a child just drop from its dam, may be supported by her milk, for a solar year, with little other nourishment: at most not above the value of two shillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in craps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is e xactly at one year old that propose to provide for them in such a manner, as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing of many thousands. . ] do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black Attlee, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve four females.That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and f at for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, ND seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter. Swift then juxtaposes his own proposal with his acquaintance's idea of replacing teenagers' flesh in place of venison within the national diet, admitting that he finds this idea cruel: â€Å"A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased, in discoursing on this matter, to offer a refinement upon my scheme.He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well played by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under ;level; so great a number of both sexes in every country being now ready to starve for want of work and service: And these to be disposed of by their parents if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations.But with due deference to so excellent a friend, and so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our school-boys, by continual exercise, and their taste disagreeable, and to fatten them would not answer the charge.Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the public, because they soon would become breeders themselves: And besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well so ever intended. This juxtaposition has the potential of either confusing the reader as to what Swift s attempting to sa y or helping the reader see that Swift does not actually mean this but is merely trying to state a fact in an indirect and slightly confusing manner. Swift also makes use of bland understatement to advance his â€Å"proposal†: the organized cannibalism of poor children.The opening sentence to his introduction, â€Å"It is a melancholy object an Rigors understatement because the scene he proceeds to describe is more tragic than merely â€Å"melancholy. † Whether this is sarcasm or not is up to us as readers to decide but it is definitely an understatement. This device could have been used by him to either express how this serious topic is taken lightly or to emphasize on how bad the situation actually is. A modest proposal These terrorists not only threaten the people they hostage, but also the citizens of the place where they held the crime, because this means that anyone could be a victim. An example to this is the bombing of the â€Å"Twin Towers† of the World Trade Center that happened last September 1 1, 2001. Four passenger airplanes were by al-Qaeda terrorists In order to perform a suicide bombing. Two of the planes landed on the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center and within a couple of hours, both towers collapsed.The fires ND the falling debris caused a domino effect on the WTG complex and resulted in more damage and injuries. The other plane landed on the west side of the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense), that lead to a significant damage which was repaired within a year. The last plane was targeted to Washington, D. C. , but the passengers were able to take over the hi-Carjackers. The plane crashed Into a field in Pennsylvania. Anoth er problem Is that people smuggle Illegal Items or products overseas. One method Includes holding drugs Inside their clothing.They hide It underneath the cloth so that x-ray from the scanning machines would not pass through and not detect the drugs. When the person carrying drugs enters another country, it means that he could sell or take in the drugs in that country. If he gets caught and is proven guilty, he is deported, because drug-trafficking violates the International Law, which recognizes and stops international crime. These problems can be avoided with a solution. First, the terrorist attack can be avoided if the hi-Carjackers were not permitted to enter the united States in the first place.Before entering the plane, they must have carried weapons which they used to hi-Jack the plane. The terrorists have managed to sneak the weapons In their luggage or clothing and pass through the security screenings. By the same logic, the drugs were not confiscated because they were not d etected. I propose that a new law be passed, which requires everyone to not wear anything if they desire to travel by air. These papers are to be put in a transparent envelope which will be provided by the immigration.They are not allowed to bring their cell phones because they can use Hess phones as a trigger for a bomb. The passengers are not allowed to bring any bags with them in the airplane. A different section of the airport will be assigned to screening the bags only and these bags will be put in a separate plane and the passenger plane and the cargo plane will leave at the same time. To ensure the identity of the bags and of the person, both will have their pictures taken upon arrival. Each picture will be attached to a wristband which contains a barded specific to the person and the bag only.There are a lot of advantages in this new regulation. First of all, air-conditioning is not needed anymore, either in the plane of in the airport, because people will be butt- naked any way, so they don't need cold air. Less air-conditioning is also conserves energy and reduces the effects of global warming. A lot of government funds will be saved because metal detectors and x-ray scanners are not necessary. The money saved can be used in other sectors which need more resources, such as education, insurance, and national security.Not wearing anything would also spare the security f arresting people who do pranks in airports and bring illegal items which violate the rules of the airport. This will save energy and time which could be spent in doing other productive activities. The people won't have to wait in lines which cause delay, which makes the system more efficient. The passengers will also save money on clothes since they don't need them that much. Tourism will also increase because of this phenomenon, and as a result of increase in tourism, more Jobs will be created, which decreases the unemployment rate.Without any terrorism threat, there would e happier cit izens living in peace. However, some disadvantages arise despite these benefits. Nudity makes other people uncomfortable and it encourages immorality. But a rebuttal to this argument is that animals do not wear clothes all the time, and they do not get disturbed by the image they see. We should be more like them and appreciate what is given to us. This solution might not be acceptable to other people, whom I understand, and there are real solutions which are acceptable to all. Tighter airport security should be the main objective.The government must invest on up-to-date equipment for canning. They should invest on efficient people, and efficient and high-quality machines. The government should also consider redesigning or renovating other airports that need repair. Benefits of the renovation of some airports may provide more Jobs, thus, lessening the unemployment rate. An increase in the production of materials for the repair will result in increase in national output. This increase s the GAP, or the Gross Domestic Product of that country, and also other countries which provide other raw materials, equipment, and labor. WORD COUNT: 967 WORDS A Modest Proposal Assignment #1: Surprise Ending in The Modest Proposal Syreeta Bruster Professor Lynn Wilson World Cultures II – HUM 112 November 12, 2012 A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is a satirical story with lots of sarcasm. This proposal was written to shock or force the government into a reaction. As the government read his proposal it should bring about a response. This proposal suggests a â€Å"barbaric solution† that amounts purely to cannibalism. Mr. Swift’s idea is to help end poverty and decrease the amount of women beggars by eating babies of the poor.He devised a plan where he would take 20,000 babies and decide how many would be sold, how many would be breeders thus creating a balance between rich and poor. Mr. Swift’s plan would give the poor a means of income and the wealthy would get a fine and delicate meal. He stated that feeding on Irish babies was a treat and the English should be honored to feast on the babies. Swift based his proposal on facts and figures of many years of analyzing the situation. He does seem well educated and well versed on his proposal. He noted several benefits and advantages to his proposal.Some of those benefits included women being more loving towards their children. Another benefit would be more marriages happening with men catering to their wives while they were pregnant. Swift also quoted a friend that was a modern day swindler. The friend was supposedly from Formosa and told a story where 18,000 young boys were sacrificed to the Gods’ and Priests’. The Gods’ dined on the hearts and the Priests’ dine on their bodies. Swift suggested his proposal was a good solution because the landowners had already â€Å"eaten† the poor people alive, so to speak.The unfair and unjust treatment of the poor people suggested this proposal could be a way out for them. Swift had calculated the cost to feed these babies and with the proposal these surplus of children would not be a b urden or anyone, not their parents or the landowners or the government. As a matter of face the landowners could take the babies as payment if the rent was not paid. Swift wanted to evoke such a response that the government would see just how awful they have treated the Irish in this country.They should respond by coming up with a more logical and reasonable plan to care for the beggars and poor people of the land. Although his â€Å"barbaric† proposal was written while he suffered a disease that made his mind alter from stable to unstable; it was concluded by most that he was not crazy when this proposal was written. It is not certain whether he accomplished what he intended to with his proposal; however with the intensity and factual way he presented his proposal I can understand why people would want to follow his train of thought.It was quite easy for Swift to manipulate the facts to fit such a â€Å"Modest Proposal†. Before people really realized what he was actua lly meaning to do with these babies it could have sounded like a solid plan. In my opinion we need more persuasive people, like Swift, with such passion to give a sort of wake up call to humanity without actually â€Å"eating† our babies. We need to construct a more compassionate and solid plan with regards to how we treat people whether poor or rich that is far from Swift’s proposal.Being eaten alive is not necessarily an actual act but more of a sarcastic statement of how one can be treated. I don’t believe anyone ever really took into account the proposal in actual â€Å"humane† terms. I do feel that it made not only the government react but also his peers and other constituents. References Johnson, James William (1958), â€Å"Tertullian and A Modest Proposal†, Modern Language and Notes (The Johns Hopkins University Press) 73 (8): 561–563 Swift, Jonathan. â€Å"A Modest Proposal. † Victorian Web. < http://www. victorianweb. org/ >. Web. Viewed November 3, 2012. A Modest Proposal Belliveau Patrick A00156136 ANGL 1042 November 7, 2011 As much the same as different â€Å"A Modest Proposal† is an unrealistically conceived attempt to find an easy, cheap and fair way to convert the starving children of Ireland into â€Å"Sound and useful members of the common wealth. † Swift explains how children across the country are impoverished because their families are too poor to keep them clothed and fed. A modest proposal pre-sents arguments for the many advantages on raising the children to be sold for a great deal of money as food.He expresses himself with such confidence when telling his fel-low compatriots an easy way to reduce poverty and overpopulation. The most ironic thing about â€Å"A modest proposal† is that it is not modest at all. It is a scary and insane thought to raise children to be eaten. â€Å"A Mild Suggestion† sarcastically proposes that Caucasians choose a night to lure in a few black people into their homes and poison or kill them by any means necessary. DuBois chose to ironically write about the problems that black people were having that was too often ignored, such as racism.One of the most satirist parts of the essay is when the speaker says: â€Å"The next morning there would be ten million funerals, and therefore no Negro problem. Think how quietly the thing would be settled! † It is an ironic notion be-cause it should be the other way around, the white people should be the ones coming up with ways to rid the world of black people and not the black people themselves. It is un-conceivable that this black man is suggesting these ideas and making them sound so sim-ple, when all of their lives, black people have been fighting to be respected.The essay ends with everybody shocked and disgusted at what the colored man said they should do with all black people, which is also an ironic idea, considering most of these people had racist attitudes to begin with. The one similarity between â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and â€Å"A Mild Suggestion† that sticks out most is the fact that both propositions are savage and frightening, but at the same time, obviously not serious. They both sound insane, which has the reader in shock throughout each essay. While reading both papers, people found themselves saying: â€Å"this man cannot be serious. The writers are trying to make the people from that time realize that some of their problems might not be so terrible. For example, the little old lady in â€Å"A mild suggestion† who at the start of the essay was being racist, went back to her room horrified and not saying a word after hearing what the colored man thought we should do with black people. As for â€Å"A modest proposal† people back in that time might have wor-ried about the poor and the problem with overpopulation. Once hearing about cannibal-ism and selling children as food for a profit, they may have started thinking twice about how serious this pro blem really was at the time.Another common thread in both these essays is the fact that they talk about human beings as numbers, no matter what their color. Swift writes about how to cut down poverty and overpopulation by raising children as food, and DuBois writes about how to get rid of the numbered black people around the world. Both writers show their disgust; DuBois at racism and Swift to the Irish peoples not being able to mobilize on their own behalf. One of the differences between these two essays are the people in which their mes-sages are aimed for. A mild suggestion† for example was aimed to help white readers take the issue of race more seriously, and for black people to have a greater sense of ra-cial pride. As for â€Å"A modest proposal,† this essay was mostly aimed at the compatriots of the time. These essays warn the population that instead of allowing what is most humane, natural and common, people who conceive theoretically and speculatively to solve a problem may end up thinking of the unthinkable. Also in Swift’s essay it is mostly a speech through first person, while DuBois makes use of the characters. A Modest Proposal If there is one event that haunts this writer to this day, it was the time when he talked with a crime victim, whose fear in the eyes was staggering.The victim shall never be named for the reason that being victimized by a crime is such an intimate matter, the secrets of which are usually well-guarded by the people who experience them.   Anything that we imagine that we know about others is best known to them.   So, crime is their personal experience, no matter what. However, that is not a reason for society to remain uninvolved.The rate of crime and violence in our society continues to escalate, and if we do not act with swift deliberation, then all of us will become part of that silent and ashamed community of helpless victims.We have every reason to interfere. Most of us go through life believing that crime and violence will never happen to us. But it does, and by the time we want to actively prevent crime, it is often too late. A friend, a loved one; we all have already been victimized.The problems of others must be guarded by us in all sincerity.   This is to ensure that the problems would not spread like plague among other members of other communities.   Therefore it is incumbent upon us to stop crime in its tracks lest it spreads like wildfire to create a conflagration too big and terrible for any one of is to try to stop.Life is too rich and joyful to be spent on crying spells and martyrdom.   Indeed the misery of crime victims and their loved ones deserves justice, each and every one of them. So let us give these crime victims and criminals alike what they deserve: justice, the swift and instant type that will sow fear in the hearts of the cold-hearted criminals and give a sense of retribution to those who have suffered in the hands of these heartless criminals.What would it take to eradicate crime and violence? Well, first of all, we would have to fight crime and violence in the frontline, and use the weapons that they have against them. Fea r has always been an effective deterrent of any action.People are paralyzed by fear, and that is true of hardened criminals as well as unsuspecting victims. Indeed we are lucky that we are in this position, to use fear to turn a dire situation around and use it to our advantage. With a thankful attitude, therefore, we should not want to fall into the trap of crime and violence by refusing to use violence ourselves.The proposal then is to kill anyone on sight anyone who has been seen committing a crime, regardless of the type of crime, no questions asked. Every type of crime must be given swift retribution, no matter how small or petty, the punishment is death on sight, no deliberations, and no hesitations.How does it work? Simple. The person witnessing the crime is sanctioned by the state to kill the criminal or suspected criminal on sight. If the victims are able to do it themselves and kill their attacker, then so much the better; however, that is not possible in most cases, so an yone can do it, before, during, and after the crime has been committed.   What would it cost us to directly kill criminals?   None at all. In fact society stands to gain so much more by doing so.The most important advantage would be the elimination of crime because criminal would be too scared to commit violence or any illegal act. The decision to commit crime and violence is generally regarded as a product of rational thinking.As such, it is with certainty that crime and violence can be best prevented through immediate, swift punitive action. These forms of punishment or retribution will discourage criminals because they fear the punishment more than they want to commit the illegal acts.The choice to become a criminal is largely dependent on the threat of punishment or being caught. If they think they will not get caught, then they will commit a crime without hesitation. But if we send the message that the price for crime is death, then that will change the scenario altogether. If criminals know what is at stake, then they will hesitate and think if the benefits of the crime outweigh the risk involved.All of us, even the most hardened of criminals value our lives. Nothing is more precious. And if we kill criminals on sight, then the fear of possible death would deter would-be criminals from ever doing anything bad. They know the consequences of doing so, and the risk is too high, even for anti-socials and repeat offenders. Hopefully, these people will regard their lives as too precious to be wasted on empty and meaningless violence and crime. As previously mentioned, use to fear to sow fear, violence to stop violence.Most criminals believe that they can get away with violence because the law takes too long to arbitrate and dispense justice. When justice is delayed, it is indeed denied for the victims, and the delay encourages criminals to keep on doing what they feel they have gotten away with. And that is the root of our endless problems with crime and v iolence; our deliberate approach to justice has been ineffective because while it means well, it inadvertently protects the criminals.Killing criminals on sight addresses the issue of dispensing justice and preventing crime and violence all at the same time.An accidental, but nevertheless important benefit of this proposal involves cost-effectiveness. When we kill criminals on sight, we would eliminate the need for a penitentiary system. The cost of building and maintaining prisons is very high and eats a lot of state resources. If all criminals are killed, then jails would no longer be needed, and the funds used for the upkeep of prisons and the care of prisoners could then be channeled for more productive ends.Moreover, because there is no penitentiary system to maintain, the citizens will no longer have to subsidize its costs and that could translate to lesser taxes. Lesser taxes would mean more disposable income for the family. When there is more money to go around, the spending power of every household is increased, which can very well improve our country’s overall economy.The existing prison facilities can then be converted to other money-making facilities such as museums, spa and wellness centers, theaters, shops, and other similar places. This one benefit alone can bring about a cascade of benefits that can have far-reaching and long-lasting effects. A Modest Proposal Assignment #1: Surprise Ending in The Modest Proposal Syreeta Bruster Professor Lynn Wilson World Cultures II – HUM 112 November 12, 2012 A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is a satirical story with lots of sarcasm. This proposal was written to shock or force the government into a reaction. As the government read his proposal it should bring about a response. This proposal suggests a â€Å"barbaric solution† that amounts purely to cannibalism. Mr. Swift’s idea is to help end poverty and decrease the amount of women beggars by eating babies of the poor.He devised a plan where he would take 20,000 babies and decide how many would be sold, how many would be breeders thus creating a balance between rich and poor. Mr. Swift’s plan would give the poor a means of income and the wealthy would get a fine and delicate meal. He stated that feeding on Irish babies was a treat and the English should be honored to feast on the babies. Swift based his proposal on facts and figures of many years of analyzing the situation. He does seem well educated and well versed on his proposal. He noted several benefits and advantages to his proposal.Some of those benefits included women being more loving towards their children. Another benefit would be more marriages happening with men catering to their wives while they were pregnant. Swift also quoted a friend that was a modern day swindler. The friend was supposedly from Formosa and told a story where 18,000 young boys were sacrificed to the Gods’ and Priests’. The Gods’ dined on the hearts and the Priests’ dine on their bodies. Swift suggested his proposal was a good solution because the landowners had already â€Å"eaten† the poor people alive, so to speak.The unfair and unjust treatment of the poor people suggested this proposal could be a way out for them. Swift had calculated the cost to feed these babies and with the proposal these surplus of children would not be a b urden or anyone, not their parents or the landowners or the government. As a matter of face the landowners could take the babies as payment if the rent was not paid. Swift wanted to evoke such a response that the government would see just how awful they have treated the Irish in this country.They should respond by coming up with a more logical and reasonable plan to care for the beggars and poor people of the land. Although his â€Å"barbaric† proposal was written while he suffered a disease that made his mind alter from stable to unstable; it was concluded by most that he was not crazy when this proposal was written. It is not certain whether he accomplished what he intended to with his proposal; however with the intensity and factual way he presented his proposal I can understand why people would want to follow his train of thought.It was quite easy for Swift to manipulate the facts to fit such a â€Å"Modest Proposal†. Before people really realized what he was actua lly meaning to do with these babies it could have sounded like a solid plan. In my opinion we need more persuasive people, like Swift, with such passion to give a sort of wake up call to humanity without actually â€Å"eating† our babies. We need to construct a more compassionate and solid plan with regards to how we treat people whether poor or rich that is far from Swift’s proposal.Being eaten alive is not necessarily an actual act but more of a sarcastic statement of how one can be treated. I don’t believe anyone ever really took into account the proposal in actual â€Å"humane† terms. I do feel that it made not only the government react but also his peers and other constituents. References Johnson, James William (1958), â€Å"Tertullian and A Modest Proposal†, Modern Language and Notes (The Johns Hopkins University Press) 73 (8): 561–563 Swift, Jonathan. â€Å"A Modest Proposal. † Victorian Web. < http://www. victorianweb. org/ >. Web. Viewed November 3, 2012. A Modest Proposal Belliveau Patrick A00156136 ANGL 1042 November 7, 2011 As much the same as different â€Å"A Modest Proposal† is an unrealistically conceived attempt to find an easy, cheap and fair way to convert the starving children of Ireland into â€Å"Sound and useful members of the common wealth. † Swift explains how children across the country are impoverished because their families are too poor to keep them clothed and fed. A modest proposal pre-sents arguments for the many advantages on raising the children to be sold for a great deal of money as food.He expresses himself with such confidence when telling his fel-low compatriots an easy way to reduce poverty and overpopulation. The most ironic thing about â€Å"A modest proposal† is that it is not modest at all. It is a scary and insane thought to raise children to be eaten. â€Å"A Mild Suggestion† sarcastically proposes that Caucasians choose a night to lure in a few black people into their homes and poison or kill them by any means necessary. DuBois chose to ironically write about the problems that black people were having that was too often ignored, such as racism.One of the most satirist parts of the essay is when the speaker says: â€Å"The next morning there would be ten million funerals, and therefore no Negro problem. Think how quietly the thing would be settled! † It is an ironic notion be-cause it should be the other way around, the white people should be the ones coming up with ways to rid the world of black people and not the black people themselves. It is un-conceivable that this black man is suggesting these ideas and making them sound so sim-ple, when all of their lives, black people have been fighting to be respected.The essay ends with everybody shocked and disgusted at what the colored man said they should do with all black people, which is also an ironic idea, considering most of these people had racist attitudes to begin with. The one similarity between â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and â€Å"A Mild Suggestion† that sticks out most is the fact that both propositions are savage and frightening, but at the same time, obviously not serious. They both sound insane, which has the reader in shock throughout each essay. While reading both papers, people found themselves saying: â€Å"this man cannot be serious. The writers are trying to make the people from that time realize that some of their problems might not be so terrible. For example, the little old lady in â€Å"A mild suggestion† who at the start of the essay was being racist, went back to her room horrified and not saying a word after hearing what the colored man thought we should do with black people. As for â€Å"A modest proposal† people back in that time might have wor-ried about the poor and the problem with overpopulation. Once hearing about cannibal-ism and selling children as food for a profit, they may have started thinking twice about how serious this pro blem really was at the time.Another common thread in both these essays is the fact that they talk about human beings as numbers, no matter what their color. Swift writes about how to cut down poverty and overpopulation by raising children as food, and DuBois writes about how to get rid of the numbered black people around the world. Both writers show their disgust; DuBois at racism and Swift to the Irish peoples not being able to mobilize on their own behalf. One of the differences between these two essays are the people in which their mes-sages are aimed for. A mild suggestion† for example was aimed to help white readers take the issue of race more seriously, and for black people to have a greater sense of ra-cial pride. As for â€Å"A modest proposal,† this essay was mostly aimed at the compatriots of the time. These essays warn the population that instead of allowing what is most humane, natural and common, people who conceive theoretically and speculatively to solve a problem may end up thinking of the unthinkable. Also in Swift’s essay it is mostly a speech through first person, while DuBois makes use of the characters.

Intro to Philosophy Essay

The word philosophy itself means â€Å"the love of wisdom. † Philosophy stands for doing the right thing or being a â€Å"just† person. Philosophy also means to see things for what they truly are and not what they may seem to be. A philosopher’s life is a lifelong quest to find the meaning of things beyond their physical appearance. The Ring of Gyges is a ring that a man puts on and becomes invisible. When he does wrong he is not blamed, he gets away with it. Once a man puts this ring on he can be unjust without punishment. In the second book of The Republic Adimantus argued that the unjust life is happier than the unjust. His argument was that a just man can go without now and enjoy heaven in the afterlife while an unjust man will go without nothing and still enjoy the benefits of the after life. Through the eyes of a philosopher there are two worlds, the visible world and the intelligible world. In the visible you can see things and judge them from what you actually see. If a person sees a flower one could judge that it is a beautiful flower. However, the person is judging this flowers beauty on its physical appearance and their claim is merely an opinion rather than true knowledge. In â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave† men are chained inside of a cave. All they can see is the shadows that are formed on the wall in front of them. The people inside of the cave believe that the shadows that are being cast on the wall is reality. When one of the men is unchained and brought to the outside world at first he is blinded by the sun and cannot see clearly. The man can only see the shadows of the objects in front of him, this can be perceived as the images of physical objects. When his eyes adjust he can see more than the shadows, he can see the physical objects themselves. When the man goes back inside of the cave to tell the others what he has seen he again cannot see clearly because his eyes have not adjusted. The others in the cave laugh claiming that the sun has ruined his eyes. For a period of time he cannot decipher what the shadows on the wall are imitating. They don’t believe what the man is telling them. In Plato’s Analogy of the Divided Line the four stages of cognition, which represent the levels of existence, are explained. The first two stages, the good and the sun, represent the visible world. The third and fourth stages, knowledge and opinion, represent the intelligible world. These stages are represented in â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave. † Without the sun’s light we would not be able to see anything at all. The sun allows us to see the flower that we perceived as beautiful. Without the suns light we would not be able to see or perceive any of the physical objects that exist. The sun is perceived as the things that we see. The sun also allows for all living life on earth. Without the sun all life on Earth would diminish. Without the sun we could not perceive anything at all. 1. A person can only understand something once they have reached the highest level of cognitive activity. One must acquire the Form of Good before they can truly understand something. Images and assumptions are not enough support to truly understand the meaning of something. The images the prisoners in the cave saw and the assumptions they made about what they thought they could be are only their opinions. Although they were able to identify the shadows on the wall as what they thought they were it is not enough to truly know what they are, the identities given to the shadows by the prisoners is merely their opinion. In â€Å"Phaedo† Socrates claims that our soul is attached to our body. Our body acts as a vessel only operating because of the soul inside. According to Socrates our body holds us back from perceiving things for what they truly are and therefore a philosopher should desire death because it enables them to continue their quest of reality. 2. Socrates viewed death as a purification of the body that allows us find pure wisdom. Socrates explained how our souls are glued to our bodies and only when they are unfastened by death is a person able to experience wisdom in its purest state. The body distracts us from finding the truth because it requires maintenance. The body allows us to feel pain and emotions like love, fear and hunger. Socrates admits that philosophers are more or less practicing for death and should embrace it when it comes for them. â€Å"And will he who is a true lover of wisdom, and is persuaded in like manner that only in the world below he can worthily enjoy her, still repine death? Will he not depart with joy? Surely, he will, my friend, if he be a true philosopher. For he will have a firm conviction that there only, and nowhere else, he can find wisdom in her purity. † (Phaedo pg. 65) Socrates believes that philosophy is good because it enlightens us to what things actually are rather than what they’re perceived to be. Philosophy is what brings the unchained man outside of the cave. It pushes us to go into the unknown, which we at one point we thought we knew. Once we realize what things actually are we also realize that we had no idea what they really were before. The man in the cave that once thought that the only reality was the shadows on the wall now realizes that the shadows weren’t reality at all. Socrates was formally charged because he didn’t worship the gods recognized by the states and for corrupting the youth of Athens. The informal charges against Socrates was asking questions that were unusual, or outside of the box. â€Å"Socrates is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear the better cause; and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to others† p. 21 Apology The oracle of Delphi told Socrates that he was the wisest man. Socrates refused to accept this statement and went searching for a wiser man than himself. In search of a wiser man than himself, Socrates talked with many people including politicians, poets and craftsmen who claimed to be wise. Socrates found them to not be wise because they thought they knew things that they did not. Socrates proclaimed himself as wise because he knew that he did not know. Socrates exposed the false wisdom of the men who were thought to be wise. Naturally these men held much resistance and hostility towards Socrates. These negative feelings contributed to Socrates’ trial. Socrates refutes Meletus’ statement that he doesn’t believe in any god, that he is an atheist. Socrates does this by confirming that he does in fact believe in supernatural activities, such as his inner voice that told him he was the wisest man, and therefore is not an atheist. Socrates states that wealthy young men, enjoy following him around and listening to him question people. It’s entertaining for them. These men, who think they are wise but aren’t, then go out and try to do this on their own. When the people they question get angry instead of being angry with themselves, become angry with Socrates. They accuse Socrates of filling the young men’s head with nonsense. When asked about what Socrates teaches they don’t know and then use claims already made against philosophers against Socrates. Socrates then asks Meletus who he thinks an improver of the youth is. Meletus claims that the law is an improver of the youth, such as judges and senators. Socrates then proclaims that everyone in the state is an improver of the youth except himself. Meletus agrees to this statement. Socrates states that he must either not corrupt the youth or unintentionally corrupt the youth because good do their neighbors good, and evil do them evil. If he had corrupted someone, in theory, they should have harmed him by now. In Socrates’ last defense he says, â€Å"For if you kill me you will not easily find another like me, who, if I may use such a ludicrous figure of speech, am a sort of gadfly, given to the state by God; and the state is like a great and noble steed who is tardy in his motions owing to his very size, and requires to be stirred into life. I am that gadfly which God has given the state, and all day long and in all places am always fastening upon you, arousing and persuading and reproaching you. † (31-32) Socrates is attempting to demonstrate to the people of the city that there is more to their life than what meets the eye. Without philosophers such as himself they will continue to live the life they’re living with no desire to search for more. They will continue to accept the shadows on the wall as their reality. There are three parts to the soul. These three parts consist of the rational, high spirit and the appetitive. The rational portion of the soul is the part of us that seeks knowledge of wisdom. According to Plato the rational should rule the soul. The high spirit consists of the angry and prideful part of the soul that defends and aids the rational. The high spirit avoids shame. The final part of the soul, the appetitive, is the part of the soul that desires. While some desires are necessary, others are not. If not restrained by the rational, the appetitive portion of the soul can over rule all other parts. In addition to the three parts of the soul there are also three parts of the city. These three parts are the gold, silver and the bronze. The golds are the guardians, the silvers are the enforcers of the laws (helpers), and the bronzes are the merchants and tradesmen. The city virtue of wisdom resides within the gold’s, the guardians. In order to posses civic wisdom one must know how the city operates and how all parts of the city are connected. The knowledge of how the city runs and operates allows the city to operate at the highest level. The city virtue of bravery and justice resides with the silvers, the enforcers of laws. Civic bravery is the defined as the Silvers upholding their education about what things are and are not to be feared and in what order as ordered to them by the Golds. Civic justice refers to sticking to your own work whether you are a moneymaker, helper, or guardian. It’s considered unjust to work outside of your boundaries. The city virtue of temperance exists within the bronze citizens, the merchants and tradesmen, of the city. The civic temperance is the agreement (harmony) between the three sections (gold, silver and bronze) as to who should rule and who should obey. The personal virtue of wisdom is housed by ones rational portion of the soul. Personal wisdom consists of knowing all parts of the soul and how they are connected to one another. The ultimate goal of personal wisdom is keeping the soul as healthy and as balanced as possible. Personal bravery and justice is contained within the high-spirit part of the soul. The High-Spirit of the soul is to preserve the education of what is and is not to be feared. The Rational tells the High-Spirit in which order things are to be feared or not feared. The personal virtue of justice minds it’s own within each part of the soul. The appetitive portion of the soul houses the personal temperance virtue. The personal temperance works in agreement between the three portions of the soul as to who should rule and who should obey. The advantage of philosophy with respect to the state is the efficiency. Everyone has jobs that relate well to their attributes. You cannot be a gold (guardian) without first experiencing being a bronze and then a silver. In order to be a gold one must possess knowledge of all three parts of the city. This ultimately leaves the best most knowledgeable citizens in charge of the city. The advantage of philosophy in regards to the individual is the balance between all parts of the soul. All parts of the soul are important to understand and the rational helps us inherit the wisdom needed to understand these aspects of the soul. One who constantly indulges in the appetitive portion of the soul will be overcome by it. When a person posses wisdom they know when a desire is necessary rather than unnecessary. Students and states that pursue philosophy are better off than the ones who don’t because of the level of intelligence they hold. When a student or state has the knowledge of all the levels of either the civic or individual level they’re more likely to excel in their job. Without philosophy there would be no need to extend one’s boundaries and explore the unkown. Socrates was the man in the cave who managed to break free from his chains and see the world beyond the cave. His accusers, the men still chained inside of the cave, refused to accept what Socrates was trying to show them. If they accepted what Socrates was trying to prove it would be a harsh reality for all they ever knew would diminish. Life outside of the cave is unknown. It’s far less scary to continue their life believing that the shadows on the wall are all that there is. Works Cited Plato, and Benjamin Jowett. The Trial and Death of Socrates: Four Dialogues. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print. Plato, H. D. P. Lee, and M. S. Lane. The Republic. London: Penguin, 2007. Print.

truman essays

truman essays Our government is a complex system with many different branches of power and many different jobs for each section. The Truman Years 1945-1953 written by author Byrnes demonstrates how many government positions work together as well as separate. These political positions also are granted certain powers that are not granted to all the government branches. During president Trumans years as president which followed after president Roosevelt died he was faced with many important decisions. Many of these important decisions he was able to decide for himself while other important decisions he had to rely on support from other government officials. President Truman became president when president Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. President Truman became the official president of the United States without any election being held. This act is permitted because of the constitution. In the constitution it is stated that if the president dies or become unable to fulfill his duties he can and will be replaced by the vice president. Trumans presidency was a long and difficult road, however because of many situations that occurred during his presidency there are a lot of features that outline the powers that our government has. In 1947 President Truman vetoed the act known as the Taft-Hartley act. This bill he vetoed because he saw that the bill was discriminatory against labor. Because our government is set up with a checks and balance system congress was still able to pass the bill with a overwhelming number of votes( congress must have a 2/3rd vote to overrule the presidents veto) in the congress. Another bill that came to the President during 1947 was a four billion dollar income tax reduction. President Truman vetoed this bill as being unfair to small tax payers. Because the congress could not get enough votes to override the president this bill was rejected. This act is known as the pres...

Role of the Citizens

Role of the Citizens Introduction Being a member of a particular state or country provides an individual with rights as well as responsibilities. This means that just as much as an individual expects the government to perform its duties, the same is expected of them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Role of the Citizens specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Famous philosophers have delved into this issue over the past centuries dating back to human existence all in the view of exploring the interaction and relationship between the state and the people. Overtime, most philosophers have influenced the role of politics and intellectual thought with some of their theories and school of thought going a notch higher to become the foundation of modern day democracies and states. This paper has particularly focused on two famous philosophers whose ideas still proliferate and apply in the modern society. These are Karl Marx, the father of socialism and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose famous work ‘The Social Contract’ has been the basis for democracy and the will of the people. Jeanne Rousseau ‘Men are born free, yet everywhere they are in chains’. These are famous words from his widely acclaimed work, The Social Contract. Rousseau was of the opinion that the civil society has failed to bestow upon human beings their natural birthright to freedom but has rather confined them to the false sense of security from the state. According to Rousseau, the citizens are a collective grouping which general views resonate loud in the political sphere of the state and are supposed to uphold the greater aspect of representing the general will of the people. It occurs when human beings as individuals hold dissimilar views and desires respective to their personal positions but the sovereign carry the day, representing the general will of all the people. Rousseau therefore proposed means by which the awareness of the general will would be achieved and this would be through the convening of the sovereign in regular periodic assemblies (Simon 76). This would be done individually or through the elected representatives of the sovereign as reflected in most modern democracies. Therefore, with reference to his definition of the sovereign and the general will, Rousseau was of the opinion that citizens had the obligation to attend the assemblies organized in order to deliberate upon their current state, proposing ways and means of improving their lives as citizens and also to ensure that the general will of the people was respected and achieved by the state. This goes further in indicating one important role of citizens, that of voting.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Simon (308), voting or the electoral process is the benchmark used to determ the democratic state of the country. The outc ome of this process should reflect the general will of the people. Citizens therefore have the customary duty of voting on issues that require a general decision, such as during referendums, as well as electing suitable representatives who would properly represent them in the national arena ensuring their voices are heard. Rousseau concurs with Simon’s view and indicates that it is crucial that human beings exercise their independence by going to such gatherings, for whenever they break the trend, or the elected representatives fail to do so in their place, their independence is lost. Blais Moore (P 431) are also of the opinion that resonates well with Rousseau and Simons view that of the popular undertaking where the government usually goes against the general wills of the people hence the need for constantly surveying the government’s actions. This explains the existence of a frictional relationship between the sovereign and the government. All in all, Rousseau aim to make society as democratic as possible has played a determining role in the evolution and development of democracy in modern states. Furthermore, his discussions of the courts influenced the structure of checks and balances preserved in the instituting papers of the United States. Karl Heinrich Marx Marx, a famous philosopher of the 19th century is known today as the father of socialism (Dick, Blais and Moore 377). Some of his works and ideas were influenced by Jean-Jacques Rousseaus but differ greatly particularly where the state and the role of citizens is concerned. His work and ideas are mainly based on the medieval age, where the segregation of society was not due to differences in culture, race, creed or color but rather due to class differences. These differences did not arise due to income or status but rather due to property. He classifies society based on the three main classes discussed below: Bourgeoisie- this represented the owners of the means of production such as machinery and was the first class in the society’s class tier. Their main source of income was profit. Landowners- just like the title depicts, these were land owners, a valuable means of production and they took second place. Their income was from rent. Proletariat- these were the last grouping in the social structure. They were comprised of the peasants who sold their labour for a wage. Marx felt strongly against the selling of labour for wages as it tended to distinguish the individual from his/her real being or nature, an aspect he referred to as commodity fetishism. The role of citizens of the state was therefore in accordance with the place in the social structure as indicated above. For instance, it was a common belief that political power was determined by power over production. The role of the bourgeois class therefore was to use this power, vested upon them in virtue of their power over production (capital).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample o n Role of the Citizens specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Marx’s time was characterized by the rise of capitalism, practiced by capitalists, whom he described as vampires sucking workers’ blood. He was a widely acclaimed critique of capitalism and a protagonist of socialism and proposed a communist society that would replace the capitalistic one. He viewed socialism as the means to achieve development without the exploitation of the workers (Berlin 249). Marx proposed a new society where capitalism would end through the organized actions of an international working class and individuals would be in a position to act short of being restricted by the labor market authorities. Comparison between Marx and Rousseau on the role of citizens Similarities According to Garsten (p 430), although the two philosophers differ in means of approach and methods, they agree on the following: Both philosophers deliberate on the issue of inequality. Rousseau advocates for the establishment of a regime that will arbitrate problems associated with disparity in community. Marx is of the opinion that class division in assets should be eliminated through the communal possession of production means. Both focused on the requirements of the society and not personal wants. Differences Rousseau was of the opinion that the existence of the government was due to the need to conduct the executive duty of imposing laws and overseeing the day-to-day functioning of the state (Workler Gorsten 248). Marx, on the other hand, theorizes on the collapse of the government or the state in general due to the revolt of the international working class. According to Marx, political power is determined by the power of production, meaning that the more means of production one had, the greater was the power. Rousseau however indicates that the political power of the state rests with the people as they reflect the general will of the sovereign.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Marx views the society as being segregated on the basis of social classes. Rousseau, on the other hand, views society as comprised of a collective unit of people whose general will surpasses the will of the individual. They also differ on the areas in society where change is needed. For Rousseau, it was the political realm that needed change whereas for Marx, it was the radicalization of economy that would eventually do away with inequality. Wise words ‘Brothers, we all belong to one family; we are all children of the Great Spirit; we walk the same path; slake our thirst at the same spring; and now affairs of the greatest concern lead us to smoke the pipe around the same council fire’ (Reisert 65). This represents a part of Tecumseh’s speech, an iconic Indian leader who strived for an independent native Indian state. He advocates for unity to achieve a common goal, that of protecting the Indian territory from encroachment by foreigners. Marx and Rousseau would ag ree with Tecumseh’s views since both are advocates of unity and equality. Berlin, Isaiah. Karl Marx: His life and environment. New York: Sage Publishers, 1978. Print. Dick, James, Jeffrey Blais and Peter Moore. Civics and government. New York: McGraw-Hill publishers, 1996. Print. Reisert, Joseph. Jean-Jacques Rousseau: A friend of virtue. New York: Oxford Publishers, 2003. Print. Simon, Thomas. Democracy and social injustice: Law, politics and philosophy. New York: McGraw-Hill publishers, 1995. Print. Workler, Robert and Brian Gorsten. Rousseau, the age of enlightment and their legacies. New York: Oxford Publishers, 2012. Print.