Enlightenment/Romanticism Essay

The age of man is rife with varying motivations and personal reasoning. Over millions of years, life shifted from mere survival, with our minds drawn to food and shelter, into times of political intrigue and welfare reform. Buried in the layers, the Age of Enlightenment and the (difficult to define) Age of Romanticism are found. Within these two periods are some of our history’s most profound shifts in thinking. The Age of Enlightenment brought scientific reasoning to the forefront of everything. Life was distinct, understandable and predictable. Man contemplated his purpose empirically, studied methodically to come to a true conclusion. According to Anne Branham, the enlightenment allowed our founding fathers to question man’s natural rights in the world of the living. She uses Benjamin Franklin as the incomplete figure of true enlightenment. The one man who had his hands into all things scientific and technological fought actively for the â€Å"earthly rather than heavenly rewards† (55). Our most important living document, the American Constitution, finds its epicenter in the freedom to choose our own representation after careful contemplation and consensus-driven selection (59). Paintings reflected life as a physical entity. Portraits of people became the chosen artwork of the day, a marking of life in that moment. American History portraits painted by John Trumbull show the events in a concise manner, the emotions of the people stern and musing. Other artists, to include Anton Van Maron and Antonio Visentini, of this period (late Enlightenment) follow this same theme of capture rather than sensitize (GroveArt Online). Writers such as Locke, Paine, and Smith questioned preconceived beliefs, broke them down in their parts, studied them empirically, then transformed them into new ideals and theories; changing the way things were done for centuries. Their articulations of thought changed the way business and politics were conducted, a system we still hold to today. Burnham suggested when we take a good look at these writers (Locke in particular) we can see the seed of transformation that inspired Thomas Jefferson (58). The line between the Enlightenment and Romanticism appears quite blurred. It is not as though humankind stopped short all of a sudden and agreed to change their thinking. What is evident, however, is that change took place. Today, we are no longer as ideal in questioning what is right for man. This period began as a revolt of sorts against the aristocracy and their accepted norms. People began to concern themselves with emotions and the feelings of things. Psychologists such as Freud and Jung came into play. Not only what is wrong with you, but also why, and how does it feel to have that problem? Peckham questions the validity of an actual movement in that the need and subsequent fight for revolution does not in fact mean an actual change in thought amongst the world’s people. Was there in fact a change in mind away from the scientific and toward the ideal and the emotional (6). In terms of government, America found itself growing out of control. States began to fight over the issue of slavery and valuing one man’s right to property over another man’s right to dignity and the ‘pursuit of happiness’ as it were. Civil War breaks out, the basis set against the colder ideas of the Enlightenment. These ideas one can conceivably see as justifying slavery if numbers add up. Authorship offered a new selection during this era, the novel. Mary Shelley writes about the timeless battle of man versus nature with her creation of â€Å"Frankenstein.† Man’s emotional struggles in life marked the center of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, Jane Austen’s Emma, and Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Peckham, writing in the time of Picasso, states: â€Å"Picasso has in his painting expressed profoundly the results of the freedom that romanticism has given to the creative imagination, but he is detested by most people who have seen his cubist or post-cubist painting – as well as by a great many who has not. He is at home in the universe, but not in his society† (21). This simple statement takes us back to a time when the questioning of fundamental things, like shapes and colors, was not appreciated. One forgets Picasso died in 1973 – only 33 years ago. Although these two distinct ages followed each other in general timeframe, there are some obvious similarities. In some ways, the transcendentalists, modernists and post-modernists, have all maintained the basic trend in life, which is to ask questions and present the answers in a way that society will gain from them as well. The questioning being the most serious of crimes against the calm nature of a society, with the actual answer following a close second. The difference lies in the questions asked, the answer given and the format preferred. For each successive generation, the questions drive a little deeper, the context of the situations a little more complicated. The answers are increasing more personal, much to the chagrin today of the older citizens. Art today is far racier and stressing in it nature. Artists have the freedom to push the observer to his or her max. Life seems to be struggling toward a certain height where all questions are ok, all answers accepted. Works Cited Branham, Anne K. â€Å"Teaching the Enlightenment in American Literature: Shedding Light on Faith and Reason.† The English Journal 87.3 (1998): 54-59. GroveArt Online. (18 Oct 2006). Peckham, Morse. â€Å"Toward a Theory of Romanticism.† PMLA 66.1 (1951): 5-23.

terminal velocity essays

terminal velocity essays SC1: Investigating Terminal Velocity When an object falls through a fluid it accelerates until it reaches its terminal velocity. At this speed the forces acting on it are balanced. My task is to investigate the factors that affect the terminal velocity of a falling object. Viscosity/density of the fluid Surface area of ball bearing Texture of the balls surface I am going to investigate how mass affects the terminal velocity. I think that as the mass of the ball bearing increases so does the weight of the ball bearing, which requires more friction to balance the ball bearings weight thus making the terminal velocity increase. I think that the mass of a ball bearing is directly proportional to the terminal velocity. This is because if the mass of ball bearing doubles so does the weight of the ball bearing, which requires twice as much friction to balance the ball bearings weight, which then doubles the terminal velocity. The scientific knowledge to prove my prediction is that as the mass of the ball bearing increases the weight of the ball bearing is increased that requires more friction to balance the ball bearings weight which increases the terminal velocity. As the ball bearing accelerates the friction acting against the falling ball bearing increases which in turn balances out the forces applied to the ball bearing which reaches the terminal velocity. The apparatus was set up as shown (in the diagram on the next page) Two elastic bands were placed on the tube 60 cm (600 mm) apart measured to the nearest 0.1 cm. The first band placed low enough so that the terminal velocity of the ball bearing was reached before the ball bearing reached the band and the second band placed far enough apart so that there would have been a smaller percentage of error. The elas ...

Free Essays on The Matrix

The movie certainly leaves you thinking. This is how it affected me and made me think†¦aside from the obvious storyline. â€Å"The Matix† was obviously made in order to induce wonder along with the deep-thought process. Since you have probably gotten a bunch of movie reports on 1) the action or 2) the religious symbolism, and I don’t really want to write about those things, I am going to write about my thoughts after watching the movie. A few key things: The Matrix=dreaming=heaven How many times have you had a dream where you have brought back to life somebody that you had known before they died? Was it a grandparent, or a friend? Maybe we are not bringing them back to life at all. Maybe we are just momentarily inside their world. Have you ever had a friend who was mad at you, but in a dream everything was ok between the two of you? Maybe on some level the two of you have connected in a place that knows and understands forgiveness (a.k.a. Heaven). So what about nightmares? Consider that Hell is a nightmare. Ever heard the saying that â€Å"You are your own worst enemy,† or how about the one that goes along the line that â€Å"You will punish yourself more than anyone else possibly could?† Perhaps it is true. Having a nightmare is like creating your own personal Hell. The only way out of it is to forgive yourself, because unless you do forgive yourself- who else could possibly forgive you? Perhaps these aren’t the questions that should be asked, though. I am not one to wonder which world is â€Å"real.† I am one to wonder whether a) both worlds actually exist, or b) if they are real, can you exist in both of them at the same exact time? â€Å"The Matrix† is referred to as a dream-like place. My argument for actually existing in the matrix is the old saying, â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† You never cease to think, because if you did you simply would not exist. Therefore, even when you are dreaming†¦yo... Free Essays on The Matrix Free Essays on The Matrix The movie certainly leaves you thinking. This is how it affected me and made me think†¦aside from the obvious storyline. â€Å"The Matix† was obviously made in order to induce wonder along with the deep-thought process. Since you have probably gotten a bunch of movie reports on 1) the action or 2) the religious symbolism, and I don’t really want to write about those things, I am going to write about my thoughts after watching the movie. A few key things: The Matrix=dreaming=heaven How many times have you had a dream where you have brought back to life somebody that you had known before they died? Was it a grandparent, or a friend? Maybe we are not bringing them back to life at all. Maybe we are just momentarily inside their world. Have you ever had a friend who was mad at you, but in a dream everything was ok between the two of you? Maybe on some level the two of you have connected in a place that knows and understands forgiveness (a.k.a. Heaven). So what about nightmares? Consider that Hell is a nightmare. Ever heard the saying that â€Å"You are your own worst enemy,† or how about the one that goes along the line that â€Å"You will punish yourself more than anyone else possibly could?† Perhaps it is true. Having a nightmare is like creating your own personal Hell. The only way out of it is to forgive yourself, because unless you do forgive yourself- who else could possibly forgive you? Perhaps these aren’t the questions that should be asked, though. I am not one to wonder which world is â€Å"real.† I am one to wonder whether a) both worlds actually exist, or b) if they are real, can you exist in both of them at the same exact time? â€Å"The Matrix† is referred to as a dream-like place. My argument for actually existing in the matrix is the old saying, â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† You never cease to think, because if you did you simply would not exist. Therefore, even when you are dreaming†¦yo...

Management - Strategy Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management - Strategy Process - Essay Example The word strategy was introduced by Sun Tzu in his book The Art of War though at that time he discussed about the military strategy (Tzu, 1971). The main concept behind using of word strategy was to gain advantage over something or someone and in business strategy has been defined as a comprehensive and integrated plan that has been devised to make sure that the main objective of the organization is achieved (Glueck, 1980). Strategy has been used by firms globally to identify what the organization would like to achieve and how it is going to achieve therefore the importance of strategy becomes very vital as proper strategic planning will influence the future of the organization and it will define whether the organization would be able to achieve success or not. Strategic management in the last few years have become a field for the managers which helps them in managing STRATEGY PROCESS Devising strategy for the management has become an important task as it leads to the success or fail ure of the organization. ... Plan 2. Ploy 3. Pattern 4. Position 5. Perspective 1. Strategy as a Plan Plan is defined as the first P of the 5Ps of Strategy as proposed by Mintzberg. Strategy is about planning in order to achieve something or in order to deal with certain situation. Planning involves guidelines that have to be followed to achieve the main objective of the organization. So, this definition of strategy leads to two important characteristics of strategy which are: Planning or strategy has to be made in advance There is an objective or purpose behind formulation of strategies (Henry, Mintzberg, Quinn, & Cliff, 1992) Managers use different tools like SWOT and TWOS to plan their actions according to what they have and what they do not have along with the opportunities that exist in the market that they can exploit. 2. Strategy as Ploy Strategy can be described as a ploy as well with the aim to get the better of competitors. According to Mintzberg (2002) with the ploy of outsmarting the competitors and disrupting or discouraging them, strategy can be considered as a ploy as well. Scenario analysis is one of the tools that have been used by managers to analyze the situation of the company against competitors. 3. Strategy as Pattern Strategy according to Mintzberg (1987) is also defined as a pattern as using the word strategy with plan only is not sufficient. Pattern means consistency in actions and consistency in the way things are managed and done. It has been explained that patterns are realized strategy whereas plans are intended strategies. 4. Strategy as Position Strategy is also defined as position which refers to how the management decides to position the organization in the market. With this definition, the

Auditor Independence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Auditor Independence - Essay Example Each time such news grabs headlines questions are raised about the expected role of auditors to be the whistle blowers on first whiff of material fraud or manipulation and if they had compromised their role by losing their independence. Investigation into reasons for Enron failure in particular revealed that its auditors had colluded with the management in weaving a web of complex financial transactions creatively to help window dress the dwindling fortunes and losses in return for hefty non audit fee. The firm was found guilty and indicted which brought about break up of one of the five largest audit firms of the world namely Arthur Anderson. Now there are only four big audit firms in the world namely, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) Deloitte & Touch, KPMG and Ernst & Young, popularly known as the big four. Recently another big four firm namely Price Waterhouse Coopers' name has been dragged into another scandal of global proportions i.e., "Satyam", the software company based in India. This company had overstated its revenues for a number of years and falsified accounts to show nonexistent bank deposits. Once again the role of Auditors was reviewed and it is primarily concluded that the auditors had accommodated the management in creating the charade. The auditors responsible for signing the reports are behind bars for criminal conduct in rendering services. In Australia too there have been cases of failed entities like HIH Ltd and Harris Scarfe were both placed into administration in the 2001/2002 financial year and subsequent investigation revealed irregularities in the financial statements of both. Around the same time, the Australian companies One-Tel, Impulse Airlines, Ansett and Pasminco also collapsed, seemingly without warning, suggesting a deficiency in the corporate governance practices of these companies (Walker et al, 2008, p. 9). Just like SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) of USA, CLERP 9 (Corporate Law and Economic Reform Program was enacted in response to public outcry over the seemingly expensive presence of auditors without commensurate accountability towards their functions to be discharged in an objective and honest manner. Thus a "conflict of interest" situation must be avoided by auditors. A formal enactment only strengthens and structures the conduct expected of auditors as a matter of best practice while discharging their duties. Explanatory Memorandum to CLERP 9 (4.19) states that the inclusion of an objective standard in the general auditor independence requirement is critical for enforcement purposes because objectivity, being a state of mind, is not, except in unusual circumstances, subject to direct proof. The difficulties associated with identifying a compromise of independence are also inherent in the nature of the audit process. Accordingly, the perception of auditor independence, as demonstrated by external facts and circumstances, under an objective standard takes on great importance. Main impact on audit function as a result of this legislation is summarised below: Partner rotation in all public interest entities with different partners namely engagement partner, the individual responsible for the engagement quality control review and other audit partners on the engagement team who are responsible for key decisions or

Why does the Financial Services industry appeal to you Essay

Why does the Financial Services industry appeal to you - Essay Example This career option will give me the opportunity to enhance my skills, by providing me with challenges every day of the week, where every challenge will be another learning experience. The rewards will reflect my effort that will keep me motivated to do even better, and who in this world does not want to be appreciated for their efforts. The more experienced I become the more reputation I will built up in this industry, where talent is appreciated (Tom Hopkins International, 2010). I will be able to specialize in future according to my interests as the industry provides various opportunities, for example in investment banking, portfolio management, or in the field of insurance. Even though this job provides one with many advantages, one still has to keep the dynamic conditions of the current global market in mind, as this career knows no boundaries, and to us every market is a global market. Though on one hand, as mentioned in The Financial Times, there was a net profitability of 16 p ercent recorded in the UK financial market as a result of the rise in income and volume of some businesses, still there were some cynical views that were noted after the very first time since March 2009. It was the concern of many banks in UK that the new regulations are undermining the growth opportunities, which are expected to lead to a further drop of employment opportunities. This led to a definite raise of concern in the prospective employees’ minds for their job security, especially for those who are aiming for financial services as their career path. On the other hand, CNN Money reported a potential rise of maximum one million and a minimum of 600,000 job opportunities in the United States, if President Obama’s new bill relating to job plans was to pass through congress. This gave a hope to many economists, as well as to many prospective employees, which according to Joel Prakken of Macroeconomics Advisors, was both socially and individually beneficial.

Last two hundred years Essay Example for Free

Last two hundred years Essay The 19th and 20th centuries are very rich about inventions that changed our lives. The automobile is one of those inventions changed peoples lives. Short after its invention automobile became a necessity in daily life more than being luxury or a symbol of nobility. Today the numbers of cars are close to half of earths population. Almost every family in developed countries owns a car. The automobile has had the greatest effects on our lives in last two hundred years because it is a necessity, it has an important effect on the world economy and it affects our lives directly. There are some reasons why automobiles become a necessity in todays life which of those reasons are being the cheapest, fastest and easiest way to travel when compared against other inventions like planes, ships or trains. Before the invention of automobiles humanity used to travel with domestic animals, which cause more expanses than, cars do in todays conditions. A traveler has to pay great amounts of money to travel from one town to another to the animals owner also if someone owns his own animal it will probably costs much more because he has to feed and look after that animal. Even today when compared against planes, ships or trains; the automobile is still the cheapest way to travel. The automobile is also the fastest way to travel when compared to old traveling methods. For example horse back riding from France to Germany will take months while driving the same distance with a car will take a day or less. The last important thing that made automobile a necessity is its being the easiest way of traveling and transportation. Traveling with automobiles gives people freedom of going wherever they want; only thing they have to do is to have wish of going and the money to afford an automobiles expanses. The automobile gives a freedom of traveling which other traveling methods do not offer. Trains are limited with the rails whereas planes are also limited with aerostations but cars can reach everywhere roads reach and even far. Today automobile is a necessity like sleeping or eating. The busses people go their work with, the lorries that people transport their goods, the ambulances that saves peoples lives and lots uncountable more examples there are which shows us how necessary automobiles are. As a result a necessity is something that affects peoples lives deeply. Without cars it will be impossible to the things we do in daily life like traveling, transporting and reaching. Another important point that makes the automobile effect on peoples life is its effect on world economy with the automobile industry and its subsidiary industries like car accessories. Today almost every developed countrys economy is based on the automobile industry while developing countries depend on the automobile industry also. A large rate of world trade is about automobiles. For instance there are big car companies in both Europe and USA that has big factories in which millions of people work. This causes a great income for the world economy and keeps it running. Because economies depend on and based on the automobile, peoples lives are depended on automobile and this is why this invention affects humans lives too much. Peoples are depended on the automobile economically because lots of peoples job involves cars, lorries, trucks or buses and also lot of peoples job is to produce vehicle. For those reasons the automobile affects peoples lives too much as an economic support, it is what people earn their lives from. The last and the most important reason why the automobile affect peoples lives are because it affects their lives with its side effects like; pollution, accidents, transportation and automobile based lifestyles. All kinds of automobiles are based on the same principle, which is the creation of energy by using petrol and its side products. As a result automobiles produce harmful gases and release them through the air people breathe. Automobiles pollute the air and are a danger for all living creatures with the air pollution it causes. In addition to air pollution automobile also causes sound pollution with the sound of horns and motors, which depress people and create negative social effects on them. Because automobile is the fastest way to achieve somewhere, the wrong use of it causes accidents resulting with injuries or even deaths. As a result deaths and injuries cause incorrigible social effects like depression and suicide because it affects people negatively. With the automobile, transportation becomes easier and more common. That created an enormous effect on trade, which also means an enormous effect on peoples lives because it affects economy with this way, which means an affect on the way people, earns their lives. The last direct effect the automobile created on peoples lives is that some lives are based on the automobile passion. For example car and motor racers,  Harley Davidson cycles collectors, Chevrolet fans and lots more. Because of those reasons the automobile is a piece of peoples lives that affects them directly with a lot of reasons. In conclusion the automobile has had the greatest effect on peoples lives because it become a piece of their life with its usage and effects. It is the invention that gave man freedom of traveling wherever he wants, it changed his life and it is a necessity of life for him. In todays world cars save peoples time, power and even lives. The automobiles allow people to reach places quickly, lorries, trucks carry their goods and finally ambulances save lives. All those create enormous effects on peoples lives.