Personal Ethics Statement Essay Example for Free

Personal Ethics Statement Essay The ethics that I am personally living with revolves on how I deal with my life, with other people and with the world per se. Some of them are anchored on my childhood years and learning which definitely reveals my becoming and upbringing. Some have developed and came up during my college years due to the fact that my eyes have become open towards different perspectives. Ethics deals with personal philosophies in life. What I believe in certainly reflects the ethics that I am living with and upholding. For me, if a person is to make one lie to me, he or she needs to add ten more. He or she needs to add more lies in order for his or her lie to be consistent. That reality has something to do on how I trust a person; it has something to do with relationship and friendship because trust is one of the vital components of establishing ties and relationships. â€Å"To refuse an offer is more than an insult. † I usually state and utter these words among my friends whenever they refuse something that I have given them because for me, it is unethical to decline one’s offer especially if it comes from the bottom of the giver’s heart. However, everything still depends on the circumstance because some offers are worth refusing especially if it is beyond your limit or beyond your belief. There are also things to consider when declining one’s offer. â€Å"Love is universal. † And I strongly grasped this philosophy. I do not believe that it is wrong to love a person of the same sex or to discriminate those persons who are involved in homosexuality. I am not gay but I believe in human rights and equality. If it is unethical for the church and for the society, for me it is not. I may evolve as a deviant on that but certainly, I, definitely, am not alone. Some of my personal ethics that are indeed of great help to my life, how I live with it and how I fight and struggle on life’s challenges focus on the following: (1) positive vibrations, which means that I have to get away with negative thoughts; (2) never manipulate a person, instead motivate them; (3) learn to fight; (4) be aware and sensitive of other’s feelings; (5) if a person or thing is not meant for you, it is not really meant for you; (6) forgive; (7) do not hold back and cling on to the past and; (8) if a thing is needed to be done, it should be done.

The Rise Of A Mercantilist Economic System History Essay

The Rise Of A Mercantilist Economic System History Essay The rise of a mercantilist economic system in Europe forged a unified relationship between government and its people by superseding feudalism and developing a merchant class that bridged the gap between the peasant and ruling classes. Britain, France and Spain, in particular, reaped the rewards of mercantilism by forming a powerful array of nation states. Although mercantilism stands in stark contrast with the principles of a free-market economy, it was nonetheless the driving force behind European imperialism from the 15th through the 18th centuries. The emergence of a merchant class developed a link between power and wealth. Mercantilism in Europe helped to centralize power, replacing the feudal arrangement of yesteryear. As critics like Adam Smith would point out, mercantilism was not without its drawbacks. The only two countries that corralled enough wealth to be considered hegemonic, the United States and Britain, did so in the nineteenth century, well after the fall of mercanti lism. Smith opined that economies should be self-regulating, and that mercantilism, through its rigid governmental constraints, prevented economies from truly flourishing. Despite an abundance of critics, the mercantilist economic system undoubtedly had a tremendous impact on Europe and the rest of the globe. Mercantilism was the foundation from which capitalism was born. European mercantilism first emerged in the latter part of the Renaissance in about 1595 and didnt fade away until the late 1800s. Queen Elizabeth I, desperate to quell the powerful Spanish Empire, ordered her Admiralty to reform foreign trade. Her reforms proved highly effective as England would go on to become the most powerful imperial empire in world history. England exploited the mercantilist economic system of importing precious metals and raw materials in exchange for manufactured goods. The French would later mimic Englands economic system. Mercantilist countries used the rule of law to attain a positive balance of trade through their colonies. Stiff tariffs were imposed on imports and colonies were restrained in their ability to manufacture goods. Instead they were forced to purchase products from their mother countries. For example, gold and silver were extracted from the colonies and shipped to European merchants, greatly enriching Europe. The power of the state depended on the amount of gold and silver in its coffers, because this international currency made it possible to build ships and pay for armies. (A Concise History of Economic Thought,Vaggi Groenwerth, 2003). Beginning in the 16th century, control over land, and trade routes became the most important part of collecting wealth for the most powerful countries. The growth of the mercantile system of Europe was largely spurred by the general discontent people had with the Roman Catholic Church. Mercantilism was, to a large extent, spawned by the Reformation. The lifestyle regulations imposed on Catholics allowed for very little self-actualization; a source of great embitterment for the masses who were fed up with the feudal system. Mercantilism brought upon the rise of the merchant class, a transfer of wealth that brought with it a sense of hope for much of Europe. The spread of alternatives to hard-line Catholicism like the Anglican Church coincided with the growth of mercantilism. In the 1600s England began to notice the Spanish becoming a rising power, due in large part to their influence in colonial America. England knew that whoever maintained the strongest blend of colonial influence and military strength would control the all- important trade routes and foreign territories. England, in an effort to squelch rising countries, began to strengthen their control over colonies, demanding that all trade go through them. The growing sense of competition between world-powers fueled the spread of mercantilism. The major players in this face-off were England, France, Holland and Spain. England reigned supreme as the victorious imperial power thanks to dominant military wins over Portugal and Spain in the sixteenth century, then Holland in the seventeenth and France in the eighteenth century. One of the major objectives of mercantilist countries was to create a bond between the powerful aristocracies and the rising merchant classes. The purpose of this alliance was to damage the economies of competing nations. Mercantilist theory suggested that government should enact a wealth-collecting agenda by protecting against foreign imports. Prior to the rise of mercantilism, the military was only formed during specific times of conflict. During the era of mercantilism, however, armies and navies became full-time enterprises as conflict had become a way of life. Gold and silver were the means by which goods and services could be obtained, and funding a strong military was an essential part of the equation. The merchants were willing to finance their governments in exchange for protection against foreign competition. Large central government and mercantilism go hand-in hand: the merchants needed the government and vice-versa. Mercantilist theorists believe that the net total of global wealth was already established, and that countries vied for a greater stake in the pie by exchanging manufactured goods for precious metals. The concept of, buy low, sell high was paramount towards collecting national wealth. The acquisition of non-coined gold and silver, or bullion, was considered the benchmark for economic growth. The growing wealth of European countries, namely England, France and Spain, had a trickle-down effect on their economies. Merchants would become wealthier through mercantilism, and, to a lesser extent, the lives of the labor forces improved thanks to better job security. The transfer of bullion funneled from the colonies of the Americas proved to be a major boon for European mercantilism. Mercantilist writers believed all trade to be a zero sum game, for every transaction there is a winner and a loser, mercantilists sought to handicap the game in order to promote economic success nation-wide. Mercantilism was a Machiavellian, Puritanically dark world view that promoted a general feeling of intense nationalism and ill-will toward competing countries and the colonies they governed. Governments would go as far as to damage entire monetary systems and limit civilian wages in order to reduce imports, and hurt other countries economies. When mercantilist countries did import goods, it was preferred that they deal in raw materials that could be processed and sent abroad in order to acquire more capital. Importing low cost, raw materials to be completed and converted into higher cost, manufactured goods and bartered for precious metals was a lucrative proces s for merchants. Extractive industries, like agriculture, gave way to manufacturing or processing material businesses. Precious metals had the strongest purchasing power for commanding goods and services. During the sixteenth century, the flows of precious metals from the American Colonies of Spain produced high inflation in Europe, but for the mercantilists gold and silver were the substance and the definition of both private and national wealth.(Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) As competition in the New World intensified, England began to tighten the screws on her colonies. Mercantilists were acutely aware of the linkage between politics and economics; they believed that power and wealth were closely related, and that both were legitimate goals of national policy. (Theodore Cohn, Global Political Economy, 2005) Although many countries became rich because of the wealth transferred from the New World, not every country capitalized as much as it could h ave. Between 1647 and 1715, the French attempted to mimic the British, but thanks to extreme inefficiency, they fell short. Jean Babtiste Colbert was one of the most well- known proponents of mercantilism. Colbert served as finance minister of France, under King Louis XIV in the seventeenth century. The French used the British mercantilist economic system of as a model for their political economy. Colbert inherited a perilous French economy on the brink of bankruptcy and enabled King Louis to embark on a series of aggressive military campaigns. The term colbertisme was coined by Colbert to describe the method of protecting infant industries. During his 18 years as minister of finance, Colbert issued a total of 150 edicts designed to regulate the guild industry. Colberts successful use of mercantilism was essential in financing the reign of Louis XIV. The Sun Kings reign featured a powerful military force, but the French economy, particularly its agriculture, was over-taxed and stagnant. Thomas Mun was one of the leading mercantilist authors during this time. His most influential works were a pair of pamphlets A Discourse of Trade and, later, Englands Treasure by Foreign Trade. Mun was the director of the East India Company, a monopolistic British charter founded in 1600 that supplied a wide array of goods, ranging from cotton to opium. According to Mun, monetary movements and the exchange rate depend on the condition of the trade balance: the inflows of precious metals reflect the existence of a positive balance of trade and vice versa. (Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) Government-imposed monopolies were inherently corrupted; the use of black market dealings were an inevitable byproduct of price ceilings and quotas. As noted above, colonial powers competed vehemently for control over the North American territories they ruled over. Englands greed would cause tensions to boil over, eventually spurring the American Revolution. The initial Navigation Act of 1651, a bill enacted by the Oliver Cromwell-led Parliament, was designed to gain control over foreign exchanges between the English colonies and other countries. Under the bill, all trade flowing in and out of England or her colonies had to be shipped using British ships. The Dutch, who had been thriving thanks to their free-trade market, were crushed and sent to economic ruin thanks to Cromwells protectionist policies. Not only did the Navigations Acts seize control of transnational commerce, it also disabled competing countries from profiting from freight and shipping services. The mercantilists discovered that it was the whole current account balance that mattered, not just the exchange of commodities. (Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) British colonial mercantilism was oppressive by nature; American colonies were banned from the global economy and were treated as little more than pawns. The prosperity of mercantilist economies was contingent on the aid of a strong centralized government that regulated foreign and domestic trade. Mercantilist economies became immensely wealthy by coercing a positive trade surplus. It was thought that a country could be strengthened by regulating commercialism by discouraging imports, and maintaining a positive flow of exports. Governments began placing tariffs, quotas and even prohibitions on imports in order to protect domestic business. New businesses would be encouraged with generous tax breaks. As for the trade part of the balance of payments, the government must favour the sale of raw materials abroad because they will be purchased with precious metals, hence adding to the stock of national wealth (Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) Improved tools and technologically advanced products were not allowed to be exported to foreign markets in order to maintain superiority over competing states. The same was true of talented workers, who were prohibited from emigrating to other countries, just as foreign diplomats hypocritically recruited other businessmen to come to their home countries. One of the sharpest critics of European mercantilism was economist Charles Davenant, who believed England would become more prosperous if government discontinued their policy of intervening in foreign trade. In 1690, Davenant published An Essay on the East-India Trade, which outlined his belied that a liberal foreign trade policy would increase Englands exports thanks to a larger market. According to Davenant, this increase in the stock of money leads to lower interest rates and to higher prices of land. The increase in the value of landed estates brings about a rise of rent and of tax revenue. As a result of a freer trade every section of the population is better off, but the starting point of the whole story is still the successful export trade of England. (Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) Davenants theories, revolutionary for the time, caused vast condemnation in Europe, who believed the risks of an expanded market outweighed the rewards. Ultimately, no alternate system capable of challenging the nationalistic balance of trade theories of mercantilism emerged, and mercantilism continued. Mercantilism began to fade in the 18th century, ending not with a bang, but with a whimper. Adam Smith, a Scottish Oxford graduate, was a revolutionary economist in the mid to late 1700s who was responsible for coining the term mercantilism. One of Smiths major points of contention with mercantilism, as was outlined in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, was his distaste for heavy-handed governmental control of the economy. Smith, who despised mercantilism invented the metaphor, invisible hand which stood for a natural, self-regulation that functioned because of the essential tenets of a free-market economy: self-interest, competition, economic characteristics he believed were possible without governmental intervention. In 1776, Smith wrote in Wealth of Nations: It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages. His writings were the basis of laissez-faire capitalism, in which industry is free from the shackles of government. Smith believed in the natural order of the economy, whereby, rather than have the government fix prices and regulate trade, the economy should be a self-sufficient machine that dictates the price of commodities. When the price of any commodity is neither more nor less than what is sufficient to pay the rent of the land, the wages of the labour, and the profits of the stock employed in raising, preparing, and bringing it to market, according to their natural rate, the commodity is then sold for what may be called its natural price. (Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, 1776) The brilliance of Smith was not in his ability to produce revolutionary economic theories of his own; his greatness was embodied in his ability to assemble existing concepts into a system. The fundamental problem with mercantilism is its refusal to account for the value of all economic activity. Maintaining a positive balance of trade is not the only indicator of economic health. To the contrary, as has been proven in the United States meteoric growth despite a negative balance of trade since the 1970s, a positive balance of trade means very little, and often leads to inflation. Mercantilism, though largely debased today, played an essential role in the rise of the middle class. Without the spread of mercantilism in Europe, its impossible to project how the world might look today. Its possible that, without mercantilism, we would still be living in a feudal, caste-like system comprised of only governmental elitists and a the peasant class, with very little in between. Mercantilism gave rise to the middle class, the largest group in the West. Open Side Bet Tracking Kevin Fox- NFL: Week 13 Game ($20, W),Vikings+3.5 over Sains W $15 Colts-7 over Ravens ($10, W) Paid? NBA: Blazers+4.5 over Magic ($10, W) Paid? MISC: James+Stephen 3-Point Shootout, over Elliot+Kevin ($5, W) Paid? Total: (+ $60) Paid? Joey Leoni- NFL: Men of Menlo Fantasy Football Money ($100, W) Paid? Total: (+100) Paid? Dominic Diricco NFL: Men of Menlo Fantasy Football Money ($50, W) Paid? Total: (+$50) Paid? Kevin Meehan- NFL: The Sunday Special Fantasy Football Money ($100, L) Total: (-100) Paid? Isaac Baron- MISC: (In Progress) Most Makes of 53s, Isaac must Win at least 8/10, I=3Wins, J=1 Win ($100, T) Total: ($100 Pending) Paid? SID: 112 15 810

How Miller creates Dramatic Tension in Act One of The Crucible Essay

Twentieth Century Drama How does Miller create dramatic tension in Act One of "The Crucible"? "The Crucible", by Arthur Miller, focuses on Theocracy and the effect it can have on a community, as well as on an individual. From Act One, Miller creates dramatic tension in many different ways. These include dramatic irony, and sudden twists in the plot, as well as the range of emotions that Miller's characters express both frequently and eloquently. As the curtain rises, the audience are curious as to why a man who is so clearly distressed is sat over the girl, Betty, who lies motionless and 'inert' on a bed. The audience grows more curious as he calls for God to help him, and the audience are intrigued, wondering what is happening. In a direct contrast to this, the ending of the scene is loud and frantic, leaving nothing to the imagination, with all the girls screeching and accusing. The intense power that the girls? poses is intoxifying, and is illustrated when a character orders: ?Let the marshal bring irons? This shows the control these children have, if they can alter the minds of these men, persuading them to lock up innocents. This also shows the control they have over the whole community. The visual impact of the opening scene is that of a ?clean spareness?, the room only contains the bare minimum needed. This also relates to the Puritan way of life, ?vanities? were frowned upon and rooms were furnished with only what was necessary. The fact that rev. Parris is ?evidently in prayer? has religious references which, as the play goes on, are confirmed. The quote: ?There is a narrow window, through its panes the morning sunlight streams? also indicates that the room is basic ? it would seem that even lig... ...sympathy to those doomed to this fate, after doing nothing wrong, who are merely counters in Abigail?s sinister game to gain attention. When Hail orders for: ?the marshal [to] bring irons? it shows a high form of drama, as the curtain drops leaving the audience to imagine the next scene, innocent women being drawn form their families. In conclusion, I enjoyed this play, and my reaction was enhanced by the dramatic tension Miller creates in so many ways. The unexpected twists and use of dramatic irony help to keep the audience?s attention, while the sub-plot of rivalry adds interest and also reflects the main plot. The abrupt ending of act one, reflects the abrupt ending of the play as a whole, leaving the remainder to the imagination. Ending like these force viewers to envision what would follow, and, once again this all adds to the dramatic tension.

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Scandal in Bohemia Essay examples --

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Scandal in Bohemia The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was written by Sir Arthur ConanDoyle. The novel was first published in 1892. A Scandal in Bohemia was a short story about a woman who has pictures of herself and a high Englishnobleman. She used them to blackmail him. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a novelist, a detective-story writer, and aphysician. He was born on May 22, 1859 and died on July 7, 1930. He beganwriting The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1890 and finished writing it in1892. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was so successful in his writing that he gave uphis career as a physician only five years after the creation of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were created by Sir Arthur Conan Doylein a bar in England when Doyle was having legal problems. The story took place in March of 1888. Sherlock Holmes resided at 221BBaker Street in London, England. Inside his room were all the materials heneeded to use to solve his cases: One night, it was on the twentieth of March 1888, I was retur ning from a journey to a patient, when my way led me through Baker Street. His rooms were brilliantly lit, and, even as I looked up I saw his tall, spare figure pass twice in a dark silhouette against the blind. The second half of the story took place at Briony Lodge. This is where IreneAdler resided. Her house had a small garden and was two stories high. The story began when Doctor Watson visited Sherlock Holmes. Holmestold Watson that he needed his help on a case. The case involved pictures ofthe King of Bohemia and a woman named Irene Alder. The King of Bohemiawas going to marry a woman he loved, but Irene Alder blackmailed him withthe pictures. Irene Alder was in love with the King and did not want him tomarry another woman. Sherlock Holmes came up with a plan to get the pictures back from IreneAlder. Holmes had a group of his friends cause a commotion with Irene in frontof her house. Then, Holmes dashed into the crowd to pretend that he wasprotecting the woman and was punched b y one of the men. He had concealed asmall amount of red paint in his hand. When the fight was broken up, Holmeswas on the ground with the paint on his face. He pretended that he wasseriously injured and was brought into Irene's house. While Holmes was being cared for by Irene and a small crowd of people,Doctor Watson sent a smoke rocket into h... ... human is perfect.Many people believed that Sherlock Holmes was the perfect detective and thathe would never lose a case. This short story proved these people wrong.Sherlock Holmes was able to find out where the pictures were and was able toexecute his plan. However, Irene Alder outsmarted Holmes by leaving thehouse before being caught. Fortunately for both the King of Bohemia andSherlock Holmes, she found a man that she loved and did not blackmail theKing anymore. If she did not love this man, it is probable that she would still beblackmailing the King and tSherlock Holmes would have to begin the caseagain. A Scandal in Bohemia is a short story that received more attention thanany other one written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It received this attentionbecause Sherlock Holmes, for the first time, is outwitted. Sir Arthur ConanDoyle uses deductive reasoning, which is when reasoning is used to form themost likely conclusion. He also used irony, which is a contrast between the waythi ngs seem to be and the way they turn out. Irene Alder thought that SherlockHolmes was injured and had blood running down his face, but he really was justpretending to be hurt and red paint was on his face.

The Entrepreneur :: small business self employed

In the United States, approximately one in eight adults are self-employed. In their minds exists a one common dream. This is the entrepreneurial dream of self-employment. It is the freedom to start, grow, and cash in a new business. Most of the extravagant millionaires of today build up their wealth in this way. An entrepreneur is someone who has the ability to build and develop his own business. In today's fast paced world of business, many people chose to work for themselves. A career as an entrepreneur is a risky, yet personally rewarding endeavor. Entrepreneurs start from ground zero with probably only a dollar in their pocket. "Entrepreneurship is the ability to create and build something from practically nothing" (Timmons 1). Entrepreneurs should be admired more than anything for their hard work and determination. "It is initiating, doing, achieving, and building an enterprise or organization, rather than just watching, analyzing or describing one. It is the knack for sensing an opportunity where others see chaos, contradiction and confusion. It is the ability to build a "founding team" to complement your own skills and talents. It is the know-how to find, marshal and control resources (often owned by others) and to make sure you don't run out of money when you need it most. " (Timmons 1). To be an entrepreneur, it takes the willingness to prosper with calculated risks; both personal and financial-and then do everything possible to get the odds in your favor. Driven by an intense commitment and determined perseverance, entrepreneurs work very hard at what they do. They excel and want to win. Entrepreneurs are amazing people with a high respect of character. They use their mistakes as something to learn from rather than a failure. No matter the outcome, they believe in themselves and have an extreme confidence not only in themselves, but also in what they do. "Entrepreneurs who start and build new businesses are more celebrated than studied. They embody, in the popular imagination and in the eyes of some scholars, the virtues of "boldness, ingenuity, leadership, persistence and determination." Policymakers see them as a crucial source of employment and productivity growth. Yet our systematic knowledge of how entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses is limited. The activity does not occupy a prominent place in the study of business and economics.

Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden

The geishas of Japan have long held a mystery that has inspired a lot of stories about who they were and how they lived their lives. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden captures this fascinating and mysterious world in a story that contrasts the rich tradition of the geishas and the changes brought about by the World War II in Kyoto. This is the story of Chiyo, with her sister Saysu who are both sold to a stranger by their own father because they have to earn a living due to extreme poverty of their family.At the young age of nine, Chiyo has a beauty that makes her right to be a part of the geisha homes. However, her sister. Saysu, is not fortunate enough, as she does not possess beauty like her sister. Saysu is then forced into prostitution and the sisters are separated by these circumstances. Chiyo however metamorphoses into a beauty and is later known as Sayuri. Because she is the fairest among all the geisha’s in their home, she   eventually earns the wrath of the other geishas who came before her including the equally lovely Hatsumomo. Sayuri is almost destroyed by her rival Hatsumomo who envies her incessantly. If it were not for the intervention of the celebrated geisha Mameha, who coaches Sayuri about the chores and duties of a geisha, it would have been Sayuri’s end. Yet destiny prevails and Sayuri turns out to be a good pupil who learns to love what she has been taught.Author Arthur Golden succeeds in portraying the inner life of a geisha as he weaves the story in an enticing and engrossing way such that viewers find that their intricate kimonos are really not that easy to get into. Equally intricate is the way the story develops with the life of Sayuri as its focus. Golden recreates the scenes with such subtlety, sensuality and mastery of what the geisha world is all about. These glory days of Kyoto's Gion pleasure district is recaptured well in the story.The beauty and historical value of pre-war Japan is also seen here and which ad ds drama and color to the already colorful life of geishas. The book reminds me of the developmental theories which we learned in class. For instance, Bandura’s cognitive emphasis comes to mind as I view the scenes where Sayuri learns the art of being a gracious hostess. She is able to do it because she observed Hatsumomo many times over flipping the fans, turning and bowing to the clients with such excellent perfection. She is able to execute the movements excellently because of the observational learning which comes from observing the behavior of other people. Observational learning cannot occur unless cognitive processes are at work.In the story, the character Chiyo, who later transforms into Sayuri, was a keen observer all along. From the way the people nodded, she knew that there were some people who were plotting evil against her. She observed everything, even her benefactor, who transforms her life and whose actions does not escape the glances that were meant not only to look at the surface level, but to really look and find the nuances which she may uses.This art of observing has been perfected well by Sayuri and this is what removes her from the bind of the tradition and ennui. Observational learning is stressed in this cognitive social learning because this active, cognitive form of learning also permits individuals to be able to quickly assimilate thousands of new responses in a variety of settings. This is where their models are simply pursuing their own interests and are not trying to teach them anything. In the story, Sayuri continually learns both desirable and undesirable responses by keeping her eyes open. Moreover, in the story, we find that human development proceeds so very rapidly along so many different paths.I am also able to correlate the learning insights that there is a broad world view of how one should situate the context of the story. Another broad world view, the contextual model has recently emerged as the perspective that many developmentalists favor (Lerner, 1996). The contextual model views development as the product of a dynamic interplay between person and environment.People are assumed to be active in the developmental process (as in the organismic model) and the environment is active as well (as in the mechanistic model). Development may have both universal aspects and aspects peculiar to certain cultures, times or individuals. The potential exists for both qualitative and quantitative change, and development may proceed along many different paths depending on the intricate interplay between internal forces (nature) and external forces (environment).Since the story dates back to the height of the geishas and the rich culture of Japan, I am reminded again of the cross-cultural comparisons which one can apply as one reads the story. For instance, the story has given me a broad understanding of several Japanese students in the school. Some of them have been acquaintances and I now understand the particular culture that they come from. This provided me with some new ideas on the factors that may impact on the developmental process. It has given me new insights on the link between culture and development.Developmentalists are often hesitant  Ã‚   to publish a new findings or conclusions until they have finally observed and studied quite a number of people so that they can conclude that their results are reliable. However, their conclusions are more often based on participants living at one point in time within one particular culture or subculture. It would then be difficult to know if these conclusions apply to future generations or even to the young people currently growing up in other societies or subcultures (Lerner, 1996).Today, the generalizability of findings across samples and settings has become an important issue, for many theorists have implied that there are â€Å"universals† in human development—events and outcomes that all children share as they p rogress from infancy to adulthood. Thus, the cross-cultural guards against the overgeneralization of research findings.In sum, one must become a knowledgeable reader in order to get the most of what the field of human development has to offer, so that one’s views of the world from books, stories and one’s experiences become integrated in a coherent whole that explains why and how one acts and behaves the way he does. The story could have ended with the characters dismissing it as one of those geisha stories, but author Arthur Golden ends with bravura because the story recaptures the glorious days of the geisha and the values that provide the redeeming factor in an engrossing story of traditional Japan.It is interesting to note that Sayuri is able to blend well to the new environment where she is thrusted into because of her innate flexibility and strength of character from where she gets the power to rejuvenate. She is able to observe that she must obey and observe wha t her associates do, so that she can relate them in her own world as a geisha. She does not resent anything because she is made to do this work, but she negotiates her way around and emerges triumphant in the end where she â€Å"feels as a bird must feel when it has flown across the ocean and comes upon a creature that knows its nest.† (Starr).REFERENCESLerner, R.M. (1996). Relative plasticity, integration, temporality and diversity in humandevelopment: A developmental, contextual perspective about theory, process andmethod. Developmental Psychology. 32. pp. 781-786.Starr. K. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Nabou.com. Retrieved Aug. 4, 2007 at:http://bookreviews.nabou.com/reviews/memoirs_of_a_geisha2.html

Animal Farm. Snowball

Snowball Orwell’s stint in a Trotskyist battalion in the Spanish Civil War—during which he first began plans for a critique of totalitarian communism—influenced his relatively positive portrayal of Snowball. As a parallel for Leon Trotsky, Snowball emerges as a fervent ideologue who throws himself heart and soul into the attempt to spread Animalism worldwide and to improve Animal Farm’s infrastructure. His idealism, however, leads to his downfall. Relying only on the force of his own logic and rhetorical skill to gain his influence, he proves no match for Napoleon’s show of brute force.Although Orwell depicts Snowball in a relatively appealing light, he refrains from idealizing his character, making sure to endow him with certain moral flaws. For example, Snowball basically accepts the superiority of the pigs over the rest of the animals. Moreover, his fervent, single-minded enthusiasm for grand projects such as the windmill might have erupted into full-blown megalomaniac despotism had he not been chased from Animal Farm. Indeed, Orwell suggests that we cannot eliminate government corruption by electing principled individuals to roles of power; he reminds us throughout the novella that it is power itself that corrupts.Boxer The most sympathetically drawn character in the novel, Boxer epitomizes all of the best qualities of the exploited working classes: dedication, loyalty, and a huge capacity for labor. He also, however, suffers from what Orwell saw as the working class’s major weaknesses: a naive trust in the good intentions of the intelligentsia and an inability to recognize even the most blatant forms of political corruption. Exploited by the pigs as much or more than he had been by Mr. Jones, Boxer represents all of the invisible labor that undergirds the political drama being carried out by the elites.Boxer’s pitiful death at a glue factory dramatically illustrates the extent of the pigs’ betrayal. I t may also, however, speak to the specific significance of Boxer himself: before being carted off, he serves as the force that holds Animal Farm together. Napoleon From the very beginning of the novella, Napoleon emerges as an utterly corrupt opportunist. Though always present at the early meetings of the new state, Napoleon never makes a single contribution to the revolution—not to he formulation of its ideology, not to the bloody struggle that it necessitates, not to the new society’s initial attempts to establish itself. He never shows interest in the strength of Animal Farm itself, only in the strength of his power over it. Thus, the only project he undertakes with enthusiasm is the training of a litter of puppies. He doesn’t educate them for their own good or for the good of all, however, but rather for his own good: they become his own private army or secret police, a violent means by which he imposes his will on others.Although he is most directly modeled on the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Napoleon represents, in a more general sense, the political tyrants that have emerged throughout human history and with particular frequency during-the twentieth century. His namesake is not any communist leader but the early-eighteenth-century French general Napoleon, who betrayed the democratic principles on which he rode to power, arguably becoming as great a despot as the aristocrats whom he supplanted.It is a testament to Orwell’s acute political intelligence and to the universality of his fable that Napoleon can easily stand for any of the great dictators and political schemers in world history, even those who arose after Animal Farm was written. In the behavior of Napoleon and his henchmen, one can detect the lying and bullying tactics of totalitarian leaders such as Josip Tito, Mao Tse-tung, Pol Pot, Augusto Pinochet, and Slobodan Milosevic treated in sharply critical terms.