The Girl and the Man, from Hills Like White Elephants. essays

The Girl and the Man, from Hills Like White Elephants. essays In Hills Like White Elephants the author begins with a description of the place where the story develops; a rural town in Spain, where the two main characters, a man and a girl, are seated at a restaurant drinking beer as they wait for a train. While seated in the table the girl notices distant hills on the other side of the town, and instantly says that they look like White Elephants. The mans unimpressed response along with the girls reaction triggered a tension between the parties that eventually would lead to one very delicate topic. The tension between them kept rising while they were drinking, which lead to the ordering of a few more beers, and eventually on the third drink, the man raises the subject of an operation hes encouraging the girl to have. As the conversation developed it became apparent that they were talking about an abortion. Offering his unconditional support and friendship to the girl, the man encouraged the girl to go ahead and do the operation as planned. She would ensure him that theyd go on as before accorded. The girl is rather inexperienced and new to the operation, which can also be applied to her maturity and boldness. Certainly the girl is unsure about having the operation; shes young, inexperience and naive about the abortion. She does not seem to know much about the consequences and risks of it, but still remains fairly aware of them. Though shes not completely sold on it the man keeps manipulating and convincing her about having it, saying that hes know lots of people who have done it and if she does not want to do it, she does not have to. In addition, she does not know if things will be the way they were before, and whether the man will still love her. All these show a lack of character and security from the girls side, since the only things she cares about are their romantic relationship, the m ...

G.K. Chestertons A Piece of Chalk

G.K. Chesterton's 'A Piece of Chalk' One of the most prolific British authors of the early 20th century, G.K. Chesterton is best known today for his novel The Man Who Was Thursday (1908) and his 51 short stories featuring the amateur detective Father Brown. In addition, he was a master of the essay     called the only literary form that confesses, in its very name, that the rash act known as writing is really a leap in the dark. The word essay comes from the French word essayer, meaning to try or attempt. In the preface to his essay collection Tremendous Trifles (1909), Chesterton encourages us to be ocular athletes: Let us exercise the eye until it learns to see the startling facts that run across the landscape as plain as a painted fence. In this fleeting sketch from that collection, Chesterton relies on two common items brown paper and a piece of chalk as starting points for some thought-provoking meditations. A Piece of Chalk I remember one splendid morning, all blue and silver, in the summer holidays when I reluctantly tore myself away from the task of doing nothing in particular, and put on a hat of some sort and picked up a walking-stick, and put six very bright-colored chalks in my pocket. I then went into the kitchen (which, along with the rest of the house, belonged to a very square and sensible old woman in a Sussex village), and asked the owner and occupant of the kitchen if she had any brown paper. She had a great deal; in fact, she had too much; and she mistook the purpose and the rationale of the existence of brown paper. She seemed to have an idea that if a person wanted brown paper he must be wanting to tie up parcels; which was the last thing I wanted to do; indeed, it is a thing which I have found to be beyond my mental capacity. Hence she dwelt very much on the varying qualities of toughness and endurance in the material. I explained to her that I only wanted to draw pictures on it, and th at I did not want them to endure in the least; and that from my point of view, therefore, it was a question, not of tough consistency, but of responsive surface, a thing comparatively irrelevant in a parcel. When she understood that I wanted to draw she offered to overwhelm me with note-paper. I then tried to explain the rather delicate logical shade, that I not only liked brown paper, but liked the quality of brownness in paper, just as I like the quality of brownness in October woods, or in beer. Brown paper represents the primal twilight of the first toil of creation, and with a bright-colored chalk or two you can pick out points of fire in it, sparks of gold, and blood-red, and sea-green, like the first fierce stars that sprang out of divine darkness. All this I said (in an off-hand way) to the old woman, and I put the brown paper in my pocket along with the chalks, and possibly other things. I suppose every one must have reflected how primeval and how poetical are the things that one carries in ones pocket; the pocket-knife, for instance, the type of all human tools, the infant of the sword. Once I planned to write a book of poems entirely about things in my pockets. But I found it would be too long, and the age of the great epics is past. With my stick and my knife, my chalks and my brown paper, I went out on to the great downs... I crossed one swell of living turf after another, looking for a place to sit down and draw. Do not, for heavens sake, imagine I was going to sketch from Nature. I was going to draw devils and seraphim, and blind old gods that men worshipped before the dawn of right, and saints in robes of angry crimson, and seas of strange green, and all the sacred or monstrous symbols that look so well in bright colors on brown paper. They are much better worth drawing than Nature; also they are much easier to draw. When a cow came slouching by in the field next to me, a mere artist might have drawn it; but I always get wrong in the hind legs of quadrupeds. So I drew the soul of a cow; which I saw there plainly walking before me in the sunlight; and the soul was all purple and silver, and had seven horns and the mystery that belongs to all beasts. But though I could not with a crayon get the best out of the landscape, it does not follow that the landscape was not getting the best out of me. And this , I think, is the mistake that people make about the old poets who lived before Wordsworth, and were supposed not to care very much about Nature because they did not describe it much. They preferred writing about great men to writing about great hills, but they sat on the great hills to write it. The gave out much less about Nature, but they drank in, perhaps, much more. They painted the white robes of their holy virgins with the blinding snow, at which they had stared all day. ...The greenness of a thousand green leaves clustered into the live green figure of Robin Hood. The blueness of a score of forgotten skies became the blue robes of the Virgin. The inspiration went in like sunbeams and came out like Apollo. But as I sat scrawling these silly figures on the brown paper, it began to dawn on me, to my great disgust, that I had left one chalk, and that a most exquisite and essential chalk, behind. I searched all my pockets, but I could not find any white chalk. Now, those who are acquainted with all the philosophy (nay, religion) which is typified in the art of drawing on brown paper, know that white is positive and essential. I cannot avoid remarking here upon a moral significance. One of the wise and awful truths which this brown-paper art reveals, is this, that white is a color. It is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. When, so to speak, your pencil grows red-hot, it draws roses; when it grows white-hot, it draws stars. And one of the two or three defiant verities of the best religious morality, of real Christianity, for example, is exactly this same thing; the chief assertion of religious morality is that white is a color. Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing, like pain or a particular smell. Mercy does not mean not being cruel, or sparing people revenge or punishment; it means a plain and positive thing like the sun, which one has either seen or not seen. Chastity does not mean abstention from sexual wrong; it means something flaming, like Joan of Arc. In a word, God paints in many colors; but he never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white. In a sense our age has realized this fact, and expressed it in our sullen costume. For if it were really true that white was a blank and colorless thing, negative and non-committal, then white would be used instead of black and grey for the funereal dress of this pessimistic period. Which is not the case. Meanwhile, I could not find my chalk. I sat on the hill in a sort of despair. There was no town near at which it was even remotely probable there would be such a thing as an artists colorman. And yet, without any white, my absurd little pictures would be as pointless as the world would be if there were no good people in it. I stared stupidly round, racking my brain for expedients. Then I suddenly stood up and roared with laughter, again and again, so that the cows stared at me and called a committee. Imagine a man in the Sahara regretting that he had no sand for his hour-glass. Imagine a gentleman in mid-ocean wishing that he had brought some salt water with him for his chemical experiments. I was sitting on an immense warehouse of white chalk. The landscape was made entirely of white chalk. White chalk was piled more miles until it met the sky. I stooped and broke a piece of the rock I sat on: it did not mark so well as the shop chalks do, but it gave the effect. And I stood there in a trance of pleasure, realizing that this Southern England is not only a grand peninsula, and a tradition and a civilization; it is something even more admirable. It is a piece of chalk.

Tesla Motors Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tesla Motors - Assignment Example The firm also markets electric power train components that include lithium ion battery packs to the firms making autos such as Toyota and Daimler. The chief executive officer focuses on making the tesla firm to be an independent automaker that aims at eventual offers thus making the cars affordable to the average consumer. This facilitates the selling of the products to a greater percentage of people due to the high demand from its affordability. The tesla motors core business is designing, manufacturing, and selling of electric automobiles. This is facilitated by the concept of embracing the modern technology that also promotes innovative ideas and activities. Yes, the company is diversified in developing complementary activities such as provision of charging points for the electric motors. They also deal will the designing and manufacturing of batteries that are for replacement when the initial ones are wasted. The scope of the activities from the tesla motors is felt both locally and internationally (Cheney, Margaret, Robert, & Jim, 76). It focuses on the concept of limiting pollution of the environment and air by lack of pollution from the engines of motors that use either petrol or diesel. The idea is ideal for hindering the effects that cause global warming. Prevention of global warming is appropriate for boosting agricultural production that is the main backbone of gross domestic product. The main characteristics of the industry are ideas from the perspective of electricity. They include the activities such as structuring engines that are computerized, the use of chargeable batteries, and promoting emission free automobiles. These characteristics are due to the appropriate embrace of the modern technological activities in the production sector. The tesla motors incorporation is an organization that has not yet fully establish in the competitive market. This is due to the

Text analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Text analysis - Essay Example ing at his background, and experience on matters dealing with fashion, we can therefore denote that Malcolm Barnard is highly qualified to write a book on fashion. Fashion Theory, a reader is a very popular book by Malcolm Barnard. This book traces the beginning of fashion in the 15th century. From this book, we can denote that Barnard took an interest in the study of fashion, carefully analyzing the trends of the fashion industry for over the last 30 years. This book contains a collection of surveys, and essays and contextualizes the manner in which a range, and a number of disciplines have developed theories for purposes of explaining the complexity, astonishing variety, and the beauty of fashion (Barnard, 2007). Themes that Malcolm Barnard covers in this book include gender and social identity, communication, consumption, erotic, and individualism. Barnard Manages to collect information from a variety of important writers and experts on fashion, identifying the ideas that they stand for, and theories that these writers advocate for (Barnard, 2007). For example, Barnard brings forth the ideas of Edward Sapir, who wrote on Fashion in 1931. This is found in chapter three of the book, which is titled Fashion and History. This chapter traces the emergence of fashion from the periods of 1760, to 1937, through a fashion circle referred to as the recurring cycle (Barnard, 2007). From this article, we can denote the fashion industry is not a recent issue, and it has evolved over a period of time. From this chapter, we can also denote that fashion occurs in a recycled manner, that is the fashion trends that occurred in the 15th century, can be reflected in the 20th century (Barnard, 2007). This observation by Barnard is right, and it is still depicted in the modern times. Take for example the Afro Hair style which was popular in the 1970s, to 1980s. During the 1990s, this hairstyle no longer became popular; however, in the periods of 2000s, people are starting to

Monopoly - economics Essay Example for Free

Monopoly economics Essay Monopoly means a market where there is only one seller of a particular good or service. In economics, a monopoly (from the Latin word monopolium – Greek language monos, one + polein, to sell) is defined as a persistent market situation where there is only one provider of a product or service. Monopolies are characterized by a lack of economic competition for the good or service that they provide and a lack of viable substitute goods. Monopoly should be distinguished from monopsony, in which there is only one buyer of the product or service; it should also, strictly, be distinguished from the (similar) phenomenon of a cartel. In a monopoly a single firm is the sole provider of a product or service; in a cartel a centralized institution is set up to partially coordinate the actions of several independent providers (which is a form of oligopoly). Characteristics Only one single seller in the market. There is no competition. There are many buyers in the market. The firm enjoys abnormal profits. The seller controls the prices in that particular product or service and is the price maker. Consumers don’t have perfect information. There are barriers to entry. These barriers many be natural or artificial. The product does not have close substitutes. Advantages of monopoly Monopoly avoids duplication and hence wastage of resources. A monopoly enjoys economics of scale as it is the only supplier of product or service in the market. The benefits can be passed on to the consumers. Due to the fact that monopolies make lot of profits, it can be used for research and development and to maintain their status as a monopoly. Monopolies may use price discrimination which benefits the economically weaker sections of the society. For example, Indian railways provide discounts to students travelling through its network. Monopolies can afford to invest in latest technology and machinery in order to be efficient and to avoid competition. Disadvantages of monopoly Poor level of service. No consumer sovereignty. Consumers may be charged high prices for low quality of goods and services. Lack of competition may lead to low quality and out dated goods and services. Advantages Disadvantages of Monopolies A monopoly is a market structure having only one producer or seller of a product or service. Some of the negative aspects of a monopoly include the single business being able to control pricing and charge relatively high prices, exceptional power over the market and a lack of new products being introduced into the market. Monopolies are created by economic, social or political factors. When one entity has control over a natural resource, a monopoly market for that resource is created. An example would be Saudi Arabia where the government has complete control over the oil industry. Monopolies are also formed when companies have copyright or patent rights to a product.

Discrimination in America Essay -- Race Racism Prejudice

Our world has always been faced with the problem of discrimination. It is one of the most discussed topics nowadays and throughout history. In all countries there is most likely at least one type of discrimination that affects different groups of people. The definition of discrimination is the denial of opportunity or equal rights for a specific group of people that may be differentiated by things such as their religion, color of skin, or gender. The world we live in has been struggling with this sensitive subject for as long as we the have record. Many people believe discrimination has made big steps forward, but has it really? If it has, why do people still get turned down, receive hate mail, or get ridiculed simply because they differ from each other. I guess these are questions we must ask ourselves. I guess you could also ask yourself if you have ever called anybody a name, looked at them different or judged them when you did not even know them or understand them. You m ay be thinking "That is not discrimination," but, in fact, it is. Personally, I never felt that I was discriminated against by anyone or discriminated against others until I came to the USA. Even though this country welcomes all immigrants, people still get treated as â€Å"others.† I remember the night when I arrived in the United States and saw so many black people in the airport. My friends and I were pointing at them and saying â€Å"Look, they are black and they are not like us, they are others.† While we were not trying to be rude, it is clear to me now that we were actually being discriminatory. However, I didn’t realize at the time that sooner or later I would be considered as an â€Å"other† also. Even as a good-looking, smart, intelligent European w... ...ome from), the issue of racial discrimination is not as strong but there are some others, such as gender, class and religion discrimination. This is truly a global issue affecting all nations. I closing, I have realized from my arrival in America that diverse people will often judge each other by appearance and language rather than on substance. We must accept the fact that while people may get more tolerant, there will always be some sort of discrimination. Instead of giving up, it has just made me stronger as I have learned to adapt and not have a complex about my differences. I am sure there are many stories similar to mine that can be used as examples of discrimination. The United States has not solved this problem, but there are a lot of things that have been done in this country in order to have equal rights so that fewer people are treated like â€Å"others.†

Ethics and Utilitarianism Essay

What is Utilitarianism? Utilitarianism is an ethical framework for effective moral action. It’s a philosophical concept that holds an action to be held right if it tends to promote happiness for the greatest number of people. The essence of utilitarianism is in its concept of pleasure and pain. It defines the morally right actions as those actions that maximize pleasure or happiness and minimize pain or evil. Utilitarianism is all about making the right choices that will consequently promote the greatest amount of happiness. It can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, but the name most frequently associated with utilitarianism is that of Jeremy Bentham. According to utilitarianism, we should evaluate an action by looking at is consequences, weighing the good effects against the bad effects on all the people affected by it. If the good outweighs the bad, it tends to be a good action; if the bad outweigh the good, it tends to be a bad action. (DeGeorge 45) Ethical principles and theories are the foundations of ethical analysis because bring significant characteristics to the decision-making process. Every single theory shows different points such as predicting the outcome and following one’s duties to others in order to reach an ethical decision. But an ethical theory can only to be useful if the theory is directed towards a common set of goals. Ethical principles are the common goals that each theory tries to achieve in order to be successful. These goals include beneficence, least harm, respect for autonomy and justice. Using utilitarianism in ethical business practice would consider the good and bad consequence for everyone the action would affect, treat everybody as having equal rights, with no bias towards self, and would use it as an objective, quantitative way to make a moral decision. Utilitarianism should be employed in all business decision-making process to maximize effects and minimize negative outcomes. Businesses seek to make a profit. The cost-benefit analysis is a form of utility calculation. Most business often use cost-benefit as a decision making tool. Companies attempt to find out how much something is going to cost them before taking any actions that should result in consequences favorable to everyone involved. Just simply put, the company could make a profit while the consumer benefit from the product. To understand the definitions and concepts of the theory, in relation to business ethics, I will use the Ford Pinto Case as an example. The Ford Pinto was sold with dangerous design faults in the fuel tank in which management knew the problem existed. (bizcovering) In a roll over, the fuel valve had a tendency to leak fuel. That did not stop design and production, they rushed to assemble the vehicle and costs were kept low in order to sell the auto for $2,000. It was successful, until one year four people died and one little boy horribly burned and disfigured. Then there were many other incidents that resulted in Ford being sued and had to pay millions in compensation. The cost-benefit analysis demonstrated an abuse of utilitarian principles to suit their needs, because the engineers were aware of the flaws, yet the company continued to sell the car without safety modifications. Utilitarianism, far from being a self-serving approach to moral issues, demands careful, objective, and impartial evaluation of consequences. This philosophy is based on the belief that the moral and ethical value of one’s action should be judged by the consequence of such action. But utilitarianism states that the morality of an action is best judged by the utility or usefulness of such an action. During the 1980’s, Oliver North had to explain why he lied to congressional committees about his role in the Iran-Contra affair, the sale of U. S. arms to Iran for the release of hostages that were held by Iran, he replied, â€Å"Lying does not come easily to me. But we all had to weigh in the balance the difference between lies and lives. North’s conduct was an example of utilitarianism, his method of justifying his acts of deception is a form of moral reasoning. So long as a course of action produces maximum benefits for everyone, utilitarianism does not care whether the benefits are produced by lies, manipulation, or coercion. Utilitarianism was once a radical philosophy. It attempted to set forth a moral system apart from divine revelation and biblical morality. Utilitarianism focused on results rather than rules. But now has been embraced by so many simply because it seems to make a good deal of sense and seems relatively simple to apply. It provided for a way for people to live moral lives apart from the Bible and its rules. Logic rather than obedience to biblical principles guides the ethical decision-making of utilitarianism. While Jeremy Bentham developed his ethical system around the idea of pleasure and built it on ancient hedonism which pursued physical pleasure and avoided physical pain; John Stuart Mill modified this philosophy and developed it apart from Bentham’s hedonistic foundation. Mill used the same utilitarian calculus but instead focused on maximizing the general happiness by calculating the greatest good for the greatest number. Whereas Bentham established act utilitarianism, Mill established rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarian holds that each individual action, in all its concreteness and in all its details, is what should be to the utilitarian test. (DeGeorge 47) Rule utilitarian holds that utility applies appropriately t classes of actions rant than to given individual actions. (DeGeorge 48) According to Mill, one determines what is right by comparing the consequences of all relevant factors of diffeerent rules for a specific circumstance. In conclusion, utilitarianism is all about making the right choices that will consequently promote the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. Work Cited DeGeorge, Richard T. Business Ethics. 7th Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2010 â€Å"Applying Utilitarianism to Business Ethics: The Ford Pinto Case. † Annie Lundy February 6, 2009 â€Å"Utilitarianism. † utilitarianism. com. Henry R. West. n. d. â€Å"Calculating Consequences: The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics. † Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez. n. d.