The Significance Of The Creatures Speech Essay Example for Free

The Significance Of The Creatures Speech Essay Frankenstein: The Significance of the Creatures Speech. Hideous monster! You wish to eat me and tear me to pieces! You are an ogre. Victor Frankenstein has created life. Out of nothing he has constructed a being that can think for itself, make decisions for itself and sustain itself as if it were any of gods creations. When the creature confronts its maker it clearly presents an autobiographical narration of its life, it is this speech that raises several significant issues. These many issues can best be categorised into three broad areas, the development of the creatures basic capabilities and desires, the acquisition of morals and their further development and finally the duties that a creator has to those upon which it bestows life. A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt heard and smelt, at the same time Children rely on the first few years of life to develop their senses and their ability to survive on their own; they are cared for and raised by adults and those that are completely abandoned die. Frankensteins creation, in many ways similar to a new born child, in its age, lack of education and inexperience in the world, is totally abandoned and survives. It is during his speech that this significant issue of self-sustainment, even from birth, is raised. Frankenstein gives life to an inanimate object, this object however, from the first instant of life is capable of thought and well within its first week is able to sustain itself. When the creature gets hungry it finds food and seeks shelter, a most basic instinct, but how far do these instincts go? Does one from birth desire language, and companionship? The creatures speech answers many of these. Frankensteins creations rate of self-education far outstrips a human child who in the same situation would almost certainly perish. (Many Greek, Roman and Jewish stories involve children surviving on their own for certain periods and it is quite possible that Shelley has been influenced by the stories of, Oedipus, Romulus and Moses. Upon awaking in the woods on his second day of existence natural instinct takes over and the creature sets about procuring food and shelter. These are the most basic impulses for a creature and given an infant mind in a very apt, physically capable frame, his story gives a detailed insight to the extent of what knowledge and desires a new being has from birth. Several changes of day and night passed when I began to distinguish my sensations from each other Given no education other then what he can teach himself the creature sets about the task of mental development and survival. On its first night of existence the monster feels cold and damp from night, not understanding what these are it weeps in despair. Without any concept of what pain is other then first hand experience the creature knows nothing of how to end it, only upon the discovery of fire is the pain of cold abated. This important discovery however, as with the discoveries of Victor and the mythological Prometheus, have negative effects, all three tampered with the unknown, and all three suffered. Sweeter then the voice of the thrush or the nightingale Another issue focusing around basic instincts that is raised is the question of what a being is born with and what it acquires during life. The above quote indicates the creature, from the early stages of its life was able to compare and make decisions based upon, two entirely different things. It also soon develops the desire for the mastery of language and writing, which is very symbolic of how mankind for many thousands of years has relied upon writing and speaking to convey thoughts and desires form person to person, generation to generation. The creature also, from the first time it views its reflection refers to itself as hideous, having never been educated in beauty and deformity the creatures statement implies that all self-aware beings are born with a concept of beauty. I learned from the social life which it developed, to admire their virtues and depreciate the vices of mankind.

Female Independence in Frankenstein and Jane Eyre

Female Independence in Frankenstein and Jane Eyre Visions of Female Independence in Frankenstein and Jane Eyre. There are considerable ironies in the fact that, of the two novels considered here, it is Jane Eyre which is far more profoundly concerned with the possibility of female independence in a male-dominated world. Mary Shelley was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, the proto-feminist, and of the radical thinker Godwin. She was the wife of the revolutionary poet Shelley, and a friend of Byron. Yet Frankenstein, for all its shocking subject matter, is in many ways a conventional work of its time, a sort of encyclopedia of Romantic attitudes, and its vision of the role of women makes little attempt to disturb the accepted views of her contemporaries. Charlotte Brontà «, by contrast, was a vicar’s daughter, whose most intense experience, it might be argued, was within her own family group, and who finally married a clergyman, and yet Jane Eyre is an intense exploration of a woman’s efforts to understand and maintain the integrity of the self against innumerable pressures â⠂¬â€œ the tyranny of Mrs Reed, the bullying of Brocklehurst, the inevitable inferiority of being the salaried employee of Rochester, and later his gilded possession, and then the massive egotism of St John Rivers in its guise as religious selflessness. The longing for independence is indeed the central issue of the novel, and it is the intensity of the vision and the complex and unhysterical analysis of Jane’s experience that give the novel its importance. Of course, the protection of the self is not just a female issue; it figures largely in Arthur Clennam’s story and in Pip’s. But for nineteenth-century women it had a particular poignancy, and as Jane longs for a wider life than that offered by Lowood, she declares that â€Å"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do† (Brontà «, 1966, 141). The work is, as Margot Peter s says, â€Å"a novel essentially radical in its preoccupation with the themes of independence and liberty for the subjugated sex, Victorian woman† (Peters, 1973, 148). To apply a feminist critique to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein must be a matter of some tact. There is little evidence of a direct influence of her mother’s ideas in the novel, though the critic Charles Robinson has argued that she was fully aware of her mother’s views, and was proud of her parentage. He claims that A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) and Frankenstein (1818) are  two radically different English romantic works that nevertheless address similar issues about education and parenting. Mary Shelley may have been denied direct advice and nurturing from her mother, but she could at least indirectly seek that parent’s wisdom by reading her works. (Buss, Macdonald and McWhir,128). Frankenstein is full of the ideas of its time. The monster’s story is a study in Rousseauism. The landscape is Wordsworthian. Byronic and Beethovenian images can be detected in the notion of exploring, going beyond. Similarly the presentation of women in the novel is typical of its time. Men are the explorers, the scientists, the travelers, while women stay at home and offer affection, stability and compassion. Walton at the beginning of the novel is writing letters to his â€Å"dear sister† at home, a wife, who is â€Å"my dear, excellent Margaret† and whom he thanks â€Å"for all your love and kindness† (Vol I, Letter I, 18), while he asks â€Å"do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose?† (ibid, 17). He writes of the master of the ship, who had planned to marry a Russian lady. He selflessly released her from the engagement when she revealed that she loved someone else, but her father insisted on the original match for financial reasons. â €Å"She was bathed in tears, and, throwing herself at his feet, intreated him to spare her† (Vol I, Letter II, 21). She is entirely in thrall to male power, and only the generosity of the master saves her. â€Å"What a noble fellow!† (ibid, 21). Such episodes simply reflect the conditions of the time. It is unlikely that Mary Shelley’s aim in this episode was to stir rebellion. Walton sees his sister as a mother figure. His youth was spent â€Å"under your gentle and feminine fosterage† (ibid, 20) which has refined and civilized him. This the monster notably lacks. Frankenstein’s story presents the female actors in a very restricted role. Elizabeth is the novel’s central positive female force, â€Å"the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures† (ibid, 37). Curiously, she is presented to Frankenstein as a sort of property, â€Å"mine to protect, love, and cherish. All praises bestowed on her I received as made to a possession of my own† (ibid, 37). This piece of charming childish naivety in his thinking has an edge that must grate on the modern reader. The educations of Frankenstein and Elizabeth are most revealing. She is â€Å"of a calmer and more concentrated disposition† while he is â€Å"more deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge.† So while she interested herself in such â€Å"girly† things as contemplating â€Å"the magnificent appearances of things, I delighted in investigating their causes† (Vol I, ch.II, 38). Girls do arts subjects, while boys do sciences! There is a tendency to stereotype here. Elizabeth has a â€Å"saintly soul† (ibid, 39), but acts largely as a supporter of others, â€Å"Her sympathy was ours: her smile, her soft voice, the sweet glance of her celestial eyes, were ever there to bless and animate us. She was the living spirit of love to soften and attract† (ibid, 39-40). In fact she has little other role. Frankenstein is away from home for six years, but we have very little information about what she does all that time, or what she thinks. After the death of the mother of the family (which, characteristically, is â€Å"calm† (Vol I, Ch. III, 45)), Elizabeth explicitly takes over the mother role, â€Å"the comforter to us all. She looked steadily on life, and assumed its duties with courage and zeal† (ibid, 45), and the only thing she can do when Frankenstein leaves for the university is to â€Å"bestow the last feminine attentions† (ibid, 46) on him. The energy of life, even if misdirected, is left to Frankenstein himself, who pursues scientific knowledge with a passion which seems to be confined to men. Elizabeth writes, longing to help him in his illness, describing her own life as filled only with â€Å"trifling occupations† (Vol I, Ch VI, 66). Justine is another bearer of female charm and good nature: â€Å"She is very clever and gentle, and extremely pretty† (ibid, 67). In fact all the women in the book share these harmless and undramatic positives. The only disagreeable one is the old woman in the Irish prison (Vol III, Ch IV). Elizabeth weeps over the death of William and blames herself, and Justine goes to her death full of benevolence and piety. The monster’s account of the De Laceys in their cottage continues the picture of the female as gentle guardian of the civilized. Agatha impresses him with her â€Å"gentle manners† (Vol II, Ch iii, 110), her job is preparing food, comforting the old man and â€Å"arranging the cottage† (ibid, 111). Safie is noted for â€Å"a countenance of angelic beauty and expression† (Vol II, Ch V, 119) and is characteristically occupied in â€Å"wiping a few tears from her lovely eyes† (ibid, 120). She sings â€Å"like a nightingale of the woods† (ibid, 121). Her â€Å"generous nature† is â€Å"outraged† by her father’s duplicity and tyranny (Vol II, Ch VI, 129). It is here that the monster begins to reflect on his own lack of parents, though it is the role of father he invokes; from the papers he discovered in the coat pocket â€Å"I learned†¦ that you were my father, my creator† (Vol II, Ch VIII, 141). He has seen so few mothers, after all! But the monster wants a mate, effectively an Elizabeth for himself: â€Å"My virtues will necessarily arise when I live in communion with an equal. I shall feel the affections of a sensitive being, and become linked to the chain of existence and events, from which I am now excluded† (Vol II, Ch IX, 151). The female will offer sensitivity and compassion. If a concern for independence seems absent from Mary Shelley’s women, for Jane Eyre it is a constant desire, and something by which she defines herself. She seeks liberty, not simply for license, but in justice to her sense of her own individuality. She will willingly serve, but not under conditions that violate that notion of self. At Gateshead she feels â€Å"Speak I must: I had been trodden on severely, and must turn† (Brontà «, 68), not because she wants revenge, but because of an intolerable feeling of injustice. She â€Å"would fain exercise some better faculty than that of fierce speaking† (70), but she is driven by the same drive that later will send her away from Rochester, a self-respect that will not be crushed. At Lowood she is again oppressed, by the bullying and hypocritical Brocklehurst, but here a solution is offered to her by Helen Burns, who reads Rasselas and demonstrates the power of a stoical courage in the face of adversity. Her advice is o f immense value to Jane, but ultimately the superhuman qualities in Helen make it impossible to follow her. When Helen is unfairly punished Jane wonders â€Å"How can she bear it so quietly?† (84). Helen is right to tell her â€Å"It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself† (88), but Jane is too red-blooded, to human and real to be able to accept Helen’s attitude. If Jane â€Å"thinks too much of the love of human beings† (101) as Helen says, that is a weakness that makes humanity valuable. Heaven and Hell cannot satisfy Jane, and Helen’s stoical quietism cannot satisfy her energetic self. Helen dies, perhaps indicating the impossibility of such a position for ordinary mortals, and Jane finds a satisfaction at the school under the intelligent Miss Temple. But in time she must seek â€Å"liberty†¦ at least a new servitude† (117). Thus she comes to Thornfield and Rochester, who finds her interesting because of the very quality of independence and self-respect which drives all her actions. As Mrs Leavis says, â€Å"The courtship scenes are peculiarly un-Victorian† (17) in their emphasis on equality between the partners, the result largely of Jane’s refusal to act the role of the humble dependant in their conversations together. She finds his directness refreshing: â€Å"A reception of finished politeness would probably have confused me†¦. The eccentricity of the proceedings was piquant† (152). She is not frightened of him; it is not in her nature to be so, such is her sense of the integrity of her selfhood. She is his employee, but â€Å"I don’t think, sir, you have the right to command me, merely because you are older than I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (165). She likes his informality, but tells him that â€Å"for insolence†¦ nothing free-born would submit to, even for a salary† (166). He knows that â€Å"Not three in three thousand raw schoolgirl governesses would have answered me as you have done† (166), but delights in the freedom this leads to as much as she does. She feels she is being treated with true respect, and life opens up for her. When she goes away to Mrs Reed’s deathbed, and shows her true maturity in her wish to be reconciled with her, her absence only clarifies for her what she loves about Thornfield. She has been able to live â€Å"a full and delightful life† (281) in which her precious self has at last been allowed to flourish. â€Å"I have talked, face to face, with what I reverence, with what I delight in† (281). As he proposes to her he says â€Å"my equal is here† (282), the perfect tribute to her being, and the explanation of their mutual love. When she accepts his proposal she continues to fight with an almost instinctive strength against his attempts to convert her into a love object. She recoils from the unreality of his desire to â€Å"load these fairy-like fingers with rings† (287). She will not be â€Å"an ape in a harlequin’s jacket† (288), and would â€Å"rather be a thing than an angel† (291). She will not dress up for him, and hates the business in the silk warehouse (296). She feels â€Å"annoyance and degradation† (297), and thinks explicitly of the precious freedom of the self: â€Å"It would, indeed, be a relief†¦ if I had ever so small an independency† (297). She feels that he has become a conventional lover, whose aim is possession. All this, of course, co-exists with a passionate love for him. And her decision to leave him after the revelations about Bertha is similarly driven primarily by the horror of betrayal of the independent self. To see her action as sim ply moral horror is as beside the point as to complain of her inability to take a more emancipated attitude. To stay with him â€Å"I should then be your mistress† (331), and to do this would make her â€Å"the successor of these poor girls† (339) he has kept before. As she thinks of her own insignificance in the eyes of the world – who would care if she did give way to him? – what she hears is the voice of her own independent self: â€Å"I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself† (344). Although she speaks of laws and training, it is the deep sense of the vital importance of her own integrity, her own self-respect, which drives her to act with such resolution. In the novel plot is replaced by a series of revelatory episodes, each helping Jane to come to realization of what she truly desires. Her contact with St John Rivers clarifies what she wants and does not want. Being the teacher at the village school, for all its deprivations, is â€Å"independent† (381) and â€Å"free and honest† (386) compared with being Rochester’s mistress, but Rivers’ self-denial is unattractive, ultimately because it is dishonest, a distortion of his true self from â€Å"the bent of nature† (387), and, at core, a subtle weapon to destroy her independence and swallow up her precious integrity. But, although his appeal has immense power over her, she knows enough now to resist. â€Å"I want to enjoy my own faculties as well as to cultivate those of other people† (415), and when happiness beckons â€Å"I feel I have adequate cause to be happy, and I will be happy† (417). She tells him that she scorns his idea of love , with its wretched self-abasement, and she knows now that â€Å"God did not give me my life to throw away† (439). When she finally devotes herself to Rochester it is anything but a sacrifice. â€Å"What do I sacrifice? Famine for food, expectation for content† (470). The circumstances of nineteenth-century women, in a world where the opportunities open to men were almost all closed to them, make Jane Eyre a radical and courageous document, though Jane’s concern to maintain the integrity of the self is a central human issue rather than simply a feminist complaint. In Mary Shelley’s case it can hardly be argued that she is aware of or troubled by the restricted role of women in her novel. Despite her own mother’s views, it was difficult for her to escape from history, and from the deepest assumptions of her time. Indeed, if there is a feminist element in the book it is in the condemnation of – characteristically male – intellectual daring, and the dangers that result from the desire to go beyond the limits, which inspires Frankenstein to make his monster, and Walton to explore the Arctic. â€Å"The primary pattern underlying feminist writing is that of Frankenstein, a world in which cerebral man and monster are o ne† (Gordon, 428). Works Cited Brontà «, C. Jane Eyre. Introduction by Q.D.Leavis. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966. Gordon, L. Mary Wollstonecraft. London: Little, Brown, 2005. Peters, M. Charlotte Brontà «. Madison and London: Univ of Wisconsin, 1973. Robinson, Charles. â€Å"A mother’s Daughter: An Intersection of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.† In Buss, Helen M., Macdonald, D.L. and McWhir, Anne. Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. Writing Lives. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier U.P., 2001, pp.127-138. Shelley, M. Frankenstein. 1818 edition. Edited M.Hindle. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1992.

My Shoes Writing Skills Writing Assignment English Language Essay

My Shoes Writing Skills Writing Assignment English Language Essay If only my shoes could talk†¦ What an amazing story they would tell! An adventure full of comedy, mystery, romance, murder (well maybe not murder haha), but all rolled up into one tale. Really, what else is with you through all of the important moments in your life? Shoes are such a simple accessory and often chosen as an afterthought when the perfect outfit is picked out. If you think about it though, they really are an integral part. I think of my shoes as a companion who listens without judgment. They are a friend who offers support and comfort but still offers me a pinch every once in awhile to bring me back to reality. I dont remember my first steps but I know my shoes were there with me. I can imagine my parents holding my hands preparing to release me into my first stage of independence. What a scary moment it must have been for all of us. As they released my little fingers, it was then that those tiny shoes kept me balanced. Sure there were trips and falls along the way, but my shoes and I quickly began to work together. We were soon skipping, jumping, and running together. My shoes always told the tale of what I had done that day. If inspected carefully, one could even see spatters of what I had eaten that day. Somehow, Mom always knew if I had been running through the garden again. My shoes were with me on the first day of school. As I walked up to the front door of the big building I shuffled my feet. Somehow the muffled sound of my brand new shoes against the pavement made the walk a little less scary. My shoes got to witness my very first art project. My little white sneakers were a beautiful collage of color when we were through. Who knew the paint would drip off the brush like that? My shoes could even tell the tale of the mean boy who splattered ketchup all over my new dress. I bet my shoes felt left out! What stories they could tell about running free on the play yard without a care in the world. If my shoes could talk, I bet they would tell all about the time I won the big recess race. When I was eight, my shoes were with me to experience my first big heartache. As my parent sat me down for a serious talk, I stared down at my shoes blankly. They talked about how they love me and everything would be fine. As I began to realize what they were telling me, I knew I hated the word divorce. I wondered why parents couldnt be like shoes. Shoes were a pair for life and were no good without the other. I wonder if my shoes would talk about what it felt like when my little tears rained down on them like a spring shower. My shoes were there to support me each time I walked through the doors to their separate houses. I suppose to make a good story; my shoes would have to talk about me as a teenager. I sure put on a lot of miles then. I wonder if they would divulge all the juicy details of my first date. When I was 15, I set out on a new adventure with a brand new pair of shoes that were carefully chosen just for that night. We went to a place called the Varsity in Downtown Atlanta. As we sat together eating our hotdogs, I glanced down at my shoes whenever there was a lull in the conversation. Strange I know, but it seemed like I always thought of something to say. It ended up being a magical evening with a wonderful man. I will let the shoes tell the details if they ever decide to talk. Perhaps my shoes would talk about how that first date eventually led to marriage. When I was 21, I took one of the most wonderful trips in a beautiful new pair of shoes. I chose the perfect pair to accompany me on the most incredible journey. They were able to balance my trembling body as I slowly made my way down the aisle. Only my shoes could tell you how I made it all the way to my future husband at the front of the building. The way he looked at me made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. As we stood up there hand in hand, reciting our vows, my shoes were there to witness the sacred promises we made to each other. I wonder if they would talk about how magical it was when we shared our first kiss as husband and wife. Would they talk about the way we seemed to float across the floor as we shared our first dance together? The promises we made to each other helped us through many tough times. Every time I see that particular pair of shoes in my closet, it brings back all the feelings and emotions of that day we made the promises to each other. My shoes could tell you how I am feeling at any given moment without even speaking. For example, if I pull out my favorite pair of strappy high-heeled sandals and put them on, it usually means I am in a flirty mood. If I pull on my supportive running shoes, perhaps they are telling you that I am in an active mood. My fuzzy slippers might tell you that I am feeling a little lazy. They also give tell-tale signs of the places I have been. A weekend stroll through the park always leaves bits of grass on the bottom of my shoes as evidence. My shoes have played a very important part in my life. They have witnessed all of the good and bad times in my life, and they will be there to witness many more. Through every situation they have offered their support and listening ear without judgment or blame. I think my shoes would have a great story to tell if they could talk, but I might be in a little trouble if they shared everything!

The Modern Grotesque Hero in John Kennedy Tooles, A Confederacy of Dun

The Modern Grotesque Hero in John Kennedy Toole's, A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole unleashes a compelling criticism of modern society in the principal work he produced in his short lifetime, A Confederacy of Dunces. Using masterfully crafted comedy, Toole actually strengthens his disparaging position on the modern world. Boisterously and unabashedly opinionated, Ignatius Reilly, the principal character of this novel, colors the narrative with a poignant humor that simultaneously evokes both laughter and pity from readers. Near the beginning of the story, his mother's financial difficulties suddenly force Ignatius to leave the womb-like security of his bedroom and seek employment, making him abandon his project of writing a scathing description of "the disaster course that history had been taking for the past four centuries" (Toole 41) on childish Big Chief tablets. The action of the novel revolves around Ignatius's experience in society as he bumbles from job to job with his ever-present sense of superiority. His outward slovenly appearance and the incongruity between his professed beliefs and his actions create in Ignatius the epitome of the modern grotesque hero. Walker Percy wrote: "'Toole's greatest achievement is Ignatius Reilly, slob, intellectual, ideologue, deadbeat, goof off, who should repulse the reader with his gargantuan bloats, his thunderous contempt and one-man all out war against all of modern times...'" (Samway 345). Using the grotesque to further highlight the satirical conflict that man encounters with modern society, John Kennedy Toole, in A Confederacy of Dunces, artfully attacks the economic, religious, and social states of present day America. The use of such a grotesque principal cha... ...nre." Mississippi Quarterly 38.1 (1984-1985): 33-47. Miller, Keith D. "The Conservative Vision of John Kennedy Toole." Conference of College Teachers of English Studies 48 (1993): 30-34. Nelson, William. "The Comic Grotesque in Recent Fiction." Thalia-Studies in Literary Humor 5.2 (1982): 36-40. Palumbo, Carmine D. "John Kennedy Toole and His Confederacy of Dunces." Louisiana Folklore Miscellany 10 (1995): 59-77. Patteson, Richard F. and Thomas Sauret. "The Consolation of Illusion: John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces." The Texas Review 4.1-2 (1983): 77-87. Ruppersburg, Hugh. "The South and John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces." Studies in American Humor 5.2-3 (1986): 118-126. Samway, Patrick H., S.J. Walker Percy: A Life. New York: Farrar, 1997. Toole, John Kennedy. A Confederacy of Dunces. New York: Grove, 1980. 13

Developing a Business Website Essay -- Business Management Studies Ess

Developing a Business Website Developing a Business Website Simulation Analysis Developing a business website is a much more complex task than simply buying some servers and hosting a site. There are a variety of issues that arise that must be addressed in order to ensure that your website is not only functional but is actually of use to your customer to differentiate yourself from the competition. In the world of online trading the vendor must consider how the features of the site are generated, offering free or â€Å"pay for† services, and determining the functionalities that the customer will require. In working with the company budget, Primus Securities will need to make specific decisions about the site’s features and services to direct new and existing customers to the website. The success of this venture will center on the brand and the consumer perception of the brand. The features that will be implemented must extend the brand at each phase of improvement and make the customers experience a safe, reliable trading source that sets to differentiate itself from the competition. All feature selections and site enhancements must be done with the purpose of improving customer interaction and the perception of the Primus brand to it current and future customers. Site Features To offer the consumer the level of features they require, Primus must determine whether to hire a set of dedicated professionals or outsourcing these functions. There are pro’s and con’s to each scenario but ultimately a decision must be made to set the framework for the site. If the company chooses to hire a supporting staff dedicated to installing and maintaining these features, they will incur the added fixed expense of salary, benefits, equipment, etc. Although there an added expense of hiring the staff, they will able to serve in multiple support roles such as installing the stock banner and the portfolio ticker. This is not simply a monetary decision where the company should consider which option offers the lowest cost since this investment will determine how quickly the turnaround for enhancements and improvement will be made. The company must also consider that there will be future upgrades and changes and it may be in its interests to have an internal staff to be held accountable and that can be focused on the priority tasks as det... ...xtremely beneficial. Not only should these ads be placed in industry specific sites like CBS Marketwatch.com, but Primus could also seek out popular investment message boards and forums and sponsor the site. By sponsoring the site, Primus could have banner ad placement and develop an appreciation from the potential customers that are benefiting from the investment. This may help to generate goodwill and generate some discussion on the site. Conclusion Any new business venture can expect a slow start and may not turn a profit for some time. The key to establishing a successful new eBusiness venture is to create a good and unique website, adequately marketing that site to potential consumers, and consistently reviewing and enhancing the site to meet customer needs and new trends in the marketplace. Primus was able to turn its venture profitable in a relatively short period of time by created a site that centered around the customer, working within its budget to enhance features that added value, and effectively utilizing resources (i.e. Staff, Financial) to generate the website. References: Rayport-Jawprski. (2003). Introduction to e-Commerce. McGraw-Hill

A Good Life Does Not Have to Be Complex Essay

A good life is defined differently for everyone. Our parents, friends, and the media all comprise a vision that we see as the best way of experiencing our lives. This is different for every person, because nobody follows the exact same path in life, and events influencing someone’s existence are what eventually set the course for one‘s perception of a good, fulfilling, purposeful life. In the cases of some, a good life does not have to be complex. A modest life is often more fulfilling as a busy, complicated lifestyle. Although I don’t necessarily agree that my life would be better if it were suddenly made much simpler, there are people in the world who believe that the best thing one could ask for is simplicity. Taoists are a wonderful example of people who prefer a less-complex life in favour of a simplistic one. Taoism, a Chinese philosophy we learn about and touch upon in the story â€Å"Substance, Shadow, and Spirit†. Substance represents the body, shadow represents fame, and spirit is self explanatory. In the story we learn that someone who chooses to stress substance in their life would spend much of their time gathering material possessions. Their priority in life would be trying to preserve it through building monuments that last beyond their own life span. Someone who chooses to emphasize shadow doesn’t care much about their life being preserved through time. They know eventually it will all slip away and focus on doing things that other people will praise. One who lives by the spirit does not concern themselves with noble deeds. They seem more interested in self-fulfillment as opposed to what others think about them. When you eliminate certain superficial factors that our society puts too much emphasis on, life gets a whole lot simpler. Buddhists are another great example. Choosing to eliminate the need for desires through self-discipline is what it emphasizes. Desires such as material possessions are not nearly as important to a Buddhist living in China as say the average North American. The lack of want for physical objects arguably makes a persons life a lot simpler. When you don’t have to stress or worry about having the latest phone, most money or nicest car – it makes living seem like less of a competition. Spirituality and understanding yourself better are far more important to a Buddhist then other trivial things people in our society don’t need to spend so much effort worrying about. Instead of â€Å"keeping up with the Jones’s† and worrying yourself with what you think you need, your focus can be on more important things like people and relationships. In conclusion, I do not necessarily believe a humble existence is the â€Å"best† way to live and it is most definitely not for me. I am content with my way of life, but I share some of the views that the people I mentioned do. I believe more emphasis should be put on the great memories and times you can have with people, because these things are much more valuable than a thing you can own. I don’t mean to preach, and I’m not declaring how much happier I would be if I rid myself of everything I own and moved to Tibet. I don’t think I have the self discipline or the desire to live in such a simple manner, but with hundreds of millions of Buddhists and Taoists around the world, the simple life is what they choose – and it works just fine for them.

Technology Changes Not Just Our Physical Environment

Technology has changed our world in many aspects and through many different inventions and advances. Technology has changed our world in mainly two aspects, our physical environment and our way of life. Our physical environment is defined as the buildings, the infrastructure around us. For example, the trains and cars we see every day, the air-conditioners present in buildings and such. Our way of life is how we actually go about doing activities; the way we deal with matters. Technology has changed our physical environment in cities greatly.It has changed the physical environment, for example, the temperature in buildings, where a room can be cooled with air-conditioning. Technology has particularly changed the transport sector, where the infrastructure in current modes of transport are all made possible with the use of technology. For example, the cars, trains and buses we utilize as means of transport, were all created through the use of technology. The roads and vehicles that we see on our roads now were all only made possible through the use of technology.Compare this to the past, where walking or bicycles were the main modes of transport before cars and trains were invented. The use of technology has also changed our physical environment in terms of pollution. With advances in technology such as industrialization, the use of cars and so on, harmful gases have been released into the atmosphere as a result of these activities. These gases result in our atmosphere having more harmful gases compared to the past, in a sense changing our physical environment.Also, the innumerable tall buildings that we see in many cities around the world were only made possible by the use of technology; to ensure that the buildings would be stable even as the buildings were built higher and higher. Technology is used to constantly improve the quality of concrete so that it is stronger, and thus can be used for taller buildings. The chemical composition of cements and concrete i s constantly modified through the years so that they are stronger, and will be more stable for higher buildings.Furthermore, the speed at which tall buildings are being constructed now is a big change from the past. With the use of technology through inventions such as cranes in construction, buildings can now be constructed at much faster speeds than before. Cranes can put the blocks of concrete in place in a matter of minutes compared to the past, where the laying of one block of concrete could even take up to about one hour. In the ancient past, buildings like the pyramids took decades to finish constructing, compared to skyscrapers now, finishing construction in the span of a few years.Technology has not only changed the physical environment, it has also made it easier and faster for man to impact the physical environment. Technology has not only changed our physical environment, but also changed our way of life, the way we go about doing activities. One way technology has chang ed our way of life is through communication. In the past, the main modes of communication were either travelling miles to meet the person or sending letters to each other.These two methods of communication in the past took up much time, and the sending of letters was also not entirely reliable as letters could get misplaced along the way and such. Compared this to the present, where we now have reliable and speedy forms of communication. Current forms of communication are emails, text messaging and the use of social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype and so on. With such forms of communication, messages can be sent across oceans and seas in the matter of several seconds.Technology has enabled humans to interact with each other at such high speeds, and it has changed the way many of us communicate with each other. Some even find it easier to communicate with others through the use of social networking platforms, resulting in some people being very introverted in re al life, but appear extroverted and friendly on social networking platforms. This changes our way of life as it reduces the human to human interaction between humans, it transforms the conventional way of communication between humans.Technology has also changed the structure of the family. Traditionally, women were expected to stay home to do the household chores and care for the children. However, with the advances in technology, household chores did not take up as much effort and time as compared to the past. This change enabled women to go out and have jobs, as it did not take much time and effort to settle household chores thanks to the advances in technology. Women being able to go out and work instead of being a housewife was one way the advance in technology changed the family structure.The increased freedom of women to work has also further effects on the structure of the family. With the increasing employment of women, women are also given increased status and independence of action, something women did not have in the past. With this increased status and independence of action, there is an increased possibility of women initiating a divorce. The divorce rate has increased steadily in recent years in many technologically oriented countries. A divorce would mean the destruction of family, and this is another way technology has changed our way of life.It can be seen that technology can change not only our physical environment, but also our way of life in terms of communication with others as well as the structure of the family, the basic social institution. All in all, technology has changed both our physical environment as well as our whole way of life. Technology has changed our physical environment in terms of our transport infrastructure, the height and speed at which our buildings are built and the atmosphere on earth. Technology has also changed our way of life, mainly through communications and also the structure of the family.