The Book of the City of Ladies Essay - 1696 Words

The Book of the City of Ladies During the renaissance many different views of leadership surfaced. Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the City of Ladies, Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, and William Shakespeare’s Richard III each present distinct views of what would make a good leader during the renaissance period. Shakespeare and Christine de Pizan’s views align most closely with Plato’s. Christine de Pizan’s view also aligns with Augustine’s medieval view of leadership. Machiavelli’s view, however, strays the farthest from Plato and Augustine. In The Book of the City of Ladies, Christine presents an allegorical city made up of great ladies from history. Allegorical characters Reason, Rectitude, and Justice guide Christine†¦show more content†¦Through these characters, collectively known as the Virtues, Christine shows that virtue, both public and private, holds utmost importance to a good leader. The examples used by the Virtues to dispel lies about women help a one see a glimpse of Christine’s ideal leader. The leaders used by Christine share many similar qualities, but chief amongst these is virtue. All of Christine’s characters possess some redeeming quality which supercedes any wrong done. Christine’s virtue comes from God and manifests itself through morally virtuous characteristics. This can be seen in the example of Valentina Visconti, the duchess of Orleans, who Christine describes as, â€Å"A lady who is strong and constant in heart, filled with devotion to her lord and good teaching for her children, well-informed in government, just toward all, sensible in her conduct, and virtuous in all things† (213). Christine places the highest value on leaders who lead by example. Christine devotes a large section of the City of Ladies to martyrs, saying of them â€Å"women who are crowned in glory and whose fair lives serve as excellent examples for every woman above all other wisdom. For this reason these women are the most outstanding of our City† (219). Machiavelli takes a drastically different view on renaissance leadership, placing emphasis on obtaining andShow MoreRelatedThe Book Of The City Of Ladies2292 Words   |  10 Pageshave faced intense discrimination from a lack of legal rights and very little independence from their husbands and society at large. In many societies, women have long been viewed as less than fully human. Christine de Pizan in her book â€Å"The Book of the City of Ladies†1405, wrote that the oppression of women is founded on irrational prejudice, pointing out numerous advances in society probably created by women. Under the end of the 19th century, women were excluded from taking part in voting andRead MoreThe Book of the City of Ladies Essay1384 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in History and the Rise of the City of Ladies Prior to and throughout the late middle ages, women have been portrayed in literature as vile and corrupt. During this time, Christine de Pizan became a well educated woman and counteracted the previous notions of men’s slander against women. With her literary works, Pizan illustrated to her readers and women that though education they can aspire to be something greater than what is written in history. Through the use of real historical examplesRead MoreEssay on The Book of the City of Ladies1088 Words   |  5 Pagestrue visionary in the fight for the equal rights of women. Her original ideas and insight provided a new and more intelligent way to view females. Pizan’s work, The Book of the City of Ladies, provided women much needed guidance in how to survive without the support of a man. It is Christine’s literary work The Book of the City of Ladies that is most intriguing to contemporary readers. Christine was the first woman writer to possess the ability to identify and address the issues of misogyny in theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Book Of The City Of Ladies 1990 Words   |  8 Pagesposition and â€Å"either were they allowed to contribute in any aspect of life. There is a very profound statement made in the book â€Å"The book of the city of ladies†. â€Å"Didn’t you yourself create woman, especially and then endow her with all the qualities that you wish her to have? How could you possibly have made a mistake in anything?† (De Pizan, Christine.) The Book of the City of Ladies. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. â€Å"Women in the early medieval age wereRead MoreThe Love Letters Of Heloise And Abelard Analysis886 Words   |  4 Pages Their is a distinctive role in the medieval view of women in â€Å"The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pisan† and â€Å"The Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard† that are different and similar. â€Å"The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pisan† was a book that was written by Christine Pisan and what inspired her to write this story was all of the slander woman were getting as far as being blamed for every negative thing in the world. â€Å"The Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard† wasRead MoreThe City Of Ladies Analysis1141 Words   |  5 Pages The Book of the City of Ladies, published by the author, Christine De Pizan in the early 1400s, is known to be one of the earliest works of feminism. In her work Pizan constructs an allegorical city called â€Å"The City of Ladies,† a city where only women livelived, to defend the â€Å"chosen,† virtuous women from the misogyny of the male authors. Although the text may have sounded dreamy and fantastical for female readers at the time, listing their capabilities, intelligence and strengths, de Pizan cleverlyRead MoreGuy Montag Character Development Essay775 Words   |  4 PagesBradbury. In this novel, the protagonist, Guy Montag, makes a living in a futuristic world by burning books and their owners houses since it is illegal to own books. Eventually his eyes are opened and he begins to steal the books he is supposed to burn from the owners houses, and starts protecting them. Guy Montag is developed through the usage of minor characters such as Clarisse, the old lady, and Granger. First of all, Clarisse has a major impact on the development of Guy Montag. Clarisse isRead MoreSignificance Of Comedy In Dantes Divine Comedy1193 Words   |  5 Pagesmost literature works, is the meaning of comedy. 2. Analyze the significance of insects and animals in The Panchatantra. a. Panchatantra was written in the valleys of Kashmir, as people later found out, so the animals in the book belonged to that place. The animals in this book are used to send a sublime message and touch the heart in a very natural way. 3. Discuss the theme of revenge in Hamlet. a. This was the major theme of the play. Prince Hamlet is mourning both his mother’s remarriage as wellRead MoreEssay On The Importance Of Being Earnest1087 Words   |  5 PagesImportance of Being Earnest The title of the book I read for my summer reading is called The Importance of Being Earnest which is a drama book written by Oscar Wilde. It was set in London in the year of 1895. A constant theme throughout this book was marriage beginning with Lane and Algernon discussion. Everyone has different ideas of what marriage is, Lane believes it is a pleasant state, Algernon and Jack discuss if its for business or pleasure. Lady Bracknell believes that it should be a completeRead MoreStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta: Baby, I Was Born This Way551 Words   |  3 PagesLady Gaga remains famous today due to her striking originality, the themes of her music, and her immensely addictive melodies. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta has always been a spunky, nonconformist individual. From her birth till now, almost anyone would describe her as different, or exotic. Born to Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta, she was raised in a modest, American home with her little sister, Natali (Lady 1). Germanotta was born on March 28, 1986, in New York City, New York (Gaga 2). Living

Civil War Causes And Consequences - 962 Words

CIVIL WAR – Causes and Consequences The word war in itself is a very unpleasant term signifying trauma, death and destruction. It is the epitome of human selfishness and cruelty. Ever since the existence has been known, people have been fighting against each other for various issues, ranging from small family matters to the huge international issues. Having said that, we need to keep in mind that every war needs a trigger that leads to a very devastating consequence once it ends. There have been myriad of wars in the human history and among those wars, one very noticeable war was the American Civil War fought between 12 April 1861 and 8 April 1864. It was a very important war in the history of America because it threatened the unity and the existence of America as United States of America, which was formed after a very hard and bloody revolution where thousands lot their lives and many more ended up being injured. Besides the human casualties, millions of dollars were spent by both the sides in their effort to emerge victorious in the war. Now the main question is, what made the people of America go against their own brothers and what did they get from all the blood that they shed for about four years? Firstly, the case of slavery is the foremost thing that comes to mind whenever the causes of civil war is discussed. Before the civil war there was a little bit of faction between the south and the north relating to the economic and slave issues. It started growing with theShow MoreRelatedAssess The Causes And Consequences Of The Civil War2481 Words   |  10 PagesAssess the causes and consequences of the civil war (49-45) in this period Civil war Argument in topic sentence The Roman Republic was a system of procedures formed by tradition; there was no written constitution or legally binding legislation. Precedent and consensus set procedure creating the parameters for acceptable behaviour. However, it was near the end of the 2nd century BC, where the system began to deteriorate and fall, ultimately causing the civil war in 49 BC. The boundaries of acceptableRead MoreMajor Causes And Consequences Of The American Civil War1443 Words   |  6 PagesEric Fung Mr. Ferretti APUSH 16 September 2015 1). Historical Causation (Cause and Effect): CE Explain the major causes and consequences of the American Civil War. In general, the American Civil War is thought to have started mostly because of a discrepancy on how to handle slavery. The difference in opinion is most likely a result of political, economic, and religious tension within the country. Before a civil war was even thought about, southern leaders spoke of freeing their slaves and manyRead MoreUs Civil War, Causes and Consequences Sophomore Us History2275 Words   |  10 PagesThe Civil War in America, Cause and Consequences The Civil War in the United States of America is one of the most frequently studied wars of any in American History. This terrible war put brothers from the North against brothers from the South and the result was both awful and catastrophic. When counting the dead and wounded on both sides, including the destruction of houses, farms, and the livelihood of people on both sides, the Civil War was the most terrible and bloodiest war in AmericanRead MoreThe American Civil War878 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction A civil war is a prolonged high-intensity conflict between people, countries, or parties, which is usually barefaced and armed. Every war has its causes either acceptable or not and some are inevitable. Commonly, civil wars are between countries within a state. It results from one country aiming to make implementations on their governing policies or take control of certain areas within the state. 1Civil War refers to the American Civil War, which took place in the year 1861 to 1865Read MoreTime Line 21050 Words   |  5 Pagesabolitionist movement including: a) The effect of Uncle Tom’s Cabin b) The Kansas-Nebraska Act c) The Compromise of 1850 d) The Underground Railroad | 1800-1870 | a. a book that describes how slaves were treated that helped fuel the civil war.b. allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders.c. the balance of power between slave and free states following American acquisition of new territory in theRead MoreReformation in Continental Europe and England and Its Consequences1611 Words   |  7 Pagesmedieval church, loss of papal authority and credibility as well as other societal, political and economical issues of the time. This revolution had a major impact on Europe and it gave way to short term and long-term consequences, which still can be seen today. There were many causes of Reformation, some go as far back as the fourteenth century. One of the main ones was that the papal authority and credibility were damaged. This was done through, Avignon papacy, - a time where the headquarters ofRead MoreIn What Way the African Americans Shaped the Course and Consequences of the Civil War? Confine Your Answer to the Years from 1861 and 1870.1038 Words   |  5 PagesIn what way the African Americans shaped the course and consequences of the Civil War? Confine your answer to the years from 1861 and 1870. Immediately after the election and inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, the newly-established Republican Party’s presidential nominee, eleven states of the South seceded from the Union. These events marked the beginning of the Civil War and the war was a result of many political tensions that had emerged between the North and the South in the prior decades, allRead MoreParallels Between The Syrian Civil War And Romeo And Juliet1197 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish honors 9 26 February 2017 Parallels between the Syrian Civil War and Romeo and Juliet When people say history repeats itself, they are not lying. A modern conflict in today’s world can relate to the events that happened in a play written in the 1500’s. The play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, can relate to the ongoing Syrian Civil War. In both circumstances, people not anticipating the consequences of their actions made decisions. It resulted in devastating tragediesRead More Reformation in continental Europe and England and its consequences1616 Words   |  7 Pagesmedieval church, loss of papal authority and credibility as well as other societal, political and economical issues of the time. This revolution had a major impact on Europe and it gave way to short term and long-term consequences, which still can be seen today. There were many causes of Reformation, some go as far back as the fourteenth century. One of the main ones was that the papal authority and credibility were damaged. This was done through, Avignon papacy, - a time where the headquarters ofRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War964 Words   |  4 PagesThere wasn’t one sole cause of the Civil War but there were many events that took the country to war and put brother against brother and states against states. Abraham Lincoln wanted to preserve the union and that could only be attained by civil war. Slavery which was an underlying cause for the war played its role in the division that divided the North against the South. Ultimately the preservation of the union, slavery and the consequences and conflicts leading to the Civil War all rested on President

Should Smoking Be Banned Free Essays

Cigarette smoking has been a trend since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Some people believe that smoking could help them release their stress as it helps them to relax. Some people also believe that the cigarettes business is necessary for a specific country to develop their country’s economy. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Smoking Be Banned or any similar topic only for you Order Now As time flew, knowledge develops and technology rises, and as a result, we came to know that cigarette smoking brings numerous potential harm not just to our body but also to the environment.But many people still practice smoking regardless the fact that smoking could potentially ruin their health as what is written on the cigarette box itself. Knowing all these, still some people continue on smoking, as if they did not know that they are harming their surroundings too, therefore cigarette smoking should be banned. I think only by doing so we can achieve a more positive result. Some of those who support smoking claim that it’s hard for smokers to break their habit. 2 out of 15 smokers failed to break the habit, therefore, if it’s banned then it could trigger the opening of the black markets of cigars, just like drugs, and it would be much more difficult for the government to control than when it’s legalized. However, by making them illegal, we could at least force them to quit smoking, and automatically more people would quit, 14 out of 15 people will try to quit knowing it illegal. And most importantly, by marking them illegal, it could decrease most of the passive smokers issue as if it’s illegal, then they will not be able to smoke in public areas.The supporters of cigarette smoking also maintain that smoking could release them from stress as it helps them to relax. So they think that they have the right to own the relaxing atmosphere and so. However, cigars are addictive, although it gives relaxation, it contains addictive substance called nicotine, just like drugs, addictive. Most drugs like heroines also gave relaxing and addictive effects, but they are banned, so smoking should be banned too, just to be fair. People could get relaxation as much as they want by sleeping, walking or playing games, that way it would be much healthier and much more environmentally friendly.The final argument advanced by the cigarette-smoking supporters is that the cigarette business is necessary for a specific country’s income, and are responsible for the economic growth of the country. However, smokers tend to develop smoking-related disease which is more likely a kind of respiratory disease which could result in death, if we use the number of death that is caused by cigarette smoking, we could surely raise the country’s income in a way such as labor intensive and thus increasing the growth of the economy of the country he althily, which is a much better way.It should now be clear that cigarettes smoking should be marked illegal, as smokers have more chance to develop respiratory disease, and are addictive, just like drugs, it could also effect the non-smokers by turning them to passive smokers. In conclusion, smoking could give numerous negative impacts, individually and socially, therefore it should be banned for good, just like drugs. How to cite Should Smoking Be Banned, Papers

Ahabs Evil Quest Melvilles Symbols In Moby

Ahab?s Evil Quest: Melville?s Symbols In Moby-Dick Essay Ahabs Evil Quest:Melvilles Symbols in Moby-DickHerman Melville began working on his epic novel Moby-Dick in 1850, writing itprimarily as a report on the whaling voyages he undertook in the 1830s and early 1840s. Many critics suppose that his initial book did not contain characters such as Ahab,Starbuck, or even Moby Dick, but the summer of 1850 changed Melvilles writing andhis masterpiece. He became friends with author Nathaniel Hawthorne and was greatlyinfluenced by him. He also read Shakespeare and Miltons Paradise Lost (Murray 41). These influences lead to the novel Melville completed and published in 1851. Althoughshunned by critics after its release, Moby-Dick enjoyed a critical renaissance in the 1920sand as assumed its rightful place in the canons of American and world literature as agreat classic. Through the symbols employed by Melville, Moby-Dick studies mansrelationship with his universe, his fate, and his God. Ahab represents the league humansmake with evil when they ques tion the fate God has willed upon them, and God isrepresented by the great white whale, Moby Dick. In Moby-Dick, Herman Melville usesa vast array of symbols and allegories in the search for the true explanation of mansplace in the universe and his relationship with his fate and his God. The focus of cruel fate and evil symbols is placed on the head of Ahab, captain ofthe Pequod. Ishmael, though narrator of the story, is not the center of Moby-Dick afterCaptain Ahab is introduced onto the deck of the ship and into action. The focus of thenovel shifts from the freshman whaler to experienced Ahab, an ungodly, god-like man(Melville 82). Having been a whaler for many years, he is a well respected captain, yethis previous voyage has left him without a limb, and in its place is a peg leg carved fromwhale ivory. Ahab remains below decks shadowed in obscurity for the initial stages ofthe Pequods journey into the Atlantic. Ahab soon reveals his devilish plan to his crew,however, in a frenzied attack of oratory he wishes to seek, hunt, and destroy the WhiteWhale, the fabled Moby Dick. It was the white whale Moby Dick which had, on Ahabsprior voyage, ravenously devoured his leg, and Ahab harbored a resentful revenge on hispersecutor. Any mention of Moby Dick sent Ahab into a fu rious rage (Melville 155). Heriles against Starbuck, the first mate and Starbuck replies, vengeance on a dumb brute! . . . to be enraged with a dumb thing, Captain Ahab, seems blasphemous (Melville 155). It is through Ahabs speech and his subsequent dialogue with Starbuck that asecond major symbol is introduced into the story, Moby Dick. Blasphemy is irreverencetoward God or something sacred, not irreverence toward a dumb brutish whale. YetStarbuck accuses Ahab of blasphemy. Melville places this rather harsh accusatory wordin the mouth of the Christian-minded Starbuck, directed at a devilishly revengeful Ahab. The only way actions taken against Moby Dick could be blasphemous is if he is sacred. Through indirect descriptions of Moby Dick and direct rantings of an insane man,Melville peppers Moby-Dick with hints and clues at the true essence Ahab sees behindthe symbol of Moby Dick. According to sailors stories and legends, Moby Dick is seen in two places at onceat different places around the globe. In this trait Melville is suggesting omnipresence, agodlike trait (Melville 172). The sailors think he is immortal, another godlike trait,because he has been harpooned many times and still lives (Braswell 152). Ahab himselfbelieves Moby Dicks power is outrageous, like Gods omnipotence. Ahab states inChapter XXXVI, that inscrutable thing Moby Dicks power is chiefly what I hate(Melville157). In addition to the godlike characteristics of omnipotence andomnipresence, Moby Dick has garnered a reputation for tearing through sinners. Heshows godlike justice and mercy in saving Steelkilt and killing the unjust Radney, as thecrew learns from the sailors of the Town-Ho (Auden 11). Melville uses many other symbols to make the white whale a symbol of divinepower (Braswell 151). His awful austere beauty is godlike, as is his titanic power and hispyramidical white hump. His color, white, has signified a special sanctity; and Melvilledevotes an entire chapter, narrated by Ishmael, in which he explores the meaning ofwhiteness through the ages and through the eyes of many different cultures (Arvin221-222). In Chapter LI, the Pequod sights a mysterious silvery jet of water obviouslyemanating from a whale. The sails are spread and the ship gives chase, but thespirit-spout is never identified. If this spirit-spout is emanating from Moby Dick, it isreminiscent of Gods pillar of fire in Exodus. Through these and other small clues andsymbols, Melville insinuates that Moby Dick is sacred and godlike. Ball Bearings EssayMelville adds more symbolism near the end of the novel. When Ahab announcedhis devious intentions early in the voyage, he offered an Ecuadorian dubloon as a prizefor the first man who sighted Moby Dick. The coin shows the sun moving into thezodiacal constellation of Libra, the Scales. Did Melville plant this symbol to suggest thescales of fate were weighing in on Ahab? (Chase, Melville 59). Fate weighed Ahaband found him wanting because his evil quest ends in despair. He chases Moby Dick,Moby Dick does not chase him. Had he not pursued Moby Dick, Moby Dick would nothave destroyed the entire ship and its crew, save Ishmael who survived the encounter(Arvin 217). On day three of Ahabs hunt, the whale destroys the whaling boats and thePequod, thereby destroying those who seek to escape their human limitations andquestion their divinely ordained fate. Melvilles allegories and symbolism Ahabsymbolizing men who feel wronged by God and Moby Dick symbolizing a vengeful Go dwho will destroy those who wish to destroy Him are woven into a timelessmasterpiece of exposition and are revealed through a vast array of symbols, hints, andrantings. Works CitedArvin, Newton. The Whale. Parker and Hayford. 196. Auden, W. H. The Romantic Use of Symbols. Gilmore. 9. Bloom, Harold, ed. Herman Melvilles Moby-Dick: Modern Critical Interpretations.New York: Chelsea, 1986. Braswell, William. Moby-Dick Is an Allegory of Humanitys Struggle with God.Leone. 149. Buell, Lawrence. Moby-Dick as Sacred Text. Bloom. 62. Chase, Richard, ed. Melville: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice, 1965. Chase, Richard. Melville and Moby-Dick. Chase. 49. Gilmore, Michael T., ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Moby-Dick. EnglewoodCliffs, NJ: Prentice, 1977. Guiley, Rosemary. Harpers Encyclopedia of Mystical Paranormal Experience. NewYork: Castle, 1991. Hillway, Tyrus. Herman Melville. New York: Twayne, 1963. House, Paul R. Old Testament Survey. Nashville: Broadman, 1992. Kazin, Alfred. Introduction to Moby-Dick. Chase. 39. Leone, Bruno, ed. Readings on Herman Melville. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1997. Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick, or The Whale. 1851. New York: Bantam, 1981. Murray, Henry A. In Nomine Diaboli: Moby-Dick. Bloom. 39. Parker, Hershel, and Harrison Hayford, eds. Moby-Dick as Dubloon. New York: Norton,1970. Spiller, Robert, et al. Literary History of the United States of America. New York: Scott,1968.

The Envious Role in “Roman Fever” Essay Example

The Envious Role in â€Å"Roman Fever† Paper The fine line between the fear of the unknown and what is known can sometimes become blurred. In the short story â€Å"Roman Fever†, Edith Wharton does just that by telling the story of two ladies who were ‘childhood friends’. Both are recently widowed, and encounter each other in Rome by coincidence while traveling abroad with their daughters Jenny and Barbara. One of the ladies, Alida Slade, has long suspected that her intimate friend, Grace Ansley was involved with her fiance many years ago and has been harboring some sort of dark secret about that liaison. As the story unfolds, Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley wonder about the familiar situation they have found themselves and their daughters in while in Rome. The similarity between the two holidays has brought many of Mrs. Slade’s lingering doubts back to the surface. Mrs. Slade’s actions throughout the story are motivated by the fear of what she does not know and the fear of what she suspects to be true. In addition, Mrs. Slade’s inherent dislike of Grace, her feelings of insecurity, jealously, and their current circumstances will force her into revealing a long kept secret of her own that she hopes will reveal the truth she has sought all these years. Mrs. We will write a custom essay sample on The Envious Role in â€Å"Roman Fever† specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Envious Role in â€Å"Roman Fever† specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Envious Role in â€Å"Roman Fever† specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Slade’s peculiar behavior throughout the story is directly motivated by all of these factors. Jealousy and envy have always played a major role in the intertwined lives of Alida Slade and Grace Ansley. The feelings of jealousy and envy date back to when Alida and Grace first met while on a holiday in Rome as younger women. As they begin to reminisce about the onset of their friendship many years ago, they realize that although they have been friends for many years, they are relative strangers. Sitting outside in silence, the two women, â€Å"who have been intimate since childhood, reflect how little they knew each other† (Wharton 1368). Slowly, the reader begins to understand that there had been a subtle, hidden competition for Alida’s fiance, Delphin. Alida worried that Grace was attempting to steal her fiance from her. This fear fuels the jealousy and envy Alida feels towards Grace and the resurfacing of those feelings motivates Alida’s odd behavior of revisiting the past in the story. Although Alida Slade projects an image of well-bred confidence, she is actually very insecure and relentlessly compares her life to that of Grace’s. Seeing as they end up living across the street from one another, the reader soon realizes that although their lives are ironically similar, Alida considers hers to be lacking by comparison. The only big diffence is that of how Alida feels. Grace does not show the same feelings as Alida. From the onset of the story, Alida’s thoughts are in the forefront, while Grace’s thoughts assume a lesser role. The readers automatically make more of a connection with Alida more so than Grace. This leads the readers to feel what Alida is feeling and thinking instead of Grace, allowing more of an eventful feel to the story. Through Wharton’s use of the third person omniscient point of view, the reader senses the underlying competition between the two women. Alida sees Grace and her husband Horace made a â€Å"good-looking, irreproachable, exemplary†, (Wharton 1368) couple, stereotyping them as â€Å"museum specimens of old New York†, (Wharton 1368), which in itself is exactly like her, yet she does not see it. After further analyzing the story, the reader realizes that Alida’s envy of Grace, compounded with her own doubts of fears about the past intensifies her hatred for Grace and her desire for revenge. Alida Slade had long speculated that Grace and her fiance, Delphin, were once romantically involved, and even after all these years married to Delphin, she still feels inferior to Grace because of her doubts. Additionally, since the death of her well known husband, Alida’s life seems dull and she craves the attention that was part of that lifestyle. By creating drama with Grace, she hopes to at long last discover the truth and feed her need for attention at the same time. During the conversation on the terrace, Alida begins to make subtle comments, as if she is trying to make Grace irritated and admit to the affair. These elusive comments eventually substantiate the dramatic conclusion between the two friends, although the reader may miss many of the comments because of their subtlety. Alida mentions a story about Grace’s Great-aunt Harriet that Grace’s mother had once told them. As Grace is commenting on the tale, Alida stops her mid sentence and purposely adds, â€Å"but she really sent her because they were in love with the same man†, (Wharton 1372), as if to nudge Grace’s confession along. As the conversation progress, so does the underlying tension. Alida’s comments to Grace become short and terse, almost to the point where she is bluntly stating her true feelings; something Alida has never done with Grace. Alida wants Grace to admit to the affair with Delphin and when she does not, Alida clearly says, â€Å" You had been out late sight-seeing, hadn’t you? †(Wharton 1373) Grace still does not admit to the affair and Alida finally plays her trump card, telling Grace that is was she who wrote the letter that proposed the secret meeting, not Delphin. An outside source, James Phelan, point of view claims â€Å"Alida seeks to injure Grace and establish her own power over her by telling Grace about the forgery† (343). In other words, Alida knows telling Grace will put the feelings of being jealous and envious out of the way, even if it was momentary, making Alida feel better about herself. Alida craves the powerfulness between the two. In another telling comment, Alida reveals another purpose of her writing the letter. She hoped that Grace would go out into the damp night to supposedly meet Delphin and catch a cold or â€Å"Roman fever† as one would say and be out of the picture for a few weeks, but then goes on to say, â€Å"Of course I never thought you’d die†, (Wharton 1374), subconsciously imitating Great-aunt Harriet story about sisters (or friends) in love with the same man. Alida was motivated by jealousy and fear to attempt to rid herself of Grace. Mrs. Slade’s socio-economic class also indirectly motivates her jealousy of Mrs. Ansley. Wharton often wrote about things that she was familiar with and her lifestyle is reflected in the story â€Å"Roman Fever†. Edith Wharton was â€Å"born to wealth and privileged in the leisured society of the nineteenth-century Old New York† (Benstock vii), as was Alida Slade and Grace Ansley. People from such an entitled background have certain expectations. When these expectations are not fulfilled, people can rebel against their moral upbringing and seek retribution. This is the case with Alida Slade and her desire to feel superior to Grace Ansley. Although Alida does not find out until the end of their time together in Rome, Grace does not feel the same way Alida does seeing as Grace ultimately got whar she wanted. Unfulfilled expectations also feed Alida’s insecurities about the relationship between Grace and Delphin. Alida expects to marry well and continue to lead the lifestyle that she is accustomed to and Grace may have cause a disruption in those plans. Wharton also skillfully convolutes the seemingly separate stories of the two main characters and that of their daughters by comparing illusive similarities and linking Alida’s motivation to both. History seems to be repeating itself when the reader takes a step back from the story and compares the women’s lives and the similar circumstances their daughter’s now are experiencing. Alida envies Grace’s daughter Barbara and in her mind, her own daughter Jenny pales in comparison. She drops hints of her true feeling to Grace when she thinks aloud â€Å"how two such exemplary characters such as you and Horace had managed to produce† a daughter like Babs (Wharton 1371). This not only is a subtle foreshadowing, leading to the ending of the story, but exemplifies exactly how Alida feels. As seen throughout the text, â€Å"This type of resentment toward the envied person, ‘agent-focused resentment’, when the envious person feels that another has acquired superiority unfairly† (Comins 10) provides Alida with added motivation. Alida even catches herself thinking â€Å"Jenny [is] such a perfect daughter that she needed no excessive mothering. ‘Now with Babs Ansley I don’t know that I should be so quiet†, (Wharton 1369). Then when Grace defends her own daughter, Alida very bluntly says, â€Å"I appreciate [Babs]. And perhaps envy you† (Wharton 1371) and â€Å"I have always wanted a brilliant daughter †¦ and never quiet understood why I got an angel instead† (Wharton 1371). Alida is fearful that her daughter will experience the same type of self-doubt she experienced when competing with Grace. Wharton’s title, â€Å"Roman Fever† is symbolic to the story because Roman fever, which used to refer to Malaria, represents the burning desires that are left unstated between the characters. Grace Ansley figuratively developed Roman fever when she burned with love for Delphin. Alida Slade figuratively contracted it when Grace’s love for Delphin filled her with hatred and the desire to seek revenge by writing the letter. Roman fever secretly continues to simmer below the surface for the next twenty-five years. It flares up again when the two friends encounter each other in Rome and the similarities between their daughters and their current situation threatens to make history repeat itself. The â€Å"fever† motivated both women to exorcise the demons from their past, each with the hopes of hurting the other, just as they had been hurt themselves. The reader has to wonder, if Alida had never written the letter in the first place, would any of this had happened? Delphin may have desired Grace, but since he was already engaged to Alida, so he may have never acted upon those desires. That is until Alida wrote to Grace, posing as Delphin and Grace replied. Now, although she has had Delphin all these years, she still feels the need to punish Grace and attempt to recover the feelings of superiority she lost when Delphin died. She subconsciously attempts to achieve this by revealing her secret and fails. This illistrates the age-old saying, â€Å"be careful what you wish for, you just might get it†. Works Cited: Benstock, Shari. No Gifts from Chance a Biography of Edith Wharton. Austin: University of Texas, 2004. Print. Bowlby, Rachel. â€Å"‘I Had Barbara’: Women’s Ties and Wharton’s ‘Roman Fever’† Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 17. 3 (2006): 37-51. Print. Comins, Barbara. Outrageous Trap: Envy and Jealousy in Whartons Roman Fever and Fitzgeralds Bernice Bobs Her Hair' Edith Wharton Review 17. 1 (2001): 9-12. Print. Phelan, James. â€Å"Narrative as Rhetoric and Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever: Progression, Configuration, and the Ethics of Surprise. † A Companion to Rhetoric and Rhetorical Criticism. Ed. Walter Jost, and Wendy Olmsted. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. , 2004. 340-353. Print. Wharton, Edith. â€Å"Roman Fever. † The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Ed. Ann Charters. 8th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 1366-1375. Print.

Kwame Nkrumah essays

Kwame Nkrumah essays During the life of Kwame Nkrumah what did he do to change the African Kwame Nkrumah was born in Nkroful in the southwestern part of the British colony. Nkrumah was a great student in the local missionary schools. While he was a teenager, he became an untrained elementary teacher in a nearby town of Half Assini. In 1926 Nkrumah went to Achimota College in Accra, he earned his teaching degree and went on to teach at several Catholic elementary schools. IN 1935 he moved to the United States to attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. When he graduated with a B. A. degrees in economics and sociology. In 1942 he received a M.A. degrees in education and philosophy. In 1942 and 1943 Kwame was persuaded by the writings of German political philosopher Karl Marx, German economist Fredrich Engels, and Russian leader Vladimir Lenin. Kwame promoted a Pan-Africanism, it is a movement for cooperation between all people of African origin and for the political union of an In 1945 he went to London, to study economics and law. There he helped organized the fifth Pan-African Congress in England. At the congress, Kwame met many important African and African American leaders, including future president of Kenya Jomo Kenyatta, and American actor and civil rights That same year, Kwame became vice president of the West African Students Union. Kwame then returned to the Gold Coast in 1947 when the UGCC (United Gold Coast Convention), asked him to serve as its secretary general. In this position he gave speeches all over the colony to rally support for the UGCC Kwame organized a series of colony strikes in favor of independence and that almost brought the colonys economy to shut down, Kwame was then ...

International Financial Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

International Financial Markets - Essay Example effected where the surplus funds are invested in the markets through buying of assets, and the deficit is counteracted when investors sell their assets. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has played a major role in financing investors. The financing from an exchange in the recent decade has been viewed to be more effective compared to other financial institutions. The process applied in extending credit is much easier to undertake. A number of factors have been seen to enhance this process. These include the growing competition, fluctuating interest rates, deregulation and advanced technology that have resulted in the efficiency of operations of the LSE. LSE is among the largest trading market internationally serving 3000 companies in 70 different countries. Integrity, market knowledge and a lot of expertise have been a platform for LSE. It is a leader in providing of services that facilitate raising of capital amongst its participants. It is also among the leading stock exchanges in equity trading. LSE offers both real and virtual stock exchanges. Virtual stock exchange allows its investors to trade online while the real exchange is done offline. Advertently, this allows all manner of investors to trade in this stock exchange. The technological advances allow participants in this market to have the opportunity to trade locally and internationally. The LSE group has in the past decade offered high performance trading platforms, market softwares e.g. sets, crests, for assessment of assets as well as post trading services for its participants (Alexander, 2008, 281; Alexander, 2010, 137). Main markets works together with the LSE and the financial authorities in regulation of trades with big corporations. These are companies who are not only looking for ways of raising capital but also in having a reputation in their liquidity shares profile and international position. It has a combined market capitalisation of  £3.7 trillion. This market serves over 1400 companies. It