Columbus and the Discovery of America essays

Columbus and the Discovery of America essays Columbus discovery of America and that of his travel to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope, are the two most unpleasant and significant events that have impacted modern civilization as we know it. By Columbus discovering America, he conquered, enslaved other cultures, destroyed lands, introduced disease and caused extinction, alteration of species and the destruction of the environment. Columbus is above all a villain of the modern age. Columbus alone was responsible for the enslavement and genocide of the people he had encountered in the new world that he had discovered. Upon his arrival in the Cape of Hope, he kidnapped twelve of the Arawaks and brought them back to Spain to learn Spanish. Exactly one year later, Columbus returned with the captives to the Cape of Hope and enslaved its first nations people in order to acquire its silver and gold. As Columbus demanded a quotient of gold for every day, those who refused or committed criminal offenses had their ears and noses severed off. As this continued to happen, the Arawaks became enraged and resisted. Columbus fought back by releasing his attack dogs that viciously tore apart and slaughtered the Arawak tribe. He then captured 1,500 natives and took them to Spain. Five hundred died on the voyage. While in Spain, it was demanded of the remaining captured tribe members to pay respects to the Queen Isabella and those who refused had their hands hacked off. The Ki ng later stated that the Arawaks had chosen their own fate and many women committed suicide and murdered their own children. Columbus and his crew brought disease over to the new land. Within the next fifty years, over 3,000,000 Arawaks died because they did not have the same immunities to these diseases as the Spaniards (ex. the common cold, small pox). Before the disease that the Spaniards exposed to the natives, the Arawaks had particularly good health. Specific diseases that were s...

Enrollment to the Freelance Writing Course Closes Today

Enrollment to the Freelance Writing Course Closes Today Enrollment to the Freelance Writing Course Closes Today Enrollment to the Freelance Writing Course Closes Today By Daniel Scocco Today is your last chance to join the DWT Freelance Writing Course. Enrollment will remain open until midnight (GMT). The next edition of the course will take place only in mid-2013. Below, you’ll find what some of the past students had to say about the course: â€Å"What you supplied has far exceeded my expectations, both in content and value for money. I congratulate you on a job well done.† (Margaret Huggins, Australia) â€Å"I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the online course. I have been researching content on how to establish a freelance writing career since earlier this year and your course provided information that I just haven’t been able to find anywhere else. Thanks for taking the time to develop this in a straightforward and manageable fashion.† (Yvonne Smith, United States) If youve been writing for a while as a hobby, this course will teach you the steps needed to take it further, into running your own business. With Alis writing skills and Daniels business acumen, youre really learning from people who have experience. The bonuses and private forum alone are worth the cost. (Rhys Winne, England) We also offer a 60-day money-back guarantee: If you are on the fence about joining, feel free to enroll and take the whole course. If, after that, you decide it was not what you were looking for, simply email us, and we’ll refund your money on the same day. Click here to visit the course page where you can enroll and check all the details, including the course structure, price and bonuses. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should KnowHow to spell "in lieu of"One Scissor?

Diagnosis and Simulation PDA SIM Strategies Essay

Diagnosis and Simulation PDA SIM Strategies - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the speed of microprocessors is increased by two times what it was after about eighteen months. Therefore, sustenance of hardware investments tends to be tainted with uncertainty, especially in the context of most developing economies, where returns on this type of investments might not be immediately forthcoming. B2B marketing strategy might not be immediately very profitable, as there will probably be some more inherent costs, even though some profit is expected, which will help in the company’s actual financial situation. It is essential to start thinking about producing and marketing new products with the same characteristics which the actual consumers need. The products that the customers want to be on the market should be concentrated on, rather than continuing to offer the same customized products. The performance was much better on this run than the first two. The author implemented a B2B marketing strategy and created new segments for the c ontinued sale of the PDAs. The researcher also assigned relevant resources to profitable segments, and although there are some costs involved in this strategy, he believes that this is a very effective strategy, and will improve the company’s finances in the long run. This run was more effective than the last, probably due to the fact that the author adopted a more evolutionary and modular design technique. He thinks the improvement came about because the X7 handheld was priced about the same as the competition, even after the adjustments to make it more desirable had been made

Unit2 Chinese literature paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unit2 Chinese literature paper - Essay Example It is important to remember however that such kings were as often â€Å"created† by poets and philosophers (like Confucius) as examples. Whether they were actually wise or not is difficult to determine. It was in their interest to appear to be so. One of the reasons this idea of the Sage King became more popular as China transitioned into a feudal period was not only because it introduced an element of accountability into questions of leadership but because it focused on virtue. Leaders were to be good and rule for the good of the people, not to treat the country as their personal territory or the people as their own vassals. But virtue, as Duke of Zhou writes, is not enough: â€Å"The mandate of heaven is not easily [preserved] . . .†2 The key is to respect your ancestors and lead in the way they have done too. This speaks to an inherent stability and conservativism in Chinese politics at the time. Leaders at the time were trying to establish and confirm a new way of doing politics at the time, they were trying to introduce new ideas. Instead of basing their principles on radicalism and revolution, they did their best to appeal to the past. This almost certainly made it easier for them to appeal to ordinary people for their success. Part of the message sent out by sage kings was not more complicated than â€Å"respect your parents.† Most people can get behind a message like this. It is hard to say much more about sage kings without reference to Confucius. This was a great philosopher who thought people who were honest and virtuous should be chosen to guide the multitude. He also believed that a leader must first govern himself, before he would be able to govern other people. Confucius appeared to have a great deal of respect for the Duke of Zhou and for much of the philosophical ideas about leadership mentioned above. Much of his thinking can also be attributed to the disunity undergoing this later period of Chinese history—he

Directing Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Directing Hamlet Essay If I were to have the pleasure of directing Hamlet I would first think about how and where the scene would be set. I would have the scene set in the suburbs of Italy where the gangsters are, because the portrayal of gangster Italy, on television (which the audience may be familiar with) is like the situation in Hamlet. Where revenge must be taken by the son, also upholding the family honour and such family situations. Also the portrayal of Italians is that they are very religious and that they tend to be Catholics, so the religious aspect of this scene (trying to pray and having the need to be forgiven by god) would fit in with my version and Shakespeares. I would have this scene set in a Roman Catholic Church to support the fact that Claudius wishes to pray here and that he is Catholic. I would like the church to echo the voices to show that Claudius heart must be empty for him to have committed this evil crime, so all he hears is the voices of his head, telling him what he thinks is the right thing to do, for example to pray for forgiveness. However his heart would be telling him to give up the things that he killed for, which Claudius himself mentions, since I am still possessd of those effects for which I did the murder. I would like the lighting to be an orangey afternoon colour, like when the sun sets. I imagine churches to be empty around early sunset time and if Claudius really felt guilty he would not want people o see that he is unable to pray I would not have any sound effects as the church would echo and I would like the audience to focus on what the actors were saying. Also silence between lines tends to create a sense of atmosphere. It would make the audience feel tense as though something was about to happen. I would like Claudius to look into the mirror when he is talking to himself throughout most of the scene. Except when it is inappropriate, for instance when he goes to pray. I would like the audience to feel more relaxed by this, as Claudius does not seem to be very emotionally at thins. I would like the audience to feel quite angry with Claudius. I would like them to feel this as they can see that he is not mentally disturbed by the goings on. However when Hamlet goes to talk to himself I would like to have him talking to the audience to show that although Hamlet said in an earlier scene that he would pretend to go mad, How strange or odd someer I bear myself-As perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on all the frustration about getting revenge and his fathers murder may have actually driven him mad. I feel that having Hamlet talk to the audience shows this, as the other members of the play do not seem to be able to see the audience (King Claudius talking to himself in the mirror). I would like the audience to be shocked, by this and feel on edge as this scene is all about whether Hamlet will kill the king or not which is very tense. Since Claudius is a King in Shakespeares Hamlet I would like him to play someone of high importance, so I would have him being played as a gangster leader. The outfit I would like him to wear would be a grey Armani suit, a waistcoat, blue collared shirt, and patent leather shoes. I would like him to have square framed glasses and for him to wear lots of gold jewellery, but especially a gold signant ring to symbolise that he is the leader of a gang, which has resemblance to the fact that he is a king (monarchs wear a ring to show that they are married to their country). I would like Hamlet to be wearing rather informal clothes to show that he may have gone slightly mad. I would have him wearing a plain black shirt, which would be reasonably tight. I would then have him wearing a black Hawaiian shirt with a thatched pattern on it. I would also like him to be wearing dark blue jeans. The dark clothes would be symbolising that Hamlet is still in mourning for his fathers death. I would like Hamlet to be wearing a silver Saint Christopher around his neck, to show that Hamlet may need guidance for the revenge of his fathers death. I would like to keep the language the same as I feel that if the text were to be converted into modern language the impact of the rhythm and words would be lost. Such as when Claudius says, It hath the primal eldest curse upont, means Its like when the first murder happened in the bible. These words do not have nearly as much effect as the original line. The original line provides some atmosphere. The word curse suggests evil, as witches were thought in Shakespeares time to send curses. Also as people were more religious in Shakespeares time the fact that Claudius has committed the worst sin n the bible they may have been horrified by Claudius crime. This wouldnt have as much effect on a modern day audience however I feel that the words too tend to portray that Claudius shows disgust towards himself. Some of the words in this scene are quite difficult to interpret so I would have to make some sort of gesture in order to make it more obvious what the two actors mean. I think that obvious hand or body gestures would make it more obvious. For example when Hamlet says, Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent I think that Hamlet should, lift his sword and then approach Claudius. This would make the true meaning of the sentence clearer. A few lines in this scene make it so enjoyable to watch, but it all depends on the actors interpretation and delivery of the line. When Claudius says, O, my offence is rank This line needs to be emphasised as it shows that Claudius may be feeling regret for what he did. So he could show this by shouting the line, which displays the anger that he may be feeling with himself. Also a brothers murder must be emphasised as this is the reason to Claudius guilt, and why he is so angry with himself. He could portray this to the audience by saying it slowly, and going into an audible whisper as if someone may hear. Claudius should also emphasise when he says, Forgive me my foul murder! as this shows that maybe he does truly repent and feel guilt. He could shout this line to the ceiling as if he were talking to god. When Claudius talks of the things he does not wish to give up, My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. The should be said in a low husky tone, to show that Claudius although in this scene he may seem to be wanting forgiveness, he does not truly want it as he would give up these items that he killed his brother for. When Claudius is describing how in the criminal world he can buy himself out of trouble, In the corrupted currents of this world. This line and the following three lines should also be delivered in the same low husky tone to show that Claudius is still evil as to mix himself with criminals, who were also known as sinners in Shakespeares time. Also when Claudius talks to his knees, telling them to, Bow stubborn knees he should speak softly as though here were speaking to a child. This would emphasise the line and show that Claudius is encouraging himself to pray; just a children are encouraged when spoken to in a soft voice. The line he says, All may be well should also be softly as he trying to convince himself that everything will be all right. It is the final two lines that should be emphasised the most as this show the true irony of the whole scene. Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius, as he believes that Claudius is praying and would go straight to heaven. Here when Claudius says, My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thought never to heaven go. We learn that he was unable to pray anyway so Hamlet could have killed Claudius, only Hamlet did not know this. His line could be emphasised with pauses in between up and my, and in-between thought and never. When Hamlet says And now Ill do it. I think here the actor should raise his sword above his head and increase the volume of his voice to a shout. Hamlet should then approach Claudius and let out a war like cry to emphasise this line. This I feel is effective as it emphasises this line and the silence that would follow would also emphasise the next line, and so a goes to heaven. I think that those two lines are very important as they show that Hamlet is about to kill Claudius until he decides that hell wait. I also think that when Hamlet is talking about the death of his father, A took my father grossly, he should speak through his teeth, in a low tone. I feel that Hamlet would be feeling very angry, as he cannot yet revenge his fathers death. So I feel that that talking through his teeth would portray that anger to the audience. This also emphasises the line as the audience would listen to what he was saying as him talking through his teeth would be obvious to them. Hamlet, however should speak with joy when he talks about what kind if thing Claudius will be doing when Hamlet could kill him, When he is drunk asleep, or in rage; Or in th incestuous pleasure of his bed; At game, a-swearing, or about some act. I feel that Hamlet would be imagining Claudius being killed and going straight to hell, which would make him very happy. I then think that when Hamlet delivers this last line, this physic but prolongs thy sickly days. It must be emphasised as Hamlet would be feeling quite sad and angry that he has Claudius in very vulnerable position yet he feels that he cannot kill him, as that would not give him true revenge. I feel that sadness and anger can be portrayed by Hamlet having a pause between physic and but. Also the actor should speak in a low tone to get the audience attention as this line displays the irony as Claudius is unable to pray. This scene is only effective because the audience knows what happened in the previous scene. They know that Claudius has portrayed his true guilt to Hamlet, confirming Hamlets beliefs that Claudius killed his father. The way in which he did show his guilt, (When the players put on a play with a murder committed the same way that he killed his brother) would be more effective in Shakespeares time as then all people who committed murder were believed to go mad, and be affected by the site of their crime. When Claudius views his crime he horrified by himself and feels the need to be forgiven which explains his sudden desperate need to pray. I feel that this scene gives Hamlet its edge of tenseness. The rest of the play is an unwinding tale leaving the audience wondering right until the last scene, will Hamlet kill Claudius?

Stephen King :: essays research papers

The relief Stephen King's Constant Readers feel at seeing the first full-length novel from the horrormeister since his accident most likely overshadows the weaknesses they might find in an effort that, while not King's best, is neither his worst. Set partially in the Derry, Maine, of It and Insomnia, and with shades of Tommyknockers in its subject matter, Dreamcatcher hearkens back to It and that novel's theme of the lifelong endurance of childhood friendships -- especially when something unspeakable bound those long-ago children to one another. Four men meet for their annual deer hunting party deep in the Maine woods in a cabin full of happy memories. Though they've inevitably grown apart, their childhood ties are still strong. In the cabin's great room hangs a Native American dreamcatcher, strings woven about sticks said to have the power to protect slumbering humans from night terrors. This year, though, that hanging talisman will prove scant protection against an unearthly horror that will require sacrifices of the highest order from the knot of friends. The animals are fleeing the surrounding forest, for they sense the unwelcome visitors whose precursors were the spate of recent strange lights in the New England sky. For Pete, Beaver, Henry and Jonesy, the nightmare begins when a disoriented hunter named McCarthy stumbles into their camp. The situation quickly degenerates. McCarthy unwittingly plays host to a deadly parasitic creature and brings a rapidly multiplying fungal growth into the midst of the group. While the childhood friends battle an inexplicable and implacable enemy, a government covert operations team seals off the area. Their plan: to destroy all evidence of a threatening alien invasion like nothing the pulp sci-fi purveyors has prepared the world for. Led by a man who is quite possibly insane, the black ops unit will stop at nothing to contain the menace -- including the slaughter of the bewildered hunters they've herded from the surrounding forest. Even so, the government's answer is insufficient to the problem. The combined will of the four men, and their reunion with the dying boy-man whose uniqueness bound them all together so wondrously those years ago, is the only hope against the unrelenting usurper from the heavens. The very best part of Dreamcatcher is undoubtedly the magic of the boys' relationship in the flashbacks to an earlier Derry. The easy way their small circle assimilates a specially-gifted Down's Syndrome child breaks your heart with its glimpse of humanity's potential actualized.

The New Economic Policy

How far were economic problems responsible for Stalin’s decision to replace the New Economic Policy in 1928 with the first Five-Year Plan ? There seemed to be various reasons why Stalin decided to replace the New Economic Policy with the first Five-Year Plan in 1928. These included economic problems, the role of ideology, a fear of invasion and political considerations. Although economic problems certainly were an important reason for Stalin’s decision, the most significant reason must have been political, since the consolidation of his power position had always been Stalin’s prime concern.The occurrence of economic problems presumably played a major role in Stalin’s decision to move away from the New Economic Policy (NEP), although it must be noted that, before that time, the NEP had had its, albeit limited, success: By 1925 the NEP had returned the economy to its pre-war levels, and by 1927 both agriculture and industrial production exceeded their pre-wa r level. However, the NEP had run into problems such as the scissors crisis in 1924 and the grain procurement crisis of 1927-28.For Stalin and many pragmatists who had supported the NEP because it had been working, the grain procurement crisis brought matters to a head. Russia was by 1928 still an economically backward country compared to the large economies of Western Europe and especially the USA. Farming methods still were fundamentally backwards and unproductive. In industry there was a genuine necessity for the economy to develop and compete with western competitors far ahead of Russia.Economic problems were likely to be a catalyst for the bold measures of the first Five-Year Plan, since Stalin felt that without it Russia would keep lagging behind. Ideological aspects too seemed to matter in Stalin’s decision making, although his own ideological position can be seen as somewhat blurred, since he used to frequently change policies according to what suited him best in his pursuit of a leading role in the Communist Party. For example, before his policy U-turn in 1928 Stalin had defended the NEC against opposition from the left wing of the Party.By 1927-28, when the NEP began to experience problems, Stalin sensed that stressing Communist ideological believes would gain him a lot of support. Many Communists, especially those of the left wing, saw the NEP as a retreat from Marxist, anti-capitalist principles and the urban working class resented the special position of the peasants under the NEP. Growing mass unemployment in the towns and food shortages combined with the ideological distaste felt by many Communists for the NEP and the Nepmen.This led Stalin to wage a class war against the peasants and the Kulaks in particular, branding those who would resist collectivisation as ’enemies of the people’ or ’enemies of the revolution. ’ Communist ideology played their part in Stalin’s decision making since it ensured suppor t not only from the Party but also from the workers and gave Stalin the moral grounds to prevail and secure control of the state. A fear of invasion must also have been influential in Stalin’s decision, as since back during the Civil War of 1918-21, when the western powers had clearly supported the ’Whites’, the Communists had a certain suspicion for them.Russia found itself in a far from ideal international climate during the late 1920s, which clearly suggested that the Soviet Union was surrounded by hostile nations which undermined its national security. Stalin seemed to have felt the necessity for both setting up self-sufficiency in food production and industrialise rapidly in order to built up the armed forces and prepare Russia for war against the capitalist powers, or, as he would say at a Party meeting ’Either we do it – or they crush us. Since under the NEP these goals were unlikely to be accomplished, a fear of invasion probably was an imp ortant motivator behind the shift to the first Five-Year Plan. Finally, and most importantly, political considerations led Stalin to replace the NEP. It could be seen as a continuation of the leadership struggle that had set in after the death of Lenin in 1924 and demonstrated Stalin’s victory over Bukharin, who was the leading advocate of the NEP. Stalin could show that he was able to apply his own policies and, in doing so, consolidate his position.The Plan would further gain him the support of the left wing of the Communist Party, which had been leaderless when Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky were defeated and humiliated in 1927. In addition, he still advocated socialism in one country and therefore appealed to Russian nationalism. Self-sufficiency in food production and not being dependant on foreign grain imports was popular as it would make Russia appear stronger and save money which could be used to improve living conditions.Political considerations were of prime importa nce to Stalin since he knew that if he could deliver all these things, it would serve the basic aim of securing his leadership position for the time to come. Overall, while it was possibly a combination of all factors discussed that played a role in Stalin’s decision to abandon the NEP in favour of the first Five-Year Plan, political considerations must have been the major driving force.However urgent a resolution of the pressing economic problems was, Stalin had proven consistently throughout the leadership challenge of 1924-1928 that his basic aim was the consolidation of his power. He had repeatedly changed his policies to decimate both the left and right wing of the Party. Like so many times before, it is quite probable that his decision was yet another piece of opportunism. Had it not been for the unpopularity of the NEP among many Party members, it is questionable whether Stalin would have taken such bold steps.