English Poem Analysis Essay Example for Free

English Poem Analysis Essay In this poem, Pablo Neruda is talking about life, and how he feels that it is an insignificant business. He talks about life after death, saying that nobody keeps what they have and says that life is nothing but a borrowing of bones. The best thing he claims to have learnt from life is that one should not have too much of either joy or sadness, but experience both in equal quantities. He feels that his being happy was a punishment, a condemnation that caused him to plunge into the sorrows of others, and to share with them their sorrow. He says that he did not do this for fame or for money, but because he could not live in the shadows, the shadows of other people. He says that we can heal our own wounds by weeping and singing, but in front of us lie thousands of others who are in constant suffering. He feels that his business on earth was to fulfil his spirit, the happiness he felt with the sum of all his actions. It gave him great joy to bathe in the sea under the sun, and in the very foam of the sea, his heart which lay dying was seeped into the sand. The poet makes use of immense imagery in all his works. There is no poem written by Pablo Neruda, which is lacking imagery. It is one of the most common literary devices used by the poet. And this is one such poem where he has used various kinds of imagery to illustrate his thoughts.

Ryanair Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses

Ryanair Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses Michael Porter defines Strategy as a combination of the goals for which the firm is striving and the means and policies by which it is seeking to get there. According to him the Strategy is about competitive position, about differentiating yourself from the point of view of the customer, about adding value through a mix of activities different from those used by competitors. Kenneth Andrews defines Corporate strategy as the pattern of decisions in a company that determines and reveals its objectives, purposes, or goals, produces the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, and defines the range of business the company is to pursue, the kind of economic and human organization it is or intends to be, and the nature of the economic and non-economic contribution it intends to make to its shareholders, employees, customers, and communities.. Background Currently, the commercial world and its borders are changing more rapidly with regard of terms of size and speed. Travelling all around the world is no longer a luxury but a requirement for many of the population. In the past only rich people could afford to travel, in nowadays with the increasing movement of the technology, students as well as people with average profits can benefit. Due to this fact, in the past decades the number of airlines worldwide has been increasing significantly and respectively in early70s a new type emerged for the first time in the U.S.: the low cost airlines. The first low cost airline was Southwest Airlines which began operations in 1971 and was profitable only in 1973 (Oliveira and Huse, 2008). After twenty years after the Americans (Beigbeder, 2007) due to the fact of the deregulation of European skies in early 1990s, the phenomenon appeared in Europe. One of the first low-cost airlines which emerged was Ryanair (Ireland) and Easy Jet (UK) and they keep being still among the most active on the market. Companys history, development, and growth Ryanair is one of the Worlds favorite airlines and operates more than 1,400 flights per day from 44 bases and 1100+ low fare routes across 27 countries, connecting 160 destinations. Ryanair operates a fleet of 250 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft with firm orders for a further 64 new aircraft which will be delivered over the next 2 years (www.ryanair.com). Ryanair is a innovator among LCA (Low Cost Airline) companies in Europe. They were among the first and they are still today the most active LCA on the continent. This business is increasing fast and from the beginning has passed through very significant phases. Ryanair was founded in 1985 by the Ryan family in Ireland. In 1988 and during only one year due to financial losses, the company launches a business class service and a frequent flyer club for customers, neither of which prove particularly successful. This change has meant that Ryanair has changed its generic strategy. Indeed, the company since the early 90s pursuing a cost strategy. Ryanair now offers the lowest fares in every market, high frequency flights, moving to a single aircraft fleet type, scrapping free drinks and expensive meals on board. These decisions have significantly reduced ticket prices for customers. In order to reduce again costs, Ryanair decided also to narrow down traveling lines from 19 to 6 routes between 1990 and 1992. With this new policy the Irish firm carry over 1 million passengers in one year for the first time in 1993. On 29th May 1997 Ryanair becomes a public company for the first time with a successful flotation on the Dublin and NASDAQ (New York) St ock Exchanges. In March 1999, Ryanair accepts the delivery of five new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft. Those new aircrafts began operations from the main base at London Stansted, and their impact allowed Ryanair to operate with significantly lower seat costs and to offer much lower airfares, but with better reliability and a fantastic new customer product (www.ryanair.com). Communication between customers and the company is always a priority. In 2000, Ryanairs website (www.ryanair.com) became the largest booking website in Europe with more than 50.000 bookings each week. This source of information allows also customers to avail of the lowest car hire, hotel accommodation, travel insurance and rail services. At that time, Ryanair was the only LCA which developed interactive useful internet services for customers. Ryanair was in 2003 in the category most popular brand the fifth most searched website in the world (http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2003.html). The Irish airline became also the first LCA to sponsor a program on television in order to gained more customers. The company decided to sponsor Skynews Weather reports. Following this effort in communication, 1 million people traveled for the first time in during a month with Ryanair in august 2001. According to R. OBrian (mail communication, 15 April 2009) in order to be closer to custome rs, they build also the first continental base at Brussels Charleroi Airport in Belgium between 2001 and the end of 2002. In 2002, the company selected Frankfurt Hahn as the second Continental European base and launched in April with 10 routes. German customers flock in their millions to avail of the lowest air fares to and from Frankfurt according to J. Meier (personal communication, 15 April 2009). To accommodate this growth, Ryanair announced the largest ever aircraft order by an Irish airline by increasing their aircraft order with Boeing from 45 to 125 firm aircraft, with a further 125 options. The value of this order exceeds à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 6 billion and signals Ryanairs ambition to continue to be the largest LCA in Europe. Ryanair became also the number one in Europe of customer services beating all other European airlines for punctuality, fewer cancellations and least lost bags (www.ryanair.com). Meanwhile according to the company respondent communications to customers have not stopped. In 2004, Ryanair is named the most popular airline on the web by Google, as the website continues to be the most searched travel one in Europe. These performances continued and now more than 98% of all Ryanair bookings are made through the website and Internet customer services. During 2005 and 2006, Ryanair used communication tools in order to try to be different from other airlines for customers. First, they made a big communication called no fuel surcharge guarantee. Following the statements by the respondents , this was a new communication for customers because many full service airlines such as British airways, Air France or Lufthansa continue even today to supplement already high fares fuel with surcharges in case of extra costs. Second, Ryanair became The Worlds Favorite Airline because they carried more customers than British Airways and all other airline and LCA firms. Third, Ryanair was and is still the most punctual company in Europe with more than 90% of flights who arrived on time and respect schedules. Many radio advertising were made with this information. Finally, in order to attract new customers, they offered 100.000 seats for 1à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ for the 20th birthday of the Irish brand. From 2006 until now, a new customer service was launched . According to the respondent This is a web check-in service giving passengers the opportunity to check-in online across Ryanairs entire route network. The company is also the first airline worldwide to carried more than 5 million travelers in a month and created plan for a new customer service: onboard mobile. For the moment, Ryanair has 830 low fare routes all around Europe and across 26 different European countries. They produced customer services from their 31 European bases. Ryanair currently has a team of more than 8,000 people and expects to carry approximately 73.5 million passengers in the current fiscal year (www.ryanair.com). Strategy Ryanair strategy remains the same from the beginning of the 90s and since then it continues to act as the European LCA leader and continues the expansion in order to attract more customers. Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generates increased passengers traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies (Ryanairs annual report from 2008). Business Model Full Service : Low Cost: Using HubSpoke network, Congestion during peak hours Delay of only a few inbound flights Will spill over across large portions of the network Low average daily utilization of aircraft, higher costs per seat mile Enormous transaction costs Complex fare structure Non-stop point-to-point services High seating density and load factors, Uniform aircraft types (usually the 737-300) Direct booking (internet/call centre no sales commissions) No frills such as free food/drinks, lounges or air miles Simple systems of yield management (pricing) Use of secondary airports to cut charges and turnaround times The main components of their strategy are low fares, customer services, frequent point-to-point flights on short-haul routes, low operating costs, high maintaining productivity, high personnel productivity, low customers costs, airport access fees, taking again a better advantage of Internet in order to serve the customer, commitment to safety and quality maintenance, enhancement of operating results and ancillary services and focused criteria or objectives for growth (Ryanairs annual report from 2008). Passengers may trade-off price savings against service reductions but anyway Ryanairs market success shows that the product/price trade-off is broadly in line with customers requirements so far. One of the key to the success of Ryanair was that they adopted the decision to build a powerful brand and as an example in 2003 the company was declared the fifth most searched website in the world. This confirms Gilbert ´s (1996) assumptions that branding is becoming increasingly important when it comes to product differentiation. In the case of LCA`s building brand recognition can be seen as another effective tool to be prepared for the competitive environment. These assumptions will be tightened through the argumentation by O ´Connelly and Williams (2005) that for LCA ´s who are offering a strong alternative to full service airlines it is from special relevance to build a strong brand around the company, but with the addition of customer loyalty and satisfaction. During the years the airline has stated clearly the product and stayed rigidly to that model with over 180 routes and 17 bases. In order to maintain the low fares the company has decided to eliminate the amount of travel agents and marketing costs and to sell tickets per internet. This strategic decision had a positive impact and as a result the number of the customers has increased because the clients prefer to avoid the agency and to check, compare and buy the tickets themselves. Since the implementation of internet booking in 2000, passenger numbers has grown rapidly. The growth rate increased from 15,7% (in 1999) to 30,7% (in 2000) and to over 40 % in the following years. Ryanair stimulated the passenger growing by focusing on price and not on service. Thinking on long terms this can arouse problems when another new airline enters the market and this may adversely affect Ryanair`s market share and profitability. This assumption is mainly based on statement by Lawton (1999) where it is said that just having the focus on one strategy, for instance price leadership, will be unsustainable in the future. Mainly driven by the Ryanair will to expand it is certain to sustain its competitive advantage by setting the focus secondary. While the rate of price reduction in air fares charged by low cost airlines is likely to moderate the passenger demand for the Ryanair product is likely to remain high. Ryanair clearly satisfies the markets demand which indicates that the strong price reducing strategy attracts a high number of customers. We can suppose that this fact will remain the same as far as the clients dont change their preferences and their necessities, as long as they want just to move from one point to another and nothing more. The clients tend to keep and select the low cost airline especially for the low cost services provided by them. However the Ryanair is not really focused in the relations with the customers and are counting every penny in order to maintain them on the market. To give you anecdotal case experience I had with Ryanair: one of my Ryanair flight was cancelled so I ended with no communications at all, no change of the ticket, no accommodation provided. Writing numerous letters to Ryanair didnt get me not even a reply and only after writing to the European Commissions for Air Passengers Rights after 3 years Ive got my money back. The conclusion is that what is really important for the company is to keep the low cost as low as possible, no matter what is takes. Otherwise Ryanair could even however face the problem of cost cutting itself out of the market. What counts to the customers is to obtain fair services in direct rapport with the fair prices. The focus that Ryanair need to be focus is the importance of relationship building with its customers, otherwise it may risk losing its position. In case that the airline is capable to unite the low price with a special network of customer fidelity, only then the competitive advantage can be obtained. Strategies could be influenced directly by the numbers of travellers. According to the history of the Ryanair, in its initial stages the company wasnt very effective and after introducing the hard discount pricing strategy the firm became really successful and attractive for the clients. Companys internal strengths and weaknesses SWOT Analysis Strengths Low Cost Pioneer First in cost reductions 1stmover advantage Strong Brand Established market share Variety of supplementary services Weaknesses Week relations with customers Unpredictable customer relations Poor relations between employees Refused to recognize unions Reliance on Michael OLeary Unfriendly connection with competitors Opportunities Continuing development Advanced fee decreasing EU growth Traveller Destinations Rapidly developing competition New low cost entrants Alliance/Mergers between rivals Threats Industry criticism Alternative transportation(cars, trains) External environnement Analyzing the external environment we can define 4 categories of external factors that influence the strategy of Ryanair. Political and legal: Have an increased Trade-Union pressure, EU abolishment of Duty-free Sales, EU expansion Advertising and Marketing Campaigns Economic: Continuously price growth of fuel Depreciation of US dollars EU Commissions Decisions regarding: communication with passengers, cancelled passenger compensation, overbooking, getting illegal subsidies from airports. Sociocultural: The developing of new style of living by travelling, increasing demand of business with require travelling Increasing of new high-speed trains, better cars and other ways of travelling Technological: With Internet, and all the IT technology, everything is much simple you can book, cancel, buy easily a ticket wherever you like Competitors Ryanair now has a number of low-cost competitors. In 2004, approximately 60 new low-cost airlines were formed. Although traditionally a full-service airline, Aer Lingus moved to a low-fares strategy from 2002, leading to a much more intense competition with Ryanair on Irish routes. AirBerlin wich uses a Business model -instead of point to point connections, it offered guaranteed connections via its hubs, low fare alliances. Another new competitor is BNIBaby a subsidiary of BMI British Midband and leading low cost carriers in the Midlands and Nothern England. Alos is FlyBE which has an incorporated aspect of budget airline model. Airlines which attempt to compete directly with Ryanair are treated competitively, with Ryanair being accused by some of reducing fares to significantly undercut their competitors. In response to MyTravelLite, who started to compete with Ryanair on the Birmingham to Dublin route in 2003, Ryanair set up competing flights on some of MyTravelLites routes until they pulled out. Go was another airline which attempted to offer services from Ryanairs base at Dublin to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. A fierce battle ensued, which ended with Go withdrawing its service from Dublin. [Quinn, Eamonn. No competitors for Ryanair in Dublin, says Cassani, 30 November 2003, at Tcm.ie. Retrieved 18 December 2006.] Ryanairs biggest competitor is EasyJet, announced routes to the Republic of Ireland for the first time, beginning with the Cork to London Gatwick route. Until then, EasyJet had never competed directly with Ryanair on its home ground. [Mulligan, John. Ryanair wins judicial review of decision over Knock route, 10 September 2008 at Independent.ie] External Analysis Porters Five Forces Threat of new Entrants Medium Is somehow affected by new comers in the market Suppliers Bargaining Power Low Industry Competitors Competition Among existing Firms High There are several strong competitors fighting for the same clients. Buyers Bargaining Power Low Threat Of Substitute Products Medium There is a living style that makes EU people to travel during the weekend with, buses, cars, caravans, trails Ryanair Competitive Advantage In nowadays the company tries to position itself by providing a strong brand on the market and obtaining a good reputation. Driven by this, company has to adapt each time to the condition of the market following strategies that can improve their competitiveness. These include cost leadership, differentiation, focused cost leadership and integrated cost leadership/differentiation. Ryanair restructured the model and they moved from conventional airline to the first European low fare. At the beginning it provided services only between Ireland and the UK. At the end of 1990 in spite of the increasing in clients, Ryanair faced losses of 20 mln IR pounds. At this period of time and directed by Michael OLeary the company decides to adopt the model of successful American Southwest Airlines. The problems encountered at this stage were that, Ryanair tried to concentrate and on costs and also on focus. At this stage, the competitors can invade the market, and without a proper strategy the compa ny cannot position themselves on a segment and survive. So they choose to go for Cost Leadership which proved to be a right choice. So how they do that: Fleet Standardization The company uses the most sold and used planes from the world Boeing 737. Maintenance costs are low, spares parts are chip and because of this, the Ryanair is capable to keep the low prices, New Aircrafts, Owns Own Fleet, Operations Denominated in Euro, Hedge Fuel Risk Airport Charges The company chose to avoid main airports and to use secondary or regional airport but closed to big cities, and respectively these airport charge lower taxes Limited Airport Transportation Employees and Productivity The company provides lower employment costs, but the staff can earn more money based on their performance Model Online Bookings, One Class Travel, Ticketless Boarding, Unallocated Seats, Point-to-Point Flying, No Frills, Reduced Turnaround Times, No Refund Policy Outsourcing of Services The company uses the third part services such as aircraft handling, ticketing. Highly Successful Ancillary Service Offering, Outsourcing of Services at International Airports, Marketing and Advertising The companys promoting is basically in newspaper, radio, television and their web site Advertising on Airplanes, In-house Marketing Basic Service on board Offers minimum standards of service and very low prices for point-to point short have flights, no extra such as in flight meals, advance seat assignment, free drinks and other services. Eliminating seatback pockets, No blankets or pillows, Airsickness bags distributed on request, Charges larger penalties for overweight luggage This strategy was a success and by 1997, Ryanair was floated on the Dublin Stock Exchange and on NASDAQ. Expansion strategy is another factor that enables Ryanair to position itself in the marketplace. The company has been known to be an airline which launches new routes since its operation begins. In addition, under the expansion strategy, company acquires Buzz in February 26, 2003. Such acquisition enables Ryanair to gain immediate access to11 new French regional airports and makes the company the largest airline operating at London Stansted Airport. In addition, the company continues to expand by opening two new Continental European bases with low-fare flights from Milan Bergamo and Stockholm. In the year, 2003, the company has been able to launch 73 new routes and carry over 2 million passengers in one month (July). In addition, the company website has been able to make the company position itself in the global market. Corporate Strategy High Global Strategy Transnational Strategy Low International Strategy Multidomestic strategy Low High Future of Ryainair Cutting costs: Race to bottom Ryanair, the Worlds favorite airline, today (9th  July) launched an online poll to ask if   passengers would stand on short flights if it meant they could travel for FREE, or pay 50% less than seated passengers.  Ryanair is gauging passenger demand for its vertical seating which will allow passengers to travel for free in a secure upright position on short flights of approximately one hour. Source:http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09month=julstory=gen-en-090709 Ryanairs Future Plans, Cutting the costs, No Window Blinds , No Reclining Seats, Leather Seats , Velcro Headrests , Carry-on Luggage Profit enhancement Satellite Television , Internet On-board , Rented In-flight entertainment Future plans Free tickets. In a decade or so, airlines will pay travellers to distribute people around Europe. The airline industry is Tesco, is Ikea, is network TV in the way viewers watch for free and advertisers Pay for access to them, is the internet in the same way that websites earn money for delivering click-through traffic or other sites. Michael OLeary ,Chief Executive Officer of the Irish airline Ryanair Issues at Ryanair Risks and Challenges Extra capacity building would create certaintly about the success of new routes and locations Fuel Prices Vulnerable to rising fuel prices Represents 35 % of the operating costs Compensation to passengers Regulation by the European Union Terrorism and security Added risks and Costs to the industry Expand into Central and Eastern Europe Continue aggressive acquisition Overhaul the customer service Internet ticketing Develop the smaller operating base Increase the ancillary revenues-focus on after sales Future Conclusion Despite the fact that Ryanair is tied to low cost policy and doesnt care about the loyalty of the clients, the relations with the Clients, the service and with bad experience with them, the customers and myself will keep to buy their services, yes we will get the basic service but is cheap, is easy and after the exams I will fly with them in Portugalia. Ryanair rapid growth is due to: Low cost Airline Business Model that restructured European Aviation Industry Pioneer innovative cost reduction methods Creative alternative revenue generation free flights goal in next phase evolution Value segments consist of travellers interested to optimize comfort, time and price. This would mean a requirement for city-centric airports, and comfortable departure times. Competitors are catering to value market segment and have established slots at some primary airports, furthermore provide cost effective basic services. Acquisition of a similar airline would enhance expansion into value-orientated market segments without comprising its top position in the low-price segment. The key challenge for Ryanair in the next few years therefore is developing a successful strategy for not only winning the war in Low Price segment but acquiring solid position in the Value Segment and in new non-European markets. 5. ReferencesBelfast Telegraph. Finance crisis good for

How Andy Goldsworthy Expresses His Feelings through His Works Essay

How Andy Goldsworthy Expresses His Feelings through His Works Andy Goldsworthy was born in Cheshire in 1956 and was brought up in Yorkshire. He studied at Bradford College of Art (1974-75) and Preston Polytechnic (1975-78). After leaving college Goldsworthy lived in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria. He moved over the border to Langholm, Dumfriesshire in 1985 and to Penpont one year later. This gradual drift northwards was due to a way of life over which he did not have complete control. However, contributing factors were opportunities and desires to work in these areas and reasons of economy. Throughout his career most of Goldsworthy's work has been made in the open air, in places as diverse as the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District, Grize Fiord in the Northern Territories of Canada, the North Pole, Japan, the Australian outback, St Louis, Missouri and Dumfriesshire. He collaborates with nature to make his creations. The materials he uses are those you find in the remote locations he visits: twigs, leaves, stones, snow and ice, reeds and thorns. Most works are ephemeral (don't last/live long), but demonstrate in their short life, Goldsworthy's extraordinary sense of play and of place. The works are recorded as photographs. Book publication is an important aspect of Andy Goldsworthy's work: showing all aspects of the production of a given work, each publication is a work of art in its own right. Some recent sculpture has a more permanent natur...

An Awareness through Chaos :: Free Essays Online

An Awareness through Chaos Through careful observation the past can be drawn into proper perspective when compared to the present. By looking back at a series of events that I experienced, I see them in a complete different light than when I actually experienced them. Visions are much clearer when you are able to take a step back to view the entire picture. That is what I am now doing in my life. My education has been my main way of life for the last 14 years or so. Even though we are constantly learning and will for our lifetimes, our childhood education has a big impact on our development into mature beings. Each segment of our education process; elementary school, junior high, etc., is built on each other, building progressive knowledge, helping us forge our way into an abyss of desired wisdom. Throughout those years as I experienced my education, my vision of its purpose and meaning was distorted. I viewed the entire process of learning as one required of us by the government and our parents. I never cared to know the real reasoning. I never saw the importance of knowledge, nor the significance of the preparation for life to come in the "real world". I can remember a day in 8th grade mathematics, when my teacher paused for a brief moment during his sweatening lecture. He turned to the class and posed for us this question, "Why are we here? " Everyone immediately looked at each other, puzzled, not sure what he was asking. He elaborated, " Why are we learning mathematics? " Glancing around the room again, we finally replied, "We have no idea". We all laughed and the teacher turned back to the chalkboard. There, was an example of how as young students we never realized the importance of mathematics, nor any of our other classes. Where did our meaning of education lie? Yet among the clouds of ignorance during my high school days, there was a time that a powerful beacon shown on my life and illuminated the meaning of my education. This sudden awareness occurred when I switched schools from junior to senior high school. Before the beginning of tenth grade my family lived on Long Island. My father was layed off from his job, and we were forced to move in with my Grandmother in upstate New York due to financial circumstances.

The Web of Knowledge Essay -- Philosophy Papers

The Web of Knowledge Great theorist and philosophers such as the stoics, skeptics, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, Kant, Bertrand Russell, Darwin, Freud, and all of 20th century science have struggled with the question what is knowledge? and can we have knowledge? "To know" and "knowledge" are potent concepts and before taking Text and Critics, I took it for granted that I had knowledge of what knowledge is. Then came a simple question. After reading The American Scholar, I recall the class being asked "how is nature related to knowledge?" I didn't have an answer. But more importantly, before I could answer the former, I realized I didn't "know" what knowledge is. How could it be that I had never considered one of the most important philosophical questions asked of mankind--what can we know and what is knowledge? There have been many different views about knowledge, but none of the major philosophers, perhaps because knowledge is such a potent concept and its understanding is assumed to be self evident, have explained what knowledge is. For example, I have here some views with knowledge but no definition of knowledge: Chuang-Tzu, the old Chinese sage and poet said: "Once I dreamed I was a butterfly, and now I no longer know whether I am Chuang-Tzu, who dreamed I was a butterfly, or whether I am a butterfly dreaming that I am Chuang-Tzu." Black Elk, the Lakota moralist, told John Neihardt: "That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see or hear is something like a shadow from that world." So, too, was it for Plato. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in The American Scholar : "We all know, that as the human body can be nourished on any food, though it were boiled grass ... ...rowning in information and starved for knowledge --Unknown "By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight we all quote. In fact it is as difficult to appropriate the thoughts of others as it is to invent." --Ralph Waldo Emerson References Neihardt, John. 1961. Black Elk Speaks . Lincoln and London, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. Confucius. 1989. The Analects of Confucius. New York: Vintage Books, A division of Random House, Inc. Gaarder, Jostein. 1996. Sophie's World, A Novel About the History of Philosophy. New York: Berkeley Books. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. The American Scholar. Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. Custom Course Packet. Plato.1984. The Great Dialogues of Plato. New York, New York: Mentor. Quotes not from text T&C text, above, or otherwise mentioned are from: http://www. starlingtech.com/quotes/qsearch.cgi The Web of Knowledge Essay -- Philosophy Papers The Web of Knowledge Great theorist and philosophers such as the stoics, skeptics, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, Kant, Bertrand Russell, Darwin, Freud, and all of 20th century science have struggled with the question what is knowledge? and can we have knowledge? "To know" and "knowledge" are potent concepts and before taking Text and Critics, I took it for granted that I had knowledge of what knowledge is. Then came a simple question. After reading The American Scholar, I recall the class being asked "how is nature related to knowledge?" I didn't have an answer. But more importantly, before I could answer the former, I realized I didn't "know" what knowledge is. How could it be that I had never considered one of the most important philosophical questions asked of mankind--what can we know and what is knowledge? There have been many different views about knowledge, but none of the major philosophers, perhaps because knowledge is such a potent concept and its understanding is assumed to be self evident, have explained what knowledge is. For example, I have here some views with knowledge but no definition of knowledge: Chuang-Tzu, the old Chinese sage and poet said: "Once I dreamed I was a butterfly, and now I no longer know whether I am Chuang-Tzu, who dreamed I was a butterfly, or whether I am a butterfly dreaming that I am Chuang-Tzu." Black Elk, the Lakota moralist, told John Neihardt: "That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see or hear is something like a shadow from that world." So, too, was it for Plato. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in The American Scholar : "We all know, that as the human body can be nourished on any food, though it were boiled grass ... ...rowning in information and starved for knowledge --Unknown "By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight we all quote. In fact it is as difficult to appropriate the thoughts of others as it is to invent." --Ralph Waldo Emerson References Neihardt, John. 1961. Black Elk Speaks . Lincoln and London, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. Confucius. 1989. The Analects of Confucius. New York: Vintage Books, A division of Random House, Inc. Gaarder, Jostein. 1996. Sophie's World, A Novel About the History of Philosophy. New York: Berkeley Books. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. The American Scholar. Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. Custom Course Packet. Plato.1984. The Great Dialogues of Plato. New York, New York: Mentor. Quotes not from text T&C text, above, or otherwise mentioned are from: http://www. starlingtech.com/quotes/qsearch.cgi

Comparing Judaism and Islam Essay

Judaism and Islam are two of the world’s oldest, and largest monotheistic religions. These religions share a variety of customs, beliefs, and even practices. But at the same time, there are enough differences to make the two religions and cultures oppose each other greatly. Even some similarities between the two have been the source of conflict for thousands of years. Both the Jewish and Muslim faith believe in one God. Being monotheistic means just that, the belief in one God. This is the most obvious similarity between the two religions. In fact a Muslim is defined as anyone who says â€Å"There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God.† and the basic creed of Judaism says â€Å"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.† Judaism and Islam both have Holy Books from which religious teachings are taken. The Muslim Holy Book is called the Quran, it is spelled in English in many different ways Koran, Kuran, this is because Arabic is hard to translate. The Quran is the word of God as reveled by the prophet Mohammed. The Jewish Holy Book is referred to as the Hebrew Bible. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible is called the Torah. This is the part of the bible lays out a system of moral and religious conduct. The Hebrew Bible was put together in the 1st century A.D. by rabbis and teachers of the Jewish text. The Hebrew Bible and the Quran both set up a system of law for the followers of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. The Hebrew Bible, the book of the Jewish faith sets up more of a code of conduct, a system of moral and religious conduct that is called the halavhah. This addresses how families should be run, personal ethics and manners, social responsibilities, and what people of the Jewish faith should and should not eat. Dietary guidelines are very important in the Jewish religion, everything that is eaten must be Kosher, meaning it is prepared a certain way. The Quran goes one step farther in setting boundaries for it’s believers. This book of the Muslim faith sets the rules for an Islamic state. Also there are strict rules on women, families, and daily life that are addressed in deep detail in the Quran. Polygamy is accepted in the Quran, a man may have no more that four wives. And women are actually supposed to be mostly equal to men, yet modest.  Equality of women is not always practiced in some Middle Eastern and Islamic countries. As with most religions Islam and Judaism have a variety of holidays. Some are to commemorate an event of the the past, some to celebrate a new year, or maybe the passing of a certain number of years. Ramadan, a holiday celebrated mostly by Sunni Muslims, happens during the ninth month of the Muslim year. This was the month when the Quran was reveled for the guidance of mankind. During this holy month Muslims fast and abstain from sex during the daylight hours. It is a very holy time and is taken very seriously. In the Jewish faith there is a similar holiday called Passover. This holiday lasts for seven days and commerates the deliverance of Israel from slavery. Passover more specifically refers to the evening when the angel of death passed over the houses of all in Egypt killing the first born of each home that did not have lambs’s blood around the door. During this holiday Jews are permitted only to ear unleavened bread called matzo during the daylight hours, much like the Ramadan fasting. Jews also hold feasts during the first two nights of this holiday. A house of worship is an important component of most religions in our world today. Islam has the Mosque, a place of prayer and teaching. Judaism has the Synagogue, also a place of prayer and teaching. In both these places people gather to perform the customs that are laid out in their religious scriptures. Unlike some religions in the world today both Judaism and Islam require their believers to pray multiple times a day. Jews pray three times a day, once in the morning, once in the noontime and once in the evening. Though this practice is more of a personal choice than the strict guidelines of prayer set in the Muslim religion. In the Quran there are five pillars of the Muslim faith: The first is profession of faith which basically means a Muslims must constantly and openly profess their faith. The second is prayer, which happens five times a day. The third is giving alms to the needy. The fourth is fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. And the fifth is the pilgrimage to Mecca. The second pillar of faith is the  practice similar to the Jewish practice. Five times a day Muslims must pray facing the holy city of Mecca. This however is a very strict prayer, maybe a bit different from the Jewish tradition, but still the same basic concept. Judaism is the oldest of the three major monotheistic religions. The religion began in the time of Abraham which would have been about 1900 B.C, over 3,000 years ago. In many ways this has made the Jewish religion and it’s followers very strong in their beliefs. Islam, on the other hand, was not founded until 570 A.D., some 2,000 years after the beginning of Judaism. Many Jewish believers will use this difference as an argument. They are the older of the two religions, and so they were the first people in the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine) and so they should be entitled to it and no one else. However, Abraham had two sons, Issac the leader of the Hebrew people and Ishmael, the leader of the Arab people. Though not all Muslims are Arab, the majority of the Muslims in Israel are Arab. So Muslims will use this argument by saying that Ishmael was the first son of Abraham and God told Abraham that He would take care of his first born, so the Muslims have just as much right to the area as the Jews, no matter who was there first. Though there are many similarities between Islam and Judaism, the few differences however large or small seem to greatly outweigh the amazing likenesses for the thousands of followers of both beliefs. These differences as well as the continuing argument over the promised land of Israel/Palestine continue today to escalate the war in the sacred area and drive a wedge even further between the two groups. The truly frightening part of all this is that Holy Wars are extremely hard to resolve. When two groups are fighting over land that was promised to them by a divine entity that’s existence can’t even be proven, there aren’t a whole lot of options for peace. All the world can do is educate themselves and try to accept the different religions and continue to look for some sort of compromise.

The Most Important Event in Us History

Most Significant Event in U. S. History: The Louisiana Purchase The United States is not the most perfect country, but it is one of the most successful countries of the modern world. Our country’s vast history contains an immense amount of significant and momentous events that have molded our country into the place we know today. As a country, we have had our fair share of triumph, crisis, and everything in between. But overall, the most important event in the history of the United States is the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson’s purchasing of 828,000 square miles of land in Central America causing the country to double in size.The purchase of this enormous amount of land advanced us politically as we began to make decisions to start expanding and improving our country, our economy improved due to the gain of the Mississippi River and New Orleans trade port, and it diversified America by introducing new races to us, including the Spanish and French. The President at the time of the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson, had a great desire for his country’s western expansion. One of Louisiana’s most populous cities at the time, New Orleans, was a popular trading port that sat on the Mississippi River.Jefferson knew American settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains relied on river transport for trading, so he decided to try to gain its control. When Jefferson discovered that he ended up getting ten times the amount of land he asked for a pretty decent price, he was shocked. The land that America now owned doubled the size of the country. Even though the U. S. was not financially in a position to be spending as much as $15 million dollars, Jefferson could not simply pass up this bargain at nearly 3 cents an acre. This large expansion of our country gave us more land to begin to farm and create settlements on.Even though this move was inexpensive, many Federalists claimed it was unconstitutional. Nowhere did the Constitution stat e that the federal government was allowed to purchase new land. Jefferson knew that this was unconstitutional and felt guilty for even going through with the offer, since it went against his strong beliefs for upholding the constitutional rights. But most Americans supported him and his decision, so he decided to stick with it. Jefferson’s risky act of following his dream of western expansion gave inspiration for future presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D.Roosevelt to take strong executive action even when the constitutional laws were absent. Jefferson’s act of near defiance to take the land our people needed is very important to our country and what it is today. The purchase of this large amount of land made America seem threatening to most other countries, since European colonies were no longer present in North America. The Louisiana Purchase was one of the first major actions that began to unify the country, strengthen, and expand it at the same ti me.When New Orleans was still under French rule, American trade was put in jeopardy when Napoleon threatened to block U. S. access to the New Orleans trade port of the Mississippi River. Due to the location of the Appalachian Mountain range, American settlements relied on river transport to trade their goods. So Jefferson made sure he claimed the territory of Louisiana for his country. Once American had access to the Mississippi River and the New Orleans Trade port in time trade was able to flourish. Also, the land purchase included thirteen new states that became a part of our country, which also improved our economy.When Jefferson decided to send out his secretary, Meriwether Lewis and army officer William Clark to explore his newly purchased land, with the help of a Shoshoni woman Sacajawea, it was another plus for our country’s economy. America gained an expansive amount of scientific observations, and many maps and ideas of the land and its climate and regions. We could now create new states, and create new types of farming and agricultural opportunities, now possible with the vast amounts of land just gained. The Louisiana Purchase helped broaden ways for our economy to grow and expand its horizons with advances in trade, and agriculture.The Louisiana Purchase benefited our country in many ways, and one of the most acknowledged advancements we see and know today is the racial diversity we received when the U. S. acquired Louisiana. Even before Louisiana was under French control, it was preciously under Spanish reign. The mix of these races, French, Spanish, and also the African American slaves brought to America gave and still gives New Orleans its assorted culture it has to this day. Before the Louisiana Purchase, the majority of the citizens living in America were either white, or slaves brought over from Africa.The gain of Louisiana gave America the racial diversity it needed to begin to grow culturally as a country. Today New Orleans is one of the most culture rich cities in our country. It has customs all its own. When Louisiana became a state in 1812, it took its French legal traditions with it. Even now, Louisiana has many laws that are quite different than the English common law. The Louisiana Purchase helped diversify our country and was one of the first states that added different culture and races to our country. The U. S. s a country that has been through and abundance of historical events. But by far, the most significant event in our American history is the Louisiana Purchase. It has expanded and improved our country and inspired our country’s future leaders, it introduced new trade and agricultural possibilities, and it gave our country the racial diversity it needed to enrich our country’s culture. The Louisiana Purchase was the breakthrough our country needed to put an end to controlling colonies and to start taking over continents.