Free Companies :: Essays Papers

Free Companies In 1337 hostilities erupted between France and England that would continue, with brief times of peace, until 1453. This war, which lasted for over a century, would latter be known as The Hundred Years' War. One of the terms that originated during this war were bands of mercenaries formed in France called Free Companies. To understand Free Companies fully one must first look at the Hundred Years War for explanation. "The Hundred Years War was the last great medieval war." (http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/milhist/100.html) Not only was this war between kings, but lesser nobles too were fighting for their own interests, while they fought for their country. Looking back two centuries earlier can be seen as the true cause for this war. When Duke William of Normandy conquered England in 1066, he did so as a subject of the French King. The French speaking English Kings to follow gained more and more land from the English. But the English King still ruled two French provinces, Gascony and Guyenne. In the 14th century, the French king Philip VI demanded that the English return these provinces to the French. When Edward III denied Philip VI of this, saying that Philip's claim to the French thrown was not as strong as Edward's own right to rule both France and England, war broke out. Because the kings and nobles were not wealthy enough to maintain armies permanently, and the ancient system of raising troops through feudal obligation had, for the time being, fallen apart, the most effective armies were made up of mercenaries. The definition of mercenaries given by the Oxford American Dictionary is "professional soldiers serving a foreign country." These professional, paid troops became a popular practice through out Europe in the 14th century. Both Knights and commoners under arms were eager to take the money of anyone wishing to raise an army. The English were the first of these two countries to use this practice. Free Companies were formed by the English to fight in France.

Human Lifespan and Development: The Nature of Children Essay

Philosophical ideas about the development of children arose from old ideas about human nature and history. Many of the philosophers who proposed philosophical ideas about childhood development are considered either nativists or maturationists. The view of nativists is that behavior is innate and is strongly affected by the genes. Maturationists also believe that genes influence behavior, but the behavior grows to maturity because it is under the control of genes. This paper intends to define, as well as, discuss two different philosophical views, which, historically, have been held regarding the nature of psychological development of children. It will then provide a section that compares those historical views with the current conception about the development in children. A conclusion will sum up the discussion. One philosophical view about the development of children was proposed by Stanley Hall (1844-1924). In addition to contributing to philosophical views about childhood developm ent, Hall is the founder of the American Psychological Association and was the first Ph. D. in Psychology. He came up with his view using the questionnaire method, which involved asking people about their lives. Darwin influenced him through the principle that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny in which ontogeny means an individual’s development while phylogeny means the evolution of species. In that regard, Hall proposed the following developmental stages. The first is infancy (0-4 years), which he named the animal phase because the child demonstrates behaviors that are closely related to those of animals courtesy of having a blank mind. He referred to the second stage (Age 4-8 years) as the hunting and fishing cultures. The third stage (age 8-12 years) is the savage and primitive (or tribal) human cultures. The fourth stage (age 12-25 years) is the eighteenth century idealism. The fifth and last stage (age 25 and above) is the contemporary civilization stage. Stanley Hall’s philosophy on child rearing is that parents do not have to worry about the bad behavior of their child ren because they will outgrow it, which is consistent with maturationist theory (MacDonald, n.d.). Another Philosopher, John Dewey (1859-1952), believed that people could project the society that they want. He wanted schools to be places where children can grow, as well as, carry intelligence to social democracy. He also believed democracy and science demand one another because the most objective means of governance is democracy and the most democratic means of knowing is science. In that regard, he promoted democracy and science as ideal ends for the society’s progress, as well as, child’s individual development. For Dewey, the values that are endemic to the concept of development lie in socially agreed-upon values rather than natural law. Thus, he maintained that development for an individual and the society is a function of socially acknowledged values. According to him, objective thinking and democratic governance were the best guarantees of a just, good, and experimenting society. He based his social and developmental psychology upon the understanding of people with regard to their cultural circumstances. In essence, culture is a developmental mechanism. This concept of development situates development in a social context, as well as, understands development as being incumbent upon social practices and culturally valued goals (Cahan, 2008). Despite there being many philosophical views about the development of children in history, very few views have been integrated in the current child development concept. This is because, with time, more reliable, and valid concepts emerged, which explained the development of children more effectively. There are three main philosophical views, which the current concept about the development of children integrates, namely, the Waldorf education, the Montessori methods (programs), and the Reggio Emilia method. In that regard, the current concept of childhood development differs from the previous two in the following ways. First, Stanley Hall’s view emphasizes on the influence of genetics on the behavior of individuals whereas the current concept providing an environmental that encourages desirable development through direction and guidance of children. The current concept considers genes to be having minimal effect on the psychological development of a child. In essence, Stanley Hall’s view emphasizes on the nature while the current concept emphasizes on nurture (Edwards, 2002). The current developmental philosophy differs from John Dewey’s philosophy in the sense that Dewey’s view emphasizes on science and democracy, whereas the current philosophy does no t. However, the current philosophy acknowledges science, but involves parents and teachers in making decisions about developmental aspects of their children rather than involving democracy. This is because the children are too young and less informed about decision-making; thus, they need the help of superiors who mind them to help in making decisions. The parents and teachers play a significant role in decision-making until the child is old enough to make decisions accordingly. The current philosophy requires the exposure of children to different educational and developmental aspects so that they can respond and engage in the aspects, which they find most appealing to them with regard to individual differences. This is not the case for the other two philosophical views discussed in this paper, which disregard this developmental aspect (Edwards, 2002). In conclusion, there are many philosophical views about the development of children in history. Most of these views are not relevant because the concept they provided was narrow and ineffective. Examples of such views include the Stanley Hall’s and John Dewey’s views, among others. The three philosophical views that the current childhood developmental concept considers include the Montessori programs, the Reggio Emilia method, and the Waldorf education. The current concept differs from the previous ones with regard to the scope of developmental aspects, with the previous ones being narrow-focused than the ones integrated in the current philosophical view, among other differences. References Cahan E. D. (2008). Child Development, History of the Concept of. Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society. Advameg Inc., The Gale Group Edwards C. P. (2002). Three Approaches from Europe: Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia, Early Childhood Research and Practice, Volume 4, Number 1. Lincoln, NE, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln MacDonald K. (n.d.). Historical Figures in Development Psychology. Long Beach, CA, Department of Psychology, CSU-Long Beach

Death of a Salesman Analysis Essay

To Linda’s considerable chagrin and bewilderment, Willy’s family, Charley, and Bernard are the only mourners who attend Willy’s funeral. She wonders where all his supposed business friends are and how he could have killed himself when they were so close to paying off all of their bills. Biff recalls that Willy seemed happier working on the house than he did as a salesman. He states that Willy had all the wrong dreams and that he didn’t know who he was in the way that Biff now knows who he is. Charley replies that a salesman has to dream or he is lost, and he explains the salesman’s undaunted optimism in the face of certain defeat as a function of his irrepressible dreams of selling himself. Happy becomes increasingly angry at Biff’s observations. He resolves to stay in the city and carry out his father’s dream by becoming a top businessman, convinced he can still â€Å"beat this racket.† Linda requests some privacy. She reports to Willy that she made the last payment on the house. She apologizes for her inability to cry, since it seems as if Willy is just â€Å"on another trip.† She begins to sob, repeating, â€Å"We’re free. . . .† Biff helps her up and all exit. The flute music is heard and the high-rise apartments surrounding the Loman house come into focus. Analysis Charley’s speech about the nature of the salesman’s dreams is one of the most memorable passages in the play. His words serve as a kind of respectful eulogy that removes blame from Willy as an individual by explaining the grueling expectations and absurd demands of his profession. The odd, anachronistic, spiritual formality of his remarks (â€Å"Nobody dast blame this man†) echo the religious quality of Willy’s quest to sell himself. One can argue that, to a certain extent, Willy Loman is the postwar American equivalent of the medieval crusader, battling desperately for the survival of his own besieged faith. Charley solemnly observes that a salesman’s life is a constant upward struggle to sell himself—he supports his dreams on the ephemeral power of his own image, on â€Å"a smile and a shoeshine.† He suggests that the salesman’s condition is an aggravated enlargement of a discreet facet of the general human condition. Just as Willy is blind to the totality of the American Dream, concentrating on the aspects related to material success, so is the salesman, in general, lacking, blinded to the total human experience by his conflation of the professional and the personal. Like Charley says, â€Å"No man only needs a little salary†Ã¢â‚¬â€no man can sustain himself on money and materiality without an emotional or spiritual life to provide meaning. When the salesman’s advertising self-image fails to inspire smiles from customers, he is â€Å"finished† psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. According to Charley, â€Å"a salesman is got to dream.† The curious and lyrical slang substitution of â€Å"is† for â€Å"has† indicates a destined necessity for the salesman—not only must the salesman follow the imperative of his dreams during his life, but Miller suggests that he is literally begotten with the sole purpose of dreaming. In many ways, Willy has done everything that the myth of the American Dream outlines as the key path to success. He acquired a home and the range of modern appliances. He raised a family and journeyed forth into the business world full of hope and ambition. Nevertheless, Willy has failed to receive the fruits that the American Dream promises. His primary problem is that he continues to believe in the myth rather than restructuring his conception of his life and his identity to meet more realistic standards. The values that the myth espouses are not designed to assuage human insecurities and doubts; rather, the myth unrealistically ignores the existence of such weaknesses. Willy bought the sales pitch that America uses to advertise itself, and the price of his faith is death. Linda’s initial feeling that Willy is just â€Å"on another trip† suggests that Willy’s hope for Biff to succeed with the insurance money will not be fulfilled. To an extent, Linda’s comparison debases Willy’s death, stripping it of any possibility of the dignity that Willy imagined. It seems inevitable that the trip toward meaningful death that Willy now takes will end just as fruitlessly as the trip from which he has just returned as the play opens. Indeed, the recurrence of the haunting flute music, symbolic of Willy’s futile pursuit of the American Dream, and the final visual imprint of the overwhelming apartment buildings reinforce the fact that Willy dies as deluded as he lived.

Capitalism and Religion in the Works and Lives of Franklin and Equiano Essay

Capitalism and religion are two subjects which appear frequently in both â€Å"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin† and â€Å"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,† because these were important parts of the lives of these two men. Both men were able to be players in the capitalist market while still following a spiritual doctrine because each man chose which was more important to him-capitalist goals or Christian morals. For each man, the one which was less important submitted to the one which was more valuable to him. Both men take part in capitalism and religion, but Franklin places capitalism first and Equiano places religion first. Each man made life choices according to this hierarchy of importance, sacrificing parts of the less important in order to pursue and excel in the one they held dearer. Franklin, a hard-working and frugal businessman who many have said embodies the capitalist spirit, made his religious choices around his identity as a capitalist, while the extent of Equiano’s participation and success in the capitalist market was determined by his faith. Both spiritual, both capitalist businessmen, Franklin and Equiano brought together these two seemingly opposed components of their lives by blending the two and taking aspects from each to use in their participation in the other, but always letting the one they considered more important to trump the other in situations where a choice between capitalism and religion had to be made. As Benjamin Franklin explained in his autobiography, he â€Å"never doubted†¦the existence of the Deity† (62), and he described several occasions when he asked God for assistance in times of need, so it is clear he was spiritual. Franklin wished to be morally upright, but he disliked organized religion and found that in each religious sect, the religious beliefs he held were â€Å"mix’d with other articles, which, without any tendency to inspire, promote, or conform morality, serv’d principally to divide us† (62). For this reason, Franklin did not attend church regularly or abide by any one religion, although he agreed with bits and pieces of many different faiths. But he considered himself a moral man, and wished to achieve the same thing encouraged in Christian teachings: â€Å"moral perfection† (63). For this reason, Franklin decided to create his own list of virtues to abide by. Rather than abandoning faith altogether because he could not find a church which was in line with his way of thinking, Franklin created his own personal religion-â€Å"The Art of Virtue.† Present in Franklin’s list of 13 virtues are several which are in accordance with Christianity-temperance, sincerity, justice, chastity, humility-but some key elements of the Christian religion have been removed from the doctrine by which he lives his life. Unlike Christianity, Franklin’s commandments make no mention of monetary accumulation. In many religions, it is stipulated that one who is wealthy cannot reach heaven. In the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples that â€Å"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God† (Matthew 10:24). Because this does not serve Franklin’s interest in capitalist success, Franklin omitted from his virtues any mention of greed or accruement of wealth, instead including virtues which he thought were more important, and which served his capitalist aspirations more suitably. Several of his virtues are also non-Christian but clearly in the spirit of capitalism-resolution, frugality, and industry are not tenets of the Christian religion, but were essential in Franklin’s mind for success in the free market and therefore essential in the dogma he followed. By creating and following his own list of virtues, Franklin was able to pick and choose the best from both Christianity and capitalism. However, Franklin’s religious inclinations were formed by, and altered to fit, his capitalist aspirations, and his virtues were created in order to best serve his goals in the capitalist market. Franklin reconciled capitalism and religion by extracting from Christianity the beliefs which were most conducive towards capitalism, then adding morals of his own which were driven directly towards capitalist success. Therefore, he was able to participate in both, following a self-made religion that served the goals of capitalism. Olaudah Equiano, on the other hand, considered himself a Christian above all other labels. To him, religion was the most important aspect of his life, and he was willing to sacrifice everything else before he would compromise his religious beliefs. Equiano’s first introduction to the capitalist system came when he arrived at the port in Bridge Town, Barbados, and was placed in a yard with other slaves to be sold as a commodity. But Equiano did not participate actively in the capitalist system as a person (rather than an article of trade) until much later, when he bought and sold tumblers and other small objects during his trips at sea to earn enough money to purchase his freedom from his master. If it had not been necessary for Equiano to acquire his freedom, it is possible Equiano would never have entered the business arena. Equiano was not interested in having more money than what was required to survive because being greedy was contrary to his religious beliefs, and from the moment of his conversion to Christianity, Equiano’s faith guided his every decision. Unlike Franklin, Equiano did not cherish the spirit of capitalism. To him, money meant freedom, and later, the choice to go where he wanted and not be tethered to one ship or master, but Equiano did not equate money with happiness and instead looked to religion for solace in an unfamiliar world. Capitalism and Christianity were not at odds for Equiano because he never did anything non-Christian in order to achieve success in the capitalist world. When people owed Equiano money for goods delivered but not paid for, Equiano did not act out in revenge towards his debtors. He did what he could within the bounds of the law, and when that did not amount to anything, Equiano forgave the debts and simply continued on, because of his moral outlook on life. Equiano recounted countless times the cruelties black men, both slaves and free men, endured at the hands of white men, such as â€Å"giving [Equiano] however but very indifferent payment† (95) after taking goods from him. He can do nothing about these injustices, and instead trusts that God will give them their punishment in the afterlife. Too often also, to my knowledge, our clerks, and many others, at the same time have committed acts of violence on the poor, wretched, and helpless females†¦ Is not this one common and crying sin enough to bring down God’s judgment on the islands? He tells us the oppressor and the oppressed are both in his hands; and if these are not the poor, the broken-hearted, the blind, the captive, the bruised, which our Saviour speaks of, who are they? (80) Equiano relies on faith to dole out appropriate rewards and consequences after death and so is able to endure and observe many injustices without acting in anger or violence towards his oppressors. Rather than being a cutthroat businessman, Equiano worked honestly, earning money to live but never valuing material possessions over his religious morality. Equiano was a Christian who happened to be living within a capitalist world, but the most important part of his life, his faith, was never on the line because of capitalism-Christianity always came first. There are only two examples in Equiano’s autobiography of him doing something that goes against his religious beliefs. The first comes in Chapter 5, when Equiano swore that he would spend a day in London â€Å"in rambling and sport† (70). Shortly afterwards, Equiano felt terrible about saying something rashly and without thinking, and he asked God for forgiveness: he â€Å"acknowledged [his] transgression to God, and poured out [his] soul before Him with unfeigned repentance, and with earnest supplications [Equiano] besaught him not to abandon [him] in [his] distress† (70). Equiano immediately attempted to apologize to God for his wrong actions, and felt extremely guilty for having committed what appeared to be a small sin. The second occasion, in chapter 8, is very similar. Equiano cursed, â€Å"Damn the vessel’s bottom out,† (112) but immediately afterwards his conscience â€Å"smote† him for swearing, and he experienced guilt for his seemingly petty misdeed. These two examples show how strictly Equiano followed his religious teachings-he considered the act of swearing to be a large affront to God, and feared for his salvation because of his small sins. To him, straying from Christian morals at any time in any part of his life was unacceptable, and this governed his actions as a player in the capitalist market as well as in every other arena of his life. Equiano’s success as a businessman was not as great as it could have been if Equiano had been a more competitive salesperson and truly valued success in the capitalist market, but he chose to sacrifice this monetary success in order to follow his religious morals more strictly. His priorities determined his actions-as a capitalist Christian, rather than a Christian capitalist, Equiano made choices that put his faith first, and instead of striving for wealth and success, endeavored towards the redemption of his soul and eternal happiness. The actions Equiano took during his life were trivial to him as a devout Christian, because he believed that he would spend the rest of eternity in Heaven as reward for his morality while on earth. For Equiano, capitalism was just a system in the world of man, and money was not worth risking his eternal well-being over. Both Benjamin Franklin and Olaudah Equiano were successful businessmen who lived their lives according to religious principles-Franklin by his made-to-fit capitalist-influenced list of virtues, and Equiano by the teachings of Christianity and the Bible. But Franklin was a bigger financial and public success, because his achievement as a capitalist was most important to him. Franklin laid out a list of virtues for himself in order to pave the way for the most possible financial success and public acclaim-his â€Å"religion† served the spirit of capitalism. Equiano was only a mediocre financial success because he was not oriented towards the accumulation of wealth. Instead, he chose to achieve on the religious front. Equiano’s actions within the capitalist framework were mere details in the larger picture of his life as a good Christian. Both men were passionate-Franklin about capitalism and Equiano about his Christian faith-and both sacrificed other parts of their lives in order to keep intact their number one priority. Franklin was religious in the way that most promoted capitalist success, and Equiano was a capitalist businessperson only in the ways that were aligned with his religious beliefs. They reconciled capitalism and religion by choosing one over the other and allowing the lesser to function on a smaller scale and only within the framework of the more important.

Recession in the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Recession in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The causes of the recession in general cannot be determined but the onus falls on the administration and the financial system of the economy. (Recession, n.d.) The recession in the latter half of 2000 was severe and the effects were visible in various economies of the world. The focal point of the recession of the 2008-09 was on the USA and it soon spread to the different corners of the globe. The main reason for the recession can be attributed to the housing sector of the USA and the inability of the financial system of the USA to tackle the problem. The components of the financial system like the banks and the financial companies were many ways responsible for the origin of the recession. USA, being one of the financial epicenters of the world, had a control over the global financial system. Therefore, the effects of the recession were visible in many parts of the world and the companies were cutting their manpower to cut the costs. The global economy suffered and the Governments o f the various countries had to take severe measures to counter the effects of the recession. UK being another nerve center of the global financial world faced the severe effects of recession. Another cause for the recession in the UK was that the economy of the country was dependent on the economy of the US and after the globalization of the economy companies of the other countries started to function in the UK. The Government had to put some efforts and it had to renew the policies to control the effects of the recession. The paper will explore the issue recession in the UK with special emphasis on the impact of measures undertaken by the government to tackle the recession. As discussed in the earlier part the origin of the global recession was the USA and the reasons for the recession can be attributed to the failures of the banks and the financial companies. The sector, which contributed to the

Israel and the Teva Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Israel and the Teva Company - Assignment Example Israel played a supportive role in Teva development. The government of Israel invested heavily in the education system. Therefore, over the years, I think that the country was able to equip its population with high technical skills which enabled them to work in different manufacturing companies. As a result, the company had qualified personnel at its disposal. These were people who had the necessary skills to steer growth and development of the company. In addition, the employees were well versed in different aspects that they need to consider in order for the business to penetrate the global market. Therefore, through little training by the US professors especially on the American culture, they were able to use the business models that were taught in school in order to penetrate the US market. Israel played a comforting role towards the growth of Teva Company. Although the expansion of any company in the overseas market is important in order to reduce the risks and uncertainties ass ociated with concentrating on a single market, every company must dominate a specific market before trying to capture other markets. Personally, I believe that Teva was able to gain comfort after segmenting the local market. The country gave support to the company’s products through ensuring that many of the prescribed drugs came from the company. The company received numerous contracts with government hospitals. This gave the firm confidence to explore the external market as it was assured of local support.

ART HISTORY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ART HISTORY - Assignment Example Through the friendship, the affiliates of Kino sculpture were reassured of free enterprise on the either side of the borderland. More so, the proponents so the sculpture of Kino as the reminder of modernization that will encourage economic development and prosperity through the removal of discrimination. Paradoxically, those who opposed it so took it as a poignant reminder of discrimination that was prominent at his time (Widdifiied 212). On the other hand, the Villa sculpture was also received with both hospitable and hostile response. The proponents of the Villa sculpture perceived it as a source of inspiration for the continued pursuit of justice and equality as he did in his time of struggle with impartiality. Widdifiied, the mission that Villa came up with in Christianity that helped many through faith are among sweet memory the sculpture invokes (220). Those that opposed the sculpture were a reminder of the sad regional history of those days. To them, a sculpture was evocative of the struggle that the two regions have