Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay -- Philosophy Literature Papers

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales After reading explications of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a student is likely to come away with the impression that the Franklin is the critics favorite punching bag. To the average reader in the modern English-speaking world, the Franklin comes across as surprisingly fair-minded and level-headed, noteworthy as the man kind and inventive enough to resolve the marriage cycle with a tale of decency and openness. The critics, however, often depict the Franklin as a man primarily concerned with upward mobility, finding in his tale a number of remarks intended to win over the nobility and subtly assert his own claim to a kind of nobility. The contrast between the fawning Franklin of certain critical approaches and the open-minded Franklin of the more pedestrian reader can probably be summed up in the word "bourgeois." Some critics find in the Franklin a good example of the less flattering qualities of the word, while modern American readers -- products of a society in which the bourgeois lifestyle is considered the norm -- tend to find in the Franklin an intelligence, style and tolerance often associated with the upwardly mobile or the middle class. His "everybody wins" approach to the problems of the romance might even be an example of what Marxists and anarchists used to decry as bourgeois liberalism. It might be best to first clear up what exactly is meant when we speak of a Marxist critique. Marxist literary criticism is based largely on the Marxist paradigm of historical materialism: the idea that social and cultural institutions -- including art -- are the product of prevailing economic conditions (Murfin 157-158). Not only is the medium the message, Marxists argue, the medium is a commodity which... ...served. Here, whether he likes it or not, the Franklin is forced to endorse the system of contracts which turns Dorigen into a commodity. The success of his story, and possibly the validity of the worldview which produces it, depends on the Franklin's ability to postpone the expression of his listeners doubts -- to postpone them indefinitely, if need be. Perhaps this is why the Franklin is so insistent, at tales end, on asking which character was most generous, and why he insists on hearing answers immediately. His tale of the elimination of maistrye has turned into a tale of people mastered not by each other but by a system of exchange. The best way to hide the maistrye of the marketplace is to offer the audience a chance to argue while directing them away from the shocking moment when the gentillesse of the marketplace tramples on free will and personal integrity.

Prophets :: essays research papers

The Prophets The Prophets, religious sages and charismatic figures, who were perceived as endowed with a divine gift of revelation, preached during the period of the monarchy until a century after the destruction of Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.). Whether as advisers to kings on matters of religion, ethics and politics, or as their critics, under the primacy of the relationship between the individual and God, the prophets were guided by the need for justice and issued powerful commentaries on the morality of Jewish national life. Their revelatory experiences were recorded in books of inspired prose and poetry, many of which were incorporated into the Bible. The enduring, universal appeal of the prophets derives from their call for a fundamental consideration of human values. Words such as those of Isaiah (1:17) -- "Be good, devote yourselves to justice; aid the wronged, uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow" -- continue to nourish humanity's pursuit of social justice. The primary job of a prophet was to arouse the people and the government to repentance and observance. The traditional view is that prophecy was removed from the world after the destruction of the First Temple. Those prophets who are mentioned after that were alive at the time of the destruction. Several explanations are offered for why prophets no longer exist: 1. The fact that the Jews did not heed the calls to repentance of the prophets showed that they were not worthy. When most of the Jews remained in exile after Ezra returned, they showed that they were still not worthy of that level of holiness. The second temple did not have the level of kedushah [holiness] of the first Temple even from the beginning. 2. This was actually a sign of Gd's mercy. Had the Jews had a prophet and continued to disobey (as was probable based on the behavior of the following centuries) even after the punishment of the exile, they would have merited complete destruction. Now they could say that had a prophet come they would have obeyed and thus mitigate the punishment (though some consider the current exile (i.e., the diaspora) to be harsh enough). 3. After the destruction of the first Temple the sages prayed for the removal of the "Evil Inclination" of idolatry.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Huck Essay

Sometimes in literature, authors will use minor characters to highlight important qualities of another character. This approach helps the reader better understand the character since character foiling helps to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Mark Twain uses several character foils, each of which have a different impact on Huck’s moral growth. Throughout the classic American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck’s friends help to bring out the best of his traits and morals: Buck, Tom and the King and the Duke. ! For example, Tom Sawyer serves as a character foil for Huck Finn. Tom and Huck’s religious beliefs con? ict since Tom believes in genies, and Miss Watson tries to teach Huck what she thinks is right. Huck comes to the conclusion Tom doesn’t know what he is talking about; â€Å"So then I judged that all the stuff was only just one of Tom Sawyer’s lies† (14). As a result, Tom’s ideas lead Huck to form his own beliefs and challenge the majority of peoples’s way of thinking. Tom also foils Huck at the end of the book when he uses his imagination and knowledge of books to corroborate a plan to free Jim. His unrealistic plan aggravates Huck; â€Å"Good land†¦ why, there ain’t no necessity for it† (239). Tom’s foolish childish behavior didn’t bother Huck until now but since Tom is fooling around with Jim’s life and freedom, it makes Huck question his relationship with Tom. Tom’s actions affect Huck is a positive way that help him grow religiously and in maturity. Just as Tom foiled Huck, Twain uses Buck to do the same Buck Grangerford’s lifestyle is not similar to Huck’s which highlights the differences in Huck’s up-bringing. Buck’s home life is much different than Huck’s speci? cally in regards to Buck having someone to wait on him hand and foot: â€Å"My nigger had a monstrous easy time, because I warn’t used to having anybody do anything for me, but Buck’s [slave] was on the jump most of the time† (106). This example shows that Huck is independent and doesn’t need someone to wait on him. Buck can relax and be free of any responsibility. In addition, Buck has â€Å"†¦ a might nice family, and a mighty nice house, too† (99). Buck was raised without the worry of when his next meal was going to be put on the table, or if his father would die from his alcoholism problem. Buck is raised with a fair amount of money, an education, and freedom which Huck lacks. Huck’s lifestyle is the opposite of Buck’s and Twain does this on purpose to express the struggle Huck has with his own life. Not only does Twain use Buck and Tom to foil Huck, he uses the king and the duke to contrast Huck. ! The outlandish, inconsiderate Duke and King affect Huck with their remorseless theft and sel? shness. The con-artists’ plans to take money from the innocent townspeople rub Huck the wrong way but when they want to steal from Mary Jane and the Grangerford’s, Huck won’t stand for it. Huck decides to tell Mary Jane that her â€Å"uncles of yourn ain’t no uncles at all: they’re a couple of frauds- regular dead-beats†, because they just want land and money from the Grangerfords (187). The King and Duke’s actions compel Huck to be mature and tell Mary Jane what is actually going on. Later on in the book, Huck sees the King and the Duke tarred and feathered being chased from the town because of what they have done. Huck realizes he is â€Å"sorry for them poop pitful rascals, it seemed like I couldn’t ever feel any hardness against them any more in the world† (230). Huck thinks back on how he hated them and thought they were scumbags because of what they had done to innocent people. Now he feels bad for them even thought they deserved it. Huck has grown as a person who can forgive instead of keeping a grudge. ! Twain artfully uses Tom, Buck, and the King and the Duke as character foils that help Huck grow morally throughout the book. All three sets of foils are different on purpose because Twain wanted to show the readers the affects other characters can have someone. It does not the age or intelligence of the minor character. Twain’s logic is that using character foil gets his point across because the reader may not have picked up on traits or morals a character has since it was not directly stated. Not only do people affect others in literature, in the real world people’s actions affect others. A small kind gesture can change someone’s mood or attitude for the rest of the day. Or even something someone says might change another person’s outlook on a problem they are having or even larger, their life. The use of character foil is very important in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and more importantly the real world today. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Huck Essay Sometimes in literature, authors will use minor characters to highlight important qualities of another character. This approach helps the reader better understand the character since character foiling helps to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Mark Twain uses several character foils, each of which have a different impact on Huck’s moral growth. Throughout the classic American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck’s friends help to bring out the best of his traits and morals: Buck, Tom and the King and the Duke. ! For example, Tom Sawyer serves as a character foil for Huck Finn. Tom and Huck’s religious beliefs con? ict since Tom believes in genies, and Miss Watson tries to teach Huck what she thinks is right. Huck comes to the conclusion Tom doesn’t know what he is talking about; â€Å"So then I judged that all the stuff was only just one of Tom Sawyer’s lies† (14). As a result, Tom’s ideas lead Huck to form his own beliefs and challenge the majority of peoples’s way of thinking. Tom also foils Huck at the end of the book when he uses his imagination and knowledge of books to corroborate a plan to free Jim. His unrealistic plan aggravates Huck; â€Å"Good land†¦ why, there ain’t no necessity for it† (239). Tom’s foolish childish behavior didn’t bother Huck until now but since Tom is fooling around with Jim’s life and freedom, it makes Huck question his relationship with Tom. Tom’s actions affect Huck is a positive way that help him grow religiously and in maturity. Just as Tom foiled Huck, Twain uses Buck to do the same Buck Grangerford’s lifestyle is not similar to Huck’s which highlights the differences in Huck’s up-bringing. Buck’s home life is much different than Huck’s speci? ally in regards to Buck having someone to wait on him hand and foot: â€Å"My nigger had a monstrous easy time, because I warn’t used to having anybody do anything for me, but Buck’s [slave] was on the jump most of the time† (106). This example shows that Huck is independent and doesn’t need someone to wait on him. Buck can relax and be free of any responsibility. In addition, Buck has â€Å"†¦ a might nice family, and a mighty nice house, too† (99). Buck was raised without the worry of when his next meal was going to be put on the table, or if his father would die from his alcoholism problem. Buck is raised with a fair amount of money, an education, and freedom which Huck lacks. Huck’s lifestyle is the opposite of Buck’s and Twain does this on purpose to express the struggle Huck has with his own life. Not only does Twain use Buck and Tom to foil Huck, he uses the king and the duke to contrast Huck. ! The outlandish, inconsiderate Duke and King affect Huck with their remorseless theft and sel? shness. The con-artists’ plans to take money from the innocent townspeople rub Huck the wrong way but when they want to steal from Mary Jane and the Grangerford’s, Huck won’t stand for it. Huck decides to tell Mary Jane that her â€Å"uncles of yourn ain’t no uncles at all: they’re a couple of frauds- regular dead-beats†, because they just want land and money from the Grangerfords (187). The King and Duke’s actions compel Huck to be mature and tell Mary Jane what is actually going on. Later on in the book, Huck sees the King and the Duke tarred and feathered being chased from the town because of what they have done. Huck realizes he is â€Å"sorry for them poop pitful rascals, it seemed like I couldn’t ever feel any hardness against them any more in the world† (230). Huck thinks back on how he hated them and thought they were scumbags because of what they had done to innocent people. Now he feels bad for them even thought they deserved it. Huck has grown as a person who can forgive instead of keeping a grudge. ! Twain artfully uses Tom, Buck, and the King and the Duke as character foils that help Huck grow morally throughout the book. All three sets of foils are different on purpose because Twain wanted to show the readers the affects other characters can have someone. It does not the age or intelligence of the minor character. Twain’s logic is that using character foil gets his point across because the reader may not have picked up on traits or morals a character has since it was not directly stated. Not only do people affect others in literature, in the real world people’s actions affect others. A small kind gesture can change someone’s mood or attitude for the rest of the day. Or even something someone says might change another person’s outlook on a problem they are having or even larger, their life. The use of character foil is very important in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and more importantly the real world today.

Know Your Right

Contract A contract is an agreement entered into voluntarily by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing, though contracts can be made orally. The parties may be natural persons or juristic persons. A contract is a legally enforceable promise or undertaking that something will or will not occur. The word promise can be used as a legal synonym for contract, although care is required as a promise may not have the full standing of a contract, as when it is an agreement without consideration. Case : Hariram a/l Jayaram & Ors v Sentul Raya Sdn BhdSection 56(3) Contracts Act 1950: Effect of acceptance of performance at time other than that agreed upon Summary Mr Hariram (Plaintiff) agreed to purchase condominium units from the developer (defendant) under the sale and purchase agreement The defendant had failed to hand over vacant possession of the condominium units to the plaintiffs and to complete the common facilities withi n 36 months as stipulated by the agreements. For these reasons, and relying on the agreements, the plaintiffs contended that the defendant was liable to pay the plaintiffs a total sum of RM1,592,074. 9 as liquidated damages. In opposing the plaintiffs’ application, the defendant raised two legal issues for the determination of the court, namely: (i) whether s 56(3) of the Contracts Act 1950 (‘the Contracts Act’) would operate to exclude a claim for liquidated ascertained damages and (ii) whether the terms of the sale and purchase agreements can be said to operate to entitle the plaintiffs to liquidated ascertained damages in any event despite the provisions of s 56(3) of the Contracts Act as to the requirement of the relevant notices. 6 element of Contract . Offer. It is the definite expression (oral or written) or an overt action which begins the contract. It is simply what is offered to another for the return of that person's promise to act. 2. Acceptance. As a general proposition of law, the acceptance of the offer made by one party by the other party is what creates the contract. 3. Consideration. It may be money or may be another right, interest, or benefit, or it may be a detriment, loss or responsibility given up to someone else. Consideration is an absolutely necessary element of a contract. 4.Capacity of the Parties to Contract. In general, all people have a capacity to contract. A person who is trying to avoid a contract would have to plead his or her lack of capacity to contract against the party who is trying to enforce the contract. 5. Intent of the Parties to Contract. It is a basic requirement to the formation of any contract, that there has to be a mutual assent of the parties on all proposed terms and essential elements of the contract 6. Object of the Contract. A contract is not enforceable if its object is considered to be illegal or against public policy.

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 25

Leadership - Essay Example An important skill that leaders must possess is communication skills. A good leader must have superb verbal and written communication skills. Verbal communication skills are required to inspire others to achieve a higher level of performance. Managers are responsible over the performance of the company and its entire staff. Excellent communication skills are needed by managers because they are require to submit different reports to a variety of stakeholder groups which include lenders, employees, suppliers, government, board of directors, and investors. Active listening skills are important for leaders to possess. The use of active listening implies fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively ‘hearing’ the message of the speaker (Skillsyouneed). A leader must have excellent analytical abilities due to the fact that leaders are exposed to vast amounts of information. He must be able to dissect information in order to make good operating decisions. Since leaders have to interact with lots of persons the leader must have good people and interpersonal skills. â€Å"Interpersonal skills are measures of how adept you are at interacting with others† (Ncsu). Leaders are assertive and have confidence in themselves. Two important abilities that leaders have are collaboration and teamwork. Teamwork has become a critical success factor in the 21st century. Leadership skills can be enhanced through the use of teamwork. Negotiation skills are also a part of the skill set of a leader. An important role that a leader must perform is to motivate others. A technique that leaders such as managers can use to motivate others is intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. An example of an extrinsic reward is offering financial incentives such as bon uses, while an intrinsic reward could be giving an employee a pad in the back for a job well done. Using teamwork can help develop the leadership, communication, and problem solving skills of the staff. A

ESSAY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Essay Example In most cases, the novel meets unfavorable criticism about the limitations faced by females. She describes her role as the mother and does her best to portray the best motherhood and wife of the family. I this situation, the place of women in the American society is taken as care givers and housewives whose mandate is to take care of their children. In another occasion, after the death of John, Alcott is faced with difficult responsibilities. She takes in a full responsibility to provide for the family. This is taken as deviant within the society. Women became victims of the patriarchy society. However, in the story, Loisa felt much distressed by her poor family and felt responsible to play her part. She is considered a heroin in the way she went against the feminism and played her role as the only family bread winner. The death of her husband gave her much humility which later helped her in the fight for feminism in America (Knellwolf et al., 2001). In â€Å"the things they carried†, the cast is comprised of soldiers with the narrator being one of them. Different soldiers are distinguished through out the story by the items that they carry. O’ Brien points out the things carried by the soldiers who include both emotional and physical, whereby they all carry major military items (Knellwolf et al., 2001). The ambiguity of war and the tenuousness of morality demonstrate how exposure to the carnage of the nations at war leads to soldiers developing twisted perspectives on what is right and wrong. The ambiguity that consumes the narratives of the things they carried is displayed with much irony for the moral. In such stories, it is depicted that there is no moral at all. O’ Brien is much affected by the theory of psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud. Soldiers are said to walk around the fire in a state of much boredom and tension. This tension drives them crazy. In this situation, O’Brien describes the way the y cover their fear in a rational

Is Talkback Radio Important for Democracy in Australia Essay

Is Talkback Radio Important for Democracy in Australia - Essay Example Talkback radio, in its present function is not working as it should be to facilitate democratic practice in Australia. Commonly known as talk radio, talkback radio is a type of radio format giving Australian listeners a venue to discuss political and other current issues (en.wikipedia.org). 1 Democracy is government of the people, for the people and by the people. Given the context of both, it is not unexpected to assume that the prior supports the latter. Talkback radio ideally is democracy in action.Talkback radio's history in Australia dates back to the mid 1920's but was not made legal until the late 1960's. It was not officially permitted as, in radio; there is a difficulty to screen libelous and offensive calls. Following the lifting of previously strict regulations and the development of a tape delay system, talkback radio started being visible once again in 1967. It, however, grew bigger in the 1992 when the Broadcasting Act brought commercial radio deregulation and instead o f its news and current affairs programs being hosted by "journalists", these were handled by "entertainers." 2Why these radio personalities who were considered stars in their own right were classified as entertainers is clearly explained in Adam's and Burton's TALKBACK: Emperor's of Air. Adam's and Burton explained that the infamous talkback radio hosts are, in fact, only presenters. By this, it means that "their involvement is [that] few moments of autocue reading (11)." In this type of arrangement, there are reporters and producers who gather, interpret and develop the data. The final product shall then be broadcasted by the talkback radio host, the figurehead of the show (Adams and Burton 11). The implication of this is that figureheads wield power. While it is plausible that some, although not all, radio show hosts have a limited knowledge of a topical issue, their stand and their opinions greatly influence that of the general public. Two of the most popular radio stations broadcasting talkback radio in Australia, credited mostly to its right-wing hosts, are 2UE and 2GB. The previous began its broadcasting stint 26 January 1925 and was originally called 2EU. The station offers current affairs program in the mornings with and in the afternoons and evenings a more relaxed programming. 2GB that started its operation in 1926 runs on a similar format as that of 2UE. While both are widely accepted, 2GB is considered the more influential of the two. 3 It will be incomplete to mention the two rival stations without considering the major role of their popular programs' figureheads in the growing popularity of both talkback radio stations - John Laws and Alan Jones. Radio Manager of 2UE even, confidently, stated that Laws and Jones "were the two most powerful men in the country, after the Prime Minister (qtd. fr TALKBACK: Emperors of the Air)." 3 For more information please refer to and . John Laws who has worked for various radio stations and even had a short stint at television before settling at 2UE. 4 Laws' return to 2UE propelled the station's rise to the number one spot. Laws' programs are syndicated in Australia and are very much popular in the rural areas. His programs tackle newsworthy issues; even then, he is not a journalist per se, merely a presenter. Notwithstanding Laws' seeming lack of in-depth knowledge of the issues he is tackling, given that he only echoed to the public what was gathered by station reporters, his appeal was nothing short of astounding. His authority influenced much of the listeners' opinions and actions. The same is true for Alan Jones' control over the affairs of the masses and even the political units. According to