A Comparison of Things Fall Apart and Julius Caesar Essays -- comparis

Comparing Things Fall Apart and Julius Caesar      Ã‚  Ã‚   "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe and "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare are two very different books that are interrelated through their similar themes and characters. There are characters from both stories that can connect to one another through their common motives and characteristics. Many of the main themes and elements of the stories are similar including a tragic ending and themes of betrayal, honor, and conflict. However, there are differences between the characters and themes from the two books as well.    In Things fall apart, Okonkwo would resemble Caesar most because they were both men of high titles with success in war and battle. Okonkwo was a well accomplished soldier known for the many heads that he had severed off enemies during tribal conflicts. Casesar was one of the greatest generals of all time bringing Rome to its peak height of power. Both men did not fear death but meet death abruptly. Even though they were very similar, Caesar was killed by an assassination, while Okonkwo commits suicide.    Mr. Kiaga, the translator and negotiator for the Christian missionary can be matched most easily to Antony. Both men had great oratory skills which they put to good use. Kiaga used his skills to convert and had won many converts to the new faith. Antony used his oratory skills to convince the crowd at Caesar's funeral that Brutus and the conspirators had killed Caesar unjustly. Both men had very loyal qualities. Antony was loyal to Caesar and wanted to avenge Caesar's death. Mr Kiaga was loyal to the church and Mr Brown, the priest and head of the missionary. Even though they are similar in many ways, they have differe... ...ad done nothing at all and Brutus killed him because he believed that the general would change into a tyrannical ruler. Caesar's ambition could have destroyed Rome if it wasn't for the noble actions of Brutus.    Even though these two books may seem very different, they also share many similarities. Though they are not related through their plots, they definitely share some very important themes and resemblance of characters. Through these similarities, two different stories in completely different time frames and locations can be brought together in many instances.    Works Cited:    Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. 1958. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Expanded Edition, Vol. 1. Ed. Maynard Mack. London: Norton, 1995. Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Ed. Alan Durband. London: Hutchinson & Co. Publishers Ltd., 1984.

Political conditions of the Cold War Era Essay

The Cold War is increasingly treated as a historical period that customarily begins in 1947, when the Truman Doctrine sought to contain communism and the expansion of Soviet influence, and ends with the decline and fall of the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc in the late 1980s. My thoughts are that this event occurred after war world II between the Soviet Union and the United States of America due to a conflict about political, ideological, military, and economic values because the United States was capitalist when the Soviet Union was communist. During this time there was a fair that they were going to destroy each other with the arsenals of gigantic artillery. Germany was separated into 4 sections controlled by Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States and the Cold war started because there was a disagreement on unifying Germany. There were events that happened during the cold war the first was the foreign aid policies, which were able to divide the superpowers after that treaty organizations and alliances started forming up again one of these alliances was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as the Warsaw pact. The superpower were always involved in a conflict the mayor political crisis was that Soviet blockade on Western Berlin they block off supply routes to Western Berlin so the people were dying because they did not have how to cover the firs needs. Another conflict was the Cuban missile crisis it was the closest the world ever came to all-out nuclear war. Following the first sightings of the missiles being placed by Soviets, additional Russian vessels were seen heading towards Cuba carrying more missile components. Thus began what became known as â€Å"the 13 days,† a period of extremely high tension in which the Kennedy administration tried to find a way to get the missiles out of Cuba without starting World War III. Kennedy and his advisers had to walk a very tight line in order to achieve that end. In the end, Kennedy followed the path of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower as a leader determined to prevent the further spread of Communism in the world by all reasonable means. He had campaigned on the issue of a missile gap  between United States and the Soviet Union, and even his plan to place a man on the moon in the decade of the 1960s was, to a large extent, aimed at defeating the Russians in space. The military implications were obvious. It was during Kennedy’s administration that the most dangerous point in the Cold War was reached: the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. http://www.academicamerican.com/postww2/coldwar.html Presidents and Prime Ministers on either side came and went but the war never ended. Every President of the United States took the war personally as a Commander in Battle and it became a competition of who would do better. Finally, it was the Republican George W. Bush who called the final shots and that too because Mikhael Gorbachev backed down. http://www.historyking.com/World-War/cold-war/Summary-Of-The-Cold-War.html Explain the specific threats to American citizens One threat that is becoming more severe in the post-Cold War world is the proliferation of chemical, biological, nuclear, and missile technology. The probability of a retaliatory strike on the U.S. homeland by rogue states or terrorist groups using such weapons, however, can be reduced by ending unneeded and provocative U.S. military intervention abroad. Politicians of both parties often tapped into that fear and ran for office based on how strong they would be against communists. Fighting communism always involved the threat of nuclear war since both the U.S. and Soviet Union had nuclear weapons trained on each other. President Dwight Eisenhower’s military plan relied on nuclear stockpiles rather than land forces. He hoped the threat of nuclear destruction would restrain the Soviets. http://www.tn4me.org/minor_cat.cfm/minor_id/23/major_id/10/era_id/8 Describe the preparations you would make to protect your family Those are my thoughts , it is important to have things that are going to be necessaries to survive in this situation as water medical and food the family can survive if they go to the close shelter they usually have a wonderful staff to help those who need them. It s important to keep the medication close and accessible. Conclude with one question for further study on the Cold War era What effect did the Cold War have on the political, economic, social, and  military conditions of the world’s nations? Conclusion Cold War as a period which began with the rivalities of the superpowers The effort to contain communism and capitalism (and covertly subvert the other), however, entailed a larger containment or channeling of the flow of possible change in various areas of political, social, and cultural life within its political imagination. The Cold War rivalry sustained an equilibrium which tended to freeze not only the power relations between hegemonic and client states but also the political contours of nation-states in the two camps backed by economic inducements, military power, and nuclear threat.

The Beattles

In June of 1956, John Lennon met Paul McCartney for the first time. Nobody ever dreamed that John and Paul would have the success that they had. John Lennon and Paul McCartney along with George Harrison and Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr) became known as the greatest and the most influential rock musicians in the world. The Beatles, whose music has been played by prestigious symphonies around the world and has been sung by renowned singers such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, were a vibrant moving force of the 1960’s; they permanently changed the course of music and soundly influenced the lives of future generations. To get an idea of how much the Beatles helped shape the following generations’ lifestyles, one must look at the lifestyle and the music before the Beatles. The music the Beatles played, â€Å"Rock and Roll,† had already established itself as a popular form of music to American teenagers. Derived from the black’s â€Å"Rhythm and Blues,† rock and roll was made popular by performers such as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Bill Haley. Though rock and roll had been around for about ten years before the Beatles became famous, it was still a relatively new form of music that had plenty of potential. The Beatles were elevated from obscurity by utilizing the music’s potential. The lifestyle of the fifties was slowly changing. The American public was beginning to accept the possibility of a â€Å"working class hero†. Films such as â€Å"Saturday Night and Sunday Morning† and â€Å"The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner,† which portrayed working class protagonists, became overnight successes. The Beatles, who were definitely working class, were the ultimate rags to riches story. As the fifties drew to a close, the Beatles were on a path that forever changed history. The Beatles’ success was not immediate. In 1960 the Beatles, who consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (guitarist), and Pete Best (drummer), made their first trip to Hamburg, Germany. Although the trip wasn’t a success, the second trip to Hamburg as a backing group to Tony Sheridan was more successful. The Beatles returned home in June of 1961 and found that more and more people would come to see their performances. Though popular and drawing large audiences, the Beatles were refused by Decca, Pye, Columbia, HMV, and EMI, all prominent recording companies. The emergence of the Beatles’ popularity can be traced to the help of two people: the determination of Brian Epstein, their manager, and the foresight of George Martin, their producer. Brian Epstein, a record store owner, was a novice at the manager business. Through his raw determination, he was able to meet up with George Martin. George knew the record business, and he pulled some strings to let the Beatles record. Their first release, â€Å"Love Me Do,† only reached the number seventeen position on the charts; however, that was the start of an illustrated career for John, Paul, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, who replaced Pete Best as drummer in August of 1962. Beatlemania was the term that described the hysteria resulting from the Beatles’ rise. The Beatles were breaking attendance records all over Europe. Following every performance were reports of girls that had become injured in their attempts just to see the boys. By the end of 1963, the Beatles had five songs that had reached number one in Britain. Looking for new directions to expand, the Beatles looked across the ocean to America. When the Beatles touched down in New York in February 1964, they knew they had come to the right place as ten thousand screaming fans fought to see them. During the Beatles stay in Manhattan, at least a dozen girls were injured trying to catch sight of the boys. During their concerts, there was so much noise that the audience drowned out the performers. Any movement by an individual Beatle would cause added screaming by rows and rows of young females. This kind of reaction would plague the group at any performance they did. The Beatles popularity became the point of many debates. At one point in August 1966, John claimed that the Beatles were even more popular than Jesus. Though he apologized for it later, he was correct in analyzing their popularity. It seemed as if anything the Beatles said or did would affect the whole society. One major effect that they had on society was the drug influence of their music. Taking drugs became the â€Å"in† thing to do. The press went into an uproar when they found out the initials to the Beatles’ â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds† was LSD, a popular but addicting drug. Another song, â€Å"Day in the Life,† was banned by the BBC and some United States radio stations because of alleged drug allusions. Drugs were becoming a way of life for many teenagers. In late 1966, the Beatles decided that they would do no more concerts. Many thought that this would lead to a drop in their popularity. The media was soon proved wrong when their next album, â€Å"Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,† became an instant hit. Anything the Beatles touched turned to gold. John Lennon’s first book, In His Own Write, was a million seller. The Beatles could do nothing that wouldn’t sell. As time went on, however, the Beatles began to pursue their own individual tastes. When Brian Epstein committed suicide in August of 1967, the Beatles began their long decline. The Beatles began to rot from within. The TV film, â€Å"Magical Mystery Tour,† was a complete failure. George Harrison took studying in India very seriously. John’s marriage to Cynthia broke down, and he began to see Yoko Ono. All four started to do musical work without the other three. They were having serious financial trouble with their own recording company, Apple Records. By 1969, the Beatles were in deep trouble. It came as only a mild surprise to most people when Paul McCartney decided to quit the group in April of 1970. Paul claimed personal differences existed with John and with Allen Klein, their financial advisor. Though at first the split was claimed as temporary, the world began to understand that the Beatles would never exist anymore. When asked just what he was going to do now that he was breaking from the group, he replied: â€Å"My only plan is to grow up. † By 1970 though, the Beatles had already made a huge impact on society. A revolutionary group responsible for bombing three business buildings called themselves â€Å"Revolutionary Force 9† which was derived from â€Å"Revolution Number 9,† an eight-minute collage of noises from the Beatles’ White Album. Another influence was in the youth churches where a yellow submarine was made a symbol of love. The yellow submarine, from a movie and a song of that name, was described as a ‘a place where they loved each other in a groovy way and got strength to do battle with the Blue Meanies. It also shows that a church has to have flexibility and maneuverability. ’ Though the Beatles were gone, their influence remained. The Beatles have influenced people in ways never dreamed of. Their music was even blamed for the Charles Manson murders in Southern California. Their style of music changed the way the music industry had worked; most groups now perform their own original material, which was very uncommon in the late fifties and early sixties. The Beatles’ constant preaching of love has changed a whole generation’s thinking, and may have helped to bring an end to the Vietnam War. Their drug taking and radical approach to life has caused some people to take the Beatles’ philosophy wrongly and to think that some terrorist activity was acceptable. Others have taken what the Beatles said as gospel and formed new religions. However people reacted to the Beatles didn’t matter; it was just significant that people were reacting, and therefore were being influenced in some manner by the Beatles. The Beatles, the greatest rock band ever to exist, does not record as a group anymore, but their influences will continue for years as the youth of each generation listens to the music that changed the world. â€Å"Hey Jude† â€Å"Hey Jude† is such a monumental favorite, I am almost dissuaded from touching it because of the pressure to say something profound. It is such a good illustration of two compositional lessons: how to fill a time with simple means, and how to use diverse elements such as harmony and orchestration to articulate form and contrast. I think that the fact that the song was written by Paul McCartney to Julian Lennon during the breakup of John and Julia’s mom, Cynthia, adds a new dimension to the appreciation of it but, as have been observed with respect to the fact of John’s having written â€Å"Julia† in honor of his own mother, the effect that each song has upon someone would be hardly diminished if for some reason were to remain oblivious to the biographical background of either. For me, the main message here is to be found in the first half, the imperative to now pursue one’s destined love the minute either you have found him/her, or he/she has found you. I do believe that once you internalize that much, the transcendent, blissful joy of the second half falls right into place. â€Å"Yesterday† This song is so well established in the pop-cultural subconscious that it is difficult to relate to it objectively, no less say something new and insightful about it. As is often the case with the over-exposed war horses of any artsy genre, whether or not you like this song, there is some good reason why it became so over-exposed in the first place. It is a fine piece of work with something going for it in virtually every detail. By the same token, one should not be fooled by whatever unique and interesting factors surrounding the song’s history and production into thinking of it as more unique and different than it is. Especially if you can step around the self-pitying lyrics for a moment (Paul possibly taking a lesson from George, for a change) you will find this song to actually lie along the same compositional and moody lines of the other hymn or anthem-like ballads which so vividly characterize some of Paul’s highest achievements. Love Me Do† Granted, by itself, â€Å"Love Me Do† is hardly the blockbuster of which legendary careers are made. In fact, it is tempting at first blush to dismiss this one as too simple and even unappealing. After all, we have what must be very nearly the skimpiest Lennon/McCartney lyric ever, but just beneath the surface, you find not also that certain bristling intensity in their voices, but also a great deal of stylistically prophetic, especially i n regards to the phrasing, the vocal harmonies, and the modal melody. The most intriguing aspect to this intuitive innovation of the early Beatles is the question of how much of it was motivated by intentional originality and how much a by-product of less-than-entirely-adept emulation of their derivative influences. It is quite a serious question, the answer to which has nothing to do with the relative merit of the final product itself.

Art History: Traditional and Contemporary Essay artist, art, painting

Today, society call many â€Å"works† produced by individuals and call themselves artist, but is it really art? If you were to try to determine a definition for the word: art, you would find it to be an elusive word. I recently observed a landscaper cut and shop a pine tree which had overgrown in size. Although, some would say the pin... ...know it will go eventually the way of the west. Art is important to learn and to appreciate while we have the means to do so. Incorporating all of the elements which make for traditional or modernistic art is in the hands of this generations and like the mentors of yesterday, today we need to look around us for the next Rembrandt or Picasso. Tomkins, Calvin. Time Life Library of Art: The World of Marcel Duchamp. New York: Time Incorporated, 1966. Print Coughlan, Robert. Time Life Library of Art: The World of Michelangelo. New York: Time Incorporated, 1966. Print Getlein, Mark. Living with Art. 10th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. Print Lynton, Norbert. The Story of Modern Art. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2008. Print Eimerl, Sarel. Time Life Library of Art: The World of Giotto. New York: Time Incorporated, 1966. Print

Analyzing an accountant system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analyzing an accountant system - Essay Example The owner still has a debt obligation towards his relative ($100,000) which when accounted for is severely impacting the revenues generated by the company, thereby resulting in severe losses. The expenses for the purpose of conducting the business are of random nature which does not explain the exact purpose of incurring such expenses. As an example, it can be cited that the owner of MTS spends 40% of its allocated advertisement budget on business lunches involving local theatre producers and directors and the rest 60% is spent on advertising in local newspapers, theatre programs, sponsoring local children`s theatre and delivering flyers to the community. No clear rationale can be identified from this distribution strategy. As is evident from the income statement, the expenses incurred from advertising and promotion contributes significantly towards reducing the revenues generated by the company. For a startup company which is highly leveraged, efforts are needed to be put in order t o reduce the obligations. The company needs to restrict its expenses behind advertising and promotion. ... This is particularly because these are the expenses that are most directly involved in creating revenues. As is evident from the income statement, MTS has incurred huge amount of cost of goods sold as well as administrative expenses with respect to the revenues that the company has generated. The company needs to formulate a more effective strategy in order to bring down the aforementioned expenses. One particular area that is needed to be highlighted in the income statement is the expenses incurred as a result of payment made to the employees. According to the case study, MTS is supposed to book $25,000 as expenses due to payments made to employees. However, the income statement reflects a completely different figure which is significantly higher than the actual figure that is required to be reported. This sheds light on an important concern. The concern arises due to a weaker internal control within the company. The serious error committed while drafting the income statement questi ons the credibility of the accounting official responsible for preparing the income statement. The amount recorded as payment to employees in the year is $90,999 whereas the actual amount that had to be reported was $25,000. Had it been the case, then it would have significantly improved the figure that has been reported in the bottom line. This highlights a massive loophole in the internal control mechanism of the organization. There is no perfect approach towards employing officials who are experienced in the field of accounting. This is evident from the fact that the accounting part is handled by a person who does not have an accounting background and

Research Method Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Method - Research Paper Example Accordingly, it has been recognized that various short term financial instruments provides the options that help to minimise the possible loss from the transaction. The purpose of the study is to investigate the affect of fluctuation of exchange rates in the revenue of businesses especially in USASuperCars context. Moreover, the aim of the study is also to investigate the risks that the bank will undertake to measure adverse effect of exchange rate fluctuations. Correspondingly, the paper intends to analyse the current financial position of the USASuperCars. Additionally, an assessment is conducted with the aim of having a better understanding about the involvement of the bank in operating its businesses. The USA Sports Cars engaged in selling of luxury sports cars and the HSBC bank as the sources to measure the exchange rates in order to measure the fluctuation rate. Moreover, the fluctuations may either increasing or decreasing in the given time span. Thus to conclude table has also been drawn in order to reflect from Japan, UK, Canada, USA and South Africa among others to show the quantity of cars sold during the period. Furthermore, current exchange rates are also taken into consideration to measure the profit and loss for the HSBC. USASuperCars is the luxury sports car manufacturer and distribution company. The company is recognised as a global organisation having distribution channel around the world. Besides, high transaction in the global market has led to high reliance of the company over the international currency markets volatility and fluctuations. The prime aim of the company is to provide luxury cars to millions of inhabitants across a world. Company fixes the selling prices in terms of local currencies on the basis of the exchange rate that is prevailing during the delivery time. In the current scenario, the company experienced difficulties with respect to uncertainty in the exchange rates. The company is required to select

What is development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What is development - Essay Example This is possible by empowering people through proper education, quality healthcare and training. Satisfaction of basic needs of the people is realized when people can access quality and adequate food, water, housing, clothing, justice and peace. Efficient infrastructure in education, agriculture, commerce, health, defense and transport sectors exhibit improving development. Other indicators of development are higher per capita income, political stability, quality healthcare, availability of clean, safe and adequate water as well as food. Progressive countries and societies aspire to achieve higher development status. Peet et al (2009 p.1) claimed that development is a conscious act and process of improving the life of everyone. Therefore, development covers all aspects in life that makes lives better. For example, development involves having healthy and sufficient food; safety in dwelling place; affordable goods and services; availability of employment opportunities; efficient and adequate utilities (Medicare, education, energy and transport) and being accorded respect and dignity as human being. Various actors pursue development in different spatial setting. For example, governments pursue development nationally while individuals pursue development around their environment such as the homes, villages or urban dwelling. Development is more concerned with the conditions and environment under which goods and services are produced and distributed as compared to economic growth. Economic activities and wealth generation processes give rise to economic environment. Development is also biased to socia l consequences of production and distribution of goods and services. Economic growth alone is not necessarily development especially when few powerful individuals control the growth process. This is because economic growth can concentrate wealth on the hands of the few and leave