Henry David Thoreau Essay Example for Free

Henry David Thoreau Essay Transcendentalism is a very important movement that occurred not only in literature but in life as well. The transcendentalist movement was a movement that was basically the thought of everyone having an over-soul. The over-soul is the thought of a relationship between God, nature, and man. The movement had many different characteristics like individuality, feelings being priority over reason, the fact that nature was divine, and that nature held truths. Transcendentalists used the truths that they observed in the world and in nature to change the way society was and how people see themselves in the world. Although the idea of a utopia was not successful, the movement sparked a change in literature. Emerson and Thoreau are the two people most associated with transcendentalism. They both wrote essays about their experiences in nature and influenced many other writers to do the same (hence the transcendentalist movement). The transcendentalist thought is especially apparent in Walt Whitman and Emily Dickenson’s work. Whitman and Dickenson both show many traits of the movement, but the most apparent trait is individualism. Individualism is often portrayed in Emerson and Thoreau’s work as being equal. Everyone has a soul, inner truth is the only thing that matters, and fulfillment comes from knowing one’s self. In Emerson’s essay Nature, he describes man as being universal and related. In the quote â€Å" . . . that great nature in which we rest . . . that Unity, that Over-Soul, within which every mans particular being is contained and made one with all other. . . . We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related; the eternal ONE. † Emerson is saying that all men have souls and that each soul is a part of an even bigger soul, the universal soul. This is basically saying that we are all equal, but at the same time we are separated because we each have a soul of our own. In another essay, self-reliance, he stated â€Å"Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In this, he is saying that being misunderstood is being great. This also says that being misunderstood is forgetting what society says you should be or act like and doing what you want to do in order to find yourself and be your own person. By not caring about what others may think about your choices and decisions, you can be your own person and set an example for others to do the same. Not only was Emerson talking about being an individual, he was also adding a bit about your feelings being more important that reason. Thoreau also writes about individualism in his essays. In Walden, Thoreau writes about the experiences and life of his life. He writes â€Å"†¦ if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet success unexpected in common hours. † This is saying that you should live the way that you want to live and that your inner truth or inner desires are all that matter. Everyone has inner truth and desires and to live the life that you want to live then you should go for the dreams that you have always wanted to come true. This is a prime example of individualism because everyone has dreams and inner truths about the way that they want to live and it is completely up to them to live the way that they want to live. He also addresses individualism in another essay titled Civil Disobedience. He writes â€Å"But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step towards obtaining it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In this, he is encouraging people to take a stand for the rights and respect they deserve. In a way, he is telling people to stop ignoring the unfair government and do something about the way you feel. This is showing again how everyone has inner truth and they should do something to change the way the world is to be better. Thoreau wanted the government to change and so he spoke about what he believed to be true. This is him showing his individualism and encouraging others to speak up as well about the truth that they believed. Like Emerson and Thoreau, Whitman and Dickenson have both used individualism in their works, but Whitman does a better job at portraying it. In Whitman’s poem ‘Song of Myself’, Whitman writes about everyone being equal and having equal opportunities. He states â€Å"I am of old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise, regardless of others, ever regardful of others, maternal as well as paternal, a child as well as a man, stuffed with the stuff that is course, and stuffed with the stuff that is fine † In this quote he is comparing total opposites to each other. This is a way of showing how even the opposites are the same. Regardless of others, ever regardful of others means that others mean nothing to you, yet others mean everything to you. It’s contradicting, but in a way that says although others mean nothing to you, they affect you in certain ways. Everyone affects you, but you are not everyone. You are simply yourself and that is what I get from what Whitman was describing. In another part of the poem, Whitman says ‘I am as bad as the worst, but thank God, I am as good as the best. ’ This quote stands out because it means no one is better than anyone. Just because you don’t get in trouble doesn’t mean you are any less wrong or less bad. Just because you do good things doesn’t mean you are any better! Being good is simply being good and the same goes for being bad. No one is any better or worst. This means that everyone is equal and has equal opportunities. Dickenson also uses individualism as a theme in some of her works as well. In the poem ‘Heaven Has Different Signs—To Me’, Dickenson writes â€Å"The Rapture of a finished Day—Returning to the West—All these—remind us of the place, That Men call paradise† In this poem Dickinson is describing what heaven would be like. This quote refers to the end of the day for men. Individualism is living the way you want and reaching fulfillment. This quote shows how men are fulfilled in their lives and of what they call paradise. To me, I don’t think she is writing about heaven, I think she is writing about a utopia. She is writing about a place that everyone is equal and enlightened. Dickinson and Whitman both write about being equal and living the life that you want to lead. Even though they both write about individualism, Whitman portrays it much more and it is more apparent. They were both influenced by the transcendentalist movement, but Dickinson focuses on other traits like how nature is beautiful and simple and the relationship that nature, life, and death have. The transcendentalist movement may be over, but it left an imprint in literature. Many people speak of individualism and the name most associated with it in the movement is Walt Whitman. Works Cited Poemhunters. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Quotations by Author. Walt Whitman Quotes. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Thoreau, Henry D. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. Jone Johnson Lewis, n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Thoreau, Henry D. Walden. N. p. : Jalic, 2003. Print. Whitman, Walt. (1836)Nature. Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Oregon State College, n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Whitman, Walt. Self Reliance. Mrgunnar. net. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

Executive Information Systems :: Technology Work Technological Essays

Executive Information Systems Executive Information Systems (EIS) is a system designed to supplement the current company’s information system for their executives. The standard textbook definition of executive information system is â€Å"an information system that provides strategic information tailored to the needs of executives and other decision makers† (O’Brien 24). EIS is thought to help with knowledge management. Knowledge management is the â€Å"set of practices aimed at discovering and harnessing an organization’s intellectual resources – fully utilizing the intellects of the organization’s people† (Bateman, Snell 8). In research there is one other basic term that is used to interchangeably with Executive Information System. That term is Executive System Support (Kaniclides, Kimble 3). Executive Information Systems software expands on all of the other business software out there for managers. There are some main differences between EIS and other information systems. The main difference is that EIS is aimed towards executives so it is specifically customized towards their needs. Another difference is that EIS is â€Å"able to access data about specific issues and problems as well as aggregate reports† (Kelly 2). EIS is not as limited to a particular field or area of the business. Executive Information Systems allow for access to an array of data from both inside the company and outside from difference sources. EIS also is user friendly so the senior management members do not need assistants to access the information for them and they can make use of their assistants for other tasks. The systems usually can be used with a mouse or a touch screen computer and information is presented in a graphic format (Kelly 2). The people that use EIS have been mentioned above. These people are those who are senior level managers, such as CEOs, CFOs, COO, Presidents, and so on, with loads of information to sort though. The executive information system helps them sort though the information provided to them by lower level managers. This information usually includes such things as efficiency reports and other production reports relevant to the field of the corporation. These senior level managers use this information that has been summarized and put into a form that the manager wants to make important decisions for the company. For executives that do not utilize executive information system might feel overwhelmed with the papers and reports they receive daily.

A clockwork orange: Futuristic fantasy Essay

A Clockwork Orange is a book with a moral. More than that, it is a warning: a caution to the 1960s society of which Burgess was a part. His predictions of the world to come are bloody and his depictions of militant regimes and totalitarian states are fantastic and profound. But they are not so far from the truth as one would think†¦ Burgess formed his picture of Alex’s world in the world he saw around him in the 1960s. This is most notable in the language that is used. It is absolutely full of Russian words: â€Å"horrorshow†, â€Å"krovvy†, â€Å"ptitsa†, and â€Å"tolchock†. This is of course a reference to the Soviet regime, which ruled over the USSR with an iron fist. At the time the Cold War was in full force, animosity was high and Soviet communism posed a real threat to the western democracies. But it is possible that Burgess was depicting the future world as well as his own. He is suggesting that if his own society were to carry on the way it was in his time, then it could possibly end up being as strict and oppressive as the Soviet regime. It is even a possibility that Burgess believed that the western countries, including his own country, the UK, would fall under the rule of communism and become Soviet states themselves. If this is true, then it suggests to me an admiration for the Soviet regime, not a dislike: he considered that the Soviets were so strong and organised, that western occupation was an actual possibility. But if this happened, Burgess believed it would be the end of the world as he knew it. Throughout the novel he makes subtle references to certain things he believed would not last under state control: art and literature. Alex himself says that â€Å"newspapers [were] not being read much†. Later he describes the â€Å"Public Biblio†, or library, â€Å"which not many lewdies used those days†. The boys wear masks later in the first chapter, and these are also significant. â€Å"Peebee† Shelley is seen as a novelty now; an age-old poet from years ago, long dead and long forgotten. Even Elvis Presley is included with Shelley and Henry VIII, suggesting that he too is simply a remnant of an old society. This had even more significance in the time Burgess wrote the novel, since Elvis was alive and famous and very much a part of modern popular culture. To Alex he is a name that means nothing. Even the remnant buildings of Oldtown are strange to him. They are from a time when people had a choice. The fall of literature and art is synonymous with the abolition of freedom. Literature, art and architecture are forms of expression – and in Alex’s world they do not exist, only in fleeting references and novelty masks. There is the boys’ appearance: the so-called â€Å"heighth of fashion† for their day. In many respects it is similar to fashion of the 1960s. The outrageous styles, indicated by the â€Å"old jelly mould†¦ fitting on the crotch under the tights†, funnily shaped into flowers, spiders and a â€Å"clown’s litso†. And there are also the very bright colours – â€Å"purple and green and orange wigs on their gullivers†. Rather unusually the boys also wear make-up. There are two possible explanations for this. The first is the most obvious: the boys want to be different. They are hitting out against organised state-control. The second reason is much more subtle: at the time Burgess wrote the novel, a sexual revolution was taking place; in particular, women were more free to take on the traditionally masculine practices, such as pursuing a career. Clearly, the boys are doing the same thing: adopting a traditionally female practice. It could be that Burgess is making a social statement: he predicts that in the future, the boundaries determining which gender takes on which role will be less definite. Yet it is still only a suggestion; Burgess’s old-style attitude towards the sexes is fairly clear in the book, since every major character is male. It is a strange combination of past and â€Å"future†. But although the boys want to stand out and not conform, they are ironically conforming within their own group. The weird clothes and make-up are components of their uniform, which exist mainly to control people in a militant fashion. They are fighting fire with fire. And if the make-up is an equality statement, then it is ironic also. The boys do not want to be equal to everyone else – they like to be different. And they do not want equal rights – they believe that they have, or should have, more rights, and can therefore defy the law through acts of violence. The message that Burgess is putting across here is ambiguous. Either he could be saying that too much state control will eventually force a violent revolution, and therefore the government should relax, which is probably the most common belief. Or his warning could be the opposite: he is saying that if the government give in and grant extra rights to everybody, then in the future there will be someone, somewhere, who has, or wants, more rights. I prefer to believe the latter theory. Burgess was not for violent revolution of any kind. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening prediction of the world to come if it continues to grant people so much power, and not a warning of how the world will be if state control continued. Eventually all of this freedom would necessitate state control, as it exists in Alex’s time. Burgess was for a certain degree of control – the use of Russian words in his novel, as explained above, is evidence for this. Although few people would agree with me, that is what I believe. Burgess’s novel was indeed written as a warning to those in his time. But despite the frightening depiction of state control, I do not think Burgess was so opposed to it as some people claim. I would only say that the totalitarian regime of Alex’s time is an example of an extreme form of state control that is certainly wrong, but only because of its severity. Burgess’s warning was not aimed at the government; it was aimed at those who dreamt of revolution. Only one thing is certain: the connotations are clear, and A Clockwork Orange is definitely not just a fantasy novel.

The Stereotypes Of Stereotypes And Stereotypes - 977 Words

Breaking Stereotypes The labeling or stereotyping of different races often define how they are supposed to act, think, and conduct themselves within society. Stereotyping can have an extremely negative effect on individuals in a particular ethnic group that have a real potential to become something better than what their labels define them as. Stereotypes such as all Native Americans are uneducated and lazy, or all Caucasian people are racists, are assumptions that can cause hatred between races, or stereotype threat; causing individuals in different ethnic groups to think less of themselves and thus limit their ability to reach their full potential. Some individuals in minority groups often find themselves having to prove that such stereotypes do not apply to them and work resiliently to change preconceived ideas about them. The term stereotype refers to generalizations or frequently generalizations about members of a specific group. Stereotypes can be associated with characteristics like race, sex, s ocial status or religion. These generalizations can be positive, but in most cases they are negative and extremely hard to change. For example in the essay â€Å"Champion of the world† by Maya Angelou the author describes how almost the entire African American population of the United States, placed their hopes on Joe Luis to retain title of world champion. A match against a white contender seemed the perfect opportunity to break the stereotypes and inequalities associated withShow MoreRelatedStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1400 Words   |  6 Pages Whether acknowledged or not, stereotypes are an issue in society. Stereotypes are often related to culture and religion, but also exist in forms related to gender. As seen in the movie Crash, stereotypes falsely label individuals in society. The labels created by stereotypes influence interactions individuals make with one and other. These interactions can be hostile or warm depending on the stereotypes society believe s of the group the individual identifies him or her self with. Stereotypical ideasRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1660 Words   |  7 Pagesand Usage of Stereotypes on Individuals On an average day, one might turn on the television to a variety of shows. Some may display a husband coming home from work to a meal cooked by his wife, and others may show a blonde girl proving her lack of common sense. Nevertheless, this comes to show how commonly it occurs that stereotypes are presented in our daily lives. Stereotypes are considered to be widely generalized perceptions of particular groups of people. There are stereotypes in regards toRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1765 Words   |  8 PagesStereotypes can be defined in several ways and are typically used in a negative or positive manner. Stereotyping according to Neuliup, J.W., (2012), â€Å"is referred as the memebership in social categories such as sex, race, age, or profession that are believed to be associated with certain traits and behaviors.† It may also refer to the belief that one holds against another person or groups of people from a given ethnic group. Stereotype’s has been known to be used in many films across the globeRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1362 Words   |  6 PagesINTRODUCTION: In today’s world stereotypes play a huge role. Stereotypes are constantly discussed and spread among members of a society, and usually have a negative message. It is commonly said that a world without these stereotypes is how the world should be. However, this is unachievable. As harmful as a stereotype can be, it is necessary and it is a part of all of our lives. Stereotypes are inevitable and present in all places and therefore are a factor in all human beings lives whether they knowRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes771 Words   |  4 PagesStereotypes: â€Å"...a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.† (Cardwell, 1996). Stereotypes create an unconscious perception on a group of people. Generalization ignores differences between individuals; theref ore we pass assumptions towards others that may not be accurate. Stereotypes enables us to respond quickly to situations because we may have had similar experiences before. The use of stereotypes is an involuntary way we simplify our social world; they reduceRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1357 Words   |  6 Pagesthing is known as a stereotype. Everyone has a stereotype of someone or something, whether they know it or not. It has become more common to have stereotypes in today s world. Human beings tend to settle on fixed images about races or cultures, and in doing so, assume, due to stereotypes, that they are endangered by all understood in that group. Such attitudes are dangerous, and spread violence across cultures. Every race and culture is characterized by stereotypes. Those that are stereotypedRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes794 Words   |  4 PagesStereotypes are by definition a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person. Stereotypes can apply to other things as well but I will focus on the stereotypes seen in society. As we have seen in â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird†, stereotypes have been present throughout history. However, it seems that even though stereotypes usually carry negative effects on people with their presence, they have lingered with us for some strange reason. Stereotypes exist todayRead MoreStereotype Stereotypes770 Words   |  4 Pagesis very wrong. 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