The Power of Secrets in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Power of Secrets in The Scarlet Letter Deception is defined by Webster's Dictionary as the art of misrepresentation. Throughout the history of mankind, the use of deception to promote oneself to a higher level, or to hide one's past, has been a common occurrence. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne , Chillingworth and Dimmesdale both use deception to hide secrets from each other, and from the rest of the town. Hester Prynne is the only one who knows the secrets that Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are hiding from the townsfolk. Hester has to control her desire to tell the truth and practices the art of deception to hide these secrets. When she will not reveal the father of Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale says, "She will not speak." It is ironic that the person who committed the sin with Hester is the one who announces publicly that she will not reveal the name of the other sinner. Later, Chilling worth wants to know who it is and he says, "Thou wilt not reveal his name?" Hester refuses and continues to hold her silence. Then Chillingworth, still trying to find out the name of her lover, comments, ". . . but Hester, the man lives who has wronged us both! Who is he?" When he says this, he is hinting that he is going to do something to Dimmesdale. This is why Hester makes Chillingworth promise not to kill her lover if he finds out his identity. Chillingworth deserves to know who slept with his wife, although Hester should not have had to tell him. I think that Dimmesdale should have admitted that he was Pearl's father. Today, if a priest admitted such a crime, he would probably be sent to jail. However, in the novel, had Dimmesdale confessed, the townsfolk would have liked him even more. Hester also has to live with, and conceal, the secret that the scholar, Chilling worth, is her husband. When he comes to visit her in jail he says, "Thou hast kept the secret of thy paramour. Keep, likewise, mine! There are none in this land that know me. Breathe not, to any soul, that thou didst ever call me husband.

Kant’s Categorical Imperative

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe in the mid to late 18th century.   Immanuel Kant advanced the deontological theory with his theory: the categorical imperative.   Deontology is the theory of duty or moral obligation.   Performing that duty is the righteous act in itself, not the act leading to an expected or attempted end.  Ã‚   In other words, the end does not justify the means, but the means is an end unto itself.â€Å"In his theory, Kant claimed that various actions are morally wrong if they are inconsistent with the status of a person as a free and rational being, and that, conversely, acts that further the status of people as free and rational beings are morally right.† (Categorical)   Kant believed that to carry out morally right actions was an absolute duty.   He believed there were two types of duty: contingent duties which needed to be carried out only under certain circumstances, and categorical duties which always needed to be carried out because they were based on the general nature of things. (Categorical)   From these categorical duties, Kant created the categorical imperative.The categorical imperative is comprised of five formulations. The first three were the most famous:â€Å"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.† â€Å"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end and never simply as a means† â€Å"Therefore, every rational being must so act as if he were through his maxim always a legislating member in the universal kingdom of ends.† (Kant )  The first two formulations will be discussed in this paper.   The third formulation seems to merely combine the commands of the first two formulations.In order to understand the categorical imperative theory, the definition of a maxim must be understood .   A maxim, according to Kant, is a principle or rule that an individual uses when making a decision to act. (Categorical)   Morality and rational demands apply to the maxims that motivate actions. (Categorical)The first formulation is the Formula of Universal Law.   It holds that one should only act on a maxim that the agent is willing to hold as a universal law.   Also, the law â€Å"must not come into conflict with itself.† (Categorical)   In other words, if the rule or maxim cannot or should not apply to everyone or if it contradicts itself in any situation, then it should not be acted upon.   If the maxim is rational and not contradictory to itself, then the action should and, in some cases, must be taken. (Categorical)   Kant divided this reference to the duty to act on maxims into perfect duty and imperfect duty.   The perfect duty is to act only on maxims that do not result in logical contradictions when they are universalized.   The imperfect duty is to act only on those maxims that the agent is willing to universalize.   One cannot create a maxim for oneself that he or she will not apply to someone else.The second formulation is the Formula of the End in Itself.   This formulation holds that one should consider other humans or â€Å"rational beings† as well as one's self as an end, never as a means. (Categorical)   This is the opposite of the ends justifies the means theory.   In this formulation, the means are considered an end.   Therefore, the means cannot justify the ends.   If it is wrong to lie, then it is wrong to lie whether the outcome from the lie is good or bad because the lie was the end in itself: the morally wrong action that was taken. This means that a person must apply all maxims to others as he applies them to himself or else the maxims would be contradictory.There is a strong point made with both formulations, as well as a weakness.   The strongest point in the first formulation is uni versality.   It makes sense that one should wish to apply all rules and laws to others as they are applied to one's self.   For example, if I were expected by a local law to keep my dog on a leash, I would expect my neighbors to abide by that law also.   Similarly, if I was allowed the freedom to have as many children as I wish, then I should not try to take that freedom from others.   This applies to the second formulation also.   If other rational beings are to be treated as rational beings and not a means to my outcomes, then these rational beings should all hold these same freedoms that I do.In contrast, both formulations have a weakness.   It is difficult to always judge actions, as they stand alone.   It is wrong to murder.   However, in self-defense, it may be necessary.   If we view a self-defensive murder according to the categorical formulation, it is wrong to murder no matter the outcome, good or bad.   But what if killing an attacker was the only meth od of saving one's own life and perhaps, depending on the scenario, the lives of others?   Then was it morally wrong to murder?   Would the obligation to save others overrule the principle that murder is wrong?   What is the maxim to act on in this case?   Too many contradictions and shaky situations can arise to dispute the formulation.The second formulation is easier to practice than the first.   It is sensible to apply the same rules to one's self as to other human beings.   However, because the first formulation requires that particular conditions not apply, it is more difficult to practice the first formulation.  Nevertheless, the second formulation supports the first.   If a maxim is contradictory, then it should not be used to make decisions.   Also, as in the second formulation, if a person or action was used as a means and not an end, then it could not be rational or universal which would render it contradictory.   So, one would be morally bound not to u se such a maxim to make decisions by perfect and imperfect duty.In order for the second formulation to be true, the first formulation must exist.   In the first formulation, it is explained that the maxim cannot be contradictory to itself and it must be willingly used universally.   In the second formulation, if a person demands an end for himself, he must demand the same end for everyone else.   Everyone has a moral obligation to seek the same ends for all mankind that he seeks for himself.   For example, if a man seeks the freedom to marry whom he pleases, then he must seek that right for every other man out there, too.   It would be morally wrong for him to choose another man's wife or a woman's husband.Thus, if the first formulation which specifies universality and uniformity were not true, then the second formulation which expounds universality between human beings would not be true.   Also, if the universality between rational beings was not true, then it would be contradictory to the first formulation which would then contradict itself and then neither would be true.   So, it is conclusive that these formulations must work together to create the standard for moral duty.All in all, Kant was trying to theorize that actions were not bound morally by consequences or outcome.   He was explaining that actions in themselves were good or bad no matter the outcome because people chose their actions by their sense of moral duty, not by the consequences of their actions.ReferencesCategorical Imperative Formulations. Wikipedia. [Online] Available at:                   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative#The_second_formulation      Accessed: 5 /12/2007.

Places i’ll like to visit Essay

Name one place you would like to visit and explain why? I would be a fool to sit here and choose one place when there are so many beautiful countries, islands, cities, and even states that I have never visited. Ultimately, my dream place to visit will be somewhere surrounded by a full body of water. This place must be exotic enough to take my mind off my student loans. My idea getaway would be anywhere on the Malaysia Island which is because of the beaches, rain forest, and Mulu National Park in Sarawak. The Malaysian Island gives a good view of the ocean and the breeze that blows around the beaches is rumored to be refreshing. In Malaysia, I would like to visit one of the five star beach luxury resorts. The resorts are situated between the rain forest and beautiful sandy beaches. I have also read according to â€Å"Tourism Malaysia About Us† the beach gives a good view of the sun setting. The rain forest make the sea coast warm, by blocking winds that would cause cold effects to the beach and this will make the environment suitable for tourism attraction sites. With that in mind, I could imagine taking advantage of the services that is offered on the beaches. I would enjoy my experience in the refreshing environment and at the same time gaining knowledge of this gorgeous island. The beaches of Malaysia are known to have the added advantage of being relatively unknown. The rain forests in Malaysia are mostly dominated by trees and are known to be suitable for a tourism attraction site. The rainforests of Malaysia, for example, contain about 6,000 species of trees according to the â€Å"World Wildlife Fund.† Even as Malaysia’s rain forest yields to clearing and over-exploitation national parks provide some opportunity to explore their primal richness. The equator which marks the hottest place on Earth runs right through the nation of Malaysia to create a warm, highly moist region that is ideal for plant life. The Malaysia rain forest is so dense with growth, I would have to travel several meters deep into the plant layer to find tropical flowers. Many varieties of tropical flowers can be found deep within the forest. The Hibiscus, known to Malaysian’s as the Bunga Raya, which is the national flower of the country because it is so widely sp read throughout the nation. The Hibiscus is considered to have medical uses in Chinese Herbology. It may have potential in cosmetic skin care for example, an extract from the flowers of Hibiscus shown to function as an anti-solar  agent by absorbing Ultraviolet radiation. The red color of the flower is said to symbolize courage, it appears to be that Malaysians find inspiration in flowers. The impressive wildlife diversity in the Malaysia rain forest includes large, dramatic animals that biologist call â€Å"charismatic megafauna† these are represented by such creatures as the orangutan and the clouded leopard which lives in the rainforest. Malaysia’s most internationally recognized limestone area, famed for its monstrous caves and stately pinnacle is Mulu National Park in Sarawak. The Mula National Park contains significant natural habitat for conservation of biological diversity and protection of threatened species and according to â€Å"Tourism Malaysia About Us.† It is rumored that Mulu National Park is naturally beautiful and a place for the entire family to enjoy. They offer cave activities, forest activities, eating, and sleeping up to 80 people per night in a range of accommodations. Mulu’s concentration of caves, it is geomorphic and structural characteristics are an outstanding resource, which allows a greater understanding of Earth’s history. Mulu also has outstanding scenic values, including the natural phenomenon of millions of bats and swiftlets leaving and entering the caves in a superlative. After gathering all this information, I was convinced to visit Malaysia Islands, considering Mulu’s spectacular scenery and its biological significance. It does not surprise me that United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultur al Organization successfully listed Mulu as a World Heritage Site in November 2000. In conclusion, initially when I was asked my first impulse was somewhere on the Malaysia islands because what I was told about the island significant natural habitat. The magnificent views of the ocean will blow my mind. I can vision visiting the Malaysian islands and indulging in the excursions the beaches has to offer. Plus, having the opportunity to take advantage of taking a tour of the rain forest in Malaysia will be more than a lifetime experience. To put the icing on the cake, camping overnight in the cave would be a tremendous adventure at the Mulu National Park. After seeing pictures on Google’s website of the island, I cannot imagine anyone not seeing or hearing the Malaysian’s Island Airline flight 370 traveling to Benjing. While visiting the island I could inquire about people thoughts or feelings towards flight 370 this could be interesting.

Treaty of Paris 1898

Treaty of Paris 1898 The Treaty of Paris (1898) was the peace treaty signed on December 10, 1898 by Spain and the United States that ended the Spanish-American War. The terms of the treaty also ended the age of Spanish imperialism and established the United States as a world power. Key Takeaways: The Treaty of Paris The Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, was a peace agreement between Spain and the United States that ended the Spanish-American War.Under the treaty, Cuba gained independence from Spain, and the United States gained possession of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.Marking the end of Spanish imperialism, the treaty established the United States’ position as a world power. The Spanish-American War The 1898 war between the United States and Spain came after three years of fighting by Cuban rebels to win independence from Spain. Happening so close to the coast of Florida, the conflict in Cuba transfixed Americans. Concerns for U.S. economic interests in the region, along with the American public’s outrage over the brutal tactics of the Spanish military spurred public sympathy for the Cuban revolutionaries. With tensions between the U.S. and Spain growing, the explosion of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898 brought the two nations to the brink of war.   On April 20, 1898, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution acknowledging Cuban independence, demanding that Spain abandon its control of the island, and authorizing President William McKinley to use military force. When Spain ignored the U.S. ultimatum, McKinley implemented a naval blockade of Cuba and called for 125,000 U.S. military volunteers. Spain declared war on the United States on April 24, and the U.S. Congress voted to declare war against Spain the next day.   The first battle of the Spanish-American War was fought on May 1, 1898 in Manila Bay, where U.S. naval forces defeated the Spanish armada defending the Philippines. Between June 10 and June 24, U.S. troops invaded Cuba at Guantanamo Bay and Santiago de Cuba. With the Spanish Army in Cuba defeated, the U.S. Navy destroyed the Spanish Caribbean armada on July 3. On July 26, the Spanish government asked the McKinley administration to discuss terms of peace. On August 12, a cease-fire was declared with the understanding that a peace treaty must be negotiated in Paris by October. Negotiations in Paris   Peace negotiations between representatives of the United States and Spain began in Paris on October 1, 1898. The American contingent demanded that Spain acknowledge and guarantee the independence of Cuba and transfer possession of the Philippines to the United States. In addition, the U.S. demanded that Spain pay Cuba’s estimated $400 million national debt. After agreeing to Cuban independence, Spain reluctantly agreed to sell the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million. Spain also agreed to pay back the $400 million Cuban debt by transferring possession of Puerto Rico and the Mariana island of Guam to the United States. Spain demanded that it be allowed to retain possession of the Philippines capital city of Manila- which had been captured by U.S. forces hours after the August 12 cease-fire had been declared. The United States refused to consider the demand. Representatives of Spain and the U.S. signed the treaty on December 10, 1898, leaving it up to the two nation’s governments to ratify it.   Pages 8 and 9 out of 19 pages comprising the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War. Spain relinquished Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States in exchange of payment of $20,000,000. Spain also agreed to assume the $400,000,000 Cuban debt.   Corbis Historical / Getty Images While Spain signed the agreement days later, ratification was strongly opposed in the U.S. Senate by senators who viewed it as instituting an unconstitutional policy of American â€Å"imperialism† in the Philippines. After weeks of debate, the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty on February 6, 1899 by a single vote. The Treaty of Paris took effect on April 11, 1899, when the U.S. and Spain exchanged documents of ratification.  Ã‚   Significance While the Spanish-American War had been short in duration and relatively inexpensive in terms of dollars and lives, the resulting Treaty of Paris had a lasting impact on both Spain and the United States.   While it suffered initially from the terms of the treaty, Spain eventually benefited from being forced to abandon its imperialistic aspirations in favor of focusing on its many long-ignored internal needs. Indeed the war resulted in a modern Spanish renaissance in both its material and social interests. The post-war period in Spain saw rapid advances in agriculture, industry, and transportation over the following two decades.   As Spanish historian Salvador de Madariaga wrote in his 1958 book Spain: A Modern History, â€Å"Spain felt then that the era of overseas adventures had gone, and that henceforth her future was at home. Her eyes, which for centuries had wandered to the ends of the world, were at last turned on her own home estate.†Ã‚   The United States- whether intentionally or not- emerged from the Paris peace talks as the world’s newest superpower, with strategic territorial possessions stretching from the Caribbean to the Pacific. Economically, the United States profited from the new trade markets it gained in the Pacific, Caribbean, and the Far East. In 1893, the McKinley administration used the terms of the Treaty of Paris as partial justification for annexing the then-independent Hawaiian Islands. Sources and Further Reference â€Å"Treaty of Peace Between the United States and Spain; December 10, 1898.† Yale Law School.â€Å"The Spanish–American War: The United States Becomes a World Power.† Library of Congress.McKinley, William. â€Å"The Acquisition of the Philippines.† U.S. Department of State.de Madariaga, Salvador (1958). â€Å"Spain: A Modern History.† Praeger. ISBN: 0758162367

Masters Dissertation Writing Tips

Masters Dissertation Writing Tips Masters Dissertation Writing Tips There are several important tasks every student has to face during the process of studying, and writing a masters dissertation is one of them. The first thing worth mentioning about a dissertation is that it needs to be done well in order to get a masters degree. So, as you can see, we shouldnt underestimate all the responsibility of writing such kind of a task. Needless to say, that such a big responsibility makes you feel worried and tense all the time, even if you have enough time and there is no obvious reason for that. It seems like every student has fear for deadlines. Well, it is clear why: writing is a creative task and creativity shouldnt be limited by anything. On the other hand, even if you are pressed for time, you can write faster and cope with your tasks more effectively. Lets try to figure out how to do it right. The first step is choosing a topic you are interested in. You must be sure there is enough information to use for the topic you choose. Moreover, it should be relevant so that your teachers are also interested in what they are going to read. Try to look back at everything youve learned before and understand what particular topic was interesting for you. You may also choose something new, but be sure to consult your teacher to know whether it is suitable for your task. Your next step should be gathering all the necessary information before you will start writing. Once youve done that, make a plan in order to know the structure of a paper you are going to write. Take your notebook with you wherever you go because good ideas can come out of the blue. When you finally start writing, you should clearly see the outline of your paper. Do not put this stage off because you need to have enough time to edit and proofread your paper in the end. Keep in mind that you are writing an academic paper, so your language should be formal. No jargon or slang is accepted here. No matter how attentive you are while writing, you should look through your paper when you finish it to see whether there are any mistakes. Follow these tips and dissertation writing wont be a difficulty anymore. All the tips written above will work fine if you have enough time. Otherwise, you will need some help to cope with your task well. One of our experienced writers can help you out with your Masters dissertation. All you need to do is to place an order and tell our writer what kind of task you have and the deadline by which the task should be done. Save your time and effort and get the paper you need.

System of Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

System of Government - Essay Example In the view of the aforesaid all the states by the system of government are divided in monarchies and republics. In the given essay the republican form of board will be considered. Republic is the system of government, according to which the higher authority in the state belongs to elective bodies: to parliament and to president, which carry out the control over the government, there is also an independent justice and institutions of local governing. The republican system of government was generated in the Athenian state. In the process of development of public life it changed, got new features, was more and more filled with the democratic essence. Parliamentary republic is a version of the modern system of the state government when the supreme role in the organization of the state life belongs to parliament. In such republic the government is formed by parliamentary method from among the deputies belonging to those parties, who have the majority of voices in parliament. The government bears collective responsibility before the parliament. The government remains in power till they possess the majority in parliament. In case of loss of trust of the majority members of parliament the government or retires, or with the help of the head of the state achieves the dissolution of parliament and prescheduled parliamentary elections. As a rule, the head of the state in such republics is selected by the parliament or specially created parliamentary board. Appointment of the head of the state by the parliament is the main kind of the parliamentary control over executive authority. The procedure of election of the head of the state in modern parliamentary republics is not the same. In Italy for example the members of both Houses select the president of republic at their joint session, but thus in elections participate three deputies from each region. In federative states participation of parliament in election of the head of the state, is also divided with representatives of members of federation. So in Germany the president is elected by the federal assembly consisting from members of the Bundestag, and the same number of the persons chosen by landtags on the basis of proportional representation.

Case study 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case study 2 - Essay Example Demographically, the target market consists of women with varying income levels, and educational backgrounds, while they are generally part of the Gen X and Gen Y markets.2 Psychographically, Singh sees the global market as a composition of independent women who are smart and not afraid to take risks.3 Behaviorally, the markets are differentiated across regions, and to some extent, across nations. Regions are different, in that Asia tends to imitate Western trends, while Eastern Europe is not as similar in beauty trends as Western Europe.4 For example, some Indians want the latest global brand, not the ones based on local trends. Ravi Narayan, the head of South Asia marketing, learned that teenagers are looking for â€Å"the latest color† that they saw being advertised from an â€Å"English serial† without asking about the price.5 The case suggests that because people are more connected nowadays through access to mobile communication and international media,6 some of th em are more open to and identify with global brands. Furthermore, regions can have sharp cultural differences too. For instance, Singh once had to campaign for pricing and packaging to be different for India, where income levels are lower.7 Geographically, Espoir is sold across the globe, specifically in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, North America, and South America.8 Hence, these characteristics show that some customers may react more positively to a global marketing image than others, although the extent and degree of differences in purchasing attitudes and behaviors are under-studied. The essay proceeds to describing five arguments in favor of going ahead with the movie global branding strategy. First, a global branding strategy leverages the opportunities and resources in the global market.9 Second, a global brand can be more cost-efficient and effective than highly differentiated and fragmented local marketing strategies.10 Third, a global brand can reduce brand confusi on across regions and nations, thereby strengthening global brand positioning.11 Fourth, a global brand can also improve international cohesion among managers that can result to global innovations.12 Fifth, a global brand can result to improved global performance because of marketing and functional synergies.13 While there are pros to a global brand, there are also drawbacks. First, a global marketing strategy may oversimplify and overstandardize marketing efforts, at the expense of local cultural differences and local innovations.14 Second, Singh is risking low buy-in among head managers, which can affect the implementation process and success of the headquarters-imposed global marketing campaign. Country heads know their markets best and if they think that there are national or cultural differences, then they may be right.15 Third, Singh does not have a clear role and authority in connection to local marketing s