Customized - (Will be sent in an e-mail as an attachment) Essay

Customized - (Will be sent in an e-mail as an attachment) - Essay Example In Roper v. Simmons, a seventeen year old by the name of Simmons confessed that he plotted the murder and burglary of an older woman. This case placed the question before the Courts as to whether or not a person younger than eighteen years old should be punished with the death penalty when convicted of crimes that would typically mandated capital punishment. The seventeen year old was originally sentenced to death for his crimes. This decision was later overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court and the defendant’s sentence was converted to life imprisonment. The Missouri Supreme Court stated that although there were cases that illustrated that there was a precedent set that allowed for capital punishment for those persons under the age of eighteen, that a ‘national consensus has developed against the execution of juvenile offenders’(2005). This case has since been heard by the United States Supreme Courts. Judicial activism and restraint are concepts that can be re adily viewed in the Roper v. Simmons case when it was decided by the Supreme Court in March 2005. The majority opinion addressed both the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments when considering the affirmation of the Missouri Supreme Court decision. The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment against those in the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment allows all citizens, even those that have committed heinous crimes, equal protection of the laws. Per the court’s opinion, neither the Eighth nor the Fourteenth Amendment disallows the use of the death penalty for either persons that are under the age of eighteen or that are deemed mentally retarded. The Court’s majority states that twenty-two of thirty-seven death penalty states permit the death penalty for the offenders that are sixteen years old. The same thirty-seven states permitted the death penalty for

Acquisition Strategy Essay Example for Free

Acquisition Strategy Essay In today’s market it is very important for company’s to remain competive in order to maintain an edge over its competitors. The days that a company can rely on its reputation to continue making profits are gone. Today, everyone is looking to save money by buying less expensive items like economy brands, considering that the diffrences between the two products are similar and the features that are not offered are of little value. This will make a consumer buy the less expensive item. Like consumers, companies are also looking to save money and maximize profit. One way of doing this is through acquisition strategies. Combining the operations of two companies is a very good option for companies that are looking to stregnthening the company’s competincies and competitiveness, this will ultimately open new market opportunities (Gamble/Thompson, p. 119). The benefit of this type of strategy, unlike alliances, they do not go far enough for the resources needed and a very important factor, ownership. In the following paragraphs, I will give two examples of two different companies in different industries and explain how they will stregnthen their market position through acquisiton, to include resources and competive capabilities. The first example I will use it Wells Fargo Co. results from the acquisition of Wachovia Corporation. During the economic crisis Wells Fargo Co. acquired Wachovia Corp in a bail out to keep the bank from going under. At one point Wachovia was Wells Fargo’s competitor. After the acquisiton it made Wells Fargo a banking giant absorbing its competion. Earnings from that acquisition have earned Wells Fargo Financial Co. a 21% earnings since the acquistion, reporting record profits. This acquistion has allowed them to gain market share, this was mostly created by winning new customers. Mortgage loans was the top earner and low rates and prices of homes falling to record lows has allowed the company to grow even in these tough economic times. Additionally, the acquisition of Wacovia Corp. moves Wells Fargo as the second largest bank, second only to Bank of America. The strategy has allowed them to acquire a larger share of the financial market. The second company I will discuss is DuPont Nutrition Health and Applied BioSciences acquisition of Danisco Corp. Once a long time partner of DuPont, is a very good and proven company, is a good fit because of their proven market science business and offers clear synergy for them. The acquisition will make them the clear leader in industrial biotechnology with inovations in global challenges in food production and fossil fuel. This effort will position the company ahead of all rivals addressing dramatic growth in human population in the years to come. Danisco is well established company that has research and application capabilities. This will create a more cost efficient operation of the combined companies. The applications do not need to be duplicated, meaning their buying power will increase, administrative functions do not need to be replicated, and will further create more cost savings by downsizing. This acquisition will also allow them to enter new product categories, for example 65% of Danisco’s revenue comes from specialty foods, product substitution items such as sweetners and enablers. This will allow them to enter renewable materials and addressing food needs. In conclusion, I have discussed Wells Fargo Co. , and how their acquisition of Wachovia Corp has allowed the company to gain a larger geographic coverage has helped it create a more cost efficient operation by allowing to cut overhead costs by elliminating duplicate processes. Second, DuPont Nutrition Health and Applied BioSciences acquisition of Danisco Corporation has allowed DuPont has made them the clear leader in industrial biotechnology with inovations in global challenges in food production and fossil fuel.

Shakespeares Portrayal Of Women English Literature Essay

Shakespeares Portrayal Of Women English Literature Essay Shakespeares female characters are represented across a variety of social classes. In this essay I will explore how Shakespeare portrays women in A Midsummer Nights Dream inclusive of several female characters in this play. This allows us to examine in depth, to a very limited extent, how they were treated in society and the stereotypical roles Elizabethan society imposed upon them. I will be examining specifically the characters and portrayal of Hippolyta, Helena and Hermia and how they defy the stereotypical notion of how women were treated by men. Firstly, the most obvious aspect regarding Shakespeares portrayal of women in this play is that the female gender is commodified. Throughout the play, women are treated like objects to be sold or traded. With reference to the background of the characters Theseus and Hippolyta, Greek mythology states that when Theseus, the Duke of Athens, sailed to the land of the Amazon, the Amazons offered Theseus gifts of peace. However, Theseus kidnapped Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazonians, and forcefully made her his wife.  [1]  This resulted in the war between the Athenians and the Amazons. Theseuss action of claiming Hippolyta as a prize and a wife might show that he treats them as objects rather than human beings.  [2]  This idea is reinforced when Theseus says Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword, and won thy love doing thee injuries (I.i.16-17). This statement refers to how Theseus won the battle with the Amazons and in conquering the Amazons; he has conquered their queen, Hippol yta, both physically and emotionally. Hippolytas lines in this play are of relatively insignificant amount and value as compared to Theseuss. For example, in the first Act, Hippolyta only comforts Theseus by saying that Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time (I.i.7-8) and they will have the marriage ceremony soon. In addition, Theseus appears to be making the decisions regarding everything, ranging from their marriage to Hermias marriage. This is significant as it shows that Hippolyta is subservient to Theseus as she has little say in these state events despite being seated next to Theseus. In addition, Hippolytas silence could possibly show how she is unhappy about being forced into a marriage with Theseus  [3]  as shown in the 1970s BBC production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. Hippolytas silence could also be seen as a rejection of male dominance.  [4]  However, it is also significant that Hippolyta gets is given more of a voice in the last scene after bein g married and this will be explored later. Another relationship that suggests the marginalizing of women is seen again between Egeus and Hermia. Egeus, Hermias father, has made up his mind to marry Hermia to Demetrius but Hermia refuses to do so. Egeus then brings up this complaint to Theseus, hoping Theseus is able to help him. In doing so, Egeus is shown to regard Hermia as a commodity. Egeus says that Hermia has turned her obedience, which is due to me (I.i.37) and that since she is mine, I may dispose of her (I.i.42). These 2 lines show Egeus treating Hermia as mere property  [5]  because he made her and hence Hermia ought to listen to her fathers instructions. This idea is also proven by some parents in the early 17th century such as Sir Edward Coke who whipped his daughter into marriage with a mentally unsound man.  [6]   Moreover, Theseus becomes the personification of the law in Athens as he tells Hermia to either to die the death, or to abjure for ever the society of men (I.i.65-66). According to the ancient privilege of Athens (I.i.41) a womans father has the right to decide who she should marry and she has no say in his decision. If the woman goes against the wishes of her father, she can either be put to death or to stay a virgin forever by becoming a nun. The number of different options given by both Theseus and Egeus only goes to support the fact that Renaissance women were constrained in the verbal medium and that silence was the virtue most stringently required from Renaissance women.  [7]   However, it is also through these three women that we see the female gender defying the societys treatment of women then. Hippolyta, Helena and Hermia go against the grain in their unique ways and show that despite the limitations and laws that society imposes upon them, they are able to assert themselves and show society that they have the potential to be as capable as men. Critics have said that Shakespeares portrayal of women in this manner could possibly be his own stand on how women should be treated equally as men but since he belongs to the Elizabethan era, it is still difficult to garner Shakespeares precise views on feminism and its issues solely based A Midsummer Nights Dream and even if we could, it is still problematic to judge his 16th 17th century mindset based on the definitions and criteria of twentieth century feminism.  [8]  In addition, Shakespeare is based in the Elizabethan era yet he writes about the lives and attitudes of the ancient Greeks. This suggests that interpreting Shakespeares mindset from his works is only reliable to a small extent. Hence, his representation of women only serves as an understanding to how he was unorthodox in the gender assumptions of his era. One extremely effective method of showing that women should assert having their opinions and rights recognized by men is to have the characters in A Midsummer Nights Dream either engage in a power struggle or a role reversal. The very first power struggle shown in the play exists between Egeus/Theseus and Hermia. In Act 1 Scene 1, Hermia openly defies Egeuss wishes for her to marry Demetrius instead of Lysander. Through Egeuss eyes, Hermia is seen to have a stubborn harshness (I.i.38) and she will not consent to marry with Demetrius (I.i.40). She defies Egeus despite knowing that ancient tradition grants the father power to marry his daughter off whoever he wishes to. Nonetheless, she even conspires with Lysander and agrees to his plan of leaving Athens to Lysanders widow aunt whose house is remote seven leagues (I.i. 159) and out of reach of the sharp Athenian law (I.i.162). While running away might seem like a nuanced and subtle form of defiance, it is still an affirmation of Hermi as rights and freedom as a woman to choose who she marries. In the same scene, she defies Theseus in both her tone and her language. For example, when Theseus tries to persuade Hermia to marry Demetrius by saying that Demetrius is a worthy gentleman (I.i.52) Hermia asserts, So is Lysander (I.i.53). In addition, when Theseus tells Hermia that she faces either a nunnery or death, she replies that My soul consents not to give sovereignty (I.i.82) and she would rather be a nun than having to marry Demetrius. In Hermias case, the act of women asserting themselves is almost unheard of as Shakespeare lived in a patriarchal culture in which authority and privilege is particularly invested in the hands of the patriarch of a family. This shows that women were subordinate to men.  [9]   The most obvious example of gender reversal is between Demetrius and Helena. In Act 2 Scene 1, Helena reminds the audience about this role reversal by saying, We cannot fight for love, as men may do; we should be wooed, and were not made to woo (II.i.241-242). This line refers to how, in this situation, Helena is playing the role of the male chasing after the female (Demetrius) through the woods and persuading Demetrius to love her. Although I acknowledge that Helena is forced to woo Demetrius due to her situation of unrequited love, it is not proper for a woman to behave in this manner in Ancient Greece. This role reversal between Helena and Demetrius suggests that in Ancient Greece, women were generalized as insensible and unable to make proper judgments and hence needed a male guardian.  [10]  By getting Helena to play the role of men, Shakespeare creates comic relief as the audience sees it as ridiculous and absurdly funny. In addition, some members of the audience may feel sympathetic for Helena instead. Inducing sympathy and challenging the audiences perception of women could have been Shakespeares intentions to promote equal treatment regardless of gender. Nonetheless, this seemingly comic situation still holds true to this day as we, to a small extent, still stereotype women as human beings to be wooed by men despite various organizations pushing for female equality. This may be due to our genetic makeup as human beings or cultural influences about women but we do not exactly know. The final instance of a power struggle between the genders occurs between Theseus and Hippolyta. In Act 5 Scene 1, Hippolyta voices out that she disagrees with Theseus on the events that happened to the lovers the previous night. While Theseus says that he may never believe these antique fables (V.i.2-3), Hippolyta disagrees and says that it must have been true because all their minds transfigured together (V.i.24) and it was more witnesseth than fancys images (V.i.25). Hippolytas verbal answer can be seen in two ways. Firstly, Michael Boyd, a stage director implied that Hippolyta has accepted Theseus as she gives her husband a kiss. This suggests that Hippolyta is simply discussing the whole issue about the lovers with Theseus. The darker way of looking at this is that Hippolyta is involved in struggles for power in a patriarchal society.  [11]  In doing so, Hippolyta empowers the female gender by going against how women were supposed to be submissive and agreeable to their husb ands. In conclusion, I hope this essay demonstrates Shakespeares several conscious and subconscious feminist intentions, through A Midsummer Nights Dream, in his portrayal of women as opposition to the supposed virtues of marriage.  [12]  More importantly, this paper would have suggested that A Midsummer Nights Dream may be interpreted to imply Shakespeare being a proto-feminist who understood and sympathized women who were treated unfairly.

The Struggles Of A Leader :: essays research papers

In 1965 Malcolm X, one of the greatest black leaders in America, published his autobiography with the help of Alex Haley, a former writer for the Washington Post. In this autobiography Malcolm tells of the many struggles he had to endure in his lifetime. Things such as hate crimes, drugs, and prison. The autobiography begins with an incident his mother (Louise Little) told him about that occurred while she was still pregnant with him. What happened was that a group of hooded Klan’s-men galloped to his parents house in search of his father (Reverend Earl Little). They circled around the house with their loaded rifles shouting threats and saying that â€Å"the good Christian white people† were not going to stand for his father’s â€Å"spreading trouble† among the â€Å"good† Negroes of Omaha with the â€Å"back to Africa† preachings of Marcus Garvey. They then circle ride around the house and smash in the windows with the butts of their guns. Malcolm was born shortly after on May 15, 1925. Then the book goes through his whole life from the time he was a mere boy to when he was an irresponsible teenager to the time when he was a civil rights leader as an adult. So in other words the book follows his life in chronological order. I find that t his made the book more enjoyable to read and easier to understand. This is because books in which they jump around in a person’s life it gets very confusing and then you don’t know what happened. So I feel this book was very well organized in that it helps you understand what’s going on by telling the events in order. I feel that the purpose of Malcolm X’s autobiography is to give people a vivid description of the life and times of the most controversial leader of the Civil Rights Movement in America, it also gives a ringside view of the events that occurred in and outside America.

How Ronald Reagan’s Ended Cold War Essay

How Ronald Reagan’s Ended the Cold War with the Soviet Union â€Å"I’ve always recognized that ultimately there’s got to be a settlement, a solution. † —Ronald Reagan, December 23, 1981 President Ronald Reagan initially had a hard-lined foreign policy with the Soviet Union. At the beginning of his administration, he focused on massive reduction of arms, confirmation of agreements between the U. S. and the Soviet Union, series of negotiations regarding arms control specifically to the employment of arms of the Soviets outside their territory and reciprocity (Matlock, 2004, â€Å"Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War ended†). However, these policies have not been effective in promoting changes in the Soviet Union. Soviet leaders were not intimidated by Reagan’s rigid approach that led the Soviets to continue with their communist ways. By 1985, Reagan started to change the direction of his policy. He opted to soften his methods by facilitating negotiations on arms negotiation, preventing the use of Euromissiles, â€Å"compromising strategic nuclear weapons† and complying with the restrictions of the SALT II treaty (Wittner, 2004, â€Å"Did Reagan’s military build-up really lead to victory in the Cold War?†). Because of this, the American public felt that there was a brewing nuclear war between the U. S. and the Soviet Union that resulted to numerous mass protests. The public stir influenced Reagan to make an announcement proposing for conciliatory efforts with the Soviet Union to assure the public that there will be no war. Then, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev forged an alliance in â€Å"implementing disarmament and peace†(Wittner, 2004, â€Å"Did Reagan’s military build-up really lead to victory in the Cold War? †). Reagan’s continuous efforts amid many hurdles, strategic alliance with Soviet leaders and American political transparency have pushed both countries to stop global domination through arms that put an end to the Cold War (Wittner, 2004, â€Å"Did Reagan’s military build-up really lead to victory in the Cold War? †). References Matlock, J. (2004). Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War ended. Random House Publishing. Wittner, L. S. (2004). Did Reagan’s military build-up really lead to victory in the Cold War?. History News Network. Retrieved March 29, 2008 from http://hnn. us/articles/2732. html

Guilt Essays - Fiction, Literature, Emotions, Guilt, Morality

Kafka /Guilt Essays - Fiction, Literature, Emotions, Guilt, Morality Kafka /Guilt Guilt has relative existence; in one sense or another, every man experiences guilt. Whether or not this guilt is worthy of punishment, however, is another question. For this, modern society has created trials that decide whether or not a person is guilty. However, sometimes the actual guilt or innocence of an individual is not the most important aspect of his or her trial. In the novel, The Trial, Franz Kafka uses his main character Joseph K to show the unimportance of the actual guilt of an individual. Although K is arrested and summoned by the courts, he is never informed of his crime, or questioned on his actual guilt. The trial that K is put through can be interpreted on two levels, the first of which is a literal interpretation of a criminal trial. The second level can be seen as the internal trial that he must go through to cope with his own anxiety. K and his trial are used to represent the eternal guilt of human beings in the eyes of a bureaucracy, and in this sense, K is guilty. However, the question of K's guilt is not important to Kafka's intention to show his idea that the innocent and the guilty [are] both executed without distinction in the end. In Kafka's beliefs, the courts treat all men as if they were guilty. Joseph K is a prime example of this treatment. He is never told about his crime, nor of how the trial is going. He merely waits until he is summoned, and if he is not, he is still forced to live his life according to the courts. This is what Kafka believes happens to all individuals; they are controlled by the society, and forced to agree with what the society implements upon them. K never found out what his alleged crime was, and will never find out. However, he was forced to agree with his own guilt because the society did not give him any other option. When he was told of his three possible outcomes, none included a statement of innocence. K allowed the trial and the pressure to run his daily life, and was never able to return to his normal lifestyle. However, one night, the prison guard summons K to the church to have a conversation. Kafka uses a story inside of the story to provide an explanation to why K can never get anything accomplished when it comes to his case. While K is in the church, the prison guard tells him a story of a man who tried to enter the courts, and K realizes that what the guard i s saying is the exact reason that K will never be able to do anything about his case. The man in the story wanted to enter the courts, but the doorman would not allow him passage. The man waited his entire life hoping to get through the door, but he never did. As the man was dying, he asked the doorkeeper why no one else has tried to enter the door, and the doorkeeper replied that the door is only meant for that man. In K's case, K wants to learn more about his trial, and attempt to make a difference, but he can not even get through the first door of courts to begin. Much like the man in the story, K is never able to get through the door, and he too dies without ever seeing the inside of the courts. Kafka openly shows his distrust in society by using K's death as an example of what happens to mankind when the bureaucracy becomes stronger than its members. In the beginning of his trial, K was very fearful of all of the possible outcomes, and relied on other people, such as his lawyer and numerous women, to attempt to help him with his case. This inability to rely on himself is exactly what the bureaucracy wanted him to do. However, after a few months of this, K decides that the lawyer and the women can not help him, and he must attempt to fight the battle himself. But the courts do not agree with K's decision, and the trial