Sammy will definitely feel this event all his life

The basic plot of John Updike’s A & P is that Sammy clerks in a grocery store.   Stokesie is a young man who also works at the store, but he is there to support his family.There are some bold girls that come into the store and are frowned upon by the management.   The girls are dressed in beach attire and when Lengel (the manager) refuses to serve them, Sammy quits his job.   Lengel warns him â€Å"You’ll feel this for the rest of your life,† (Updike) and Sammy agrees.Sammy will definitely feel this event all his life.   By quitting his job, he is rejecting Lengel and his middle-class, uptight attitude.  Ã‚   In Sammy’s mind, the girls should be able to come in dressed in beach ware and not be judged.   Frivolous behavior should be tolerated and not frowned upon.  Ã‚   If they are dressed to scantily and cause people to look at them, that’s okay.   They’re young.   If men look at them, that is okay too.   It’s okay to look at pretty girls without feeling guilty.Sammy really grows up throughout the course of the story.   As Sammy walks away from the store he realizes â€Å"how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter† (Updike).   Sammy realizes that much of the world is filled with people who think like Lengel, and that he will be the one to buck the system.   He is not willing to go along with the status quo, and that will make his life difficult.The Lengels of the world are just too narrow to simply enjoy watching a pretty girl.   Sammy will be able to enjoy those simple pleasures without condemning them.In rejecting Lengel’s values, he is also rejecting the values of his family or his circle of society.   He decides that he wants more in life than vying for a manager position in an A & P.   He refers to the shoppers as â€Å"sheep† and decides that he does not want to be a sheep.The girls in their swimsuits simply help bring about that epiphany.   Sam my has really won according to his own values, but in the minds of many others, he has lost.   Everyone will know that he quit.   His parents will most likely be disappointed and might think his reasons frivolous.   It is only the beginning of bucking the system for Sammy.Works CitedUpdike, John.   A & P.

Mark Twain Quotes on Education and Schooling

Mark Twain Quotes on Education and Schooling The genius writer and father of American literature,  Mark Twain, was not educated beyond elementary school. His expresses cynicism toward the mediocre education system of this time in his quotes about education. He believed that schooling was different from education and learning. He warns us of the hazards of following the education system with blind faith. In Praise of Learning and Training Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man that can not read them. There is nothing training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach. It can turn bad morals to good; it can destroy bad principles and recreate good ones; it can lift men to angel ship. Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. Its like feeding a dog on his own tail. It wont fatten the dog. It is noble to teach oneself, but still nobler to teach others - and less trouble. A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others. Learning softeneth the heart and breedeth gentleness and charity. Criticism of Schooling Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned. We have not the reverent feeling for the rainbow that a savage has because we know how it is made. We have lost as much as we gained by prying into that matter. God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board. Just the omission of Jane Austens books alone would make a fairly good library out of a library that hadnt a book in it. I never let my schooling interfere with my education. Everything has its limit - iron ore cannot be educated into gold. All schools, all colleges, have two great functions: to confer, and to conceal valuable knowledge. Mark Twain Quips on Specific Subjects The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice. I dont give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable. Classic. A book which people praise and dont read. I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didnt know. Why shouldnt truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense. We could use up two Eternities in learning all that is to be learned about our own world and the thousands of nations that have arisen and flourished and vanished from it. Mathematics alone would occupy me eight million years. Many public-school children seem to know only two dates - 1492 and 4th of July, and as a rule, they dont know what happened on either occasion.

Complete, 4-Step Email List Building Strategy For Success

Complete, 4-Step Email List Building Strategy For Success Over here we have the goal: I want to make tons of money from my online business. And over here we have the reality: I have a website. I’m making some money, but I wouldn’t call it â€Å"success† just yet. The question you have been wrestling with for months now is, â€Å"How do I get from my reality to my goal?† Or in other words How do you turn your website into a real money-maker? If you’ve been been in the blogging game very long, or if you’ve simply read 10 total marketing articles at any point in the last 5 years, you know that the money is in your email list.  Email marketing has the highest ROI  of any marketing channel, and for content producers, its your #1 source of traffic, social shares, and revenue. The Complete, 4-Step #Email List Building Strategy That Will Make You Successful via @jmcmillen89There are many places you can go for email list building  tips. Here’s a great list of 21 ways to build your email list. But articles like these require you to have a competent system already in place AND to understand what you are ultimately trying to do with that system. Today, we are going to go through the full process from start to finish- everything you need from email list creation to effective monetization. The basic process looks like this: I’m going to show you how YOU can implement this process without any outside help whatsoever. For those of you who like to skip the tinkering or take things to the next level, there’s a special offer  for you at the end. Let’s start with Step 1 of your email list building strategy. Step #1: Create Your Email List This is the easiest step, but how many of you reading this have yet to start your list, because... research. You don’t want to select the wrong provider or you don’t want to spend money and then not put the work in. Well guess what? I’m solving both of those problems for you right now. If you’ve been waiting for a solid beginner email provider, go ahead and click here  to immediately start your FREE account with MailChimp. There’s no costs until you reach a handsomely monetizable 2,000 email subscribers. Problem solved. Now, select â€Å"Lists† in the top bar and then click â€Å"Create List†. Fill in a few admin details, and BAM, you’re done! Now that you have your list, let’s move on to tricking out your website for email collection. Step #2: Optimize Your Website For Email Collection This is where you  get to have some fun, at least, if you're anything like me. If you want your website to perform as a business funnel, your highest core value should be simplicity. Think simple and then think simpler. Simple design Single goal Necessary features only If you want to build a serious email list, that list has to be one of the #1 goals of your website. And on that note, immediately axe EVERY feature that doesn’t facilitate email signups. (If you can sell to your customers immediately via product trials or e-commerce, those are great features to keep around.) There’s a only a handful of features you  need to collect email effectively: Some form of compelling lead magnet Above-the-fold email opt-in CTA Email opt-in popup End-of-content email opt-in Let’s take a closer look at each of these. Recommended Reading:  How To Blog With As Little As Possible Create a compelling lead magnet. While some users will like your content so much, they will simply hand over their email address, these users are the exception rather than the rule. You need to have a few cards up your sleeve that will compel visitors to become subscribers. You need to have something valuable that you can freely offer visitors in exchange for their email address. These are called â€Å"lead magnets†. A great example can be found right here at , which uses its restricted-access resource library to invite readers like you to become subscribers. Check out 's resource library as an example of a compelling lead magnet. Just look at the top of your screen. See the light blue bar that says â€Å"Get 60+ Free Resources Now!†? Yep, that’s a lead magnet. There is virtually no limit to what you can use as a lead magnet: Restricted resource library Topical e-book Collection of templates Exclusive content only given to subscribers Audio or video downloads Email course training series Checklist PDFs Software tool access etc. When evaluating something as a potential lead magnet, it needs to answer â€Å"Yes† to two  vitally important questions: Is this something my marketing target audience would LOVE and no one else would really care about? Is this something that can be automatically distributed upon signup and doesn’t incur marginal cost at my expense? Virtually everyone wants a free laptop, but giving out laptops in exchange for email addresses breaks both or these rules. People who have zero interest in your website’s topic/product will claim the laptop with zero return on your investment, and the marginal cost of purchasing a laptop per subscriber is an insanely inefficient way to collect email addresses. Pick something that answers â€Å"Yes† to both the above questions, and you’ll be good to go. Place an email opt-in CTA above the fold. When we are discussing a desktop setup, your above-the-fold real estate is by far the most valuable. It absolutely must include a CTA that leads to email signup or information collection of some nature. A great example of this is Noah Kagan’s blog OkDork. As soon as you show up on the home page, you are immediately propositioned for your email address in exchange for Noah’s lead magnet. The entry box gives visitors a no-friction, one-click way to give you their email. Noah’s company SumoMe  recently released an application called Welcome Mat  that helps  you to implement this exact same technique on any website, landing page or blog. Here’s an example of the free version in action on my men’s blog. This is my homepage hero shot: You’ll notice I already have an opt-in form above the fold at the top of the right sidebar. I’m using this simple MailChimp for WordPress plugin, which can be inserted via the widget area of your WordPress dashboard. When Welcome Mat is installed, the following screen immediately drops down for new users visiting my website: This not only allows me to collect email, but it also gives me a chance to immediately hit users with a targeted value proposition. Visitors who show up to my site and resonate with â€Å"taking an honest look at manhood†, are more likely to subscribe or continue reading and subscribe later. Collect emails above the fold with immediate value propositions. Here's how. #listbuildingAs a final example, I want to address the freelancers and direct-service providers among you who are wanting to build your email, but honestly, your biggest priority is direct contact for currently interested clients. I feel you. I’m in a similar boat. I help business owners do a lot of what I’m talking to you about in this article, but at level 1,000. Here’s how I handle those dual goals. This is my services landing page: The red button takes visitors through my sales pitch, which will end in a request for their email. The green button takes visitors directly to the form where they give me their email. Since I am focusing on lead generation here, this strategy won’t be as effective for scaling out a massive email list as what I’ve discussed above. However, I am still acquiring a list of SUPER targeted emails of people interested in my services who I can retarget at a later date or invite to view my blog content. Have segmented  #emaillists based on your goals to really drive conversions.Create an email opt-in popup Let’s be honest. No one really thinks about popups with fond thoughts and fuzzy memories. Except website owners interested in collecting emails. Those gals and guys LOVE popups, because they work. They really, really, really  work. In fact, I doubt you can find a single, high-traffic marketing blog that doesn’t currently use popups. I’m using- you guessed it- SumoMe’s free popup application: Since installing this simple popup, my subscription rate has doubled. I’ve had 2x the subscribers over this last year as I did before, and I have probably posted half as much content this year as I did the year before. Popups work. Since I’m using the free version, I am unable to offer a lead magnet within my popup, but if I were to upgrade, I could display something like this, which would probably improve my signup rate even further: If you want to install SumoMe’s Listbuilder popup application, simply follow the directions here. Create email signup opportunities at the end of your content. You probably already know this, but most visitors to your blog posts won’t read the full post. Maybe they will skim and maybe they will just read a few points and leave. If they make it all the way to the end, they are â€Å"picking up what you’re putting down†. This is a golden opportunity for you to capture these casual visitors into your email list â€Å"fold†. Don’t waste it! Include a signup opportunity at the end of every post. There is an easy way to do this with a moderate return, and then there is a more difficult- AKA  time consuming- way to do this that will net you a much higher return. The easy way involves nothing more than including a signup form at the end of each post, like this: ... OR offering your standard lead magnet, like this example from CoachTube: Simply create a graphic like the one from CoachTube  and display it at the end of your post with a link to your email signup page. That’s the easy way. The more difficult way is to make a different lead magnet for every single one of your posts. This is called a â€Å"content upgrade†, and it gets better results because it is directly related to what your visitors were just reading about. Note: By the way, there's a content upgrade in this post right in the introduction to help convert visitors into subscribers right away. has seen this as an excellent way to turn organic traffic into long-term, engaged subscribers. Here’s an example from Brian Dean’s blog Backlinko: Content upgrades have been the primary fuel in the emergence of several new leading blogs in the marketing blogosphere. I’ve seen case study after case study of unbelievable results. While it requires a bigger investment on your part, It’s worth giving this strategy a try. To learn more about posting content upgrades, check out Bryan Harris’ guide. Step #3. Implement Email Marketing Within Your Content Strategy While email is your best single tool for building an audience, it’s still just one piece of your content strategy. Your overall content strategy should be targeting your desired audience via recurring, well-promoted content that gets people to you website and into position for email capture. If you aren’t getting people to your site, you won’t be getting any email signups. Recommended Reading:  How To Publish More Consistent Content That Will Help You Grow A Successful Blog Fortunately, your email list can play the star role in getting traffic to your website. Sometimes, people overcomplicate the email marketing process. They get scared of sending too many emails and wait too long to contact their audience, or they aren’t really sure what to write, so they just throw a bunch of stuff in. Before I describe a ridiculously simple (yet effective) way to run your email marketing, let’s review our goals. The goal of any content marketing campaign is twofold: Build an audience of people interested in your chosen topic. Build trust within that audience and an expectation of quality from your brand. We want everyone who comes into contact with your brand to think, â€Å"Wow, they don’t mess around. That was good stuff.† We DON’T want people subconsciously   thinking, â€Å"I’ve seen this 100 times before. You think I’m going to buy your paid product when this free stuff is so weak?† Now that we’ve established our goal, let’s look at how email can play a part. Here’s a ridiculously simple, beginner strategy for email marketing that will get your content some great results. Anytime you publish a new blog post, send out the following email: Subject line: â€Å"Compelling headline meant to grab maximum email opens† (check out 's headline analyzer for some help.) Header image taken from published post. Short introduction setting up a hook to get people to your post. Link to your post. Button(s) to click for instant shares. It’s that simple. Check out this example: How easy is that? And guess how well this hopelessly simple email performed? I will take 50% opens and 30% clicks every day of the week. Don’t overcomplicate this. Your emails don’t need to be complicated to be effective. In fact, they should be decidedly uncomplicated. Now that we’ve identified a simple template for each individual email, how should we incorporate these emails into a fuller content strategy? I’m glad you asked. Again, this is a baseline strategy anyone can do and everyone should be doing (at minimum). I’ve found from working with countless clients over the years that many bloggers have trouble finding a repeatable process off which to base their content strategy, so I’m condensing it into a few simple tips. Publish your blog between 12 p.m. and 5 a.m. ET. The easiest way to do this is to schedule it to automatically publish via WordPress, or if you’ve made the incredibly wise decision to get a subscription, you can schedule posts easily  through their dashboard. Recommended Reading:  When Is The Best Time To Publish A Blog Post? Schedule an email to go out the day your post goes live. The specific time will vary based on your topic and audience. For weekday posts, I’d recommend sending out emails around 7 a.m. ET, as that will put your content at the top of most readers’ inboxes when they either get to work or check their emails before  work. Promote your content across social channels. You can do this manually, or, if you have a account, you can automatically schedule postings across your networks AND repostings at later dates. These three tips  are  a great beginning baseline if you aren’t already doing it for each new post. Step #4. Monetize Your Email List I want to quickly take you through all four email monetization strategies, because they’re worth knowing and you can achieve big wins with each one. Sell affiliate offers to your list. Sell advertising placement in your â€Å"newsletter†. Make your email newsletter a paid subscription. Sell your own product. Let’s start with the first email list building monetization strategy. Sell affiliate offers to your email list. Affiliate marketing is as old as the Web itself. It made millionaires in the late-90’s/early-2000’s, back when lots of people  who stumbled online were becoming millionaires. Today, you are far more likely to be sold an expensive course on becoming a millionaire affiliate marketer than you are to actually become one yourself. It’s not that affiliate marketing can’t work, it’s just a much less efficient way to make money than creating and selling your own product. Furthermore, you typically have no control over the quality or customer service attached to an affiliate product, so you risk losing trust every time a subscriber makes a purchase. The BIG exception and the RIGHT way to implement affiliate marketing is to select a few products/services you trust that generate RESIDUAL income. Here’s the only example you really need to know. Pat Flynn is considered a veritable influencer  in the marketing blogosphere. You’ve almost definitely heard of him, and you most likely read his blog. Pat made $116,891.83 last August. That number may boggle your mind at first glance, but let’s take a look at the numbers: Pat earned revenue from 13 total affiliate offers. His affiliate earnings made up 72% of his total income for the month of August. But most significantly, Pat made 55% of his entire August revenue from just two offers. Both these offers, Bluehost and LeadPages, are subscription-based services, meaning every time Pat signs up a new customer, he begins getting paid on a monthly basis for as long as that customer remains a customer. Pat has been selling Bluehost website hosting since at least March 2010. When he first began referring Bluehost, it accounted for less than 8% of his monthly revenue, but after 5 years of accumulating referred users, he is collecting monthly checks worth 40% of his total revenue from just this one referral. Now, it’s your turn. Pick a subscription-based service that meets the following criteria: You already love it. It’s a no-brainer for your customers. It's intended to be used indefinitely. Slap that referral link into your next email and talk it up big to your email subscribers. You should also create a targeted landing page (like this)  on your website, pitching your visitors. Boom. Done. Sell ad placements on your â€Å"newsletter†. I place â€Å"newsletter† in quotes because your emails really shouldn’t look like a traditional newsletter, and I’m a stickler for semantics. Quirks aside, I’m not really talking about banner-style ads here. Banner ads are tacky in a newsletter, and it’s not really what your customers subscribed for. Paid ad placement in your newsletter should look a lot like affiliate marketing, with the primary difference being you are getting paid to place rather than paid based on subscriber engagement. Have you considered including native advertising in your email newsletters?This works particularly well with niche newsletters, because the smaller the market, the more valuable it is for a new brand to get its name in front of relevant viewers. How do you get such placements? Sorry, the answer is direct sales. Pick 10 brands in your niche, and email them something like, â€Å"I have 1,000 email subscribers centered around your niche, and I think they would be very interested in learning more about [brand]. I’d love to discuss running a [brand] promotion in an upcoming newsletter.† It’s really that simple. What brand doesn’t want to be promoted? From there, it’s just a matter of negotiating payment. Make your email newsletter a  paid subscription. I’m including this one because it’s a relevant option, but I wouldn’t recommend you try it as your core email list building monetization strategy. People are very used to being asked for their email in exchange for content, and they are becoming increasingly hesitant to give that email address away. If you have the audacity to ask for money in exchange for your emails, your email content better include the following: Highly valuable, world-class type content. Exclusive content that can ONLY be found via your email list. Unless your newsletter is offering in-demand content that can’t be found anywhere else, this strategy could be a bit difficult to implement super successfully. Create and sell your own product. This is, in my opinion, the best strategy for monetizing your email list.  Create a product and sell it to your list. That’s it. That’s the goal. You should be aspiring to do this, and then you should stop aspiring and just do it... now. As Jeff Walker  says, â€Å"The best way to launch a product is to build an email list, and the best way to build an email list is to launch a product.† But why is this the best monetization strategy? Higher margins: There’s no middle man when it’s your product. Better targeting:  Your audience can tell you exactly what they want. Life-time value:  You retain all customer behavior data, allowing for much more effective retargeting and upsells over the customer’s lifetime. Follow these tips  in order to do it right: Collaborate with subscribers on identifying a product they want Create the product. Pre-sell the product. Launch the product. Improve the product. Let’s walk our way through a basic version of this process. Collaborate The easiest way to create a product people want is to ask them what they want. Brainstorm a few possible product ideas and ask your subscribers to give you feedback on what they like/dislike about them. Ask them specifically if they would consider buying each option. Once you’ve found an idea people are really into- preferably one that doesn’t require significant investment for your first attempt- it’s time to create. Recommended Reading:  5 Easy Lead Conversion Tips For Your Email Marketing Program A great example for beginners would be an info-product like an e-book. Create Product creation is a massively complex topic outside the scope of this post. For the purpose of this article, let’s just say you're creating an e-book. Here a few keys to compeleting an e-book that doesn’t suck: Create an outline first. Set unchangeable deadlines for each section in your outline. Write the dang thing. Supplement each point with facts/case-studies/examples/data of some kind. Don’t check â€Å"done† until it’s something you would pay to read. Next. Pre-Sell Never â€Å"cold sell† to your email list. You should always pre-sell before you sell. This process is intended to prime your audience for your product by getting them thinking very heavily about the problem your product solves. Send emails and write posts discussing this problem. Discuss beginner-level strategies for solving that problem. Talk about how you’ve solved it using your product or the information contained in the product. And then close... Launch Now it’s time to actually launch the product. The key to a successful product launch is getting all hands on deck. Get everyone you know with a relevant audience to help you promote your launch. Call in every favor. Get your product in front of every possible channel. Recommended Reading:  How Will Outreach Marketing Make Your Blog More Successful? It’s dangerous to go alone. Your product launch is the time to promote. A lot. Put the work in to create something you’re proud of and then share it with the world. Improve Your launch is just the beginning of your product. Get feedback, improve your product, and keep marketing it. How Will You Improve Your Email List Building Strategy? We’ve covered quite a bit of ground in today’s post. If you’re still reading, you are most likely serious about implementing an effective email list building strategy  via your website. Having helped numerous clients through this process (my last client went from 500–10,000 subscribers in two months), I can tell you that  these are super important steps for successful implementation: Create your list: Anyone can do this with zero help. Just follow the instructions in this post. Optimize your site: If you're willing to take the time to tinker, test, and tweak, anyone can set up their website for email optimization using the method I described in this article. You will need to familiarize yourself with copywriting and conversion rate optimization in order to properly utilize the tools I showed you, but you can absolutely do it yourself.  If you’d prefer to just have a pro do it for you, I’m offering a special setup rate for readers here. Run your content strategy:  Unless you have some big bucks to shell out, you will need to do the bulk of this on your own.   is a great resource for actually running a successful content strategy. Launch your product: Product launches are extremely technical and entail a lot of moving parts. I wouldn’t recommend doing your first launch by yourself. One client I worked with had 150,000 social followers but virtually zero website engagement. I gave his team a content strategy, and within two weeks, they had a blog generating 4k shares per article and nearly 100 comments per post. I’m offering a one-time, discounted rate for readers who would like me to map out a step-by-step strategy  for them. If you want to try it solo anyway, go get ‘em cowboy! You’ll want to follow Bryan Harris’ outline for his first product launch. Thanks for taking the time to read, learn, and grow as a blogger or online business owner. Like you, the world of online business never ceases to amaze and fascinate me. Feel free to ask a question or leave a comment, and if you enjoyed this article, don’t hesitate to give it a share!

Bay of pigs invasion intelligence failure compared to the sucess of Research Paper

Bay of pigs invasion intelligence failure compared to the sucess of the cuban missle crisis intelligence - Research Paper Example Speculation and the lack of accurate information led to the failure of one and the reliance of accurate intelligence and proper planning led to the success of the other. Bay of Pigs Invasion Intelligence Failure Compared To the Success of the Cuban Missile Crisis Intelligence In 1961, the US attacked Fidel Castrol’s Cuba in a bid to overthrow his government. This attack was that came to be known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, which turned out to be a complete failure. The US had used an attacking force that had received thorough training and aid that was enough to launch a successful attack anywhere (Hughes-Wilson, 2004). Instead, the military operation at the end was a disaster that completely humiliated the US government at the time. The operation also did not achieve its initial objective which was to bring down Fidel Castro and his government. On the contrary the attack only increased the Cuban’s support for their leader (Walton, 2010). The events leading to this inva sion started way back in 1960. The whole process had been well planned from the word go. On March 17 of that year, President Dwight Eisenhower started this elaborate program to get rid of the government of Cuba. The operation was a CIA project from the very beginning. The intelligence body not only provided necessary information on the invasion details, it also recruited and armed Cuban exiles who would carry out the attack. President John F. Kennedy is the one who authorized the failed attempt to oust Castro and his government. Taking a beachhead, establishing a government and gaining US recognition was all part of the plan (Jones, 2008). Some of the reasons associated with the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion include: the inability of the US forces to defeat the Cuban air force, the overestimation made by the CIA about the willingness of Cubans to support an armed invasion on their government and the selection of an unfit landing site. Before this invasion the CIA, which the Ei senhower had entrusted with the responsibility of removing Castro from power, had tried many other options to get rid of the president. There were attempts made to poison him, there was support of anticommunist groups in Cuba, and radio broadcasts against the Castro regime were aired to Cuba from Florida. There were even some reports that the CIA made contact with the mafia so that they could work together to get rid of Castro. However, none of these tactics worked, but the CIA was not done yet. They planned and executed the invasion of the Bay of Pigs, but even this adverse action failed (Walton, 2010). The invasion was organized with only 1,297 troops that comprised mostly of Cuban rebels who were not in any position to lead an attack against a formidable military. Within two days, the invasion of the US had been quelled by Castro’s forces and several rebels rounded up. The failure of the CIA during the invasion of Bay of Pigs can be contrasted with the success in which the Cuban Missile crisis was handled. This was another crisis that ha the potential to go awry had the intelligence not been accurate. In fact, a few weeks before the crisis, the Special National Intelligence Estimate (SNIE), which was a branch of the CIA, predicted wrongly that the USSR would not place missiles on Cuban soil (Hughes-Wilson, 2004). However, the intelligence gathered after that was enough for the US to plan and identify the missiles before they could be launched. The CIA also gathered enough

Discuss Three Points of Convergence Between Emerson and Spinoza Essay

Discuss Three Points of Convergence Between Emerson and Spinoza - Essay Example Though each and every single concept of their demands a series of comments, yet for the purposes of this document, three spheres of congruency in thought shall be discussed. It shall be obvious in due course, that how the essence of concept remains congruent, despite a shift in the vocabulary. Both these concepts depict unanimity in frame of thought. These ideas coincide over the fact that the mind can never really perish in its existence, because what entails the being of the mind is pure and inaccessible to us. Spinoza clearly believes that the existence of the mind which is nothing to be questioned, and in many ways, it is actually the defining part that distinguished one human from the other. No matter what we do, the roots embedded in the crux of the mind of a person always stay in tact. Giving so much importance to the mind also signifies the linkage being established with the concept of existence of man. On the same lines, Emerson believes that the integrity of the mind is imperishable. In the perspective, the meaning can be inferred as the same. The mind alone can have no integrity - it has to be associated with man himself. Therefore, again extrapolating the fact that the mind is sure to dominate the proceedings of life, despite what course of actions are undertaken. The Mind as an entity can never destroy, as it is the true emblem of existence for man - his distinguishing factor. Uniformity of Existence Regarding this issue, the following was implicated: "No one wishes to preserve his being for the sake of anything else" (Spinoza, 1677). "With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do" (Emerson, 1841). The concept of uniformity of behavior and thought has always triggered the minds of thinkers. However, it is interesting that both of these present a similar stance on the said subject. Spinoza is of the opinion that it is not naturally desirable for anybody to maintain an existing thread of ideas and/or actions. Preservation of one's being, therefore, in lieu of something else is not an instinctual yearning that man can go ahead with. Further, it is rationalistically not practical as well that the same should be accomplished. Similarly, Emerson puts forward the notion that consistency can not be correlated with a being. The factor of change is not only necessary, but it is imperative. With the dynamics that the human beings portray, consistency is not only incompatible, but impossible. The journey of every soul's towards its destiny is considered to be embedded within the concept of not staying preserved; in not maintaining the status quo. Only in regular amendments, adjustments and constant evolution is the key to the supremacy and existence of human beings. Significance of Nature The respective viewpoints in this domain are: "It is impossible, that man should not be a part of Nature" (Spinoza, 1677). "I suppose no man can violate his nature" (Emerson, 1841). On the significant role played by nature in the behavior of man,

Research paper (The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Essay

Research paper (The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell, 1945) - Essay Example The message that Jarrell is trying to convey is presented in only five lines, descriptive and abstract five lines. Brief as it is, it evokes a powerful, vivid, and moving message. The tragedy of war and lives lost in battle is depicted, leaving the readers a poignant recollection of the cruelty and obscenity of armed conflict. His concise tribute to the victims of war is achieved through his mastery of paradoxism, metaphor, even hyperbole. Thus, it unfolded various conceptual interpretations of the prose. The opening line speaks of birth. He fell from his mother’s womb not into ordinary human life but into the womb of the State (Wood). This is during the wartime period when men were drafted for military service. A man conceived in the protective nest of his mother’s womb, ironically delivered into the chaotic world of government servitude. A moment of stillness and sleep superseded by terror and anguish. Going into the battle is opening to the possibility of losing his life in the name of his motherland. And to lose his life in the hands of the enemy. The thought of whether such action is his personal choice comes to mind. It appears as if he does not want to go, for the threat of being killed in action is possible (Pericles). Sleep and State accords the commanding words in this line. Sleep is to comfort, and State is authority. The analogy of an innocent life and horrible death of the machine gunner as expressed by Randall Jarrell. From the beginning he is moulded for only one purpose, and all that happens to him is for this public usefulness. He exists only to be a victim (Fein, 1961). The birth, according to Dawson, may be seen as the rebirth of initiation into a mature vision of reality and evil. The time between birth and death is lost. The poem presents a man who seems to have lived in order to die (Ferguson, 1974). It encompasses a single moment in the gunner’s life- his identity, his innocence and when he was robbed of his life

Persecution in the Church Essay Example for Free

Persecution in the Church Essay In the book of Matthew 28: 16-20 Jesus Christ give us what is known as the â€Å"Great Commission† in this passage of scripture Jesus says I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. † 1 In the centuries following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ the church did just that. However not without resistance from local governments, Christianity was considered a rouge movement that defied the governmental establishments of the time. While Christians were simply seeking to live their life in worship to the living God, the government especially in the Roman Empire saw them as outliers and a threat to the roman way of life. While other religions were generally accepted by the roman government, Christianity was different. Romans were religious people, they had their pantheon of gods, but they did not see Christianity as a religion, they saw it as â€Å"superstitio† or a superstition. In fact Pliny a Roman governor circa 110 AD called Christianity â€Å"superstition taken to extravagant lengths. 2 Roman distrust for this new religion continued to swell with each century. Some emperors were tolerant and some were intolerant to the point of killing Christian non-conformist. Despite growing and widespread persecutions, imprisonments, and Martyrdoms 2. Robert L. Wilkin, The Piety of the Persecutors. Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), p. 18 Church of Jesus Christ grew. Through the bravery, tenacity, and audacity of early Christian men and women we today have a surviving legacy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When it would have been easier to succumb to the Roman government and its edicts and religious institutions, God gave his people the willingness and power to stand up for what they knew was the truth. The Roman Government thought they could intimidate Christians to silence but they were wrong. Persecution of the church started almost at the beginning and continued sporadically through the next three hundred and fifty years. During this period Christians endures minor persecutions to the more extreme measures of persecution. At times the persecutions were local and at times they were empire wide. There was generally what is considered tem great periods of persecution. History of Persecutions The Persecution under Emperor Nero in Circa 64-68AD The Persecution under Emperor Nero was the beginning of what is considered the ten periods of persecution. it was under Nero’s rule that the Apostle Paul was martyred. At his second trial before Nero he knew that he would not be acquitted of the offences against him, the Roman government saw him as a threat and wanted him dead. His exact manner of death is unknown however it is generally accepted that he was beheaded.3 Nero is also responsible for the _________________________ 3. Albert Barnes, Scenes and Incidents in the Life of the Apostle Paul: Viewed as Illustrating the Nature and Influence of the Christian Religion (Ulan Press, 2012), 1. Martyrdom of the apostle Peter. Peter was by all accounts crucified, but he was said that he felt himself to be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his Master, and was therefore, at his  own request, crucified with his head downward.4 this was only the Beginning of the persecutions, many more followed Persecution under Domitian (r. 81-96). The Emperor Domitian was a cruel man, not only to Christians he murdered his own brother, and killed high ranking governmental officials so that he could confiscate their land and estates. He successfully raised the second persecution of Christians by demanding that anyone who came from the lineage of David be killed. Fabricated stories were made up about Christian during this time in order to scare the roman public. For example people were told that just about any natural disaster was the fault of the Christians. Christians were brought before the magistrates and ordered to take a test oath, if the person failed to take the oath they were sentenced to death, if they claimed faith in Jesus the same sentence was pronounced. The Roman government passed a law, That no Christian, once brought before the tribunal, should be exempted from punishment without renouncing his religion.5 â€Å"The notable martyrs during this persecution were St. John, who was boiled in oil, and afterward banis hed to Patmos. Simeon, bishop of Jerusalem, who was crucified; and Flavia, the daughter of a Roman senator, was also banished to Pontus6 _________________________ 4. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11. 5. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11. 6. ibid Persecution under Trajan (112-117) During the third Persecution, the persecution of Trajan from 122-117 AD Christianity was officially outlawed, however the government of Rome did not seek out Christians to imprison or kill them at this time. If a Christian was imprisoned for some reason during this persecution they would have however been killed in particularly gruesome ways. For example many Christians were crucified on Mt. Ararat, the officials would use crowns of thorns as well as pierce the sides of Christians in mockery mimicking what was done to Jesus himself. Ignatius was probably the most noted martyr during this period. Appointed the Bishop of Antioch after Peter, because he confessed Christ he was handed over to the wild beast as tradition holds. He wrote to the church in Rome saying; Now I begin to be a disciple. I care for nothing, of visible or invisible things, so that I may but win Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the companies of wild beasts, let breaking of bones and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and all the malice of the devil, come upon me; be it so, only may I win Christ Jesus! I am the wheat of Christ: I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread. 7 Finally during this time Quadratus, bishop of Athens, made an apology to the emperor on behalf of Christians. This apology coupled with an epistle written by a philosopher in the city, relaxed the emperors views toward Christians to relent8 _________________________ 7. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11 8. ibid Persecution under Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180) During the persecution under Marchs Aureluis, The torture Christians received during this period, was so grievous that even spectators to the torture would shudder at the extent of it. Christians were severely tortured during this period. They were often scourged to the point that their muscles and veins were visible; they were made to walk over nails, sharp shells, and thorns with feet that were already badly injured. The fate of their lives weren’t much better, if they did not succumb to the torture they were made to endure, they were beheaded, pressed together with weights, or burnt at the steak. The notable Martyrs of this period are Polycarp, who after being captured by  Roman guards was permitted an hour to pray. After the hour was done the guards who had watched him pray so fervently, actually repented that they had been instrumental in his capture. He was then dragged before proconsul and urged Swear and I will release thee;reproach Christ. 9 Upon his refusal he was burned in the market place. Justin was another notable martyr during this period. Justin was a notable scholar, philosopher, and teacher. After finishing The Second Apology Justin the emperor was angry and as a result Justin and six of his companions were imprisoned and forced to make sacrifices to pagan gods, when they refused the were scourged and the beheaded. 9. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11 10. ibid Persecution under Septimus Severus A.D. 192 The emperor Severus, was not especially violent toward Christians. One had saved his life from a sever sickness. However ignorance in the people coupled with outdated laws put in place to execute Christians is what drove the persecution during this period. Pleasure on the Emperor by The masses, made Severus make a new edict that any new believer to Jesus Christ should be executed. Many Christians were inevitably killed under Severus because of this edict Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons was one of the notable martyrs of this period. His zeal for the things of God made the Emperor take notice of him, after a considerable amount of resentment grew Irenaeus was tortured and beheaded.11 Perpetua and Felicitas were two other notable figures in this period. Bothe women were married Perpetua was nursing and infant son and Felicitas was pregnant at the time of her capture and later gave birth in prison. On the day appointed for their execution, they were led to the amphitheater. Felicitas and Perpe tua were stripped, in order to be thrown to a mad bull, the bull attacked Perpetua first and then darted at Felicitas, and gored her. Both women survived being attacked by the bull, but were later executed by sword. The audience watching the torture and execution was said to have been sickened by the sight of Felisitas’ lactating breast from  her recent birth. 11. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11 12. Alexander Roberts et al., 10 Early Christian Saints: Polycarp, Perpetua and Felicitas, Cyprian, Eusebius, Antony, Athanasius, Chrysostom, Jerome, Patrick, Benedict (publication place: Error, 2012), 1. The Sixth Persecution, Under Maximus, A.D. 235, mn During the sixth persecution under the Emperor Maximus the president Seremianus was on a mission to kill as many Christians as he could. Many Christians were sentenced to death without ever even receiving a trial, Christians were killed in mass killings and dumped into mass graves not unlike the genocide bestowed upon the Jews, during Hitler’s reign of terror in the early part of the 1900’s. Christians were denied any or the respect or decency that so called â€Å"loyal Roman citizens† would expect in their death and burial. Many Christians were killed or tortured during this period; most notable are Pontianus, bishop of Rome, Anteros, his successor, who gave offence to the government by collecting the acts of the martyrs. As well as Hippolitus, a Christian prelate (high ranking member of the clergy) 13, who was cruelly tied to a wild horse, and dragged until he died. Persecution under Decius (250-251) After a time of relative peace and an emperor that was deemed a Christian, the emperor Decius had a decidedly vigorous hate for Christians. Decius goal was to erase even the name â€Å"Christian† at any cost. His decrees to kill Christians emboldened the heathens who were happy 13. Merriam-Webster, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster Mass Market, 2004), 1. 14. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11 to honor the decrees by killing any Christian they could find. The More Christian deaths attributed to one heathen the higher that heathen’s merit would be. Fabian, the bishop of Rome, was the first person of prominence to fall victim to this murderous rampage. The previous emperor, Phillip thought highly of Fabian and made the bishop his treasurer; however Decius did not think so highly of Fabian. On January 20, A.D. 250, he was beheaded Peter, a young, strong man, was stretched upon a wheel, by which all his bones were broken was beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to Venus. He was quoted as saying I am astonished you should sacrifice to an infamous woman, whose debaucheries even your own historian’s record, and whose life consisted of such actions as your laws would punish. No, I shall offer the true God the acceptable sacrifice of praises and prayers. 15 An innumerable amount of Christians were killed during this time. Christians are actively sought out by requiring public sacrifice. If they refused they would be killed or they could buy certificates (libelli) instead of sacrificing. The latter was against the rules of the church and carried a severe punishment16 Persecution under Valerian (257-59) Valerian took his position in A.D. 257 and maintained his position for three and a half years. During his reign there is no number that can be put on how many Christians were martyred during this time. A couple of the martyrs that were named were bishops with in Rome. There was Stephen who was beheaded and then there was a Toulouse who refused to sacrifice. 15. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11 16. Ferguson, Everett. Church History. 2 vols. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005-2013. Pp 161-162 Idols, which had his feet tied to the tail of a bull that ran down stairs causes his head to be smashed. Sextus who succeeded Stephen was very  courageous during his time a bishop. It was during his time that the government released an order to put to death all Christian clergy in Rome, Stephen as well as his deacons where martyred. With no regard of age, sex, or title Valerian continued to martyr Christian until he was captured and brought into slavery by the emperor of Persia. After being a slave for seven years, Valerian had his eyes removed and was flayed alive by the emperor, which is what caused Valerian to die. In A.D. 260, Gallienus, who was Valerian, succeeded his father and actually during his time, enjoyed peace with the church17 Persecution under Aurelian (r. 270–275) In A.D 274 Aurelian was in emperor of Rome and had been mainly responsible for the martyrs of two known Christians. The first being a bishop named Felix, who was an advanced prelate to the Roman see. He was later martyred by being sentenced to death by being beheaded. The other known martyr was a gentleman named Agapetus, who sold everything and gave it all to the poor. He was arrested for being a Christian, tortured and then beheaded for this deed. Although Aurelian is not tied together with many martyrs, we planted the seed that was later picked up by a leader named Diocletian. 17. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11 Severe persecution under Diocletian and Galerius (303-324) In A.D 303 were succumbed to a new leader that had a vision of removing all Christians and everything related to the faith. A Roman leader named Galerius was persuaded by his adopted son Diocletian to start the  persecution of Christians. The persecution that was set forth towards became so bad that the time frame of these leaders became known as the Era of the Martyrs. This Era began on February 23, A.D 303 by churches being forced open and all books were removed and set to flames. Not being satisfied by the burning of the books Diocletian and Galerius had all churches levelled to the ground and all Christians render as outlaws. Many Christians were seized, severely tortured, and then burned alive. Enable to increase the persecution of Christians Galerius ordered the imperial palace to be set on fire and charge Christians with the crime. This lead to Christian homes being set on fire while families were in them and perishing in the fire. Some families were tied together with rocks around their necks and thrown into the sea. This kind of tortured last ten years and got to the level were new inventions were created on how to conduct torture as well as an entire city named Phrygia, was burnt to the ground with all the Christians from the town dying in the flames. At one point many of the governors came to the imperial court submitting how they were ti red with the slaughtering of the people. From that point on, since they could not be put to death, Christians had their ears, eyes, noses, or limbs removed to make life as hard as possible. During this time there was a Christian officer of the emperor’s guard at Rome named Sebastian. Not willing to give in to the pagan believe that was being taught to him as a guard, Sebastian was shot to death with arrows. Once the execution was completed, other Christians were allowed to recover his body for burial. It was during this time, that they found life in his body and proceeded to help him recover. Sebastian decided to confront Diocletian, who was overcome with surprise to see him alive, and reprehended him for various cruelties and prejudices against Christian. Sebastian was sentenced to death by beating and was thrown into the sewers where his body was later recovered and buried by Christians. The Christian Response One would expect for Christianity to have died out after so many centuries of  an all-out demonic attack against the people of God. That’s not what happened though. Despite all torture, discrimination. And mass killings. Christianity grew tremendously. In the face of immense persecution, many Christians decided that it was worth it to die before they would deny their Lord and Savior. Justin Martyr was quoted as saying Though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but, the more such things happen, the more do others in larger numbers become faithful.20 The killing of Christians was meant to dissuade other citizens from becoming Christians and to persuade Christians to turn their back on God. Martyrdom was meant to be a dishonor; instead it became the highest honor for a Christian. Many onlookers marveled at the fact that Christians could be put through so much and still be str ong in their faith. 19. William Byron Forbush, ed., Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), Chapter 11 20. Justin Martyr, Michael Slusser, and Justin, Dialogue with Trypho (Selections from the Fathers of the Church), Revised ed. (Washington, DC: Catholic Univ of Amer Pr, 2003), 1. The very thing that was supposed to deter Roman citizens from Christianity was in actuality driving them toward it. Another Christian response to persecution was to write an apology, not an apology in the sense of the way we use the term today, but as a defense of Christianity. The Apologist as they are known wrote apology’s to defend Christians and their faith, against pagan actions and misconceptions. These apologies were mainly aimed at emperors to dispute the erroneous claims that pagans held about Christians, and to promote Christians as Good citizens of the Roman Government that held differing religious beliefs. Christians were not cannibalistic, law breaking, people who involved in orgies and this is what the apologies tried to convey, in hopes that the persecution of the time would subside. Conclusion From the beginning of the Christian faith there was always demonic opposition to the growth of Christianity. Satan used people as his pawns from the moment of the birth of Jesus to exterminate Gods plan for the world. After the death and resurrection of our Savior this demonic influence was kicked into overdrive. Roman Emperor after Roman Emperor tried to eradicate Christianity, but because of the strength and faith of many early Christians this did not happen. Today we can thank the early church fathers for laying the foundation and planting the seeds of the Church that we have today and especially in America take for granted. This does not mean that the devils all-out assault on the Christian church is over; it is still under attack even today. Still in many party of the world Christians are tortured and die every day because they refuse to deny the truth. The struggle of the early church seems to be so far away for some of us who live comfortably and have the freedom to worship ho w we want. In reality as a people we are not that far removed from it. Every Christian person should be aware of the price that was paid for the Christianity there is today. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Wilken, Robert L. The Christians as the Romans Saw Them. 2nd ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003. 2. Barnes, Albert. Scenes and Incidents in the Life of the Apostle Paul: Viewed as Illustrating the Nature and Influence of the Christian Religion. Publication place: Ulan Press, 2012. 3. Forbush, William Byron, ed. Foxs Book of Martyrs: a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978. 4. Roberts, Alexander, James Donaldson, St. Athanasius, Philip Schaff, St Patrick, and Tertullian. 10 Early Christian Saints: Polycarp, Perpetua and Felicitas, Cyprian, Eusebius, Antony, Athanasius, Chrysostom, Jerome, Patrick, Benedict. publication place: Error, 2012. 5. Merriam-Webster. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster Mass Market, 2004. 6. Ferguson, Everett. Church History. 2 vols. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005-2013. 7. Martyr, Justin, Michael Slusser, and Justin. Dialogue with Trypho (Selections from the Fathers of the Church). Revised ed. Washington, DC: Catholic Univ of Amer Pr, 2003.