Compare to the Modern World Essay Example for Free

Compare to the Modern World Essay The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli is a political treatise that gives a vivid account of the means rulers adapt to gain power, or to maintain power. In the context of modern politics, The Prince has often been compared with Arthasastra by Kautilya. The relevance of the treatise goes beyond its time, and acts as a revealing paradigm for political schemes. Many critics find the book an engrossing one especially the way Machiavelli takes a contemptuous stance at established notions of morality. Reading the book often gives a feeling that the author satirizes more than he wants to advocate. The cynical outlook expressed with a secular approach was a refreshing deviation from established norms of political treatises. This article is going to focus on the impact of The Prince on western philosophy and political ideologies. As the book looks into the acquisition, perpetuation and use of political power in the western countries, we would also bring into account Machiavelli’s concept of ‘Mixed Principalities’ with regards to what the modern day governments preferred to follow (Hooker n. d. ). To elucidate furthermore on our proposed area of discussion, we need to closely examine chapter 3 of The Prince. This chapter deals with ‘Mixed Principalities’ and the difficulties in regulating them. By the term ‘Mixed Principalities’, Machiavelli provides two basic types of ruling: hereditary and new. In chapter 1 and chapter 2 of The Prince, Machiavelli asserts the basic methods of acquisition in the light of ‘Mixed Principalities’. He cites examples of both hereditary as well as new principalities: The new are either entirely new, as was Milan to Francesco Sforza, or they are, as it were, members annexed to the hereditary state of the prince who has acquired them, as was the kingdom of Naples to that of the King of Spain. (Machiavelli et al. 15) According to the author, the changes that occur as aftermaths of acquisition involve a complex process. The members of the state desire changes for their betterment, and when that does not happen, they tend to revolt against the new rulers. A new prince (allegorically represented as the new ruler) must enforce stringent protocols and laws on his subjects to keep them under his authority. Now the dilemma of a new prince is beautifully described as he faces a catch 22 situation. When the prince conquers a new country, he makes enemies galore and at the same time, he is distanced from his friends in that he is not supposed to give them everything they expects of him. He has to maintain a balance in terms of his commitment. The example of Louis XII, the king of France, is given to explicate the ideas of difficulties in retaining the power. He captured Milan twice and lost twice. The subjects who assisted him in acquisition of the Italian state left his side when they felt that they got duped into false hopes by the king of France. Now when the king, after realizing the areas he needed to work on, occupied Milan for the second time, he did not make the same mistake of disappointing the rebels. Albeit he was hesitant, he inflicted punishment on the offenders to satisfy the rebels. Now, the irony of the entire policy lies in the fact that Louis XII, by provoking ire among the mass of Milan, made himself vulnerable to his throne, which led to his downfall for the second time in succession. From this historical lesson, Machiavelli infers three likely and effective governing strategies of principalities. Machiavelli thinks of three interrelated scenarios in terms of regulating the acquired principalities to the best possible interest of the ruler. These scenarios provide a foundation for the modern day politicians to keep a hold on subjugated territories. According to the author, it helps a great deal if the acquired state shares the same cultural and linguistic identity of the ruling body. If the customs and language are same, the prince finds it easier to keep the people of the state he acquires under control. On the contrary, when states conquered differ in language, laws and customs, it becomes a challenging job to restore peace. One of the feasible solutions for the ruler is to physically relocate himself to the acquired state so that he can perpetuate his command over it. Availability at hand helps enormously when it comes to settling disputes. In this regard, Machiavelli cites the example of the Turk in Greece, â€Å"†¦who, notwithstanding all the other measures taken by him for holding that state, if he had not settled there, would not have been able to keep it. Because, if one is on the spot, disorders are seen as they spring up, and one can quickly remedy them. † (Machiavelli et al. 18) The third possibility Machiavelli suggests is to build colonies of the acquired state in different places. The wily measures that are taken by the rulers are thoroughly exposed by the author here: â€Å"The other and better course is to send colonies to one or two places, which may be as keys to that state, for it necessary either to do this or else to keep there a great number of cavalry and infantry. A prince does not spend much on colonies, for with little or no expense he can send them out and keep them there, and he offends a minority only of the citizens from whom he takes lands and houses to give them to the new inhabitants; and those whom he offends, remaining poor and scattered, are never able to injure him; whilst the rest being uninjured are easily kept quiet, and at the same time are anxious not to err for fear it should happen to them as it has to those who have been despoiled. † (Machiavelli et al. 19) As Machiavelli suggests in The Prince, theoretical as well as practical understanding of the ‘Mixed Principalities’ was best grasped by the Romans. They took a leaf out of the previous ruling kingdoms and made it a point to defend their territories tactfully. They sent minorities to colonies and maintained a friendly relation with them. They did not flaunt their power at wrong places at the wrong time. Instead, they preserved it to drive away any other foreign force trying to encroach upon the lands under their dominion. â€Å"The Romans, in the countries which they annexed, observed closely these measures; they sent colonies and maintained friendly relations with the minor powers, without increasing their strength; they kept down the greater, and did not allow any strong foreign powers to gain authority. † (Machiavelli et al. 20) Now these maneuvering techniques adapted by the Romans in Machiavelli’s times may not prove to be fruitful in the context of modern day politics. If we take into account the events in recent history of Afghanistan and Iraq, we will find that the strategy of the Bush administration did not work out as intended. The probable reasons may be the secular form of politics and society that Machiavelli recommended in The Prince is a mismatch in modern world. Besides, the author’s idea of the nature and temperament of citizens does not conform to the opinion of humanists. The idea of morality is completely shunned in The Prince, for the author felt that it acted as an obstacle for gaining supreme governance of a state. (The Prince as Foundation of Modern Day Politics 2006) Now this is highly improbable in modern society, because there are numerous human rights organizations to look after the humanistic aspects of warfare. Moreover, if we closely examine Hitler’s tenure in Nazi Germany, we will be able to find some resemblance between what Machiavelli proposed in The Prince and what Hitler did. According to Machiavelli, a prince must build an army comprising of his own countrymen. This helps gaining a sound control of the states he plans to acquire. The discipline of warfare and the single-mindedness of the prince to achieve what he wants to achieve hold the key to success. Tracing the history of Nazi Germany, one can find that Hitler built up his infamous Nazi party along with building a network of local party organizations to reinforce his administrative control over most of the German territories. (Compares Adolf Hitler to Machiavellis The Prince 1995-2008) The Prince allows the readers and critics alike to form opinions of their own. The relevance of the political ideologies propagated in the book remains to be an unsolved issue till date. Machiavelli deduced his viewpoints primarily from the turbulent socio-political situation of Italy in the beginning of the sixteenth century. But the world has changed a lot since those days. We have discussed both the success as well as failure of the policies advocated by The Prince in case of Nazi Germany and the United States of America respectively. References â€Å"Compares Adolf Hitler to Machiavellis The Prince†. Cheathouse. com. 1995-2008. 12 February 2009 http://www. cheathouse. com/essay/essay_view. php? p_essay_id=53138 Hooker, Richard. â€Å"The Way Princes Should Keep Their Word†. n. d. 12 February 2009 http://www. wsu. edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/machiavelli. html Machiavelli, Niccolo, Leo Paul S. De Alvarez, and Yves Levy. The Prince. South Carolina: Forgotten Books, 1980. â€Å"The Prince as Foundation of Modern Day Politics. † Azete. 2006. 12 February 2009 http://www. azete. com/view/3385

Purchasing New Cars is NOT the Best Way to Help Environment :: Automobiles Global Warming Climate Change

More and more families have their own car. As a result, the air in cities is increasingly polluted. Owners should be made to switch to less polluting vehicles. To what extent do you agree? With the economic growth of the society, more and more families are able to own automobiles of their own. As a result, thus caused very serious environment problems, the air pollution within the metropolis area is getting worse day by day. Residents’ daily lives are affected by the pollution, and basic life requirement such as breath fresh air becomes unreachable. Even worse that the future living condition of our children is seriously threatened. We must call up the conscience of our drivers and shanghai government to take actions to protect the environment, and keep the pollution as low as we can. This essay will look at the advantage and disadvantage of the government making car owners buy rehire which produce less pollution. The advantage of the government making car owners buy new cars replacing old smoke maker will benefit the improving of the environment, also in the same time stimulate the development of the automobile industry, and meanwhile benefit the economic growth. Also the development of the automobile industry will offer an opportunity of social reemployment. On the other hand, this policy can also change people’s perspective of living and consideration of the environmental problems. Make people more concern about the conservation of the environment, and evoke their conscience to protect the environment. By thus we can reduce the pollution, and make better environment. So changing new cars will also make the city looks flourishing, reduce the exhaust emission, and make people healthier. However, every coin has two sides, the biggest disadvantage of buying new cars is it creates more disposals of the old vehicles, which will become a huge burden of society. How do we deal with these new disposals, where should these old vehicles go to, and how do we dismantle them. There will be a new environment problem emerge for us to solve. Also on the other hand, people have to spend more money on changing new vehicles, which will bring more burdens to their lives. These are the most disadvantages we have to consider In conclusion, by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages, I personally think it is not the best way to improve the environment and reduce the pollution by purchasing new cars.

Jose Rizal First Travel Abroad

Chapter 4- Rizal’s First Travel Abroad Rizal’s Departure * May 3, 1882 Rizal left the Philippines boarded the spanish steamer SS Salvadora bound for Singapore. * Rizal’s Departure for Spain was kept secret to avoid detection by the spanish authorities and the friars. Even his own parents did not know because he knew they would not allow him to go, especially his mother. * The captain of the ship was Donato Lecha from Austria. * May 9, 1882 Salvadora Docked in Singapore. * May 11,1882 Rizal transferred to another ship Djemnah, A French Vessel for Europe. May 17, 1882 Djemnah Reach Point Galle A seacoast town in Southern Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka). * The following day the Djemnah weighed anchor and resumed the voyage towards Colombo, The capital of Ceylon. * From Colombo the Djemnah continued the voyage crossing Indian Ocean to the Cape of Guardufui, Africa. Which Rizal called â€Å" Inhospitable land but famous†. * The next stopover was in Aden. He was amused t o see the camels for the first time. * From Aden, the Djemnah continued to voyage to the city of Suez.He saw the Suez Canal for the first time and he was thrilled to saw it, in which was built by Ferdinand De Lesseps ( A French Diplomat Engineer). * June 11,1882 The ship docked at Naples an Italian City, He was fascinated by Mt. Vesivius, The Castle of St. Telmo. * On the night of June 12,1882 the steamer docked at Marseilles. He visited the Famous Chateau D’if where Dantes is a hero of the Count of Monte Cristo from Alexander Dumas novel. * Travelling from train he crossed the Pyreness, stopped for a day at frontier town of Port Bou. After the passport inspection at Port Bou, Rizal arrived at Barcelona. Arrival in Barcelona * June 16,1882 Rizal arrived in Barcelona. * His first impression of Barcelona was unfavorable but it changed and he began to like the city because of its atmospheric of freedom and liberalism. * He wrote an essay entitled â€Å"Amor Patrio† (Love of the country), Rizal sent this article to Basilio Teodoro Moran (Publisher of Diariong Tagalog). Rizal’s studied in Madrid * Rizal followed the advice of his older brother Paciano to finish his medical course in Madrid in the fall of 1882. He enrolled a course: Medicine and Philosophy & Letters at the Universidad Central de Madrid at the same time he studied paintings and sculpture in the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. * Rizal economized his daily expenses until he was able to buy second hand books and built a fair size library of his own. * During his first summer vacation, Rizal decided to visit Paris on June 17. 1883 to August 20,1883. Rizal Joins Masonry * March 1883 Rizal joined Masonic Lodge called ACACIA in Madrid and became a Master Mason on November 15, 1890. Luna and Hidalgo’s Triumph * After 2 years in Spain things went wrong in Philippines. Rizal experienced financial problems due to calamities happened. * Rizal monthly allowance were delayed, ther e were a times that he missed meals during the day. * A touching incident in Rizal’s life in Madrid occurred on June 24, 1884, Because he was broke, he was unable to take breakfast that day. With an empty stomach, he attended class at the university and participated in the contest in Greek Language and he won the gold medal. * In the evening of the same day, he was able to eat dinner because he was a guest speaker in a banquet held in honor of Juan Luna and Felix Resurrecion at Restaurant Ingles, Madrid.Completion of Rizal studies. * Rizal completed his Medical Course in Spain on June 21,1884 * Nov. 20-22, 1884 Rizal involved in student demonstration caused by the address of Dr. Miguel Morayta proclaiming â€Å" The Freedom of Science and The Teacher†. Rizal in Germany and His Practice of Ophthalmology * Rizal chose to specialize in Ophthalmology because he wanted to cure his mother’s eye ailment. * Nov. 1885, Rizal living in Paris for 4 months and he worked as an assistant to Dr. Louis de Weckert until Feb. 1886. * Because of his homesickness he wrote a fine poem â€Å" A las flores de Heidelberg† (To the flowers of Heidelberg).

The Genre Of Romantic Comedy - 1975 Words

The genre of romantic comedy has been successful throughout history. Men and women alike watch these films for several reasons, even though they are â€Å"predictable.† Whether it’s for the comedy portrayed, or the love story itself, romantic comedies provide aspects of a story that almost anyone can appreciate. Over time, people began to argue that contemporary romantic comedies have depreciated, but this does not hold true. When comparing Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up (2007), which is about a stoner low-life, played by Seth Rogan, who knocks up co-star, Katherine Heigl, who plays Allison, to George Cukor’s Adam’s Rib (1949), which tells the story of two attorneys bickering over their shared court case, there is a radical difference between the two films in their sheer content to portray a love story while sharing the common romantic comedy plot, but one tells a superior love story. The first notable difference between these films is the kind of humor utilized to articulate the story. According to David Denby, Knocked Up’s humor is vulgar and unnecessary, but the humor in this film is not unnecessary. The Knocked Up no doubt contains extremely inappropriate and offensive humor compared to Adam’s Rib, but comedy has evolved in response to a changing society. As written by George Gerbner in Common Culture, (certain things were not allowed on screen). Comedy in Adam’s Rib consisted of slapstick humor associated with the â€Å"good ol’ times† of the late 40’s and 50’s. The audience witnessesShow MoreRelatedGenre Of Romantic Comedy1423 Words   |  6 Pages Genre theory is a short cut of how we define films. Genre theory is used to help simplify which category a film is categorized. â€Å"A genre is a type or category of film that can be easily identified by specific elements of its plot, setting, mise en scà ¨ne, character types, or style. Genres are not stagnant categories. The study of their evolution is nothing short of the study of film and the filmgoing public itself. 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