Free Narrative Essays - Dodging Bullets -- Example Personal Narratives

Dodging Bullets It was a warm fall day in early October, a day that I recall quite vividly. The smells of the transition from summer to fall were in the air, accompanied by the sounds of birds singing and the wind blowing through the trees. It was on this beautiful day that my existence was almost terminated. After school on this day, a friend and I decided to go hunting before our evening basketball practice. I really don't know why we called it hunting, because we didn't have an idea exactly what we were hunting for. We had forty acres of my backyard to do our merciless killing of defenseless animals. We were two ignorant kids with semi-automatic and lever-action .22 caliber rifles. As we strolled into the woods to see what terror we could create for the creatures of the forest, we noticed a large abundance of squirrels. They seemed to be dancing around as if they were gathering there before us in groups--laughing at us, begging us to shoot them. We had to keep walking, for we were still too close to the neighboring houses to be shooting these rifles. So we trudged along, occasionally commenting on how the leaves crunching beneath our feet would scare off the squirrels, as if we were some fierce snipers in desperate need of stealth. At last we made it to an area far enough from the houses. My friend was the one with the semi-automatic, and he immediately started unloading his clip on everything in sight. The sound of the bullets being propelled from the barrel echoed throughout the woods. After his barrage of shots, I noticed a large oak tree with squirrels in i... ...e to dodge bullets. I felt that I could see those bullets in their spiraling motion coming at me. This idea made me laugh, but I didn't engage it for long, for I was still shaken by the event. What if I'd been hit by the onslaught of bullets and turned into a bloody piece of Swiss cheese? Worse yet, I could have been killed. I lay there for what seemed to be a short eternity until the shadow of my friend appeared over me. "I ran out of bullets," he said in a relaxed tone. After I voiced a few choice words to my companion, he helped me up, and I slowly but surely went home. Naturally, neither of us mentioned this scenario to our parents. Later that evening, I decided that playing video games was a safer way to kill time before practice. It was quite a while before we went hunting again.

Hitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor Practices Essay

Based in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike had been a corporate success story for more than three decades. It was a sneaker company, but one armed with an inimitable attitude, phenomenal growth, and the apparent ability to dictate fashion trends to some of the world’s most influential consumer. Selling a combination of basic footwear and street-smart athleticism, Nike pushed its revenues from a 1972 level of $62,000 to a starting $49 million in just 10 years. In the 1980s and 1990s, Nike had been plagued by a series of labor incidents and public relations nightmares; underage workers in Indonesian plants, allegations of coerced overtime in China, dangerous working conditions in Vietnam. For a while, the stories had been largely confined to labor circles and activist publications, until a young female worker had died in a Nike contracting factory in 1997, the labor conditions at Nike had hit the mainstream. While the marketing of Nike’s products was based on selling a high profile fashion item to affluent Americans, the manufacture of these sneakers was based as an arms-length and often-uneasy relationship with low paid, non-American workers. Key Issues Nike’s strategy of shaving costs caused ethical dilemmas that ultimately damaged its reputation. Nike outsources all of its manufacturing. This approach has provided Nike with huge profits, from a 1972 level of $60,000 to a startling $49 million in just 10 years. Production is now globalised, with different countries concentrating on different parts of the process depending on what they are good at, or what they can do most efficiently or cheaply. Poorer countries get the less lucrative activities such as lowly paid semi-skilled or unskilled production or assembly. This approach also allows Nike to keep an arms-length arrangement with its subcontractors, stating that, it is not they who employ cheap labor, but their contracted suppliers, hence the responsibility lies with the latter. Define the Problem  Nike has a difficult situation to resolve. Its strategy to use celebrity endorsements to develop a strong brand identity had the result that Nike became by the 1990s one of the world’s best known brands, as well as a global symbol of athleticism and urban cool. This situation began to change by 1998, when currency woes in Asia along with the damage to its image resulted in Nike experiencing a loss for the first time in 13 years. This strategy resulted in Nike requiring steep wage concessions from its subcontractors to continue its intense growth patterns. Nike has always paid the lowest possible wages in Indonesia, claiming year after year that it could not afford even to pay the country’s minimum wage. Each year, Nike contractors in Indonesia refused to pay minimum wage raises of a few cents a day. Thanks to a corrupt and inefficient government, they usually got away with it. Adding to this problem was the issue of child labor. Nike went into Pakistan, knowing full well that child labor is an ages-old practice there and taking no precautions whatsoever to prevent the use of child labor in the production of its soccer balls. We have to conclude that Nike expected to profit from its Pakistani contractors’ known usage of bonded child labor. Nike further tarnished its reputation by attempting to dilute information that had come to the attention of the general public regarding its practices, resulting in a lawsuit. Mike Kasky is suing Nike, Inc. Under California laws regulating unfair competition and false advertising. Kasky claims that when an internal audit was leaked to the press that revealed illegal employment practices in Nike’s factories in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, Nike responded by issuing to the press numerous statements it knew to be false. The California courts ruled last year that Nike’s PR effort was meant to bolster its image and improve its sales – so indeed, it did amount to advertising, and, as such, it needed to be truthful. Alternative Solutions Nike must to enforce its own Code of Conduct with its subcontractors. This Code has been amended several times, but had been very general in its listing of business practices. Its current version stipulates many requirements that we take for granted, one of which is that a subcontractor certifies that it pays at least the minimum total compensation required by local law, including all mandated wages, allowances and benefits. Another option for Nike would be to contract with a U. S. shoe manufacturer. Although the benefit of having its suppliers overseas has been the low prices for the finished goods, Nike would gain an advantage by providing work for the people at home. Made in USA labels are very important to many Americans. Also, the combination of job creation and openness to providing equitable wages and benefits for its workers as required in this country could reduce the uproar about its labor practices, especially among the youth. In addition, Nike could incorporate at least one factory into a tourist attraction, providing visitors with the opportunity to tour the plant, learn the history of the company, and become more familiar with the products Nike produces, thus developing more customer loyalty. A third option for Nike would be to both enforce its Code of Conduct and invest at a high level in the countries where it has factories, and highly advertise those efforts. Regarding to Nike’s web site, since 1997, Nike, with help from several of its key partners, has supported micro-enterprise ventures in Asia, playing a small but significant and direct role in building and expanding the number of locally-owned businesses in mostly rural areas throughout the region. Nike has funded micro loans and provided technical assistance in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, working with the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), Vietnamese Women’s Union and Opportunity International, respectively. The press has given faces to the people who have been affected by Nike’s contractors’ exploitation. Nike must rectify the damages by giving faces to the people who have been affected in a positive way by the loans and other assistance given to the local populations. This, coupled with Nike’s firm stance on the treatment of those making its goods, would help regain its lost positive image. In addition, this option would forge a stronger relationship with the countries where the factories producing Nike’s products are located. It would also help Nike’s subcontractors to entice and retain the best local employees, thus ensuring higher quality products. Selected Solutions to The Problem This change in how Nike will handle its operations has significant drawbacks. Closely adhering to its Code of Conduct will be very expensive for Nike. Nike’s success has been heavily driven by the aggressive stance it has taken on labor costs. In addition, Nike’s subcontractors have used the freedom given to them to provide Nike the labor expense level they expect while also allowing themselves to profit as well. Nike will now be monitoring their subcontractors’ workplaces and wage practices, which will place a strain on their relationship. This new focus for Nike will require the company to divert some of its attention from its main marketing focus to supervise the overseas operations. Expected Results An immediate benefit of this decision would be the good press it would generate that Nike would be willing to put pressure on its suppliers so that the people who produce its goods are treated fairly. Another benefit would be to align Nike’s suppliers’ actions with Nike’s vision as listed on its web site www. nike. com to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world†. This would include those employed by Nike because the company considers all people to be athletes. A third benefit would be to prevent work stoppage strikes that had previously affected the company in Indonesia. Positive and Negative Results This option would require Nike to make a major shift in its focus from having a limited, long-distance relationship with subcontractors to playing a more active role in the manufacture of its products due to the proximity of its suppliers. This significant change in how Nike does business would be very expensive, both in terms of the financial outlay and use of personnel. It would require a more direct involvement of the company in a portion of the business in which it has no first-hand experience, which would entail a considerable learning curve. This would result in major upheaval for the company, and a loss of confidence by investors. Nike would also lose the competitive edge of its competitors who have lower foreign wages. To reinstate the Nike image back to its earlier prominence, Nike would be wise to pursue the option to enforce its Code of Conduct, and invest in the countries in which its factories are located. The Code of Conduct should require unannounced audits of Nike’s factories at random, frequent time intervals to ensure compliance to rules and regulations. Equipment should be inspected to meet higher safety standards than would be required in the host country. For example, if the factory is located in Indonesia, the equipment should be inspected to be compliant to United States’ Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) safety standards. Doing so is above-and-beyond what may be considered reasonable† and should shed positive light on Nike’s effort. In addition, hiring documentation should be verified in the audits to assure that workers are of the appropriate age, and that children are not placed into the workforce. Subcontractors would be trained in cultural awareness and required to maintain consistent and reasonable management practices. This approach would be expensive for Nike. The company will also have to expend more energy to both monitor the manufacturing facilities and determine which small businesses to support, diverting its attention from the company’s primary focus of marketing its products and making a profit. In addition, making investments in other countries will help Nike relate in more personal ways to their local environments. This will make it more difficult for Nike to direct its subcontractors to move to another country when local labor wages have become too expensive. However, there would probably be no lack of interest if movement to new countries became necessary with Nike’s products so well known. It would ultimately hinder the company’s ability to be competitive with the other shoe manufacturers who use Indonesian labor.

Othello, By William Shakespeare - 1825 Words

William Shakespeare’s plays transcends time and is renowned for their captivating plots and complex characters. Othello by William Shakespeare is a tragedy play that portrays major themes such as racism, manipulation, and jealousy just to name a few. Throughout the whole play, these themes are represented through the conniving character from the play, Iago. Out of all the plays Shakespeare has written, Iago is believed to be the most complex villain of all times. During the play, Othello, a black military commander of the Venetian military of Italy and also a close trustworthy friend to Iago, gives Michael Cassio the general second commander spot instead of Iago. This angers Iago because he was expecting the position instead of Cassio, he†¦show more content†¦We know that he is The Moor, and has â€Å"thick lips† and is married to Desdemona, a white female, so by these descriptions we can sort of image a picture of how Othello would look like. He is also not on ce mentioned by his name, instead he is often referred to as â€Å"The Moor† (1.1.41), â€Å"thick lips† (1.1.68), and â€Å"a Barbary horse† (1.1.7). This is evil of Iago because Othello is a good and sincere friend to Iago and it is even worse because he is saying these rude comments behind his loyal friends back. Also, Iago is represented as pure evil because of his racist slurs towards Othello in this play because in Act 1, he shows that he is cruel and evil. During his conversation with Roderigo and Brabantio, Iago says, â€Å"Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white eye. Arise, arise; awake the snorting citizens with the bell, or else the devil will make a grandsire of you. Arise I say!† (1.1.9). As you can see, in that quotation Iago shows how racist he is by describing his fellow â€Å"friend† as an old black ram while waking up Brabantio with news that his daughter got married to a black man. Iago is manipulating Bra bantio’s fears into thinking that they are sleeping together as a result of having a baby that is a combination of both races. Furthermore, another example of Iago being evil is also in Act 1, when he expresses how much he hates Othello just because he did not give him the position of the job and then decides to destroy him. During his

The Between Christ And Disciples - 808 Words

Jesus was on travel, to the place called Caesarea Philippi. Before we talk about other important things that we can find from the conversation between Christ and disciples, I like to talk about this city. Caesarea Philippi was the location the Cave of Pan, the place of the pagan Gate of Hades. It was in this area that the first king of Israel (Jeroboam) led the northern kingdom of Israel into idolatry. This was also the same place where the Greeks and Romans received revelations from the god Pan who was mentioned in classical writings as a seer or fortune teller and a giver of revelations. This city was originally under the control of Romans, however, by the Romans, control got transferred to Herod the Great (Israelite king) in 20 B.C., who subsequently built a temple there to Caesar Augustus. (Yes, this is the same Herod who professed to be Jewish and paid to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem). Following Herod s death in 4 B.C., his son Philip assumed control of this region. It was he that later renamed the town to Caesarea Philippi, in honor of (Caesar) Tiberius and himself. In other words, this whole place was a symbol of idolization. In this place, Jesus asked two questions to disciples. Which were, â€Å"Who do people say that I am?† and â€Å"Who do you say that I am?† To that question, disciples gives an different answers that they have heard, which was â€Å"John the Baptistl Elijah, or prophets.† For those of us who are sitting in this chair today, Jesus sometimes come andShow MoreRelatedJesus Christ As The Center Of Discipleship1496 Words   |  6 PagesJesus Christ being the center of discipleship there are two things that comes to mind; change and commitment within the disciple. One day Jesus Christ was walking by the sea of Galilee when He saw Simon and Andrew fishing; he said to them, â€Å"Follow me and I will make you fishers of men† Matthew 4:19 . The next verse show them immediately dropping their nets and followed Jesus Christ. The actions of Simon and Andrew is described best by Putman, Harrington, and Coleman in the text book Disciple ShiftRead MoreDiscipleship By Wri iten By Dietrich Bonhoeffer921 Words   |  4 Pagesbased on the belief that being a Christian and follower of Jesus comes at a he literally odifferentiates between costly grace and cheap grace. Costly grace is what is required. Cheap grace will destroy the church. We are called to be disciple and it is necessary to include Jesus Christ and give your life to following Christ. Simple obedience to God is necessary. There is a need to suffer as Christ suffered if we pick up the cross to follow Jesus. The book also focuses on Jesus’ Sermon on the MountRead MoreChrist in Discipleship1731 Words   |  7 Pages Christ In Discipleship DSMN 500: Discipleship Ministries March 27, 2014 The definition of a disciple is â€Å"One who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another, as one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ s followers according to the Gospel accounts.† Discipleship means nothing without Christ being the central focus. It is crucial that Christ be the central focal point for all Christian discipleshipRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Small Groups1427 Words   |  6 PagesSmall Groups A small church group could be defined as a small community consisting of three, six no more than twelve members at a time if applicable. The group members must be made up of followers of Jesus Christ. Small groups are more personal, leading to a more relational development between the members. This relationship leads to more active discipline of the unsaved. The intent of this paper is show how small groups which, are made up in church are good for discipleship. Philosophy of SmallRead MoreDiscipleship Reflection Paper1132 Words   |  5 Pagescombined with a fellowship aspect, usually, although not always occurring through the following of Jesus Christ by His initiation. The â€Å"Hospitality† group, for example, discussed the reasons for many individuals to flee from their home country. This included disciples of political ideals, religious beliefs, and economic systems. Fleeing from the civil war, the people from Syria were disciples of the belief that they should not have a tyrannical government, and were willing to leave all that wasRead MoreA Parable About New Cloth And Wine Readjusting Their Thoughts1215 Words   |  5 PagesHe had a group of disciples who believed in his thoughts of prayer and fasting. Matthew shares, â€Å"Then the disciples of John came to him saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast? (Mt 9:14). Although this question mystified John’s disciples, Jesus explained the concept with a parable about new cloth and wine readjusting their thoughts. However, this does not take away the fact that John was a great disciple-maker. John’s cohort of disciples included Andrew andRead MoreAn Understanding Of The Bible1234 Words   |  5 Pagesof what it means to be a follower of Christ and to lead and help others to follow in Jesus lifestyle, it’s not always going to be easy but an understanding of what it means for us to disciple, this is not easy either but as long we trust in God to help us we can get through this. Also how important it is to disciple through evangelism. Then Jesus came to them and said, â€Å"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in theRead MoreChrist s Hand Is Always Extended For The Lost1747 Words   |  7 Pageswalked on the water, He made it evident that the invisible realities of faith in Christ are victorious over the visible uncertainties of this world. A picture emerges when taking a deeper look at the Bible story about twelve men on a boat. One of the twelve men summoned up enough faith to step out of the boat into a raging storm. His name was Peter, a disciple of Jesus Christ. Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudesRead MoreLiterary Contact: Discipleship in Matthew 161475 Words   |  6 Pagesis speaking to his disciples as stated in 16:24. In Luke, the narrative opens with Jesus speaking ‘to all.’ Glancing back will show that Jesus was talking to his disciples from 9:18. Mark’s Gospel suggests the presence of a crowd along with Jesus’ disciples in 8:34. There is a significant difference between Jesus addressing a crowd versus merely his disciples. Each of the three Gospels articulates the Messianic secret. In each one, Jesus has just finished commanding his disciples to tell no one ofRead MoreThe Bible Should Undergird Every Aspect Of Christian Life Essay1610 Words   |  7 Pagesinstructions for living a transformed Christ-like life. Therefore, this thesis will begin its research from a Biblical perspective, to establish a biblically grounded fr amework to aid in the development of a theology of waiting. Humanity’s experience with waiting is interwoven throughout the whole of Scripture, beginning with Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden. The act of waiting is a part of the humanity’s metanarrative, culminating with the return of Christ. However, God’s love for his creation

Changes In Us Foreign Policy Between 1880 And 1910 Essay

Throughout the years, the United States government had made drastic changes in its foreign policies. The few decades from 1880 to 1910, which saw five different presidents all with very distinct foreign policies, were no exception. As a country, the United States progressed from being a country only concerned with expanding its territory out west, to being a country on the verge of becoming involved in the First World War. During the 1880s and 1890s, the United States focused on broadening their territory and expanding their country westward. During the early part of the decade, a vast amount of land was disappearing due to the fact that millions of people were moving west looking for gold mines and new farmland. The government was†¦show more content†¦The United States was starting to export goods that they produced on a larger scale, due in large part to the rise in factories, as well as the growth in the steel, oil, and railroad industries. During this time, there was a huge amount of new inventions and industrialization within the country. Because of these new techniques and developments, the United States was proving itself to be a major industrial power. Around this same time, there was a massive rush of immigrants into the country. They came from all over the world; from places like Ireland, England, Italy, Russia, Greece, Mexico, and Asia. Any of these immigrants completely broke their ties with the old country once they moved to America. The increase in immigration, led to a rise in Nativism. Organizations were formed whose main purpose was to prevent more people from entering the country, including the American Protective Association (APA) and the Immigration Restriction League (IRL). In the late 1890s, the United States experiences imperialistic feelings rise again. The country as a whole feared our resources running out, so there was an increase in foreign trade. The intellectual justification for the idea of the New Manifest Destiny was social Darwinism, or survival of the fittest. In Latin America, the United States sidedShow MoreRelatedChanges in Us Foreign Policy Between 1880 and 1910 Essay1193 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the years, the United States government had made drastic changes in its foreign policies. The few decades from 1880 to 1910, which saw five different presidents all with very distinct foreign policies, were no exception. As a cou ntry, the United States progressed from being a country only concerned with expanding its territory out west, to being a country on the verge of becoming involved in the First World War. During the 1880s and 1890s, the United States focused on broadening their territoryRead MoreA Closer Examination of Distinct American Groups from 1877 to19301032 Words   |  5 PagesAny serious examination of American history between the years 1877 and 1930 will show completely different experiences among a wide range of distinct groups. Our coursework has given us just a glimpse into the lives of some of these groups. They, among others really deserve a closer look During this time frame the population of the United States rose from approximately 50 million to 123 million people (History). This is an astonishing increase of 146%. Just as surprising is that immigrants toRead MoreThe Making of the Multi-Ethnic American City from the 1880s to the 1920s2086 Words   |  9 PagesThe Making of the Multi-Ethnic American City from the 1880s to the 1920s The United States has always been a nation made up of many nationalities. In little more than two hundred years of its existence, it has taken more than 55 million people, from nearly every corner of the world. People of different countries have brought varied ideas about religion, politics, tradition, and custom to American shores. At the beginning of the twentieth century a Jew immigrant from EnglandRead MoreEssay about History: World War I and Bold Experiments7600 Words   |  31 Pagesin Henretta et al., America’s History, Seventh Edition: Chapter ­17 ­ The Busy Hive: Industrial America at Work, 1877–1911 Chapter 18 The Victorians Meet the Modern, 1880–1917 Chapter 19 â€Å"Civilization’s Inferno†: The Rise and Reform of Industrial Cities, 1880 –1917 Chapter 20 Whose Government? Politics, Populists, and Progressives, 1880 –1917 Chapter 21 An Emerging World Power, 1877–1918 Chapter 22 Wrestling with Modernity, 1918 –1929 Part 5 Essential Questions After studying the chapters inRead MoreRussia Notes as/A2 1881-19147263 Words   |  30 PagesTsar to run the government departments. †¢ RUSSIA WAS POLITICALLY BACKWARD COMPARED TO THE REST OF EUROPE †¢ Russian Orthodox Church †¢ Helped the Tsar to govern. †¢ Owned a lot of land. †¢ Taught peasants that ‘God commands us to love and obey†¦ the Tsar.’ †¢ Was also influential over the Russian court. The Russian Army †¢ Used to control people. †¢ Conscription was a form of punishment. †¢ Discipline was very harsh. †¢ Officer commissions wereRead MoreEssay on A.P.U.S.H unit 6 study guide4910 Words   |  20 Pageswhich the United States asserted control over New Mexico. What role did Mexican immigrants play in the region? In the Compromise of 1850 Texas ceded its claims to the area lying east of the Rio Grande in exchange for ten million dollars and the US government established the New Mexico Territory on September 9, 1850. Among U.S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics, including descendants of Spanish colonists and recent immigrants from Latin America. 6 Describe theRead MoreMexican-American3148 Words   |  13 Pagesover Mexico his works and the relationships he slowly forged with these people worked together to build a better Mexico. A Mexico where land redistribution and other public social security issues answered many questions about the extreme disparity, between the rich and poor, that existed in Mexico prior to this time, and just as importantly the redistribution of power and elimination of much of the political corruption that dominated and plagued the post-revolutionary nation. (Becker 1995, 1-2) PresidentialRead Moreap euro4567 Words   |  19 Pagesimperialism WAS NOT to lessen the burden of excess European population, especially criminals and other undesirables 29. who said â€Å"All this colonial business is a sham, but we need it for elections† Otto Von Bismarck↠tis correct 30. The â€Å"open door† policy was to allow more freedom of trade in so-called spheres of influence in China 31. The Meiji Restoration in Japan Wanted to westernize Japan Created a political system democratic in form but rigidly authoritarian in practice Sent many JapaneseRead MorePresidential Outlines Ap Us History4197 Words   |  17 Pagestime as President were economic. One of McKinley’s biggest policies was to raise tariffs. He believed that by raising the revenue on foreign imported goods it would foster the growth of American industries. He also wanted to use the extra revenue raised by the Tariff to allow for lower internal taxes. McKinley also had to deal with the issue of bimetallism, or a movement toward using both gold and silver as currency, however, when foreign nations refused to go along with bimetallism, McKinley turnedRead MoreComparison of Chinese and American Film Industry Essay6288 Words   |  26 Pages1990s, when the movie industry in China began to take off and thrive due to the demand for change, the loosening of political restrictions and the development of technologies and supporting industries (Jinhee, 2010). The last period of the 21st century sees the growing strength and capacity of Chinese fil m industries in the global market. In the second part, this paper will make a detailed comparison between the American film industry and the Chinese film industry in terms demand, factor endowments

A Review of Chapters Seven and Nine of “from Columbus to Castro” by Eric Williams free essay sample

The main idea of chapter seven is how the Caribbean came to be the cock pit of European rivalry and wars in the latter parts of the fifteenth century up to the eighteenth century, an interesting tale of adventure, greed and cruelty. What William offers here is a broad overview of the history of the Caribbean, with special emphasis on England, France and Holland whom he describes as â€Å"new comers†, who through various means fair and foul, gradually suppressed Spanish territorial powers in the Caribbean region. Chapter nine discusses how sugar revolutionalised the Caribbean economy from the seventeenth century through to the eighteenth century. Assessment and Evaluation The author gives a historical antecedent of the power struggle revolving around the control of resources in the Caribbean region. He justifies this from paragraph one of chapter seven by stating that gold, sugar and slaves, the ‘Caribbean trinity’ represented an enormous accession of power and wealth. This gives the reader an idea about what he or she should In pages 69 and 70 the author gives an account of how countries like Portugal, Venice and even Columbus’ own country, Genoa, rejected his idea of finding a new route to India by going west. He vividly states that it was Spain that reached an agreement with Columbus to sponsor his voyage. This provides the reader with firsthand information of how a younger nation, Spain, became the first European country to acquire territories in the New World. The exploration of Columbus offers an understanding of how the Spaniards came to dominate the lands â€Å"discovered† by Columbus. Similarly, in pages 70 and 71, the author, in a narrative, provides his reader with an account of how the opposition to Spanish monopoly over lands in the New World started. Thus, how the protest against â€Å"Adams Will† began with the issuance of a patent to John Cabot by Henry VII, King of England, on March 5, 1496 to undertake a voyage of discovery. This date according to Eric Williams has been called the birthday of the British Empire. In fact, this date is very significant because it makes it clear for the reader to understand how the imperialist rivalry between Spain and the new comers started. With this knowledge, the reader will know that it was England that spearheaded the rivalry against Spanish imperialism. In pages 73 through 76, the author describes the three policies or methods that were adopted by England, France and the Netherlands to undermine Spanish imperialism. These were buccaneering, contraband trade and encroachment on Spanish territories. Here, the author elaborates on these three policies and shows the extent of how these policies especially buccaneering eventually became prejudicial to Spain and the governments that fostered it. He also provides the names and legacies of the men who spearheaded each of these policies. This helps the reader to know the level of influence that these men had on their various countries in their bid to get a share of ‘Adams Will’. From this, readers get an understanding of how the results of these policies affected the Spanish imperialist agenda. Eric William generally assumes his readers familiarity with sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth century European history. Thus, he pre-supposes his readers knowledge of European history in some detail. In his attempt to give explanations to events and happenings in Europe that influenced or affected the history of the Caribbean, he many at times did not throw more light on some important terms and important events that he mentioned in this chapter. In page 69, paragraph 2, the first sentence the author writes is: â€Å"this imperialist rivalry was anticipated even before the voyage of Columbus†. This was after he had given a very short description of how the Caribbean islands began their association with modern society. After reading the whole chapter, the most common knowledge one gains is the fact that imperialist rivalry between Spain and other European countries started after Columbus voyage. So what one asks is; what were the reasons that supported his claim that the imperialist rivalry was anticipated even before Columbus voyage? There may have been some developments that made him come to that conclusion but he does not share that with his readers. Also in the last paragraph of page 74, Eric Williams talks about the destruction of the Spanish Armada by England in 1588. Without giving his reader any information as to what the ‘Spanish Armada’ was, he goes on further to explain how its destruction signified the supremacy of British over Spanish sea power. Since its destruction signified the beginning of English sea power, the author would have done his readers more good by giving little information about the Spanish Armada. The Armada according to Gerard S. Graham was a collection of armed transport rather than a fleet of battle ships. It was not merely a vehicle for carrying men but an instrument of seamanship designed to fight other ships at a distance. The author’s use of some complex words in the chapter makes it difficult for a reader to apprehend the complete meaning and essence of some of the sentences. Use of words such as ersatz, bulwark, cynosure and others makes it difficult for a first time reader to deduce the meaning of the author’s message. He could have used words such as ‘fake’, ‘wall’ and ‘focus’ in place of ‘ersatz’, ‘bulwark’ and ‘cynosure’ respectively which were used in Chapter seven. The history of the Caribbean is dominated by the history of sugar. Of the Caribbean trinity, sugar was the hallmark of the Caribbean economy. The overwhelming importance of sugar made it the principal economic enterprise in the Caribbean region. This is perhaps the main reason why Eric Williams dedicates a whole chapter to sugar and even personifies it as ‘king’. In page 111, the author makes mention of tobacco and cotton as the main cash crops that were cultivated by the planters in the new European territories. The author does a good job by telling his readers about how the production of sugar came to replace these two. With this, readers will know that sugar cultivation was not the first agricultural activity in the European territories. In page 112, he goes on further to inform his readers about how sugar was introduced into Barbados by the Dutch. However in his attempt to give his readers this important information, he fails to explain the ‘secrets of sugar cultivation’ which the Dutch taught the inhabitants of Barbados. These so called ‘secrets’, so important to the development of the sugar industry in Barbados ought to have been revealed by the author since it would have given a complete understanding of the transition from the cultivation of tobacco and cotton to sugar cane. In chapter nine, the author provides ample numerical data to illustrate the period. Thus the author gives an impressive collection of data. The chapter has a lot of data which one will enjoy if one wants to know how many hogsheads, tons and tierces of sugar that were exported from a particular place in a particular year. It further provides data on the acres of cultivable lands that were used in the cultivation of sugar cane. The data given in this chapter is very useful in analysing or studying the economic history of the Caribbean in this period. The provision of this data by the author is indeed significant but the chapter is occupied with endless statistics that the reader immediately forgets. Also, any casual reader might find the statistics uninteresting and may skip it. Conclusion. From the above, one realises that the author has made greater contribution to knowledge in the field of Caribbean history. This is not to say that there are no set backs in the work produced by the author. The author’s choice of words in this book can be a discouraging factor for any reader of this book. There is little or no sense of humour in his sentences which can be attributed to the times in which he wrote the book. We therefore suggest that a revision of the book be made and if possible, an abridged version be published. This, we think will increase the number of interested readers of the book and reduce its limitation to academic users. Overall, this is an important book. It has many significant insights but it is not an easy read. Admittedly, it took a while to get through. Nevertheless, we recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain or broaden his knowledge about Caribbean history.

Outline the main changes in Western Latin Christendom between AD 910 and 1085 Essay Example

Outline the main changes in Western Latin Christendom between AD 910 and 1085 Essay The 10th and 11th Centuries contained some of the most important changes in Western Latin Christendom in its existence. These changes have left the Church and Europe more recognisable as the establishments we know today. The most obvious of these were the reform movements in the later part of the 10th and 11th Centuries, which climaxed under Leo IX and Gregory V11. There were also several equally important but subtly different changes which contributed to the greater part of this reform. An example of this is the evangelical revival that leads to a growth in religious life, and a cleansing of the Church which climaxed in the Orthodox Schism, and the investiture contest between the Pope and the Emperor of Germany.The reform movements of the 10h and 11th Centuries sought out a moral reform whereby lay rulers would appoint good men as priests and Bishops, who would in turn hasten the reform. The movements also aimed to stop corruption in the Church, especially the sin of simony, which w as the purchasing or selling of sacred things, e.g. Holy orders. At around 1000 AD the Church was predominantly governed by lay people, who built the Churches or monasteries on their land, and consequently felt that they had the right to appoint the next priest or abbot, this became known as lay investiture, and in this sense the Church became privatised. This posed a series of problems for the Church, the most serious of which were revenues, as the revenues that it should have been receiving were going back to the families who owned the land, rather than back to the Church.Subsequently religious communities were loosing out as this lose of revenues meant that there was a decline in the qualities of their lives, and so undermined the idea of religious life, and as a further consequences there were increasing cases of simony and married priests. The result of these problems was that by the 10th century many priests, monks, and nuns were not happy, and this led to a series of reform m ovements, through several different communities and people.The first stage of this reform was found at the monastery of Cluny in France. Founded in 910AD Cluny was a reformed Benedictine monastery. The monks tried to revive the liturgical life of the order, concentrating on the divine office and the arts e.g. plainsong. Cluny became the centre of a series of smaller monasteries, and started the first real monastic order. As a result of this, the Abbot of Cluny was exceptionally powerful and was able to influence the rest of the Christendom in a very monastic way, the Abbots of Cluny especially took a strong stance against married priests and simony.Around the year 1000 there was a strong evangelical revival, this was based on the general belief that in the year 1000 Christ would come again. The result of this was a surge in the revival of the Church, and a strong determination to return to the purity of the early Church, this led to a rapid growth in monasteries and several new orde rs of monks emerged most notably the Carthusians. There were two main fronts for this revival.The first was through the work of individuals such as Peter Damain, and Romauld of Ravenna. These were two very influential figures in the 10th and 11th Centuries. Damain was described as: A reformer of clerical laxity and a champion of eremitical and ascetic discipline.1 He had exceptional knowledge of canon law and was used by the Pope as a legate on several occasions. He wrote a book on his predecessor Romauld of Ravenna who was a hermit monk and another highly influential figure: You would think that he (Romauld) was trying to turn the whole world and to involve the entire Church in his project of monastic reform2 Romauld went on to found the Camaldolese order of hermit monks.Another approach to the reform was through Canon law, this was the study of collections of early laws that described how the Catholic Church should be governed. The largest of these collections was owned by Burchar d of Worms, and was called the decretum. The idea of Canon law attracted great interest as they suggested that in the past the Church had governed itself, and so provided support to the reformers over the issue of Lay investiture It was later used by the Pope and the reformers as a way of giving theological support to their arguments over Sacred Kings.At the beginning of the reform movements both the Pope and the emperor worked together, in 1012 Henry II appointed Pope Benedict VIII; and they worked well together to reform the Church. This worked because they could reinforce the reform, as Henry was able to back up the Popes decrees in his own kingdom. In 1046 however, there was a new problem, and at the Synod of Sutri the new Emperor Henry III had to resolve another Papal dispute, this time he appointed his own Pope Clement II, Clement however dies quickly and Henry appoints Leo IX. Leo had a strong personality and lots of energy; he is convinced that God sent him to route out simo ny. He held 11 reforming councils in 5 Years, the first, which was held in 1949 in Rome aimed to Route out simony. Another held in Reims asked 20 Bishops and 40 Abbots to declare whether they were guilty of simony. All the bishops who didnt turn up were deposed. Several other reforming councils were held e.g. At Poitiers they agree that Priests and deacons should not live with women, and at Ingelheim they agreed that laymen could not expel or appoint clergy.Leo IX however had a serious problem in South Italy; the Normans had invaded and were encroaching into Papal land. Leo IX planned to stand up to them but at the battle of Civilate in 1053 he suffers a humiliating defeat and was captured, he is finally released; however he is a broken man. In 1054 he holds another reforming council in South Italy; this however causes an argument with the Byzantines who also owned a large area of Southern Italy. At this time there are strong tensions between Latins and the Greeks, they disagreed ov er the role of the Papacy and the Holy Spirit. In 1054 this argument got out of hand, and eventually Cardinal Humbert was sent to Byzantium to excommunicate the Patriarch of Constantinople, who in turn excommunicated the Pope this was the beginning of the East-West Schism. Leo dies shortly afterwards, and soon after Henry III also dies leaving behind a 6 month old son to rule.The reformers see this as an opportunity to get rid of lay investiture; this was particularly attacked by Cardinal Humbert who called for an end to lay domination as it caused moral and financial abuses among clergy. The next three Popes tried to push forward the idea that Christendom should be ruled by the Papacy. In 1959 Pope Nicholas II issued a precedent saying the new pope was to be elected through a College of Cardinals, this eliminated the power of the German King. When Henry IV claimed the crown in 1071 he found himself in a much weaker position than his father had left him. In 1072 there was a disputed election, Pope Alexander II backed one side Henry IV backed the other, each side saw the balance of power and neither side was prepared to back down, however before the dispute could be settled Alexander died, and Gregory VII was elected Pope.Gregory was a devoted man who was devoted to St Peters rights, and held the view that Peters Church would be the mother of all churches. He was however a very controversial figure, 26 German bishops and the German emperor agreed that Gregory was not Pope but a false monk3 and called on him to resign. Gregory however intensified his campaign on for moral reform challenging the idea of Sacred Kingship saying that the clergy should be elected. He called on the lay people not to accept ministry from those known to be guilty of Simony or sexual acts. In 1075 he forbade the clergy to accept investiture into office from a layman, he put his ideas into pamphlets which he sent round Christendom, however his opponents simply destroyed them. In 1076 Greg ory excommunicated Henry IV for trying to dispose of a Synod of imperial bishops, the result of this was that Henry IV could not function and a rebellion broke out. In January 1077 Henry went to see the Pope in Italy dressed only in his nightshirt to beg reconciliation. Gregory granted it, however he reserved the right to judge Henry at a later date. After this Henry soon regained power, and in 1080 a new conflict broke out, this time when Henry was excommunicated he simply seized Rome and the pope was forced to flee south with the Normans where he died in 1085.Even though Henry elected a Pope: Clement III the papacy had broken away from lay control. The Reformers elected their own popes who were accepted by the rest of the Church. Henry struggled to regain control but failed, eventually it came to a compromise, the King agreed not to invest in the Papacy; however the king was allowed to be present in the elections of Bishops and Abbots. In Europe the Lay rulers power over the Churc h was limited but not abolished.The result of this reform was clear, within society there was a shift towards the Church, and the attack on the sacred kingship was successful. The prestige of the Papacy increased dramatically, however the papal victory appeared more complete within the Church. The pope made a series of declarations known as the dictatus papae which outlined the main development of the Church over the next two centuries. The Reformers made a new vision of the Church in which the Clergy were separated from the hierarchal chain that stretched from God to humanity. The reform however was not just for Kings and Popes, many ordinary citizens were forced to make religious choices, which were made more difficult in that for as long as people could remember anointed Kings had ruled the church, but were held in the balance, because the Pope had a more powerful theological argument based on Canon Law.In the end the reforms added a new level of tension and a new dimension of a new level of life which we can still see in Christendom today. The position of the Pope became much more similar to the view we have of him today, and the Church got rid of the idea of Sacred Kingship which would be brought up in Britain at a later date under Henry VIII. The Reformers had successfully brought the Church out of a difficult moral situation and created a modern yet classical opinion of the Church, and started many traditions which are still around today. Outline the main changes in Western Latin Christendom between AD 910 and 1085 Essay Example Outline the main changes in Western Latin Christendom between AD 910 and 1085 Essay The 10th and 11th Centuries contained some of the most important changes in Western Latin Christendom in its existence. These changes have left the Church and Europe more recognisable as the establishments we know today. The most obvious of these were the reform movements in the later part of the 10th and 11th Centuries, which climaxed under Leo IX and Gregory V11. There were also several equally important but subtly different changes which contributed to the greater part of this reform. An example of this is the evangelical revival that leads to a growth in religious life, and a cleansing of the Church which climaxed in the Orthodox Schism, and the investiture contest between the Pope and the Emperor of Germany.The reform movements of the 10h and 11th Centuries sought out a moral reform whereby lay rulers would appoint good men as priests and Bishops, who would in turn hasten the reform. The movements also aimed to stop corruption in the Church, especially the sin of simony, which w as the purchasing or selling of sacred things, e.g. Holy orders. At around 1000 AD the Church was predominantly governed by lay people, who built the Churches or monasteries on their land, and consequently felt that they had the right to appoint the next priest or abbot, this became known as lay investiture, and in this sense the Church became privatised. This posed a series of problems for the Church, the most serious of which were revenues, as the revenues that it should have been receiving were going back to the families who owned the land, rather than back to the Church.Subsequently religious communities were loosing out as this lose of revenues meant that there was a decline in the qualities of their lives, and so undermined the idea of religious life, and as a further consequences there were increasing cases of simony and married priests. The result of these problems was that by the 10th century many priests, monks, and nuns were not happy, and this led to a series of reform m ovements, through several different communities and people.The first stage of this reform was found at the monastery of Cluny in France. Founded in 910AD Cluny was a reformed Benedictine monastery. The monks tried to revive the liturgical life of the order, concentrating on the divine office and the arts e.g. plainsong. Cluny became the centre of a series of smaller monasteries, and started the first real monastic order. As a result of this, the Abbot of Cluny was exceptionally powerful and was able to influence the rest of the Christendom in a very monastic way, the Abbots of Cluny especially took a strong stance against married priests and simony.Around the year 1000 there was a strong evangelical revival, this was based on the general belief that in the year 1000 Christ would come again. The result of this was a surge in the revival of the Church, and a strong determination to return to the purity of the early Church, this led to a rapid growth in monasteries and several new orde rs of monks emerged most notably the Carthusians. There were two main fronts for this revival.The first was through the work of individuals such as Peter Damain, and Romauld of Ravenna. These were two very influential figures in the 10th and 11th Centuries. Damain was described as: A reformer of clerical laxity and a champion of eremitical and ascetic discipline.1 He had exceptional knowledge of canon law and was used by the Pope as a legate on several occasions. He wrote a book on his predecessor Romauld of Ravenna who was a hermit monk and another highly influential figure: You would think that he (Romauld) was trying to turn the whole world and to involve the entire Church in his project of monastic reform2 Romauld went on to found the Camaldolese order of hermit monks.Another approach to the reform was through Canon law, this was the study of collections of early laws that described how the Catholic Church should be governed. The largest of these collections was owned by Burchar d of Worms, and was called the decretum. The idea of Canon law attracted great interest as they suggested that in the past the Church had governed itself, and so provided support to the reformers over the issue of Lay investiture It was later used by the Pope and the reformers as a way of giving theological support to their arguments over Sacred Kings.At the beginning of the reform movements both the Pope and the emperor worked together, in 1012 Henry II appointed Pope Benedict VIII; and they worked well together to reform the Church. This worked because they could reinforce the reform, as Henry was able to back up the Popes decrees in his own kingdom. In 1046 however, there was a new problem, and at the Synod of Sutri the new Emperor Henry III had to resolve another Papal dispute, this time he appointed his own Pope Clement II, Clement however dies quickly and Henry appoints Leo IX. Leo had a strong personality and lots of energy; he is convinced that God sent him to route out simo ny. He held 11 reforming councils in 5 Years, the first, which was held in 1949 in Rome aimed to Route out simony. Another held in Reims asked 20 Bishops and 40 Abbots to declare whether they were guilty of simony. All the bishops who didnt turn up were deposed. Several other reforming councils were held e.g. At Poitiers they agree that Priests and deacons should not live with women, and at Ingelheim they agreed that laymen could not expel or appoint clergy.Leo IX however had a serious problem in South Italy; the Normans had invaded and were encroaching into Papal land. Leo IX planned to stand up to them but at the battle of Civilate in 1053 he suffers a humiliating defeat and was captured, he is finally released; however he is a broken man. In 1054 he holds another reforming council in South Italy; this however causes an argument with the Byzantines who also owned a large area of Southern Italy. At this time there are strong tensions between Latins and the Greeks, they disagreed ov er the role of the Papacy and the Holy Spirit. In 1054 this argument got out of hand, and eventually Cardinal Humbert was sent to Byzantium to excommunicate the Patriarch of Constantinople, who in turn excommunicated the Pope this was the beginning of the East-West Schism. Leo dies shortly afterwards, and soon after Henry III also dies leaving behind a 6 month old son to rule.The reformers see this as an opportunity to get rid of lay investiture; this was particularly attacked by Cardinal Humbert who called for an end to lay domination as it caused moral and financial abuses among clergy. The next three Popes tried to push forward the idea that Christendom should be ruled by the Papacy. In 1959 Pope Nicholas II issued a precedent saying the new pope was to be elected through a College of Cardinals, this eliminated the power of the German King. When Henry IV claimed the crown in 1071 he found himself in a much weaker position than his father had left him. In 1072 there was a disputed election, Pope Alexander II backed one side Henry IV backed the other, each side saw the balance of power and neither side was prepared to back down, however before the dispute could be settled Alexander died, and Gregory VII was elected Pope.Gregory was a devoted man who was devoted to St Peters rights, and held the view that Peters Church would be the mother of all churches. He was however a very controversial figure, 26 German bishops and the German emperor agreed that Gregory was not Pope but a false monk3 and called on him to resign. Gregory however intensified his campaign on for moral reform challenging the idea of Sacred Kingship saying that the clergy should be elected. He called on the lay people not to accept ministry from those known to be guilty of Simony or sexual acts. In 1075 he forbade the clergy to accept investiture into office from a layman, he put his ideas into pamphlets which he sent round Christendom, however his opponents simply destroyed them. In 1076 Greg ory excommunicated Henry IV for trying to dispose of a Synod of imperial bishops, the result of this was that Henry IV could not function and a rebellion broke out. In January 1077 Henry went to see the Pope in Italy dressed only in his nightshirt to beg reconciliation. Gregory granted it, however he reserved the right to judge Henry at a later date. After this Henry soon regained power, and in 1080 a new conflict broke out, this time when Henry was excommunicated he simply seized Rome and the pope was forced to flee south with the Normans where he died in 1085.Even though Henry elected a Pope: Clement III the papacy had broken away from lay control. The Reformers elected their own popes who were accepted by the rest of the Church. Henry struggled to regain control but failed, eventually it came to a compromise, the King agreed not to invest in the Papacy; however the king was allowed to be present in the elections of Bishops and Abbots. In Europe the Lay rulers power over the Churc h was limited but not abolished.The result of this reform was clear, within society there was a shift towards the Church, and the attack on the sacred kingship was successful. The prestige of the Papacy increased dramatically, however the papal victory appeared more complete within the Church. The pope made a series of declarations known as the dictatus papae which outlined the main development of the Church over the next two centuries. The Reformers made a new vision of the Church in which the Clergy were separated from the hierarchal chain that stretched from God to humanity. The reform however was not just for Kings and Popes, many ordinary citizens were forced to make religious choices, which were made more difficult in that for as long as people could remember anointed Kings had ruled the church, but were held in the balance, because the Pope had a more powerful theological argument based on Canon Law.In the end the reforms added a new level of tension and a new dimension of a new level of life which we can still see in Christendom today. The position of the Pope became much more similar to the view we have of him today, and the Church got rid of the idea of Sacred Kingship which would be brought up in Britain at a later date under Henry VIII. The Reformers had successfully brought the Church out of a difficult moral situation and created a modern yet classical opinion of the Church, and started many traditions which are still around today.