My New Life with Wickham Essay -- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

I have been living in London with Wickham for several months now, and, although none of my family would agree with this, I am glad that I ran away with him, he likes me very much and I care for him dearly. After all, if I had asked for father’s permission to go and live with Wickham, without being married, surely he would have said no without any hesitation. So I thought, if I wanted to be with Wickham, I had no choice but to run away with him. At the time, I thought, why not now? So I did. I love being here, in London, alone with my Wickham, sometimes I do feel quite lonely though, because Wickham goes out gambling at least every other day I would say. I am in the process of stopping Wickham from gambling, he is so addicted. I try to tell him that he will never get a better paying job if he keeps gambling, he will have too bad a reputation. He keeps saying that he will try and stop, but he always ends up going off in the evening. He cannot control himself. It is terrible really. When he is out, and I am alone, I do think of my family, my sisters, mother and father, I do miss them all very very much. On the whole, I am relatively happy with my life though. One good thing is, even though I am the youngest of us 5 sisters, I am the first to be married! So mother will be very proud of me. Now, I am the most important one, I will be put first. We have only been married for one month, but I love it. Wickham does not seem to view things any differently, he still treats me exactly the same, it is as if nothing has changed. One strange thing about our wedding was Mr. Darcy being there, most surprising. When Mr. Darcy came to us one evening, offering to organise our whole wedding and pay for it all, I was so shocked. It... ...zzy would ever marry. I am quite jealous that Lizzy will be living in the grand estate of Pemberly, and she will be ever so rich, that I am glad of. Because myself and Wickham are in debt and there is no hope of us ever having our own house, so hopefully we will be given help financially so we can have our own house. If we are very lucky, Darcy might help Wickham with some business of some kind. I do not see why they should keep all their money to themselves, that would be ever so selfish of them. I feel that I am the luckiest girl alive, I am married to the finest, most handsome man in the world. I imagine every woman must be envious of Wickham being at my side. I could not have married a finer man, and I could not have made my sisters more envious of me. Kitty and Mary do not have a chance of finding a man as good and kind as I have. Life could not be better.

Path Goal Theory Essay

I have chosen the movie â€Å" Miracle† as an illustration of an individual, Herb Brooks, fulfilling the parameters of Robert House’s Path-Goal Theory . There are events that one witnesses throughout one’s life that for various reasons leave an indelible imprint on one’s heart and soul. The unexpected victory of the US hockey over the heavily favored Russian team in the 1980 Olympic Games was one of those events. I was at a cocktail party and someone turned on the TV and soon the entire group was gathered around the set, small talk forgotten, as what has been described as the greatest sporting event of the 20th century unfolded. The country was still recovering from the negative effects of the Vietnam War, a weak Jimmy Carter presidency , and enduring a low point in national pride and optimism as Japan and Germany seemed to be gaining control of the world economy as our military dominance seemed to be slipping away. As the final buzzer rang and the â€Å" Do you believe in Miracles? â€Å" issued from the TV, you could feel the surge in national pride and optimism that swept through our little group and of course throughout the whole country. Herb Brooks supplies an extraordinary example of a positive example of Houses’ path -goal theory, which basically states that the leader’s, manager’s, or in this example the coach’s mission is to guide his subordinates to follow the best paths to reach their goals. According to the theory , the leader employs a variety of leadership behaviors( directive, achievement-oriented , participative, and supportive) to accomplish his mission. The theory also postulates that each behavior type was affected by contingency variables, environmental and follower characteristics. The movie afforded a clear picture of the flexibility required by a leader as he guides and inspires his group to achieve their common goal by successfully applying the following four diverse leadership behaviors: 1) Brooks employed directive path- goal leader behavior (â€Å"situations where the leader lets followers know what is expected of them and tells them how to perform their task†.-Wikipedia) throughout the majority of the film. After the tryouts Coach Brooks immediately sets the tone of his coaching regime by informing his assistant and eventually the Olympic Hockey advisory board that he would not consult either of them when deciding the make-up of the squad. He had basically done extensive homework  on all of the players, most of whom he was familiar with through his college experience. Brooks also makes it well known that he is â€Å"not looking for the best players but the right players.† This statement sets the tone for the rest of the movie. As a seasoned coach Brooks recognizes that the best path to success lies in building a real team, whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and clearly avoids choosing a dysfunctional dream team. This example also exemplifies the effect of an environmental contingency factor on leader behavior (directive) as Brooks recognizes and effectively chooses behavior that will deal with the formal authority system (Olympic hockey board) and allow him to im plement his coaching strategies without interference. A second example of Brook’s use of directive leadership techniques is demonstrated by his frequently asking the players , â€Å" Who do you play for?†. Early on in the film , they uniformly reply with the names of their college teams, demonstrating, as Brooks has recognized, that they are still a group of competitive young men and not a team. He continually challenges them, especially after a fight between former collegiate rivals , to start becoming a team and to depend upon â€Å"flow , passing , and creativity†-â€Å"Who do you play for?†. This example flows into the third example his strong directive leadership abilities when after an exhibition loss to the Swedish national team, he makes the players stay after the game to skate sprint drills. In between sprints he informs them that if they don’t want to work during the game, then they can work after it. He tells them that they don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone and that the name on the front of their jersey means a lot more than the one on the back. He repeats his message of win or loose, play like champions. Over and over Brooks shouts â€Å" Again â€Å", driving the players to exhaustion. He doesn’t stop, ignoring the pleas of his assistants, until the future team Captain, Mike Eruzione, states â€Å" I play for team USA. â€Å" Brooks lets them go and a turning point has been reached. They are finally becoming a team , one of destiny with a common purpose. This also is another example of Brooks employing directive leadership to reach a goal despite the effect of a subordinate contingency factor, locus of control. When the team first came together, they were group of highly competitive and independent group of young men hwho identified with their past institutions. Their locus of control was mainly internal and Brooks, with his concept of a cohesive tem, dependent  upon another and the coach for direction, gradually moving their locus of control toward a more external variety, â€Å" I play for team USA†. He has imposed his will on the team and he is now able to lea d direct them completion of their common goal. A third and clear example of directive leadership occurs during a session in the film room where he instructs the team on the tactics and strategy they will employ to be able to stay with the more individually talented Russians and eventually beat them late in the game .He tells them that they will be better conditioned than their adversaries and that they will attack instead of defending. This example also illustrates Brooks employment of Directive Leadership taking into consideration the effect s Of Environmental ( task structure)and Subordinate(Percieved ability) Con tingency Factors to enable the team to reach it’s ultimate goal. After the film session , Brooks has not only clarified the task structure but has defined the team’s perception of their abilities so that they are now gaining confidence that those abilities will be sufficient to achieve their goal. 2) Brooks also employed Achievement- Oriented Leadership (AOL) behavior(â€Å" situations where the leader sets challenging goals for followers, expects them to perform at their highest level, and shows confidence in their ability to met this expectation.†-Wikipedia) throughout the film in various appropriate situations. The first occurrence takes place when Brooks gathers his newly chosen squad sets and sets lofty goals for the team. He tells them they are not just going to the Olympics to show but to legitimately compete. He reinforces their already apparent confidence of having already survived a rigorous tryout and warns them that only 20 names will appear on the final roster and that more of them will be going home. I believe Brooks’ choice of this leadership type behavior was influenced by a Subordinate contingency factor-Experience. Brooks correctly recognizes that his new team’s experience is limited when compared to the other international teams and that confidence in their abilities is an important cornerstone in the team foundation and that the moment called for Achievement – Oriented Leadership Behavior. Brooks has correctly identified that his squad would need to be superbly conditioned if they could hope to achieve one of their major goals-being  able to stay close to the more individually talented and experienced Russians and then outskate them at the end and secure victory. To achieve this announced goal of being the best conditioned team at the Olympic games , Brooks once again employs AOL as he challenges his highly competitive group of players to reach this goal with frequent conditioning drills. His slogan of â€Å" the legs feed the wolves† becomes almost a battle cry and is heard frequently throughout the film as he encourages the players to meet the high physical standards he has set as their goal. Once again Brooks has chosen a leadership behavior pattern(AOL) in consideration Subordinate contingency factor, perceived ability as he reinforces the team’s confidence as they see their abilities increase with their improved conditioning. In one of the most dramatic scenes in the movie which occurs in the locker room right before the big game with the Russians , Brooks once again demonstrates AOL behavior as he sets the final challenging goal of defeating the Russian team and shows his confidence in their abilities-â€Å"You were born to be hockey players† and sends a highly inspired and confident team out onto the ice . 3) An example Herb Brooks exhibiting Participative Leader behavior(â€Å" leaders consulting with followers and asking for their suggestions before making a decision.†-Wikipedia.) occurs when the coach is determining his various lines- groups of 3 players who play together and who substituted together in relief of other lines. He summons three players referred to as â€Å" The Coneheads† and instead of taking a directive approach , he takes a clear participative path as he involves the young men in the decision making process as he asks them if they would like playing together as a line and if they thought it was a good fit for them. The players agreed with Brooks and go on to be a very effective line. This shows Brooks once again choosing the correct leader behavior-participative- relative to an Environmental Contingency factor-work group-to achieve performance goals and group satisfaction. Brooks once again demonstrates participative leadership when well into the team’s development, he decides to add a new ,very talented college player to  the roster. On their own, 3 team members approach the coach and voice an opinion that this new player is not needed and should not take a roster spot of a player who has worked so hard to earn that spot. The coach argues that the new player is very talented and will help the team and asks why the 3 young men do not want him. They respond he is not â€Å"family â€Å". Brooks recognizes that he has achieved his goal of team and has clearly consulted with followers before making a final decision. 4) Coach Brooks also employs Supportive Leadership behavior ( â€Å" behavior directed toward the satisfaction of subordinate’s needs and preferences. The leader shows concern for the follower’s psychological well being.†- Wikipedia.) and his early interaction with goalie Jim Craig demonstrates this type of leadership behavior. Jim is an outstanding goalie whose play has been erratic since the recent death of his mother. Brooks knows that against the aggressive Russian team the goalie will play a deciding role. Jim had earlier refused to take a team test and had expected a tongue lashing from Brooks . Instead , Brooks , cognizant of the psychological aspects of the grieving process which are affecting Jim’s playing and his ability to fully commit emotionally to the team. In private sessions he recognizes and therefore validates Jim’s emotional issues. After the coach points out an erratic performance, Jim is benched and asks the coach is it because he didn’t take the test and Brooks replies, â€Å" No, I want that guy that wouldn’t take the test†. Jim is named the starter and against the Russians plays an outstanding game, turning back a deluge of shots on goal by the Russians. If the coach had chosen a harsher style, Jim may have very well shut down further and robbed the team of a valuable asset. Once again Brooks has chosen the right leadership behavior –Supportive- to bring out the best in his follower, enabling them both to reach a common goal. In doing so he had identified the relation between a subordinate contingency factor, locus of control, and the need for the proper leader behavior-Supportive-to achieve the goal. Jim was feeling isolated and distracted by his grief, leading to a more internal locus of control and Brooks was able to move him toward a more external perception involving the concept of team, discipline and conformity to leadership by employing that behavior style. In another demonstration of utilization of Supportive leadership, Brooks exhibits compassion and empathy when he drops Ralf Cox from the Olympic squad near the end of the training period. Since Brooks himself was in a similar situation, having been cut from the 1960 Olympic Hockey right before their run for the gold medal, he personally understands the psychological trauma after a rejection of this magnitude. He personally comforts and consoles Ralf and thanks him for his fine effort and tell him that he is a great player. This display of supportive leadership could not help but further strengthen the team’s belief in their coach’s leadership abilities and character. A final example of supportive leadership, occurs , when understanding the psychological and physical distress of the injured Jack O’Callahan, Brooks meets with him privately and assures him that he remains confident in his ability to perform and that he will not be , as Jack so desperately feared, be cut from the team. Jack goes on to heal and play an important role in the US victory, vindicating Brooks’ discision and use of supportive leadership. As presented, Herb Brooks clearly demonstrates in the movie â€Å"Miracle† the effective use of House’s Path-Goal Theory as he guides his team, the 1980 US hockey team on its historic journey toward the defeat of the supposed invincible Russian team and the winning of the gold medal. I doubt that Brooks was even aware of House’s work but, guided by experience and instinct he effectively employed the various leadership behaviors and the modifying effect of environmental and subordinate contingency factors to gain the trust and respect of his peers and his players, leading them to the ultimate prize. In doing so , Brooks demonstrates to all leaders the importance of flexibility in leadership techniques and of not only gaining the trust of one’s followers but the necessity of fostering trust between those followers. Part 2 The movie â€Å"Miracle† also illustrates examples of Victor Vroom’s Expectancy  Theory. As described in Robbins and Judge, pages 86-87, this a motivation theory which postulates there is a certain relationship between personal effort and outcomes and that employees and in our examples, team members, can be motivated to achieve favorable outcomes. ) Vroom describes three processes or links, 1) Effort –Performance , 2) Performance- Reward, and 3) Rewards-Personal Goals† and their relationships. In the first link ( Effort –Performance), the individual ascertains if effort will equate to performance. In the second link (Performance-Reward) , he or she determines whether there be a desired outcome following a good performance and in the third link (Rewards-Personal Goals) will those rewards satisfy my personal needs? I believe the following 3 players dynamically exhibited the 3 links or processes of Vroom’s Theory. 1)Jimmy Craig-A an extremely t alented goaltender who led Boston University to the 1978 NCAA Division 1 championship. Effort-Performance- Initially deemed the back up goalie, Jimmy makes it clear that he is only attending the try-outs because he promised his mother shortly before she passed away near the end of his college career to try out for the Olympic Team and win a gold medal.. After he makes the team, both Jimmy’s attitude and thus his effort increase throughout the early and middle parts of the film as he is shown practicing harder and engaging in extra drills to increase his hand eye co-ordination and conditioning. As these efforts pay off, his performance begins to improve as he obviously knew it would with increased effort, thus demonstrating the link between performance and effort. Performance – Reward- Recognizing his improved performance , Coach Brooks rewards Jimmy with the the starting goalie position which led to the further rewards of victories against the teams they needed to overcome in the 1980 Olympics . Against a veteran Russian team it was his outstanding perfor mance(36/39 saves) , especially late in the game , that preserved the US victory. Jimmy and the US team then went on to attain their ultimate reward-the Gold Medal. Reward-Personal Goals- These rewards were of course personally desirable as they led to the attainment of personal goals such as fulfilling his mother’s wishes and helping to improve his grieving father both emotionally and probably financial as the notoriety and exposure led to a professional Hockey career and eventually a successful long term profession as a motivational speake John J. â€Å" r, spokesperson, and marketing and sales strategist. 2) Michael  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Rizzo â€Å" Eruzione- Mike was a Boston University hockey standout who graduated several years earlier than his above teammates. He was described by his BU coach, Jack Parker as† Pete Rose on skates†-â€Å"Wikipedia†. Rizzo went to successfully play 2 years in the International Hockey League before trying out for the 1980 Olympic team. Effort-Performance- It is clearly apparent from the onset of the film, that Mike is a long shot to make the team and when he does , he is chosen last. It is also obvious that Rizzo is a natural leader as he is portrayed settling disputes between rival Minnasota and Boston players and is a critical factor in coalescing the group into an effective team, when as noted in part one is the player who shouts, â€Å" I play for team USA â€Å". He not only gives great effort in practice but also in his natural leadership and that led to success in performance in both areas Performance –Reward- Eruzione’s all around performance in rewarded by not only making the team but being appointed Team captain, a prestigious position. He is then further motivated to play to the limits of his ability and makes the winning shot against the Russians. He is the player that Coach Brooks was talking about when he stated â€Å" I don’t want the best players, I want the right players.† Reward-Personal Goals- Initially , recognizing his limited ability Rizzo’s personal goal was just to make the squad and continue to play hockey a little bit longer and he accomplished this and more, eventually winning a gold medal. It is obvious that his personal goals were different than many of his teammates whose personal goals were to go on and play professional hockey. I suspect he had other personal goals as he was able t o parlay his Olympic success into a rewarding business and TV careers. 3)John â€Å" Jack â€Å" O’Callahan – Another extremely talented college hockey standout who also played for and was Captain of the 1979 championship Boston University team. Effort-Performance- Jack was a highly competitive player who always gave 100% on the ice. He once stated in the movie that he had skated so hard he couldn’t feel his legs. He also had definite leader ship abilities and inspired his teammates to also go all out. His continued maximum effort lead to superior performance and a high scoring output. Performance – Reward- Jack’s outstanding performance led to rewards on several different levels. First, he was easily rewarded with a position on the team and granted significant playing time. Then, when he suffered a potentially season ending  knee injury during the exhibition game against the Russians, Coach Brooks rewarded him with a show of faith by keeping him on the team despite the fact he was not able to play the opening Olympic rounds. Jack was obviously highly motivated by this gesture and vigorously rehabbed and was able to return to play in the key game against the Russians, making a key play that led to a score that tied the game and eventually led to another reward –the Gold Medal. Reward - Personal Goals- When Herb Brooks stated in the locker room before the pivotal Russian game, â€Å" you were born to be Hockey players† one of the players that definitely fit that description was Jack. He exemplifies the Expectancy Theory by being able to convert the desired awards into fulfillment of his personal goal –to play professional hockey, playing 390 games in the NHL. I think this movie and the actual reality it depicts is an excellent example of Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. This theory appears to be more applicable to sports than the workplace as there are clear and defined linkages between effort and performance and performance and reward. As compared to the average workplace , the endpoints of reward and personal goals can reach , as we know, extraordinary levels of financial success and notoriety.

Overview of the Stock Market

Over the past few years, many millionaires have been created due to the economical explosion of the stock market. The market isn†t just growing, as it did in the mid to late seventies; but it is on steroids, and is growing like never before. Backed by the relentless, yet sometimes spasmodic, growth of the NASDAQ Composite, Wall Street†s impact on the future cannot be denied. For as long as the market has been in existence, drastic changes such as these have never taken place. What awesome power could have produced so much money in so little time? What colossal force could have caused the United States† economy to flourish? The answer lies in one, simple, recently coined phrase: the tech stock. The stock market has been around since people traded silver for ownership of cargo 200 years ago, yet many people don†t know how it works, or where their money goes when they purchase a stock; they simply think â€Å"buy low, sell high. † Although this is a good basic investment plan, it is imperative that one knows where his money is headed when he buys a thousand dollars worth of a specific stock. When one purchases a stock, they are actually purchasing part of a company (Brian 1). The reason one would do this is because he wants part of the profits of the company. If one purchases 1% of a company, he will receive 1% of the income, to put it in a simplified manner. The money the company gains from selling their stock is placed back into the company. This way, the company can grow, and produce more profits for the stockholders. The company†s value is represented by the stock price on the stock exchange (Brian 2). Over time, a method of judging a stock†s performance, called the â€Å"profit to earning ratio† was created. P/E is shorthand for the ratio of a company's share price to its per-share earnings. For example, a P/E ratio of 10 means that the company has $1 of annual, per-share earnings for every $10 in share price (Green 1). † This ratio basically represents how much money the investor is putting in per dollar earned. This was generally a good thing to look at when choosing a stock to invest in, but the P/E ratio can be misleading, especially in the few tech stocks that have tremendous stock prices, yet have little net profit. No one knows exactly when the tech stock came about, but it seems like it came all at once. The phrase â€Å"tech stock† simply refers to all stocks that deal with any form of technology related, directly or indirectly, to the computer or computer chips. A good portion of the popular tech stocks today deal with the Internet (Brian 4). One reason for this is the easy access by millions of people worldwide. Small companies are able to reach out to the whole globe with just a few bucks, and thus become prosperous over a short amount of time. Just a few of the most popular tech stock corporations include: Microsoft, Apple, TI, Amazon, Yahoo, and Dell. Companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Dell are companies that handle computers directly, and have been around for a long time (NASDAQ 5) TI creates many semiconductors that are found in most all products that have computer chips in them. Amazon and Yahoo are both directly related to the Internet. These companies are popular due to their originality and business management. However, popularity hardly gains profit, so why is it that Yahoo can make so much money on the stock market? Surprisingly and ironically enough, it is precisely popularity that causes its gains. Because of the popularity, people continue to purchase Yahoo†s stock. Although the company isn†t making direct profit, it certainly makes a lot of money from the stock purchases, so the company actually makes the money off of the stock market (Brian 5). Rare, indeed, to see this at such an extreme. With all of this success must come organization, and thus is the role of the NASDAQ Composite. Although NASDAQ came about long before the rise of tech stocks, it now represents the growth that they portray. This is mostly due to the large volume of blue chip Internet stocks that have joined the Composite, as well as the small technical companies that are looking for a big break. Duarte summarizes the whole NASDAQ universe in once sentence; â€Å"The NASDAQ is fueled by blue chip stocks and small caps which explode into high-earnings (Technology 1). † And explode it did. In just over one year, â€Å"The Index gained 1876. 62 points and 85. 59 percent for the year. The NASDAQ Composite Index also eclipsed the 3000 and 4000 point milestones during the last quarter of 1999† (Nasdaq 1). This far surpasses the Dow Jones Industrial, which only gained 25. 22% over the 1999-2000 year. â€Å"The market†s best index performers were the computer, telecommunications, and biotechnology up 105. 03 percent, 102. 71 percent and 101. 64 percent respectively† (Nasdaq 2). This obviously displays a growing interest in the tech stock, which has caused this major uprising to occur. One may wonder how the Dow Jones Industrial got off so bad, because, after all, it represents our nations largest companies. For a long time, the Dow Jones Industrial has represented the stock market as a whole, but times change. One cause of this change is the high interest rates that affect the corporate stocks such as Wal-Mart and ExxonMobil. These stocks reduce in price as a result of this, and therefore, the Dow average reflects the decrease. The Dow Jones blue chips remain stable, but haven†t increased dramatically, and this isn†t sufficient to make up for the losses of the stocks that tanked, such as banking stocks, financial stocks, and oil marketing stocks (Duarte, Technology 1). One thing that everyone wonders is â€Å"Is the gold rush over? † The answer is no, not as of 3-2-00, anyway. However, all good things must come to an end; the question is when. Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan are both major authorities in Wall Street, and when they speak, the world of investors listens. The one bad thing is this, they usually never agree. In late 1999, Friedman â€Å"suggested the current market looks similar to the pre-crash markets in the U. S. in 1929 and the pre-crash market in Japan in 1989. † Soon after, â€Å"Greenspan made equally scary remarks about the stock market and the wealth effect† (Duarte, Greenspan 1). These are remarkable authorities in the world of investing, but these notes don†t specifically talk about the tech stock falling. Some people believe that the so-called â€Å"crash† that they spoke of has already happened at the turn of the millennium, when both the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq fell at record-breaking volumes. This proved that the NASDAQ wasn†t invincible with its precious tech stocks, but it also started an ugly observation that whatever the Dow does, the NASDAQ does at a more flamboyant rate (Jennings 1). This simply means that if the Dow goes up a little, the NASDAQ goes up a lot. When the Dow drops a little, the NASDAQ drops a lot (Fool 9). However, there†s no concrete evidence to prove this theory that they are connected somehow. January 4th, 2000; a sigh of relief sweeps the world as nothing too terribly devastating happens on the turn of the millennium. However, this sigh turns quickly into a gasp; at least for those watching the stock market. The Dow Jones plummets nearly 360 points, and NASDAQ plummets nearly 230 points in just one trading day. The next two days, NASDAQ continues to fall another 200 points, resulting in nearly a 8% drop in just three days. It recovers from this drop in only about two days, only to drop back into a lower pit in three more days. Those who held onto their pocketbooks for this roller coaster ride found a light at the end of the tunnel, and by the end of February, the Composite had climbed to the 4600 mark, 600 points higher than at the beginning of the year (Fool 1). Many other times in the first quarter of 2000 NASDAQ took a hefty fall, but it always regrouped and rallied to surpass it is original price. Another thing to remember is that NASDAQ isn†t made entirely of tech stock blue chips such as Dell and Amazon (Nasdaq 1). It is also made up of small caps that fail, large caps that fail, and those penny stocks that people get so worked up about†¦ that also fail; so it is hard to judge how well tech stocks are actually doing by looking directly at the NASDAQ Composite or P/E ratios. Tech stocks are still a relatively new thing for the market, and investors haven†t yet predicted their fate. However, they are still intensely popular, and as long as they are popular, people will keep buying; and, of course, if people buy them, they will raise in value. Technology is not going away any time soon, there†s no doubt about that; the future is now. Computers rule our lifestyle, making everything faster, easier, cheaper, more efficient; and these tech stocks represent our new economy based on this new efficient system. Even though they may not present themselves as strongly as they once did, tech stocks are definitely here to stay.

The Strange Fate of Indias Peacock Throne

The Strange Fate of India's Peacock Throne The Peacock Throne was a wonder to behold - a gilded platform, canopied in silk and encrusted in precious jewels. Built in the 17th century for the  Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who also commissioned the Taj Mahal, the throne served as yet another reminder of the extravagance of this mid-century ruler of India. Although the piece only lasted for a short while, its legacy lives on as one of the most ornate and highly sought after pieces of royal property in the regions history. A relic of the Mughal Golden Age, the piece was originally lost and recommissioned before being destroyed forever by rival dynasties and empires. Like Solomon When Shah Jahan ruled the Mughal Empire, it was at the height of its Golden Age, a period of great prosperity and civil accord amongst the Empires people - covering most of India. Recently, the capital had been re-established in Shahjahanabad in the ornately decorated Red Fort, where Jahan held many decadent feasts and religious festivals. However, the young emperor  knew that in order to be, as Solomon had been, the Shadow of God - or the arbiter of Gods will on earth - he needed to have a throne like his. A Jewel-Encrusted Gold Throne Shah Jahan commissioned a jewel-encrusted  gold throne to be built on a pedestal in the courtroom, where he could then be seated above the crowd, closer to God. Among the hundreds of rubies, emeralds, pearls, and other jewels embedded in the Peacock Throne was the famed 186-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, which was later taken by the British. Shah Jahan, his son Aurangzeb, and later Mughal rulers of India sat on the glorious seat until 1739, when Nader Shah of Persia sacked Delhi and stole the Peacock Throne. Destruction In 1747, Nader Shahs bodyguards assassinated him, and Persia descended into chaos. The Peacock Throne ended up being chopped to pieces for its gold and jewels. Although the original was lost to history, some antiquities experts believe that the legs of the 1836 Qajar Throne, which was also called the Peacock Throne, might have been taken from the Mughal original. The 20th century Pahlavi dynasty in Iran also called their ceremonial seat the Peacock Throne, continuing this pillaged tradition. Several other ornate thrones may have also been inspired by this extravagant  piece, most notably the overexaggerated version King Ludwig II of Bavaria had made some time before 1870 for his Moorish Kiosk in Linderhof Palace.   The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is said to also have potentially discovered a marble leg from the pedestal of the original throne. Similarly, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London said to have discovered the same years later.   However, neither of these have been confirmed. Indeed, the glorious Peacock Throne may have been lost to all of history forever - all for the want of power and control of India at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

APWH Chapter 10- From Tang to the Mongols Essay Example

APWH Chapter 10 APWH Chapter 10- From Tang to the Mongols Paper APWH Chapter 10- From Tang to the Mongols Paper Essay Topic: Poetry Over the course of the three centuries before the rise of the Sui Dynasty C. Buddhism developed a much wider following among the Chinese people Which of the following statements is not a valid observation about the Sui Dynasty? C. It permanently incorporated Korea in to the Chinese domain. The name given to the Asian region northwest of traditional China that was pacified by the Tang was A. Xinjiang. The Sui Dynasty C. completed the new Grand Canal system linking the Yellow Yangtze river valleys. As a result of early Tang rule B. Buddhist influence helped to produce a blossoming of Chinese culture. Tang rule in China became permanently weakened as a result of a rebellion by a protege of A. Yang Guifei. The Turkish-speaking tribal group that ultimately overthrew the Tang were the E. Kirghiz In terms of its relations with neighboring powers, the Song A. met their ultimate demise at the hands of the Mongols State Confucianism B. expressed a traditional, activist element in Chinese philosophy. The administrative structure of the Chinese government during the Tang Dynasty included C. A Department of State Affairs In the Chinese civil service examination system D. many candidates who passed the first examination did not go on to a higher level. In the civil service examination system developed in China, C. in comparison to other civilizations, the process provided a means for upward social mobility that was ahead of its time. The Tang political system C. developed the equivalent of a modern cabinet within its Department of State Affairs Wu Zhao E. became empress of China. Neo-Confucianism B. included the School of the Mind Under Song rule in China, the system of local government E. all of the above One of the main reasons for the demise of the Tang Dynasty was its inability to effectively solve the problem of land distribution. Which of the following statements can serve as a valid explanation for this policy failure? A. The spread of land holding by buddhist monasteries, coupled with rising food production, led to increasing pressure on the land distribution system. The Chinese civil service examination system E. was unable to solve the problem of officials using their positions to illegally help their relatives Which of the following was not an economic factor in medieval China? D. The Sui Dynasty closed the Silk Road. The nomadic people who aligned with the Tang to dominate much of the carrying trade along the Silk Road were the C. Uighurs. In medieval China, the tribute system C. maintained the foundation fo a working trade relationship between the Chinese and foreign merchants and rulers With the increase in trade and urban activities during the Tang and Song eras, B. a landed gentry class assumed a position of social and economic dominance. Local government in medieval China C. inclued local magistrates who supplemented their salaries by charging people for services for which the government already paid them. The founder of the Mongol Empire was D. Genghis Khan. Affluent Chinese during the Tang Dynasty A. had fewer luxuries than during the Han and Qin dynasties. Which of the following was true about the power of the Mongols? C. They achieved more success in China than it did in the rest of East Asia Khubilai Khans captial was located in C. Khanblaiq. The Mongols E. made use of Chinese institutions in governing China The Mongols were able to maintain control in China for an extended period because they D. maintained commercial policies that were conducive to Chinese prosperity. All of the following factors contributed to the end of Mongol rule in China except E. a plague that killed 14 million Mongols in 1241 and 1242. All of the following were true about medieval Chinese life except A. most people had developed life styles that were far removed from agriculture. Which of the following accurately characterizes the medieval Chinese family? C. Its moral foundation was filial piety. Empress Wu C. made a significant contribution to the civil service examination system Buddhism was brought to China by C. merchants from India. The Buddhist sect that stressed the role of devotion was B. The Pure Land Sect. Of the three philosophies competing for attention in medieval China, B. Confucianism triumphed because it adhered to the Chinese social need to support the concepts of hard work and filial piety The main purpose for the development of Neo-Confucianism was to C. provide a set of beliefs that dealt with the issues of the universe that had been introduced into Chinese religion by Buddhism and Daoism and which were able to fit into the original Confucian value system. Which of the following would you say is a more accurate depiction of the comparison between medieval Chinese Western thought? A. The Chinese became more individualistic, while the Europeans became more scientific Major difference between China and late medieval Europe were that D. the Chinese made many technological advances, such as the compass and block printing, but were less interested in scientific inquiry. The Confucian scholar who was the primary proponent of the idea that the correct way to transcend the material world was from an understanding of self was B. Wang Yangming. Although medieval China was the source of many of the great inventions of tis time, it failed to develop the technological advances that these inventions produced elsewhere. The primary explanation for this phenomenon was that D. Confucian values, coupled with the self interests of the leadership of the intellectual revolution stifled technologic advancements. During the Han Dynasty, Chinese literature was stimulated by the invention of B. paper. The most effective expression of literature from the Tang to the Ming dynasties was in the form of D. poetry. Due to various technical aspects of the Chinese language, its poetry ahd A. a brevity in the amount of lines used and the number of words in each line Li Bo D. wrote a poem entitled Resolution of Waking with a Hangover on Spring Morning In Son China E. cities were governed by Qin officials Which of the following is an accurate characterization of the Chinese poet being described B. Li Bo had a carefree attitude towards life. During the Yuan dynasty A. there was major growth in the development of the popular theater as well as the novel. Which of the following was not an aspect of the creativity of Chinese art? E. inspiration drawn mainly from Indian sources Between 600 and the 1200s, Chinese art and literature A. produced such famous stories as Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Why is the study of political science imperative for an educated human Essay

Why is the study of political science imperative for an educated human being in society - Essay Example According to Marcus, â€Å"democracy, bureaucracy, autocracy, amongst others formulates basic forms of government†. This is a vivid implication that politics qualifies as a science. Scholars establish diverse ideologies and theories to articulate the dynamics of politics. Marcus also asserts that â€Å"Politics keep changing with in different times.† In this case, political science has immense importance towards every elite in society. The study is imperative to the elites in diverse ways. In the art of politics, people must exceed the figure of two. This implicates that interactions amongst two or more individuals comprise politics. In definition, politics entails an art of influence within a civic level (Marcus, 2010). The influence may as well infiltrate to the individual level. Therefore, the study of political science is imperative to the elites upon understanding its dynamics and nature. Political science is imperative to educated individuals in diverse ways. Marc us quotes that â€Å"Scholars in political science pursue knowledge in politics†. This knowledge accumulates within them to propagate comprehensive understanding of the political dynamics. Therefore, this knowledge inculcates immense capacity towards the scholars. In this case, political science scholars are in a capacity to give a comprehensive and logical account of the basic changes (Marcus, 2010).

Management of Massey Energy Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management of Massey Energy Company - Case Study Example From this paper it is clear that Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) claimed that the company had violated safety standards more than 50 times. This proves that the 29 workers died because of poor safety standards in the mine. Instead of improving the quality of the mine’s safety, the company was always challenging the accusations of the safety agency. Another factor that proves the company should be held responsible is the unethical acts of Don Blankenship. After receiving complaints about the safety conditions in the company, the CEO ignored the complaints and instead sent a memo to the management team, asking them to focus on the firm’s production rather than improving the safety standards. It was a moral responsibility for Don to instruct the management team to shift their focus from the profitability of the company to safety. Such move would have prevented the accident from occurring. Conclusively, the mining firm is morally responsible for the deaths of i ts employees. If the company had implemented safety measures as required by MSHA, the accident would not have taken place.