Capitalism V. Communism Essay Example for Free

Capitalism V. Communism Essay As the feudal system in Europe began crumbling with the dawn of the Industrial Revolution a void was created in the European social and economic structure, Scottish philosopher Adam Smith took it upon himself to fill this void and in 1776 published The Wealth of Nations; just as Newtons Principia Mathematica laid the foundation for modern physics so to did Adams work lay the foundation for modern economics. For the next 70 years Adams doctrine went unchallenged until Karl Marx presented his rebuttal in the Communist Manifesto. Capitalism as envisioned by Smith called for complete private control of the economy, and a small government that practiced a hands off policy. Such a system, Smith believed, would allow for the greatest amount of wealth, and as a byproduct would benefit the majority of the citizens. Capitalism quickly became the economic standard in the British Empire and post-revolutionary France and America, as well as in Germany and the Scandinavian countries as they industrialized. This switch in economic philosophy would result in an unprecedented shift in western society from chiefly agrarian to mostly urban, from feudal lords to corporate tycoons, and from frugality to consumerism. Under capitalism people for the first time in history could, on a large-scale, improve their economic and societal status through hard work and perseverance. Under this system someone like Andrew Carnegie the son of a weaver could through intelligence and determination found a corporate empire. Capitalism was and is by no means perfect, as is evident by the vast separation of wealth it creates, in America today for example according to the University of California at Santa Cruz, the top twenty percent of Americans control 85 percent of the countrys wealth. This obvious economic inequality is the greatest shortcoming of capitalism, and the primary reason for the creation of communism. Under communism the government controls every aspect of the economy and society. Communism calls for a classless society in which there is no private property and citizens work for the good of the state rather than their personal well being. The few examples of pure communist countries North Korea, Cuba, China under Zedong, and the USSR under Stalin that have been created were or still are dysfunctional states. They are characterized  by violent oppression, famines and the rise of dictators. On a smaller scale though communism has proved quite successful, a hundred and fifty years before Marx coined the term early religious sects in America, namely the Puritans and later on the Mormons, had perfected small scale communism. These settlers worked not for themselves but for the community, and proved that such a society could govern effectively. Communism at its core calls for the people to sacrifice individuality and work for the benefit of the state rather than for their personal well being. Capitalism on the other hand is focused on working for individual growth, and personal ownership to provide wealth for ones self. Communism places the economy in governments hands, while capitalism removes the government from the economy entirely. Communism sets direct demands on the work you do and what you need to produce, so others can benefit as well as you from your hard work. Communism asks the government to decide what is needed for each individual to live and be equal. The government tells the community what demands need to be meets to produce and distribute enough materials equally. Capitalism depends on supply and demand instead of quotas, in order to make sure there is not too much or too little of certain products. If there is not enough of a product wanted then the price will rise, which will in turn cause production to increase. Once there is more than enough of that product on the market, the demand will begin to drop, resulting in the price and production to drop and so on. Capitalism creates a system where peoples first concern is themselves, rather than the others, making things a personal investment instead of community investment. Communism is built on the idea that humans are inherently just, and as such will work not just for themselves, but for their countrymen as well. Capitalism is built on the idea that humans are inherently greedy and self-promoting, which will in turn lead to a great importance being placed on attaining wealth. Capitalism calls for freedom at the expense of equality while communism calls for equality and neglects liberty. Communism with its drive towards collectivization, and a classless society, clashes with the very principle that western democracies are based on individuality. Neither capitalism nor communism is ever going to be perfect for a nation, but a system that  rewards hard work and self-determination will always outdo a system that calls for dependence and mediocrity. Communism Marxism The Communist Manifesto. All About Philosophy. 9 Oct. 2008 . Capitalism. The European Enlightenment Glossary. 10 Oct. 2008 .

Are College Students Getting the Grades They Deserve? :: School Education Essays

Are College Students Getting the Grades They Deserve? Students at Boston University complain of grade deflation College students work hard assuming that they will get the grade they deserve but this is not always the case. Caroline Boulanger, a sophomore business administration and management major at Boston University studies hard. In her freshmen economics class, her final grade was based on three exams. She received two "A's" and an "A-" on these exams. However, at the end of the semester, she ended up with a final grade of a "B-." She tried contacting her professor and he has still not gotten back to her, so she assumes her grade was deflated. Boulanger is not the only person who has had this problem as a result of the grading policy of Boston University. â€Å"I’ve heard that getting a 4.0 at this school is about as likely as winning the lottery or getting struck by lightening. It could be considered an act of god,† said Haley Goucher, a freshman premed student at Boston University. If a student does receive a 4.0 at Boston University they are in the minority. In a survey of 100 Boston University students, only 23% received an "A" in any one of their classes and 0% of the students had a GPA of 4.0. Many of these students expressed that this sudden decline of grades made them lose confidence in their work and themselves. â€Å"People who did well in high school have trouble transitioning sometimes. They work hard and they still feel stupid,† said Alex Corhan, a sophomore journalism major at Boston University. There is no formal grading policy at Boston University but the university does give several guidelines for professors to follow. â€Å"Don’t be a grade-inflater! Grades should reflect the distribution of effort and success in the class †¦ If your distribution of grades is skewed toward the high end, it might imply that either an 'A' does not require a high level of achievement in the course or you are demanding too little of your students,† the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences â€Å"Information for Faculty Instructors† states. Not only does Boston University strongly discourage grade inflation, but they evaluate their professors by how high they grade their students. This leads to problems for both professors and students. â€Å"The individual colleges monitor the grade distribution of courses and let instructors know if their grades seem to be considerably higher or lower than the norm. Are College Students Getting the Grades They Deserve? :: School Education Essays Are College Students Getting the Grades They Deserve? Students at Boston University complain of grade deflation College students work hard assuming that they will get the grade they deserve but this is not always the case. Caroline Boulanger, a sophomore business administration and management major at Boston University studies hard. In her freshmen economics class, her final grade was based on three exams. She received two "A's" and an "A-" on these exams. However, at the end of the semester, she ended up with a final grade of a "B-." She tried contacting her professor and he has still not gotten back to her, so she assumes her grade was deflated. Boulanger is not the only person who has had this problem as a result of the grading policy of Boston University. â€Å"I’ve heard that getting a 4.0 at this school is about as likely as winning the lottery or getting struck by lightening. It could be considered an act of god,† said Haley Goucher, a freshman premed student at Boston University. If a student does receive a 4.0 at Boston University they are in the minority. In a survey of 100 Boston University students, only 23% received an "A" in any one of their classes and 0% of the students had a GPA of 4.0. Many of these students expressed that this sudden decline of grades made them lose confidence in their work and themselves. â€Å"People who did well in high school have trouble transitioning sometimes. They work hard and they still feel stupid,† said Alex Corhan, a sophomore journalism major at Boston University. There is no formal grading policy at Boston University but the university does give several guidelines for professors to follow. â€Å"Don’t be a grade-inflater! Grades should reflect the distribution of effort and success in the class †¦ If your distribution of grades is skewed toward the high end, it might imply that either an 'A' does not require a high level of achievement in the course or you are demanding too little of your students,† the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences â€Å"Information for Faculty Instructors† states. Not only does Boston University strongly discourage grade inflation, but they evaluate their professors by how high they grade their students. This leads to problems for both professors and students. â€Å"The individual colleges monitor the grade distribution of courses and let instructors know if their grades seem to be considerably higher or lower than the norm.

Love Poetries Essay

Personal Advertisement I am currently in the most enjoyable stage of my life where I wish to find the best person to share it with me. I am passionate with everything I do and I wish to share that passion with someone who knows how to live a passionate life too. I am the Man in the â€Å"Love Poem† I consider myself to be the narrator in John Frederick Nims’ Love Poem because it immensely reflects my current feelings for a particular person. Nims refers to his lover as his â€Å"clumsiest dear,† (Nims, 2003, p. 67) which quite bears a resemblance on the nature of my own special someone. His subject’s palms are compared to the â€Å"bulls in china, burs in linen, / And have no cunning with any soft thing† (Nims, 2003, p. 67). This metaphor that insinuates roughness and clumsiness also reflects some of the characteristics of my lover. Being a â€Å"Misfit in any space. And never on time. † (Nims, 2003, p. 67) surely creates an image of a person entirely different than other people. He or she does not always fit in any common group of people and is expected to break most rules. However, like the narrator’s last two lines in the fourth stanza, â€Å"In traffic of wit expertly manoeuvre / And keep us, all devotion, at your knees. † (Nims, 2003, p. 67), I still find myself adoring him for his remarkable wisdom. Simply put, despite all the imperfections of this particular person, I still love him or her without any doubt. Stage of Love in â€Å"The Lover Not Taken† In Blanche Farley’s parody of Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, the woman and the blonde guy are obviously in a â€Å"getting to know† stage as suggested by the last line on the first stanza where the blond is initially referred to as â€Å"the new guy† (Farley, 1937. n. p. ). However, it is also important to consider that the relationship in this poem does not only include the woman and the blonde but also Jack whom the woman has been with for a long time. This is validated on the 3rd and 4th line of the second stanza where the narrator introduces him as, â€Å"the other, jack, had a claim / On her already . . . / He understood her. His long, lithe frame† (Farley, 1937. n. p. ). Hence, it is clear that there are two stages of love in this poem in dependence to whose relationship in the love triangle we are speaking about. Two Figurative Languages that Compares the Love in â€Å"The Lover Not Taken† The first figurative language is a metaphor that speaks of the new guy’s physical description as â€Å"smooth as a yellow wood† (Farley, 1937. n. p. ). His physical beauty is compared to that of the yellow wood which can mean several things like the end of summer or the beginning of fall which can also be considered to be nice to look at. Perhaps, it can be a literal comparison of the man’s smoothness to a smooth yellow tree. The second comparison is on the first line of the second stanza. The narrator’s statement â€Å"She liked his hair,† (Farley, 1937. n. p. ) obviously compares the superficial relationship of the woman and the blonde. If one would deeply analyze, the attraction of the woman to the blonde is too superficial or simply physical. Liking his hair and smile obviously just symbolizes her extreme lust for the blonde guy that she is actually willing to risk her long-term relationship with a complete stranger who has a beautiful smile and hair. The Lover Not Taken is Most Likely Doomed to Misery As for my opinion, guilt leads a person to misery. In this poem’s case, it is most likely for the woman’s relationship with Jack to be miserable if guilt would consume the woman’s relationship with him. Honesty and loyalty to a partner are two of the most important elements that determine the stability of a relationship. However, since this poem consists of two relationships of a particular woman; the answer would still depend on whom she would end up with. If she ends her relationship with Jack and start a new one with the blonde, there is a possible occurrence of a â€Å"happily ever after story†. On the other hand, if she stays with Jack and continues her affair with the blonde guy, it is most likely to end up in misery. The Tone of â€Å"The Lover Not Taken† By analyzing the atmosphere being suggested on the first stanza of the poem, â€Å"And, mulling it over, long she stood, / Alone on the road, loath / To leave, wanting to hide in the undergrowth. † (Farley, 1937. n. p. ), the initial seriousness of the narrator’s tone is evident. There is too much concentration on the woman’s part as she mulls over her future decision whether to have an affair with another man or not. However, the tone changed abruptly on the last two lines where she suddenly stopped contemplating on which decision to make by taking the fast way home and phoning the blonde. Setting of â€Å"The Lover Not Taken† Obviously, this poem is inspired by Robert Frost’s famous poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† which tackles the difficulty of deciding what path to choose in life. However, Farley similarly illustrates the difficulty of making decisions by pointing out a particular situation such as being torn between two lovers. Like Frost’s original piece, a person is facing a certain road pondering about a situation he or she needs to handle. By basing the setting and theme on Frost’s poem, Farley has further emphasized the central message of Frost’s poem. Since, it is inspired by Frost’s â€Å"Road Not Taken†, it is important to consider not only why it is set in that particular setting but more importantly why Farley chose Frost’s poem to communicate her own message. References Farley, B. (1937). The Lover Not Taken. Geocities. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from http://www. geocities. com/cailinliet/lover. html Nims, F. (2002). The Love Poem. Master the GED language arts, reading 2003. New Jersey: Peterson’s.

Prison Blues How America s Foolish Sentencing Policies...

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS It has been established that the current policy does not work as it was intended to, so thus it must be changed. William Rehnquist, a former Supreme Court Justice, stated his opinion of minimum sentencing during an often cited speech. As stated in his book Prison blues: How America s Foolish Sentencing Policies Endanger Public Safety, David Kopek credits Rehnquist with stating: These mandatory minimum sentences are perhaps a good example of the law of unintended consequences. There is a respectable body of opinion which believes that these mandatory minimums impose unduly harsh punishment for first-time offenders -- particularly for mules who played only a minor role in a drug distribution scheme. Be that as†¦show more content†¦(Kopel, 1994) Rehnquist, a judge himself at this point, believes that mandatory sentencing is the result of knee jerk reactions from legislators. Not only that, but the sentences are unusually harsh on first time offenders, a group which is usually offered some form of leniency in light of the fact that they are not habitual offenders. Rehnquist argues that a better policy would be to return to former guidelines. This is the stance this policy seeks to take. That having such inflexible rules on sentencing does not account for the all the variables that are involved in a the legal process, such as the age of offender, past criminal history, mitigating circumstances and other factors that experienced judges would know to take into account when handing down sentences. Again, on the Rehnquist did mention politicians and efforts to be â€Å"tough on crime.† One such man was Ronald Reagan who criticized those who would lessen punishment for criminal offenders, no matter what the crime. In his 1985 State of the Union Address to Congress Reagan stated: One does not have to be attacked to be a victim. The woman who must run to her car after shopping at night is a victim, as is the tired cleaning woman who can t ride a subway home without being afraid. We do not seek to violate the rights of defendants. But shouldn t we feel more compassion for the victims of crime than for those who commit crime? For the first time in 20 years, the crime index has fallen 2 years in a