Benjamin Franklin Essay

I. INTRODUCTION Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston as the son of a candle maker. From humble beginnings, he grew into a renowned figure of American history. â€Å"He became famous for being a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a philosopher, a musician, and an economist†. Today, Americans recognize him for being one of our Founding Fathers and a prominent citizen of the city of Philadelphia. In his autobiography, Franklin shows that he desired self-improvement and in pursuit of this goal focused on improvements of four different types: intellectual, moral, business, and social. II. BODY Franklin’s intellectual improvements were numerous. As a child, he had a thirst for knowledge. He exhibited a readiness to learn and read at an early age, and while in school, he rose to the head of his class and then skipped a grade. After Franklin’s father pointed out that he had a poor manner of writing, Franklin resolved to improve not only his manner of writing but also his arrangement of thoughts in his written work. His ambition was to become a good English writer. In his young age, he also was intent on improving his language and when he got older he taught himself French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin. He used the library as a means of improvement by constant study of one to two hours per day here. Franklin went to great lengths to achieve moral improvement. As a young man, Franklin developed a plan regulating his future conduct in life that he adhered to even in his old age. He wrote a list of moral characters that he would like to possess such as temperance, fr ugality, and humility. He had thirteen categories in all that he wrote down in a book to carry with him. He had a separate column for each day of the week. He would pull out the book and mark which virtues he felt he had committed a fault in that day so that he may examine them and improve upon them. During the course of this practice, Franklin said that he found himself fuller of faults than he would have thought, but he had the satisfaction of seeing those faults diminish. His actions also showed that he strove for moral perfection. He thought excessive drinking was a detestable habit and abstained from doing so when his coworkers drank all day long. He spent no time in taverns, playing games, or displaying antics of any kind. He also believed in the importance of frugality and did his best to save money on housing. During the eighteen months he lived in London, he worked hard and spent little on himself except for the occasional play or book. It was his practice of frugality that lead to his wealth and distinction later in life. Benjamin Franklin had a Quaker friend that pointed out that he thought that Franklin had a problem with pride and so Franklin endeavored to be more humble. He attributed his humility, or sometimes his appearance of humility, with allowing him to hold so much weight with his fellow citizens. Franklin also strove for truth, sincerity, and integrity in all of his business dealings. Not only did Franklin improve intellectually and morally but he also made improvements in business. In little time after becoming an apprentice to his brother, he exhibited great proficiency in the printing business. He was able to take a failing newspaper and make it profitable by developing a better type and better print which led to an increase in the number of subscribers. He made a mold to be used in printing houses to combat the problem of equipment deficiencies. He also made a copper press to print paper money. He filled the spaces in Poor Richard’s Almanac with proverbial sentences for the benefit of its readers. Similarly, he made use of newspapers to communicate instruction. Franklin also contributed greatly to social improvements in his day. He formed a club of mutual improvement called JUNTO. He started the Philadelphia public library which was an institution that was imitated by other towns. He laid the ground work for a more effective city watch and started the first fire company. He established a Philosophical Society in Pennsylvania and also an academy that grew into the University of Pennsylvania. He invented a more efficient and economical stove known as the Franklin stove. He helped in the establishing of a hospital in Philadelphia and also in streets being paved. Franklin was generally successful in his attempts at self-improvement, excelling from an early age. He attempted to be the best person he could be and genuinely desired to help others. He convinced coworkers to stop drinking and spend their money of food instead and also loaned money to them. He loaned money to his friends, Collins and Ralph, even though they took advantage of him and never repaid their debts. He recognized that Keimer was only using him to train his workers and then was going to fire him, yet Franklin still cheerfully put Keimer’s printing house in order. Franklin was also always eager to help young beginners. He further demonstrated that he was not a self-promoter when he had a chance for a better business deal but declined because of the obligations he felt he had with his current partners. III. CONCLUSION Franklin has long been revered as one of the great figures of American history. As a Founding Father, he was instrumental in the early days of shaping the American government. Throughout his lifetime, he strove for improvement in intellectual, moral, business, and social areas and was successful in his attempts in each of these areas. He was a benevolent individual who desired to help others, and he authored his autobiography in the hope that posterity would follow his example and reap the same benefits References Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man. 1994. The Franklin Institute Science Museum. http://www.fi.edu/franklin/ (accessed June 4, 2012). Franklin, Benjamin. 1909. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Ed. Charles W. Eliot. New York: P F Collier & Son Company.

History of Fingerprinting essays

History of Fingerprinting essays Forensic science used in criminal justice has recently been revolutionized with new DNA technology, but fingerprinting is still the most valid and effective form of identification used in law enforcement today. Going back in the time of ancient Babylon, fingerprints and ridge patterns were used on clay tablets for business transactions and governmental procedures. By the 14th century, the fact that no two prints were alike was becoming more noticeable, thus the history of the fingerprint began. Noting the ridges, spirals, and loops in fingerprints, Marcello Malpighi, a professor of anatomy at the University of Bologna, made no declaration to the value of personal identification, but began to point out the differences in fingerprint patterns in 1686. Then, in 1823, a professor of anatomy at the University of Breslau, John Evangelist Purkinji, discussed nine fingerprint patterns in a published thesis, but still did not take notice to the individuality of each print. It wasnt until 185 6 that Englishman and Chief Magistrate, Sir William Hershel, used fingerprints on native documents. After gathering many prints, Hershel took notice to the fact that all the prints were unique and could prove identity from all those he made transactions with. Dr. Henry Faulds, the British Surgeon-Superintendent of Tsukihi Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, shared his studies with Charles Darwin in 1880, but Darwin, who was rather ill at the time, could be of no service to Faulds studies. Eight years later, Sir Francis Galton, a British anthropologist and Darwins cousin, began to study Faulds articles on fingerprint classification. Galton began to concentrate on linking fingerprints to genetic history and intelligence, but had no luck. Scientifically proving that fingerprints never changed during ones lifetime, Galton stated that the odds of two prints to be exactly the same were 1 in 64 billion. In 1901, Sir Edward Richard Henry revised ...

At a Crossroads

At a Crossroads At a Crossroads At a Crossroads By Maeve Maddox A reader is confused about this expression: Kindly explain the usage and difference, if any, of at a crossroad, at crossroads and similar phrases. Literally, a crossroad is a road that crosses another. â€Å"A crossroad† is the place where two or more roads intersect. â€Å"A crossroads† is also the place where roads intersect. In remote areas where roads lack signage, travelers at an unfamiliar intersection are faced with a directional decision that could have unpleasant consequences if they choose incorrectly. Figuratively, to be â€Å"at a crossroad† or â€Å"at a crossroads† is to be at a stage in one’s life–or the development of a country or an industry–when it is necessary to choose a course of action that will affect one’s future in significant and irrevocable ways. Both the singular and plural forms are seen, but the Google Ngram Viewer indicates that the plural form is more common. The expression is popular with writers who compose headlines and book titles: Trucking Industry at a Crossroads Cuba: Island at a Crossroad The Caspian Region at a Crossroad: Challenges of a New Frontier of Energy Global Health Governance at a Crossroads Cancer research at a crossroads in Germany Writers of novels and memoirs are also fond of it: I think you will agree that lifes plans are not always tied up in neat little packages. Occasionally we find ourselves at unexpected crossroads with more than one opportunity from which to choose. –Linda Lee Chaikin I see myself at crossroads in my life, mapless, lacking bits of knowledge then, the Moon breaks through, lights up the path before me  Ã¢â‚¬â€œJohn Geddes And having once chosen, never to seek to return to the crossroads of that decision-for even if one chooses wrongly, the choice cannot be unmade.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œJacqueline Carey To be at a crossroads is to be on the verge of making a decision: We stand at an absolutely pivotal crossroads in our nations history  that may well determine our future and way of life for decades to come. Three idioms that refer to the moment after the decision has been made are: 1. to cross the Rubicon This expression means to make an irrevocable decision. Its figurative meaning comes from Julius Caesar’s literal crossing of a small Italian river in 49 BCE. By leading an army across the Rubicon–the boundary between Gaul and Italy–Caesar disobeyed Roman law and began a civil war. Crossing the Rubicon is final. That’s the whole point of the expression. The following quotation suggests that the speaker doesn’t quite understand that once the Rubicon is crossed, there’s no turning back: I think the Port Authority, from a transparency/media point of view, has crossed the Rubicon as the result of recent controversies and its not going to be possible to re-cross it. 2. casting the die According to Suetonius, once he had crossed the Rubicon, Caesar said â€Å"Alea iacta est!† The Latin is usually translated as â€Å"The die is cast.† Die is the singular of dice. In those days, dice were used for gambling, but also for determining the will of the gods. Either way, once the dice have been thrown, the outcome has been determined. Example: â€Å"The Die is Cast: Russia’s Intentions in Ukraine† 3. no turning back The phrasal verb â€Å"turn back† means â€Å"to reverse the course of† or â€Å"to cause to go in the opposite direction.† Example: â€Å"For open government, there is absolutely no turning back.† In addition to representing a place where a crucial decision is made, a crossroad has sinister associations in history and in folklore. A place where two roads crossed was often chosen as the site of pre-Christian sacrifice. Recipes for black magic often include directions to bury something at a crossroads at midnight. Gallows were placed at a crossroads. The bodies of the executed–especially those of highwaymen–were left hanging as a warning. Suicides and others for whom Christian burial in consecrated ground was forbidden were buried at a crossroads. Related post: One Die, Two Dice Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentence30 Baseball IdiomsNominalized Verbs

This represents one assignment, comprised of 4 related papers, each Thesis

This represents one assignment, comprised of 4 related papers, each between 10 - 15 pages - Thesis Example 363). Thus, theories are an expression of specifically defined domains that offer explanations of how and why causal links are formed â€Å"so that the theory gives specific predictions† (Wacker, 1998, p. 364). More particularly, theory is a â€Å"limited and fairly precise picture† (Wacker, 1998, p. 364). The limited and precise picture informed by theory is based on how terms, domains, links/relationships and predictions/assumptions are defined (Wacker, 1998, p. 364). In this regard, theories by definition are operational. As Wacker (1998) explains, a theory answers the questions of â€Å"how, when (or where), and why† which is distinguished from descriptive objectives which merely answers the questions of â€Å"what (or who)† (Wacker, 1998, p. 364). Gelso (2006) offers a more condensed definition of theory and in doing so defines theory as â€Å"a statement of the suspected relationship between and among variables† (p. 458). From this perspective, theories are expected to be present in just about all aspects of research. In other words, in all research it should be anticipated that variables should be linked in one form or another. However, Gelso (2006) cautions that theories can be either informal or formal. Informal theories do not contain explicit statements and lack objectives for formulating a â€Å"logically consistent and mutually interdependent body of knowledge† (Gelso, 2006, p. 458). According to Gelso (2006) a theory will have scientific value if it is able to reveal why it is anticipated that variable s will be related or will have an impact on each other. There must also be logical rationales for anticipating the link between and impact of variables (Gelso, 2006). In this regard, theory functions in four main ways: descriptive, delimiting, generative and integrative (Gelso, 2006). The

The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy - Essay Example He has family, friends and a good position that he devoted a major part of his life in cultivating. As a result he has political, personal and social freedom. Ilyich’s free and easy life is pleasant with decorum and lightheartedness, and his nature is agreeable. Through this narrative, Tolstoy studies both life and death, Ivan’s realization about his life not truly lived, and his eventual making of peace with the inevitability of death. Thus, only in his last moments does Ivan Ilyich lose his fear of death, and joyfully perceives the light which replaces it (Tolstoy 56). Great scholars such as Vladimir and Mahatma Gandhi acclaimed the novella as the greatest in Russian literature. The work is interesting to read, rich in insights about human nature, and educative in its content. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to examine Leo Tolstoy’s story The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and discuss why the main protagonist’s life was not truly lived. Why Ivan Il yich’s Life was not Well Lived Tolstoy through his story insists that Ivan Ilyich is not different from others in the world, and that his extremely simple and ordinary life is â€Å"most terrible† (Tolstoy 9). ... The author depicts his protagonist as a selfish, short-sighted and mediocre person, since the latter’s ideal goal in life was to avoid unpleasantness. Ilyich’s main pleasures in life included playing bridge with his friends, besides liking antiques and living properly and pleasantly. However, it is evident that none of these normal, ordinary qualities can condemn Ilyich as wicked. This is the exact message that Tolstoy wishes to convey to the reader. While Ivan’s existence was akin to living death, his death is a rebirth into a new spiritual life. Therefore, his fatal flaw was that he had lived in a spiritual void (Hobby 34). According to Tolstoy, the fact of living and life ironically includes the certainty of death. Living with pain and illness everyday, Ivan Ilyich suffers for several months while refusing to accept the inevitability of his death (Tolstoy 7). The core of his life had consisted of emptiness, self deception and false values. Most human beings, i n the process of living, we commonly deny the truth of our human condition, pretend to forget about death; and this lie forms a part of the other lies that vitiate our beings. This means that Ilyich had been â€Å"living a literal, physical life but had been spiritually dead† (Hobby 34). Olney’s (p.110) analysis of the story differentiates between â€Å"life as experience† and â€Å"life as meaning†, and states that Tolstoy’s vivid representation through the fictional narrative helps the reader comprehend the truth that was present in the author’s own soul. For Tolstoy the actual meaning of life was different from indulgence in parties, tastefully decorating one’s home, and other

Compare and Contrast between Vertigo and Forrest Gump Essay

Compare and Contrast between Vertigo and Forrest Gump - Essay Example Scottie tails her when she visits the art gallery to view Carlotta’s portrait, later she purchases florets similar to those in the Carlotta's portrait, before visiting a hotel which was Carlotta’s former room and her graveyard. Afterwards, he saves her from imminent death and he begins efforts to free her from her obsession. However, he loses her. Later, when he meets a girl on the streets with an eerie semblance to Madeleine, his personal obsession starts, and he attempts to remake her to Madeleine. Many movements are found in this movie. One movement widely used in vertigo is zoom and dolly. A dolly shot involves capturing the images with cameras attached to a mobile platform (dolly) (Boogs 45). The platform could be fitted with wheels or it could be a track to enable the actions to be recorded several times if need be. It is widely applied in the movie to follow different scenes especially where two individuals are walking as they talk. This shot may engross followin g a particular exploit such as two people walking while engaged in a conversation. In the zoom movement, the focal length lens is varied resulting in the scene being close or far. However, this makes the films appear unnatural. The movie vertigo effectively combines these two techniques to Alfred Hitchcock made effectual utilization of an amalgamation of a zoom and a "dolly" in the movie Vertigo to display Scottie’s acrophobia. For instance, when Scottie ascents to the tall bell turret and gazes down, the quick pulling back of the camera and the simultaneous zooming of the focal lens from wide angle to telephoto illustrates this phenomenon (Locke). The outcome of this movement is that objects that were close continue the unchanged size while the near objects seemed to stay the same size but the foot of the turret in the distance appeared rushed up to the viewers, thereby effectively creating a perturbing sense of dizziness and lightheadedness. Vertigo is a quite constrained m ovie that greatly applies the 180-degree rule. It is largely acted in the third person and employs continuity editing although there are few first person acts. It appears that the third person acts were mostly abridged from many short-range and long-range camera shots and movements resulting in a fine flow. The first person acts have different camera movements and abridging techniques including numerous fast camera movements, long and crane shots, and cutout, montage editing. Some specific camera movements that are clearly demonstrated are the fluid, zoom-in recording and the 360-degree pan. The former is brought out at the restaurant when Scottie begins to follow Madeleine while the latter is shown when Scottie meets Judy and remakes her to Madeleine. In swish or whip pan, the camera movement is so quick that the pictures are blurred. This is used to produce a vertiginous effect of weightlessness (Boggs, 54). Forest Gump is a story of a simpleton’s epic journey all the way t hrough existence in the later half of the 20th century. While on the way, he stumbles upon real-life historical figures and participates in actual historical events. Forrest is the embodiment of traditional values such as worshipping God, honoring the parents and doing he is told, and never questions authority. He succeeds in life by embracing the values of mainstream society. The movie Forrest Gump is very discontinuous and

People Behaviour Essay Example for Free

People Behaviour Essay Methodology is concern with both the detail research methods through with data is collected, and the more general philosophies upon which the collection and analysis of data are based. In methodology there are two types of research methods in which researchers can depend on when researching. These are â€Å"Quantitative† and â€Å"Qualitative† research. Quantitative research deals with a term which August Comte came up with, â€Å"Positivism.† This quantitative research deals with more scientific research than based on theory, it focuses on scientific methods of study. Despite the considerable influence of the ‘scientific’ approaches to sociological methodology, an alternative series of interpretive or qualitative approaches has long existed within sociology. Qualitative research often collects subjective data such as information about people’s emotions, feelings and values and also isn’t structure like quantitative research. Between both the ‘Quantitative and Qualitative research’, quantitative uses questionnaire to gather data. A questionnaire is a number of preset questions that can contain open-ended, fixed choice or combination of both types of questions. In this essay it would be shown that questionnaires cannot be used to capture the truth about people’s behaviour, but to an extent. In questionnaire research the same questions are usually given to respondents in the same order so that the same information can be collected from every member of the sample. There are many methods on how to distribute questionnaires. The first method would be the postal questionnaire, as the name suggests it is mailed to the respondents with a stamped address envelope for return to the researcher. Postal questionnaires are rather inexpensive, time consuming and has little less than fifty percent (50%) of  the questionnaires posted back. This would seriously bias the researcher research, since there may be systematic differences between those who returned questionnaires than those who did not. For example, the main response to a postal questionnaire on marital relationships might come from those experiencing marital problems and wish to air their grievance. If non-respondents were happily married, the researcher would be unjustified in making generalizations about married life on the basis of the return questionnaires. Therefore the researcher would not be able to analyse the questions clearly and would not be able to analyse properly the married couples who are happy, sad, frustrated or even devoice, because of the lack of questionnaires missing from married couples. Apart from the first method, the second method has a far higher return rate than the postal. This is because it is to administer the questionnaire to a group such as a class of students or workers at a union meeting. This method is less expensive and maintains the advantage of the presence of an interviewer. However, the interviewer must ensure that the respondents do not discuss anything while doing the questionnaire, due to the researcher would like the respondent own view and not from the help of others. This would therefore give the researcher an image towards how the respondent expresses themselves towards the questions within the questionnaire. The first two (2) methods that were stated above both used questionnaires mainly the first through postal and the second has an interviewer present at the time the questionnaires were given out. This method in the other hand is done through the telephone. This is mostly used in conducting of market research for companies, but it is not usually regarded satisfactory by sociologist. According to (Aldridge and Levine, 2001), it is hard to establish rapport in such interviews, disadvantage groups tend to be under-represented in samples, it is difficult to ask sensitive questions, respondents cannot be expected to remember a wide range of possible answers to fixed-choice questions, and visual aids cannot be used. This may make the respondent very uncomfortable and due to that they would not be willing to cooperate and answer the telephone questionnaire.  Therefore this may make it very hard on the researcher due to he or she would not be able to gain a proper response from the responden t. The fourth possibility is to administer questionnaires by e-mail. According to (Geoff Payne and Judy Payne, 2004), this may be a useful way of conducting dispersed groups of people, or those who might not wish to be questioned face-to-face. For example, it has been used in a study of people who committed self-harm. Although this method has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages. A problem of this is that genuine anonymity is difficult to assure since it is possible to track the source of an emailed response. Another big problem may be that the sample is restricted to those with access to computers and may therefore be unrepresentative, although the significance of this will diminish as the number of people without email and internet fails. This therefore would be a problem to the researcher because he or she may not be able to interpret the behaviour of the respondent towards the questionnaire and also the respondent may not take on the research seriously. These things hinder the researcher from collecting data towards his or her research. There are many reasons towards why questionnaires are inappropriate to capture the behaviour of people. But there are one or two reasons that could help the research in that, but only up to an extent. The second method that was stated can be of use in this by the interviewer watching every one’s reaction towards the questionnaire. This can determine the respondent answer by the feedback he or she gave during reading the questions. In conclusion, questionnaires can be used to capture people’s behaviour but to an extent. Yet it have been shown in this essay that you cannot simply capture someone behaviour with the use of questionnaires. It is due because the respondent can lie during the questionnaire or even the researcher would not get back a proper feedback to determine the respondent answer. In the end it has been shown that questionnaires cannot capture peoples’ behaviour.