Mice and men Explore the themes of loneliness in Of mice and men Essay Example for Free

Mice and men Explore the themes of loneliness in Of mice and men Essay The story of mice and men had lots of lonely people with no family and no friends; thats the reason why Lennie and George are different is because they have got somebody who cares for them. Most of the characters in the novel feel scared of showing their true emotions. For example, when candys dog was about to get shot candy didnt tell the other workers that he needed the dog and that is was a friend to him. I dont think any of the characters want to show weakness. The title of the novel is of mice and men was written in the 1300s. At the time of the novel there were many workers who travelled form ranch to ranch looking for jobs. The most isolated group at the time were Negroes be cause they were considered inferior and no one wanted to be with them. There were no laws against racism and it was tolerated all over the country. Crooks is the stable buck and he is a Negro so he is also the loneliest man on the ranch. His race and colour made him isolated from all the other members of the group. A lot of people bully crooks; Curleys wife says, Well, you keep your place, then, nigger. I could get you strung up to a tree so easy it isnt true. Crooks is a proud man and also the most educated as well; he reads lots of books but the most important book is the 1905 California civil code. This book says that Crooks is no slave and can do what he wishes with his life but nobody takes this into consideration because he is still treated as a slave, which they can push around. Once on Christmas day the workers forced crooks to fight even though he had a bad back. All the other workers think they can make Crooks do what they want. He is isolated from the others; he doesnt go to talk to them and they dont come to talk to him. There is only one person that come s into Crooks hut and that is Slim. Crooks is very proud because he knows that he is free and he keeps himself aloof from all the other workers. He doesnt talk to any of the other workers, he says, Books aint no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. This is from a conversion which he has with Lennie. Crooks spent the most time working on the ranch and the only person he tells his true feelings to is to Lennie. Because Crooks knows that Lennie would probably forget. Near the end of chapter four crooks starts to get along with Candy. Crooks even offers to work on the ranch which George ,Candy and Lennie are going to go to but after Curleys wife threatens Crooks and then he says , well, just forget it . I didnt mean it. Just fooling. This shows the reader that crooks knows that he will never be treated differently.

Effect of PM Question Time on Government Decision Making

Effect of PM Question Time on Government Decision Making As Norton has noted, Parliament ceased to be a policy-making legislature in the nineteenth century and is now a ‘policy-influencing’ legislature. Parliament is thus expected to subject policy to a process of scrutiny and influence.[1] This essay will assess the extent to which the present mechanisms available to parliament to call the government to account can be said to have a meaningful ability to effect governmental decision making. In order to evaluate the role of parliament in this matter, some of the procedural mechanisms of the House must be examined. Question Time in the House of Commons is one of the principal means by which information is obtained from ministers by Members of Parliament.[2] Prior notice of the questions is given to ministers, however, supplementary questions may then be asked on matters arising out of the minister’s reply, of which notice will not have been given. Question Time is widely publicised and therefore has the effect of drawing public attention to matters of particular concern. The process can also highlight the capabilities of individual ministers as they will need to ‘think on their feet’ in order to answer the supplementary questions. In April 1995 the then Health Secretary announced that several London hospitals were to be closed to curb public expenditure. The announcement of this unpalatable policy was made through a written answer rather than orally in the House. At Question Time the Health Secretary was accused of ‘lacking moral courage’[3] and the episode gain ed considerable publicity. Question Time is the only regular occasion upon which the government is obliged to account to Parliament for its management of the nations affairs.[4] Other merits of the system are that it provides an opportunity for the opposition to select issues as well as an opportunity for backbench MPs to question ministers. This in turn allows for local and regional issues to be given hearing in full parliamentary session. It also offers ministers the opportunity to become aware of issues which might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Parliamentary questions are very useful in highlighting existing governmental policy and bringing any controversial issues surrounding it to the attention of the media and hence the public. This allows effective scrutiny of government. However, the process does not provide a direct mechanism for effecting governmental decision making, although indirectly, the resulting public pressure may provide a mechanism for influencing policy change. Further limitations are tha t it operates on a rota system, with departments being subject to questions only once per 3 or 4 weeks; time restraints make ‘in depth’ questioning impossible; and, sensitive questions can be avoided.[5] Moreover, government backbenchers are able to reduce the time available for opposition questions by presenting favourable questions to ministers. Each Wednesday the House of Commons hosts Prime Minister’s Questions which lasts approximately 30 minutes. This procedure allows the Leader of the Opposition to put up to three questions to the Prime Minister. This presents an opportunity for immediate argument between the parties and can affect MP’s perceptions of their leaders.[6] Other MPs are then able to ask questions of the Prime Minister. As above, this allows for raising public awareness of issues and for questioning government policy. However, similar problems also exist, with the use of government backbenchers to praise government action rather than question it. This process has lead Loveland to conclude: â€Å"That MPs and ministers feel it appropriate to waste the Commons’ evidently limited and supposedly valuable time on such nonsense is in itself regrettable. That such questions are also manifestly an insult to the intelligence of voters provides further justification for the contention that the House of Commons is a quite inadequate vehicle for the sensible representation of political opinion in a modern democratic society.†[7] Another way in which parliament may effect governmental decision making is via debate. There are several types of debate which happen in the House of Commons. Debate will occur after the second reading of legislation, yet there are other provisions as well. Emergency debates may exceptionally occur where a matter is deemed to be of urgent national importance. There are also daily adjournment debates, where backbenchers can initiate short debate on matters for their choosing. Selection is by ballot through the Speaker’s Office. Members may also express concerns about issues by tabling a written motion requesting debate ‘at an early day’. However, such early day motions rarely result in debate and instead are primarily confined to shoeing the strength of parliamentary feeling on particular issues.[8] Where pressure grows significantly the government may feel inclined to respond but again the influence is often indirect. Carroll provides an evaluation of debate as a whole.[9] He states that the merits of debates are that: they force ministers to explain and justify policy initiatives to the House; they provide an opportunity for the opposition to expose flaws in government policy and decisions and present suggestions; they help to educate public opinion; they provide an opportunity for government ministers to display dissent, enabling policy changes to be considered; and, they give MPs the opportunity to present the views of constituents and interest groups. However, the demerits of debate according to Carroll are high in number: in the main it is the government, rather than parliament, which decides what will be debated and when (there are twenty Opposition Days when the Opposition chooses the subject for debate); most debates are dominated by the frontbenches; there is not time to engage in full detailed debate or to debate crises as and when they arise; they are often poorly attended; they attract little public attention. Furthermore, Carroll alleges that policy is formed and decisions made before parliamentary debate takes place. The government therefore defends its decisions during debate regardless of any merits of alternative proposals or exposed defects in its decisions and therefore debates appear to have ‘very little immediate effect in terms of influencing government thinking or action’.[10] Perhaps the most effective scrutiny of government is through select committees.[11] These committees are chaired by senior backbenchers and consist of between 9 and 13 backbench members. They allow in depth analysis of departmental action and investigate a wide range of topics.[12] Examples of issues investigated by select committees include the ‘Westland Affair’[13], although the government refused to allow witnesses from the Department of Trade and Industry to give evidence; and the Arms to Iraq controversy, where the Select Committee on Trade and Industry examined the sale of equipment to Iraq during the first Gulf conflict. Media interest may also influence the topics investigated by select committees, as evidenced by the examination of the decision to go to war in Iraq by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in 2003.[14] Select committees are empowered to send for persons, papers and records and can expect full government co-operation. Furthermore, persons giving evidence must take a formal oath. However, as illustrated above, the co-operation of government, although expected, is not always assured. Once a select committee has investigated an issue it will publish a report. Around one third of these reports result in debate in the House, which are subject to the analysis above. Carroll has provided further evaluation of the merits and demerits of select committees,[15] stating in support that: they provide a systematic infrastructure for detailed scrutiny of government conduct; they are the only parliamentary forum in which ministers and public servants may be questioned ‘in depth’ on topics not determined by party leaders; there is a less party-political atmosphere; the members gain expertise in a particular area; the reports attract media attention. However, the demerits include: they cannot impose any sanctions or direct pressures on government if dissatisfied with departments’ conduct; as noted, few reports result in debate; the government can dictate when persons will not give evidence; they are poorly supported in terms of resources; facilities and rese arch staff. From the analysis above it may be seen that although Parliament has several option open in terms of scrutinising government action, these procedures offer little in terms of direct effect of government decision and policy making. The Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons has produced a report which suggests reforms to make better use of non-legislative time and strengthen the role of the backbench MPs.[16] So far this has resulted in minimal reforms such as a reservation of time for Topical Questions in departmental question time and a consideration of ways in which opportunities to debate the plans of government departments may be guaranteed.[17] However, without further reform, Parliament is currently unable to influence government decision making in any significant per-event sense. Bibliography Allen, M. and Thompson, B., Cases and Materials on Constitutional and Administrative Law, 9th Edition (2008), Oxford University Press Barnett, H., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 6th Edition (2006), Routledge Cavendish Bogdanor, V., The British Constitution in the Twentieth Century, (2003), Oxford University Press Bradley, A.W. and Ewing, K.D., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 14th Edition (2007), Pearson Carroll, A., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 4th Edition (2007), Pearson Education Lord Hutton, â€Å"The media reaction to the Hutton Report†, (2006) PL 807 Loveland, I., Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Human Rights: A Critical Introduction, 4th Edition (2006), Oxford University Press Norton, P. (ed), Parliament in the 1980s, (1985), Blackwell Pollard, D., Parpworth, N., and Hughes, D., Constitutional and Administrative Law: Text with Materials, 4th Edition (2007), Oxford University Press 1 Footnotes [1] Norton, P. (ed), Parliament in the 1980s, (1985), Blackwell, pg 8 [2] Barnett, H., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 6th Edition (2006), Routledge Cavendish, pg 405 [3] cited in Loveland, I., Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Human Rights: A Critical Introduction, 4th Edition (2006), Oxford University Press, pg 157 [4] Carroll, A., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 4th Edition (2007), Pearson Education, pg 160 [5] Carroll, supra pg 161 [6] Loveland, supra pg 158 [7] Loveland, supra pg 159 [8] Pollard, D., Parpworth, N., and Hughes, D., Constitutional and Administrative Law: Text with Materials, 4th Edition (2007), Oxford University Press, pg 281 [9] Carroll, supra pp 162-164 [10] Carroll, ibid note 9 [11] Bogdanor, V., The British Constitution in the Twentieth Century, (2003), Oxford University Press, pg 172 [12] Bradley, A.W. and Ewing, K.D., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 14th Edition (2007), Pearson, pg 219 [13] Defence Committee, HC 518, 519 (1985-86), London: HMSO; Trade and Industry Committee, HC 176 (1986-87), London: HMSO; Treasury and Civil Service Committee, HC 92 (1985-86), London: HMSO [14] Lord Hutton, â€Å"The media reaction to the Hutton Report†, (2006) PL 807 [15] Carroll, supra pp 168-170 [16] Allen, M. and Thompson, B., Cases and Materials on Constitutional and Administrative Law, 9th Edition (2008), Oxford University Press, pg 321 [17] Allen and Thompson supra pp 321-322

Sustaining Competitive Advantage Of Nestle Marketing Essay

Sustaining Competitive Advantage Of Nestle Marketing Essay Sustainability can occur in two ways: firms may differ with respect to resources and capabilities and the differences persist and isolating mechanisms analogous to barriers to entry may work to protect the competitive advantage of firms. 6.1 Resources and Capabilities A firms resource identifies its capabilities. Resources are the productive assets owned by the firm. Capabilities on the other hand refer to a companys ability to make use of its resources in a highly productive manner. Individual resources do not confer competitive advantage, they must work together to create organizational capability. It is capability that is the essence of superior performance. 6.1.1 Resources Tangible Resources Basically, there are three types of a firms resources: tangible, intangible and human resources. Tangible resources are the easiest to identify and evaluate: financial resources and physical assets are identified and valued in the firms financial statements. According to Nestle Annual Report 2011, Nestle Group reported sales of CHF 83.6 billion and 7.5 percent organic growth on top of good growth in recent years. The net profit on a continuing basis was CHF 9.5 billion, up 8.1 percent. At December 2011, Nestles property, plant and equipment were valued at CHF 9041 million. Intangible Resources Resources may also be intangible, such as reputation or a stock of patents and copyrights. Brand name is the most important resource among the intangible resources. Brand name and other trademarks are form of reputational assets: their value is in the confidence they instill in customers. The brand valuations involve estimating the operating profits for each brand, estimating the proportion of net operating income attributable to the brand, and then capitalizing these returns. The value of companys brands can be increased by extending the product/ market scope over which the company markets those brands. Nestle has eight product  lines or categories overall. The strategy used by Nestle is the  family branding  or  corporate  branding in which word Nestle is attached to all  the brands  in all categories. In 2001, Nestles brand value was more than 13000 million US dollars and it has became the largest producer of consumer packaged beverages and foods in the world, which has claimed the 23rd position in the Interbrands list of 100 most valuable brands in the world (Nestle Brand Strategy, 2012). Human Resources The human resources of the firm are the expertise and effort offered by its employees. For example, the combination of Nestles knowledge of biotechnology in coffee with the expertise, Nestle has on the ground in Mexico which will help to achieve sustainable Robusta coffee production in the region (The Nestle People Development Review). In addition, Nestle has a great research and development team. James Gallagher and Andrea Pfeifer were the masterminds behind the research on the La-1 cultures in the LC-1 yogurt. They were also the two that decided on selling LC-1 as a functional food. This enabled Nestle to position the product in a way that differentiated it among the other products in the market (Nestle LC1, 2005). 6.1.2 Capabilities Capabilities are what a firm can do. Organizational capability requires the expertise of various individuals to be integrated with capital equipment, technology, and other resources. For instance, in Asia, Nestles strategy has been to acquire local companies in order to form a group of independent regional managers who know more about the culture of the local markets than Americans or Europeans. The strong cash flow of the company enabled it to engage in wide-scale foreign direct investments and sufficient flexibility for takeovers of local firms able to provide the company with a stronghold in the market. Apart from that, Nestle has employed a wide-area strategy that involves producing different products in each country to supply the region with a given product from one country. For example, Nestle in Indonesia specializes in soymilk products because of the cheaper and easy access to soymilk in the country with soymilk products for distribution in other Asian markets (Nestle LC1, 20 05). Furthermore, Nestle provides an example of a company that has a strong configural advantage in the marketing, distribution and manufacture of food products. Nestle has developed an explicit international brand architecture that consists of 10 worldwide corporate brands, 45 worldwide strategic product brands, 25 regional corporate brands, 100 regional product brands, 700 local strategic brands and approximately 7000 local brands. On the production side, it has 522 factories in 81 different countries providing manufacturing capabilities in key markets. The broad geographic coverage allows Nestle to realize sales from industrialized countries as well as the increasingly important emerging market countries and to transfer information and experience from one market or region to another (Craig and Douglas, 1999). In addition, Nestle has become the first major confectioner to remove artificial colors, flavors and preservatives from its entire range. The company, which is behind leading bran ds including KitKat, Smarties and Quality Street, has changed the recipe of 79 products to remove suspect chemicals. In total, more than 80 ingredients have been replaced with alternatives, mostly from natural sources such as carrot, hibiscus, radish, safflower and lemon (Poulter, 2012). 6.2 Isolating Mechanism Isolating mechanisms limit the rivals from eroding a firms competitive advantage. There are two different types of isolating mechanism which are (1) impediments to imitation and (2) early mover advantage. 6.2.1 Impediments to imitation Impediments to imitation are the mechanism that impedes the existing firms and potential entrants from duplicating the resources and capabilities of the incumbent firm. There are four important types of impediments exist which are legal restrictions, superior access to inputs/customers, market size and scale economies and intangible barriers. Legal Restrictions We are going to look at the legal restrictions and superior access to inputs/customers of Nestle. Firstly, the legal restrictions such as patents, copyrights and trademarks, as well as governmental control over entry into markets through licensing, control rights and certification can impede imitation. Nestle has files over 250 patent applications per year and manages a global patent portfolio of about 20,000 patents. Nestle has now entered the top 100s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) list and is the top patent applicant for the food and beverage industry. Leading edge technologies and highly differentiated products, solutions and benefits are key to Nestles four growth drivers and its global brands such as Nespresso, Nan, Nescafe, Nido and Purina. Protecting these technologies, products, solutions and benefits significantly contributes to sustaining the competitive advantage coming from Nestles unmatched  RD  capability and product and brand portfolio. For exampl e, on 22 February 2006, Nestle had applied for a patent on genetically modified coffee plants with a blocked enzyme, designed to improve the solubility of the coffee powder. The patent covers the technical process, genetically modified plants as well as the use of coffee beans for the manufacture of soluble coffee. With this patent, coffee growers will become even more dependent on Nestle (Greenpeace, 2006). Superior Access to Inputs/Customers Secondly, superior access to inputs/customers means that the firms can obtain high quality or high productivity inputs, such as raw materials or information than its competitors will be able to sustain cost and quality advantages that competitors cannot imitate. With every bite or sip of a Nestle product, Nestle has to assure the highest possible standards all along the supply chain from raw materials via manufacturing, packaging and distribution, to the point of consumption. Every Nestle factory has a laboratory that systematically analyses raw materials and ingredients. Nestle products are checked on the production line and in their finished state to ensure that they meet the company strict standards, as well as national and international regulations (The World of Nestle, 2006). 6.2.2 Early Mover Advantage Early mover advantage is the benefit produce by being the first to enter a market with a new product or service. Early mover advantages include; becoming a market leader in a new; establishing a new leading brand; being able to charge a premium until competitor products appear enhanced reputation, design, and copyright protection and possibly setting an industry standard to which other competitors may have to aspire. There are four different isolating mechanisms fall under the category of early mover advantage which is learning curve, reputation and buyer uncertainty, buyer switching costs and network effects. Reputation and Buyer Uncertainty We are going to discuss the reputation and buyer uncertainty and network effect on Nestle. For experience goods, a firms reputation for quality provides a significant early mover advantage. Once the firms reputation has been created, the firm will have advantage competing for new customers, increasing the number of customers and further strengthening its reputation. The motto of Nestle is Good Food, Good Life, so delivering the qualitative products to the customer is their main objective. Nestle Pure Life (NPL) was first offered in Pakistan by Nestle Pakistan Limited in 1998. People felt need of Pure, safe and clean water because of impurities in water especially in the industrialized cities like Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad etc. Nestle identified this opportunity and launched NPL that satisfied the customer needs and Nestle become market leader in the water industry. The customers of NPL showed interest on NPL because of trust on Quality of Nestle, at the heart of which there are qua litative products and its long term commitment to deliver better products to consumers. Being the market leader, the market share of NPL is 78 percent that is much higher than its competitors (Ahmad, 2011). Network Effect The network effect is the result of word-of-mouth testimonials where the customer values the product depending on how many others are using the product. There is many ways for the customers to get the information about a companys product. Actual networks are where the consumers are physically linked. Nestle, the 144-year-old Switzerland-based food company created a Fan Page on the social media site, Facebook, where its millions of customers can get information and discuss the company and its products. While a simple and seemingly begin move, the company demonstrated foresight in opening a new channel to better communicate with their customers (A Business Lesson, n.d.).

Licence To Kill :: essays research papers

1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The three qualities that I felt James Bond most possessed throughout the story were determination, bravery, and intelligence. In the next several paragraphs I will explain how incidents in the story revealed each quality portrayed by James Bond. Determination   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the story a drug lord named, Frans Sanchez, severely injures James Bond’s partner, Felix Leiter, and kills his wife Della Leiter after escaping an attempted arrest by Felix. After this incident Bond becomes determined to capture Sanchez, bring his drug empire down, and avenge what he had done to his partner and close friend Felix Leiter. Bond shows such strong determination that he disobeys his chief, â€Å"M†, and the secret service branch of London in order to continue his mission with Sanchez. Bond was ordered by â€Å"M† to drop the case and head to Istanbul where he would be briefed on his next mission. However, Bond told his chief that he was not done with his mission and that if he was not allowed to continue with it he would have to resign from the secret service. Determined to bring Sanchez down and avenge all the pain which his friend inflected he eventually gave in his resignation and became a free agent. Intelligence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  James Bond shows intelligence throughout the entire story. From his surprising attack tactics, to how he tricks villains and enemies into doing exactly what he wants. Bond was the type of man that was usually in control of the situation. There comes a point in the story where Bond must figure a way out to turn two major druglords against each other, William Krest and Frans Sanchez, in order for him to gain the trust of Sanchez so he can learn more about his drug organization and what he was about. He devises a plan that convinces Sanchez that Krest was stealing millions of dollars from him and that he was going to meet with the Chinese to plan an assassination in his name. Eventually Bond thinks of a way to set Krest up so that Sanchez believes him. The plan was so well though out that it surprised me how intelligent Bond actually was. He was in complete control of everything that happened and he eventually gained the trust of Sanchez and was granted permission to go to his secret drug plant in Isthmus city. Bravery   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many times throughout the story where James Bond shows bravery and

Lady Macbeth :: Literary Analysis, Shakespeare

The play Macbeth was written by Shakespeare in the early 1600's. There have been many papers and many different thoughts about the play. This paper, though, is over who is the stronger character, Macbeth or Lady Macbeth? Macbeth is the weaker character of the play. The play is about a nobleman of the King of Scotland, Macbeth, who is told by witches that he could possibly become king if he did a terrible deed. They also showed his right hand man, Banquo, a prediction as well. That his bloodline will lead to kings. The deed that Macbeth has to commit is to kill the king and take his place. Macbeth tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, about the prediction the witches and she continues to encourage him until he does kill the king and scared off the king's sons so he can become king himself. He becomes king and the witches that showed him being king came around again and showed Macbeth another prediction. The prediction showed that Banquo's family will become king and will lead to more kings. Macbeth decides to kill Banquo and his son but his son gets away. One of the sons of the now dead king returns with an army and attacks Macbeth at his own castle. Macduff, one of the many people affected by Macbeth's rise to power, engaged Macbeth during the attack and beheaded Macbeth in the end. After the battle, Malcolm, one of the sons of the slain king, took power of Scotland and the play ends. Macbeth, at the very beginning of the play, demonstrated just how weak of a character he is. He lets the three witches who meet him at the start of the play continue to speak there poisonous, twisted words "Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more..."(1.3, 70-71). He lets their words fester in the back of his mind until he goes mad with greed. He also shows his weakness by listening and believing the words of the witches, which he knows are not to be trusted "Your children shall be king..."(1.3, 86-88). He tells his wife about the witches predictions, who then continues to press upon him the need to fulfill his, at that time, "destiny". Macbeth finally succumbs to the nags of his wife "Prithee, peace! I dare do all..." (1.7, 45-47). Throughout the continuation of the play, Macbeth continues to show his weakness and lack of a spine.

Eulogy for Romeo Essay

Good citizens of Verona, we are here to grieve the loss of a precious child of God. Romeo Montague, a young man who was like a son to me has passed away due to a series of misfortunate events. Although Romeo passed far too soon, we can still remember the legacy Romeo has left us, and appreciate the many lessons he has taught us. I first knew Romeo as a little boy, born into a family in a harsh, long-lasting feud with the Capulet household. Over the years, I served as a mentor to him. He would often come to my cell to confide his problems to me. It was through these talks that I befriended him and instilled upon him the fundamentals of life. I taught him to disregard the conflict between his family and the Capulets, and to always acquire new friends, not enemies. Romeo turned out to be a polite, kind, and caring young man. He was also a very solitary young man; he would rather take walks through the sycamore trees than run around with his friends. One day, Romeo visited me in order to seek my advice. He was lovesick and depressed that Rosaline didn’t return the love he felt for her, and that she decided to become a nun. Sympathetically, I counseled him and advised him, as his friends Mercutio and Benvolio did, to find another woman in Verona. Romeo was still lovesick, but before long, Romeo was back yet again; this time barring good news. Romeo had found a new love, and this time, the feeling of love was mutual. I remember Romeo saying such words as, â€Å"Then plainly know my heart’s dear love is set on the fair daughter of rich Capulet: As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine; And all combined, save what thou must combine† (2. . 57-60). Romeo had an incredibly deep love for Juliet. He helps me to appreciate the little things in life, and I am very thankful to have been blessed enough to have been so close to him. I was so moved by Romeo’s words, and passion for his love, that I agreed to marry him and Juliet secretly. Romeo was always a persistent young man; sometimes impulsive and irrational but always determined and caring. I was heart broken when I heard the news of Romeo’s banishment and Mercutio’s death. Not long after Romeo’s departure to Mantua, Juliet came to me, begging me to create a solution to stop her impending marriage to Paris. I, being so close to Romeo, came up with a plan to have the two lovers spend their lives together. It seemed fate had already made up its mind, because every attempt I made to help, ultimately lead to the demise of the two lovers. While Romeo’s death is horrible and unfair, there are some positive things we can take out of it. The feud between the Montagues and the Capulets is over now, which will ensure peace throughout the magnificent city of Verona. In his life, Romeo showed how powerful the feeling of love is; we can all learn something from his braveness, perseverance, and his positive attitude even when nothing seemed to be going his way. Romeo wouldn’t want all of you to grieve his death; we should all try to remember Romeo as he was, and acknowledge that he is in a better place now with his true love. My heart goes out to the family of the Montagues at this woeful time; all who knew him will miss Romeo. May you rest in peace, Romeo.

Bicentennial Man

Bicentennial Man is a film that depicts philosophical musings in a science fiction story. It relays the story of a robot named Andrew Martin and his unique sense of self-awareness as he discovers the remarkable qualities of humanity, and how such exposure seizes him to aspire for human-likeness.It lingers on the idea of free will, which struggles to find its place in the being of Andrew, a robot who can rationalize things. The movie’s premise revolves on the concept of humanity and how an object such as a robot could be considered as a rational being, rather than what it was originally intended to be which was to serve human beings.The film goes through the motions of Andrew’s arrival in the Martin family and the interactions he had experienced toward them that contributed to his fascination about humans. As the story progresses, Andrew becomes immersed in his ability to fully understand the human condition that he becomes like one.The dilemma in this film is seen when Andrew attempts to insist upon his human-likeness by behaving in a rational manner, which agitates human beings who do not understand his exceptionality. Analysis At the beginning of the film, it was projected that Andrew’s sole purpose was to serve and obey the Martin family.Like all robots, Andrew’s function was to cater to the needs of the humans he was assigned to serve. The political theorist, Jeremy Bentham, describes this relation as the concept of utilitarianism. Bentham explains that the utilization of an object or individual is relative to the benefit, advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness produced by the object or individual for the party concerned.In its simplest terms, it defines the use of an object, or even individuals, as a means to an end. The purpose of using anything depends on the notion of pleasure and pain as the former is seen as good while the latter is seen as evil (Nelson 205).The fundamental principle of utilitarianism derives its condition from the assumption that individuals act according to their own self-interest which sought pleasure and avoided pain. This line of thinking anticipates an individual’s actions or behavior since it recognizes the imperfection of humanity and how individuals need objects or other human beings to survive (Nelson 207- 210).In the context of the film, Andrew’s initial role was merely a utility that produced pleasure or happiness for the Martin family. This was shown when the family ordered him to do things for them, which was exactly what he was intended for.However, over the course of his interactions with the members of the Martin family, especially with the youngest daughter Amanda, Andrew became more self-aware of his state and his comprehension of the beings he was obligated to. Mr. Martin’s influence on the growth of knowledge that Andrew received through the books he was given to read and the conversation pieces that they had, created a lasting impact on Andr ew’s capability to understand and imitate the complexities of humanity. Andrew developed a unique consciousness that led him on a quest for self-realization.He had demonstrated a capacity to function beyond his means, through the creation of objects by carving, his fondness for music that led him to learn how to play the piano and his special interest in the human condition. His ability to develop creativity on his own volition, which is considered a human trait, places him in an awkward light that dimly reflects the uncertainty of his being. The concept of free will clearly operates in this section of the film as it portrays Andrew’s ability to reason and act in reference to the way he understands his situation.Immanuel Kant defines free will as a direct experience of reality brought about by introspection. It relies on the faculty of volition that pushes an individual to decide or act on something without being coerced to do it (Nelson 117).Andrew had demonstrated th e concept of free will in the scene where he asked Mr. Martin if he could obtain his freedom. This correlates with Kant’s discussion about how freedom is seen as autonomous. Kant defines the laws governing autonomy as conditions under which the will of one individual could be combined with those of others, according to a general law of freedom.In obeying this general law, an individual was following an internal moral law which is the result of her or his reasoning. The individual is said to carry out an act for the purpose of being aware of her or his capability to act (Nelson, 118).Furthermore, the concept of sovereignty is magnified in this scene as Andrew was able to assert himself as a rational being when he requested for his freedom since he believed that he had the right to ask for it. According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Freedom is a sovereign right.It is aspired by rational beings who view themselves as beings of worth. For Andrew to have been allowed by Mr. Martin the privilege of acknowledging that signifies his acceptance of Andrew’s rational sense of being (Nelson 133). Andrew also validated his human-likeness when he exercised his free will to build his own house and live on his own to find his destiny. He made the decision not because someone ordered him to leave, but he did it out of his interest to discover more things about himself and the world around him.Another revelation in the film supports the philosophy of Kant when it emphasized that an action should be done from duty to have moral worth. Kant maintains that duty does not depend on the realization of the object of action, rather on the principle of volition in performing the action which disregards any object of desire (Nelson 120 -125). Andrew’s duty to still serve the Martin family after being acknowledged as free establishes his moral worth since he performed them out of his own will and not because he was obligated to.The fact that he did things according to his own understanding of them connotes how his behavior and line of thinking has changed from the beginning of the film up to that point Kant also stated that the greatest good or morality of an act should only be identified under the conception of the existing internal moral law, which can only be found in a rational being. Since Andrew’s actions were mostly dictated by his own judgment of things, his behavior reinforces him to become rational, which is the only trait that is ascribed to humans (Nelson 120 -125).Andrew’s realization of his conflicted being came into light when he stopped referring to himself as â€Å"one† and started to use â€Å"I† in the latter part of the movie. â€Å"I† is a term used to identify humans while â€Å"one† is commonly used in identifying a thing or referring to another person. The transition from â€Å"one† to â€Å"I† is a vital indication that Andrew saw himself as a rational being. This occur rence gave Andrew the opportunity to assert his self as though he was part of the human race.There are a lot of peculiar characteristics that outlined Andrew’s uniqueness from other robots. He displayed a higher understanding about human beings because he too exhibited qualities that were considered flawed when compared to other robots of function. He had developed an inclination toward emotionality and creativity, identifiable traits that are uniquely present among human beings. It is essential to take note of this since the very idea of Andrew’s immortality and perfect composition is questioned because of the human-like traits that he possessed.Andrew’s distinct ability to portray human characteristics and personalities makes him a very interesting character to study since he defies the natural laws of reason regarding free will. His possession and understanding of such ideas like emotions, mortality, free will and discernment creates tension within his nature as it was not expected of him to possess such qualities. The film tackled the very notion of humanity, arguing how to determine the boundaries of being human.In the movie, Andrew contended that being human should not only be based upon the physical attributes that defines humanity; it should also be rooted on the principles of individual comprehension and the concept of death.Andrew gave up his mortality in order to be accepted as human. Although in the film, it would seem that Andrew’s nature cannot be changed for his metaphysical make-up is a robot, his assertion of his self and the idea of being recognized as part of the human race is a trait of a rational being.Kant lucidly explains the complexities of the human condition when he states that all individuals should be treated as ends and never merely as a means. He stresses that the rights of an individual must be upheld through the pursuance of equality before the law and the acquisition of education that leads to enligh tenment. Based on this statement, rationality is characterized by the ability to see oneself as an entity of worth. It is to apply reasoning to verify his or her existence. From the film’s perspective, Mr.Martin had demonstrated Kant’s edict with regard to his involvement in Andrew’s mental progress since he gave Andrew the chance to achieve something that was beyond a robot’s nature. Mr. Martin’s support formulated Andrew’s exceptional voice that lends a humanistic view on life. Andrew’s appreciation for life was borne out of Mr. Martin’s subjective treatment of the robot as a being of worth. All of these things mentioned by Kant are found within Andrew’s being. If this is what defines humanity as a whole then Andrew is very much human despite his origins.It is through Andrew’s expression of freedom that affirms his humanity. Conclusion The film attempts to blur opinions about morality and humanity; both terms ar e used interchangeably to affirm the existence of human beings.It takes apart human reasoning through the being of a robot and relays its sentiments about the world in a self-imposing way. The views of Bentham, Rousseau and Kant explain partially the complex nature of humanity found in the film and how it has affected the way people have defined their existence.It is a movie that challenges each individual to look closely at her or his imperfections and render appreciation for the uniqueness each one possesses. As difficult as it is to fully grasp the concept, it is important to analyze the film as a tool of introspection into the consciousness of our rationality as humans since it questions the very essence of how we understand our existence. Work Cited Nelson, Brian R. Western Political Thought: From Socrates to the Age of Ideology. 2nd ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 1995.