The Effects Of Slavery On A Macro Level - 1682 Words

If we think of Slavery we think of it as an event in our history that degrading blacks, and only blacks. We, at least I don’t think of it as effecting whites, but if we look at the two authors Baldwin and Coats we see slavery and racism can be viewed on a whole different level. Blocking out stereotypes Coates and Baldwin give us an inside look on what it was actually like like to own or to be a slave. Baldwin, talks about the effects of slavery on a micro level, and talks about how it affects people individually, and how even if someone doesn’t believe in it, they can be taken over by the idea of racism without realizing it; how racism can even affect the white man, saying that you can become the monster that you hate. . Coates, on†¦show more content†¦It was a sign of rebellion in which people did not want. Racism was a social norm that had to be accepted, but after a long time of acting a certain way, you start to believe that that is the real you. Soon , white men that never considered themselves as being racist before, started to believe that they were higher then blacks. Baldwin writes about a man named Jesse who claims that he hates black people, and that they are â€Å"animal like†. Although he claims this to be true, he goes out every night in his car looking for black women in the town to have sex with. He thinks of himself as higher then blacks, but still associates himself with them. He admits that he enjoys their music, and he doesn’t completely despise everything they do. He still thinks of himself as better then them because he associates them with animals. Yet he continues to have sex with a different black girl almost every night. â€Å"He felt that he would like to hold her, hold her, hold her, and be buried in her like a downtown to face those faces, good Christ, they were ugly! And never have to enter that jail house again and smell that smell and hear that singing; never again feel that filthy, kinky, greasy hair under his hand, never again watch those black breasts leap against the leaping cattle prod, never hear tho se moans again or watch that blood run down or the fat lips split or the sealed eyes

The Rude Awakening By Mary Shelley - 2059 Words

The Rude Awakening In humanity, the birth of a child is a beautiful moment that awakens the heart. In the child’s first moments of light, a cry of innocents is quickly calmed by loving arms of an awaiting mother or father. This sense of creation provides an overwhelming sense of beauty, peace and acknowledgement to ones purpose in life. In contrast Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, creates a dark sinister disparity, breaking the boundaries of these human values. Her challenge, to create a story that would â€Å"curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart (Shelley 23.)† Enveloped with a dark inner psych she challenges her mind to vividly interpret her own darkness in which bore an innocent creature contrastingly into†¦show more content†¦Women in her era were devalued as being any sort of a serious author. In consequence, when Shelley first published her book at age nineteen, she deliberately left her name off of the cover in order to ac quire the chance of equality. She did not add her name until her second edition was released some five years later. Moreover, not only did Shelley struggle as a female writer, she also experienced a turbulent upbringing. After her mother dies, her father William Godwin was doting to his little Mary. â€Å"The Concise Dictionary of British Literary Biography,† expresses that Shelley’s attachment to her father was â€Å"intense and long lasting†. The bond Shelly formed with her father early in her life remained, despite the family dysfunction that began once her father remarried. The biography claims that â€Å"the new Mrs. Godwin resented Mary s intense affection for her father and was jealous of the special interest visitors showed in the product of the union between the two most radical thinkers of the day (web).† Her step-mother purposefully distanced Godwin from his daughter. She did nothing to encourage â€Å"Shelley’s intellectual develo pment or love of reading (web).† However, Shelley’s passions could not be distinguished rather her circumstances ignited her imagination. Mary Shelley reflects in her introduction how she, Then a

Engineering Marvels of the Roman Empire free essay sample

Rome boasted many incredible landmarks. Here was located the great Coliseum where many gladiatorial games were held for the entertainment of the roman citizens. Here also was the Circus Maximus. This remarkable stadium held chariot races that could rival modern day NASCAR. All over the Roman Empire one could find the many remarkable engineering feats of the Romans. Whether it is the ingenuity of the Aqueducts or the remarkable stadium designed to seat 70,000 people comfortably, the Romans were by far the top engineers of their times. Since the Roman Empire was so incredibly large, they needed some creative ways to solve the problems that can face any empire or city. Their citizens needed food, water, transportation, money, housing, and entertainment. The Romans methods of solving these problems were absolutely brilliant. The first and most basic need that needed to be solved was water, and the Romans resolved that problem with ease. Their citizens needed food, water, transportation, money, housing, and entertainment. The Romans methods of solving these problems were absolutely brilliant. The first and most basic need that needed to be solved was water, and the Romans resolved that problem with ease. The solution they found was the Aqueduct. The Roman Aqueducts were astounding pieces of engineering. The Aqueducts frequently used the arch in their construction. The arches made them capable of spanning large gaps in the landscape as well as give them added support. These systems were capable of transporting water from over 50 miles away into a city. At the height of the Roman Empire, there were over 200 cities that had their water supplied by aqueducts. Rome itself had 11 separate Aqueducts leading into the city. The longest one, the Aqua Novus, stretched from 59 miles away into the city. At the climax of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome had approximately 1,000,000 citizens. With such a large populace the demand for water was extremely high. Even with those large demands the Aqueduct system was still able to perform. It delivered a stunning 1 cubic meter of water per person. This amount is more than is available in most modern day cities. This water was used for daily life and Rome was even equipped with its own working plumbing system. Another great feat of accomplishment for the Romans was the public baths. These baths were fed water by the Aqueducts and were available to all roman citizens. The greatest of these baths were the Baths of Diocletian. This complex could contain 3,000 bathers at one time. They were built in such a fashion that the sun would heat the baths and keep the water warm throughout the day. The baths were only able to exist because of the Aqueduct system (UNRV History of Aqueducts). The engineering marvels did not end there. The empire needed resources such as gold and silver. Their unique and creative mining techniques and tools were truly engineering marvels. Throughout the Roman Empire there was plenty of land with abundant mineral resources. The Romans knew this and so they needed to find a way to excavate that material. To do this they developed certain systems of mining and unique tools to accomplish the job. For surface mining, that is mining with the exposed veins on the surface of a rock face, the Romans would use their aqueduct system in a unique way. The would run the water from a nearby stream using the aqueducts and flush away all the loose soil and rocks thus leaving the veins exposed and ready for mining. They would then dig small tunnels at the surface and strip mine the rocks. The Romans also implemented the Archimedes Screw into their mining projects. They would use the screw to remove excess water that was in the tunnels. Another technique that the Romans used was call strip mining. This was an extremely dangerous and risky endeavor and was only used for extremely precious metals such as silver or gold. The way this was done was to dig a large shaft straight down from the top of the mountain. When any veins were found, horizontal shafts were then dug. You can guess the problems that the Romans faced while doing this. There was poor lighting in the tunnels and also there was water in the tunnels (Lynne Cohen Duncan). Even in spite of these obstacles the Romans prevailed and there empire was rich in precious metals. But what good is money if it had no use? The people of Rome needed entertainment and the roman engineers were up to the challenge and had the riches of an empire at their disposal. Because of the many ingenious techniques and solutions the Romans created, their empire left a lasting legacy on the world. Although the Romans may not have invented all new materials, they found extremely unique and brilliant ways. Their systems and accomplishments made their empire a long lasting one. Their marvels still can be seen today and it is unknown how long the future will hold them for many more to see.

Public Goods and Negative Externalities A Real

Introduction The growing social awareness and increased attention towards sustainability and the value of public goods have resulted in a profound shift of public consciousness. Private businesses are bound to comply with numerous laws and limit their participation in the economy, in order to reduce the potential harm caused to the nature and people and avoid possible violations of the new sustainability requirements.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Public Goods and Negative Externalities: A Real-World Problem specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Organizations are developing complex sustainability policies to confirm their commitment to the importance of public good; meanwhile, individuals are becoming more potent in the defense of their individual and collective rights. Unfortunately, laws and courts that govern sustainability processes in business have little to do with economics. In the meantime, any decision to limit economic production for the sake of another public good, e.g. the environment, inevitably leads to other negative externalities, for instance, the lack of essential goods in the market. According to Ronald Coase, the problem of public goods and negative externalities is reciprocal, and any decision is essentially about the proper allocation of the existing resources and not about limiting the production of one good over another. Public good: Defining the term Despite the common use of the term â€Å"public good†, few, if any, authors provide its definition. More often than not, the meaning of a public good is taken for granted. This is, actually, one of the basic reasons why economists and legal professionals face a certain degree of confusion, when dealing with various public good issues. For the purpose of this paper, the definition offered by Paul Samuelson will be used. Samuelson defined public good â€Å"as a collective consumption good; one individual’s c onsumption of the good does not subtract from any other individual’s consumption of the good† (McDonald McMillen 267). However, it is not enough to say that a public good is consumed collectively; the main features of a public good should also be identified. Modern economists usually speak about the two main features of a public good. First, a public good is that which, once provided and consumed by one person, does not demand any additional cost from another person who also consumes it (Rosen 56). In other words, a public good can be consumed collectively in a manner that is nonrival: it does not really matter how many people breathe the open air or catch tan under the sun. These public goods can be consumed collectively at no additional cost for every new consumer. Second, and it follows from the first feature, no one can physically or reasonable prevent anyone from using a public good (Rosen 56). In professional terms, every public good is nonexcludable (Rosen 56).A dvertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More No one can forbid certain individuals to walk under the sun or breathe in the open air – the sun and the air are both public goods that can be used without any limits. Still, it should be noted, that the goods mentioned above are pure public goods. Simultaneously, a wide range of marketable public goods are available to consumers. These include but are not limited to public transport, healthcare insurance, energy, etc. More importantly, any public good that is considered as pure can lose its absolute â€Å"purity† and become non-absolute. A classic example is the growing number of people over a limited territory that leads to congestion and limits the availability of fresh air and heat (Rosen 56). In this situation, the air and sun that used to exemplify pure public goods are no longer nonrival. The cost of these goods for each new visitor will continue to increase, whereas their availability with each new visitor will gradually decrease. Ronald Coase and the Public Good Proposition Public goods often become the central objects of legal arguments and economic discussions. With the growing society’s emphasis on sustainability, environmental protection, and the common good, many individual consumers and businesses are bound to sacrifice their interests and pursue some distant social goals. In the past decades, numerous laws were created to govern the relationships between consumers and public goods. However, the nature of these relationships is not really about laws but, actually, about economics. At the heart of Ronald Coase’s article â€Å"The Problem of Social Cost† is the idea that the problem of the social damage caused by businesses to the society is, in reality, a reciprocal problem. Traditional approaches rely on the distinction between private and public goods (Coase 1). In the se approaches, social (public) goods are assumed to be more vital to the society than the private goods produced by businesses (Coase 1). Consequently, it has become common and even desirable to make businesses and their owners pay for the damage they cause to the society, the environment, and other public goods (Coase 1). The forms used to make businesses pay for their public mistakes vary, depending on the situation, and may imply a fine, the costs of quality assurance, or even the limits imposed on the amount of goods and services businesses are allowed to produce. Yet, when considered more thoroughly, the problem of the public-private relationship is much more sophisticated. In the economic terms, the decision to make business pay for its public damage is inherently and unavoidably harmful (Coase 1). To limit businesses in their impacts on public welfare is the same as to inflict harm on them (Coase 1). Coase argues that the problem of public goods and social benefits is recipro cal, because to avoid the harm to society, society will actually need to harm businesses (1). Coase uncovers the hidden facets of the society’s relationship with businesses. In the recent years, it has become very popular across the developed societies to hold businesses and private entities responsible for the harm they cause to the provision of public goods and society’s welfare.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Public Goods and Negative Externalities: A Real-World Problem specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the fundamental assumptions made by Coase is that, in the fight between the public and the private, the latter is bound to take a secondary position. Simply stated, the goals and principles pursued by businesses are commonly regarded as of secondary importance against the values and principles pursued by the public. This is why, in many legal cases, businesses are made to comply with law s and carry considerable losses, simply because most legal professionals lack any economic insight. To a large extent, the problem of the private versus public is similar to the problem of cattle and crops: whether the cattle owner should build a fence or the crop owner should sacrifice some of his/her territory is difficult to define, unless â€Å"we know the value of what is obtained as well as the value of what is sacrificed to obtain it† (Coase 2). In these situations, it may well appear that the costs of the damage caused by a manufacturing businesses to a nearby river are much lower than the costs of closing the facility and leaving hundreds of people without jobs. It is the question of costs and values. In Coase’s view, it is also the question of resource allocation and balance across multiple market players. Using Coase’s ideas to analyze contemporary problems Today’s world is being torn between multiple social priorities, and chances to reach an ideal balance are close to zero. Healthcare, public transport, energy consumption, and climate change all have direct or indirect relation to public goods and all impose new demands on businesses and private entities. Starting with health care, which is claimed to be a universal right and a public good, many businesses are bound to carry the burden of increased healthcare costs. They pay higher premiums for their employees and devise new quality assurance models to avoid the negative impacts of their business processes on public health. Yet, taking Coase’s argument into account, the value of these premiums and their real impacts on the quality and accessibility of healthcare for the poor should be thoroughly analyzed. In a similar fashion, the costs of new quality assurance systems and their real effects on public health need to be weighed. In economic terms, the discussed problem can be readily limited to the problem of marginal costs and marginal revenues: how much marginal revenue does another unit of health premiums or quality assurance systems bring? This is the question that needs to be answered to achieve the desired outcome for all parties.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The situation is quite similar with the impacts of transport on the air quality and their implications for public transport and poor households. Car owners are usually blamed for the contribution they make to air pollution. According to Eskeland and Kong, air quality is a pure public good, as long as it is nonrival and nonexcludable (1). Today’s public policies vote for decreasing the number of private cars and enhancing the quality of public transport networks which, eventually, should help to improve the quality of air in urban and rural settings. Again, the reciprocity of the problem should not be ignored (Coase 1). Another approach to solve the problem of air pollution is needed. This approach should necessarily involve the analysis of the public transport availability in rural settings, the costs and benefits of car ownership by rural residents, the impacts of rural car owners on the quality of air, as well as the potential impacts of other policy decisions on rural resi dents. Eventually, it is rural residents who are most likely to suffer the lack of transport, regardless of the quality of air in their area. Most likely, the public transport and air quality policies proposed by governments and volunteering organizations will have to be more aggressive for urban residents and less aggressive for rural and poorer households (Eskeland Kong 1). The elimination of private car ownership and the extension of public transport networks by themselves will not eliminate the existing deficiency and help achieve the desirable social result (Coase 26). Without considering other changes in the system that will follow the corrective measure, the costs of such measure may turn out to be too high. No less complicated are the problems of renewable versus traditional energy resources and the problem of climate change. With the growing scarcity of traditional energy resources, more and more communities recognize the economic and, more importantly, social validity of renewable energy systems. The demand for renewable energy constantly increases (Simon), but who is allowed to benefit from renewable energy, and does one have the right to refuse from the renewable energy shifts and keep using traditional energy? Apparently, the government cannot just demand that all businesses and households switch to renewable energy. Many manufacturing enterprises still depend on traditional energy sources. In these questions, economic policy decisions should be based on the opportunity cost considerations and the potential value of renewable energy both for the businesses involved and the broader processes in global climate. Eventually, the most essential is involving economists in all policymaking processes. This is, probably, the most reliable method to improve the quality, efficiency, and feasibility of the future policy decisions. Conclusion Economic policymaking is an extremely complicated process. Unfortunately, on many occasions, the economic aspects of p olicies give place to the legal ones. How to ensure that businesses operate for the common good is a difficult question, but it is clear that the economic implications of policy decisions should always be considered. According to Ronald Coase, the problem of public goods and negative externalities is reciprocal, and any decision is essentially about the proper allocation of the existing resources and not about limiting the production of one good over another. In healthcare or energy decisions, the questions of marginal revenue, marginal cost, and value should be thoroughly analyzed. All economic decisions should also be based on opportunity cost considerations, as they definitely allow improving the quality and efficiency of policymaking results. Works Cited Coase, Ronald. â€Å"The Problem of Social Cost.† The Journal of Law and Economics,  (October 1960): pp.1-28. Print. Eskeland, Gunnar Chingying Kong. Protecting the Environment and the Poor: A  Public Goods Framework Applied to Indonesia. The World Bank, 1998. Print. McDonald, John F. Daniel P. McMillen. Urban Economics and Real Estate: Theory  and Policy. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons, 2011. Print. Rosen, Harvey. Public Finance, 7th ed. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2005. Print. Simon, Christopher A. â€Å"Is Energy a Public Good?† Renewable Energy World, 2 July 2007. Web. This article on Public Goods and Negative Externalities: A Real-World Problem was written and submitted by user Nickolas U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.