Remarkable man Essay Example for Free

Remarkable man Essay In Oliver Stone’s 1987 film Wall Street, the protagonist, Bud Fox is faced with a series of ethical challenges. His actions in the beginning of the film would have pleased Nicolo Machiavelli, however, Fox’s decisions at the film’s end would have greatly disappointed the Italian. On the other hand, Fox’s first actions would have disappointed Henry David Thoreau, however, Fox’s decisions at the end of the film would be more to Thoreau’s liking. At the start of the film, Fox works as a stock broker, trying to compete for big men’s money. As long as he behaves ethically, the big fish won’t give him a chance. Fox’s first ethical decision, then, is whether it is worse to follow the law and remain poor, or to break the law, to make money that will help him and his family. Fox’s decision to break the law and provide big-time capitalist Gordon Gekko with insider information would have been applauded by Machiavelli, who, in The Prince declared the following: It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity. (Machiavelli 62) The decision is even more complicated, because the insider information Fox has to trade is about his father’s own company. If Gekko buys stock in the company, it will help prop the company up, however, Fox’s father would never approve of such an unethical deal. But If Gekko buys company stock, he is likely to do well. He and Fox will make a great deal of money, and Fox’s status will go up accordingly. This is justification enough for Machiavelli, who states that the most important thing a prince can do is get himself the reputation of being â€Å"a great and remarkable man. † (Machiavelli 86) Gekko does, indeed profit from Fox’s information. Fox’s wealth and reputation skyrocket. Fox is even able to date the interior designer he is interested in. All is well, until Fox is presented with another question of ethics. Gekkko begins making changes to his father’s company that the company does not appreciate. Fox must decide whether he ought to go along with Gekko’s plan and backstab his father, or to support his father and lose the perks of his relationship with Gekko. If he works against Gekko, he will lose his sources of income. He will also lose his girlfriend, who is a former girlfriend of Gekko and has had her career fostered by the tycoon. He will also lose the contacts he has made through Gekko. If Fox does go along with Gekko, he will probably continue to live richly. He will enjoy the company of his girlfriend. On the other hand, he will let his own father be ruined. He will destroy his father’s company and he will let down his family. He will be compelled to continuously break the law and he will risk prosecution with every step. Henry David Thoreau would object to this decision, because it would mean treating other men unjustly. Machiavelli, on the other hand, would heartily approve of Fox’s decision to break his father’s company. Indeed, Machiavelli praises the notion of destroying one’s enemies in order to secure one’s position (Machiavelli). Fox’s father has a heart attack, and this seems to turn Fox around. Instead of allowing his father’s company to be ruined, he works with one of Gekko’s competitors to drive the stock down until Gekko sells. The competitor agrees not to sell off parts of the company, and so rescues Fox’s father and his counterparts from ruin. The move also allows Fox to break free of Gekko’s grip. Yet, it involves more insider trading and law-breaking. This, Thoreau would have praised. Indeed, in his Civil Disobedience, Thoreau speaks against following unjust laws and recommends that laws that further injustice be â€Å"transgressed. † (Thoreau 12) Thoreau, then, would happily have broken the law to bring justice to Gekko. While Fox could sit by and hope that someone else could make things right, Thoreau urges men not to sit idly by. At the film wraps up, Fox rescues his father’s company from ruin, but he lands himself in jail for insider trading. This is a move that would have shamed Machiavelli. For the Italian, a prince showing weakness is a very bad thing. Machiavelli does not believe in sacrificing oneself for others. While Fox’s move to save his father’s company seems virtuous, Machiavelli warns that things that seem like virtue are often ruin him (Machiavelli). This is certainly the case with Fox’s decision. Yet Thoreau would likely have done the exact same thing. Indeed, Thoreau went to prison, rather than paying taxes which he felt he ought not pay (Thoreau). Fox’s move, then, although it put him behind bars for a time, is exactly the kind of action Thoreau would applaud. Although I would hope that I would not make Fox’s original decision to get ahead by breaking the law, I might, having already broken the law, use law-breaking to bring justice to a man like Gekko. Though, following the law does seem like a safer course of action. Works Cited Machiavelli, Nicolo. The Prince. Hazelton: Penn State University, 2001. Thoreau, Henry D. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. Hazelton: Penn State University, 1998.

Medieval Europe And The Renaissance :: essays research papers

When I look at the conflicts that medieval European people faced and the conflicts that modern people face, I see a huge difference. Our government, economics, science, mobility, art, literacy and health are very different. Some aspects of religion are different, but not many. The Black Death and feudalism are some major contributions to the medieval times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Black Death is known as a beneficial divider between the central and Middle Ages. The changes are numerous. They include the introduction of gunpowder, importance of cities, economic and demographic crises, and powerful new currents in culture and religion. Overall, the late middle ages were characterized as a period of chaos. The Black Death did not cause the chaos, but the plague definitely contributed towards it, as well as making more problems. The Black Death erupted in the Gobi desert in the late 1320’s. There is no real explanation why. The plague bacillus was alive and active long before that. Europe had suffered from an epidemic in the 6th century. But the disease became relatively dormant in the following centuries. It is said that it was due to the climate beginning to cool in the 14th century. Whatever it was, the outbreak began and spread fast. It mostly went west, but it spread everywhere. The Asian nations suffered greatly as anywhere. In China, the population dropped from 125 million to 90 million. The plague was so widespread; it was said that there was not enough living to bury the dead. Rodents ran the unsanitary streets that carried the fleas that had the disease. This is how the Bubonic Plague was spread. The people believed at the time that the gods were punishing them for things they had done wrong in the past. The Bubonic Plague is transmitted either though an infected rodent (rats, rabbits, etc.) carrying bugs (fleas). It was first thought that the rats themselves transmitted the Bubonic Plague because when people found dead rats in the towns' streets, they would usually flee their civilization in fear of the rodents. But it was observed that people would only get the disease if they came in contact with a rodent or rat that was dead for a short amount of time. The Bubonic Plague is not very common these days, but that is because we live in the United States where our sanitary level is fairly high. But in Africa, Asia, and South America, several people die from it every year.

Christopher Columbus: Journey and Colonization

The letter reveals a sense of urgency and uncertainty in Columbus derived from the intimation between world powers over the Island of Espanola and the unknown direction the New World would take. Columbus' purpose in writing the formal letter is to explain to the â€Å"Most High and Mighty Sovereigns† what he considers pivotal in the settlement, extraction of gold, farming of land, and trade system of the Island of Espanola. Columbus' main concern, Spanish dominance in the New World, is clearly evident in the final paragraph, in which Columbus prays for â€Å"the increase of much greater states. The nature of Spanish presence In the Islands Is consequent to an RA of Immense competition between states over various colonies In Asia, Africa, and what would be known as America. For states Involved In colonization, such as England, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands, colonies meant prosperity and power through vast riches, mostly gold: an increase in foreign commerce: and new ter ritory to utilize for farming and growth of Christianity.In these purposes there is a clear similarity between the values from the Renaissance and present-day values, in which governmental authority places large importance in the expansion and affluence of its rewriter. In the introduction to his points about colonization, Columbus displays a sense of respect and obedience towards Ferdinand and Isabella and requests support through reinforcement of colonists. Columbus misrepresents the new world as a group of islands, unaware of the much larger continents in which he had not yet arrived.In the Initial voyage, Columbus lands In the Caribbean thinking he has arrived In Asia, which Is why he names the Indians so. Despite his Incongruous concepts, Columbus' voyage proved vital to further colonization of the Americas. The mall body of the letter Is a set of thirteen points In which Columbus details the mall issues of colonizing the Island of Espanola and other islands, namely God, gold, and glory.The expansion of Christianity was highly important to Ferdinand and Isabella, who considered Christianity crucial to the national unity of the newly united Spanish kingdom in the Reconstruct period. Columbus states that the new world will be forcefully Christian and that the â€Å"conversion of Indians† shall be performed by â€Å"parish priests or friars†. Most of Columbus points refer to the extraction, processing, ownership, and trade of gold, the natural resource which most colonizers obsessed over.Columbus presents concerns such as â€Å"no one shall have liberty to collect gold In it except those who have taken out colonists' papers,† â€Å"that all gold shall be smelted Immediately,† and â€Å"there shall be a treasurer, with a clerk to assist him, who shall receive all gold belonging to your Highnesses. † The motive and obsession over gold Is consequential of its use as back-up value in currencies, fancy garments, competitive Expl orers were motivated to find gold by the â€Å"matter of the fifth,† which means that the explorers would be entitled to a certain amount of the riches derived from the land they discovered.To further expand on the importance of a successful trading system, Columbus explains another three points that refer to the stringent process of securing the gold. As most of the glory from colonization came from gold, the method of collection gold and shipping it to the motherland is very strict in order to prevent fraud. Parts of the process which Columbus proposes include â€Å"that it [gold] should all e placed in one chest with two locks, with their keys, and that the master of the vessel keep one key and some other person selected by the governor and treasurer keep the other. There is evidently a clear concern over the safety of the gold, which displays the main purpose of increasing affluence of the motherland. The colonization of the new world influenced an arms race between powe rful European states over the acquisition of gold and territory. Several states were exerting force over native people and exploiting the natural resources in a similar way the Spanish id in the Island of Espanola. Competition between powerful states is a centuries- long trend.Whether searching for gold or plotting the destruction of communism versus the destruction of capitalism in the mid-20th century, dominant states have a tendency to seek the greatest riches from their settlements and disregard the well- being of native peoples. In his letter, Columbus is successfully reactive to the desires of Ferdinand and Isabella and he satisfies their concerns that result from competition in order to pursue further exploration.

Biography of Marquis de Sade Novels, Crimes, Sadism

The Marquis de Sade (born Donatien Alphonse Franà §ois de Sade; June 2, 1740—December 2, 1814) was infamous for his sexually charged writings, his revolutionary politics, and his life as one of France’s most notorious libertines. His writing often focused on violent sexual practices, and his name gives us the word sadism, which refers to pleasure derived from inflicting pain. Fast Facts: Marquis de Sade Full Name:  Donatien Alphonse Franà §ois de SadeKnown For:  Sexually graphic and violent writings, charges of blasphemy and obscenity, and a reputation as one of Frances most notorious libertines.Born:  June 2, 1740 in Paris, FranceDied:  December 2, 1814 in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, FranceParents’ Names:  Jean Baptiste Franà §ois Joseph, the Count de Sade, and  Marie Elà ©onore de Maillà © de Carman Early Years Donatien, born in Paris in June 1740, was the only surviving child of Jean Baptiste Franà §ois Joseph, the Count de Sade and his wife, Marie Elà ©onore. Jean Baptiste, an aristocrat who served as a diplomat in the King Louis XV’s court, abandoned his wife while their son was very young, and Donatien was sent off to be educated by his uncle after Marie Elà ©onore joined a convent. The uncle apparently allowed young Donatien to be raised by servants who catered to his every whim, and the child developed a mean streak. He was described as spoiled and willful, and at the age of six beat another boy so severely that there was some question as to whether the victim would ever fully recover. By the time Donatien was ten, the uncle, an abbot in the south of France, had had enough. He sent his nephew back to Paris for schooling at a Jesuit institution. Once enrolled at the Lycà ©e Louis-le-Grand, Donatien misbehaved frequently, and received frequent punishments. In particular, the school used flagellation as a deterrent for poor behavior. Later, Donatien would become preoccupied with this practice. By the age of fourteen, he was sent to a military school, and as a young man, he fought in the Seven Years War. Despite his absence from his son’s life, the Count de Sade was anxious to find Donatien a wealthy wife to help solve the family’s financial problems. At 23, Donatien married Renà ©e-Pà ©lagie de Montreuil, the daughter of a well-to-do merchant, and built a castle, the Chà ¢teau de Lacoste, in Provence. A few years later, the Count passed away, leaving Donatien the title of Marquis.   Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Scandal and Exile Even though he was married, the Marquis de Sade developed a reputation as the worst sort of libertine. At one point, he had a very public affair with his wife’s sister, Anne-Prospà ¨re. He frequently sought out the services of prostitutes of both sexes, and had a tendency to hire and subsequently abuse very young servants, both male and female. When he forced one prostitute to include a crucifix in their sexual activity, she went to the police, and he was arrested and charged with blasphemy. However, he was released shortly thereafter. Over the next few years, other prostitutes filed complaints about him, and the court eventually exiled him to his castle in Provence. In 1768, he was arrested again, this time for imprisoning a chambermaid, whipping her, cutting her with a knife, and dripping hot candle wax into her wounds. She managed to escape and reported the attack. Although his family managed to buy the woman’s silence, there was enough of a social scandal that de Sade opted to stay out of the public eye after the incident.   A few years later, in 1772, de Sade and his manservant, Latour, were accused of drugging and sodomizing prostitutes, and the two of them, along with Anne-Prospà ¨re, fled to Italy. De Sade and Latour were sentenced to death, in absentia, and managed to stay a few steps ahead of the authorities. De Sade later rejoined his wife at Chà ¢teau de Lacoste. At the chà ¢teau, de Sade and his wife imprisoned five women and one man for six weeks, a crime for which he was eventually arrested and imprisoned. Although he was able to get the death sentence lifted in 1778, he remained incarcerated, and over the next few years, he was transferred to various prisons, including the Bastille, and an insane asylum. The remains of Chateau LaCoste. J Boyer / Getty Images Writings During his various imprisonments, de Sade began to write. His first work, Les 120 Journà ©es de Sodome, or 120 Days of Sodom: The School of Libertinage, was written during his incarceration at the Bastille. The novel related the story of four young noblemen who move to a castle where they can abuse, torture, and eventually kill the harem of prostitutes they hold captive. De Sade believed the manuscript to be lost during the storming of the Bastille, but the scroll on which it was written was later discovered hidden in the walls of his cell. It was not published until 1906, and was banned in numerous countries for its graphic sexual violence and portrayals of incest and pedophilia. In 1790, free once more, de Sade—whose wife had finally divorced him—began a relationship with a young actress, Marie-Constance Quesnet. They lived together in Paris, and de Sade became politically active, supporting the new regime that was in place following the French Revolution of the previous year.  He was even elected to public office, joining the National Convention as part of the radical far left. He wrote several inflammatory political pamphlets; however, his position as an aristocrat made him vulnerable with the new government, and in 1791, he was imprisoned for three years after he was critical of Maximilien Robespierre. Once again, de Sade began writing sexually violent fiction, and his novels Justine and Juliette, which he published anonymously, created an uproar. Justine, written in 1791, is the story of a prostitute who is subjected to repeated rapes, orgies, and torture on her quest to find a virtuous life. Juliette, the follow-up novel published in 1796, is the tale of Justine’s sister, a nymphomaniac and murderer, who is perfectly happy to live a life devoid of virtue. Both novels are critical of theology and the Catholic Church, and in 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the arrest of the anonymous author. Portrait of de Sade by Pierre-Eugà ¨ne Vibert. Heritage Images/Getty Images / Getty Images Institutionalization and Death De Sade was sent to prison again in 1801. Within a few months, he was accused of seducing young prisoners, and in 1803, he was declared to be insane. He was sent to Charenton Asylum, after Renà ©e-Pà ©lagie and their three children agreed to pay for his maintenance. Meanwhile, Marie-Constance pretended to be his wife, and was permitted to move into the asylum with him.   The asylum’s director allowed de Sade to organize theatrical plays, with other inmates as actors, and this went on until 1809, when new court orders sent de Sade into solitary confinement. His pens and paper were taken from him and he was no longer allowed to have visitors. However, despite these rules, de Sade managed to maintain a sexual relationship with the fourteen-year-old daughter of one of Charenton’s staff members; this lasted for the final four years of his life. On December 2, 1814, the Marquis de Sade died in his cell at Charenton; he was buried at the asylums cemetery. Legacy Following his death, de Sades son burned all of his fathers unpublished manuscripts, but there are still dozens of writings —novels, essays, and plays — available to modern scholars. In addition to giving us the word sadism, de Sade also left behind a legacy of existential thought; many philosophers credit him with using violence and sexuality to create imagery that demonstrates mans capacity for both good and evil. It is believed that his work had significant influence on the writings of nineteenth-century philosophers like like Flaubert, Voltaire, and Nietzsche. Sources Feay, Suzi. â€Å"Who Was the Marquis De Sade Really?†Ã‚  The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 16 July 2015.Gonzalez-Crussi, F. â€Å"The Dangerous Marquis de Sade.†Ã‚  The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Mar. 1988.Lichfield, John. â€Å"Marquis De Sade: Rebel, Pervert, Rapist...Hero?†Ã‚  The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 14 Nov. 2014.Perrottet, Tony. â€Å"Who Was the Marquis De Sade?†Ã‚  Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Feb. 2015.