Benjamin Franklin by Edmund Morgan Essay Example for Free

Benjamin Franklin by Edmund Morgan Essay One of the most famous biographies ever written is said to be made by Edmund Morgan, when he accounted that of Benjamin Franklin’s life. He did so by presenting a very special style in analyzing Franklins existence. He made it possible by not narrating an everyday account with the use of dates, but instead accounted for the overall legacy of Franklin’s life. After reading the book, it can be said that the book establishes a broad view of Franklin’s existence. Franklin has been discussed as universally well-known for three things: his discovery of electricity, his writings, and his participation in the American Revolution. In this way, Morgan was able to present how Franklin has influenced the American, the government and the society as a whole. Born on January 17, 1706, young Franklin was presented by the author as a vigorous and curios one. It was also mentioned that his favorite past time was playing chess and singing songs. A further reading of the article shows that he also has his own belief in religion, which is Sin is not harmful because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is harmful. Nor is a duty beneficial because it is commanded, but it is commanded because it is beneficial. As an individual, though he believes that God is the creator, he does attend mass and does not read bible. Nevertheless, it was at this stage of his life where he started writing about the virtues he believed in. A decade later, Franklin’s curiosity was instigated, when his English friend sent him Leyden jars for static electricity storage. Immediately, he started his own experiments with electricity. Subsequently, he discovered that a metal rod with a sharp end can ignite a spark from a greater distance than that of a rounded one. Based on the said findings, he proceeded on and proposed to conduct an experiment with a kite and a key to confirm that lightning is indeed electricity. His efforts proved him right, and his successful experiment discovering electricity made him famous. Among the study Franklin has made, includes that of the effect which ocean current has on travel and the pre germ theory. Morgan also touched the life of Franklin being a writer. According to Morgan, Franklin, though he left the field of printing earlier, he never left it totally. This was possible because he continuously carried out his work secretly as a printer in the field of philosophy, alongside with the renowned Poor Richard’s Almanack. He also succeeded in circulating numerous satirical hoax discourses. One of the popular speeches he made talks about a woman who had five illegitimate children and ironically claims to be following God’s word to increase and multiply. Franklin’s prominent pieces of writing talks about the qualities which he said would lead one to moral perfection, which includes Temperance, Chastity, Cleanliness, and Humility. It bears stressing that Franklin wrote these articles based from his own insights of good deeds against faith and not from religious dogma and sermons. The core of Franklin’s writings on religion imparts that a human being can be moral and god-fearing even without dogmatic presence of the church. As for Franklin’s participation in American Revolution, it can be gleaned from Morgan’s statement that the transition of America into an independent nation may not have been as easy were it not for Franklin’s efforts. His international relations with the British government and the French before, during, and after the hostilities proved very useful to America in instituting and re-instituting alliances. In the book, Franklin was presented to be one who is so influential in defending a pre-Revolution Philadelphia from French privateers, evenly allowing the British to preserve their influence in America and the colonies to resist division. This was due to Franklin’s belief that the British government was unyielding, but necessitates several modifications. All the complexities which were faced by Franklin in his life were discussed in the later part of the book. This occurred after he was sent to England in 1764 as a colonial agent, where he realized how complicated for someone from America to tackle these corrections, principally that of the colonists’ aspiration to elect their officials and to enjoy rights. On an ending note, Morgan went further when he made statement that depicted Adams as the most contentious colleague of Franklin during that time, and the reason for making living miserable for Franklin. BOOK REVIEW A reading of the book reveals that it was written in a narrative form, which trails more chronological events in Franklin’s life. Morgan made this possible by utilizing several quotations and pictures from Franklin’s works in telling his account. These help the person who reads in appreciating the events and thoughts from Franklin’s viewpoint. In some way, it can be said that the book is the best speech ever written, which comprises of an all-encompassing prologue, followed by a comprehensive series of events that is supplemented with optimistic tales and motivating truth imparted by Franklin. At this point of view, readers can say that Morgan’s writing technique is interwoven efficiently and wittily. Furthermore, he vividly sketches the outlines of Franklins growing outlook while unremarkably helping his readers grapple the details of his life in politics and the surfacing international condition during the American Revolution. From time to time, he even personally directed statements to the reader and alludes to what he himself is trying to understand about Franklin. On a different note, it could also be said that the story is of an adventure type that take hold of readers with the anecdotes of Franklin’s participation in the political events of 18th-century America. Nevertheless, the author did not lose sight of the significance of the other facet of the mans qualities and the opinion and actions of others toward him. This was the reason for the biographys success since it engages readers attention in the grand live stage show of this intriguing mans life. One of the topics which were concentrated by Morgan in Franklin’s life, is his being diplomat. It was presented by the detailed account of Franklins vital role in the lengthy progression of calculations and miscalculations that pressed the loyal and dutiful British colonies into revolution and forged them into the United States of America. As written, Franklin, can be seen in every event, frequently behind the picture, but always exceptionally influential, a compelling catalyst for change, which has left an impact in the life of Americans and British government and society. Importantly, in this book we can learn that Franklin is the sole man whose signature maybe found on all four of the important founding documents of the American republic which are the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Treaty of Paris, and the Constitution. As for the impact Franklin’s life and this book may have in the society and public policy, it is important to mention that even if he did not believe in bible writings and the of the existence of God, he seems to have lived in an otherwise moral existence and have not lost sight of the need for people to be living with such religious morality. The most essential aspect of Franklins personality was his unselfish way of sharing to others and his belief that what is right is that which is beneficial. Thus, it can be inferred that one of the lessons in Franklin’s life which is being taught is that, being useful means providing the needs of other inhabitants, not only for one’s self, and that a man with an intelligence concerning him comes only to those individual who possesses a great heart. As for the economy, this book made us learn that Franklin, after experiencing his first achievement, had launched several successful commercial partnerships which lead to the development of the law of partnerships in America. This is said to be one of the many contributions Franklin has made in the history. Aside from the foregoing influences of Franklin has given to the society, it is of everyone’s knowledge that his greatest contribution was his discovery of electricity. This discovery was the product of his scientific curiosity which has originally established his fame in the world. In sum, it can be said that Morgan’s biography of Franklin imparts a representation of the renowned man with the kite that one might not anticipate in an intellectual biography. It is manifest from the opening that Morgan wishes the person who reads to see beyond the characterization of Franklin that we often read in books and articles. In this work, we came to learn, as stated at the outset, that Benjamin Franklin is famously known for three things: his experiments with electricity, his writings, and his involvement in the American Revolution. However, it is important to note that the behavior that Morgan actually wishes for the reader to be aware of is that to successful in this world, one should posse’s inquisitiveness and enthrallment with the world around him, coupled with a serene obsession for the intellectual strength of persons, and a benevolent social servitude. Reference: www. class. uidaho. edu/Engl440/NYRB/NRYB_Edmund_Morgan. htm, Retrieved April 09, 2007. http://www. brothersjudd. com/index. cfm/fuseaction/reviews. detail/book_id/1183/Benjamin%20Fra. htm Retrieved April 09, 2007

Charles Dickens :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Charles "David Copperfield" Dickens (1812 - 1870) Charles John Huffam1 Dickens was born 7 February 1812, second child of John and Elizabeth Dickens. The family would eventually number seven children, plus a son who died in infancy, and since neither parent seemed able to economize, things were generally very hard financially for the family. Charles attended school for a time in Kent, where the happiest days of his childhood were spent, but when the family moved to London in 1822, Charles was simply never re-enrolled in school, and was left to wander London largely unattended2. When the oldest child, Fanny, was sent to the Royal Academy of Music for training as a pianist, Charles, then 12, was deemed old enough to work to help pay the family expenses. So, for six months, he worked in a factory pasting labels onto containers of shoe polish. While there, John Dickens was thrown into debtor's prison, and released a few months later under the Insolvency Act3. It was a feud between John Dickens and the factory owner that eventually got Charles out of the factory and back in school, though Elizabeth tried her best to make him go back, which Charles never quite forgave her for. The factory experience will show up again and again in Charles' novels, and it also left him with something of a phobia about being dirty. In 1827, Charles left school again, more voluntarily this time, and took work as a law clerk, and then a parliamentary reporter. Though he also toyed with the idea of taking the stage (he loved amateur theatricals all his life), he eventually starts writing sketches for two of the London newspapers4, publishing them under the name 'Boz'. In 1835, now quite well-established in his sketch-writing, Charles proposed to Catherine Hogarth, daughter of George Hogarth, who had been advisor to Sir Walter Scott. They married in April of 18365, and the sweet-tempered Catherine generally allowed Charles to take charge of everything, including even the eventual naming of their children. That same year, Charles's began writing The Pickwick Papers, and suddenly he was famous. Imitations of Pickwick appeared everywhere. The now firmly upper-middle-class Charles still has many family problems, however. His father is still in debt more often than not, even going so far as to try to borrow money using his son's name, and Charles ends up paying most of John's debts.

Position of the Music Industry Prior to Introduction of Internet Essay

In the music industry prior to the introduction of internet marketing there were different roles being played by different actors of the market. The usual way a product is prepared for market is to contract the artists. The artists who were the content providers record materials which are either their own or provided to them by other writers. This is clearly depicted in the figure below. Traditional Value Chain in the Music Industry Source: John B. Meisel and Timothy S. Sullivan The recordings will be done on the basis of the contracts entered into with the recording companies. Hence the power and control over the supply of the product remained with the record company. The recording company thus would be regarded as the holder of the major item of value in the supply chain being the exclusive rights over the recorded artists’ content. (Hardaker and Graham, 2001) Most of the part of the distribution is in the hands of the record companies and they also retain the rights to select the suppliers. The distribution and supplier selection is based on the record companies’ perception about the quality of the recording and the music, past reputation of the suppliers and the contract price for the recording. In return for the content in the form of recording, the artist is compensated by the provision of promotions for the recording and its merchandising in connection with the sales there of and the distribution of the content as a saleable commodity – CD for example. It was usual in the traditional music industry that the major record companies have their own distribution channels and businesses. Hence it would become necessary for a retailer to source his music products from different sources. Sometimes the retailer may have to place orders with major record companies and up to 20 other firms from the independent sector. The new releases of music albums or other sales of the record companies are usually handled by the wholesalers. If the retailer would like to follow the wholesaler route then he might have to order through only one wholesaler. The main wholesalers also offer another service called ‘rack jobbing’ which is a different method of supply being adopted by them. The function of a rack jobber includes the supply of complete package that contains records and other promotional and display materials. It is also the duty of the wholesaler to keep a regular stock usually on a sale or exchange basis. Just as the advancement in the telecommunication had its effect on all the other sectors from airline reservations to banking and related financial services the music recording industry has also been severely impacted both positively and negatively observes Eric de Fontenay. In fact the impact of internet on the music industry is much more profound than on any other industries. Despite the fact that the entertainment related products and services have taken their own time to develop and take advantage of the improvements in digital technology over the decades, during the intervening period the overall structure of the industry has remained dormant. The reasons for the industry to remain without major changes can be traced to the following reasons: 1. The cost of creation of content has always remained higher and this prohibited any new entrants in to the industry. 2. The structure of content ownership and rights of licensing system remained unaltered thereby keeping the structure of the industry in tact. 3. There has been a continuous necessity for the presence of a distribution network almost everywhere in the world irrespective of the geographical barriers. This has restricted the existing firms to make any changes in the structure. There was no possibility of new firms entering the market in view of the high capital intensive nature. 4. Similarly there had always been a constant scarcity for the distribution networks which also prevented any new forms of distribution or change in the structure of the distribution networks. (Eric de Fontenay) The internet has affected the music industry in so many ways. It has made the industry incur additional costs in completely restructuring itself. Further the internet has reduced the entry barriers. This was possible by a considerable increase in the number of downstream outlets having varied nature. At the same time the internet has provided the actors in the upstream end to enjoy greater control over the aspects of content ownership, production and distribution. This has created a distinct fear in the record labels that they cannot eliminate the possibility of getting bypassed by both the markets in the downstream and upstream. This impact has created the following reaction on the part of the traditional industry actors. They tried to impose the existing rules and procedures to the new medium so that they could exercise the same leverage and control over the market. The process by which they attempted to do it involves a twin aspects strategic approach. At one end they used legal channels to restrict the availability and use of the new technology in the Industry. On the other end they adopted new technologies to tackle the potential legal threats that would affect the control derived by them from the traditional systems. This strategy backfired and left them high and dry in the market while new information technology players like AOL, Microsoft, E Music and MP3 took advantage of the stalemate. They reacted aggressively by building their infrastructure and systems for the online marketing and distribution of music. They also involved themselves in the retailing of music over internet. The distribution of revenues in the music industry involves the portion of the performer. As per the contract terms the performer is to be paid a portion of the revenue each time there is a sale of the record. Before the money is paid to the performer the revenue is to be apportioned towards the expenses incurred by the company for marketing and distribution. This gives an opportunity for the artists to earn considerable amounts from the sale of products. For gaining maximum revenue the artists should control the publishing rights to their songs or they have the capacity to negotiate contracts with terms that are favourable to the artists. In the case of revenue distribution Internet has its impact on the industry in the following respects.

Latin American Music And Its Impact On America - 915 Words

Latin Americans are considered as minority in the USA because they have a great diversity regard with race, culture and language. They helped build this country since their cultures have been adopted in this country and them also apport help to this country. Latin Americans have made a lot of contributions to the USA such as military, language, fine arts, literal arts, music, politics, food and others. Economic Music Hispanic’s music had a great impact in USA. Nowadays, Americans listen to Hispanics’ music. Hispanics’ music now is part of American’s culture. These changes in USA began around of 19th century, when Hispanics immigration increases in the USA. One of the big changes in music occurred around 1940s, when Americans began to recognize the efforts of Cuban-American musicians. One of the Cuban bands was Cugat. It was known better Orchestra ‘based in New York’s Waldorf Astoria’ which had a great visual and musical style. Another Cuban band was Machito who were dominated as one of the best New York’s scenes at that time. Thanks, to those bans Americans adopted some of Cubans’ dances and performances such as rumba, mambo and cumbia. Americans used and still using the Cuban instruments like bongos and maracas to create their rhythms. Later on, Americans created Jazz by African Americans with the influenced of Cuban’s music. Additionally, there are other countries who had their influences in music in the USA, for example Mexicans. Mexicans helped to develop the Tex-MexShow MoreRelatedEssay On Salsa1201 Words   |  5 PagesCuban music to that of Puerto Rico and the combination of the jazz culture of New York City. Salsa means ‘sauce, meaning that the name was derived from a strongly flavored sauce. 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