Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe and the Protestant Work Ethic Essay

Robinson Crusoe and the Protestant Work Ethic  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      The story of Robinson Crusoe is, in a very obvious sense, a morality story about a wayward but typical youth of no particular talent whose life turned out all right in the end because he discovered the importance of the values that really matter.   The values that he discovers are those associated with the Protestant Work Ethic, those virtues which arise out of the Puritan’s sense of the religious life as a total commitment to a calling, unremitting service in what generally appears as a very restricted but often challenging commitment.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The central concern of Robinson Crusoe’s experiences on the island is work.   The great majority of the text is taken up with describing his unceasing efforts at mundane tasks.   Robinson Crusoe is clearly eager to persuade his readers that he was never idle.   Many of his undertakings may have been futile (like his first big boat, which he could not move to the water), but they kept him busy.   We might wonder to what extent he needs to do all the things he describes for us, like, for example, making bread or living off the produce he creates through his own agriculture.   Is there no natural sustenance on the island which might be obtained with less labor?   What about fishing?   Wouldn’t that be easier?   He tries it and has success, but he doesn’t stay with it.   Why not?   Surely, given the topical nature of the island, he doesn’t have to labor so much?     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Questions like this miss the point.   Robinson Crusoe is a tribute to work, and the overwhelming message is: God has put us on this world to work.   That, in effect, means directing our energies to transform the world around us, to shape it to our will, t... ...ing it with a secret kind of pleasure (though mixed with my other afflicting thoughts), to think that this was all my own, that I was king and lord of all this country indefeasibly and had a right of possession; and if I could convey it, I might have it in inheritance, as completely as any lord of a manor in England.   (101) The language of this quotation is interesting.   He admits he takes pleasure in his accomplishment, but there’s a sense of guilt in the admission (he has to remind us that he also has afflictions).   And he frames his feelings of satisfaction entirely in legal terms (â€Å"indefeasibly,† â€Å"right of possession,† â€Å"convey†).   What stimulates his satisfaction is not the accomplishment or the beauty or the sense of his own proven skill, but the sense of legal ownership.   He has gone from a castaway to the equivalent of an aristocrat.   

Course Work on Effective Speech Writing Essay

The following three deliberative speaking occasions and their expectations are discussed here under: (1) Political Assemblies. In these occasions, the speech to be delivered by political candidates is expected to be informal because they are talking to the masses. It should be somehow emotional so as to be able to appeal to the emotions of the listeners. It is expected to be not too long so it won’t bore the listeners. The language style should be that of the common people. It should present facts and figures to convince people to vote for him/ her as a candidate and to lay down platforms or proposals of changes in the government. The speaker is also expected to identify with the listeners by referring to one’s own experiences that will relate to their experiences. (2) Sales Presentation. The type of speech in this speaking occasion presents a product or service and it tries to persuade and convince the listener-customer to buy. Thus, the speech is expected to be informal, brief and concise, quiet emotional and attention-getting. It must provide evidences to explain and support the benefits of the product or service being promoted and it must also make a comparison and contrast between that product or service and that of a competitor to illustrate that the product or service is far better than others. (3) Legislative Speeches. The speeches delivered in legislation are expected to have a high degree of formality. These are lengthy and have a low emotional intensity. They must present data to prove the claims on the positive benefits of a bill if it is passed into a law. The speaker should also form a sense of identification with his listeners so as to persuade and convince them to believe in what he or she believes is true and right. The three general types of ceremonial speaking occasions and the expectations in these occasions are explained below: (1) Acceptance Speeches. These are delivered when an individual is given an award or recognition for a job well done. The acceptance speech must be formal, brief and direct to the point. It is a little bit emotional especially that the speaker will have to express his or her feelings of gratitude and happiness over his or her receiving the award or recognition. It might have supporting materials such as citing one’s work but it should dwell on the expression of thanks to those who have given him or her the award or recognition and to the people who have helped him or her achieve that. (2) Introduction Speeches. The speech of introduction is delivered when a person comes to deliver a speech and the audience is to be prepared in listening to him. Hence, it is the task of the introducer to arouse the interest of the audience towards the speaker. It should be formal in tone, brief yet succinct. Most of all, it should grab the attention of the listeners. It also needs to present the speaker’s background as well as the qualifications and expertise to explain why he or she was chosen to be the speaker for that theme or topic. (3) Speeches of Tribute. The speech of tribute is delivered to express praise to a person during his birthday, oath to office, retirement and even death. The emotions involved in this speech would depend largely on the occasion. If it is for the person’s birthday or oath to office, it has cheerful tone. But if it is during a person’s retirement or death, the emotions range from pain to sorrow to regret because there is a need to say good bye to that person. This type of speech is expected to provide accurate information about the person being spoken of. The following are the types of speeches that combine ceremonial and deliberative speeches. The expectations for each of the types are included. (1) Commencement Addresses. A commencement address is always delivered on the graduation day of students. Thus, a speaker is expected to motivate and inspire the graduates to reach their goals, dreams and ambitions in life. The tone of the speaker should not be too formal, nor should it be too long. A 45 to 60 minute talk would be enough. A rather long speech might bore the graduates. The speaker is not emotional but he expresses his congratulations to the students who are graduating and his happiness for their achievement in life. Facts, figures and statistics also show support to whatever he will try to persuade his listeners to do such as becoming productive citizens of the country and of the world. (2) Commemorative Addresses. To celebrate an event or occasion, a speaker needs to speak about the background of the person or event being celebrated. It should present the achievements of the person or the positive after effects of that event so as to inspire and motivate the listeners to achieve their dreams. The speech ought to be formal, not lengthy and full of emotions. (3) Keynote Addresses. In a seminar or a conference, almost always there is a keynote address. This type of speech is expected to explain the theme or the subject matter of the seminar or conference as well as to give an overview of the entire proceedings of the seminar or conference. This is when the participants become interested, inspired and motivated to listen to the lectures and discussions during that seminar or conference. A keynote address must have formality, is lengthy, and there is no emotional attachment involvement. The speaker, of course, should be objective in presenting his speech. Former President Richard Nixon’s farewell speech on August 9, 1974 is an example of a combination of the forensic, deliberative and ceremonial speaking occasions which include the five elements of decorum. These elements are formality, length, intensity, supporting materials and explicitness of identification. Nixon’s speech is not too formal because it was delivered to the White House staff with whom he has been familiar with and also to his supporters who were always there by his side. In fact, they are seen laughing once in a while to something he has mentioned in his speech. Its length is not long because it took about 18 minutes for him to finish his speech. This is probably because Nixon considers it â€Å"spontaneous†. It is very emotional considering he has to say good bye to the people who has worked for him and who has supported him. It involved emotions of pain, sorrow and regret for leaving a position he has occupied for the past five and a half years. The supporting materials he included were the experiences of his father, his mother and the former president Theodore Roosevelt or â€Å"T. R. † These supporting materials especially about his father and mother tell the audience that he is just an ordinary person like them. Thus, he explicitly identified with his listeners. As for the expectations of the situation, the speech of Nixon is expected to be emotional, to clear him out of the accusations made against him and his administration, to inspire and motivate the White House Staff to continue with their work and to express gratitude and recognition to the Staff for their untiring efforts to serve the government. Based on analysis, these expectations were fulfilled in Nixon’s farewell speech. During his speech, Nixon was teary-eyed and he even shed tears. He defended himself and his administration by saying â€Å"We can be proud of it – 5 ? years. No man or no woman came into this administration and left it with more of this world’s goods than when he came in†¦ Mistakes, yes. But for personal gain, never. † He ended by saying â€Å"Thank you very much. † References CAS 100C Lesson 11 Commentary Nixon, R. (1974, August 7). Nixon’s Final Remarks To The White House Staff. April, 2008, from http: //www. watergate. info/nixon/resignation-speech. shtml.

Fall of Communism - 1772 Words

How can we explain the sudden collapse of Communism in Europe? Communism was a very popular ideology which was in great favor during the inter-war period but in the 1980s, there was an unanticipated demise of Communism. So how can we explain the sudden collapse of communism in Europe? I would argue that there were several forces converging to the breakdown of communism in Eastern Europe. Factors such as the high expenses of engaging in nuclear arms, the lost of their satellite states, the growing economic disparity in Europe and the changing attitudes and values of the younger people converged together that brought communism to the brink of collapse in Europe. The most important factor, however, was the role of Gorbachev and his†¦show more content†¦The disparity between the Soviet Union economy and that of the United States was what alerted Gorbachev that the Communist economy was not doing well. Soviet’s command economy was not concerned with matching supply and demand but with administering inputs and outputs. In other words, the economy was detached from the consumer and producers. The Communist countries were unable to catch up with globalization because of the inadequate resources. USSR did not have the capital to modernize their industries. On top of that, there was a big gap in the quantity production and the quality was evidently poor as well. Much of the money that was needed for its economy went to nuclear arms, space technology and to support its eastern bloc countries. ‘Economic problems, however, were not isolated to Russia alone, by 1989 the satellite states had accumulated a foreign debt of 49 billion,’ (Maier, 1997: 59). Economic and industrial progress degenerated further when the USSR withdrew its support from the satellite states that were heavily dependent on Russia. The Communist ideology began to decline so quickly that the socialist economic system no longer worked as the best system. Against the backdrop of such austere economic prospects, Gorbachev’s policies o f glasnost and perestroika indirectly implied that the soviet styled economy was obsolete and clearly failing. This brought aboutShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Fall of Communism1064 Words   |  5 PagesYugoslavia, Romania, Albania and Eastern Germany formed the Eastern Bloc that was controlled by the Soviet Union. As Stalin began to force his hand in all elements of government, economics and social life, Germans and others became disillusioned with Communism and began to flee westward to escape the oppression. Under communist rule, the necessities of daily living were scarce. 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