The Corn Laws in 1846 Essay Example for Free

The Corn Laws in 1846 Essay Peels decision to repeal the Corn Laws in 1846 was arguably influenced by the mass campaigning and debate aroused by the Anti-Corn Law league, however, it must be considered that there were a number of other important factors that contributed to Peels choice. It can be argued that it was rather more down to Peels free trade and other economic principles that the Corn Laws were eventually repealed in 1846. The Anti-Corn Law league was certainly a major force in the years leading to repeal. It was the first National repeal movement, setting it apart from the numerous other Anti-Corn Law associations that had existed in the past. This national concept ensured that the movement had a very large following and was very well funded. Unlike the Chartist movement, the League was decidedly middle-class and in this gained a greater respectability; however, it still faced considerable suspicion from the Aristocracy. They were from the start suspected of wanting to destroy the Aristocracy, and this limited their political impact. Modern historians have suggested that despite outwards appearances of respectability, it was in fact an instrument of class war The league was very well funded; at just one meeting in October 1842, they raised over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50,000 and this funding enabled a huge campaign of leafleting and supporting candidates who were sympathetic to their aims at election. Despite this, evidence of their success is limited; at their peak in 1843, they had only managed to get four MPs into commons. This suggests that their influence on Peels decision to repeal the Corn Laws was not very great. However, there was an economic dimension to their campaign, and it is this intellectual argument that could be considered as influential in Peels decision to repeal the Corn Laws. Many members of the Anti Corn Law League were strong supporters of the new economic principles like free trade, and had reasoned that the Corn Laws were responsible for their low profits. The Corn Laws meant that the price of bread was relatively high, as it taxed the staple ingredient, wheat. As bread was a key part of the diet of the time, the factory owners had to pay higher wages to cover workers food costs, which meant that they were unable to maximise their profitability. A further effect of the high food prices was the lack of disposable income; people had to spend such a high proportion of their wages on food that they could not afford much else, so there was very little demand for consumer goods. This coupled with the damage that protection did to Britains export market, meant that the economy was slow, and was not developing and expanding into new areas a worry for Peel, who placed the economy very high on his list of priorities. However, many historians are of the opinion that so compelling was this argument that even without the league, the Corn Laws were already threatened. However, Peel had other influences that could have played a part on his decision to repeal the Corn Laws. The potato famine in Ireland caused a problem for Peel. He already faced opposition from many religious groups over the immorality of keeping prices high; they cited the phrase [he] that witholdeth corn, the people shall curse him from the bible to illustrate their argument. For the government to be seen to be so openly keeping the price high whilst its people were starving was embarrassing for the government. Although the famine would not be affected by the repeal, so cannot be considered the cause, Evans suggests that it provided the occasion for it. There is also the argument that Peel was simply being pragmatic in his decision to repeal the Corn Laws. Although Boyd Hilton suggests that Peel had decided that the Corn Laws had to be repealed as early as 1828, there is no direct evidence to suggest that even before 1844 Peel had made the decision to repeal the Law. In the election of 1841, over half of Tory candidates put forward the maintenance of agricultural protection as the main issue in their manifestos, and, as Evans wrote, the 1841 election was properly a victory for Protectionist Toryism, not Peelite Conservatism. In 1842, Peels public position remained that he was improving the Corn Laws, and was not intending to repeal them. It was not until 1843 that Peel mentioned ideas of removing agricultural protection to close colleagues. Even then, it can be seen merely as a response to the extraordinary economic recovery of Britain following the success 1842 budget, which lead many to believe that complete free trade was the way forward. Following the 1845 budget in which even more tariffs were reduced and eliminated, the Corn Laws increasingly stood out as an anomaly that was unjustifiable. Therefore, we can consider that it was not Peels free trade principles that lead him to his decision. The evidence suggests that although the Anti-Corn Law league was a formidable force in terms of its vast resources and stirring up of argument, it did not in fact have much impact on Peels decision. Peel was more concerned with the economy, and whether it is argued that he was committed to free trade early on or decided that it was a good idea after the experimental 1842 budget we can conclude that it was this preoccupation with the economy that was the main spark for Peels decision to repeal the Corn Laws. However, the issue of Ireland must also be considered, and although repeal would not have an effect on the situation there, it provided an occasion for Peel to complete the development of Britain into a free trading nation.

Culutual Anthropology :: essays papers

Culutual Anthropology As an amateur anthropologist, I was to participate in my observation, which I did to the best of my ability. Choosing my topic was the most difficult for me. Coming to America there are so many options that I could choose to research. So what was I to do? Well, being in the state of Kentucky, Lexington at that, I decided to research a sporting event in which Americans call basketball. As soon as I stepped of the big metal bird, I saw a picture of a wild cat holding a round orange ball. I remember thinking, "I could never hunt these animals, they are too smart, they are nothing similar to the ones in the Outback of Australia. So I stopped the person that rode next to me on the metal bird, "What is that animal doing with that ball?" He remarked, "We are in Lexington, home of the Kentucky Wildcats." With that he walked away. How could Kentucky be considered the home of the wildcat? We have many in the Outback. So, I continued down the nest where the birds drink and rest. Then it finall y hit me, the name of the basketball team were the Wildcats. I was well on my way to find these "Kentucky Wildcats." I arrived where they house the wildcats that play ball. The name of the cage was Rupp Arena. Apparently, I was not the only one interested in watching these trained animals play the sport of basketball. The price to watch these animals were extremely expensive; thirty dollars in American currency which would translate into 300 of my own currency. Once inside the cage I found that it was not at all what I thought it to be. There was an enormous amount of people present. In my observation this event is the biggest that people in this culture attend. In this cage you could smell a variety of things. Some smells were all too familiar from home; the urine smell as you walked into the place where people went to relieve themselves reminded me of the "Hole." They had many different foods that smelled nothing like anything that I have ever smelled before. They had a brown thing that was twisted into a weird design; they had something that was in the form of a triangle that looked like a piece of bread with cheese on top and round meat.

Epic of Gilgamesh Essay

The Epic of Gilgamesh serves as a great looking glass into a long lost culture in which most artifacts are lost. The story centers on Gilgamesh, a ruthless king who is two thirds god and one third man. As king, he does not meet his potentials of leadership as he is often self-centered and sometimes depicted as inhumane. When his dear friend Enkidu dies, he sets off to find immortality. He eventually fails, but during his journey, he came to terms with his mortality and became a more compassionate person. Even though the main characters are men, the women play small but vital roles along his journey. The women in this epic reveal that they are solely responsible for the civilization of Gilgamesh and Enkidu by means of dream interpretation, sex, and motherly instincts, because the men of this epic do not have the ability to do them on their own. As king, Gilgamesh does things of his own accord and with his own judgment. He terrifies his city with his ruthless behavior, and even upsets the gods. He takes away sons from families, and has his way with newly wedded brides on their honeymoon before the grooms. As Gilgamesh sees women as merely sex objects, it’s difficult to imagine that when he needs direction he goes to his mother, Ninsun â€Å"who is well-beloved and wise (page 66). † It is interesting to see that Gilgamesh sees every other woman as a sex object, except his mother. Some theories to support this impression could be that she is different, because she is a goddess. She, unlike, other women, is a divinity. Or perhaps it could simply be the fact that having his way with his mother is a bizarre concept and also a practice of incest. Gilgamesh has these dreams that he always takes very seriously as he sees them as messages. He consults only his mother to interpret these dreams for him. He explains to her his dream where a meteor fell and he couldn’t lift it. He confesses that â€Å"it’s attraction was like the love of a woman. They helped me, I braced my forehead and I raised it with thongs and brought it to you, and you yourself pronounced it my brother (page 66). † He told his other dream where, â€Å"in the streets of strong-walled Uruk there lay an axe; the shape of it was strange and the people thronged round. I saw it and was glad. I bent down, deeply drawn towards it; I loved it like a woman and wore it at my side (page 67). The reason for his confusion can stem from the fact that Gilgamesh loves the meteor and the axe like a woman, but they are both sex objects he does not understand. With his dreams revolving around the idea of love and femininity, this could be another reason why Gilgamesh seeks out a woman to interpret the dreams. Ninsun then interprets the dreams for him, saying that it foretells a friend coming. She tells Gilgamesh that he will, â€Å"love him as a woman and he will never forsake you. This is the meaning of the dream (page 66). † She is the one responsible for informing Gilgamesh on Enkidu’s arrival. This form of vital information from his mother is a way for her to civilize him. It distracts him from tormenting the city as he listens to the messages given to him. His mother promises something new that somewhat challenges his manhood unlike his current activities that seem very one-sided and in his favor. He now has something new to look forward to that could possibly defy him and concentrates on that. Another example of how women in this epic are sources of civilization is revealed in the chapter, â€Å"The Coming of Enkidu. † Enkidu was created by the gods to be an equal of Gilgamesh. Born wild and uncivilized, he was hairy and lived with the animals. After an encounter with a shepherd, a harlot from the â€Å"temple of love† was brought to civilize Enkidu. The shepherd told the harlot,† teach him, the savage man, your womanly ways, for when he murmurs love to you the wild beasts that shared his life in the hill will reject him (page 64). † After teaching him for six days and seven nights of her womanly art, Enkidu was indeed rejected from his animal friends â€Å"for wisdom was in him, and the thoughts of a man were in his heart (page 65). Feeling alone and unwanted, Enkidu returned to the harlot and allowed her to take him to the enlightened world. On the way, she clothed him, fed him, had him drink wine and treated him more as a child than a lover. This example illustrates one way that women were able to civilize men in this epic. The reason Enkidu returned to the harlot was simply because he liked her. The experience she gave to him was a positive one, one that was receptive and pleasurable. Enkidu returns to her in the hopes that she will give him more instruction and because she is the only person that will talk to him. This is a new relationship to him because it is already predicated to this woman taking charge and teaching him new ideas, customs, and how to live life as a real man. This shows that a woman’s sensuality and sexual appeal had a great power over men. Sex in this story is considered a sacred act. This act that went on for seven nights seemed to drain Enkidu of his wildness, leaving a civilized man. The positive experience that was given and the kindness of the harlot encouraged Enkidu to return as a civilized man and allow himself so be somewhat submissive to her. With the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh wants to find a way to immortality. Looking for a way to escape death, he finds Utnapishtim, an immortal man. Utnapishtim informs him that he must do something worthy to gain immortality like he did himself. After Gilgamesh fails his challenge miserably, Utnapishtim’s wife implores her husband to give Gilgamesh something for his troubles. We could infer here that she may have felt motherly instincts for Gilgamesh after seeing him in despair. It isn’t easy to find Utnapishtim or his wife, so perhaps her lack of company makes her feel extremely sentimental to those few that do visit. She asks her husband, â€Å"Gilgamesh came here wearied out, he is worn out; what will you give him to carry him back to his own country (page 116)? † Utnapishtim agrees and tells Gilgamesh of a powerful plant that can revive any man. Gilgamesh retrieves the plant, promising to share it with the elderly in his city, but then shortly after loses it. The part that Utnapishtim’s wife played in this chapter of the epic is a huge contribution to the final stage of civilization for Gilgamesh. . This part is vital because shows how she was able to influence her husband and play a significant role during Gilgamesh’s realization about mortality. If she had never convinced Utnapishtim to tell Gilgamesh about the plant we never would have seen a significant change in Gilgamesh when he swore to share the plants’ magical gifts. Losing the plant civilized him because it showed him how death is part of life, it’s unavoidable and inevitable. It is here that he realizes that although he himself may not live forever, his spirit of good leadership as king can. Although Utnapishtim’s wife is nameless and her role is small, it nonetheless started the final stage of civilization for Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh is about civilization and wilderness, death and immortality, love and war. This epic shows the masculinity of men and conveys the image that the men during this journey are in control. They say that a man is the head of the house, but the woman is the neck. She can turn the head any way she wants. Along this journey, it’s the women who civilize, educate, and comfort Enkidu and Gilgamesh on their journey. However, it does not show that the women are superior to men. Instead, it focuses on the fact that women are just as good, or equal to, the power of men. This epic reveals that it is vital for men and women to form a sort of partnership. This is a completely different idea of a relationship between men and women from the first chapter. In the beginning of the epic, there was no partnership between the sexes at all. Every way that Gilgamesh treated the women of his city was for his favor. It becomes necessary in the later chapters that in order to complete this epic journey, there must be a formulated partnership between the women and men. An example of this would be the real partnership between Utnapishtim and his wife. If these two were alone and separated, Gilgamesh would have gone home without anything to bring with him and would have never learned the true meaning of life or death. Together, Utnapishtim and his wife agreed to tell Gilgamesh of the powerful plant. This example illustrates that women are indeed very necessary to the story; however, there must be a sort of partnership between them and the men to truly be successful. From dream interpretation to sex to simply offering something of a cancellation prize, the women reveal that they are solely accountable for the civilization of Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

Dantes - 3100 Words

August 20, 2015 3.2.13 Practice: Revision Strategies The tempest one of the most difficult Shakespearean works in my opion to stage, from its stormy, chaotic first scene to its sureality to its ambiguous resolution, with Prospero facing his silent, treacherous brother and renouncing the power that has made every action in the story possible. Potent language remains the central force and mystery of this fathomless play. Prospero speaks almost a third of the lines in The Tempest, and controls the amount of speech every other character on the island has through manipulation and magic. Prospero’s narrative of how he came to the island, what he did once there, and what he is owed for this history, goes largely unchallenged in the text. Yet†¦show more content†¦I think that what Prospero is doing here has much to do with the process of the Othering as a method to make a binary opposition so that he can justify all his brutal and inhuman actions towards Caliban. Bartolomà © de Las Casas- 16th-century Spanish historian- talks about this process of Othering or let’s say considering the Others to be barbarous just because they cannot speak fluently the language of the Colonizer’s, just like what Prospero does towards Caliban, and he argues that it is not just, because the Others can also consider us as barbarous for not knowing our language: Prospero teaches Caliban to speak his language, but never gives him access to his books. There is no indication that Miranda ever sets her hands on these fabled tomes, either: Prospero controls the reality of both Caliban and Miranda through language and stories, giving them no other means of education or perspective. Caliban, forced to use the language of his oppressor, resorts to curses, and knows that the way to destroy Prospero is through his books, telling Stefano and Trinculo to burn them before they kill him. 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