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Literature Topics and Economics
2 Literature Topics and Economics
Author
Institution
Introduction
2. James Thomson, The Seasons
One of the most dominant features in the poem, “The Seasons” by James Thomson is its depiction of nature. From the preface to the end of the poem, Thomson acknowledges that there exists no other subject that is more amusing, elevating or ready to arouse the poetical enthusiasm, philosophical reflection, and moral sentiment than works of nature. The description of nature in this poem is a precursor for frequent meditations on numerous and different contemporary interests and ideas (Millar, 2003). The poem incorporates reflections on social and natural condition of man. It also reflects on the nature as the depiction of poetic renderings of the current notions pertaining to natural history, political enthusiasm, political comments, divine ordering mind, and praise of friends among others (Millar, 2003). Its themes and motifs are related to the recognizable natural universe. Thomson stirs the joy and glory that comes with the revitalizing nature in Spring, the magnificence of summer, the tranquility of autumn, as well as the obvious cruelty of winter. This poem had a tremendous appeal on both Romantics and Augustans and influenced both of them in a significant manner (Millar, 2003). It is said to foreshadow of Romantic Revolution in the literary world as it practically inaugurated the trend pertaining to descriptive meditative poetry. This category of poetry often used the descriptive detail in an effort to make up a certain mood. This was seen clearly in his praise for nature and countryside, not to mention his exaltation of what he calls “Retirement in Solitude” (Millar, 2003).
Slavery in Politics and Practice (200 words)
Slavery is one of the most popular topics in many works of literature. This is because the history of many nations is rooted in slavery where a country is either a slave master or a slave. In the essay “Taxation No Tyranny”, slavery is presented as acceptable and as a mutual relationship that is beneficial to both the slave and the master. The author tends to insinuate that both the slave and the slave master suffer the same fate. He states that a mother country is similar to a body with numerous parts or colonies (Johnson, 1913). In essence, they are affected by similar things albeit in different magnitudes. In addition, Samuel states that as much as chains are dreadful they are extremely crucial in deterring anarchy. They are, however, to be used only on individuals who cannot be restrained without them. However, these sentiments are not shared by Olaudah Equiano. In this autobiography titled “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African”, Equiano outlines the pathetic position that slaves occupy. The former slave depicts slavery as a vice that involves selling people for money like commodities. This situation is utterly degrading as seen in the episode where Equiano exercised his entrepreneurial skills in the hope of buying his freedom (Equiano, 1913). The two authors differ in their attitude towards slavery. Samuel seems to be fairly comfortable with the notion of slavery while Equiano resents it.
Monetary Policy: Objectives, Strengths and the Cause-Effect Chain
Monetary policy refers to a policy that employs the central banks’ regulation for the supply of money in the market so as to ensure stability of the economy. This policy is applied with the sole aim of fostering sustainable economic growth, as well as ensuring that inflation is held to a minimum. The effectiveness of monetary policy rests in the cause-effect chain. The supply of money is known to affect interest rates, which in return affects investments. It is worth noting that investment is one of the key components of aggregate demand, which in return is a key component of Gross Domestic Product. In essence, any change in investment translates into a change in the equilibrium GDP (Walsh, 2003).
Monetary policy has various objectives. First, it has the objective of ensuring rapid economic growth by regulating real interest rate, as well as its resultant effect on investment. In addition, monetary policy has to ensure price stability or that the value of money is stable. Monetary policy also ensures the stability of the exchange rate by modifying the foreign exchange reserves so as to influence the demand foreign exchange (Walsh, 2003). This, in effect, helps in stabilizing the exchange rate. Moreover, monetary policy has the objective of maintaining Balance of Payment Equilibrium. BOP may either have a BOP surplus or BOP Deficit. BOP Deficit reflects stringency in the supply of money while BOP Surplus underlines an excess money supply. The monetary policy would aim at maintaining monetary equilibrium thereby attaining BOP equilibrium(Walsh, 2003) . Monetary policy also aims at ensuring full employment in the economy, a situation that would be characterized by the absence of involuntary unemployment. Lastly, it also aims at ensuring equal distribution of income.
Monetary policy comes with a number of strengths. It is worth noting that monetary policy is a short-run action that enables policy makers to evaluate economic conditions, thereby promoting low inflation and sustainable economic growth in the long-term (Walsh, 2003). Monetary policy is also known to put a limit or roof on the housing costs, and the amount of rent placed on tenants. In addition, monetary policy sets limits pertaining to spending habits and debts by the government. This prevents the country from going into debt, something that would be disastrous for small countries (Walsh, 2003). Monetary policy also places restrictions as to tax collection. It controls the areas from which the government derives its taxes, as well as the frequency of collecting these taxes.
Reference
Equiano, O., (1789). The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. London: Author
Millar, A., (1938). The Works of Mr. Thomson, 2 volumes. London: Millar
Walsh C.E., (2003). Monetary Theory and Policy, 2nd Edition. New York: MIT Press
Johnson, S (1913). Taxation No Tyranny: An Answer To The Resolutions And Address Of The American Congress. New York: Pafraets & Company
West Englewood
West Englewood Problems
Student name
Institutional affiliation
West Englewood is a neighbourhood located in Southwest Chicago. Initially known as South Lynne, the neighbourhood covers an area of 3.151 square miles and has a population of approximately 32, 156 people. Currently, the neighbourhood is in a state of transition. The neighbourhood has close proximity to the Dan Ryan Expressway and Midway International airport, which helps in maintaining its accessibility and vitality. The neighborhood has plenty of public parks and single-family houses, and its business district is expanding. Notably, the city is commuter friendly and has a variety of housing options for buyers who are conscious of the budget. The majority of the people that live in West Englewood are black people, accounting for 91% of the population, followed by Hispanics. White people in the neighbourhood are rather few and only account for 1% of the population.
Despite being an excellent neighbourhood to live in, West Englewood continues to face a variety of problems. One of the main issues confronting the West Englewood neighbourhood is safety. West Englewood has been consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods to live in. It is the epicenter of violent behavior in Chicago. It is unfortunate that residents have to exist in fear when loving around the neighborhood. In West Englewood, about 46% of adults do not feel safe staying alone at night, while 35% say they do not feel safe staying alone during the day. Clear’s approach of getting law enforcement more involved in the community would go a long way in addressing the problem of insecurity in the neighborhood. This can be done by increasing police patrol at all times to monitor and respond to cases of insecurity. Another major problem facing West Englewood is health inequalities. The health conditions of West Englewood indicate deep and far-reaching impacts of historic and continuing systemic racism on communities that are predominantly African-American. A community-driven survey conducted on West Englewood and eight other neighborhoods point to health inequalities emanating from socioeconomic barriers of opportunity. Because people of color have been exempted from education, their chances of finishing school and getting a well-paying job are limited, limiting their ability to access quality healthcare. The best community intervention that can work for this issue is by increasing the diversity for health professionals and pushing for more aggressive heath professional education. The intervention would work as it addresses the problem at its roots.
West Englewood also grapples with the problem of high rates of unemployment. The city faces a huge problem of a dismal job market. A huge number of youths remain unemployed. The rate of unemployment has been stagnant for the past five years, with the figure hovering around 37%. This issue is dire to the extent that majority of the poor people are jobless and have to travel to suburbs to look for work in construction sites for minimum wage. Others hope from house to house looking for menial jobs to enough jobs to sustain them. Clear’s strategy of changing community mindset will not help address the problem because it does not address the issue at the root. Asking people not to choose jobs is not helpful if there are no jobs to choose from. The best way of addressing the high rates of unemployment is changing policies to do with seasonal unemployment and making changes to the education system. Another challenge facing West Englewood is obesity. In some parts of West Englewood, like Chicago Lawn, Park and North Lawndale, more than half of the women are obese. Additionally, 44% of the adult population is obese throughout the neighbourhood compared to 29 %, which is the national obesity. Mass education as an intervention for obesity would not help address the problem because obesity is a rather complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach.
Week Six Reflection
Week Six Reflection-Aira by Richard Rodriguez
Student’s name
Institutional affiliation
Week Six Reflection-Aira by Richard Rodriguez
Born in San Francisco, Richard Rodriguez is an American writer that became famous after writing Hunger of Memory (1982), where he narrates his journey to intellectual development. In Aira, Rodriguez shares his experiences of when he first stepped into a classroom at a catholic nun school. He talks about his transition through emotions of insecurity, self-doubt, and fear as he transitioned from the lonely home environment he was used to into the public world. From the first time Rodriguez stepped into a classroom, he learned that his culture would be a huge determinant of his experiences. On his first day at school, his teacher pronounced his name wrong when introducing him to the rest of the class. It was the first time that he had interacted with other children from diverse cultures. Although the nun was friendly, she said her name rather slowly and it sounded odd to him because he was used to being around Hispanics that pronounced his name the way it should (Rodriguez, 1983). In his experience, his first language made him be viewed as a minority. All his classmates at the school were white and were sons and daughters of business executives and lawyers. The learning experience for such children was different and not as hard as it was for Rodriguez.
Rodriguez got his education from various institutions. He first began studying at a school in Sacramento in California. By this time, he could only speak 50 English words. Elementary school was the most difficult point of his education because he had benefited from affirmative action policy, which made it possible for him to attend a Roman Catholic School in their neighbourhood. The school was largely dominated by white children and not many children looked like him. He was uneasy and shy as it was his first time being away from his family. Although he could barely speak English when he was beginning his studies, he finalized his academic efforts as a Fulbright scholar of renaissance literature with degrees from Columbia University and Stanford University. After benefiting from affirmative action, he was offered a teaching job at the Prestigious Yale University, but he turned it down. His experiences and education had taught him that taking the job would be an unsolicited advantage given by affirmative action. Perched on the edge of his brilliant career in academia, he said the preference would be unfair to other people.
What inspired Rodriguez to be the man he is today is his experiences as a Hispanic immigrant in the United States. His decision to be an author and essayist was ignited by affirmative action. He notes that the point in his life when affirmative action meant something to him was when he was still young and his family was struggling as a middle-class family. However, soon, his experiences at school changed him. He stopped seeing himself as a minority and started seeing himself as a being part of the majority culture. This is the moment his life took a turn for the better. He became empowered to the point that he turned down a job offer at a prestigious institution. The moment he began recognizing that English was his language, he started his journey into no longer feeling separated by language and culture. Rodriguez has an interesting view of American society. He believes that the necessity for educating poor children is to teach children how to speak the public language and not languages like English or Spanish. Rodriguez firmly holds that many children do not understand that they have the necessity and right to use language publicly.
References
Rodriguez, R. (1983). Hunger of memory: The education of Richard Rodriguez: An autobiography. Bantam.