The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Essay

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - Essay Example The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is a grant that aims to help move recipients into work, and therefore turn the welfare into a temporary assistance program. The report focuses on effecting changes in the social programs of the United States. It targets the branch of the government that deals with temporary assistance for families classified as needy (TANF). The recipients of this report are the various organizations, both governmental and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), which deal with welfare funding. Following the continuous complaints from American citizens about the social welfare of the working class, the issue of primary concern is that the current program falls under the Social Security Act enacted on August 14th, 1935. The nation has formed welfare recipients under the renewed act. The renewed act is the Personal Responsibility Act of 1996 based on work opportunity reconciliation. Problem Statement According to government statistics, the TANF program is represented by 31% of white families, 33% black, and 29% Hispanic (Kearn, 2000). It is important to note that the aim of the program is to provide funds to needy families with a five-year limit on financial assistance. In fact, total welfare spending for the year ending 2010 reached an astounding $900 billion. The problem arises when, even with the large amounts spent on assisting poor families, more families keep being added to the system.

Race and Racial Group Essay Example for Free

Race and Racial Group Essay Search the Internet for groups and organizations promoting racial equality to help you complete this assignment. You may also refer to the Internet Resource Directory in Ch. 13 of Racial and Ethnic Groups. Using the information from the text and your web search: Identify one racial group from the list below:  · Hispanic American/Latino Write a 500- to 750-word paper from one of the perspectives below:  · A historian writing about the racial group in a book chapter  · A news reporter writing a newspaper article or blog entry about the racial group  · An individual member of the racial group, writing a personal letter to a friend who is not a member of that racial group Answer the following questions:  · What have been the experiences of this racial group throughout U. S. history?  · What have been the political, social, and cultural issues and concerns throughout American history?  · What legislation meant to constrain race within prejudicial boundaries was enacted? How did the various groups you researched fight this legislation? What legislation meant to alleviate prejudicial boundaries has been enacted? How did the various groups you researched promote this legislation? Assignment: Historical Report on Race Purpose of Assignment Students explore a variety of resources on racial equality and write a paper from a historical perspective relating to the experiences of a particular racial group in the United States. By understanding the history of experiences of various groups, students will be better prepared to connect historical experience to racial diversity today. Resource Required Internet Resource Directory in Ch. 13 of Racial and Ethnic Groups

Implementation Of Marketing Strategies In Marvel Inc

Implementation Of Marketing Strategies In Marvel Inc Ronald Perelman an investor brought Marvel and caused a decline in late 1990s when Marvel filed for bankruptcy. This caused chaos in the company and battles were common among the various parties. But like Marvels characters a savior called Toy Biz, Inc came to the rescue and on October 1, 1998 they acquired Marvel Entertainment Group and named it Marvel Enterprises, Inc. After this change the company started to perform and the future was looking better. At present it is owned by The Walt Disney Company and known as Marvel Entertainment, LLC. Marvel provides its services through the means of comics, T.V., movies, toys, video games, etc. and has created a universe of great characters for the audiences. Marvels Characters Profile Marvel has 8000 various characters in all and each of these characters has helped to create Marvel Entertainment, LLC, therefore in this section some of the valuable characters of the company will be identified and what they brought to Marvel. The most famous characters in the Marvel Universe are Spiderman, Wolverine, The Hulk, Captain America the Punisher; these are considered to be among the top 10 comic characters ever (Albert, 2010). Five of Marvels characters are among the top 10 and in terms of market share for the year 2010 Marvel has acquired 45.52% of unit share and 40.66% for dollar share (Doran, 2010), which makes them number one in the world. In addition T.V. and movies have also helped in the popularity of the characters, as due to the release of Spider-Man Trilogy, X-Men Trilogy, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men Origin: Wolverine, etc. in the movie section and The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes, Iron Man Armored Adventure, Wolverine and the X-Men, The Spectacular Spider-Man, etc. have been ruling the T.V. (Marvel Characters, Inc., 2010). Among the five top Marvel characters Spider-Man is considered to be the most popular as the story line has been innovating through the years. The popularity of this character is so huge that every kid and adult appreciates this character and this craze has grown with the release of several comics, T.V. shows, action figures, movies, video games, etc. The story of Spider-Man begins by Peter Parker being bit by a spider that ends up causing a mutation in him, which giving him extra-ordinary powers like climbing walls, shooting webs and a spider sense. The actual cause for this characters popularity was the character Peter Parker (Spider Man) who has issues like every other teenage boy and is also in love with one of the lead characters Mary Jane Watson and together it created not just a superhero story but also a love story that helped to attract teenagers. As for the other characters they also have similar story lines e.g. The Hulk and Captain also got their powers due to mutation, where as Wolverine is a Mutant himself and The Punisher takes revenge for the loss of his loved ones. In terms of villains that Marvel has created characters like Magneto, Doctor Doom, Galactus, Loki, Dark Phoenix and Kingpin, which are also among the top 10 comic book villains. As can be seen in the above table Marvel holds the market in this aspect as well and these characters have also played a major role in the popularity of the comics as people love to see their heroes defeating the most powerful villains. Marvel has always tried to give exactly what their market demands, whether it is their heroes, villains or story line and this has given them great success. Market Segmentation and Distribution Plans Comics Books The most famous characters have been the Spider-Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four and have also provided huge revenues. The major segments could be identified as male teenagers and young adults. These comic books were distributed using three ways which were direct market, mass market and subscription sales basis. The direct market distributers consisted of comic book specialty stores who had a large carrying capacity that could take as many products as Marvel liked; this was also lions share to the net revenue. The mass market consisted of bookstores and newsstands and these were distributed in huge stores like Wal-Mart and Target but offered a limited selection of comics. The subscription sales basis was a concept where the target market could directly purchase comics from Marvel for a subscription fee which tends to be on monthly or yearly basis. In 2003 Marvel sold almost 3.6 million copies and this were divided among the kids teens market and young adult market. The figure below wil l identify the market share of the market segments on the comic books in terms of percentage which is 56% for Young Adults and 44% for Kids and Teens. Figure : Comics Market Segment sales for 2003 Toys Manufacturing Toys are not the major revenue provider for Marvel but play a critical role towards loyalty as the major market for these products are kids from the age of four to twelve and collectors who increase the market value of the products especially action figures. Marvel sold the entire characters toy manufacturing license to TBW a Hong Kong based independent company for a royalty fee of 15% but this was with the exception of Spider-Man who rights belonged to Sony. The marketing and even the sales of these toys were done by Marvel themselves. With exception of some few selected figures that were sold through specialty stores and comic-book stores the figures were sold using the means of retailers, mass merchandisers, mall-order companies and variety stores. In terms of market segmentation kids accounted for 80% and the other 20% were collectors and this will be shown using a pie chart. Figure : Toys Market Segment in terms of Market Share Licensing Motion Pictures Marvel licensed all of their major characters to Movie Companies some of them being Spider-Man to Sony, X-Men to 20th Century Fox, The Hulk to Universal, The Punisher to Lions Gate, etc. and with exception of The Punisher all the other major characters were box office hits. The Movie that has made the most gross revenue was Spider-Man whose production cost was $139M where as the gross revenue was $404M in US and $822M worldwide. In relation to the rights the various studio determine the release timing and strategy but Marvel retained the merchandising rights and never contributed to the movie production marketing expenses. The revenue sharing consisted of 7% to 16% on gross revenue and 50% on the operating profit minus production costs, costs of prints, advertising expenditures, and distribution fees. In terms of market segmentation all of the motion pictures are R or PG-13 rated and this meant that the major segment consisted of Adults above the age of 18, as for the other segments they would teens between the age of 13 and 17. Other Media These are mainly DVD, video games, and also licensing to theme parks, shopping malls and special events. In relation to DVD a certain number of characters appeared in Lions Gate animated DVD and as for video games licensing Marvel have several licensing contracts with various game creators like Activision, Encore, Universal Games, THQ, and Electronic Arts (EA). In terms of market segmentation these were similar to motion pictures and were mainly teenagers and adults. Strategy and Recommendation In this section specific strategy with some recommendations will be mentioned which would help Marvel Enterprises, Inc. to grow and improve their present strategies. Comic-Book Publications At present Marvel is ranked as the best comic book publisher with market share above 40% and some of their recent growth has been due to the Avengers, Siege, Secret Avengers, and Uncanny X-Men and most of their new releases sold for $3.99 which is $1 more than their usual prices which means that even though prices increased the readers were willing to pay for them. In the above table it can be noticed that DC has many more comics in the list than Marvel but in actual The Avenger made huge sales which contributed to the increase in market share of the company. Marvel underperformed with the sales of graphic novels trade paperbacks as DC was able to achieve three of the top five spots (Doran, 2010). This clearly means that Marvel need to reconsider their strategy and they should consider bringing back Wolverine, Spider Man, The Hulk, etc. and even though Deadpool and Iron Man have been in the top ten they still are not one of the major sales characters for Marvel (Doran, 2010). Marvel at present is trying to bring some of the older and non famous characters in to the picture but the issue is that these characters have never been able to attract the market in the past so even considering bringing them would be to some extent risky but instead Marvel could consider making special appearances from some of the more famous characters like Spider Man, Wolverine, The Hulk, etc. and this intern would give the newer character some much needed support to become famous. Toy Production Toys play an important role in creating customer loyalty as kids and adults alike can read or watch their favorite characters and as long as there is nothing new but when it comes to toys and action figures there will always be a continues demand for it, thus it is important to focus more on trying to bring new toys to the market. The most sold toy for Marvel in a decade has been The Hulk Hands which sold 4 million units in 2003 but the thing to notice is that after the release of The Hulk Hands no other toy as mad an impact on the sales, thus Marvel might consider creating newer toys that could be in the same standard as The Hulk Hands. Another strategic issue is their toy makers as at present Marvel produces all their toys from one Toy Company and this is also the reason why there is no new creative ideas coming forth as after some period of time every company exhausts their creativity and resources, consequently the right decision for Marvel would be to change their producers or m ay be even have more than one producers for various characters and this will force competitions between the producers to make newer and better products one of the products that could work is making trading cards like Baseball, WWE, Yu Gi Oh, etc., this is an easy method to keep the children and youngsters interested in the characters. In addition to that the company could also hire an external company to keep a track of the quality and durability of the products this will help to keep the company on their toes thus driving them to success. Motion Pictures Marvel has sold rights of Spider Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, X-Men, etc. to various studios and there are many more characters that have been expected to make the re-entry in the movie industry like Thor, Captain America, Ghost Rider, Deadpool, Magneto, etc. but the issue here is that due to whatever reasons the movies are releasing at an extremely slow pace which to some extent is causing a fall in the market share and according to speculations the major reasons for releasing some of these characters is to make the movie The Avengers which includes some of the most famous characters of Marvel but the issue would be that it would take at least three years for the release as there are at least 3 more characters that have to be released. So a valuable recommendation would be to try to force the studios to release these movies at a quicker pace or to give the rights of the other remaining characters to the other studios as most of these characters could be released at the same time period. Other Recommendation Marvel has to first embrace that DC comics may not be performing well at present but their misfortunes could change quickly thus Marvel needs to understand that DCs major hope in terms of movies, comics and T.V. are Superman and Batman. Batman has recently gained a large market due to the release of The Dark Knight which has shifted the movie market in their favor and this is mainly due to their villain The Joker played by Heath Ledger. On the bright side Marvel has also released several movies that have created interest in the market but to tackle this problem Marvel will need to try and release the Avengers which seems to be the only story in their arsenal that could shift the whole market and at the same time release toys and video games which will help the market growth. Another recommendation would be to take more interest in the companies that are producing their characters whether through toys or movies as any mistake from the companies could truly damage their characters imag e and having control on what goes on in the movie and the toy company would be one of the better options for them and this could easily be done by sending one of their creative personals to be involved in the products.

Richard Wilbur Essay -- Biography

â€Å"It is true that the poet does not directly address his neighbors; but he does address a great congress of persons who dwell at the back of his mind, a congress of all those who have taught him and whom he has admired; that constitute his ideal audience and his better self† (â€Å"Richard Wilbur†, National Book Foundation). Richard Wilbur spoke this famous quote at his National Book Award speech in 1957. Many of the events in Wilbur’s life transitioned to his acceptance of this award, but he did not know what direction his life was going in at the time. From the events in his early childhood learning how to write from his maternal grandfather and great-grandfather, to his later becoming a World War II veteran and getting a degree from Harvard University, and everything in-between, Richard Wilbur spent the rest of his life creating a breathtaking assortment of poems which largely connected to his early life. Richard Wilbur’s birth and early life led to his first spark of interest in writing at a young age when he met his grandfather and great-grandfather. He was born on March 1st, 1921 in New York City, New York (Haralson 759). Richard lived in North Caldwell, New Jersey for the rest of his pastoral childhood with his middle-class family (Gioia). They resided on a large property and they did not have many neighbors (Gioia). He enjoyed wandering off to random places on the property with his brothers, and he enjoyed the nature, which inspired some of his later poetry (Gioia).Wilbur’s maternal grandfather and his great-grandfather were both editors and Wilbur began to acquire a love for journalism stronger than his love for painting like his father (â€Å"Richard Wilbur†, Poetry Foundation). He enjoyed the company of his grandfather and gre... ...people think more about the life in which they live everyday. His poems connected to his life, e.g. the poems about nature in The Beautiful Changes connected to his life on a large property and its connections to his time on the battlefield. Wilbur closed out his National Book Award acceptance speech by saying: â€Å"Writing poetry, then, is an unsocial way of manufacturing a thoroughly social product. Because he must shield his poetry in its creation, the poet, more than other writers, will write without recognition. And because his product is not in great demand, he is likely to look on honors and distinctions with the feigned indifference of the wallflower. Yet of course he is pleased when recognition comes; for what better proof is there that for some people poetry is still a useful and necessary thing -- like a shoe† (â€Å"Richard Wilbur†, National Book Foundation). Richard Wilbur Essay -- Biography â€Å"It is true that the poet does not directly address his neighbors; but he does address a great congress of persons who dwell at the back of his mind, a congress of all those who have taught him and whom he has admired; that constitute his ideal audience and his better self† (â€Å"Richard Wilbur†, National Book Foundation). Richard Wilbur spoke this famous quote at his National Book Award speech in 1957. Many of the events in Wilbur’s life transitioned to his acceptance of this award, but he did not know what direction his life was going in at the time. From the events in his early childhood learning how to write from his maternal grandfather and great-grandfather, to his later becoming a World War II veteran and getting a degree from Harvard University, and everything in-between, Richard Wilbur spent the rest of his life creating a breathtaking assortment of poems which largely connected to his early life. Richard Wilbur’s birth and early life led to his first spark of interest in writing at a young age when he met his grandfather and great-grandfather. He was born on March 1st, 1921 in New York City, New York (Haralson 759). Richard lived in North Caldwell, New Jersey for the rest of his pastoral childhood with his middle-class family (Gioia). They resided on a large property and they did not have many neighbors (Gioia). He enjoyed wandering off to random places on the property with his brothers, and he enjoyed the nature, which inspired some of his later poetry (Gioia).Wilbur’s maternal grandfather and his great-grandfather were both editors and Wilbur began to acquire a love for journalism stronger than his love for painting like his father (â€Å"Richard Wilbur†, Poetry Foundation). He enjoyed the company of his grandfather and gre... ...people think more about the life in which they live everyday. His poems connected to his life, e.g. the poems about nature in The Beautiful Changes connected to his life on a large property and its connections to his time on the battlefield. Wilbur closed out his National Book Award acceptance speech by saying: â€Å"Writing poetry, then, is an unsocial way of manufacturing a thoroughly social product. Because he must shield his poetry in its creation, the poet, more than other writers, will write without recognition. And because his product is not in great demand, he is likely to look on honors and distinctions with the feigned indifference of the wallflower. Yet of course he is pleased when recognition comes; for what better proof is there that for some people poetry is still a useful and necessary thing -- like a shoe† (â€Å"Richard Wilbur†, National Book Foundation).

Dr. Martin Luther King Essay

Early in the 20th century, Mohandas Gandhi started his political career in South Africa, resisting the discrimination against the Indian people in South Africa. Despite some successes, segregation in South Africa remained a very real reality until the 1990’s. Gandhi went back to India and achieved perhaps one of the greatest feats in history, liberating India from the yoke of colonialism through nonviolent passive resistance. Gandhi’s strategy yielded much less spectacular results in South Africa. It may have been deducted then that nonviolent passive resistance does not work everywhere and was successful mainly due to Gandhi’s leadership or the culture of the Indian people. But then came along another great visionary. Martin Luther King Jr. showed the world that nonviolent passive resistance works, not just in India, not just under Gandhi’s leadership, but also in the Western world. What Martin Luther King Jr. achieved inspired millions of South Africans who knew very well what segregation and discrimination meant. His words and the example he set avoided a bloodbath in a racial civil war in South Africa as it did here in America. Our media was filled with reports of the civil rights struggle. Despite the South African government’s attempts to turn King’s work into an example of the anarchy that would explode should apartheid be abolished, people saw and understood that justice will prevail and that violence is not the answer. (Richard, 1989) South Africa’s own icon of peace and forgiveness, Nelson Mandela, was filled with hope and conviction by what King had achieved. There are so many parallels between the lives of these two great men. Mandela like King unleashed great power among his people that led to their liberation. Both men throughout their lives encouraged a path not of hate and violence, but of non-violence and love. It may be what gave Mandela the courage to walk out of prison after 27 years and conquer what must have been a strong innate urge to retaliate with bitterness and hate. It is possible that Dr King’s words and work gave Mandela the strength to forgive and the conviction to lead his people to reconciliation in the miracle that is South Africa. What touched me was Dr. King’s dedication to the dignity of the human being. He fought against all practices that robbed people of their dignity and pride. His speeches spoke to the best that resides in all of us. He reawakened my awareness of our ability to walk in righteousness and dignity, despite circumstances and the actions of others. (Kenneth, 1974) Dr. King’s vision went beyond racial discrimination and the borders of the USA. He remained committed to uplifting the poor and oppressed, white and black, and those committed in war. Dr King’s words have convinced me that the only way to heal this world is for all of us to realize that we are all one. We are all part of humanity and the suffering of any one of us, affects all of us. Uplifting the poor and the oppressed can only be done by allowing people respect, dignity and justice. In addition to food and shelter, we all need to hold our heads high in dignity, to be proud of our lives and ourselves. Martin Luther King, Jr was the leader of civil rights in United States. He has dedicated his life to the struggle for the racial equality of African Americans. In August 28th, 1963, King gave one of his most influencing speeches entitled â€Å"I Have A Dream. † The speech was a critical step toward civil rights movement, because without it, King’s opinions of freedom and equality would never reach the hearts of his people, and they would never stand up as a whole to defend themselves. During the speech, King successfully expressed his opinions, and emotionally affected many listeners. This success came from his sensitive approach to audience, his ingenious use of style, and his inspirational tone. (Harry, 1986) Primarily, the speech was given publicly to a huge number of audiences of both live and televised. King was fully aware that in order to let his audience to favor his point of view, he has to be sensitive to them in every possible way. First of all, King demonstrated sensitivity by selecting a universal topic: racial rights and freedom. This was an issue not only to the black community, but also to rest of the world. When King declared: â€Å"all of God’s children†¦ sing, free at last†, it is evident that he included all the people: blacks and whites, in the matter of freedom, and therefore became more appealing to his audience. (Marvyn, 2000) Furthermore, King tried to approach his audience through their emotions. He described his vivid dreams in which blacks and whites are able to live together in harmony and peace. â€Å"I have a dream†¦. † The audience was obviously deeply touched by these images, and they could all imagine what a new and joyous world they could be living in. King successfully achieved his emotive purpose through these words, and bonded with the hearts of his audience. Lastly, King had given hope to his audience. â€Å"The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. † The hope King had promised for his audience brightened their future ahead, and the audience in return would have to listen to King in order for their dream to come true. (Marvyn, 2000) In summary, King’s selection of a universal topic, his sensitive approach to emotions and his promises of future freedom all contributed in achieving his emotive purpose, and only by doing that, he would be able to persuade the audience to do what he says. The language King used to convey his opinions was impressive. He used a lot of strong emotional words in crucial sentences, for example: â€Å"sweltering with the heat of oppression† or â€Å"seared in the flames of withering injustice. † (Garth Baker-Fletcher, 1993) All these metaphors were used very effectively to provoke passion of the audience. The vivid words used in these metaphors, such as sweltering, heat of oppression or withering injustice conveyed strong emotional feelings in the audience, which allowed them to think about the seriousness of the issue being discussed more clearly. (Keith, 1992) Again, King’s language helped and supported his emotive purpose toward his audience. Other than the figurative language, King also used connotative statements to arouse feelings and reactions from audience. (Clayborne, 1991) An example can be found in the sentence: â€Å"black men as well as white man, should be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. † In the sentence, King connoted racial equality, which is the big theme he had been discussing about, through common ideas of joy and freedom. This way, his audience would understand his opinions better and produce a more emotional reaction to him. To sum up, through King’s use of strong emotional words, figurative and connotative language, he was able to convey his opinions more effectively. In 1963, the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference decided on the audacious move of attacking segregation in one of its most prominent areas, Birmingham, Alabama. This has been coined â€Å"the Negro Revolution†? by many historians. The day after the city’s municipal elections, Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s Southern Christian Leadership Conference opened their campaign. The civil rights movement underwent a dramatic transition as the nation watched the brutality of segregationist retaliation in Birmingham, despite the SCLC’s commitment to direct, nonviolent action. (John, 1982) Working in conjunction with Birmingham’s civil rights leaders, King coordinated a campaign with the aim of attacking segregation with the use of rallies, sit-ins, picketing, and demonstrations. Eugene â€Å"Bull† Connor’s stubborn refusal to give way to the civil rights movement gave the movement the attention that it needed. Bull Connor was determined to maintain the status quo, even if that meant resorting to violent tactics. Birmingham was the last area of fortified segregation, a blue-collar city full of racially-motivated violence, in which two strong and opposing forces confronted each other in full view of the nation. Connor represented the force that wielded water hoses and police dogs; the other force was represented by Martin Luther King and a movement struggling to bring to light the plight of blacks. Connor’s popularity, as demonstrated by his six victories in city commission races, was due to white voters, workers and corporate leaders alike. (Lerone, 1968) In addition of Martin Luther King’s language, his tone used during the speech was also helpful in transmitting his ideas. Dr. King used a combination of negative, positive and neutral tones in the speech. All of these helped to develop a strong emotional feeling in audience, once again related to King’s desire of emotive purpose. The speech started with a historical fact that the Emancipation Proclamation â€Å"came as the great beacon light of hope for millions of Negro slaves†¦ but 100 years later the Negro still is not free. † Through this neutral tone, King implied that his people had been cheated by the great democratic nation, and such statements could let part of the audience to ponder if they were the ones responsible for the mistake, and consequently, they would start to feel regretful and change their attitude for racial equality. One example of negative tone is found in a metaphoric sentence: â€Å"America has give the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked â€Å"Insufficient Funds†¦ † in which King expressed his view on the situation of freedom, and implied his audience to take immediate actions to stop this ridiculous deed. And later on, he switched to a more positive tone: â€Å"I say to you, my friends†¦ † here, he was approaching his audience in a more friendly way, and this relates back to the sensitivity for audience: to evoke a sense of compassion in the audience. For these reasons, King’s use of tone was effective in leading his audience to favor his point of view, and to strengthen sensitivity toward audience. In conclusion, with a careful sensitivity toward audience, extraordinary language and an adequate tone, Dr. Martin Luther King was able to emotionally affect his audience, and ultimately to persuade them to follow the path to freedom. (Brian, 1985) It was once said that the future is like a locked door and that education is the key to open a new world of possibilities. Dr. King was a firm believer in education for the youth of America. He encouraged all children in his neighborhood to go to school and college. He also donated money to extremely poor families to keep their children in school. At any rate, Dr. King basically believed that a stronger America relied on a more intelligent America. Dr. King voiced his ideas and stood up for what he believed in like no other person has done before. During the 1960’s when society was living out a lie with segregation, Dr. King was like a booming voice of truth. Above all else, he suffered personal damage to his home as well as threats made to his family for his actions during the civil rights movement. However, Dr. King pushed on insisting that one-day people will realize that what they are doing is wrong and that he would be there protesting segregation until they did so. This beacon in the night kept his promise to convey his infuriation for segregation until the late 1960’s in which he was assassinated for nothing more than his personal beliefs. Without a doubt, if Dr. King were alive today the world would be a safer place for everyone. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most influential man of the 20th century. He believed in equality for all in a time when America was separated like day and night. Also, he supported education, which in his eyes, served as the backbone of the betterment of society and the foundation for the future. However, the trait that most remember him for was his ability to voice his opinion like no other person has ever done before. References Brian M. Kane, â€Å"The Influence of Boston Personalism on the Thought of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. † (Boston University, 1985) Clayborne Carson , et al. , 1991; â€Å"Martin Luther King, Jr. as Scholar: A Reexamination of His Theological Writings,† Journal of American History 78:1 :95 Garth Baker-Fletcher: 1993, Somebodyness: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Theory of Dignity (Minneapolis: Fortress Press) Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1986; â€Å"Martin Luther King, Jr. Borrows a Revolution: Argument, Audience, and Implications of a Secondhand Universe,† College English 48:2: 249-65 John J. Ansbro, Martin Luther King, Jr. : The Making of a Mind ( Maryknoll, N. Y. : Orbis Books, 1982).

Blame in Romeo and Juliet Essay

In the play â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† a series of unfortunate the circumstances and illogical decisions force the protagonists into an impossible position ultimately resulting in their death. As Il-fated as the two â€Å"star-crossed lover’s† may have been the root of all their problems can be traced back to rash decisions by characters and circumstances placed unfairly on characters by warped societal expectations. While the Friar had nothing but the best intentions his illogical and somewhat naive decisions contributed greatly to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo’s impulsive, dangerous and irrational behavior is also to blame. Societal expectations and outside influences can be partly to blame for many of the characters irrational decisions. Although these expectations could be to blame for two lovers parents behavior it does not justify them completely, thus they are also to blame. None of these reasons can be blamed in isolation but all contributed to the ultimate outcome of Romeo and Juliets relationship. The Friar was very mush to blame for the tragic outcome of Romeo and Juliet. He was continuously relied on for advice from Romeo and Juliet and failed to acknowledge his mistakes after their deaths. The Friar is blame because he married the two with their parents consent and thought that Romeo’s love lied â€Å" not truly in [his] heart, but in [his] eyes†. Instead he foolishly chose to marry the two, purely â€Å"to turn [their] households’ rancor to pure love† despite being unknowing of the true nature of their dispute as a priest. Not only this, but he also expressed that things were moving too fast and that â€Å"violent delights (such as Romeo’s and Juliet’s love) have violent ends† but continued with the wedding anyway. He failed to listen to his own wisdom and take things â€Å"wisely and slowly†. Despite prolonging the lives of two suicidal teenagers, they placed their trust in him when he promised to â€Å"blaze [their] marriage†¦beg pardon to the Prince, and call thee back†. Because he made no attempt at doing so, he instilled false hope into the couple, which also contributed to their deaths. Furthermore he failed to personally deliver the letter explaining Juliet’s faked death to Romeo, instead outsourcing it to another Friar without telling him of its urgency. This lack of responsibility repeats itself when he gives an unstable, teenage girl a fake-death poison, a risky idea he should have known better not to do. Furthermore, he leaves Juliet when she is at her most vulnerable,  alone together with her dead husband. Because he was the only adult Romeo could trust, the Friar’s naive, rash and immature decisions that neglected to look after Romeo and Juliet properly were at the epicenter for why their deaths occurred. The melodramatic character of Romeo is also very much to blame for his fate because of his impulsive decisions and his inability to control his emotions. Mature enough to show genuine love for Juliet he is unable to make logical decisions. Although he showed enough common sense to avoid a fight with Tybalt it is clear that when misfortune swallows Romeo he becomes an impulsive and somewhat selfish person, valuing his own pride over a life together with Juliet. His immaturity is illustrated when he describes himself as â€Å"fortunes fool† or saying that Juliet made him weak, as he is merely passing the blame along rather than accepting full responsibility. It is obvious that because of Romeo’s weakness, Juliet suffers too. Whether it is taking a potion or killing herself she continuously risks her neck to help undo her husband’s wrongdoings. In Friar Laurence’s words Romeo â€Å"is set afire by thine own ignorance†¦ like powder in a skill-less soldiers flask.† By climbing the Capulet’s walls, marrying Juliet within days, killing Tybalt and himself, his lack of foresight and awareness of how his actions affected others ultimately lead to Juliet’s and his own death. The pressures and expectations formed and enforced by society, forced the characters, into impossible situations, which forced difficult and risky decisions. The Patriarchal society meant women such as Juliet had no voice in things such as their own marriage. This, coupled with the unjustified conflict in Verona meant that Juliet was unable to Marry in public, which set off a chain of events ultimately leading to her death. These same values forced Romeo into conflict with the malevolent Tybalt. At first he eludes fighting, telling Tybalt that he â€Å"loves thee better than thou cant devise† but despite being loving person at heart the patriarchal society which promoted masculinity acted as a catalyst for Romeos impulsive character. The corrupting influence of this societal value forced Romeo to maintain honor and revenge Tybalt because Juliet â€Å"made him effeminate† or weak like a women. Furthermore the societal values of loyalty to one family meant pride  alone kept the futile conflict a part of everyone’s lives. Because of this and the need to respect ones elders unconditionally it meant that Romeo and Juliet were not able to stand up to their parents and declare the marriage public. When Juliet showed any sort of rebellion toward her parent regarding marriage she was abused and practically disown. Even after this loyalty to her family influenced Juliet to use â€Å" a thing like death† in order to be with Romeo and â€Å"to ‘scape from (the shame)† that would come with running away from her family. The Parents of Romeo and Juliet are also to blame because as adults they should have showed maturity and put away their pride like the youthful Romeo and Juliet and put an end to the unjustified conflict. Firstly Capulet directly influences the outcome by forcing the marriage between Juliet and Paris despite Juliet’s obvious discomfort. But as adults they had the greater responsibility of putting an end to the conflict but quite to the contrary they were seen encouraging and wanting to actively engage in it when the fight broke out between rival servants. The reason for the tragedy cannot be blamed on fate because the environment that the parents created meant that their whole love affair was doomed from the beginning. There was no-way their marriage in secret could last forever because enviably Juliet would be forced to marry somebody else. The hope, which the youthfulness of Romeo and Juliet embodied, was foiled by the reality created by their parents. Without this mutual ha ted the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio would not have occurred, and there would be no issue marrying Romeo thus the outcome of the play can be directly attributed to the conflict instilled in society by the parents of Romeo and Juliet. In the play a series of unfortunate situations and illogical decisions by characters create a downhill spiral, which escalates ultimately to the death of Romeo and Juliet. The Friar can be regarded as the character that should have and did know better but failed to act accordingly. While Romeo blinded by emotions failed to make logical decisions or take into account the impact they had on others. These characters were put under unnecessary pressure by social expectations that existed primly because the parents of Romeo and Juliet failed to stop the unjustified conflict in Verona. None of these  factors can be blamed in isolation they all were pivotal causes of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.