Oliver Goldsmiths Classic Essay on the Man in Black

Oliver Goldsmith's Classic Essay on the Man in Black Best known for his comic play She Stoops to Conquer and the novel The Vicar of Wakefield, Oliver Goldsmith was also one of the most prominent essayists of the 18th century. The Character of the Man in Black (originally published in the Public Ledger) appears in Goldsmiths most popular essay collection, The Citizen of the World. Though Goldsmith said that the Man in Black was modeled on his father, an Anglican curate, more than one critic has observed that the character bears a striking resemblance to the author: In fact, Goldsmith himself seems to have had difficulty reconciling his philosophic opposition to charity with his own tenderness toward the poorthe conservative with the man of feeling. . . . As foolishly luxurious as Goldsmith may have considered [the Man in Blacks] behavior, he apparently found it natural and almost unavoidable for a man of sentiment.(Richard C. Taylor, Goldsmith as Journalist . Associated University Presses, 1993) After reading The Character of the Man in Black, you may find it worthwhile to compare the essay with Goldsmiths A City Night-Piece and with George Orwells Why Are Beggars Despised? Letter 26: The Character of the Man in Black, With Some Instances of His Inconsistent Conduct To the Same. 1 Though fond of many acquaintances, I desire an intimacy only with a few. The Man in Black, whom I have often mentioned, is one whose friendship I could wish to acquire, because he possesses my esteem. His manners, it is true, are tinctured with some strange inconsistencies; and he may be justly termed a humorist in a nation of humorists. Though he is generous even to profusion, he affects to be thought a prodigy of parsimony and prudence; though his conversation be replete with the most sordid and selfish maxims, his heart is dilated with the most unbounded love. I have known him profess himself a man-hater, while his cheek was glowing with compassion; and, while his looks were softened into pity, I have heard him use the language of the most unbounded ill-nature. Some affect humanity and tenderness, others boast of having such dispositions from nature; but he is the only man I ever knew who seemed ashamed of his natural benevolence. He takes as much pains to hide his feelings, as any hypocrite would to conceal his indifference; but on every unguarded moment the mask drops off, and reveals him to the most superficial observer. 2 In one of our late excursions into the country, happening to discourse upon the provision that was made for the poor in England, he seemed amazed how any of his countrymen could be so foolishly weak as to relieve occasional objects of charity, when the laws had made such ample provision for their support. In every parish-house, says he, the poor are supplied with food, clothes, fire, and a bed to lie on; they want no more, I desire no more myself; yet still they seem discontented. I am surprised at the inactivity of our magistrates in not taking up such vagrants, who are only a weight upon the industrious; I am surprised that the people are found to relieve them, when they must be at the same time sensible that it in some measure encourages idleness, extravagance, and imposture. Were I to advise any man for whom I had the least regard, I would caution him by all means not to be imposed upon by their false pretences; let me assure you, sir, they are imposters, every one of them; and rather merit a prison than relief. 3 He was proceeding in this strain earnestly, to dissuade me from an imprudence of which I am seldom guilty, when an old man, who still had about him the remnants of tattered finery, implored our compassion. He assured us that he was no common beggar, but forced into the shameful profession to support a dying wife and five hungry children. Being prepossessed against such falsehoods, his story had not the least influence upon me; but it was quite otherwise with the Man in Black: I could see it visibly operate upon his countenance, and effectually interrupt his harangue. I could easily perceive, that his heart burned to relieve the five starving children, but he seemed ashamed to discover his weakness to me. While he thus hesitated between compassion and pride, I pretended to look another way, and he seized this opportunity of giving the poor petitioner a piece of silver, bidding him at the same time, in order that I should hear, go work for his bread, and not tease passengers with suc h impertinent falsehoods for the future. 4 As he had fancied himself quite unperceived, he continued, as we proceeded, to rail against beggars with as much animosity as before: he threw in some episodes on his own amazing prudence and economy, with his profound skill in discovering impostors; he explained the manner in which he would deal with beggars, were he a magistrate; hinted at enlarging some of the prisons for their reception, and told two stories of ladies that were robbed by beggarmen. He was beginning a third to the same purpose, when a sailor with a wooden leg once more crossed our walks, desiring our pity, and blessing our limbs. I was for going on without taking any notice, but my friend looking wistfully upon the poor petitioner, bid me stop, and he would show me with how much ease he could at any time detect an impostor. 5 He now, therefore, assumed a look of importance, and in an angry tone began to examine the sailor, demanding in what engagement he was thus disabled and rendered unfit for service. The sailor replied in a tone as angrily as he, that he had been an officer on board a private ship of war, and that he had lost his leg abroad, in defence of those who did nothing at home. At this reply, all my friends importance vanished in a moment; he had not a single question more to ask: he now only studied what method he should take to relieve him unobserved. He had, however, no easy part to act, as he was obliged to preserve the appearance of ill-nature before me, and yet relieve himself by relieving the sailor. Casting, therefore, a furious look upon some bundles of chips which the fellow carried in a string at his back, my friend demanded how he sold his matches; but, not waiting for a reply, desired in a surly tone to have a shillings worth. The sailor seemed at first surprised at his demand, b ut soon recollected himself, and presenting his whole bundle, Here master, says he, take all my cargo, and a blessing into the bargain. 6 It is impossible to describe with what an air of triumph my friend marched off with his new purchase: he assured me that he was firmly of opinion that those fellows must have stolen their goods who could thus afford to sell them for half value. He informed me of several different uses to which those chips might be applied; he expatiated largely upon the savings that would result from lighting candles with a match, instead of thrusting them into the fire. He averred, that he would as soon have parted with a tooth as his money to those vagabonds, unless for some valuable consideration. I cannot tell how long this panegyric upon frugality and matches might have continued, had not his attention been called off by another object more distressful than either of the former. A woman in rags, with one child in her arms, and another on her back, was attempting to sing ballads, but with such a mournful voice that it was difficult to determine whether she was singing or crying. A wretch, who i n the deepest distress still aimed at good-humour, was an object my friend was by no means capable of withstanding: his vivacity and his discourse were instantly interrupted; upon this occasion his very dissimulation had forsaken him. Even in my presence he immediately applied his hands to his pockets, in order to relieve her; but guess his confusion, when he found he had already given away all the money he carried about him to former objects. The misery painted in the womans visage was not half so strongly expressed as the agony in his. He continued to search for some time, but to no purpose, till, at length recollecting himself, with a face of ineffable good-nature, as he had no money, he put into her hands his shillings worth of matches.

Allowing Guns on Campus Will Prevent Shootings, Rape

A graduate student leaving an evening class walks along the poorly lit sidewalk to the parking lot—it is a long, cold walk in the pitch-black night, and the student grows wary as shadows begin lurking in the distance. Suddenly, someone jumps out in front of the student, immediately threatening her with force. Before the student can react, she is raped and robbed. This is a very scary scenario, and one that happens on the SCSU campus every year. It seems like every week we get an e-mail citing another attack on students somewhere on or near campus. However, all of these attacks could be prevented if we allow students to carry guns as a means of self-defense. Although safety is my biggest concern, there are other arguments that point to this solution as well. First, it is our Second Amendment right to bear arms. Although debates have gone on about how it should be interpreted, I believe it means that if law abiding, trained and eligible citizens would like to carry a gun with them in self-defense, they should be able to. Right now, that does not include campus. â€Å"The law, as it stands now, does not prohibit carry on campus,† said Terence McCloskey, SCSU campus leader for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC). â€Å"It allows universities to establish rules restricting carry on campus by students and staff. † According to the March 2007 Safety and Security bulletin in section 2. 1, â€Å"Alcoholic beverages, non-regulated drugs, explosives, guns and ammunition are not permitted on SCSU property. † This rule, I believe, is a violation of my Second Amendment rights. The second reason guns should be allowed is because it will give students, such as the one in the scenario, a sense of security and comfort when they are in a normally uncomfortable situation or area. The opposition would say that although the person with the gun is comfortable, it makes others around that person uncomfortable or afraid to speak up in class. Well, let me ask you this: How often do you feel uncomfortable or scared about someone near you having a gun when you go to a movie theater? Probably not too often. However, McCloskey said that 1 percent of Minnesotans have a permit to carry guns. â€Å"That means that every time they go to a movie theater with around 200 people inside, they are sitting with two people that are carrying a gun,† McCloskey said. There are people all around us that have guns, and it seems to be handled just fine. After all, the 1 percent that do carry guns have to meet certain requirements—guns are not handed out to just anyone. Minnesota law requires everyone to have a permit in order to own a handgun, and to obtain one you must be 21 years of age, be a U. S.  citizen, have training in the safe use of a pistol, not be a felon, not have a domestic violence offense in the last 10 years, not be a person convicted of stalking, as well as many other restrictions. You can find these laws on the State of Minnesota Web site. The final reason that guns should be allowed to be carried by students who obtain a permit is that it could prevent a tragic shooting like the one at Virginia Tech a couple of years ago. â€Å"Our best and our brightest are in an unprotected environment and are essentially being led to the slaughter,† said Keith Moum in an article in the Missourian. â€Å"It’s not as graphic as that, but it clearly shows that there is an element out there that has targeted college students. † If guns had been allowed on that campus, that tragedy may have been least minimized. So, in order to make the SCSU campus and other campuses nationwide a safe, comfortable environment for everyone, we need to allow the ability to carry a gun on campus. Not only will it make a student carrying a gun feel safe, it can prevent a tragic shooting, a robbery, or a rape. It is our right. Let us exercise it.

Organization Theory Synthesis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organization Theory Synthesis - Term Paper Example The nature of management is described in its ability to get people to work together in order to accomplish specific goals and objectives through the use of resources to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. The basic principle in management is the ability to guide people through processes within the organization in order to achieve specific goals (Adair, 2007). Scholars argue that people are what make an organization and thus it is impossible to talk about organizations without looking at people. To manage these people and resources, therefore, requires the ability to plan, control, organize, staff and lead in order to achieve efficiency (Anaeto, 2010). Over the years, a number of theories have been advanced on how to manage people. Classical theories emphasized that specifically designed formal structures and a consistent, rigid organizational network of employees are most important in having an organization running well and achieve its goals. Thus these theories looked at employees holding specific jobs and being guided on what to do. Independence on the part of the employee was very minimal. These theories do not worry about how people feel about the jobs but rather performance was quantifiable and paramount in operations. Such theories include the scientific management theory proposed by Frederick Taylor (French, Rayner, Rees, & Rumbles, 2011). The shortcomings in these theories made scholars come up with other theories that considered the human element of employees. These theories thus centered on people’s attitudes and motivations as the key to getting employees to work better. These theories argued that employees who are satisfied with their jobs feel indebted to their employers and will show appreciation by being more productive. Such is the basis for Theory X and Y that shows the transition from the scientific management to the human aspect of management (Crispen Chipunza, 2011). Managing people and resources thus requires the implementation of a specific organization design that will support the systems and processes in place.  

Martin Scorceses The Gangs of New York Movie Review

Martin Scorceses The Gangs of New York - Movie Review Example Ken Burns' genius was to bring those photographs together in almost a cinematic way to make the war, and the people involved, more real. Scorcese's movie, although it takes place during the Civil War, is really not about that War at all. It is more about the earlier- and later-arrived Irishmen, and how they inculcated themselves into a hierarchical society in New York City. The first great Irish immigration wave was during the building of the Erie Canal in the 1820's. Most of the Irishmen who were already there and under the leadership of Bill "The Butcher" Cutting were part of the 1840's Irish potato famine crowd-a rough time for Irishmen to enter the U.S. as there were few jobs after the depression of 1848, and an actively hostile reception both from established Irishmen and the WASP's who controlled the political machinery of New York. Since Scorcese's movie focuses on the tension between "old" Irish and newly-arrived Irishmen, led by Leonardo DiCaprio's Amsterdam Vallon, the Draft Riots of 1863 are an inconvenient truth whose underlying issues are ignored in the movie. Without a knowledge of the actual historical events of the time, and only viewing the movie, one might be led to believe that the riots were about old versus new immigrants, contained by a WASP police force under the leadership of Boss Tweed. The reality was quite different: General USS Grant and President Lincoln needed hundreds of thousands of troops in order to maintain a numerical superiority over the South, and they regarded the Irish immigrants of New York as a ready source of human capital for the war. Those in New York who had few roots in the American culture did not want to throw themselves in front of Gattling guns and cannons on battlefields like Gettysburg and Appomatox. So how was the "truth" injured by Scorcese's movie One might argue that he should have chosen a different era, perhaps before the Civil War and not related to the Draft Riots, to exploit the tension between old and new Irish immigrants. While the plot could have been truer to historical fact, the tension of the plot might not be there. Scorcese needed to have a dramatic tension, a build-up, in his movie, leading to an apocalyptic riot where all of New York was burning. The 1863 riots provided that dramatic backdrop, one which would not have been available in the past. As contrasted to other movies covering the same time period, "Gangs of New York" offers three original contributions: (1) it features a part of the population during the Civil War that was not at the front lines, (2) it gives a young person's perspective, as compared to the older, in-charge leaders such as Boss Tweed and Lincoln, and (3) it is a group pastiche, rather than a concentration on one leader, such as is found in "Glory." Perhaps the best comparison to "Gangs of New York" is the epic "Birth of a Nation" by D.W. Griffiths (1915). Like "Gangs," "Nation" was an ensemble piece, one which explored not just the leaders of movements, but the underlying motivations behind the resentments and conflicts-in this case, between blacks and whites at the time of the Civil War and just after. Of course,

A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner Essay -- A Rose For Emily, Willia

In the story â€Å" A Rose for Emily†, by William Faulkner the narrator introduces the reader to Emily Grierson, a sheltered southern woman who while alive struggled immensely with her sanity and the evolving world around her. Emily's father, a very prestigious man is the cause of Emily's senseless behavior. He kept her secluded from the rest of the town â€Å"We remembered all the young men her father had driven away...† (Page 3.) If Emily had been allowed to date and socialize with people her own age would she had turned out differently. Emily Grierson, the only remaining member of the upper class Grierson family refuses to leave the past behind her even as the next generation begins to take over. Miss Emily becomes so caught up in the way things were in the old South that she refuses to pay her taxes forcing the Board of Aldermen to pay her a visit. Upon entering her home the men realize that her house is still heavily furnished with old leather furniture. Another indication that Emily is clinging to the past by refusing to throw away the furniture even though it is ragged and useless. â€Å"Page 1: They could see that the leather was cracked; and when they sat down, a faint dust rose sluggishly about their thighs...† Holding on to these possessions reminds Emily of the way things used to be before her father passed away. The narrator also gives the reader it's first clue that maybe Miss Emily isn't mentally stable â€Å" Page 2: See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson.† Emily replied to t he men in regards to her non paid taxes even though Colonel Sartoris had been dead for over ten years. But why did Colonel Sartoris make up the false statement that Emily's father had loaned the town money in the first place? â€Å" Page 1: Colonel... ...decorated for a bride. Every thing that Emily had bought that day in town ( the toilet set, the men's clothing) was found in that room along with the body of an unknown man and a strand of gray hair on the second pillow next to the body. Was Miss Emily to blame for the death of Homer, or was it the town's fault for never interfering and trying to get her professional help? Every knew that insanity ran in her family but instead of helping her the town pitied Miss Emily and her situation grew out of hand. As a reader of this story I understand her taking Homer's life, she never had anyone to love and when she found Homer she thought he would be the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Works Cited Faulkner, William. â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.

My Hialeah Story

Since I came to live in the United States five years ago, I being in Hialeah all the time, this is my city and my neighborhood. I have found the place where I fell like home a large part of my family lives here and I have found the best people and friends here and full the space left empty when I left my country. In the future I may have to change the city, State or maybe just move to another city but I doesn’t matter where I am Hialeah will always be in my memories and I will never forget it. A day of May of two thousand and six I have to sadly move out of my country, leaving behind my city my house, family and friends, the school and all the places and the people that I grow up with and spend very good moments, the most precious things for a seventeen years old boy, and before I could realize all this changes I was already in Hialeah, this when my Hialeah story begins. At this moment everything turns very confusing and inacceptable but now I look back and I don’t regret anything, Hialeah it was the place where everybody welcomes me with open hands and smiles, the reunion with my family was a memorable moment, many of them that I haven’t saw for teen years other I didn’t even know personally and other like my parent and my sister I was crazy to hug them an kiss them. When I realize that I have to start a new life I thought it would be hard but actually it was easy in the school everybody was friendly and helpful the teachers great and the school beautiful at this moment I star felling in home or could say better at this new home. With the pass of the time I would notice that in my new hometown I have many things that I didn’t have in the old one and with a short time I star missing less and less until the day of today that in working and living in the same place, all my family lives here I have many friend and a lifetime of memories build around Hialeah my city. To resume I would say that I’m very happy to end up in Hialeah. Now that I know more people from here and from my country not everyone have the opportunity to live in a fun and happy city like mine. The City of The Progress offer me a lot of opportunities and is situated in a great sunny place with a close beach and best people of the word and because of this and more I love Hialeah.

Death Is The Final Stage Of An Individual s Existence

Death is considered a dreaded word. Death is the final stage of an individual’s existence. Death is a word that makes people uncomfortable. The word death is something no one desire to think about, prepare for or discuss. But death is inescapable, unavoidable, and inevitable all humankind will experience death as part of their destiny. Therefore, each has the responsibility of addressing the issues that maybe related to a decline in their physical and mental function status, which render them incapable of making their life decisions. This paper will address what I consider the â€Å"good life† or a life worth living and what issues that constitute a life, when I am no longer able perform the activities that make my life worth living.†¦show more content†¦I can no longer drive my automobile, so, I can no longer participate in church or community activities. My memory is failing, and I am experiencing constant excruciating pain. I have been given a grim progno sis. I have been informed, my days are limited, and now I am mentally depressed my life is worthless. I am in- capable of caring for myself, some one that has deemed themselves independent, autonomous, and had a zeal for life. However, now I just want to be with my Savior Jesus. In life, my philosophy has been â€Å"Lord if I can help somebody as I travel life’s road then my living will not be in vain.† I am now, totally dependent on other to care for me. My life does not mean much anymore. What I think a good death would be for me Actually in 1986, I became ill and was given a diagnosis of fever of unknown origin (FUO). After presenting with temperatures of 103.9- 100.6, being fatigued, experiencing significant weight loss, muscle weakness, pain, and decrease sedimentary rate. Several diagnostic tests were performed, and condition was not improving. My physician informed me that I was dying and assisted on admitting me to a well -known medical facility in Washington , D.C. In fact, I had the choice between two. My physician was suspicious of diagnosis possibly being confirmed as acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL). My first reaction to my death prognosis was of