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Table of contents

1. Looking for a job: essay
2. Part 1: Career Development
SkillsApplying Skills
3. Part 2: Job Search
Director of Marketing
4. Part 3: Strategy
Conclusion

Looking for a job: essay

In writing a finding a job essay, it is important to understand that the job search process can be scary, but preparation can make it less intimidating. One key step is to identify the skillsets that employers are looking for, which can help guide the development of these skills. Through research, it becomes evident that employers seek skills that cannot simply be taught but must be practiced. By identifying the skills necessary for career development, researching dream jobs, and strategizing a plan to get there, one can increase the chances of landing a dream job.

Part 1: Career Development

In order to start a career in the marketing field, I am going to need to develop certain skills. Studies show that marketing graduates do not contain all the needed skills that employers are looking for. Kelley and Bridges (2005) state, “According to recent studies in academic journals business practitioners have expressed the view that marketing graduates lack certain professional and career skills” (pg. 212). Knowing which skills employers are looking for, will help me develop my own skill set.

Skills

In order to land a career in marketing I need improve on some skills that cannot be taught but practiced. For example, understanding how to work in a diverse workplace cannot be taught. Being able to adapt to a diverse workplace is admired by well-paying professional careers (Kelley & Bridges, 2005). Being able to communicate and work with diverse groups of people will enable me to stand out from the crowd. According to Williamson (2005), “A personal knowledge of existing European markets will be much in demand, as will language skills” (pg. 26). In addition to be diverse, it would be ideal to have an education of international markets and possibly learn an additional language. Being culturally diverse is extremely admired in the growing global workforce.

Applying Skills

In order to become culturally diverse, I would like to consider traveling to another country or joining educational societies. Being around people from different races and backgrounds will allow me to have a better understanding of society as a whole. Learning a new language such as Spanish would also help me be more diverse. I already have a basic understanding of Spanish however, if I could speak fluently it would be a great skill to market myself to future employers. In order to become familiar with European and global markets, I will have to do some research on my own. Learning about other cultures’ buying trends will enable me to be a more well-rounded employee.

Part 2: Job Search

After conducting a job search on careerbuilder.com, I found a job I would love to have someday. I would love to be hired as the Director of Marketing for the American Medical Association (AMSA). AMSA (2016) is “a student governed national organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training” (para. 2). I would love to work for a company that is working towards a cause.

Director of Marketing

The position for Director of Marketing at AMSA immediately stood out to me because it is an organization. They require the employee to have a bachelor’s degree, 5 years’ experience in marketing or business development, exceptional communication skills, thorough knowledge of marketing principles and an advanced degree is preferred.

The Hiring Process. In order to land a job like this, I will need to first gain experience in the field. Creating a portfolio along the way of my career journey will enable me to showcase my knowledge to future employers. Networking on sites like LinkedIn is a another great way to showcase my skill sets. To get an interview, I would first apply online through their website. Next, I would call to follow-up on the status of my application. In my past experiences, following up has done me justice and landed me a job. If I was asked for an interview, I would prepare by first researching the company. Having a good understanding of the company’s mission, values, and standards is a great way to show you are serious about the job. Overall, being consistent, standing out from the crowd, being prepared, and following up will help me land a dream job

Part 3: Strategy

Looking for a new job can be challenging. My strategy is to apply only for jobs I would love. Even if I think I might not qualify, I would still apply because it is better to try than not to try. Observing the job market trends is a great way to land a job. In addition, networking online is a great way to self-market my skills. To manage my time, tasks, and goals I plan to keep track of every job I apply for. I will create a checklist to make sure I am persistent and follow-up with employers. Once I earn a degree, my goal is to stand out from the crowd to land me the job of my dreams.

Conclusion

Overall, being aware of the job-market will allow me to know which skills I need to develop. Being able to identify what employers are looking for, will help me shape my skillset so I can land the job of my dreams. Overall, being persistent, consistent, and motivated will help me with the job hunt and successfully land a career.

Although job satisfaction and organisational commitment are similar as attitudinal or affective constructs, several differences have been observed between the two constructs. Job satisfaction refers to the extent to which individuals “like” or are “happy” with their work, while commitment refers to the extent of “attachment” or “loyalty” to the organization (Mottaz, 1987). Also, Organizational commitment is a more global attitude which potrays an employee’s attachment and identification with the goals and values of the organization as a whole, while job satisfaction represents an employee’s attachment to the job (or certain aspects of one’s job) which is part of the organization (Mowday ,1982).

Irving, Coleman & Cooper (1997) investigated the relationship between affective, continuance, normative commitment and turnover intentions and job satisfaction. All the three types of organizational commitment were negatively related to turnover intentions where, out of which continuance commitment correlated most negatively. The study also reported a small but significant positive correlation between job satisfaction and affective and normative commitment, whereas continuance commitment was negatively correlated. Yang and Chang (2008) reported significant and positive correlation between job satisfaction and commitment of nursing staff while they perform emotional labour.

During an economic downturn in Taiwan Hsiu-Yen Hsu (2009) studied the relationship between organizational learning culture, job satisfaction and organizational commitment among research and development professionals. Even during a downturn, he reported a positive correlation amongst the three variables.

Whereas a study conducted in Turkey among hotel managers by Gunlu, Aksarayli & Percin (2010) showed that intrinsic, extrinsic and general job satisfaction had a significant effect on normative and affective commitment. The findings further suggested that the dimensions of job satisfaction had no significant impact on continuance commitment among the hotel managers.

Guleryuz, Guney, Aydm & Asan (2008) conducted a survey on the mediating effect of job satisfaction between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment on a sample of nurses. The findings of the study suggested that emotional intelligence was significantly and positively related to job satisfaction as well as organizational commitment. They also reported a strongly positive correlation between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Whereas Ahmad, Ahmad and Shah (2010) reported an insignificant impact of organizational commitment on job satisfaction. Also, performance of employees of advertising agency of Islamabad had a weak relationship with job satisfaction and a strong positive relationship with Organizational commitment. Attitude of an employee towards work is what has a strong positive relation with job satisfaction.

Development of employee’s commitment towards the organization takes more time and effort as compared to the time required to build job satisfaction (Rifai, 2005). Whereas job satisfaction may be affected by day-to-day events in the workplace or tangible aspects of the work environment such as pay, supervision, working hours, promotions among others, commitment attitudes develop more slowly over time as employees evaluate their relationship with the organization and other aspects of working for the organization such as its goals and values (Porter et al., 1974). Whereas, it is expected that any changes in the organization, for instance, plans for redundancies, unfair promotional procedures or poor pay, affect the employee’s commitment in the long run.

Mowday (1982) stated that day to day events in any organisation might affect an employee’s level of job satisfaction, but such events do not make an employee re- evaluate seriously his or her overall attachment to the organization”. Lambert (2004) reinforced the suggestions of Mowday in findings of his study. In his study of 272 correctional facilities employees, he found that job characteristics like job variety, autonomy and supervision varied in how they affected job satisfaction and organisational commitment, with these characteristics having stronger effects on job satisfaction than on organizational commitment. Since, job satisfaction is concerned with an individual’s job while organizational commitment is concerned with the bond formed with the overall organisation, it is expected that job characteristics would have larger effects on job satisfaction than they would have on organisational commitment. Despite these differences, studies (Mathieu and Zajac, 1990) have shown that job satisfaction and organizational commitment had a strong positive correlation with each other.

Due to the differences between job satisfaction and organizational commitment, these two constructs will be examined separately as dependent variables.

Emotional Intelligence and Commitment

The success of any organisation in general not only depends on the organisation taking advantages of its human resources but also on its staff organizational commitment. Commitment is a variable which is related to both staff outputs and organisation outputs. Meyer and Allen (1997) argue that organisational commitment consists of individuals psychological status which specifies the individual’s relation with organization that leads to making decision about staying with the organisation. Mowday, et al (1982) also defined organizational commitment as conviction held by staff towards organisations goals and values, having tendency towards significant efforts representing organization as well as high interest in maintaining one’s membership in organization. EI has been found to be an important predictor of various enviable organizational outcomes, such as job performance, job satisfaction and organisational commitment (Carmeli,2003; Kafetsios & Zampetakis, 2008; Law, Wong, & Song, 2004; Sinha & Jain 2004; Sy, Tram & O’Hara,2006). In addition, the neurological sciences literature also suggests that there is a positive relation between EI and commitment (Bechara, Tranel, & Damasio, 2000).

According to Robinson and Rousseau (1994), job insecurity can lead to reduced commitment and high turnover intentions which might threaten organisational stability. Individuals who have higher level of emotional intelligence will be able to ameliorate the effect of job insecurity on their affective commitment. This is where the moderating influence of emotional intelligence helps in assessing the emotions that are leading to feeling of job insecurity and then to adopt multiple perspectives to determine if their feelings are accurate and reasonable.

Emotionally Intelligent employees are likely to foresee possible complex emotions that will emerge from a situation, including whether they have mixed feelings of loyalty and betrayal and how anxiety about their insecurity may lead to feelings of frustration and anger. Employees with high ability to manage their emotions will be more likely than their low ability counterparts to control their initial emotional reaction to perception of job insecurity especially when they consider these reactions to be unproductive. The employee with higher emotional intelligence can manage the felt emotion and generate enthusiasm for their work to increase their affective commitment. Alternatively, employees with high ability to manage emotions will realise that it is in their personal interest to suppress their feelings of insecurity and merely to increase their normative commitment towards the organisation till they are part of it. Thus, emotional intelligence is expected to augment a higher level of affective commitment to the organization and diminish the level of continuance commitment.

Nikolaou, I., & Tsaousis, I. (2002) explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and sources of occupational stress and organizational commitment on a sample of professionals in mental health institutions. The results indicated that employees with higher EI score, scored lower in stress assessing test and higher in both types of commitment (organization to employee and employee to organization). Study shows that emotionally intelligent employees feel more valued at their positions, and also less distressed, which increases feelings of loyalty and commitment.

Jordan, Ashkanasy, and Hartel (2002) proposed a theoretical model where EI as a moderator predicts employee’s emotional and behavioural response to job insecurity. Employees low in EI were hypothesized to be more susceptible than employees high in EI to negative emotions resulting from job insecurity. Therefore, they are more likely to behave defensively and negatively lowering affective commitment and increasing job related tension. Whereas employees with high EI deal better with job insecurity, which in turn would help ameliorate the effect of job insecurity on affective commitment.

Carmeli, A. (2003) has closely examined the extent to which senior managers with a high emotional intelligence employed in public sector organizations develop positive work attitudes, behavior and outcomes. The results indicated that emotional intelligence augments positive work attitudes, altruistic behavior and work outcomes, and moderates the effect of work-family conflict on career commitment but no significant relationship between emotional intelligence of these managers and job involvement was found.

Chris (2003) investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and career decision making, self efficacy, vocational exploration and commitment. He revealed that emotional intelligence is positively related to career decision making and self efficacy. All four EI predictors empathy, utilization of feelings, handling relationships and self control were positively related to career decision making and self efficacy and utilisation of feelings and self control emerged as significant predictors of vocational exploration and commitment. He reported that people who are able to label their emotions effectively and understand complex feelings, who are open to pleasant and unpleasant feelings in self and others have a very high level of commitment to career choice and report high confidence in their abilities to successfully perform a career related task.

Sharma (2005) conducted a study on understanding the relationship between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment of the executives working in manufacturing and service sectors with at least 10 years of service. The findings state the fact that the employees who are emotionally intelligent are able to find themselves more concerned with the organization as their emotions gets pacified with the working environment, which makes them more committed. Emotionally intelligent employees show their concern for the organizations by discharging their duties with responsibility and keep their spirits high even in the critical times.

Salami (2008) investigated the relationships of demographic factors such as age, marital status, gender, job tenure, and educational level, emotional intelligence, motivation, job satisfaction with organizational commitment of industrial workers. Participants were 320 employees (170 males, 150 females) randomly selected from 5 service and 5 manufacturing organizations in Oyo State, Nigeria. The results showed that emotional intelligence, motivation, job satisfaction and all demographic factors except gender significantly predicted organizational commitment of the workers. He found that Emotional Intelligence is positively associated with organizational commitment.

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Rangriz & Mehrabi (2010) studied the relationship between emotional intelligence, organizational commitment and employee performance. A sample of one hundred working professionals were selected for the study. The results of the study reported that Emotional Intelligence could be used for increasing organization commitment and employee performance in the organization.

Table of contents

1. Examples
2. Outcomes
3. Changes

The Family: A Proclamation to the World outlines divinely supported principles that parents should implement in their families. These principles are not always reflected in the media today. In the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), they are obedient to some principles and disobedient to others. These things have good outcomes for the main character in the end, but not so good outcomes for her relationship with her parents.

The basic plot of the movie is that the main character, Toula Portokalos, comes from a high-spirited Greek family that is deeply rooted in Greek tradition and culture. When Toula wants to get an education instead of running the family restaurant and marry a non-Greek (Ian Miller), her father (Gus) and mother (Maria) put up a strong fight at first, but eventually come around to accept Toula’s educational and romantic desires.

Examples

The Proclamation states that parents have a responsibility to “teach their children to observe the commandments of God” (¶6, The Proclamation on the Family). In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the Portokalos family is obedient to this principle. One example of this in the movie is that they go to church regularly. They also observe the commandment of baptism. Gus insists that Ian get baptized so that he and Toula can get married in their Greek Orthodox church. Regular church attendance and baptism are commandments of God, and many faiths follow those commandments.

Another one of the family proclamation principles is “to teach [children] to love and serve one another” (¶6, The Proclamation on the Family). Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time” (Uchtdorf, 2010). In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the Portokalos family is obedient to this principle by placing heavy emphasis on spending time together as a family. Two examples in the movie are that they frequently have family gatherings and always invite their extended families to their events, like when Ian’s parents came over for dinner. Another example is that they have family dinner together every night. And when Toula and Ian finally got married, the entire family is there to support them. Loving and serving siblings and family members comes from spending time with each other and building friendships.

The Proclamation also states that “parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness” (¶6, The Proclamation on the Family). In the movie, the Gus and Maria Portokaulous are obedient to this principle in some regards. By the end of the movie, they eventually support Toula in her endeavors and aspirations in both education and her love life. One of the greatest ways parents can show their love for their children is to support them in their choices. They also exhibit this principle when Maria stands up for Toula by working with Gus to overcome his apprehensions with her getting an education. Maria shows love for Toula by being her advocate and fighting for her goals and dreams as fiercely as if they were her own. These are some characteristics of authoritative parenting. Authoritative parenting includes “expressing warmth, affection, and responsiveness” and “being involved in the child’s life” (Nelson, 2016).

However, the Portokaulos were also disobedient to the the principle of “rearing children in love and righteousness” in other ways, specifically in their parenting habits. They did show some characteristics of authoritative parenting, but most of the time, they were using an oversolicitous parenting style. Oversolicitous parenting includes “not allowing children to make decisions for themselves; not allowing children to try new things; and encouraging dependence on parents” (Nelson, 2016). Gus was extremely reluctant to accept Toula’s decisions for her education and love life. He did not want her to try new things by initially not letting her go to college, because he wanted her to continue to depend on him to run his restaurant. He wanted to Toula to “never leave him” (Zwick, 2002).

The Portokalos family are also disobedient to the Proclamation principle that states, “fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners” (¶7, The Proclamation on the Family). Gus and Maria do not do a very good job of this. Gus repeatedly states that he is the “head of the house,” that he makes all of the decisions, what ever he says goes, and that the man is the smarter and more capable one in a traditional relationship. He obviously does not view Maria as his equal, but his subordinate. Maria doesn’t view them as equals, either. In one scene, she tells Maria that “the man of the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants” (Zwick, 2002). Though she is standing up for herself and trying to make up for the difference of Gus’ dominance, she still does not show that she want to help him as an equal partner. Rather, she views herself as a subordinate with the power to manipulate her husband into getting what she wants.

Outcomes

For the principle of “teaching children to obey the commandments of God,” research shows that “adolescents that embrace a religious community are more likely to exhibit behavior that is consistent with positive moral values” (Hawkins, Dollhite & Draper, 2012). Religious involvement fosters “better academic performance, prosocial behavior, and less delinquent behavior, lower levels of sexual activity, and drug and alcohol use” (Hawkins et al, 2012). For the most part, the Portokalos children fit this description. They all grew up to be honest, hardworking adults who didn’t cause many problems. This probably came from their deep-seated religious roots that their parents instilled in them. If people learned from this movie that religiosity is good, then more people would reap the benefits of religious practices and internalizing good character principles.

Research shows that the outcomes of frequent family meals are “decreased substance use, cigarette smoking, sexual promiscuity, alcohol consumption, and delinquency such as stealing, vandalizing, shoplifting, and violence” (L. Nelson, class lecture, SFL 100, Winter 2016). In the movie, again, none of their kids smoked, drank, used drugs, or were delinquent. This was probably a result of their emphasis on family togetherness. If people learned from this movie that they should implement family meals more often, there would be less of these delinquent actions and addictions in the world.

The outcomes of “rearing children in love and righteousness” are plenty. This principle in the proclamation can also be described as authoritative parenting. Authoritative parenting has many positive outcomes for children, some of which include: social and moral maturity, academic achievement and educational attainment, and less traditional gender-role behavior. Toula showed these outcomes in her dating life; she was very mature socially on her dates with Ian which enabled them to fall in love. She also showed signs of educational attainment and less traditional gender-role behavior by pushing her parents’ limiting expectations by getting an education and working the travel agent job rather than simply getting married and having children like they expected of every female family member. Because Maria “expressed warmth, affection, and responsiveness” and exhibited signs of “being involved in [Toula]’s life,” Toula reaped the rewards of authoritative parenting. If more people based their parenting style off of Maria’s example, they would have better relationships with their children and their children would feel more supported and validated.

Unfortunately, Toula did have a harder time because her parents exhibited lots of oversolicitous parenting styles, too. The outcomes of oversolicitous parenting are anxiety, social fearfulness, social withdrawal, negative self-regard, and peer rejections. Because Gus and Maria did not allow her to make her own decisions, and try new things, grade school was hard for Toula when interacting with the other kids. She showed social fearfulness and social withdrawal when she did not fit in with the other girls or try to be their friend, and that led to low self-esteem and peer rejections that led to depression as an adult at the beginning of the movie. If everyone followed their oversolicitous example, children would be worse off by exhibiting these bad outcomes.

There were many outcomes to Gus and Maria’s unequal relationship. Research shows that spouses who work towards equality in their relationship have “happier relationships and greater marital satisfaction; more effective parenting; and better functioning children” (Nelson, 2016). However, because they had an unequal relationship and Gus was so overzealous about Greek heritage and traditions, his expectations and rules caused Toula to lose respect for him and her heritage. Toula had a strained relationship with her father all growing up because he would only talk about how she was supposed to get married and have children, and there was no communication between them. If Gus had had a more equal relationship with Maria, they would have had better communication together, and Maria would have enabled him to have better relationships with his children. Parent-child relationships would suffer if every spousal relationship was as unequal and hierarchal as the Portokalos’ relationship.

Changes

In order to bring the movie in line with proclamation principles, the Portokalos family would have to change their oversolicitous parenting style and their hierarchal relationship. Gus would need to relent a lot and change his view of women. He would need to give Toula more autonomy and allow her to explore her talents and desires starting when she was a young child. If he did that, then she would have had better respect for her Greek heritage if it was her own personal appreciation rather than just her father’s that he was shoving into her life all of the time. She also would have had way better self-esteem as a youth and a young adult, and may have actually married sooner like her father wished. If Gus and Maria had a better relationship that was built on equality rather than hierarchy (Nelson, 2016), they would have had more effective parenting and better functioning children. Meaning, if Gus and Maria had communicated better and were unified in rearing their children, Toula may have had an easier time in her early years in making friends and loving herself.

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In the end, Toula does succeed in her educational goals. Those lead her to her eventual husband, and though her engagement brought to light all the problems in the Portokalos’ parenting styles, they were eventually able to work out their differences. In our endeavors in raising righteous families, we can model our efforts after the Portokalos’ successes and learn from their mistakes. We can also learn to recognize Proclamation principles in the media and apply the principles we learn to better raise children in righteous families.

“While all other sciences have advanced, that of a government is at a stand; little better understood; little better practised than 3 or 4 thousand years ago” - John Adams.

John Adams was, as the second president of the U.S, a very noteworthy leader of the American Revolution. Massachusetts-born and Harvard-graduated Adams was a brilliant, opinionated man; Starting as a lawyer, he was also a very blunt man nonetheless also extremely patriotic in his ideas about different governments. When Adams started to criticise Great Britain's Authority in colonial America and its oppressing taxes, his reputation was enhanced, and he was now known as a courageous and generous man. From 1774 to 1796 , he moved from being a member of the Massachusetts Assembly to being elected as the second president of the United States, however, during his presidency, an undeclared war had broken out with France after economic issues, and Adams lost his re-election in 1800 . In 1813 , he writes a letter to Thomas Jefferson, discussing the ancient governments and how they compare to the American government at that time; In this letter, he states the quote 'While all other Sciences have advanced, that of Government is at a Stand; little better understood; little better practised now than 3 or 4 thousand years ago.' Moreover, even in today's situation, we can ask ourselves that same question: How much has the government changed since it was invented in ancient Greece?

John Adams states that in comparison to the human science of the government, all the other sciences have excelled extremely fast and made so much progress the world cannot keep up with it. However, to what extent is this statement true and how does it compare with the differences in governments. In modern society, the sciences are what keeps us alive; it provides us with energy, food and any possible ideas about how humanity stays alive on Planet Earth. It is a separate side of us, we all want to know what is around us, and accordingly that is so special we gave it a unique name. Modern science. Contrast it with ancient science, in times where the sciences and church worked alongside and progress was made very slowly because of that. Ancient science is split from modern science through a time we call the Renaissance, where significant changes in power structures of current society led to revolutions reform of not only the sciences but also the politics, religion and social organisation. This 17th century contributed mainly to the evolution of scientific pursuit, altering the power motives of knowledge accessibility, philosophical and ideological trends.

Thinking about how the situation has changed around the globe, in the sciences and specifically human sciences, we notice how slowly changes can be but also how we can get surprised by minimal adjustments. The modern-day dictatorship has made significant changes to the style of government it represents. Aulus Postumius Albinus was the first person to introduce a fully working dictatorship, thus being the first person leading an empire through 'The rule of one.' Aulus took over the Roman Empire in the first decade of the fifth century B.C. when the Latin allies revolted; When the Romans selected him, they believed a dictatorship would mean absolute power to one person giving the dictator extreme responsibilities. Hence, this role was only given to leaders in emergencies as Rome, during the time of the Republic was led by two consuls.

Throughout two millennia, a dictatorship has been altered remarkably that we can barely see the basics of the original thought behind the whole concept. Modern dictatorship has been through Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin, and is now used in multiple countries all around the world. To take two typical examples, Zimbabwe and North-Korea; Robert Mugabe, having dominated Zimbabwe's politics for nearly four decades, Mugabe is a controversial figure. He has been praised as a revolutionary hero of the African liberation struggle who helped to free Zimbabwe from British colonialism, imperialism, and white minority rule. Conversely, in governance, he has been accused of being a dictator responsible for economic mismanagement, widespread corruption, anti-white racism, human rights abuses, and crimes against humanity and Kim Jong-Un rule at a base of firm rules put upon their citizens, where the people have no political opinion and barely any freedom. Looking at how different the current dictators are, the Romans did not intend for these dramatic changes in authority over the people.

Nevertheless, one type of government has hardly been altered; Looking at how similar the first government type in the history of humanity is to the modern days' version, it emphasises the strength of the people wherefore it is also called 'The power of the people.' Democracy was created 8000 years ago; Cleisthenes was a statesman in Athens, Greece when it was still ruled by the wealthy , and the Greeks were still split up into Plebeians (The working people) and Patricians (The wealthy). He decided that everyone deserved the same amount of speech over the politics of Athens and that therefore everyone would earn equal rights in voting for a leader. Modern day democracy is very similar. However, every country in use of it today has begun using this type of government differently. England and the Dutch Republic became democracies after their participation in the wars against Napoleon, yet only starting with the wealthy being able to vote followed by the other men and not much late also the women. Throughout the 19th and 20th century , more and more democracy was applied to different continents although mainly western Europe where the representative element of the medieval parliament remained unchanged.

Caused by this strange mixture of government types, people had the right to vote for the people in the parliament, but they could not influence the matters of legalisation. Switzerland, on the other hand, is a very outstanding example with elements of direct democracy, where it was once a country with a government made out of representatives of different parts it is now made out of the people who have evident influences on the matter of legalisation. Comparing it back to ancient Athens, where the people all had a vote and voice, the modern-day democracy is divided up into the district and proportional representation voting; The former being closer to the old system of electing a representative, intimately relatable to an oligarchy. Where the latter is where the votes get thrown on a large heap and representatives are chosen from their popularity percentage.

Oligarchies might be the type of government that has had the most variations on the Greek template, in 800 B.C. most cities and towns near to Athens were ruled by oligarchies; Meaning a small group of people working together each working in a specific field. All decisions were made in this elite group, people had no influence at all in making decisions, however, each person could vote for one other person in town with the qualifications in politics to represent their voters. This process would eliminate any problems to do with legalisation as even within this group of people the idea with most votes would be presented to the people.

One simple problem of this whole type of government was that one person could always say that they wanted to be the leader of the smaller group of people, moreover, this would lead to mistakes during voting and therefore most likely problems within the town. Today, multiple countries use the same principles; Turkey is ruled by the wealthiest family in the country, the Koc family who own half of the oil refining businesses, banking and car manufacturers. Furthermore, South-Africa was ruled by Caucasian descendants of the Dutch settlers until, in 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected to take over the country after a long, difficult politic fight about races. Lastly, Iran is an oligarchy of clerics, business associates and relatives, however, it is also partially a monarchy after the country decided to elect a leader out of these oligarchs. Still, people today see the oligarchy as a basis of their government as it might be the most efficient and least trouble-causing type hence having it unchanged even up until now where every other government has been appreciated, however much of it has been altered for different countries to fit its principles.

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Overall, it may be said that John Adams was correct in his statement to quite an extent; Saying that government may have barely changed is a challenging statement, where most people think that every type of government is an altered version of a basic is believable yet it is important to note that each type is in some cases combined to create an absolute version, an aged, developed form from which many countries take a piece and adapt it to their own national needs. Government: the most developed nonetheless complicated human science society might ever see. Discovered a few thousand years ago, it has been altered multiple times, however, it always stays around the same, simple principles created by sophisticated Greek men. Science has definitely advanced, but it has been so dramatic that the government cannot keep up or has it just been changing so slowly over time that humanity has simply not seen it change?

“Terrorism: the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes”. John Brown was a slavery abolitionist who used violence as his method of eradicating slavery. He grew up very religious and was taught by his father to hate slavery because they believed it violated God’s commandments. His opinions being ingrained in him at such a young age strengthened and fueled his passion for the cause. However, just because his motives were correct, his methods of achieving these goals were wrong. His raids and rebellions killed and injured numerous people. Although stemming from a good cause, Brown’s logic was unlawful and broke many laws establishing him as a treasoner and murderer. John Brown, the slavery abolitionist, was a terrorist due to his unlawful method in pursuit of political purposes which were exemplified through the events of Bleeding Kansas and his raid on Harpers Ferry.

John Brown defended his actions by saying they were for a noble and holy purpose. In his eyes, by using violence, he was doing God’s work by punishing evil men for their sins. Using this methodology, Brown planned to spark a Southern slave revolt by arming slaves and allowing them to rebel against their owners. Although the abolitionist movement was an immensely valuable campaign that had to be made and enforced, Brown’s practice violated laws making his actions illegal no matter what the cause. Brown violently and destructively took the law into own hands instead of following proper legal channels to achieve his goal. It was not John Brown’s place/position to (take the law into his own hands) in order to pursue his political beliefs, and this concept Brown paved the path for, others in the future to wrongly use Brown and his actions as model and justification for their use of violence. An example of this was seen recently in the Trump election. In response to the Trump election, a popular Hollywood writer and director, Paul Schrader, communicated his discontent towards the outcome of the election and voiced that people should turn to violence to rebut this situation. Schrader specifically stated, 'We should finance those who support violent resistance. We should be willing to take arms. Like Old John Brown, I am willing to battle with my children.' Schrader’s direct reference to John Brown establishes his profound impact left behind and how his misguiding methodology influences people and strays them away from legal ethical actions. Deciding to use violence in approaching political goals was founded by John Brown and causes people to follow his lead in justifying their immoral and illegal actions. This idea is articulated through a modified version of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. The song states, “John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave, But his soul goes marching on”. His example still inspires modern radicals, who justify violence upon the innocent if the cause is 'just.'

Bleeding Kansas

Bleeding Kansas refers to the events resulting the Kansas-Nebraska Act. As a way of compromising pertaining to slavery states, it was established that when two states enter the Union, one must declare to be a free state and one must be a slave state, in order to keep equal representation of slave and free states. The next two states, Kansas and Nebraska, allowed their citizens to vote whether they wanted to be a free or slave state. Nebraska declared itself a slave state, meaning in order for the two of them to be able to join the Union, Kansas had to declare itself a free state. The reliance on the Kansas vote, created much conflict among the people. People on both sides of the slavery issue tried to affect the outcome of the vote in Kansas. Slavery supporters from neighboring Missouri came to Kansas in large numbers. These 'border ruffians,' as they were called, voted illegally and used violence to intimidate their opponents. Within the chaos, a pro slavery group attacked, fired upon, and burned homes, which caused Brown to “to take revenge for the attack on Lawrence”. Brown’s vow further highlights how he bestowed responsibilities onto himself that were not his job to respond to, and instead should have allowed the legal system to punish the lawbreakers, instead of becoming a lawbreaker himself. Brown’s revenge was They captured five men who supported slavery and brutally hacked them to death in front of their wives and children. Afterward, each side followed with more violent acts of retaliation. Over the summer of 1856, more than two hundred people died in what became known as 'Bleeding Kansas.' Brown became the focus of a great deal of fear and hatred among Southerners. Brown’s unnecessary violence was depicted through the his revenge he took upon five men he believed wronged him and the slavery movement. Overall, in the slavery riots, violence was used by numerous people for their political pursuits, and John Brown acted against those who used violence for causes that conflicted his, contributing to the misuse of violence.

Harpers Ferry

John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry Plan to seize town and federal arsenal, Brown planned to seize the town and the federal arsenal, armory, and rifle manufactory. As news of his actions spread, he expected thousands of slaves and sympathetic whites to join him. Once they were armed, he would strike south across Virginia into Tennesseeand Alabama, attracting more rebellious slaves and dispatching parties to spread the insurrection. The overwhelmed planters would be forced to free their slaves, but if opposition proved too strong, Brown planned to establish runaway slave communities in the mountains and hold out indefinitely. In the ensuing confusion killed the railroad station's baggage master, a free black.

Contrary to Brown’s beliefs that he was acting of holy purposes and fulfilling God’s duties, his use of violence against those who disagreed with him, caused him in a sense to become what he was fighting against. Due to the radicality of Brown’s actions, many slavery foes regarded Brown as an embarrassment to their movement. One of Brown’s peers, Colonel Hugh Forbes, felt specifically apprehensive about his plans. Forbes was big confidant to John Brown and his plans. As Brown began to further develop and outline his ideas and goals, Forbes started doubting Brown’s plan. He still agreed with the beliefs as an abolitionist but did not think Brown’s plan would successfully ignite the end to slavery. In response to these newfound doubts, Forbes began leaking information to antislavery parties. The idea that one of Brown’s closest associates saw the flaws within Brown’s plans and morals heavily promotes that John Brown’s actions were ethically wrong and illegal to use violence in support of his cause. Furthermore, another colleague of Brown, in favor of the slavery abolitionist movement was William Lloyd Garrison. In reaction to Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, Garrison exclaimed that Brown was “misguided, wild, and apparently insane”. Garrison’s description of John Brown critique his techniques and imply that Brown must be “insane” in carrying out his plans, thinking they are right. Garrison’s expression of concern and distaste towards Brown and his activities substantiates the erroneous ways Brown has taken up in order to pursue his cause. Overarching disapproval and concern by Brown’s peers who still supported the abolition of slavery thoroughly validates that he was wrong in the way her pursued approaching and enforcing his political views.

Each moment seems an hour, and some of the people, unable to restrain an expression of their sense of the outrage, murmur 'Shame!' 'Shame!' By some measures, John Brown could be considered a terrorist. He had vowed to use violence to achieve a political goal — the abolition of slavery — and had taken civilians hostage in Harpers Ferry. His raid failed to draw support, however; even fellow abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison declared that the raid in Virginia (now part of West Virginia) was 'insane.' Charged with murder, treason, and inciting a slave revolt, Brown was tried in Charles Town, Virginia, on October 27. He was found guilty, and on December 2 was hanged. His actions inflamed existing tensions between the North and South and helped to bring on the Civil War.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
Childhood and UpbringingFrederick Douglass and John BrownThe Raid on Harpers Ferry
2. Conclusion

Introduction

John Brown was an avid abolitionist in the 1800s, making abolishing slavery his main goal in life. Throughout John Brown’s years, it can be seen that he had always had a different viewpoint than most and his viewpoint stood until his execution. John Brown was executed because of his raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia where he, and 21 men, took over the armory and killed 5 people, keeping several others captive. This essay describes his motivation for the Raid on Harpers Ferry, including his childhood where a reader can see his sympathetic mindset, his adulthood and planning of the raid, and how he was described during the raid. In this essay, there is a different light shed on John Brown’s actions and motivations.

Childhood and Upbringing

John Brown often wrote letters to correspondents. In one letter to Harry Stearns, Brown writes about his life growing up and how it impacted him. From this source, a reader can see how John Brown’s early life led up to his abolitionist views and how his personality traits as a child lead to his actions as an adult. Brown originally lived in Connecticut, but when he was four years old, his father decided to relocate to Ohio.

When John Brown first arrived in Ohio, he was afraid of the Native Americans that lived there, but later came to befriend them. Brown was curious as a child and chose to watch the Native Americans, where he was able to acquire some of their language. His father learned deer skin dressing from the Native Americans and taught Brown the same skill. A reader can see that John Brown was not discriminatory towards people who are different. Brown embraced the differences, such as language and race, because with differences came learning for him, such as dressing the skins.

When John Brown was six years old, he went to school where he learned basic manners and discipline. Brown was not a scholar, he enjoyed being outdoors where he was free to do as he pleased. Later in life, Brown chose to read older history books and the Bible because they lacked the modern bias of the time. In John Brown’s early years, he placed high sentimental value on little things. Brown was given a marble by a Native American boy and when he lost it, he was devastated. Other periods of mourning came after his pet bobtail squirrel ran away and after his sheep had died. Brown, as a child, is observed to have high emotional attachment to objects and those strong feelings can be carried into adulthood. He is highly emotional in his actions and is not persuaded away from them easily

Brown describes himself as liking the rougher types of play and lying. These personality traits could be shown in his adulthood. Brown’s raid was an aggressive on to most, but to Brown, the massacre was necessary to end things. Although he thought the raid was necessary, Brown despised battle. John’s mother died and his father has to leave for war. It was then that Brown was able to grow as a person, he saw the effects that was had and vowed to never participate, accepting the fines for avoiding the draft instead. This is also when he became prominent in his abolitionist views.

John Brown stayed with a family that had a male slave around his age while his father was away. Brown was treated well whereas the other boy was poorly clothed, slept in poor conditions, and beaten before Brown’s eyes. “This brought John to reflect on the wretched, hopeless condition, of Fatherless and Motherless slave children: for such children have neither Fathers or Mothers to protect, & provide for them.” Brown realized at an early age that slaves, mostly child slaves, had no voice to stop the madness. They had no one to look out for them, so John wanted to take it upon himself to fight. After all, the child slaves were comparable to Brown; no father or mother for protection.

Frederick Douglass and John Brown

John Brown had many correspondents over the years to gain followers in the antislavery movement, one of those men being Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave that played a major role in the abolitionist movement because of his life devotion to truth and justice during the slavery period. John Brown and Douglass had met in 1847, but continued correspondence until Brown was executed.

They were true friends in constant contact when they were in the same towns, and often Brown stayed with Douglass by paying a fee for living with him. They talked a lot about John Brown’s plan of action to have slaves freed to the border states. One line out of this recollection by Douglass stands out. “They were to be well armed, but were to avoid battle or violence, unless compelled by pursuit or in self-defense.” This remark is interesting because it shows that John Brown is not a man looking for violence, just justice for slaves. Many times Brown is referred to as a murderer, heartless and cruel. How could a man seen as vicious devise a plan avoiding bloodshed?

Throughout this entire selection, Frederick Douglass talks highly of Brown, never describing malicious intent. Brown goes on to tell how the plan was failing because of the lack of supplies, people, and funds. Through this, however, Brown was able to acquire men to fight on his side. At one point, Brown stayed at Douglass’ house and wrote letters to men and drafted a new constitution that he wanted his men to sign. Douglass recounts Brown devising a plan of attack on Harpers Ferry in another conversation.

Douglass thought Brown’s plan was a suicide mission, but was not able to change his mind about it. Brown wanted the battle against slavery to end at any cost, including him and his men’s lives. Douglass decided that he would not go with Brown to the raid, knowing that it would end by death in battle or execution. This was the last conversation between John Brown and Frederick Douglass.

The Raid on Harpers Ferry

The raid on Harpers Ferry occurred on October 18, 1859. Brown’s plan was to gain control over the armory that was there and later arm the slave of the town to help them take over. During the raid, John Brown had captured several men. One of those men, John E. P. Daingerfield, wrote what happened to him on the night of the raid, and wrote interesting viewpoints of John Brown during the raid.

Daingerfield started by describing how he was captured. When men with weapons approached him, he insisted that he would leave to go home, but he was inevitably taken prisoner. The prisoners were kept together in the engine room and allowed to converse with “Captain John Smith,'' which is what the men referred to Brown as. John Brown and his men had captured the armory, leaving the townspeople defenseless. As the townspeople attempted to attack, Brown’s men shot back at them, but not a single prisoner was harmed. Daingerfield talked to Brown in the nighttime when the fire ceased and said, “I found him as brave as a man could be, and sensible upon all subjects except slavery.” The lack of sensibility talked about comes from Brown’s willingness to die over slavery.

Daingerfield talks about Brown telling his men not to shoot at unarmed men. Brown’s intention of the raid was not to slaughter people in the town, but gain means to fight for the abolitionist cause. Brown admitted to treason against the United States, which made some of his men retract their support. Brown, throughout all of the questioning by Daingerfield and the officers attacking him, was calm in his responses. This is what leads people to believe he was a cold-hearted murderer, but his calmness came from his will to end slavery. Brown accepted the consequences that he knew were coming, never faltering from his judgement or plan.

Later in the battle, the armory was infiltrated and Brown was struck several times by a sword. He took several blows to the head, but managed to live and be captured and taken to jail. During his trial, Daingerfield was a witness and talked about Brown’s actions during the trial. “I have never seen any man display more courage and fortitude than John Brown showed under the trying circumstances in which he was placed.” Brown did not fight back after his sons being killed, he did not harm the men of power of which he held prisoner, and he stood up for what he believed in.

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Conclusion

John Brown was an abolitionist man who seized the Harpers Ferry armory that ended in five people’s deaths, several captives and death of his own men, and the execution of himself. Brown was a sentimental man who, after witnessing mistreatment of slaves as a young man, grew to lead a fight for the abolitionist cause. John Brown is seen in people’s eyes as an aggressive murderer with psychological issues leading to the death of innocent men. Through this essay, he is portrayed in the eyes of other people. Brown was aggressive, but aggressive in the fight for equality of people and the death of the men were only of those attacking his men. Brown did not have psychological issues, he merely believed in his own plan in a battle that was ultimately going to end in bloodshed of him and his men. John Brown was a man fighting for a cause that was not his own, but that he made his priority in life.

MARK but this flea, and mark in this,

How little that which thou deniest me is;

It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee,

And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.

Thou know'st that this cannot be said

A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead;

Yet this enjoys before it woo,

And pamper'd swells with one blood made of two;

And this, alas! is more than we would do.

O stay, three lives in one flea spare,

Where we almost, yea, more than married are.

This flea is you and I, and this

Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.

Though parents grudge, and you, we're met,

And cloister'd in these living walls of jet.

Though use make you apt to kill me,

Let not to that self-murder added be,

And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since

Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?

Wherein could this flea guilty be,

Except in that drop which it suck'd from thee?

Yet thou triumph'st, and say'st that thou

Find'st not thyself nor me the weaker now.

'Tis true; then learn how false fears be;

Just so much honour, when thou yield'st to me,

Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.

This poem exhibits John Donne’s skill for turning the least likely images into elaborate metaphysical symbols of love, lust, and romance. "The Flea" uses the image of a flea that has just bitten the speaker and his beloved to describe a conflict over whether the two will have sex. The speaker wants to but his beloved does not, and so he uses the flea as an argument and metaphor to show how innocuous sex can be. He reasons that if their blood mingling in the flea is harmless and innocent, sexual mingling would be equally innocuous. The speaker tells his beloved to look at the flea and to note “how little” that “thing” that she denies him is, thus trivialising sex. Their blood mingling cannot be called “sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead"; rather, the flea has joined them together in a way that, “alas, is more than we would do.” His arguments go far beyond this preliminary idea, and are even turned on their heads when his beloved kills the flea. This paper examines the core idea that the flea is a metaphor used to trivialise sex, and ultimately to convey the unimportance of virginity.

The opening line “mark but this flea, and mark in this, how little that which deniest me is” shows that the flea is small and inconsequential, and reveals that the speaker's lady is denying him sex. The metaphor of the flea develops as it relates to the other symbols. For example, blood is used more than once as a symbol in the poem. The speaker talks of blood reverently and equates it to honor: blood symbolises life and soul. The flea has bitten him and his lady, hence the speaker remarks that in the flea his blood and his lady’s blood are mixed. Likewise, during sex their souls are “mingled” and become one. The speaker initially seems to have a respectful attitude about sex, holding that it can be spiritual and important. But this is eventually revealed to be only a ploy to prove that sex should not be taken so seriously.

As his beloved moves to kill the flea, the speaker “stays” her hand, asking her to spare the trinity of three lives in the flea: his life, her life, and the flea's life. In the flea where their blood is mingled, they are almost “married,” even more than married, and the flea is their “marriage bed” and “marriage temple.” Though their parents “grudge” and disapprove of their romance and though she does not want to have sex with him, they are nevertheless united and “cloister’d” in the living walls of the flea’s body. He asks that she not kill herself by killing the flea that contains her blood; he says that to kill the flea would be sacrilege, "three sins in killing three," suggesting a holy trinity. Here, he is using the flea to convince his lady of his high-minded and apparently sophisticated argument.

However, when his beloved kills the flea despite his protestations (and probably as a deliberate move to destroy his argument), the speaker turns his argument on its head and claims that despite the high-minded ideals he has been invoking, killing the flea did not impugn his beloved’s honour - nor will consenting to sex. Donne’s speaker seems to adapt his argument as it progresses, sometimes in contradictory ways - a feature that perhaps challenges that image of the metaphysical conceit of the flea as a single, consistent, unified, confident metaphor. The speaker calls his lover “cruel” and speaks of how she is “purpling” her fingernail with the "blood of innocence," suggesting that the flea was “innocent” and that his ideas were entirely noble. The speaker asks his lover what the flea's sin was, other than having “suck’d” from each of them a drop of blood. His lover apparently replies that neither of them is less noble for having killed the flea, and he agrees that this true, and it is this that proves that her fears regarding honor are false: if she were to “yield to” him and have sex, she would lose no more honor than she lost when she killed the flea. Here, the speaker is suggesting that sex does not have the power to take away innocence. There is more to it than just that.

The “murder” of the flea also adds to the poem. As we have seen, the exchange of lifeblood during sex forms a “marriage” between the partners, and the narrator asks his lady not to kill the flea, which is symbolic of the end of sex, or orgasm. It was common thinking during that period that every time a man had sex his life was shortened, and thus it is reasonable to say that the speaker is likening the murder of the flea to the shortening of his own life. The speaker states that the flea has not taken anything from either of them, and therefore the act of sex will not diminish their lives. Thus the speaker reasons with his lady by lessening the importance of virginity.

In this clever poem, Donne uses a flea, blood, and the murder of the flea as analogies for the oldest exchange: sex. The speaker in this poem hopes to convince his lady to sleep with him by trivializing sex. Donne not only questions the validity of coveting virginity, but also the importance of sex. This poem is one of many clever love poems that use the flea as an erotic image; it is an idea that goes as far back as Ovid. Donne’s skill of hinting at the erotic without ever explicitly referring to sex is remarkable: the idea that being bitten by a flea would represent “sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead” conveys his point with a clarity that more literal representations might have undermined.

Bibliography

Donne, John. Poems of John Donne. vol I. E. K. Chambers, ed. London: Lawrence & Bullen, 1896 pp. 1-2.

In John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, Harriet Wheelwright doesn’t act like a stereotypical grandmother. Not only does she continuously voice her opinions, but she’s also quick to judge anyone and everyone. Although not conventional, Johnny’s grandmother cares for him and Owen in her own special way through an interesting relationship even though it may seem condescending towards others.

Grandmother Wheelwright has a personality all her own. Just as older generations tend to do, she complains about the new technological developments and how life was much better in the olden days while still enjoying them “My grandmother observed that television was draining what scant life remained…‘clean out of them’; yet she instantly craved a TV of her own” (Irving 257). Irving uses the hypocritical divide within the gap between the older and younger generations to employ and draw attention to the irony. As a direct descendant of the Gravesend’s founders, she expects herself to maintain a certain level of status through her elegant clothing and demonstration of wealth- in this case being through the purchase of a television.

Harriet criticizes the up-and-coming television for its lifesucking qualities but all the while falls victim to the race of keeping up with the societal norms for her sky-high reputation.

Through the use of irony Irving extends the explanation of Harriet’s elevated status with the accompanying snobby attitude, and attributes of the older generations. Exemplified through her sharp, condescending tone and high-class way of life it is surprising that Harriet would succumb to such a petty fancy as a television. She epitomizes the idea of the elderly getting stuck in their ways. However, even for someone of her socioeconomic status, a new technological development proves difficult to resist. Life arrives at a point where people have to start changing with the times, and Harriet unintentionally finds herself in this stage. Also, the addition of the television set levels her with the general population of Gravesend, including Owen Meany. Not even the outlandish Harriet Wheelwright, with her lavish clothing and overzealous sentiments could overcome these cravings for a television. This shows that deep down, although not with prevalence, she shares qualities with the majority of Gravesend’s residents which enables her to truly connect with and relate to the economically disadvantaged Owen. This example of irony helps the reader to better understand the psyche of Harriet Wheelwright; suddenly, she doesn’t seem so cold and unfeeling anymore.

The romantic era was a movement which consisted of artistic, literary, musical and intellectual pieces of art that lasted from 1770 till the 1850’s in most parts of Europe. This movement included pieces like “Fur Elise” by Ludwig Van Beethoven and “To Autumn” by John Keats, which are some of the most iconic pieces of literature ever made to this day. From Beethoven’s music getting orchestrated in the biggest halls around the world, to Keats poems and ballads getting read in every american and non-american classrooms around the world. So in this analysis, I will be analysing the life, literature pieces and post death effects of one of the staple artists of this era, which is John Keats.

John Keats was born October 31, 1795, in the far lands of London, England, into a family of two brothers, a sister, and married parents. Keats’s father passed away because of a trample accident, in which a horse trampled Keats father and killed him, causing a profound effect on Keats early life, shaping his understanding on suffering and loss. Right after Keats’s fathers death, his mother remarried almost immediately, which affected Keats mind dramatically. Furthermore, John Keats was basically passed around, from guardian to guardian, after his mothers death, till the turning point of his life, which was school, in which his passion for reading arose. John Keats became and apprentice for a surgeon at Edmonton in 1811, which was broken off to be a junior house surgeon in 1814 at London, in which he ultimately stayed at. This is where his literary interests grew and eventually decided to pursue his poetic dreams. From point A, which was his tough youth, to the migration from parent to guardian, to finally the stabilization in London, Keats came in full of experiences and ready to write.

Literary Romanticism are writing that emphasize on inspiration, subjectivity, and the individual himself, feelings etc, in which Keats nailed with his ballads and poems. For example, we have the iconic poem “To Autumn” which was written before his death,but rose in popularity after his death because of how he emersed people on what he was feeling before his death. Keats wrote this poem after a walk one autumnal evening. This poem basically is his surrender on how his writing never gave enough economic support, and talks mainly about his “fruitfulness” efforts in the artistic industry, said with quote “Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness”. This poem is a staple of the Romantic Era because of many reasons, which are that moments before his death, he wrote a brief 3 stanza poem marking the end of his poetic career, showing his emotions toward the romanticism movement happening at England at the time, and how his life shaped more than just his writings. And finally, Keats contracted tuberculosis later that same autumn which eventually killed him at the age of 25.

Another of Keats writings that shows what the romantic era was all about is the poem with the title of “Ode on Melancholy”, which was a poem discussing to treat his depression. Just a brief analysis on the poem, the first line, quote,”No, no, go not to lethe” (Greenblatt 981), can be broken down starting with the word “lethe” which is the name of the Greek spirit of “forgetfulness” and “Oblivion”, and in this poem, this word was used to express forgetfulness. Why? Because Keats wants the reader to not forget about our sadness. Which can go back to why Keats is a great representation of the Romantic Era, he embraces such a dark and horrible feeling, in the attempt of making him a stronger human being. He follows the next stanza with messages towards the speaker, which start with quote, “But when the melancholy fit shall fall” (Greenblatt 981), tells the reader that the person who is suffering should instead of suffer the person should implement positive, beautiful things into their lives, that eventually take down the negative ones. This poem continues and talks about alternative ways to cope with depression and speaks to the reader about his own personal experiences with sadness.

Most of Keats Odes have a big level of difference between them, for example, “Ode on Melancholy” is the first ode not written in first person, instead it is written in a way advising the reader on what to do if facing depression and such. “Ode on Melancholy” was a poem written as a result of his hard-owned experience, from the hardships of his early life to the experiences with love himself etc, which brings back to Keats being a great staple in the Romantic era.

John Keats lived through a lot, and he only passed away when he was 25, his experiences, and emotions put into paper will never be overseen, and now, the Romanticism movement was a huge step forward writers took back in England, in which Keats remarkably led in my opinion. He did not just write one of the most iconic pieces of literature ever written but created a trail if you will, inspiring writers to this day. Keats represented the Romantic era because of how he dedicated his life to the last seconds of his breaths to his craft, and most importantly, he never hid no aspect of what made him the man he grew to be back then. Keats contributed to the Romantic movement with collection of short letters and poems which were all thoughtful and impassioned. So finally, yes, John Keats did much more than just contribute to the movement, he revolutionized, and represented what the movement was truly about. 

Table of contents

1. John Lennon’s Personal Life
Adulthood and Familial RelationshipsInput as Founding Member of the World’s Most Popular BandMusical StyleHis Influence on SocietyHis Influence on Music
2. Conclusion
3. References

If I were to ask you: “Which musician/band is the best-selling musical artist of all time?” I’d probably hear answers like Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Madonna. I might also hear The Beatles, which is the correct answer to that question. According to CBS News, The Beatles have sold a total of 1.6 billion singles, a record to this day. They hold numerous records that have stood for decades. I’m here today to talk about the man responsible for the creation and the success of The Beatles, in addition to being himself one of the most influential figures of the 1960s.

I have been a fan of this man since I was 12, and I have dug deep into his personal life as well as his artisanship and music. I’m very familiar with his art and ideas as well as his achievements. I’ll start by briefly covering his personal life, and then I’ll talk at length about his art and his lasting influence on both music and society.

John Lennon’s Personal Life

Born in Liverpool to Alfred and Julia Lennon, his parents divorced and he stayed with his aunt Mimi. He had musical talent at a young age. He formed a band when he met Paul McCartney when they were 16. It was called “The Quarrymen”. After performing multiple times at school and undergoing several name and lineup changes, the band frequently traveled to Hamburg, Germany to perform in clubs and restaurants. That’s where the band members found their musical identity and settled on the name “The Beatles”. The band’s final lineup consisted of John, Paul, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Adulthood and Familial Relationships

John met Cynthia Powell, his first wife, while he was still at high school. They fell in love and eventually got married in 1962 when Cynthia became pregnant. They had their only son, Julian Lennon, in 1963. John Lennon had an affair with Japanese avant-garde artist Yoko Ono. This led to a divorce between Cynthia and Lennon. John and Yoko got married in 1969 as soon as the divorce was settled. They had a son named Sean Lennon. The death of John Lennon: John and Yoko moved to Manhattan in 1971. It was in that city where John Lennon was shot and killed in 1980 by Mark Chapman, a crazed fan.

Input as Founding Member of the World’s Most Popular Band

He was the main vocalist in The Beatles, while he shared the creative duties of composing lyrics with Paul McCartney. The music was usually composed by one of John, Paul or George. He was also the lead guitarist of the band. He composed many of the band’s most successful songs, such as “Strawberry Fields Forever”, which speaks about his childhood, and “Help!”.

John Lennon formed a band with his wife and started to record music as the “John Lennon/Plastic Ono” band, where he recorded many popular songs such as “Beautiful Boy” and “Jealous Guy”. As he was no longer part of The Beatles, he indulged in his artistic tendencies and experiments, but more importantly he used his music to spread messages of peace and love to the masses. He used his music as a political tool to get his opinion across in an unprecedented way.

Musical Style

When The Beatles’ first started, his style of writing lyrics and composing music was in keeping with the “pop rock” genre that was very popular at the time, although it was definitely original and unique. The themes of his songs were usually love and childhood experiences. In 1968, The Beatles’ took a trip to India to enhance their spirituality. This, in addition to the fact that they started to take psychedelics and hallucinogenic drugs, led to them creating music in the psychedelic genre. John Lennon started writing classic psychedelic songs such as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and acoustic spiritual songs such as “Across The Universe”, which we will listen to now. When he formed the John Lennon/Plastic Ono band, his songs mostly revolved around love for his wife Yoko and son Sean, confessions, messages of peace, attacks on social oppression and injustice, spirituality and psychedelia. He often used an acoustic musical style, barring his psychedelic songs.

His Influence on Society

Many people, including several newspapers and celebrities, herald John Lennon for using his superstar status to spread messages of peace and social justice both through his art and his protests. For example, he used his honeymoon with Yoko as a “bed-in” as a protest against the Vietnam War. Moreover, many people also credit Lennon with changing the prevailing social norms at that time. He was specially challenging norms regarding sexuality, religion, women’s role in society, individuality and free expression of thoughts and feelings.

His Influence on Music

He spawned a new lyrical and signing style through his writing technique. This style, usually referred to as the “confession school”, has shown itself in many music genres, from dark heavy metal to modern day pop. Also, he was one of the first artists to viciously attack authority and push towards the breaking of prevalent social norms. He was unique in the way he expressed rebellious thoughts in his music, inspiring other artists to do the same.

Conclusion

To summarize what I covered during this speech, John Lennon is one of the most prominent figures in music the world has ever seen. His influence on the lives of so many and his music that stands the test of time bear testament to that. His achievements as a Beatle and a solo artist also point out how popular he was as an artist. 1.6 billion singles sold is barely a believable statistic, and one that he is largely responsible for. It speaks volumes about how big he really was, and it shows that he will always be regarded as one of the most influential artists of all time.

References

• Dubois, Larry, and Larry Dubois. “Cynthia: John Lennon's First Wife.”
• “John Lennon: Rebel Beatle.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report
• Mgallucci. “Top 10 John Lennon Beatles Songs.” Ultimate Classic Rock, 22 Oct. 2012
• “Timeline: The Beatles.” Infoplease
• Holden, Stephen, and Stephen Holden. “Lennons Music: A Range of Genius.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018