The Travels of a T

The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy focuses on the impact of globalization and free trade. Pietra Rivoli recounts her fascinating adventure around the world in order to find out the origin of her T-shirt. Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She travels from a cotton field in Texas to a Chinese factory and from there goes to a used clothing market in Tanzania, and in the process describes the transformation of raw cotton into a T-Shirt. She analyses the international trade through the story of a simple product and gives her perceptions of the workings of a global economy. She resolves that, without blatant efforts by protestors and NGOs, free trade would lead into exploitation of disfavored workers in the factories of developing countries. This essay gives a critical examination of the Travels of T-shirt in the Glob al Economy by looking at its purpose, the impressions it creates, how it could be improved and finally, its relation to economic geography. In telling her story, Rivoli used a simple concept to find out the globalization of world trade. She randomly purchases a t-shirt while on vacation then talks to the shop proprietors to discover where they initially bought it from. She then tracks down the persons and factories that probably had a direct influence upon her t-shirt. Her story commences at George Town University in Washington where she encountered a student demonstration about the sweatshop that produced their t-shirts. She becomes concerned and decides to investigate how the process worked, and so, she buys a T-Shirt which sets out the whole story. The story begins right at the cotton fields where the farmers encounter several challenges and from there, hops from country to country as it undergoes different processes (Rivoli, 2005). The story is recounted in an interesting and e fficacious way to attain its objective of educating on global economy. She explains that cotton farmers in America are MBAs in entrepreneurship in the sense that they are moving toward their vision of earning wealth to themselves and to the whole community as well. This is achieved through cutting off the foreign and domestic competitors. As Rivoli states, Texas cotton remains the lead as a result of placing limits to competitors instead of competing. She describes the cotton industry using an imagery; the Texas cotton industry as a lion and its competitors as gazelles. This finely illustrates her idea of the Texas cotton industry quickly destroying its opponents so as to avoid competition. This way, she helps in elaborating on the reasons for continuous success of Texas cotton (Rivoli, 2005).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, she also sheds light on the benefits incurred by farmers as a result of cotton farming. The farmers of the United States are subsidized by the government, and the American textile industries are made to buy the cotton from the farmers which in turn, subsidize the difference in price. Programmes for compensating farmers of the losses, developing new technologies and for loaning are also available. On the contrary, other countries as India and Pakistan cannot even afford to compensate their farmers. This is quite the opposite of America. Farmers in such countries are depressed as seen in the example of an Indian cotton farmer who decided to drink pesticide as a way of expressing his fate in farming. Through this, the economic situations of different countries are depicted. Protectionist policies are what the American government has applied in order to prevent imports, and though this might be viewed as a short-run resolution of imports to any nation, it does help in preserving domestic products and the jobs of dozens (Rivoli, 2005). When drawing the cotton processing in Chinese factories, Rivoli reveals the inhuman conditions in the sweatshop. She mentions the condition of workers and especially women who work for long hours at the factories for little pay. She provides an example of a young woman, Jiang Lan, whose work is to tie strands of broken yarn. She works for six days per week, eight hours a day, and all what she gets is $100 per month. This is surely a low pay considering the fact that she works for long hours and only has one day to rest in a week. Quite to the contrary, these women are willing to work on the factory as it frees them from the donkeywork and arranged marriages in the countryside China. This reflects the poor political governance that does not protect the workers’ rights. China’s communist policies that socially classify people such as the hukou are unnecessary and unfair to many as it prevents people from becoming who they want to be. This is a m atter that the Chinese government needs to look into (Rivoli, 2005). Nevertheless, Rivoli’s writing creates such an important realization that the need for new clothing has made cotton a necessity. This is deduced in the section concerning the Salvation Army where she says that â€Å"There are nowhere near enough poor people in America to absorb the mountains of castoffs (clothing), even if they were given away† (p.176). Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This essentially means that, there is unlimited desire for new clothing in and outside America. The used garments are taken to Tanzania trading markets where they are sold as second hand garments. Used clothes have become an issue of controversy and some African countries have banned the importation of castoffs as a way of protecting their local textile indust ries (Rivoli, 2005). Her opinion on economic policy is something that I agree with. Her sentiment pertaining to the agreement on free trade between China and the United States is that, the two states should stop competing and instead let the market determine the best product. Through this, it is made clear that free trade might not be the best line in the short-term after all (Rivoli, 2005). Moreover, another similar problem occurs when Rivoli talks about the unintended outcomes of congress legislation that proposes to affirm the occupations of America. A particular case is that of CBTBA and the â€Å"yarn forward† requisite that deters American yarn spinners from exporting their yarn to the Caribbean and from changing production to a cost-effective location. One asks themselves whether the legislations being passed are of any assistance since they prove not to be working to begin with. Instead of wasting time and money maintaining disused jobs, it could be better put to use in other places like funding educational programs and educating dismissed workers (Rivoli, 2005). Finally, the book touches on several issues of globalization which are informative. Rivoli though, can further improve the book by discussing the matters of political and economic subversion. In addition, environmental impacts of the garment industries should also be more dwelt on. The textile industry nowadays illustrates the issues faced by the global economy. Owing to its globalization, the textile industry moves around boundaries, connecting governments, industries and economies of underdeveloped and developed nations. As seen, the garments move from a developed country to a less developed country as they get old. This explains the economic situations of these countries. Americans are able to afford new clothing and as they get old they are transferred to a less developed country as Tanzania who may not afford new garments due to high charges imposed on them. This is a very inter esting book as it elaborates on various matters pertaining to the economies of different nations (Rivoli, 2005).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This book looks at the cycle of a T-shirt transformed from a cotton field in Texas to a fabric and finally sewn to a T-shirt in Chinese factories. The T-shirt is then taken back to United States, Florida, where it is printed and sold in the streets of Washington. As a used T-shirt it is eventually discarded and thus encounters a free market. On its way to Tanzania, it may pass through china again for sorting, and that is how the T-shirt as she analyzed, travels. This book expresses approval of the business individuals involved in global trade together with their antagonists who assist in ensuring that trade does not at all cause dehumanization to those that it may serve to assist. Pietra Rivoli hence recounts a story that deserves its success. She has done deep research, written well, argued well and even largely elaborated on the turbulent complexness of the global economy. Rivoli though should elaborate more on the economic and political corruption. Reference Rivoli, P. (2005). The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade. New York: John Wiley Sons. This critical writing on The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy was written and submitted by user John Porter to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Biography of Kate Chase Sprague, Political Daughter

Biography of Kate Chase Sprague, Political Daughter Kate Chase Sprague (born Catherine Jane Chase; August 13, 1840–July 31, 1899) was a society hostess during the Civil War years in Washington, D.C. She was celebrated for her beauty, intellect, and political savvy. Her father was Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, part of President Abraham Lincolns Team of Rivals, and later served as secretary of state and chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. Kate helped promote her fathers political ambitions before she became embroiled in a scandalous marriage and divorce. Fast Facts: Kate Chase Sprague Known For:  Socialite, daughter of a prominent politician, embroiled in a scandalous marriage and divorceAlso Known As:  Kate Chase, Katherine ChaseBorn:  August 13, 1840 in Cincinnati, OhioParents: Salmon Portland Chase and Eliza Ann Smith ChaseDied:  July 31, 1899 in Washington, D.C.Education: Miss Haines School, Lewis Heyl’s SeminarySpouse: William SpragueChildren: William, Ethel, Portia, Catherine (or Kitty)Notable Quote: â€Å"Mrs. Lincoln was piqued that I did not remain at Columbus to see her, and I have always felt that this was the chief reason why she did not like me at Washington.† Early Life Kate Chase was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 13, 1840.  Her father was Salmon P. Chase and her mother was Eliza Ann Smith, his second wife.   In 1845, Kate’s mother died, and her father remarried the next year.  He had another daughter, Nettie, with his third wife Sarah Ludlow. Kate was jealous of her stepmother and so her father sent her to the fashionable and rigorous Miss Haines School in New York City in 1846.  Kate graduated in 1856 and returned to Columbus. Ohio’s First Lady In 1849 while Kate was at school, her father was elected to the U.S. Senate as a representative of the Free Soil Party.  His third wife died in 1852, and in 1856 he was elected as Ohio’s governor.  Kate, at age 16, had recently returned from boarding school and became close to her father, serving as his official hostess at the governor’s mansion.  Kate also began serving as her father’s secretary and advisor and was able to meet many prominent political figures. In 1859, Kate failed to attend a reception for the wife of Illinois Senator Abraham Lincoln. Kate said of this occasion, â€Å"Mrs. Lincoln was piqued that I did not remain at Columbus to see her, and I have always felt that this was the chief reason why she did not like me at Washington.† Salmon Chase had a more momentous rivalry with Senator Lincoln, competing with him for the Republican nomination for president in 1860. Kate Chase accompanied her father to Chicago for the national Republican convention, where Lincoln prevailed. Kate Chase in Washington Although Salmon Chase had failed in his attempt to become president, Lincoln appointed him secretary of the treasury. Kate accompanied her father to Washington, D.C., where they moved into a rented mansion.  Kate held salons at the home from 1861 to 1863 and continued to serve as her father’s hostess and advisor. With her intellect, beauty, and expensive fashions, she was a central figure in Washington’s social scene. She was in direct competition with Mary Todd Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln, as the White House hostess, had the position that Kate Chase coveted. The rivalry between the two was publicly noted. Kate Chase visited battle camps near Washington, D.C. and publicly criticized the president’s policies on the war. Suitors Kate had many suitors.  In 1862, she met newly elected Senator William Sprague from Rhode Island.  Sprague had inherited his family business in textile and locomotive manufacturing and was very wealthy. He had already been something of a hero in the early Civil War. He was elected Rhode Island’s governor in 1860 and in 1861, during his term in office, he enlisted in the Union Army. At the first Battle of Bull Run, he acquitted himself well. Wedding Kate Chase and William Sprague became engaged, though the relationship was stormy from the beginning. Sprague broke off the engagement briefly when he discovered Kate had had a romance with a married man. They reconciled and were married in an extravagant wedding at the Chase home on November 12, 1863. The press covered the ceremony.  A reported 500 to 600 guests attended and a crowd  also assembled outside the home. Sprague’s gift to his wife was a $50,000 tiara. President Lincoln and most of the cabinet attended. The press noted that the president arrived alone: Mary Todd Lincoln had snubbed Kate. Political Maneuvering Kate Chase Sprague and her new husband moved into her father’s mansion, and Kate continued to be the toast of the town and preside at social functions.  Salmon Chase bought land in suburban Washington, at Edgewood, and began to build his own mansion there. Kate helped advise and support her father’s 1864 attempt to be nominated over incumbent Abraham Lincoln by the Republican convention. William Sprague’s money helped support the campaign. Salmon Chase’s second attempt to become president also failed. Lincoln accepted his resignation as secretary of the treasury.  When Roger Taney died, Lincoln appointed Salmon P. Chase as chief justice of the Supreme Court. Early Marriage Troubles Kate and William Sprague’s first child and only son William was born in 1865.  By 1866, rumors that the marriage might end were quite public. William drank heavily, had open affairs, and was reported to be physically and verbally abusive to his wife. Kate, for her part, was extravagant with the family’s money. She spent lavishly on her father’s political career as well as fashion- even as she criticized Mary Todd Lincoln for her purported frivolous spending. 1868 Presidential Politics In 1868, Salmon P. Chase presided at the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson.  Chase already had his eye on the presidential nomination for later that year and Kate recognized that if Johnson was convicted, his successor would likely run as an incumbent, reducing Salmon Chase’s chances of nomination and election. Kate’s husband was among the senators voting on the impeachment. Like many Republicans, he voted for conviction, likely increasing tension between William and Kate.  Johnson’s conviction failed by one vote. Switching Parties Ulysses S. Grant won the Republican nomination for the presidency, and Salmon Chase decided to switch parties and run as a Democrat.  Kate accompanied her father to New York City, where the Tammany Hall convention did not select Salmon Chase. She blamed New York governor Samuel J. Tilden for engineering her father’s defeat. Historians deem it more likely that it was his support for voting rights for black men that led to Chases defeat.  Salmon Chase retired to his Edgewood mansion. Scandals and a Deteriorating Marriage Salmon Chase had become politically entangled with financier Jay Cooke, beginning with some special favors in 1862.  When criticized for accepting gifts as a public servant, Chase stated  that  a carriage from Cooke was actually a gift to his daughter. That same year, the Spragues built a massive mansion in Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island. Kate took many trips to Europe and New York City, spending heavily on furnishing the mansion. Her father wrote to her to caution her that she was being too extravagant with her husband’s money.  In 1869, Kate gave birth to her second child, this time a daughter named Ethel, though rumors of their deteriorating marriage increased. In 1872, Salmon Chase made yet another try for the presidential nomination, this time as a Republican.  He failed again and died the next year. More Scandals William Sprague’s finances suffered huge losses in the depression of 1873. After her father’s death, Kate began spending most of her time at her late fathers Edgewood mansion.  She also began an affair at some point with New York Senator Roscoe Conkling, with rumors spreading that her last two daughters were not her husband’s. After her father’s death, the affair became more and more public. With whispers of scandal, the men of Washington still attended many parties at Edgewood hosted by Kate Sprague. Their wives attended only if they had to. After William Sprague left the Senate in 1875, the attendance by the wives virtually ceased. In 1876, Kates paramour Senator Conkling was a key figure in the Senate’s deciding the presidential election in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes over Kate’s old enemy, Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden had won the popular vote. The Marriage Breaks Kate and William Sprague lived mostly separately, but in August of 1879, Kate and her daughters were at home in Rhode Island when William Sprague left on a business trip.  According to the sensational stories in the newspapers later, Sprague returned unexpectedly from his trip and found Kate with Conkling. Newspapers wrote that Sprague pursued Conkling into town with a shotgun, then imprisoned Kate and threatened to throw her out a second-floor window.  Kate and her daughters escaped with the help of servants and they returned to Edgewood. Divorce The next year, 1880, Kate filed for divorce. Pursuing a divorce was difficult for a woman under the laws of the time. She asked for custody of the four children and for the right to resume her maiden name, also unusual for the time. The case dragged on until 1882, when she won custody of their three daughters, with their son to remain with his father. She also won the right to be called Mrs. Kate Chase rather than using the name Sprague. Declining Fortune Kate took her three daughters to live in Europe in 1882 after the divorce was final. They lived there until 1886 when their money ran out, and she returned with her daughters to Edgewood. Chase began selling off the furniture and silver and mortgaging the home.  She was reduced to selling milk and eggs door to door to sustain herself.  In 1890, her son committed suicide at age 25, which caused Kate to become more reclusive. Her daughters Ethel and Portia moved out, Portia to Rhode Island and Ethel, who married, to Brooklyn, New York.  Kitty was mentally disabled and lived with her mother. In 1896, a group of admirers of Kate’s father paid the mortgage on Edgewood, allowing her some financial security.  Henry Villard, married to the daughter of abolitionist William Garrison, headed that effort. Death In 1899 after ignoring a serious illness for some time, Kate sought medical help for liver and kidney disease.  She died on July 31, 1899, of Bright’s disease, with her three daughters at her side. A U.S. government car brought her back to Columbus, Ohio, where she was buried next to her father.  Obituaries called her by her married name, Kate Chase Sprague. Legacy Despite her unhappy marriage and the devastation wrought on her reputation and clout by the scandal of her infidelity, Kate Chase Sprague is remembered as a remarkably brilliant and accomplished woman. As her fathers de facto campaign manager and as a central Washington society hostess, she wielded political power during the greatest crisis in United States history, the Civil War and its aftermath. Sources Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Simon and Schuster, 2005.  Ishbel Ross. Proud Kate, Portrait of an Ambitious Woman. Harper, 1953.â€Å"Notable Visitors: Kate Chase Sprague (1840-1899).†Ã‚  Mr. Lincolns White House, www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org/residents-visitors/notable-visitors/notable-visitors-kate-chase-sprague-1840-1899/.Oller, John. American Queen: The Rise and Fall of Kate Chase Sprague, Civil War â€Å"Belle of the North and Gilded Age Woman of Scandal. Da Capo Press, 2014

Morality of Active Euthinasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Morality of Active Euthinasia - Essay Example Active euthanasia is sometimes called mercy killing whereas the physicians end the patients’ life directly, such as by giving lethal injection. The passive one is delivered by ending any life sustaining treatment. The result of both cases is the same, the death of the patients. However, some can argue that the former is caused by the physician while the latter by the disease. The conventional doctrine is that there is such an important moral difference between the two that, although the latter is sometimes permissible, the former is always forbidden. (Rachels 78) In my opinion, the morality of active euthanasia actually depends on the situation. In some rare cases whereas the patient suffers extreme pain and has absolutely no hope of surviving, active euthanasia, although it is illegal, can be seen as an act of kindness. This mercy killing is, in some sense, even more compassionate than passive euthanasia, whereas the physicians forgo the life sustaining treatment and let the patient suffer to death. However, in most cases, active euthanasia is absolutely immoral. When there is a chance for the patients to recover, no matter how tiny the chance is, mercy killing is obviously not the act of compassion. Even if the patient voluntarily ask for it, as long as the chance to recover is there, active euthanasia is still morally wrong. The morality of active euthanasia in individual cases can depend on the situation. The morality in the policy level, however, cannot depend on the situation. The question whether it should be legalized or not should only be answered after considering carefully the potential consequences. If active euthanasia is legalized, it will definitely generate good and bad consequences. Whether the good ones outweigh the bad ones or the opposite should be the main concern to answer the question of legalization. Let’s deal with the good outcomes first. According to Dan W. Brock, if active euthanasia is legalized, it means

How is capability deprivation a more powerful approach for finding Essay

How is capability deprivation a more powerful approach for finding ways to fight poverty than a focus on raising the incomes of - Essay Example The realities faced by the poor people can be termed as dissimilar, multifaceted and dynamic; an aspect that leads to the analysts and researchers looking for explanations and solutions to the problem of unemployment. This paper shall address the issue of unemployment by arguing from the point that, poverty can be easily eliminated by applying the capability restitution mechanism as opposed to raising the income of the poor. The view of poverty in terms of capability perspective is one that is multi-dimensional as seen in the work of Sen (1). In the work, the author continues to argue that since poverty can be analyzed from the perspective of an individual’s lack of the basic items, income is one of the main items that would allow the same individual access their basic wants (2). This is to mean that, insufficient or lack of capital is a major determining factor of the ability of an individual to reassure their daily life. This interprets the reason why some families and perso ns are more economically able as contrasted to others. Therefore, in this case, the incapability of an individual to access the income that would be helpful in reducing poverty is useful in coming up with policies useful for dealing with poverty. It is at this juncture that Sen insists that; it would not be possible to give all these persons the necessary amount of money to maintain their livelihoods (2). Sen poses a question on whether it would be probable to fund a sick or a disabled person with sufficient funds to protract their livelihoods (2). In this case, it would be more sensible and practical to allow these individuals to obtain the skills of accessing income as opposed to giving them the funds. Though Sen is cautious of the fact that it would not be undemanding for persons with special needs and the sick to work equally the same as the ordinary persons, giving them an opportunity to acquire the right skills to work is the best solution in assuaging poverty (2). Capability restitution method is yet another more potent approach in alleviating poverty as the approach deals with issues of handling poverty. Poverty that is realistic, as indicated by Sen, does not revolve around the income liberty, but the main concern is a consideration of the mechanisms that bring out the poor persons from their misery (2). A cited example is that of the elderly members of the society, and other groups that are sinking in misery (1). In this case, apportioning a certain amount of money in an endeavor to fight poverty would result to the same persons being reliant on the fact that, with or with no jobs, they have an amount of money set aside for their use. It is warranted, from this argument, to argue that these persons have undeniably been reduced to slaves of their own desolation, as they have no capability to secure a job, and earn a considerable amount of money that would be helpful for their personal development. Sen gives a case in point whereby a family is allocate d funds as a means of alleviating poverty (2). In the event that the boy-child is given priority over the girl due to their gender difference, as seen in Asia and parts of North Africa, then a new division of poor persons will automatically emerge. In terms of capability deprivation, this means that girls are not given a chance to exercise their full potential as they are neglected in terms of access to healthcare, income amongst others (Sen 1). In the long run, the

J&L and Hedging Essay Example for Free

JL and Hedging Essay JL Railroad should take a long position. They need to purchase diesel fuel in the future, they don’t produce diesel fuel, so they would want to take a future to be able to lock in the price of diesel fuel for future purchases. 2. What problems could the use of heating oil futures for hedging create for JL? Note: I assume this question is asking about heating oil specifically not futures in general. As heating oil is not the same product as diesel fuel, therefore there could still be some exposure (risk) for JL. There has been a historical correlation between heating oil prices and diesel fuel prices, but this might not be true for the future. The futures for heating oil are contracts for delivery of 42,000 gallons – the amount of diesel fuel needed in any month is unlikely to equal 42,000 gallons or a multiple of that amount. As the heating oil futures mature on the last business day of the preceding month and therefore the purchase would have to occur on that day. 3. Explain why the daily settlement of futures contracts can create cash-flow problems for JL? If JL purchases a long future contract, they have to provide the initial margin for each contract. If the price of heating oil goes down (even for a short period) to bring the margin to below the maintenance margin, JL would be required to top up the margin to the initial margin amount. If they don’t have the ready funds to do this their futures contract would be cancelled. This could require JL to maintain a substantial amount of cash or the availability of a line of credit they can draw on, as needed. The costs to hold this much cash or the interest on a line of credit may exceed the value of the hedging of diesel fuel prices. As the contract hasn’t closed yet (and it could be a while until it does depending on the length of the contract) these daily settlements could affect the interim cash needs of the company. If the price goes up there isn’t an issue with cash needs (other than the initially required margin). 4. How do options on futures work? Why can trading options on futures can be preferable than trading options on the physical heating oil? An option on a future is the ability to purchase the future (or sell the future) at a given price. If the future doesn’t reach that price, you don’t have to buy it. An amount called a premium is charged for the options. If instead of trading options on a future, JL could trade options on heating oil. Exercising an option on a future only requires the cash margin to be deposited, exercising an option on heating oil would require the total value of the heating oil exercise price to paid.

Martin Luther King Jr. :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Birmingham, Alabama newspaper published â€Å"The Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen† calling Martin Luther King Jr.’s activities â€Å"unwise and untimely,† King wrote a response back from jail arguing each point the clergymen had made in their â€Å"Public Statement.† In the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† King points out that he is not an outsider since the people of Birmingham invited him and that since they are all within the United States, nobody should be even considered an outsider. Being a fighter of injustice, King says, he sought to negotiate with the white community of Birmingham, but they refused to comply. Then, he illustrates to them that the tension amongst the groups is many times good because it leads to action and negotiation. He further explains that calling the actions of Negroes â€Å"unwise and untimely† is denying them justice, which they have been waiting for too long. Moreo ver, King explains that laws can be just and unjust, and that he will only obey just laws that agree with the moral code and disobey laws that do not unlike the white churches, which permit prejudice and hate even though they should preach brotherhood and love. Lastly, King points out that Negroes will win their freedom in the end because it is their right and God’s will. To argue his points in the â€Å"Letter† King uses each of the three rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. In this essay, I will try to prove that one appeal is more effective than the rest, but first in order to help one understand what these appeals mean, I will use Arthur Quinn’s definitions of what the three appeals entail. The first appeal, the ethos, tries to persuade an audience to agree with an argument by using the reputation and character of the speaker or writer. For instance, a well-liked political leader might hold a strong ethos in the eyes of his constituents, and therefore his opinions on issues might convince his constituents to hold the same opinions whether or not they know anything about the issue. In contrast, the pathos appeal attempts to persuade an audience by targeting their emotions in attempt to gain their sympathy for the argument. An example of this appeal can be seen in TV commercials fundraising money for impoverished children. The final appeal, the logos, attempts to persuade an audience using logic and good reasoning.

The Great Gatsby- Immorality

The American Dream—A Road to Immorality â€Å"‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,  knowing good and evil’† (New International Bible, Genesis 3:4-5). The prevalence of temptation and immorality has been present from the beginning of time. In the Biblical sense, it was the serpent that tempted Eve with his promises for greatness and divinity, but ultimately corrupted her world, as well as the world today. Presently, the lust for power and authority is exceedingly evident amongst today’s society.In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American dream was a foundation of desires for wealth and supremacy. Throughout the novel, the characters’ greed has a negative impact on their everyday decisions, and leads them down the path of immorality and depravity. Through the examination of the lives of Nick Carraway an d Jordan Baker, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby, the following essay will prove how the tempting and agonizing pursuit of the American dream often leads to a life full of dishonesty and corruption.In the beginning of the novel, Nick Carraway evidenced his mixed emotions towards the rich lifestyle. In the manner he described Tom Buchanan, it is clear that Nick noticed the complacency of the rich lifestyle: Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. . . . His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward people he liked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts. Fitzgerald 12) Despite his distaste towards the rich, Nick also idolized them. His strong desire to achieve the American dream persuaded him to associate with these people. However, as he got sucked into their world, he became more and more dishonest and immoral. When asked by Tom and Daisy about his rumoured engagement to a woman back home, Nick denied it. However, it is later revealed that he is, in fact, engaged: But I am slow-thinking and full of interior rules that act as brakes on my desires, and I knew that first I had to get myself definitely out of that tangle back home.I’d been writing letters once a week and signing them: ‘Love, Nick,’ and all I could think of was how, when that certain girl played tennis, a faint mustache of perspiration appeared on her upper lip. Nevertheless there was a vague understanding that had to be tactfully broken off before I was free. (Fitzgerald 59) Regardless of this, he pursued an affair with Jordan Baker. As the novel progressed, Nick began to realize how the fast and extravagant lifestyle of the rich was only a cover for the disturbing moral emptiness amongst them.He learned that even Jordan, whom he had developed feelings for, was dishonest and was willing to do anything to ensure her success: Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible. She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body. Fitzgerald 58) After gaining much maturity, Nick returned to Minnesota seeking a life structured by more traditional moral values. The lives of Tom and Daisy Buchanan are prime examples of how achieving the American dream often leads to living a low and vulgar life. At a first glance, their home seems to be the perfect family setting. It isn’t long before Tom’s affair with his mistress becomes evident: â€Å"‘Is som ething happening? ’ I inquired innocently. ‘You mean to say you don’t know? ’ said Miss Baker, honestly surprised. ‘I thought everybody knew. ‘I don’t. ’ ‘Why—’ she said hesitantly, ‘Tom’s got some woman in New York’† (Fitzgerald 20). When Daisy sees Gatsby again, she also begins an affair of her own. However this affair is short lived as Tom becomes aware of the infidelity of his wife. Daisy was forced to choose between Tom and Gatsby, but she refused to abandon her â€Å"old rich† lifestyle. After hitting Myrtle while driving Jay’s car, Daisy and Tom decided to conspire a plan in order to avoid responsibility for the tragedy: â€Å"Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table, . . . There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together† (Fitzgerald 138). Despite Da isy’s professed â€Å"love† for Gatsby, she allowed him to take the blame for the accident, which eventuated in his death. When Wilson went to Tom and asked him who the car belonged to, Tom had no problem mentioning Jay Gatsby’s name, providing Wilson with the information needed to justify Myrtle’s death: â€Å"‘I told him the truth,’ he said. ‘He came to the door hile we were getting ready to leave, and when I sent down word that we weren’t in he tried to force his way up-stairs. He was crazy enough to kill me if I hadn’t told him who owned the car. . . .’† (Fitzgerald 169). In the end, Daisy chose the American dream over her moral conscience, proving that the rich are not really better than the poor. Jay Gatsby’s quest for the American dream began at the age of 17, when he left his North Dakota farm-life home in pursuit of better life. After meeting Daisy and seeing her wealth, he became obsessed wit h her.Gatsby’s â€Å"love† for Daisy was more of an urgent desire to possess her. He lied to her in order to draw her to him: He might have despised himself, for he had certainly taken her under false pretenses. I don’t mean that he had traded on his phantom millions, but he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself—that he was fully able to take care of her. (Fitzgerald 142) Gatsby’s desperation drove him to work for Meyer Wolfsheim.He quickly earned a vast amount of money by bootlegging alcohol and associating in other illegal activities under Wolfsheim’s order: â€Å"‘He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. . . .’† (Fitzgerald 127). Even though Jay seemed to be an unsavory, worldly man with his illegal and immoral tendencies, he had an incredible sen se of loyalty. His unfailing loyalty extended to everyone he cared for, from his own father to Dan Cody to Daisy.Unfortunately, he did not always receive the same measure of devotion in return, demonstrated when Daisy allowed him to take the fall for her foolish actions. Nick Carraway recognized this goodness about him, and reassured Gatsby: â€Å"‘They’re a rotten crowd,’ I shouted across the lawn. ‘You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together’† (Fitzgerald 146). Jay Gatsby’s hunger for the American dream proves how even good-natured people can become corrupted by their lust for money and power. â€Å"‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,  knowing good and evil’† (New International Bible, Genesis 3:4-5). The prevalence of temptation and immorality has been present from the beginning of time. In the Biblical sense, it was the serpent that tempted Eve with his promises for greatness and divinity, but ultimately corrupted her world, as well as the world today. Presently, the lust for power and authority is exceedingly evident amongst today’s society. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American dream was a foundation of desires for wealth and supremacy.Throughout the novel, the characters’ greed has a negative impact on their everyday decisions, and leads them down the path of immorality and depravity. Through the examination of the lives of Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby, the following essay will prove how the tempting and agonizing pursuit of the American dream often leads to a life full of dishonesty and corruption. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Toronto: Penguin Books Ltd. , 1998. New International Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.