The Escape by Maugham Essay Example

The Escape by Maugham Essay William Somerset Maugham is one of the best known English writers of the 20th century. He was not only a novelist, but also a one of the most successful dramatist and short-story writers. Maugham wants the readers to draw their own conclusion about the characters and events described in his novels. His reputation as a novelist is based on the following prominent books: â€Å"Of Human Bondage†; â€Å"The Moon and Sixpence†; and â€Å"The Razors Edge†. Though Maugham doesn’t denounce the contemporary social order, he is critical of the morals and the narrow-mindedness. Realistic portrayal of life, keen character observation, and interesting plots coupled with beautiful, expressive language, a simple, clear, unadored style, place Somerset Maugham on a level with the greatest English writers of the 20th century. In general, Maughams novels and short stories could be characterized by great narrative facility, an ironic point of view, cosmopolitan settings, and an astonishing understanding of human nature. His short stories gained the greatest popularity. And it’s right time to speculate upon one of the stories â€Å"The Escape†- which impressed me deeply and made me think about its subject. It is about a man (Roger) and a woman (Ruth), their complicated relations and scheming in order to achieve different aims. So they are the main characters. The author hides behind the narrator who is the secondary character. The essence of â€Å"The Escape†, to my mind, is that Roger and Ruth have diverse approaches towards the relations. Of course, the men and the women like the first step: flowers, attentiveness, passion. But then their paths diverge. The romance disappears, the man looks for the way out, he craves for new emotions, but the woman deems that the relations should develop into the marriage. We will write a custom essay sample on The Escape by Maugham specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Escape by Maugham specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Escape by Maugham specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer And â€Å"The Escape† is the example of such a mismatch. From the very beginning the narrator convinces us that if a woman once made her mind to marry a man nothing but instant flight could save him. One of his friends seeing the unavoidable hazard before him, took ship and spent a year traveling round the world. He hoped the woman who was considered to be his bride would forget him being fickle, but he was mistaken; when he got back thinking himself safe, the woman, from whom he had fled, was waiting for him on the dockside. This funny thing supports the idea that the inevitable loom of the marriage frightens some men and they try to evade it. This portion of the text is some kind of preamble, it prepares the reader for the following plot-development and presents a piece of narration. Its syntax is complicated, there are compound sentences with many subjects and verbs of action not to loose the thought. The epithets â€Å"instant flight†, â€Å"the inevitable loom†, â€Å"menacingly† show us fear and trembling of such men. They don’t know and don’t respect women, the epithet â€Å"fickle† confirms it, that why they are afraid of difficulties of the marriage. And through these stylistic devices we feel the author’s tone, it is humorous, but this humor is with bitter flavor, so it’s natural to begin to reflect once more on the essential principles of the relations between the man and woman, but the story continues, let’s turn to the text again. Further on the narrator says that he knows only one man who escaped successfully. Once upon a time his friend, Roger Charing told him he was going to marry. Roger was tall and handsome, rich, experienced middle-aged man. Of course, many women wanted to marry him. But he was happy to live the life of an unmarried man: the epithets â€Å"sufficient experience†, â€Å"careful† give the direct description of his lifestyle. But then he met Ruth Barlow. He fell in love with her. He immediately wanted to look after her and make her happy. Ruth was twice a widow, she was younger than Roger. She was quite good-looking and she had big, beautiful, dark eyes and she had the gift of pathos. When a man saw those big, sad eyes, he wanted to help Ruth. The epithet â€Å"defenseless† expose the power of her look. It was Ruth’s mode to get what she wanted because she had no other means (I mean money). This â€Å"gift† helped Ruth to reach her goals. The metaphor â€Å"the gift of pathos†, the epithets â€Å"splendid dark eyes†, â€Å"the most moving eyes†, â€Å"big and lovely eyes† and the repetition of the word â€Å"eyes† make us pay our attention to this peculiarity. And Ruth made her mind to marry Roger: he was rich, considerate, tactful and was glad to take care of her, so he was the best variant for her. He didn’t let down and made a proposal of marriage to her. They were going to marry as soon as possible. While reading we came across a lot of pure literary words (gift, splendid, wonderful, hazards, sadness, lovely) and some clich? s (â€Å"the world was too much for her†, â€Å"stand between the hazards of life and this helpless little thing†, â€Å"how wonderful it would be to take the sadness out of those big and lovely eyes†) which are peculiar to the description of ordinary situations concerning love affairs, so we see what kind of story â€Å"The Escape† is. The narrator provoke us to perceive it ironically. Through Roger’s vision, Ruth was very unlucky. Indeed, she seemed to be very miserable, everything was wrong with her. If she married a husband he beat her; if she employed a broker he cheated her; if she engaged a cook she drank. She never had a little lamb but it was sure to die. The epithets â€Å"helpless little thing†, â€Å"rotten time†, â€Å"unfortunate†, â€Å"poor dear†, the metaphor â€Å"a little lamb†, parallel constructions â€Å"if she married†¦ â€Å" and pure literary words such as â€Å"sufferings†, â€Å"hazards†, â€Å"sadness† display hopelessness of Ruth’s life. Roger took an interest in her destiny and was ready to relieve it: the repetition of the pronouns â€Å"she† and â€Å"her† in Roger’s speech, the epithet â€Å"dreadfully sorry† prove my assumption. The epithets â€Å"very happy† and â€Å"pleased† make us believe that it wasn’t a nuisance for him. But according to the narrator’s opinion, Ruth was two-faced woman of few ideas: he called her stupid and scheming. The epithets â€Å"stupid†, â€Å"scheming†, the similie â€Å"as hard as nails† add some points to her description, so the method of character-drawing here is direct. We see two people, Roger and Ruth, as the future family, so this is the idea of this portion of the text. The author describes the first part of their relations which were rather standard. As thousands of men and women, they met, fell in love and decided to be together. But then, on a sudden, Roger fell out of love. This was the second part of their relations. There was no evident reason. Perhaps, his heart-strings were no longer touched by Ruth’s pathetic look. Roger became acutely conscious that Ruth had a mind to marry him. He gave a solemn oath that nothing would induce him to marry Ruth. But he was in a quandary. He was aware that Ruth would assess her feelings at an immoderately high figure if he asked her to release him. Besides, he didn’t want people to say that he jilted a woman. The epithets â€Å"acutely conscious†, â€Å"a solemn oath† and â€Å"an immoderately high figure† stress the importance, significance of his decision; as to the epithet â€Å"pathetic look† and the metaphor â€Å"heart-strings† (at the same time it is a clich? ), they produce the humorous effect. Falling out of love is the most terrible thing I can imagine. Recently it was an acute pleasure for Roger to do everything for Ruth. He was charmed, but, as I suppose, it wasn’t a serious and profound feeling – Roger lost it too easily. It is obvious Ruth was narrow-minded woman and she didn’t really love Roger. But there are some arguments to be said in her defense, she lonely and wanted to be protected. Probably she would be a good wife. The repetition of the expression â€Å"to have a mind to† reveals the conflict of Roger’s and Ruth’s interests. Ruth desired to have relations of long duration she cried for the moon. On the contrary, Roger wanted to escape with no loss. And again we are the witnesses of the usual continuation of the love story. It’s rather banal. Roger kept his own counsel, he remained attentive to all her wishes. It was decided that they would be married as soon as they found a suitable house. Roger applied to the agents and visited with Ruth house after house. It was very hard to find a satisfactory one. Sometimes houses were too large, sometimes they were too small, sometimes they were too expensive and sometimes they were too stuffy, sometimes they were too airy. The idea is that only such dishonest, shabby act as the flat-chase tactics seemed to be appropriate for Roger. I think, it was like a committing a crime. Roger’s behavior wasn’t fair, it was even disgraceful, but unfortunately such conduct is not uncommon, the men trick the women very often, because their attitude towards the relations differ. Parallel constructions â€Å"sometimes they were too large, sometimes they were too small, sometimes they were too expensive and sometimes they were too stuffy†, the metaphor â€Å"house-hunting†, the epithet â€Å"innumerable kitchens† describe Roger’s scheme. Firstly I took Roger’s side, because I consider that each person should have a right for free choice, but then I was sorry for Ruth, Roger tired her out, she didn’t understand what was happening. The epithet â€Å"exhausted† demonstrates her state brightly. At last Ruth revolted. She asked Roger if he wanted to marry her. There was an unaccustomed hardness in her voice, but it didn’t effect the gentleness of his reply. Roger persuaded her that they would be married the very moment they found a suitable house. Ruth took to her bed. She didn’t want to see Roger, but he was as ever assiduous and gallant. Every day he sent her flowers, wrote that he had some more houses to look at. The epithets â€Å"assiduous†, â€Å"gallant† display his dissimulation. A week passed and he received the letter: Ruth let him know that she was going to get married and claimed that Roger didn’t love her. He answered that her news shattered him, but her happiness had to be his first consideration. He sent Ruth seven orders to view. He was quite sure she would find among them a house that would exactly suit her. This is the end of the story. At that moment there was no love, there was no even the sympathy between them. They became the enemies. It was Roger’s victory. He achieved measurable gains at this story. In this portion of the text the tone changes, it is still ironical, but there appears some serious element. This story carried me with its eternal intrigue – the war between male and female, playing games between the sexes. We may be in earnest about it or may try to ignore it, but it really takes place and this problem will exist until the end of human history.

Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria

Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria Empress Elisabeth (born Elisabeth of Bavaria; December 24, 1837 – September 10, 1898) was one of the most famous royal women in European history. Famed for her great beauty, she was also a diplomat who oversaw the unification of Austria and Hungary. She holds the title of the longest-serving Empress of Austria in history. Fast Facts: Empress Elisabeth of Austria Full Name:  Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, Duchess in Bavaria, later Empress of Austria and Queen of HungaryOccupation: Empress of Austria and Queen of HungaryBorn: December 24, 1837 in Munich, BavariaDied: September 10, 1898 in Geneva, SwitzerlandKey Accomplishments: Elisabeth was Austria’s longest-serving empress. Although she was often at odds with her own court, she had a special relationship with the Hungarian people and was instrumental in bringing about the uniting of Austria and Hungary in an equal, dual monarchy.Quote: â€Å"Oer thee, like thine own sea birds  / Ill circle without rest / For me earth holds no corner  /  To build a lasting nest.† – from a poem written by Elisabeth Early Life: The Young Duchess Elisabeth was the fourth child of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Duke Maximilian was a bit eccentric and decidedly more progressive in his ideals than his fellow European aristocrats, which heavily influenced Elisabeths beliefs and upbringing. Elisabeth’s childhood was much less structured than many of her royal and aristocratic counterparts. She and her siblings spent much of their time riding in the Bavarian countryside, rather than in formal lessons. As a result, Elisabeth (fondly known as â€Å"Sisi† to her family and closest confidantes) grew to prefer a more private, less structured lifestyle. Throughout her childhood, Elisabeth was particularly close to her older sister Helene. In 1853, the sisters traveled with their mother to Austria in hopes of an extraordinary match for Helene. Ludovikas sister Sophie, mother of Emperor Franz Joseph, had tried and failed to secure a match for her son among major European royalty and instead turned to her own family. Privately, Ludovika also hoped the trip might secure a second marriage in the family: between Franz Joseph’s younger brother, Karl Ludwig, and Elisabeth. A Whirlwind Romance and the Aftermath Serious and pious, Helene did not appeal to the 23-year-old emperor, although his mother expected he would obey her wishes and propose to his cousin. Instead, Franz Joseph fell madly in love with Elisabeth. He insisted to his mother that he would not propose to Helene, only to Elisabeth; if he could not marry her, he swore he would never marry. Sophie was deeply displeased, but she eventually acquiesced. Franz Joseph and Elisabeth married on April 24, 1854. The period of their engagement had been a strange one: Franz Joseph was reported by all to be full of joy, but Elisabeth was quiet, nervous, and often found crying. Some of this could certainly be attributed to the overwhelming nature of the Austrian court, as well as the reportedly overbearing attitude of her aunt-turned-mother-in-law. The Austrian court was intensely strict, with rules and etiquette that frustrated the progressive-minded Sisi. Even worse was her relationship with her mother-in-law, who refused to cede power to Elisabeth, who she viewed as a silly girl incapable of being an empress or mother. When Elisabeth and Franz Joseph had their first child in 1855, the Archduchess Sophie, Sophie refused to allow Elisabeth to care for her own child or even name her. She did the same to the next daughter, Archduchess Gisela, born in 1856. Following Gisela’s birth, the pressure increased even further on Elisabeth to produce a male heir. A cruel pamphlet was anonymously left in her private chambers that suggested the role of a queen or empress was only to bear sons, not to have political opinions, and that a consort who did not bear a male heir would be a scheming danger to the country. It is widely believed that Sophie was the source. Elisabeth suffered another blow in 1857, when she and the archduchesses accompanied the emperor to Hungary for the first time. Although Elisabeth discovered a deep kinship with the more informal and straightforward Hungarian people, it was also the site of great tragedy. Both her daughters fell ill, and the Archduchess Sophie died, only two years old. An Active Empress Following Sophie’s death, Elisabeth retreated from Gisela as well. She began the obsessive beauty and physical regimens that would grow into the stuff of legend: fasting, rigorous exercise, an elaborate routine for her ankle-length hair, and stiff, tightly-laced corsets. During the long hours required to maintain all of this, Elisabeth was not inactive: she used this time to learn several languages, study literature and poetry, and more. In 1858, Elisabeth finally fulfilled her expected role by becoming the mother of an heir: the Crown Prince Rudolf. His birth helped her gain a larger foothold of power at court, which she used to speak on behalf of her beloved Hungarians. In particular, Elisabeth grew close to Hungarian diplomat Count Gyula Andrassy. Their relationship was a close alliance and friendship and was also rumored to be a love affair – so much so that, when Elisabeth had a fourth child in 1868, rumors swirled that Andrassy was the father. Elisabeth was forced away from politics around 1860, when several bouts of ill health caught up with her, along with stress brought on by the rumors of her husband’s affair with an actress. She used this as an excuse to withdraw from court life for some time; her symptoms often returned when she returned to the Viennese court. It was around this time that she began standing her ground with her husband and mother-in-law, especially when they wanted another pregnancy – which Elisabeth did not want. Her marriage with Franz Joseph, already distant, became even more so. She relented, however, in 1867, as a strategic move: by returning to her marriage, she increased her influence in time to push for the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which created a dual monarchy in which Hungary and Austria would be equal partners. Elisabeth and Franz Joseph became King and Queen of Hungary, and Elisabeth’s friend Andrassy became the prime minister. Her daughter, Valerie, was born in 1868, and became the object of all her mother’s pent-up maternal affection, sometimes to an extreme extent. The Hungarian Queen With her new official role as queen, Elisabeth had more excuse than ever to spend time in Hungary, which she gladly took. Even though her mother-in-law and rival Sophie died in 1872, Elisabeth often remained away from court, choosing instead to travel and to raise Valerie in Hungary. She dearly loved the Magyar people, as they loved her, and gained a reputation for her preference for â€Å"common† people over mannered aristocrats and courtiers. Elisabeth was shattered with yet another tragedy in 1889 when her son Rudolf died in a suicide pact with his mistress Mary Vetsera. This left Franz Josephs brother Karl Ludwig (and, upon Karl Ludwigs death, his son Archduke Franz Ferdinand) as the heir. Rudolf had been an emotional boy, like his mother, who was forced into a military upbringing that did not suit him at all. Death seemed everywhere for Elisabeth: her father had died in 1888, her sister Helene died in 1890, and her mother in 1892. Even her steadfast friend Andrassy passed in 1890. Her fame continued to increase, as did her desire for privacy. Over time, she repaired her relationship with Franz Joseph, and the two became good friends. Distance seemed to help the relationship: Elisabeth was traveling extensively, but she and her husband corresponded often. Assassination and Legacy Elisabeth was traveling incognito in Geneva, Switzerland in 1898 when news of her presence leaked. On September 10, she and a lady-in-waiting were walking to board a steamer when she was attacked by Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni, who wanted to kill a monarch, any monarch. The wound was not evident at first, but Elisabeth collapsed soon after boarding, and it was discovered that Lucheni had stabbed her in the chest with a thin blade. She died almost immediately. Her body was returned to Vienna for a state funeral, and she was buried in the Capuchin Church. Her killer was apprehended, tried, and convicted, then committed suicide in 1910 while in prison. Elisabeth’s legacy – or legend, depending on who you ask – carried on in several ways. Her widower founded the Order of Elizabeth in her honor, and many monuments and buildings in Austria and Hungary bear her name. In earlier stories, Elisabeth was portrayed as a fairy-tale princess, likely because of her whirlwind courtship and because of the most famous portrait of her: a painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter that depicted her with diamond stars in her floor-length hair. Later biographies attempted to uncover the depth of Elisabeth’s life and inner conflict. Her story has captivated writers, musicians, filmmakers, and more, with dozens of works based on her life finding success. Instead of an untouchable, ethereal princess, she was often depicted as a complex, often unhappy woman – much closer to reality. Sources Hamann, Brigitte. The Reluctant Empress: A Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Knopf, 1986.Haslip, Joan, The Lonely Empress: Elisabeth of Austria. Phoenix Press, 2000.Meares, Hadley. The Tragic Austrian Empress Who Was Murdered By Anarchists. History.

Microsoft India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Microsoft India - Essay Example Microsoft overhauled its entire marketing strategy in India to be able to gain favor with the Indian customers. It had to abandon its â€Å"one size fits all† principle that was the main strategy of the company and made it a force to be reckoned with in highly developed countries. They had to be more aware of the needs and the capacity of the customers in India and developed ways that will allow them to compete with its extremely cheaper competitors of open source programs and imitations. They had to create a renewed perception in the view of the customers that Microsoft is affordable. More than this, they were able to establish that the company works for them and is flexible to their needs instead of the other way around. Had Microsoft not bent to the market and waited (or demanded) for the status quo similar to that in the US, then its presence in India would be nothing more than superfluous and their market in the country will stagnate sale the few consumers willing to shed what is on their market value exorbitant amounts.They were able to address the issues by creating innovations that help out the people. The retail-base products that they sold by monthly increments was a genius way that was fit for the consumption attitude of the market and the availability of their resources. They have paved the way as a venue for social change especially for their projects that help out schools and small businesses while being able to gain profit and establishing the presence of Microsoft in the country.

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global Warming - Essay Example In addition, the claim is criticized by the argument that undoubtedly, the weather was coldest as compared to the previous trend in that region; still it was not the coldest if an overall picture of Earth’s climate is considered (NCDC, Climate of 2004, 2004). The coldest region of the Northeastern US still did not break records of the previous record low temperatures which the region went through in the winters of 1986. Thus the claim made by the critics of global warming is not rational. (NCDC, Climate of 2004, 2004). On the other hand, the heat waves observed in Europe were record breaking of the highest temperatures ever experienced. Global Warming is affecting the temperature of the Earth and society needs to understand that we must act now to prevent the end of humanity. A divided hypothesis has been created regarding the effects of global warming and if global warming is a myth or a reality. This assignment would further revolve around this issue and give views as to whi ch side of the scientists comes up with a strong hypothesis regarding global warming. DISCUSSION "All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster" (Barak Obama). There are two differing views about the existence and causes of Global Warming. One group usually links it to the actions committed by the human beings themselves (Matthew et al., 2009). However others strongly believe that nature plays a role in creating the problem of global warming (Abrahamson, 1989). The arguments presented by both groups carry importance and without any doubt, these arguments are leading to more and more researches which are beneficial for knowledge and new theories. The study of Ea rth and its climate is of immense importance and beyond any doubt the reason for such extreme climatic changes should be known. In order to evaluate the reasons behind the changing climate of the Earth, the studies regarding global warming and the arguments against it are helpful. Regardless of all the arguments presented, I believe that humans contribute to the climatic changes and extreme weather conditions. The increased CO2 levels and rising temperature do have a link. The link between greenhouse effect and global warming are valid as put down by one set of the researchers (Weitzman 2007). A study suggests that global warming affects the farmland values. The cropland model used by the author suggests that the warming climate and temperature results in a loss of 4 to 5 percent of the gross farm value (Mendelsohn et al., 1994). Cunningham and Cunningham suggest that reduction in soot produced by diesel engines, coal-fired generators, forest fires and wood stoves may help in curbin g and decrease in the issue of global warming by nearly 40% within a period of 3-5 years (Cunningham & Cunningham 2010). Although the studies and climatic researches are not invalid and the continuous debate over this topic does carry an important place in the Earth’s study. According to my point of view, it is not valid to judge the climatic change just by examining or considering the weather patterns of a small region. Global warming does not

Google wallet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Google wallet - Research Paper Example With the help of Google Wallet, people can successfully make secure payments by simply tapping the mobile phone and then entering the security code on PayPass enabled terminal checkout. The overall process of making transaction is simple and convenient for the users. Despite of the fact that Google Wallet technology has recently been introduced and it is still in its early stages, however it has been predicted in next few years and it would grow and increase its users. Google do not be charging any amount from users and merchants for having access to wallet. Debit or credit card if stolen can be used in some situations without signature or personal identification number however Google wallet has an extra layer of security as additional security is required to complete transactions (Google Wallet). Google has claimed that it is just the starting of a new era and in future Google Wallet would become a necessity for everyone (Google Wallet). Also it is expected that with the passage of time, compatibility of Google Wallet would extend to all Google Android smartphones. Google aims to support all the cards that an individual would keep in his wallet so that Google Wallet can take place of these cards (Google Wallet). According to Drew Sievers, CEO of mFoundry, sales volume of Google wallet would grow as the number of merchant increases, more banks sign agreement with the company and new phones are made compatible. He further added that merchants would be able to have an increase in the number of qualified customers as Google Wallet grows (Tode. 2011). Google has to face different challenges in order to ensure growth of Google Wallet and make it a success and the most important hurdles or challenges that it has to face are providing different variety of cellular phones compatible with the software, making the software easy to use and interested cardholders and merchants ready for the software. However, considering the

Kevlar and Nomex Fibers :: kevlar nomex fiber

Kevlar fibers are 5 times stronger than steel. Since the introduction of Kevlar technology, industries have used Kevlar for many applications. Kevlar is most commonly used in safety applications such as bullet-proof vests for law enforcement agents, helmets for military infantries, and as protection from fire. Kevlar is a synthetic (person-made) material known as a polymer. A polymer is a chain made of many similar molecular groups bonded together called monomers. A single Kevlar polymer chain could have anywhere from five to a million segments bonded together. Each Kevlar segment or monomer is a chemical unit that contains 14 carbon atoms, 2 nitrogen atoms, 2 oxygen atoms and 10 hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen bonds greatly strenghten the polymer chain. The pattern shows that the aromatic components of Kevlar have a radial (spoke-like) orientation. The radial orientation is important because it allows the polymer chains to be well-ordered and symmetric like the atoms in a crystal. Because of this highly ordered structure, a fiber of Kevlar has few structural flaws or weak places. This lack of flaws or weak places is the biggest reason for the exceptional strength of Kevlar. Kevlar is a magnificent material due to the way that it can disperse the energy and force of an object by its chemical composition. As we know from physics, the pressure that an object exerts on another object is equal to the force divided by the area. Kevlar is remarkable at absorbing and displacing the pressure of an object. Pressure = Force/Area F = (mass * gravity) The ability to absorb energy and displace the pressure of an object makes Kevlar so useful in protecting us from knives, bullets and infinite types of sharp objects. Military helmets today are much lighter and much stronger than helmets of the past. Helmets of the past consisted of metal. As you know metal can get heavy, especailly after long durations of time. Kevlar is also five time stronger than metal. The new Kevlar helmets help keep our troops safe, and do not cause fatigue on their heads. Combat vehicles use composite panels made of Kevlar liners mounted to the inside of the vehicles structure. With the combination of other metals or ceramics, they greatly increase the survivability for the crew members. Kevlar does not melt or shrink when exposed to extreme heat. It is also extremely resistant to cuts, punctures, ans chemical substances. Many new canoe makers make their canoes entirely out of Kevlar.

Locke and Hobbes and Their Philosophical Views

When one thinks of the great philosophers of the 16th and 17th centuries, the names John Locke and Thomas Hobbes automatically come to mind.   Both men were instrumental in the philosophical world.   Both were educated at Oxford and both chose a self-imposed exile to Holland because of their political views. On the state of nature, John Locke believed that God created the world and man.   Therefore, all men are equal.   No one has the right to take a life and that also applied to suicide.   He felt that all men were entitled to life, liberty, health and property.   However, he felt that government was something that took away these rights instead of insuring them.   To him, it seemed that only God was to have control of man. While Locke felt that man was better off without laws and government, Thomas Hobbes thought that it would be a complete state of confusion if this were to take place.   Without laws, people would be able to avenge any wrong that they felt was done to them.   He felt that it would leave man in a constant state of fear because there would be no safety.   Disputes would become a time of violence according to Hobbes. John Locke thought that a world without government would return man to his simpler, more rightful place.   This idea derives from the idea that no one man has the right to be in charge of another.   With the act of government and enforcement of laws, there are people who would have to do the enforcing of the laws.   Unfortunately, this would pit man against man and that would go against the natural order that should exist. Hobbes ideas of government seem contradictory.   In one sense he believed in a government with absolute authority, but then he states that man should not obey a law if it takes away his dignity and honor.   Hobbes felt that no one should even question whether one should obey authority of his/her government and that for anyone to be able to choose which laws that would be obeyed was insanity and would lead to complete confusion. Locke’s thoughts on the rights of each individual is that of self-ownership.   In other words, an individual was completely responsible for himself/herself and answered only to God.   He did believe in self-discipline and strict moral character.   He thought that even the monarch had to answer to God.   So he thought that all people should have equal rights and all rights should be afforded to all people. Since Hobbes was a Calvinist, he believed that man was inherently evil while Locke believed that it was society that was evil.   Hobbes believed that men needed something to dictate his behavior.   That is why he believed in a strong government which allowed certain civil rights, but not others.   He also believed that it was possible for some to enjoy more rights than others because of their behavior. Both men also had strong feelings on the right to revolt or rebel.   Locke felt that one of the true reasons that it would be right to rebel against a government was if that government was not a legitimate government.   The way that people could tell that a government was not a legitimate government was to look at how it believed in the rights of the individual.   If the government believed that it was right for a man to be enslaved or took away other rights that others shared, then that government should encounter a rebellion of its people. Hobbes on the other hand believed that revolt and rebellion would lead to mayhem.   He sighted that the French revolution ended in many useless executions of working class people because of a rebellion against the government.   He agreed that to change the government, one should change it by changing the laws and not by rebellion. Rene` Descartes was a philosopher who was known as the father of modern philosophy.   He was called that because he used much from science and math.   He believed that the body represented the physical world and the mind represented the metaphysical.   Descartes felt that if one was out of sort then the other would be as well.   He felt that everything in the natural world had to work together and so should the body and the mind.   The body was the physical organs while the mind was composed of the brain and the neurological system.   It was quite possible for a dysfunction of the brain to allow something in the body to not work properly. Locke, Hobbes, and Descartes gave great contributions to the world of philosophy.   They were in many ways different.   However they did cause the world to stop and think and not just take things at face value. Works Cited Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 7, July 2007, http://plato.stanford.edu/