Niccolò Machiavelli Essay Example

Niccolà ² Machiavelli Essay Example Niccolà ² Machiavelli Paper Niccolà ² Machiavelli Paper The Prince, the philosopher Machiavellis most famous work, was a book dedicated to the leader Lorenzo de Medici, written on the topic of how to be an effective ruler. The basis of Machiavellis theory was that conditions of a society rise and fall perpetually as time continues, and a successful leader must learn to cope with these fluctuations. Of all the philosophers so far, Machiavellis take on the obligations of leaders and on government itself has been the most agreeable. In order to contend with constant change, leaders must understand and consider 5 key ideas: fortuna, virtu, necessita, occasione, and ordini. The factual existence and proof of these ideas are demonstrated today. Fortuna is the idea that everything that occurs, occurs by chance. Combined with virtu, the ability to think and act intelligently to overcome fortuna, and necessita, the obligation to face things necessary for human purposes, this states that a good leader must be prepared to help his people cope with sudden changes. For example, President Bush has given regular speeches about the September 11th attacks to keep the country in a state of ordini, which is the constant goal of order in a government. The United States Government is now using its virtu and necessita to determine the next step whether it be war or peace and is trying to find the occasione the time to act upon its decisions. Machiavelli was greatly disliked for his opinions expressed in The Prince. He thought that politics was a science; by studying the lives of great politicians of the past, the world today could supposedly do the same and gain the same results. In addition, he appropriately believed religion and morals should be eliminated from politics altogether, leaving politics amoral (with no knowledge of morals). This stated that leaders, therefore, could do bad or evil things in order to gain a greater good, such as in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki though many lives were lost, more would have been inevitably taken if the war had dragged on. Sometimes, however, leaders misjudge what the greater good actually is, and ends up doing immoral or at least incorrect things without any more-positive results; in these instances, according to Machiavelli, the leader is in fact in the wrong. For example, the USs interference in the Vietnam War simply cost us thousands of American lives. In order to be an effective leader, one must understand that people are not always agreeable, and peace is not a given. As a result of this, Machiavelli developed a 7th idea of an economy of violence if people do not listen to the government, then they must be punished. A truly competent leader would be able to minimize the amount of punishment and violence, and maximize prosperity. The US is once again a good example of this the government has created laws, which, if the people abide by them, allow benefits for the abiding individuals; however, those who break the laws are punished. Machiavellis views are accurate in stating, The end justifies the means. Though sometimes certain situations are too extreme to be applied to this theory, the idea in itself is appropriate, for if there is a greater good to be had, then sometimes evil acts are necessary. Society is in constant change, and leaders who have been accepted and beneficial have been able to cope with these changes.

Substance Abuse Prevention Essays - Substance Abuse, Human Behavior

Substance Abuse Prevention Essays - Substance Abuse, Human Behavior Substance Abuse Prevention Substance Abuse Prevention Community Assessment The community that we have chosen to assess is Springfield, Missouri. Springfield is located in Green County in Southwest. According to the USDC, Bureau of the Census in 1999 the population estimate for the Springfield Metropolitan area was 308,332. The annual population growth rate is 1.8% for Springfield. This is compared to 0.6% for the state of Missouri and 1.2% for the United States. Population density of Springfield is 2,068 people per square mile. Comparatively speaking this density is located between the densities of Kansas City (1,397 people per square mile) and St. Louis (6,406 people per square mile). The average family size of Springfield is 2.96 and the approximate percentage of persons in a family is 77.6%. The age-sex pyramid for Springfield MSA has peaks around 15-24 and 35-44 for both males and females. Overall the chart shows that Springfield has a slow to medium growth pattern. The population of Springfield is predominantly Caucasian while Asians, African-Americans and Hispanics represent a very small percentage of the population. Of the total workforce of 171,577 in Springfield only 3,305 people are unemployed which is 1.9% of the total workforce. Since 1990, as a general trend, unemployment rate has dropped from about 5.6% to the current level. According to the Missouri Division of Workforce Development in August 2000 the total breakdown of persons employed by sector is as follows: Number Employed Percentage of workforce Government 19,600 11.4% Services 49,500 28.9% Finance 8,700 5.1% Retail 33,700 19.6% Wholesale 11,100 6.5% Transportation & Utilities 12,800 7.5% Mining & Construction 8,600 5.0% Manufacturing 23,500 13.7% Other 4,077 2.4% According to the Missouri State Census Data Center, the median household income in 1995-1996 was $31,499 and the BEA Per Capita Income was $25,059. There are several major employers in the Springfield MSA. These include Bass Pro Shops, The Battlefield Mall, Tracker Boats, Prime Trucking, Cox North Hospital, Cox South Hospital, Saint Johns Hospital, John Q Hammons Enterprises, as well as several government state and county offices. The Springfield school systems are also a major employer of the city. The school system is one of the strongest in Missouri. The largest high school, Kickapoo, has received Gold Star and Blue Ribbon national recognition for outstanding secondary schools. The three major problems areas in Springfield are alcohol abuse including dunk driving and use by minors, tobacco use, and use of marijuana primarily among adolescents. These three major problems are influenced by many different risk factors. 1. Factors contributing to alcohol abuse: The two main problem areas that have been noted within alcohol abuse are drunk driving, and minors consuming alcoholic beverages. It seems that many people who drink and drive do so as a direct act of defiance for the law. Other possible risk factor for drinking and driving include peer pressure, and lack of overall law enforcement which leads to feelings of security. Minors consuming alcohol is a totally different situation. This use generally stems from lack of parental influence, depression, resistance to authority, lack of law enforcement, and easy access to alcohol. 2. Factors contributing to tobacco use: There are several risk factors that lead to the use of tobacco products. Generally people begin using as a result of peer pressure, observation of role models smoking, lack of parental supervision, high tolerance for deviance, and exposure to advertising. 3. Factors contributing to the use of marijuana: A few of these factors are rebelliousness, nonconformity to family values, resistance to authority, relatively easy access, and an overall lack of anti-drug enforcement. With these three main problems now established, it is important to see the way that various individuals or groups of individuals throughout the community can help to prevent these problems: 1. Individual: The individual is responsible for making productive decisions that will help to get his or her life back on the right path away from any type of abuse or addiction. Also, the individual must be responsible enough to recognize that there is a problem and ask for help if necessary. 2. Peer Group: It is essential that the peer group provide a supportive network for the individual to overcome his or her problems. It is also the responsibility of the peer group to seek help for the individual when necessary. 3. Parental: The parents play a key role

The Tell-Tale Heart and A Rose for Emily, gothic but with a twist Essay - 1

The Tell-Tale Heart and A Rose for Emily, gothic but with a twist - Essay Example Miss Emily Grierson of Faulkner’s tale belonged to a once rich family, but her mansion is now old and decayed through time and neglect (perhaps because she is too poor to spend money on it?). Maybe once there were people who came to visit, but now with Miss Grierson, or Miss Emily as she is referred to in the tale, turning into a recluse, there is nobody who goes inside the house, except for her Negro servant Tobe. We see in the beginning of the story how curious everyone is to see what is inside her house when they enter it at her funeral. Poe adds more mystery to his story by telling it through the crazed person, thereby ensuring that we never find out where exactly he lives, though we do get a feel of the house, and since most of the story happens after night has fallen, we are left with a sense of dark and mysterious surroundings. The violent and macabre occurrences in the stories are accompanied by a sense of a similar kind not only through the personalities of the protagonists, but via the ambiance or settings as well. That is to say not only did the stories hold a sense of mystery because of the complex central characters, but the dark and desolate environment of the houses where they took place also added to the Gothic effect that the writers were trying to create. It will not be remiss to say that the settings mirrored the lead characters of the tales. Miss Emily’s house, like her, was an unchanging symbol in changed times. It had been constructed when the family was rich, so it had an allusion to grandeur, albeit there were no riches to keep it in its pristine condition. So with changing times the neighborhood did not remain noble or â€Å"august† anymore and the area was taken over by garages and cotton gins, however, Miss Emily refused to give her house up; it remained, as Faulkner puts it, â€Å"an eyesore among eyesores.† Murky, dusty and decayed, just like