The Theory of Social Contracts Essays

The Theory of Social Contracts Essays The Theory of Social Contracts Essay The Theory of Social Contracts Essay Essay Topic: The Social Contract The period of Enlightenment ushered in an age of intellectual development as well as theoretical formations on the concept of society. English political thinker Thomas Hobbes and French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau posit political treatises on the formation of social contracts as a necessity of man and eventually leads to the establishment of an ideal government. The paper will discuss first the concept of man’s nature according to both philosophers in order to determine the reason behind the formation of such contracts which will subsequently lead to the conception of governments and sovereignty. Hobbes proposes that man is essentially at war with other men, motivated by personal desire and fear of death that inhibits the formation of a peaceful society. Rousseau however, contradicts Hobbes argument of man as naturally at war but looks into a different state wherein man possesses compassion which enables the formation of ideal relationships and eventually, social contrac ts. We look into Hobbes’s viewpoint in his treatise Leviathan and compare and contrast several arguments with Rousseau’s On The Origin of Inequality and Social Contracts. Hobbes’ Natural Man and Covenants Hobbes’ political theory in Leviathan stipulates the formation of covenants as the final end of man’s actions, transgressing from his natural state wherein man is in constant war with himself and with others. First, we define Hobbes’ argument on the natural state of man that provides the basis of conflict. In comparison with Rousseau’s viewpoint, the nature of social contracts is reversed, wherein Rousseau’s notion of social conventions is negative compared to Hobbes’ notion of contracts as a deviation from the erring state of human nature. Hobbes argues: â€Å"For every man look that his companion should value him at the same rate he sets upon himself, and upon all signs of contempt or undervaluing naturally endeavor to extort a greater value from his condemners. So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory (Hobbes 84). The primitive state of man is bordere d on Hobbes’ statement â€Å"where every man is enemy to every man† (Hobbes 85). Each individual is focused on the aspiration for personal gain, thus creating conflict or an unharmonious relationship because of completion (gain), diffidence (safety, self-preservation), and glory (reputation). The chaotic context provided in Hobbes argument consequently inhibits the concept of justice in a particular social setting. Since man is motivated by personal gain, the fear of death through self-preservation, and personal glory, there is no concept of right and wrong or even justice. â€Å"Where there is no common power, there is no law; where no law, no injustice† (Hobbes 85). Thus, we see Hobbes attempt to present his first law on man’s natural state: that man, motivated by personal gain, sets himself in conflict with other men who pursue the same object. He then narrates â€Å"the passions that incline men to peace are: fear of death; desire of such things as a re necessary to commodious living; and a hope by their industry to obtain them† (Hobbes 86). According to Hobbes, the natural law governing social relationships is motivated by the passions; specifically, man’s fear of death. Thus, the first natural law, in context with the natural state, is that every man has innate rights or liberty to will himself to self-preservation and that one can do anything to his body, even to another person. As long as this natural law exists, there can be no harmonious buildup of society. The second law then obligates man to create peace or to achieve peace through any means necessary and from here, man is then obligated to set such rule to all and that every right of man is necessary to be withdrawn or transferred in order to build peace; since to maintain the second rule, man will be constantly at war. The renouncement of rights is essentially good in itself because it aspires for the majority rather than the self, governed by selfish passions. However, such rights are not to be taken away by force or for an individual to force himself o f withdrawing his own, since â€Å"he cannot be understood to aim thereby at any good to himself† (Hobbes 91). Renouncement of rights should be voluntary and by choice, in order to determine the goodness which will benefit the majority. Thus, social contracts or covenants are formed. Hobbes argues that for a man to achieve peace, it is necessary to break away, through the tenets of reason, from the natural state wherein every individual is motivated by personal gain and fear of death. This fear motivates the individual, in relation to self-preservation, to create contracts with other men in order to achieve peace, wherein the value of life becomes the unifying factor for all; thus creating peace and harmony. Covenants are then considered to be the agreements that will benefit two parties aspiring for different objects. Justice then presents itself in the presence of covenants, for justice occurs when an individual performs or acts upon the agreement or covenant while injustic e is the failure to establish covenants which inadvertently places the individual in his former natural state. Hobbes definition of the natural state and the natural law focuses on the importance of self-preservation or the fear of the death in relation to the individual. In contrast with Rousseau, the formation of contract is that of beneficial to man rather than Rousseau’s argument that society itself that provides inequality and conflict. Contracts, through reason, necessitate a societal framework that is governed by the inexpressible right of every man to survival and preservation of life. The Commonwealth For Hobbes, the ideal form of government is the formation of the commonwealth which acts as the â€Å"final cause, end or design of men (who naturally love liberty and dominion over others) in the introduction of that restraint upon themselves, in which we see them live in Commonwealths, is the foresight of their own preservation, and of a more contented life thereby† (Hobbes 116). The formation of covenants, which represent a duty-bound notion to aspire for peaceful societal conditions, inevitably leads to its conception wherein the withdrawal of individual rights is penultimate toward its formation. Conventions serve the function as a mean toward the aspiration of the common power or will of the majority. Common power acts as a protection against external attack or injuries that an individual may cause upon the other and is formed through the transcendence of personal right to a man or an assembly: â€Å"Confer all their power and strength upon one man, or upon one assembly of men, that may reduce all their will, by plurality of their voice, unto one will: which is as much to say, to appoint one man, or assembly of men, to bear their person† (Hobbes 118). Every man should then willingly state: â€Å"I authorize and give up my right of governing myself to this man, or to this assembly of men, on this condition; that thou give up thy right to him and authorize all his action in like manner† (Hobbes 118). We take into context a mix between a democracy (representation of the few) and monarchy (rule by a sovereign). However, Hobbes’ monarchy is not entirely absolute, ruled by the elite or loyalty; rather Hobbes’ conception of monarchy focuses on the rule of a sovereign where powers are granted by the conventions of the majority. From such, the sovereign is then obligated to perform the powers bestowed upon the social covenants; the sovereign itself being a representation of the general will of the people. The Commonwealth The sovereign, either instituted in one man or an assembly of men, is bestowed power of the withheld rights by society or subjects. As sovereign, its responsibility lies on any action or authorization to ensure the presence of duration of peace and to create any means necessary to protect individuals from others as well as to protect attacks from other societies. According to Hobbes, there are only three kinds of commonwealth and nothing else; a democracy, monarchy, or aristocracy. Hobbes does not believe that no man aspires for a turbulent and rocky society. However, Hobbes is partial toward a monarchial government, which, according to him, generally embodies the conventions made by man, and in essence, the nature of a commonwealth: â€Å"The riches power and honor of a monarch arise only from the riches, strength, and reputation of his subject. For no king can be rich nor glorious, nor secure, whose subjects are either poor, or contemptible, or too weak through want, or dissension† (Hobbes 130). Amor Propre and Civil Society On the other hand, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s work Discourse on Inequality and Social Contract primarily present arguments against Hobbes’ definition on the natural state of man in contrast with social systems and conventions. Rousseau argues on the condition of the human soul as it progresses from its distinct natural form up until the pure state of man is transformed through social relationships or systems. First, he argues the physical differences of man, which in essence, does not ultimately provide a firm basis of inequality: I conceive that there are two kinds of inequality among the human species; one which I call natural or physical, because it is established by nature, and consists in a difference of age, health, bodily strength, and the qualities of the mind or the soul; and another, which may be called moral or political inequality, because it depends on a kind of convention. (Rousseau 1) Apart from physical differences, inequality falls under the moral or political sense. In the context of social structure, inequality lies on the ladder of power and wealth, wherein the notion of civil society is created by the rich in order to suppress the poor of wealth and maintain power among the elite few. In contrast with Hobbes, Rousseau presents a different view of man’s natural state wherein man is savage in nature wherein ideas are generated by sense experience. But in opposition to regular animals, man has reason that establishes himself apart from common animals. The natural behavior of man is similar to that of Hobbes’ viewpoint but differs in motivation. According to Rousseau, the basic instinct of man is self-preservation, free will and compassion; the last being the most important part in man’s natural state wherein Hobbes contends to man’s natural war with the other. He contends Hobbes’ view of man’s nature which compels him w ith the fear of death. However, Rousseau argues: â€Å"the knowledge of death and its terrors being one of the first acquisitions made by man in departing from an animal state† (Rousseau 17). In contrast, Hobbes’ provides death as a motivator for withdrawing personal rights in order to achieve peace while Rousseau presents reason as a way of fighting the irrational passions that push him out of his natural state. In addition, compassion is the important natural virtue that contradicts selfish impulses or vices which come from the passions or irrational tendencies of man. Rousseau narrates that Hobbes’ definition of man does not provide himself with an idea of goodness, that man may be considered as evil. Rousseau’s view presents man, in his primitive state, as essentially good, and possesses virtue. â€Å"so many writers have hastily concluded that man is naturally cruel, and requires civil institutions to make him more mild; whereas nothing is more gent le than man in his primitive state, as he is placed by nature at an equal distance from the stupidity of brutes† (Rousseau 47). Compassion is the most important aspect of man, along with innate desires of preservation, reason and free will. â€Å"It is this compassion that hurries us without reflection to the relief of those who are in distress: it is this which in a state of nature supplies the place of laws, morals, and virtue, with the advantage that none are tempted to disobey its gentle voice† (Rousseau 31). Compassion generates interaction with other men and the natural instinct of self-preservation, as times continue to progress, enables the individual to improve living conditions. Thus, the combination of compassion, reason, self-preservation enables the individual to form conventions with other men. However, the problem lies with the development of amour propre, the subsequent regularity of conventions where man’s reason is garbled to a false sense of dependency on the individuals through improvement of self-perception and acquiring favor. The natural, non-invasive self-love is transformed to a more self-centered and jealous love of others. â€Å"Man must now, therefore, have been perpetually employed in getting others to interest themselves in his lot and in making them, apparently at least, if not really, find their advantage in promoting his own† (Rousseau 51). This corrosive notion of self-love produces competition, comparison with others, hatred, and the continuous search of ambition and power: â€Å"In a word, there arose rivalry and competition on the one hand and conflicting interests on the other, together with a secret desire on both profiting at the expense of others† (Rousseau 51). The Social Contract Thus, Rousseau defines man’s state of nature as it develops amour propre. To deviate from the natural state, the formation of social contract is evident in order to rid of the evils pertaining civil society. According to Rousseau, the conception of social contracts delimits the individual from inequality and therefore frees himself from the trappings of social classification. The purpose of the contract is to establish a body that will inadvertently defend the rights of the individual and the right of society as a while. Similar to that of Hobbes’ notion, social contracts are meant to deviate the condition of human nature from its amoral/evil sense in order to create society focused on peace. The social contract, in Rousseau’s perspective, is founded on the presence of the general will: â€Å"Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will, and in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an indivisi ble part of the whole† (Rousseau Social Contract, 59). The general will is the summation of all opinions of the majority, which in turn acts as an abstract form that aims toward the good of all. Rousseau also posits the idea of a sovereign which acts a representative of the people. The people however, in Rousseau’s form of government, are not represented by senators or magistrates but represent themselves as a symbol of the general will. Sovereign Similarities Both philosophers argue on the importance of social contracts in establishing relationships with people in order to construct an acceptable and peaceful social framework. Both stress the importance of the ‘natural’ law of man to deviate himself from his primary state and is obligated to create a world without indifference and conflict through commonality of opinions and desire. The difference lies on both philosophers account of man’s nature, wherein Hobbes argues that man is essentially evil and it is through civil relationship that man refines himself and achieves peace. Rousseau contradicts Hobbes’ arguments that he had failed to include compassion as a virtue in man’s natural state. Rousseau opines negatively toward civil societies, that conventions itself ruin man’s natural state through social classification and levels of power. Instead, Rousseau posits man as a docile creature until society corrupts his natural state. On the subject of contracts, both thinkers apply the same rule for the formation of social agreement as majority of society transfers its rights toward a sovereign that which governs and protects them. However, Hobbes is partial toward a monarchial government wherein it is suited with the embodiment of his covenants while Rousseau proposes the same powers for a sovereign but also adds the presence of the government to mitigate the function of the sovereign who acts as the representation of the general will while the government attends to particular or private wills. Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments Economic theorist Adam Smith proposes on his treatise Theory of Moral Sentiments the formation of a consciousness in the perspective of a leader, or in Rousseau’s/Hobbes’ context, a sovereign, in order to determine, apart from proper behavior, the rules and regulations that one must impose upon the subjects of society. Smith narrates: â€Å"We suppose ourselves the spectators of our own behavior, and to endeavor to imagine what effect it would, in this light produce upon us† (Smith 112). In context of a sovereign, it is essential, according to Smith, to examine actions and decisions through a detached position wherein the leader supposes himself to be a common citizen that according to theory, provides the power and responsibility of governance. Thus, rules imposed upon the subjects of sovereignty should be taken into proper consideration by the sovereign, so as to measure the worth and value of behavior reflection upon society, according to Smith. For example, a ruler’s ethical behavior is dependent on the laws in which he imposes over the ruled. Harsh policies that generally disfavor society imply that the ruler may be arrogant and selfish and therefore does not suit the position. Lenient policies on the other hand may imply a carefree attitude with the lack of seriousness that a good leader must possess. Thus, rules and impositions should situate itself in the middle rather than the extreme and through Smith’s propositions, the leader must then view rules as an ordinary citizen. In relation to Hobbes’ and Rousseau’s social theories, the concept of the sovereign is created by the people and represents the general will. Therefore, there is an implication of a natural balance of power between the governed and the sovereign. In Hobbes view, the sovereign’s duty is dictated or authored by the subjects and therefore cannot harm the governed whether through abuse or dereliction of duty; rather, the formation o f laws and policies are in relation toward the fulfillment of the commonwealth’s purpose – that is, the preservation of peace. However, Hobbes monarchial standpoint does not entirely agree with Smith’s proposition since the monarch, utilizing the commonwealth’s purpose, has the power of censorship on speech, publication or any other form of expression that may disturb the peaceful status quo. Thus, Smith’s proposal cannot be applied with Hobbes’s notion of government. However, Rousseau takes into consideration the general will of the populace that also gives right and power to the sovereign. But Rousseau does not imply the purpose of peace in his government; rather, he focuses on the general will as given power. The sovereign has then the duty to make sure that laws do not violate the freedom of every individual for it is they who had created power in the first place. Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Mineola, N.Y. Dover Publications, 2006. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Discourse on the Origin of Inequality. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2004. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Social Contract. New York: Penguin Classics, 1968. Smith, Adam. The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publications, 1997.

Top 7 College Dating Blogs

Top 7 College Dating Blogs Dating and college – its easy to see why plenty of people think the two simply dont mix. Dealing with the emotional ups and downs of a relationship on top of papers, professors, essays and exams can be enough to send just about anyone running for the hills. But true love waits for no man – and no semester break – so when dating and relationships get to be a bit sticky, its time to turn to one of these 7 blogs about dating while in college to help see you through. You Can Get the Girl! Although this website focuses on how to get a girl, the advice is easily transferable for women looking to grab the guy of their dreams. However, since the focus is on women, this is an especially helpful website and blog even for those who simply dont know where to start. Their bloggers and writers focus on everything from approaching a girl for the first time to planning the perfect date and tips on how to follow up and turn that date into the beginning of something beautiful. The College Crush College may be a time for change, but some things always remain the same. When you find yourself in the throes of a full on crush, chances are youll feel like youre back in grade school. The College Crush crew are there to help with great information on how to tell if your crush might be flirting back or just leading you on along with tips on how to turn crushing on someone into a real life relationship. Once youve landed your crush, you can head on over to their helpful sections on developing a strong relationship and how to best blend your new significant other with the friends who have been there since Day One. College Gloss The College Gloss website offers a bit of everything and students can find help and advice on a wide array of topics, from the best way to make space in a cramped dorm room to how to maintain a relationship while youre dealing with a full class and work schedule. Although the feel and focus of the website will appeal mainly to women, men can find helpful advice on whether or not to wait a day to text, how sending good morning texts and email can boost a relationship and other relationship mysteries. Best of all, College Gloss offers a truly one stop experience from everything from getting dressed to finding an internship. College Candy College Candy tackles issues like relationships, hookups and style with the same passion other websites dedicate to studying, class selection and resume building. While their subject focus may be more light-hearted than most, the passion with which they write is second to none. The authors at College Candy help out with advice on overcoming shyness and difficulty breaking the ice as well as grappling with serious problems, stresses and strains that can seriously affect – and destroy – college relationships. They focus mainly on romance, style and friendships – all of which can make or break your college experience. When youve got your classes figured out but your fellow students are the real puzzle, College Candy comes to the rescue. College Passions Their name may sound like an afternoon soap opera, but College Passions is all about connecting students. Modeled after other popular dating websites, College Passions matches up co-eds based on location, major and shared interests. The website offers a completely free membership and its only open to college students so you wont have to worry about sifting through profiles looking for someone who understands where youre coming from in terms of the stress of college life. They also offer ways for members to chat online, a special email account and general resources to help with finding textbooks, saving money or just joining in their community forum. Her Campus Dont let the name throw you – Her Campus is there to help every student, albeit with a heaping helping of pink. Her Campus maintains an amazing amount of info and gets started at the beginning by helping high school students find the college of their choice, get tips on how to apply and ultimately how to survive the entire experience. In terms of relationship help, Her Campus provides readers by poking fun at the dating scene with lists like â€Å"The 8 Worst Pick-Up Lines Actually Attempted on Collegiettes† as well as help with more practical relationship problems like dealing with long holiday breaks and surviving through each others mid-term madness. Dating Advice As its name suggests, this is one of the most straight forward and simple dating websites around today. Featured on outlets such as CNN, the Huffington Post and HLN, Dating Advice delivers exactly what it says – advice on every aspect of dating imaginable. From negotiating your way through online dating to dealing with friends and significant others who just dont mix. They also offer a members forum and access to various studies and reports which will satisfy psychology majors and obsessive over-analyzers alike.

SIX WAY TO BE A BETTER LISTENER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SIX WAY TO BE A BETTER LISTENER - Essay Example In any case, I believe I should follow this point to be a better listener. On the other hand, I believe I follow the second point more exactly as I do not ask excessive questions and stay on the topic being discussed rather than jump from conversation to conversation. Similarly, I believe that I have positive body language while communicating with people with good eye contact and mirrored postures. Since body language is reportedly the major component of communication, I feel that this is one thing which makes me a good communicator and a good listener. However, there are times when my mind wanders in a conversation which means that the third point mentioned in the article requires some additional work on my part. Often I have difficulties in staying focused on what the other person is saying and indulge in going against the fourth point mentioned in the article as I unknowingly mentally judge people during a conversation. I have to become better at understanding other people’s point of view and to know where they are coming from in a given conversation. At the same time, I know that people have different perspectives about the same topics and I understand that people may take even the most controversial topics in stride. This understanding allows me to understand people’s feelings about the topic and recognize when a person is upset or angry about something from the way they speak and their body language. Thus I am able to go beyond just the words which are being used and get to the heart of the matter with regard to what the person I am talking to really feels about a given subject. Similarly, I am good at reassuring people that I have understood what they have said and understood what they mean when they are trying to tell me something. This brings me in line with the sixth point of being a good listener which suggests that a person should convey to the speaker that the message given by him/her has been understood and appreciated.

Menu Selection Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Menu Selection - Research Paper Example This paper discusses some of the important ways to interact with App. Additionally, there are many other types of menus, which have their own advantages and disadvantages, for instance, the pop up menu saves space on the screen as they are not existed physically on the screen. In this way, it provides an advantage to the users that they need to know only the selected area options. Menu-driven interfaces have been becoming more popular due to a number of advantages they provide. Each strategy has its own advantages, however, all advantages of menus are related to the user interaction. In order to attract the user, menu-driven interfaces play their role, as they allow the user to select any option easily. If the user has not selected a right option, then it provides the facility to go back to the previous state. Menu-driven interfaces enhance the usability of the system. Each section has its own color, which helps the user to differentiate between different screens (BBC, 2014). A good user interface, along with the menus, enhance the usability, simplicity, attraction and other factors that become effective due to the presence of nice menu-driven right according to the user requirements as well as the user interests (Digital Zoo, 2014). Menu-driven interfaces basically follow some fundamental principles of a good interface, which are right according to the users’ demands and requirements regarding any type of menu strategy design. These principles are: the structure principles, visibility principles, feedback principles, tolerance principles, and reuse principle (Ward, 2013). Menu-driven interface hides the complexity in the background, and users can check only those options, which they want to check. And the most important thing is the aesthetic sense of these menus, as they are pleasing to eyes. As the number of websites and applications are resulting in an increasing number of users, where there are several kinds of users, like novice user and

Carnivals of the Animals Essay Example for Free

Carnivals of the Animals Essay 1. The reason why the work was written: Camille Saint-Saens wrote the ‘Carnival of the Animals’ while he was on holiday as a light hearted musical joke. It was originally planned for the students of Sain-Saens at the music school where he taught piano, Ecole Niedermeyer but he had little time to compose. The work was subtitled â€Å"Grand Zoological Fantasy† and it became Saint-Saens intent to perform it as a surprise at the annual Mardi Gras concert of cellist Charles Lebouc in Paris in February 1886. 2. Saint Saens’ opinion of the work: The first performance of ‘Carnival of the animals’ was on March the 9th, 1886, peformed by pianists, Saint-Saens and Diemer. Composer and pianist. The work was requested by Franz Liszt to be played again. After the second performance, Saint-Saens refused to allow any more public performances of ‘Carnival of the Animals’ as he highly feared that it would ruin his reputation as a serious composer. His work then remained unpublished except ‘The swan’, publicized in 1887. His will read: â€Å"I expressively forbid the publication of any unpublished work, with the expectation of ‘The carnival of the animals’, which may be issued by my usual publishers, the gentlemen Durand and Cie†. After his death in 1921 the full score was published in 1922. Saint Saens composed the work as a musical joke, he thought that if it was published it would ruin his reputation as a serious composer so he did not have it published until after his death (apart from the publication of ‘The Swan’). 3. Romantic Influences that can be identified in the Carnival of the Animals: Saint-Saens used several different concepts to create a romantic aura about the music. ‘Carnival of the animals’ has a distinct song-like melodic line, this has been achieved by combining the fluctuating dynamics and the chromatic chords. Also, Saint-Saens designed his work using robato so the player must feel the music and storyline himself. Saint-Saens created his work for the piano and orchestra just after it was invented. The piano was another romantic influence because it had just recently been invented and it was a very sought after and expensive instrument. 4.My ideas and opinions as to why the work remains a popular significant work: I believe that the work remains this way because the way it was written made it very unique and it also told a story; these things are factors in why it has remained a popular piece for so many years. ‘Carnival of the animals’ shows how to feelings and emotions of something/someone via. music. Another reason was that Saint-Saens was a very famous and talented artist â€Å"a virtuoso pianist of the highest order† so most of the work he did was popular, the fact that it has remained popular for so long is because the work was very different from any other and Saint-Saens correlated humour into it.

The Process of Listening Essay -- Papers Communication

The Process of Listening â€Å"Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.† (Deep and Sussman 76) Upon studying listening within another course, the vast and somewhat unclear subject began to become clearer. The act of listening entails in-depth processes that elude a majority of people’s knowledge. The act of listening involves four main parts: hearing, attention, understanding and remembering. Listening entails a vast amount of information that a majority of people does not know or understand. The common view on listening often does not even involve true listening. People often mistake hearing for listening. Just because you heard something does not necessarily mean that you were listening. While others do not even realize that listening is one step of a four-part process. While two people are involved in communication, the one receiving the message while â€Å"listening† formulates the next phase within their head. They miss a large percentage of what the person involved in speaking is saying (Tubbs and Moss 141). The reasons [for ineffective listening] are so obvious that they are sometimes overlooked. First, listening is mistakenly equated with hearing and since most of us can hear, no academic priority is given to this subject in college. Second, we perceive power in speech. We put a value on those who have the gift of gab. How often have you heard the compliment, â€Å"He/she can talk to anyone?† Additionally, we equate speaking with controlling both th e conversation and the situation. The third and last reason we don’t listen, is that we are in an ear of information overload. We are bombarded with the relevant and the irrelevant and it is easy to confuse them. Often it is all jus... ...er, Larry. Listening Behavior Englewood, Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971, 61-63. Bostrom, Robert N., Enid S. Waldhart. â€Å"Memory Models and the Measurement of Listening.† Communication Education. 1998: 1-13. Brooks, William D. Speech Communication, 4th ed. Dubuque, IA: Brown, 1981: 82. Deep, Sam, and Lyle Sussman. Yes you Can! Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1998, 4-7. Goss, Blain. Processing Information. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1982, 91. Koehler, Carol. Mending the Body by Lending and Ear: The healing Power of Listening. New York: 1998, 534-544. Losoncy, Lewis. Today. Boca Raton, FL: St. Lucie Press, 1998, 27. Moray, Neville. Listening and Attention. Baltimore, MA: Penguin, 1969, 18. Rogers, Carl. On Becoming a Person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961, 330. Tubbs, Stewart L., Sylvia, Moss. Human Communication. Eastern Michigan University: McGraw Hill, 1994.

African American Essay

In the year of 1870, it was the re invention of slavery. America could not be built without economic. The south was still a negative place and they failed to accept blacks. After decades of discrimination, the voting rights act of 1965 aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that denied blacks to vote under the 15th amendment. The 15th amendment in 1870 gave African Americans the right to vote. The constitutional amendment passed after the civil war that it guaranteed blacks the right to vote. It affected not only freed slaves in the south but the blacks that were living in the north who was not allowed to vote(3). The amendment was favored by the Republican Party; since the votes of the slaves helped the party dominates national politics in the years after the war. During the same year, Hiram Rhodes Revels, who was a republican from Mississippi, became the first African American to sit in the United States congress when he was elected to the United States Senate. Millions of black men served in congress during reconstruction but more than 600 served in the states legislatures and many more held local offices(3). The Jim Crow laws were the era of struggle. The state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. In 1890, there was a â€Å"separate but equal† status for African Americans. Jim Crow laws followed the Black codes which restricted the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans with no equality. During the reconstruction period, the federal law provided civil rights protection in the United States for the African Americans who had formally been slaves(1). In 1890, Louisiana required by law that blacks ride in separate railroad cars. The state of Louisiana passed a law that required separate accommodations for black and whites on railroads, including separate railway cars. Plessy attempted to sit in an all-white railroad car. After refusing to sit in the black railway carriage car, Plessy was arrested for violating in1890. Louisiana statute that provided for segregated â€Å"separate but equal† railroad accommodations. Those using facilities not designated for their race were criminally liable under the statute(4). Plessy was found guilty on the grounds that the law was a reasonable exercise of the state’s police powers based upon custom, usage, and tradition in the state. Plessy filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Louisiana against Ferguson, asserting that segregation stigmatized blacks and stamped them with a badge of inferiority in violation of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments(4). The case of Plessy vs. Ferguson was one of a combination of rulings passed by the U. S and the state Supreme Courts after reconstruction. Many of these decisions allowed and required Jim Crow segregation laws in southern states. At the highest level, the case was decided on May 18th in 1896, in favor of Ferguson and the state of Louisiana. The Supreme Court had given southern states all the permission they needed to let any remaining equality between the races fade away and be replaced by the Jim Crow laws standing(5). By the 1870s, many southern whites had resorted to intimidation and violence to keep blacks from voting and restore white supremacy in the region. Beginning in 1873, a series of Supreme Court decisions limited the scope of Reconstruction-era laws and federal support for the Reconstruction Amendments, particularly the 14th and 15th, which gave African Americans the status of citizenship and protection. The Compromise of 1877 occurred after the Presidential Election of 1876, when Congress formed the Electoral Commission to resolve disputed Democratic Electoral votes from the South. The republicans agreed to enact Federal legislation that would spur industrialization in the south. They agreed to withdraw federal soldiers from their remaining positions in the south(5). They did this to appoint democrats to positions in the south and to appoint a democrat to the president’s cabinet. The Compromise of 1877 effectively ended the Reconstruction era. The Southern Democrats promised to protect but the political rights of blacks were not kept. The end of federal interference in southern affairs led to widespread disenfranchisement of blacks voters(4). From the late 1870s, southern legislatures passed a series of laws requiring the separation of whites from â€Å"persons of color† on public transportation, in schools, parks, restaurants, theaters and other locations. These segregationist statutes governed life in the South through the middle of the next century, ending after the success of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. The migration was a watershed in the history of African Americans. It lessened their overwhelming concentration in the South, opened up industrial jobs to people who had up to then been mostly farmers, and gave the first significant impetus to their urbanization. The black migration began in the 1890s as African Americans left for cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and New York(8). The single largest movement of African Americans occurred during World War I, when people moved from rural areas and small towns in the South to cities in the North and the East. Even in the North, blacks encountered violence at the hands of whites, who resented competition for jobs and black economic success. Segregation and discrimination in housing, education, and jobs was pervasive in the North as well. From 1916, more than six million blacks left the South for other regions of the United States. Over the next fifteen years, more than one tenth of the country’s black population would voluntarily move north. The Great Migration lasted until 1930. This was the first step in the full nationalization of the African American population(2). The Klu Klux Klan is the oldest organization. During this time 1920’s, there were still 85 percent of African Americans in the south. The Klan was created in 1871 by the Democratic Party to prevent African Americans from voting the 15th Amendment. The Klan also became Americans 1st terrorist group and became an institutional part of American life and political colt. African Americans were intimidated and had fear towards the KKK. They hated blacks, republicans, Jews, etc(6). In the 1920s, many blacks had been brought to the south against their own will after the success of the northern states during the Civil War. Also, after the freeing of the blacks from slavery in 1865, a group was established which was designed to spread fear throughout the black population that still lived in the southern states. Most of the hatred was directed against the poor black families in the south who were very vulnerable to attack(6). The white hooded KKK burnt churches of the black population, murdered, raped, castrated etc. They were rarely caught as most senior law officers in the South were high ranking KKK men. White people who were in contact with any blacks had a reason to fear the KKK because they would be after them as well for being what they called â€Å"nigga lovers†(6). The Black Americans tried to fight back using non-violent methods. The NAACP asked Washington for new laws to help combat the KKK violence but received very little help. In the 1920’s Black Americans started to turn to the â€Å"Back to Africa† movement which told blacks that they should return to their native America. This was started by Marcus Garvey but the whole movement faltered when he was arrested for fraud and sent to prison. If African Americans were to move back to Africa, they would be giving the â€Å"white America† exactly what they asked for(6). African Americans drew to church. Going to church brought everyone closer to God despite everything that was going on in the 1920’s. In 1865, blacks started to create independent black churches. The African Methodist Episcopal and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion churches claimed southern membership in the hundreds of thousands, far outstripping that of any other organizations. They were quickly joined in 1870 by a new southern-based denomination, the Colored (Christian) Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was founded by indigenous southern black leaders. Finally, in 1894 black Baptists formed the National Baptist Convention which was an organization that is the largest black religious organization still today in the United States(8). The blossoming of the Harlem Renaissance was during 1918 through 1937. Harlem is located just north of Central Park. Harlem formally was a white residential district but by the early 1920’s, it was the becoming of a virtually black city. Harlem was a catalyst for artistic experimentation and a nightly popular nightlife destination. This was also an economic opportunity in New York(8). The Harlem Renaissance was a phase of a larger new Negro movement that emerged in the early 20th century. The movement raised issues affecting the lives of African Americans through various forms of literature, art, and drama. Its influence spread throughout the nation and beyond that included writers and philosophers. Between the 1920’s and 1930’s, about 750,000 African Americans left the south and migrated to the north to take advantage of this movement. The Harlem Renaissance appealed to a mixture audience. The literature appealed to the African American middle class and to whites. Many critics point out that the Harlem Renaissance could not escape its history and culture. Its attempt to create a new one separates from the foundational elements of White, European culture. Social foundations of this movement included the great migration of African Americans from rural to urban areas(8). The Harlem Renaissance was exposure to the African American Art and culture. It is also unusual among literary and artistic movements for its close relationship to civil rights. The Harlem renaissance set the stage for the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and the 60’s. This was very much black culture exposure. The African American artists intended to express themselves freely, no matter what the black public or white public thought. Since the 1980s, New Orleans has been the area for a new school of jazz players, among them trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and his brothers, saxophonist Branford Marsalis and trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis. New Orleans has brought widespread attention to jazz and a new appreciation of the city and its jazz tradition(7). In the 1890’s it was the beginning of the Mississippi Delta Blues. The blues is the generation of American Music. By the 1900’s New Orleans Jazz was introduced. Jazz was first originally accepted in France before anywhere else. Jazz was played by whites and blacks. Both races played jazz together. Jazz was for the middle class African American people(7). In conclusion, during the years of 1870 and 1920, African Americans still encountered a lot of continued discrimination against blacks in American and the separation of race. Through the Jim Crow laws and the segregation, Blacks kept it together through religion, and even music. When looking back at our history, African Americans had a great deal to do with the shaping of America today. Bibliography 1) â€Å"Jim Crow Law (United States [1877-1954]). † Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n. d. Web. 09 May 2013. 2) â€Å"Primary Documents in American History. † 15th Amendment to the Constitution: Primary Documents of American History (Virtual Programs & Services, Library of Congress). N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 May 2013. 3) Fifteenth Amendment. † History. com. A&E Television Networks, n. d. Web. 09 May 2013. 4) â€Å"Compromise of 1877. † History. com. A&E Television Networks, n. d. Web. 09 May 2013. 5) â€Å"Compromise of 1877. † Information about The. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 May 2013. 6) â€Å"The KKK and Racial Problems. † The KKK and Racial Problems. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 May 2013. 7) â€Å"A History of Jazz Music. † A History of Jazz Music. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 May 2013. 8) Notes.

Can videogames cause an andrenaline response Essay

Abstract Can video games cause an adrenaline response? Our group thinks that playing video games will affect your adrenaline response because we think it will increase your breathing rate, heart rate, and pain tolerance.For this experiment, Richard and Matthew played Black Ops 2 and then we tested their reflexes, breathing rate, and pain tolerance. We compared it to the test we took before playing the game and the results was the breathing rate, reflexes, and heart attack increases which proves our point that video games does affect an adrenaline response. Introduction Your body works in many ways to help keep homeostasis, where all internal processes are stable and constant. Your body uses the sympathetic nervous system to help deal stress and stressful situations. The nervous system is arranged with a fight or flight response, also called the acute stress response, to increase your ability to survive when in danger. The response is provoked instinctively in reaction to a recognized threat survival than to motivate consciously or by choice, and alters your body’s systems to ready you to either to fight the danger or to avoid by running away. When your mind is focused on watching a horror movie or playing a videogame with intense action, even though you might not be in real danger, your adrenal medulla gland still continues to start up because of your stressed state. It releases hormones and a surge of adrenaline that could help you confront or escape by increasing blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate, transformation of fat into available energy, and dilating pupils. All of these factors function together to raise your strength and speed. Dilated pupils help you see more clearly, and muscle tension and increases blood flow readies your muscles for action and heighten agility. During an adrenaline response, your body responses increases perspiration to prevent overheating due to the raised rate that you’re expending energy. Your body even increases how fast your blood coagulates so that if you’re injured, you’ll experience less blood loss. Decreased or no awareness of pain, called analgesia, is also an effect of these life preserving hormones. Method 1. First, we have to collect information about the test the subjects. We  will collect their ages, genders, and the experience they had with the game. 2. Then, we will collect the subject’s breathing rate by counting the number of breaths the person takes in one minute. 3. We will also take the subject’s pulse rate counting the number the of times the heart beats in one minute. 4. After that, we will test the subject’s reaction time. We will use the ruler test and test him four times and find the average. 5. We will then tell the subject to play for 10 minutes, and after he is done, we will measure his breathing rate and record it down. 6. Then, we will tell the subject to continue for 5 minutes. We will pause the game and take the subject’s pulse rate and reaction time. 7. Then, we will resume for another for another five minutes and we will poke him 15 times for pain tolerance and ask him after he played if he felt anything. 8. Finally, we will record all of the data and use the same steps for testing the second subject.

Classic education and universities. A road to survival

Classic education and universities. A road to survival Is traditional university losing its grip? The idea of a research university became obvious when Prussian college professor, Wilhelm von Humboldt, proposed a new system, which had to deal with student’s personal experience rather than boring lectures. In the meantime, empirical learning grew to be popular among his younger colleagues, causing Humboldt to expand his strategy and place all his hopes and dreams on the role of research in an institution. Instead of usual academic writing, students were given the task to develop their own approach to educational methods and choose what’s best for them, based on the system of simple observation. Individual projects were presented weekly, and Humboldt could witness an increasing progress in the student’s thinking. Apart from that, he revolutionized the understanding of a university as a public institution. Before that, teachers were mainly focused on the works of ancient authors and considered tradition to be the best learning method and source. Copying the canon was a usual practice, and students summarized what was previously said with the help of their professors. Nothing was left to the learners and their experimental values. Later, in the 1950s, universities in the UK and North America were largely influenced by the teaching models, borrowed from Humboldt. Research centers opened across the country, and students flooded colleges to establish their own projects and become educated academically. With the enhancement of the typical teaching-only model of learning, though, these tendencies vanished into thin air, and lecture theatres became popular once again. There are institutions where face-to-face delivery still remains the norm, while other forms of interaction between a teacher and a student are considered to be ineffective, but generally, online communication wins the hearts of students as the time goes. Campus-less establishments So, what do all these tendencies mean at the end of the day? Will classic universities close and give way to a more modernized system of education, involving online delivery and campus-less teaching? We cannot say for sure, but there have been numerous expressions of gratitude from students, who had an experience in online learning. They were allowed to equal educational facilities and high class diplomas, whereas in other cases the tuition fees would be too unaffordable to handle. Some teachers claim, however, that you should pay your price for using online resources and neglecting the traditional, overcrowded lecture room. With the development of digital learning, we start to forget the empirical experience seminars provides on a daily basis, and regular news updates keep us away from vital information, necessary for successful learning. In the meantime, blog writers and students, who are too focused on using apps for their classes instead of actual listening, are in great danger. They may lose their connection with reality and an ability to evaluate material, based on the source and structure. This is a tendency that is not uncommon among younger learners with their dedication to tweeting and scrolling through the news on Facebook. One may wonder whether the same students will comprehend given information and analyze it according to the teacher’s learning scheme. Unfortunately, most of them have a short attention span, which does not help in case one needs to use a clear and focused approach. Tweeting a sentence differs greatly from making notes on your own, and teacher-student communication cannot be replaced by online resources, no matter how good or mind-blowing the strategy is. The truth about colleges and universities remains the same these days: you have to combine online communication with the real one, and develop a strong sense of academic-led dialogue, where digital sources act as background information. The main values of the traditional institutions have not changed, and we cherish research and analytical thinking as core principles of learning in college.

Author Technique on ACT English Passage Strategy

Author Technique on ACT English Passage Strategy SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Author technique is a specific type of reading comprehension question that appears frequently on the ACT English section. Author technique questions require you to analyze a specific sentence and determine if it fulfills an author's stated purpose. Read this article for a thorough explanation of author technique and guidance on how to figure out author technique questions. In this post, I'll do the following: Define author technique questions. Provide examples from real ACTs. Offer detailed strategies for correctly answering these questions. What Is Author Technique on ACT English? Author technique questions ask you to determine if a sentence or phrase fulfills the author's stated purpose. Each author technique question is constructed in the same way. Knowing the basic construction of author technique questions will allow you to easily identify them and use the same efficient process for correctly answering them. General Construction of Author Technique Questions Author technique questions are phrased in this way: Which one would best fulfill (some stated purpose)? A portion of a sentence will be underlined, and you have to determine if the given phrase or the other answer choices will best fulfill the purpose given in the question. This type of question requires you to analyze phrases and determine whether they would satisfy the stated goal. Now, let's look at examples of author technique questions from actual ACTs. Real Examples of Author Technique Questions Here are examples of author technique questions from the ACT English section. Example #1 By nightfall a controlled inferno roars in the kiln. The writer would like to indicate that at this point thefire is extremely intense. Given that all the choices aretrue, which one best accomplishes the writer’s goal? F. NO CHANGE G. the fire is stronger than everH. there is more heat being producedJ. a kind of intense blaze takes place Example #2 As the potter takes bricks away to create an opening into the oven, an expanding view of gleaming shapes rewards the artist for months of hard work. The writer would like to suggest the potter’s cautiouspace and sense of anticipation in opening the kiln. Given that all the choices are true, which one bestaccomplishes the writer’s goal? F. NO CHANGEG. removes bricks by handH. removes one brick at a timeJ. experiences great anticipation and removes bricks Example #3 Dickinson stayed in contact with correspondents for many years. Given that all of the choices are true, which one bestdevelops the paragraph’s focus on the roles that lettersplayed in Emily Dickinson’s life? A. NO CHANGE B. Her personal interests also included keen observationof the natural world around her. C. Though she produced volumes of letters, none were shared publicly until after her death. D. She enjoyed hearing their news and reflecting with them on political events. Now, let's go through the process to correctly answer these questions. Follow these steps! Strategy for Author Technique Questions #1: Determine What the Question is Asking Here's our first example question again. Example #1 By nightfall a controlled inferno roars in the kiln. The writer would like to indicate that at this point thefire is extremely intense. Given that all the choices aretrue, which one best accomplishes the writer’s goal? F. NO CHANGE G. the fire is stronger than everH. there is more heat being producedJ. a kind of intense blaze takes place The question is asking which answer choice does the best job of indicating that the fire is extremely intense. The correct answer choice will make it obvious to the readerthat the fire is extremely intense. #2: Check the Answer Choices to See if They Acomplish the Intended Goal For our example, go through each answer choice and determine if it indicates that the fire is extremely intense. The answer choice has to match the goal as closely as possible. The fire can’t be somewhat intense. We’re looking for extremely intense. First, look at the original sentence. Does â€Å"a controlled inferno roars† accomplish the goal of showing that the fire is extremely intense? Yes. An inferno is a large, intense fire. And the verb â€Å"roars† further indicates that the fire is extremely intense. However, go through the rest of the answer choices quickly just to make sure there isn’t a better answer. Answer choice G, â€Å"the fire is stronger than ever,† indicates that the fire is more intense than before, but it doesn’t directly state that the fire is extremely intense. Answer choice H, â€Å"there is more heat being produced,† does not even reference the intensity of the fire. Answer choice J, â€Å"a kind of intense blaze takes place,† is the trap answer. It has the word â€Å"intense† in the phrase, but we’re looking for a phrase that shows that the fire is extremely intense. A â€Å"kind of intense† fire is not extremely intense. #3: Eliminate Wrong Answer Choices Usually, it’s easier to eliminate the obviously wrong answer choices first before eventually arriving at the right answer. For our example, H could be eliminated right away since there isn't even a reference to the fire. Then, after looking more closely at the other answer choices, you should be able to eliminate G and J. #4: Consider the Tone and Conciseness of the Answer Choices Not only should the answer choice fulfill the purpose of the author, but the resulting sentence should be grammatically correct and match the essay’s tone. Typically, sentences in ACT English are moderately formal. They’re not extremely formal or very casual. Also, the ACT stresses that sentences should be as concise as possible. For our example, we didn’t really need to consider tone and conciseness, but if you were considering answer choice F, â€Å"a kind of intense blaze takes place†, itsconstructionmakes the phrase sound awkward and wordy. You could convey the same meaning more succinctly. #5: Select the Correct Answer In our example, we are left with answer choice F, NO CHANGE. Going through all of these steps should take roughly 15-30 seconds. We'll go through this process again with another question from a real ACT. Another Actual ACT English Example Try to figure out the answer to the following author technique question. At one point, Emily sent a draft of her poem â€Å"Safe in TheirAlabaster Chambers† to Susan, who read the poem. Given that all the choices are true, which one wouldmost clearly describe an interaction between Susan andEmily during Emily’s writing process? A. NO CHANGE B. liked the poem tremendously. C. considered and thought about the poem. D. praised the poem but suggested revisions. First, we determine what the question is asking. We need to choose a phrase that suggests interaction between Susan and Emily during Emily’s writing process. Therefore, if a phrase doesn’t show interaction between the two, it can be eliminated. The original phrase, â€Å"read the poem," doesn't show interaction. If Susan â€Å"liked the poem tremendously," that doesn't show interaction between them either, so we can eliminate B. If Susan â€Å"considered and thought about the poem," that doesn't demonstrate any interaction so answer choice C can be eliminated as well. However, if Susan â€Å"praised the poem but suggested revisions†, that does describe an interaction during the writing process. If she â€Å"suggested revisions,† Susan told Emily how to change the poem to make it better. That's an interaction during the writing process. The answer is D. Quick Review of General Strategies for Author Technique Questions #1: Determine What the Question Is Asking #2: Go Through the Answer Choices to See if the Phrase Fulfills the Stated Purpose #3: Eliminate Wrong Answer Choices #4: Consider the Conciseness, Tone, and Formality of Answer Choices, if Need Be. What's Next? If you haven't done so already, I strongly suggest that you check out these articles on the best way to approach ACT English passages and five critical concepts to ace ACT English. Both posts provide you with extremely helpful strategies that will allow you to maximize your ACT English score. For those of you looking to improve your ACT English grammar skills, you may want to read up on punctuation on the ACT. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Online Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Online Education - Assignment Example Modern ways of communication through internet and new forms multimedia has helped the online education to become more resourceful and accessible. With more advanced input technologies like webcams, screen capturing software etc. the trainers able to record and upload all the helping material related to the course online. Students have the option to download or stream videos and helping material online. The latest technological advancement is virtual classrooms where instructor and students can communicate in real time by using live webcams and microphones (Allen & Seaman, 2011). Online education is a mode of providing educational information through the internet on a personal computer rather than a traditional classroom environment. With the internet as a medium of online education courses are offered to students in different forms, including audio and video formats primarily. These types of electronic communications create a bridge between student and the instructor. Online education is usually considered distant learning home-based education but in some cases, there are hybrid education courses which require students to complete comes portion online and the rest of it requires classroom session. E-learning (Online education) trend is increasing quickly according to the recent study by the Sloan Consortium (A nonprofit organization that studies online education trends) (Bishop, 2006). Online education trend is increasing by about 21 percent from 2008 to 2009 and on the contrary, enrollments are only growing by 1.2 percent a year. More universities and colleges are offering online courses (Pew Research Center, 2011, p. 4). Online education courses are customized for people who are either already having a degree or they want to develop some new skills to progress in their fields.

Ethical issues in Financier by Theodore Dreiser Essay

Ethical issues in Financier by Theodore Dreiser - Essay Example He went to friends of his at the Century Company and proposed they commission Dreiser to write for the Century Magazine three articles on Europe which might eventually be expanded into book length, and at the same time he directed Dreiser to ask Harper's for an advance on The Financier. The result was that on November 18 Century sent Dreiser a check for a thousand dollars for three articles and the option on any book he might write about his trip, and Harper's, upon his depositing with them the first part of his manuscript, agreed to advance him two thousand dollars on The Financier and five hundred dollars against the earnings of Jennie Gerhardt. In addition Harper's prepared to reissue Sister Carrie. When Richards suggested to Dreiser that even the Nobel Prize was now within his grasp, Dreiser re gained his confidence and on November 22 sailed with Richards on the Mauretania, explaining to an interviewer before embarking that in his new novel "I'm doing the man as I see him. . . . And when I get through with him he'll stand there, unidealized and uncursed, for you . . . to take and judge according to your own lights and blindnesses and attitudes toward life." In this spirit he was seeking to observe the "color of life." (Markle 10) Yet, baseless as Dreiser's worries mig... He remembered all the writing that he wished to do, wrote Mencken asking whether he would read the manuscript of The Financier, and although Richards tried to persuade him to visit the Hardy country, decided early in April that he must take the first available ship back to America. This ship happened to be the Titanic, but since it was on its maiden voyage, Richards thought it might be uncomfortable and preferred to secure Dreiser passage on the Kroonland, which arrived in New York at the end of the month, when Dreiser began at once completing The Financier. Dreiser wanted to call his whole trilogy The Financier, and the first volume simply "Volume One," but Harper's insisted that was commercially inadvisable. Dreiser wanted to shorten his novel so that it would not run to 800 pages, but Harper's was giving him no time to make adequate cuts. Mencken, however, was abroad when Dreiser returned from Europe, and it was not until May 7 that Dreiser could write to him from New York: "Lord[,] I'm glad to know you[']r[e] back. . . . I wish I could talk to you. I have a whole raft of things to discuss not the least of which is the present plan of publishing this book in 3 volumes -- 1 volume every 6 months. . . . For heaven sake keep in touch with me by mail for I'm rather lonely & I have to work like the devil." Mencken did keep in touch, and while during the summer Jug returned in what was the final attempt to solve the problem of loneliness, Mencken encouraged him in his work, read galleys, suggested the excision of irrelevant details and the expansion of certain incidents, and assured him: "You have described and accounted for and interpreted Cowperwood almost perfectly.