The Curse Of The Dot Com :: essays research papers

The Curse of the Dot Com   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the last few years, we have all seen commercials and other advertisements for all kinds of Internet companies. It started an Internet revolution, including such common things as shopping, stock trading, even entertainment. Recently, however, many have noticed that so many of these once growing companies no longer exist. They filed bankruptcy. Why? Because this new market became saturated, and there was not enough demand to support all of the companies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here’s an example; Mother Nature dot com. The company went belly up in 2000, and actually started the trend. We all saw the ads for Mother Nature dot com, they were the ones with all the natural health supplements. The problem was, the supplement trend is still new, and people jumping on the wagon want to have it as soon as possible, and Mother Nature was an online mail order.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then there’s the most famous belly-up dot com; Pets dot com. Everyone knew their slogan; â€Å"Pets dot com, because pets can’t drive.† They had the funny little sock puppet dog as a spokesman. Publicity wasn’t their problem. As a pet owner, I can tell you that when I get something for my dogs, I don’t know what I’ll get before I leave the store. I need to browse the store to know what there is. An Internet site won’t let you just see what’s there, you can’t feel it, or touch it. Sure, that system works well if you know what you want, but what if you’re not sure?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Internet companies are going bankrupt mainly because not that many people like the idea of not seeing, touching, etc., what they bought until a week or more after they bought it. You can see some harm to on site stores from dot coms; it helped Wards to close their doors.

Greek Mythology in Sun, Moon, and Talia

Sun, Moon and Talia is an Italian fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 book, Pentamerone. It is one of the earliest and more sophisticated versions of Sleeping Beauty, following adult themes of rape, sexuality, infidelity and murder – far different from the later and softer versions of the tale (Hallett & Karasek, 2009). In Sun, Moon, and Talia, Basile uses various references to figures in Greek mythology. These references offer sophisticated portrayals of his characters’ personalities. Through examining these Greek figures, their identity, history and position in Greek mythology, one can draw parallels between the characters and their plights in Basile’s tale. In Basile’s story, Scylla and Charybdis are mentioned by the Queen when she says to the King’s secretary, â€Å"Listen, my son, you are between Scylla and Charybdis, between doorpost and the door, between the poker and the grate† (Hallett & Karasek, 2009). Historically, Scylla and Charybdis were sea monsters situated across one another on the banks of the narrow Strait of Messina. Scylla lived in a cave facing the west and was a gruesome sight with twelve feet, six longs necks and heads with three rows of close-set teeth. She would capture sailors from every ship that passed by with each of her mouths. On the cliff opposite her resided Charybdis. Three times a day she would absorb and regurgitate the water of the passage creating a dangerous whirlpool (Keightley, 1838, p. 271). The Queen’s mention of Scylla and Charybdis is grouped with other harsh and narrow conditions. The phrase ‘between Scylla and Charybdis’ is a Greek idiom used to describe two equally perilous alternatives, neither of which can be passed without encountering and probably falling victim to the other. It is used similar to the English idiom ‘between a rock and a hard place’. The Queen uses the harsh words to compel the King’s secretary to give testimony to the activities of her husband. Another Greek figure mentioned in the tale is Medea, daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis. In 431 B. C. Euripides wrote the play Medea in which she is betrayed by her husband Jason when he decides to take another wife. In her depression over her husband’s actions, she takes the insane action of murdering her two children: And here I quit this theme; but I shudder at the deed I must do next; for I will slay the children I have bourne; there is none shall take them from my toils; and when I have utterly confounded Jason’s house I will leave the land, esca ping punishment for my dear children’s murder, after my most unholy deed. (Svarlien, 2008) The similarities between the Queen and Medea are subtle. While Medea killed her own children out of distress over Jason’s new marriage, the Queen ordered the cook to kill the children her husband had with Talia. The themes of jealousy, betrayal and infidelity are apparent and are shared between the two women. Finally, Basile mentions Charon, the ferryman of the dead. The souls of the deceased are passed on to him by Hermes, and Charon ferries them across the river Acheron into the underworld. In her fit of rage, the Queen ordered the secretary to bring Talia to her so that she may be killed by burning to death in a fire. When confronted with this state of affairs, Talia asked the Queen if she could take the time to remove her clothes first. The Queen agreed and Basile narrates, â€Å"they were just going to drag her away to reduce her to lye ashes, which they would throw into boiling water to wash Charon’s breeches with (Hallett & Karasek, 2009). † The mention of Charon at this climatic part of the story indicates the gravity of Talia’s situation. Basile alludes to the brutal end Talia was about to meet. Altogether, Basile’s tale offers an early version of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy-tale that most readers would be astonished to read. The subtle comparisons to figures from Greek mythology and their relation to his characters’ personalities create an atmosphere of grave seriousness and complexity. The tale is mature and creates a sophisticated, yet dark atmosphere with its seemingly tragic plot. References Hallett, Martin & Karasek, Barbara (2009). Folk & Fairy Tales: 4Th Edition. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press Keightly, Thomas. (1838). The Mythology of Ancient Greece and Italy. Whittaker and Co. Svarlien, Diane Arson. (2008). Medea. Hackett Publishing Charon. (n. d. ). In Encyclopaedia Mythica Online. Retrieved from http://pantheon. org/articles/c/charon. html

The Giver Argumentative Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 835 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/05/21 Category Literature Essay Type Argumentative essay Level High school Tags: The Giver Essay Did you like this example? The Giver Argumentative Essay Could anyone ever imagine living in a community where everything is decided for them? Their family, their spouse, and even their job. Thatrs the kind of life that Jonas has been living, and so has the rest of his community. But as he has just been selected to be the next Receiver of memory, Jonas discovers new plans for himself as he trains to be the successor of The Giver. While reading through Jonas inspiring journey, there are three important themes that everyone could learn from. A prominent theme in The Giver is without pain, there wouldnt be happiness. Now he became aware of an entirely new sensation: pinpricks? No, because they were soft and without painThe sensation made him smile(Lowry 102). While Jonas experiences a memory from The Giver, he understands what it is like to be truly happy as he has been through troubling pain before. Life here is so orderly, so predictable†¢so painless. Itrs what theyve chosen(Lowry 130). The Giver elaborates the idea that life in his community has always been simple. No one knows what pain is or what it feels like, so the happiness of anyone in Jonas community is never deeply considered. But if Jonas hadnt ever experienced the most painful moments in his life, he might not have enjoyed the happiest. Another theme that is very significant to the story is with experience, also comes wisdom.Therers much more. Theres all that goes beyond all that is Elsewhere and all that goes back, and back, and back. I received all of those, when I was selected. And here in this room, I re-experience the memories again and again. It is how wisdom comes and how we shape our future(Lowry 98). While Jonas is in his training, the Giver develops the idea that wisdom comes from experience. He explains that the knowledge that we acquire can also be taught from memories that we keep of the past. Looking over them can help us to determine our future. I used my wisdom, from the memories. I knew that there had been times in the past†¢terrible times†¢when people had destroyed others in haste, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction(Lowry 141). Jonas and the Giver discuss previous hardships that fell over the community, and the Giver explains how the memories helped him to guide others. While the people of his community were in fear, he had acknowledged the wisdom he had acquired from memories. He had gained wisdom from those memories in order to help others in times of destruction. If he hadnt, The Giver and the rest of his community might not have been as orderly and peaceful as they are now. Overall, the theme that stood out the most in the novel, The Giver, is without change, the world would resort to sameness. Well If everythingrs the same, then there arent any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things!(Lowry 123). For the majority of us, making decisions is a way of life. Jonas exclaims that he wants to wake up in the morning and make choices of his own, and not have his community decide everything for him. Sometimes I wish theyd ask for my wisdom more often†¢there are so many things I could tell them; things I wish they would change. But they dont want change(Lowry 130). The Giver points out that the people in his community decided to go to sameness. No one is special or stands out. Even though the Giver does believe that the community should make decisions for the people, he also thinks that the people should be able to guide the community to make the right choices. He implies that even he would like to give the community some of his own wisdo m. Living in a world where nothing changes is difficult for Jonas, and Im sure it would be equally as difficult for anyone else. But by making a change yourself, you gain the knowledge of knowing that you did something to keep the uniqueness of two separate things, and resist the sameness of everything else. All in all, The Giver is an inspiring novel which can teach us many valuable lessons. Jonas learns that to truly understand happiness, he also has to know what it means to be in pain. He figures out that to endure hardships in the future, he will have to use his wisdom that will come from his experiences. To want change is one thing, but to change something yourself is another. Throughout the story Jonas exaggerates that he wants his life to be different from others, and wants to live in a place where he gets the opportunity to decide things for himself. One lesson to take out from Jonas story is to always guide yourself towards the right decision, and to not let anyone ever take your opportunity to decide away. Works Cited Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Giver Argumentative Essay" essay for you Create order