Billy Budd - Convictions Shaken Essay -- essays research papers

In Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, readers are introduced to the conflict of good and evil between Billy Budd and Claggart. However, there is another conflict, which, in ways is more significant than the epic clash of good and evil. Vere’s struggle between duty and conscience is more significant because it occurs in the mind. Whereas Billy Budd was clearly the noble sacrificed hero and Claggart was the vindictive villain, duty is just as noble as conscience and conscience is just as noble as duty. Melville sets up this conflict by placing a man with the intuition and innocence of a child, in the hands of a captain amidst war. In a description of Captain Vere it can be anticipated that Vere, who values peace and common good, would be in conflict with his job, which requires him to be a militaristic authoritarian. Captain Vere learns important lessons when innocent hands bring about destruction of life. Vere was moved by his beckoning duty as captain, to convince t he drumhead court to convict Billy Budd. However, the paternal emotions towards Billy Budd and his rational thinking did invoke indecision. Captain Vere realizes, when he has to act, he does not have the strength of conviction he had thought. Vere’s character is written to be a medium between Billy Budd and Claggart. Vere, like Claggart, has experience that makes him a salted sailor. However, like Billy Budd, Vere has been able to hold on to his natural intelligence. Along with his intelligence, Vere has an innocent quality to him: he believes when a crisis between duty and conscience calls, he will be able to hold fast to duty as called for on the seas during war. Captain Vere learns that in the face of conflict between duty and conscience, he does not have the strength of conviction he thought he had. Captain Vere learns that to balance conscience and duty is a very hard task even for a man as conscious of his actions as he is. Captain Vere, despite having paternal feelings towards Billy Budd, soon realizes the decision facing him. After Claggart’s last breathe, â€Å" ‘Fated boy,’ breathed Captain Vere in tone so low as to be almost a whisper, ‘what have you done!’ † (350). Vere’s paternal feelings can be seen when he says â€Å"Fated boy†. The fact Captain Vere whispers this implies the emotions he is feeling. He realizes the severity of Billy’s actions and reproaches him as a father would a child... ...d conscience. The manifestation of complete opposites in the characters of Billy Budd and Claggart give readers a very clear sense of the enemy, and which character to emulate. However, Billy Budd and Claggart are very exaggerated views of balancing opposite interests. Melville, more subtly, uses the murder of Claggart by Billy Budd, to show the readers the balance needing to be achieved within Captain Vere. His struggle between duty and conscience are representative of different interests. These different interests might not be clearly right and wrong. Duty is just as noble as emotion and vice versa. Despite what people think of themselves, it is very hard to strike that balance in which both interests can be achieved. Vere’s actions when wavering between emotion and duty reflect how actions counteract one another. One minute Vere was calm and the next he was passionately exclaiming. The human condition is always shifting, always looking for that balance of interests. Peo ple believe strongly in many things, but when the strong beliefs are pitted against one another balance must be found. As Vere learned, in the face of conflict between two rights, he finds his convictions shaken. Billy Budd - Convictions Shaken Essay -- essays research papers In Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, readers are introduced to the conflict of good and evil between Billy Budd and Claggart. However, there is another conflict, which, in ways is more significant than the epic clash of good and evil. Vere’s struggle between duty and conscience is more significant because it occurs in the mind. Whereas Billy Budd was clearly the noble sacrificed hero and Claggart was the vindictive villain, duty is just as noble as conscience and conscience is just as noble as duty. Melville sets up this conflict by placing a man with the intuition and innocence of a child, in the hands of a captain amidst war. In a description of Captain Vere it can be anticipated that Vere, who values peace and common good, would be in conflict with his job, which requires him to be a militaristic authoritarian. Captain Vere learns important lessons when innocent hands bring about destruction of life. Vere was moved by his beckoning duty as captain, to convince t he drumhead court to convict Billy Budd. However, the paternal emotions towards Billy Budd and his rational thinking did invoke indecision. Captain Vere realizes, when he has to act, he does not have the strength of conviction he had thought. Vere’s character is written to be a medium between Billy Budd and Claggart. Vere, like Claggart, has experience that makes him a salted sailor. However, like Billy Budd, Vere has been able to hold on to his natural intelligence. Along with his intelligence, Vere has an innocent quality to him: he believes when a crisis between duty and conscience calls, he will be able to hold fast to duty as called for on the seas during war. Captain Vere learns that in the face of conflict between duty and conscience, he does not have the strength of conviction he thought he had. Captain Vere learns that to balance conscience and duty is a very hard task even for a man as conscious of his actions as he is. Captain Vere, despite having paternal feelings towards Billy Budd, soon realizes the decision facing him. After Claggart’s last breathe, â€Å" ‘Fated boy,’ breathed Captain Vere in tone so low as to be almost a whisper, ‘what have you done!’ † (350). Vere’s paternal feelings can be seen when he says â€Å"Fated boy†. The fact Captain Vere whispers this implies the emotions he is feeling. He realizes the severity of Billy’s actions and reproaches him as a father would a child... ...d conscience. The manifestation of complete opposites in the characters of Billy Budd and Claggart give readers a very clear sense of the enemy, and which character to emulate. However, Billy Budd and Claggart are very exaggerated views of balancing opposite interests. Melville, more subtly, uses the murder of Claggart by Billy Budd, to show the readers the balance needing to be achieved within Captain Vere. His struggle between duty and conscience are representative of different interests. These different interests might not be clearly right and wrong. Duty is just as noble as emotion and vice versa. Despite what people think of themselves, it is very hard to strike that balance in which both interests can be achieved. Vere’s actions when wavering between emotion and duty reflect how actions counteract one another. One minute Vere was calm and the next he was passionately exclaiming. The human condition is always shifting, always looking for that balance of interests. Peo ple believe strongly in many things, but when the strong beliefs are pitted against one another balance must be found. As Vere learned, in the face of conflict between two rights, he finds his convictions shaken.

Business Ethics at Acme Corporation Essay

Mr. Frank Garcia was a new salesman at Acme Corporation. At Acme Corporation the corporate culture was top down or hierarchal and Garcia quickly learned that because of the competitive nature of the medical supplies industry few mistakes were tolerated. One of his very first sales clients was Mr. Otis Hillman, the buyer for Thermocare, a national hospital chain. The sale was a huge success resulting in a $500,000 contract for Acme and an additional bonus of $1,000 for Mr. Garcia. Months later, Mr. Garcia called on Mr. Hillman of Thermocare to increase the existing contract by some $500,000. The deal went through and Garcia received yet another bonus and a letter of achievement from the vice president of Marketing, however the deal cost Acme Corporation a pair of season tickets to the Cubs. On another occasion, Mr. Garcia approached Thermocare for an additional contract worth $750,000, once again Garcia was successful, but this time in return for the favor Acme had to pay for a trip to Cancun Mexico for Mr. Hillman and his wife. Lastly Acme Corporation decided to host a thank you party in Las Vegas for all of their best clients. The clients were informed that, if there is anything that they needed that they should let their salesperson know. That very night Mr. Hillman from Thermocare approached, Mr. Garcia and suggested to him that he was interested in attending an â€Å"adult entertainment club†. Garcia informed his boss, Amber about his client’s request. Amber was very laid back and replied, â€Å"we will take care of it†, however Garcia was a little concerned and asked â€Å"but what will Acme say if this gets out? † to which Amber responded, â€Å"Don’t worry, it won’t. † Taking a closer look at this scenario with Thermocare, Acme Corporation is faced with a few ethical issues. Firstly, we can look at the ethical issue of bribery. It is clear to see that in order for a sale to be successful, Garcia had to bribe Mr. Hillman on each occasion. In other words, each time Garcia proposed a new deal/contract to Thermocare it resulted in a cost Acme. Another ethical issue is Acme paying for Mr. Hillman to attend an adult entertainment club, an activity that is considered to be morally unaccepted and frowned upon by society. Additionally, even though Amber, Mr. Garcia’s supervisor was made aware of these unethical situations regarding the sale contracts with Thermocare, she was so concerned about making a profit that she had no issue with complying with their demands. One may ask, if Mr. Garcia was correct in complying with the demands/wishes of Mr. Hillman. In my opinion, Mr. Garcia was only following orders from his supervisor. If there is any one to blame for the ethical misconduct it should be Amber. In each instance, Mr. Garcia referred the situation to Amber. Furthermore, as the supervisor it was Amber’s responsibility to ensure that Mr. Garcia was conducting business in an ethical manner, however in reality Amber was not doing her job. On the other hand all of the blame should not be solely placed on Amber. It is obvious that Mr. Garcia was also driven by the need for large cash bonuses, in the back of his mind, he knew what he was doing was unethical, however as long as he was getting rewarded for his sales performance, he saw no problem with meeting the demands of Mr. Hillman. He figured as long as he making money for the company, what he was doing was indeed justified. However it could be argued that, Mr. Garcia could have easily referred the matter with Thermocare to another supervisor, if he felt that the decision he made, would have negatively impacted the reputation of Acme Corporation as an ethical corporate citizen. In conclusion, we all know that in order for businesses to survive, they must earn a profit. However the life of an organization may be shortened if these profits are realized through misconduct. Additionally businesses must balance their desires for profits against the needs and desires of society, and maintaining this balance often requires comprises. In the case of Acme Corporation if they wish to achieve and maintain a standard as a reputable and ethical corporation it must discontinue its current business practices and sales techniques. Furthermore, Acme must establish an ethics program that will communicate the core values of the organization to all employees and clearly capture the rules and principles that the company defines as appropriate conduct.

Essay about Stereotypes - 616 Words

Gender Stereotypes nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In today’s society, people stereotype to generalize certain groups; such as religion, beliefs, or even discriminating groups of people because of there race, gender, or appearance. Stereotypes can be very harmful and unfair. Gender stereotypes have been around since the beginning of time, and are still very prominent today. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As a child, I was brought up with the idea boys are strong, aggressive, and the leader; where as, girls are weak, passive, and the follower. My mother, made it clear to my sister and I, that playing sports was not acceptable for a young lady. Young ladies should be playing with dolls and playing house. Growing up, my friends and I would†¦show more content†¦When I approached Nathan I simply explained to him that girls could play any game boys can. Children need to be taught that no matter what your gender is you can do anything you set your mind to. Now-a-days women do have jobs and are working their way to the top of the ladder. Working to the top of the ladder is very difficult for women and can be very competitive. In our society, we make gender assumption based on job title. For example, when we talk about doctors we automatically picture a man in a white robe. And when talking about teachers we again assume it is a female standing in front of a class wearing glasses. Recently women are becoming more involved in the medical field. Women are specializing in many different areas; such as cardiology and gynecology. As for the male they are also being seen on the other side of the spectrum. For example men are becoming teachers and nurses. Society should not make gender assumption based on job titles. In the past certain job titles specified certain genders. An example of this was seen in our police departments. The officers were once called â€Å"Policemen.† In turn leaving out women. Women were rarely seen out in the streets protecting our neighborhoods. They were thought of as not being strong enough or capable of dealing with the tough world. Stereotyping is a natural way of thinking but needs to be minimized. Gender stereotyping will never vanish. In the work place, women and menShow MoreRelatedStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1660 Words   |  7 Pagesand Usage of Stereotypes on Individuals On an average day, one might turn on the television to a variety of shows. Some may display a husband coming home from work to a meal cooked by his wife, and others may show a blonde girl proving her lack of common sense. Nevertheless, this comes to show how commonly it occurs that stereotypes are presented in our daily lives. Stereotypes are considered to be widely generalized perceptions of particular groups of people. There are stereotypes in regards toRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes771 Words   |  4 PagesStereotypes: â€Å"...a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.† (Cardwell, 1996). Stereotypes create an unconscious perception on a group of people. Generalization ignores differences between individuals; therefore we pass assumptions towards others that may not be accurate. Stereotypes enables us to respond quickly to situations because we may have had similar experiences before. The use of stereotypes is an inv oluntary way we simplify our social world; they reduceRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1357 Words   |  6 Pagesthing is known as a stereotype. Everyone has a stereotype of someone or something, whether they know it or not. It has become more common to have stereotypes in today s world. 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Taken by Hilary Swift, this photo presents an African American woman, waiting for a bus that can take her to the Kitchen of Love, a food pantry that located in Philadelphia aiming to feed people suffering fromRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1765 Words   |  8 PagesStereotypes can be defined in several ways and are typically used in a negative or positive manner. Stereotyping according to Neuliup, J.W., (2012), â€Å"is referred as the memebership in social categories such as sex, race, age, or profession that are believed to be associated with certain traits and behaviors.† It may also refer to the belief that one holds against another person or groups of people from a given ethnic group. Stereotype’s has been known to be used in many films across the globe