Washington Irvings Rip Van Winkle Essay Example for Free

Washington Irvings Rip Van Winkle Essay Irvings Rip Van Winkle shows distinct characteristics of romanticism throughout. Irvings unusual and original subject and the descriptions of nature, displays these romantic qualities of originality, connection with nature and an emotional sincerity. Rip van winkle is about a man who goes deep into the woods one day to go hunting. Rip some one calling his name and is led to strange men. What seemed particularly odd to Rip was, that though these folks were evidently amusing themselves, yet they maintained the gravest faces, the most mysterious silence, and were, withal the most melancholy party of pleasure he had ever witnessed. Rip drinks some ale and falls asleep. He wakes up twenty years later not knowing time has passed by. This strange plotline is very romantic. It would be impossible for someone to fall asleep for twenty years and still be living. It goes against the nature of science. Most of the stories of the time written by men were historical. Although Irvings attempts to make his story seem true by referring to historical documents, it is too strange to be real. Another distinct romantic quality of Rip Van Winkle is the detailed descriptions of nature in the story such as the Catskill mountains and the Hudson river. Panting and fatigued, he threw himself, late in the afternoon, on a green knoll, covered with mountain herbage, that crowned the brow of a precipice. From an opening between the trees he could overlook all the lower country for many a mile of rich woodland. He saw at a distance the lordly Hudson, far, far below him, moving on its silent but majestic course, with the reflection of a purple cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark, here and there sleeping on its glassy bosom, and at last losing itself in the blue highlands. On the other side he looked down into a deep mountain glen, wild, lonely, and shagged, the bottom filled with fragments from the impending cliffs, and scarcely lighted by the reflected rays of the setting sun. For some time Rip lay musing on this scene; evening was gradually advancing; the mountains began to throw their long blue shadows over the valleys; he saw that it would be dark long before he could reach the village Irving uses dreamy words such as majestic and lordly which suggest a presence of God. God created nature and is the cause for the cycle  of it. The magnificent description of the nature is almost like a heaven and with the presence of god, again shows the unusual and strange aspect of romanticism in the story. The tale of Rip Van Winkle is mysterious and leaves the reader wondering if it really happened. As Irvings other stories The Devil and Tom Walker and Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle has an curious plotline and in depth description of nature. It is extremely romantic and one of the first of its kind.

The Effect of the Church in the World Essay -- Religion, Christians

There is significant debate about the effect of the church in the world. Did it really disrupt the existing social order? For many years Hans Conzelmann’s thesis that Christians are â€Å"docile subjects and trouble arises only when Jews rouse the populace with false accusations against the church† dominated scholarship. Later, Richard Cassidy (Political Issues in Luke-Acts) challenges this perspective by viewing Jesus as a â€Å"nonviolent social dissident who was †¦ a potential danger to the Roman empire† by paralleling Jesus’ effect on Rome with Gandhi’s effect on the British empire. Though Luke (in Acts) tends to depict Rome as â€Å"fair and respectful in their treatment of Christians, and the apostles are certainly not seeking to foment rebellion against the empire,† Hays also notes that the apostles and the Christian community do sometimes upset the cultural conventions which creates tension with the â€Å"established social order.† In fact â€Å"Luke’s vision for the transformative power of the church †¦ turns the world upside down not through armed revolution but through the formation of the church as a counterculture, an alternative witness-bearing community.† Schnackenburg believes that the church saw themselves as the â€Å"true ‘Israel of God’† and as â€Å"legitimate heirs of the old people of the covenant.† They preserved the Jewish way of life, while confessing Jesus as Messiah, held to the teaching of the apostles, kept the Eucharist and communal meals, and held worship services in private homes with common prayer. Though externally identifiable with Judaism, it was â€Å"a separate community in faith and worship† whose life was affected by these practices.† Though there were controversies within the community, these are presented as being reso... ...dom.† Hays sees Luke as portraying the early community fulfilling two ideals: the Greek conception of friendship, and the Hebrew (Deuteronomic) ideal of covenant community. Aristotle argued that true friendship was an â€Å"extension of regard for self† citing proverbs such as â€Å"Friends have one soul between them† and â€Å"Friends’ goods are common property.† Additionally (as mentioned above), Deuteronomy 15 outlines the blessings for God’s people who remain faithful to the covenant (Deut. 15:4-5, 7-8). Ultimately, Luke Johnson develops an idea that â€Å"possessions function as symbols of response to God† and so the Jerusalem community’s response â€Å"are sure signs of the presence of God’s Spirit in their midst† and that they shared goods demonstrated â€Å"God’s effectual grace.† Once again, the movement of the Spirit is credited for the dynamic life and growth of the community.

Potbelly Sandwich Works

â€Å"Potbelly Sandwich Works† Summary: Potbelly Sandwich Works is a privately held restaurant chain that sells submarine sandwiches in the United States. Potbelly Sandwich Works began in 1977 founded by Peter Hastings. The original store is located in Chicago, in a retail space that was previously an antique store, Hindsight, also owned by Hastings. Many of the items that decorate the store were taken from the former business. Despite the fast-paced, never-a-dull-moment world of antique dealing, the couple decided to bolster their business by making sandwiches for their customers. What began as a lark, turned out to be a stroke of genius. Soon, people who couldn't care less about vintage glass doorknobs were stopping by to enjoy special sandwiches and homemade desserts in this unusual atmosphere. Its name is derived from potbelly stoves common in the late 19th century. In 1998, Bryant L. Keil purchased the original store and expanded Potbelly to over 200 stores in Illinois, Indiana Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington D. C. , Kentucky, and Wisconsin. When Bryant Keil paid $1. 7 million for Potbelly Sandwich Works in 1996, people thought he was crazy. Convinced he could take the unique sandwich joint to the next level; Keil acquired Potbelly and has since grown the concept into a 10-state chain that posted 2006 revenue of $140 million. Although Potbelly has many sandwich shop rivals and competition in the fierce quick-serve segment of the restaurant industry, Potbelly has more than held its own. Billed as â€Å"a unique and quirky sandwich joint,† it has a unique appeal. Potbelly’s core strategy elements include the 4P’s- Product, Place, Promotion, and Price. As the years passed, the lines grew. Booths were added, along with ovens for toasting sandwiches to perfection, vista-coolers, napkin dispensers, hand-dipped ice cream – even live music. The little antique shop had become the full-fledged, totally unique sandwich joint that you enjoy today. Potbelly’s core strategy elements include the 4P’s- Product, Place, Promotion, and Price. First is the Product. Anyone can sell a sandwich; you need to be able to sell an experience. Industry observers point to several aspects of the Potbelly experience that make it the first choice for young professionals on a quick lunch break. Friendly service and an unbeat atmosphere, live music, antique fixtures, real books for customers to read or borrow create a homey environment for customers. Then there is the Place. Geographic locations are selected carefully. Bryant Keil looks for cities that are not saturated with sandwich chains and have an urban/suburban density of core customers-young professionals less than 35 years old. Locations must be convient for them since Potbelly stores rely on high repeat business. Then there goes Promotion. Promotions are keyed to events like store openings and National Sandwich Day. For example, on National Sandwich Day, Potbelly hosts a â€Å"Belly Buster† sandwich eating contest at Potbelly stores. Prizes are awarded to winners and runners-up. Other event promotions raise money for local charities such as food banks, and community- based reading and music appreciatin programs. Then goes the last P which is Price. Potbelly sandwiches sell for $3. 79. Pricing is an integral part of the value Potbelly offers customers and can be summed up as, â€Å"Just good food at good prices. Considered separately, any one of Potbelly’s marketing strategy elements may not seem overly powerful as a competitive weapon, but combined and implemented with zeal, they are a significant competitive threat to national, regional, and local competitors. The idea behind Potbelly is simple: superior value, fun-filled atmosphere, warm, comfy decor, and quick friendly service.

Ethical And Philosophical Nature Of Human Rights - 2452 Words

Our century is rich in the greatest discoveries in all fields of science and technology that had changed the quality of our lives. Perhaps one of the main branches of knowledge that will shape the world in the XXI century is genetics. That relatively young science has always been associated with lots of controversies and debates. That is, in my opinion, correlates with the course themes of Ideology and Inquiry, and secondly Origins and Politics of human rights. However, recent progression in genetics and genetic engineering have made it possible to change the very nature of the mankind, thus uprising many questions of ethical and philosophical nature. Personally speaking, in choosing the topic for the essay I were mainly interested†¦show more content†¦In fact, the background information of mine is quite limited in a sense that I have never experienced a chance to face cloning in reality, however the idea of it that I gathered from the movies and other sources of social medi a, made me interested in going deeply into research in order to find out whether I am for or against cloning. Cloning is typically defined as the production of cells or organisms with the same nuclear genomes that of the other cell or organism. Accordingly, by cloning can create any living organism that is identical to exist or have existed. This process potentially gives all humans incredible opportunities. Nevertheless, there are many arguments both for and against cloning. But mostly these opinions are formed on the basis of incomplete study of this problem and the one and the other side does not posses the full range of information on the subject, and often replaces misunderstandings with guesses that are not consistent with the scientific points of view. Furthermore, we will try to understand both benefits and negative consequences of cloning animals and humans. At first, I will consider cloning phenomenon and its process, and secondly, I will consider the ethical dimension of this phenomenon. In fact, a clone – is just an identical twin of another person, delayed from the time. However, science fiction novels and movies created a stigma that human