Kangxi And Louis XIV | Comparison

Kangxi And Louis XIV | Comparison Absolute monarchy or absolutism means that the sovereign power or ultimate authority in the state rested in the hands of a king who claimed to rule by divine right. Kangxi and Louis XIV were both shining examples for absolutist rule. Age of Absolutism was between 1610 and 1789. Absolutism is a term used to depict a type of monarchical power that was not at all restrained by institutions, for example, legislatures, social elites, or churches. Both Kangxi and Louis X1V were absolute monarchs associated with the coming to power of professional bureaucracies, professional standing armies, and the coding of state laws. They possessed ideologies that justify the absolutist monarchy. As absolute monarchs they spent significant sums on flamboyant homes for themselves as well as their nobles. It is mandatory in an absolutist state, by the monarchs for nobles to live in the royal palace, although in their absence, state officials ruled the nobles lands. This would effectively decrease the power of the nobility, thus causing nobles to become dependent upon the generosity of the monarch for their source of income. Emperor Kangxi became known as one of Chinas greatest emperors. He suppressed the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, forced the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan to submit to Qing rule, blocked Tzarist on Russia on the Amur River and extended the empire to the northwest. The compilation of the Kangxi Dictionary was just one primary example of the emperors many accomplishments pertaining to the subject of literature. During Kangxis reign his country experienced long-term stability and relative wealth after having suffered many years of turmoil and war. He was responsible for the initiation of the Prosperous Era of Kangxi and Qianlong era, which prolonged for generations after his own. As his reign ceased, the Qing Empire had full control over the entire Chinese region, Manchuria, as well as part of the Far East region of Russia and many other regions. Emperor Kangxi, whose father Emperor Shunzhi was the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty. As he reached age 8 years old on February 17, 1661, Kangxi succeeded imperial throne; twelve days after his fathers death. His rule consisted of at least 61 years from 1661 to 1722, making him the longest reigning emperor in Chinese history. When Kangxi was eight, he ascended the throne. As a child, Kangxi was very talented in literature and he worked diligently. Since he was too young, his father hired four ministers to assist him with the administration of the country. Ao Bai was the name of one of them who furtively assigned his own henchmen to oppose the young emperor. As Kangxi became of age to rule the nation, he ingeniously voided Ao Bais plot. In 1643 Louis XIV became king at age four upon the loss of his father Louis XIII. Louis XIV, also recognized as the Sun King, was among the greatest of significant monarchs in history. He reigned for 72 years, from 1643 until his death in 1715. This made his time as King the longest known reign of any European monarch. He is responsible for taking France from savage medieval to one of the most appealing cultures in the world. He claimed total control of the French Government for 54 years out of the 72 years that he reigned for. The 17th century was labeled as the age of Louis XIV, due to his supreme reign of absolutism in government. Louis began independently governing France as of 1661 after his prime minister, the Italian Cardinal Mazarin passed away. As an advocate of the theory of the divine right of kings, Louis continued his predecessors work of creating a Centralized Government, governed from within the capital. He sought the elimination of the remnants of Feudalist parts of France. Under his rule, France represented the mainstay of European power, involved in three major wars: the Franco Dutch War, the Nine Years War, the League of Augsburg War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. A highly skilled politician and statesman Louis X1V supported and profited from the work of major political, military and cultural figures such as Mazarin, Colbert, Turenneaud, Vauban, Moliere, Racine, Boileau, La Fontain, Lully and Le Notre to name just a few. Days before his seventy-seventh birthday after death, Louis was succeeded by his great-grandson who became Louis XV at age 5. Both Kangxi and Louis XIV were shining examples for absolutist rule, and they both were effective absolutist who did a great job governing their kingdom. However, in my opinion Kangxi was the more effective Absolutist of the two. Whereas Louis XIV relied heavily on collaborating with other great men in order to achieve effectiveness, Kangxi relied on utilizing his supreme intellect and succeeded exerting his own true absolute power which was his intelligence.

The Mother and the Father Figures in Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes

Angela’s Ashes is the bleak, humorous and very compelling memoir of the author’s childhood in Limerick, Ireland, during the Great Depression. The book is, at the same time, a historical account, a work of fiction and an autobiography. First and foremost however, Angela’s Ashes is a personal narrative that evokes the struggles of an individual growing up in adverse and dire conditions. The narrative focuses directly on the author’s childhood and adolescence, a time when the individual is much more prone to vulnerability and powerlessness. The story is so appealing to the reader precisely because it is filtered through the eyes of a child who is directly exposed to the abuse of social, economical and political forces that surpass his comprehension. Thus, the narrative functions as a deconstruction of the innocent and paradisiacal childhood. The child experiences the most abject forms of physical misery, hunger and illness as well as the permanent feeling of guilt and depression of being a burden to his own mother. The mother-son relationship described in the book is one of the most effective threads of the narrative, as it represents the way in which â€Å"amor matris† can be modified and received differently under the strain of very hard social circumstances. The most obvious form of abuse for the helpless child hero is the social and political context he is entrapped in. In 1935, Frank’s family flees Brooklyn because of the general poverty and deterioration that had spread in the United States during the Great Depression. After this inverse emigration to their homeland however, the family discovers an even grimmer and more disheartening poverty. In this context, the figure of a careless and drunken father and that of a defeated and abject mother are very potent realities for the child. Both of the parents are extremely powerful influences for the child and both of them function as ambivalent figures. Malachy, the father, who is supposed to offer support and stability to the poverty stricken family, is unreliable because of his inability to hold any job and because of his alcohol addiction. The fact that he completely deserts the family after leaving for England to find work is an addition to the negative influence he exerts. Frank and his brothers have to suffer because the father fails to offer them even minimal protection from the dire social realities of the day. At the same time however, he is also the one who tells his children the first folktales of Irish heroes, procuring them a slight comfort amidst the dire conditions of life and feeding their imagination and their hopes. The mother figure is also ambivalent. Frank both loves her and loathes her at the same time. He is moved by her devotion to her children and by her motherly love but he is also repulsed at times when he sees the contemptible and humiliating condition she brings herself to in order to save her family from starvation. Frank encounters his mother accidentally when she is begging in the streets to get the remains of the priests’ dinner and is shocked by her condition. Later on, when the family has to find shelter with a cousin named Laman Griffin, the child is again appalled when he discovers the sexual nature of the relationship that his mother has with Laman. These absurd and horrendous compromises that the mother has to make in order to be able to sustain her family inspire Frank with a permanent feeling of guilt at being he himself one of the objects of her sacrifice. The mother-son relationship is therefore marked by this need of an exaggerated proof of devotion and motherly love on the part of the mother. Angela is therefore a perfect instance of a mother’s powerful love for her children, and Frank McCourt points this out in his narrative in various ways. Given the circumstances of the family however, their relationship is more complex than that. The child is discomfited by the guilt of feeling as a burden to his mother, instead of being comforted by the warmth of a mother’s protective care. In the context of his tragic childhood, Frank feels even more poignantly the influence of his parents’ failures and qualities, at the same time.

An Analysis of Othello by William Shakespeare Essay

In the play â€Å"Othello† by William Shakespeare Iago plays the master manipulator and manages to deceive many of the other characters especially Othello and Cassio. It can be said that his motives are based solely on his insecurities due to the fact his goal in the play was to ruin Othello’s life. He does this by using psychological manipulation on Othello’s thoughts and makes him believe that Cassio and Desdemona are fond of each other. Which basically means that he targets anyone that brings out his insecurities, which gives him a reason to lash out and kill or harm these people, to make himself feel better. In the beginning of the play Iago makes it seem as if his hatred towards Othello is because he has made Cassio his lieutenant. As the play goes on you later realize that Iago’s hatred extends even more. â€Å"I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets, he has done my office: I know not if’t be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety.†. There seems to be some rumors about Othello and Iago’s wife Emilia, the rumors are that Othello and Emilia have slept together. In the quote above he states that he doesn’t care if the rumors are true and that he is going to proceed with his plan as if they are true. Throughout the play Iago constantly reminds himself of why he’s targeting Othello. â€Å"I do suspect the lusty Moor, Hath leap’d into my seat: the thought whereof, Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards; And nothing can or shall content my soul, till I am even’d with him, wife for wife.† His hatred towards Cassio is more directed. Iago hates Cassio because he has gotten the position of lieutenant even with his lack of experience in the field as he is a more tactical creating strategies person. â€Å"More than a spinster, unless the bookish theoric†. Iago basically states that Cassio’s lack of manliness add to his hatred towards him. Each person in the play get manipulated in a way that only suits them. For example Roderigo is â€Å"blinded by his love for Desdemona, and is prepared to do anything to win her heat† this give Iago the advantage to take his weakness and use it against him. As innocent as Iago’s words seem Othello lets Iago’s manipulative words counteract with his thinking and this is where you could say he has officially planted the seed making sure he has  Othello’s ear. As Othello asks for proof Iago is once again able to manipulate Othello by making him hide and hear a conversation Iago has with Cassio. â€Å"Now will I question Cassio of Bianca, A housewife that by selling her desires, Buys herself bread and clothes. It is a creature, that dotes on Cassio, as ’tis the strumpet’s plague, To beguile many and be beguiled by one. He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain, From the excess of laughter. Here he comes.† Iago says this once Othello withdraws and once Cassio corners him starts discussing Bianca but allows Othello to believe they are discussing Desdemona. He whispers so Othello would not hear him and by doing that he agitates Othello and that causes him to be delusional. As mentioned before Cassio is also manipulated by Iago. The first way in which Cassio is deceived is when he get pressured into drinking and then starting a fight which consequently ruins Cassio’s reputation.† If I can fasten but one cup upon him, with that which he hath drunk tonight already, He’ll be as full of quarrel and offense, as my young mistress’ dog. Now my sick fool Roderigo, Whom love hath turned almost the wrong side out, To Desdemona hath tonight caroused, Potations pottle-deep, and he’s to watch. Three lads of Cyprus, noble swelling spirits, That hold their honors in a wary distance, The very elements of this warlike isle, Have I tonight flustered with flowing cups, And they watch too. Now ’mongst this flock of drunkards, Am I to put our Cassio in some action, That may offend the isle.† This is Iago’s soliloquy where he actually reveals his manipulative side. At first, Iago told Cassio he should drink on behalf of Othello although he knew that he did not want to and was not capable of it. Iago has manipulated Cassio to do something unethical. Othello and Cassio both get exploited by Iago because they both find honest, good friend and have a hard time judging character. Iago acts like he truly cares about Othello by giving him warning signs about Cassio. Iago also fools Cassio into thinking he cares whether he has a good time or not. Another way Iago manipulates Cassio is when he plants the handkerchief in Cassio’s chambers. â€Å"I know not neither, I found it in my chamber. I like the work well. Ere it be demanded, As like enough it will, I would have it copied. Take it and do ’t, and leave me for this time.†. Cassio says this when he gives it to Bianca. Cassio has no idea as to how the handkerchief got into his room. Iago left it there to set him up and make it seem as if he is having an affair with Desdemona. Iago exploits Cassio’s limited  knowledge since Cassio did not know that the handkerchief belong to Desdemona. In both scenarios Iago manipulates Othello and Iago by sugar coating the truth from them. Iago does feel better after manipulating the characters in the story this is shown throughout the story as Iago manipulates and controls every other character so well that they seem like puppets that he controls. At the end of the play, Iago’s manipulation has left a trail of destruction that has killed Othello and Cassio, as well others and has destroyed the lives of many who remain. The motivations and ideas Iago has are very deceptive and cunning, and his ability to influence is very amazing. Iago’s actions define of a man who will stop at nothing until he exacts revenge on everyone who he feels has threaten him in one way or another. Shakespeare has presented Iago as a kind and noble soldier he has also been known as honest Iago, this showing that everyone is not as what they seem on the outside. Already knowing that Iago has a hatred for his superior Othello and now Cassio â€Å"Thou told’st me thou didst hold him in thy hate,† Said Roderigo. â€Å"D espise me if I do not,† Iago replies. This during the opening scenes in the play. Iago fools Othello by providing â€Å"ocular† proof but didn’t allow him to listen or understand properly. As for Cassio, he used his friendship to plant the handkerchief. Both Othello and Cassio are naà ¯ve have a hard time judging character, are too proud to believe that someone is fooling them and their limited knowledge as to what was going on around them allows Iago to Successfully in the end manipulate the mind of Othello and sent him insane and left Cassio in a situation that he didn’t belong in. Othello and Cassio were both victims of Iago’s manipulation due to the fact that they had something Iago did not. Bibliography William, S. (01.22.14). Othello. Great Britain. Oxford University. Jonathan, L. (28.01.2010). How does Iago manipulate different characters in order to achieve his aims? Othello. Retrieved (02.27.2014), from http://www.markedbyteachers.com/as-and-a-level/english/how-does-iago-manipula te-different-characters-in-order-to-achieve-his-aims.html The Theme of Deception in William Shakespeare’s Othello. Retrieved (02.27.2014), from https://sites.google.com/site/thethemeofdeception/home Joshua, A. (2013). Protestant epistemology and Othello’s consciousness. Retrieved (03.01.14), from Gale Academic One File.

Depression - 975 Words

One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Depression in its various forms (insomnia,†¦show more content†¦Neurotransmitters involved in depression include norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. An imbalance of hormones may also play a role in depression. Many depressed people have higher than normal levels of hydrocortisone, a hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress. In addition, an underactive or overactive thyroid gland can lead to depression.4 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Psychological theories of depression focus on the way people think and behave. Some theories emphasize the role irrational though processes. It states that depresses people tend to view themselves, their environment, and the future in a negative light because of errors in thinking. These errors include focusing on the negative aspects of any situation misinterpreting facts in negative ways, and blaming themselves for any misfortune. In another view it is said that people with â€Å"depressive† personality traits appear to be more vulnerable than others to actual depression. Examples of depressive personality traits include gloominess, pessimism, introversion, self-criticism, deep feelings of inadequacy, and excessive brooding and worrying. 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