Great Gatsby Essays (537 words) - The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby

Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is central to many novels. This dream is different for different people, but in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. To get this happiness Jay must reach into the past and relive an old dream and in order to do this he must have wealth and power. Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the the story, is one character who longs for the past. Surprisingly he devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture it and, finally, dies in its pursuit. In the past, Jay had a love affair with the affluent Daisy. Knowing he could not marry her because of the difference in their social status, he leaves her to amass wealth to reach her economic standards. Once he acquires this wealth, he moves near to Daisy, Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay (83), and throws extravagant parties, hoping by chance she might show up at one of them. He, himself, does not attend his parties but watches them from a distance. When this dream doesn't happen, he asks around casually if anyone knows her. Soon he meets Nick Carraway, a cousin of Daisy, who agrees to set up a meeting, He wants to know...if you'll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over (83). Gatsby's personal dream symbolizes the larger Americ an Dream where all have the opportunity to get what they want. Later, as we see in the Plaza Hotel, Jay still believes that Daisy loves him. He is convinced of this as is shown when he takes the blame for Myrtle's death. Was Daisy driving? Yes...but of course I'll say I was. (151) He also watches and protects Daisy as she returns home. How long are you going to wait? All night if necessary. (152) Jay cannot accept that the past is gone and done with. Jay is sure that he can capture his dream with wealth and influence. He believes that he acted for a good beyond his personal interest and that should guarantee success. Nick attempts to show Jay the folly of his dream, but Jay innocently replies to Nick's assertion that the past cannot be relived by saying, Yes you can, old sport. This shows the confidence that Jay has in fulfilling his American Dream. For Jay, his American Dream is not material possessions, although it may seem that way. He only comes into riches so that he can fulfill his true American Dream, Daisy. Gatsby doesn't rest until his American Dream is finally fulfilled. However, it never comes about and he ends up paying the ultimate price for it. The idea of the American Dream still holds true in today's time, be it wealth, love, or fame. But one thing never changes about the American Dream; everyone desires something in life, and everyone, somehow, strives to get it. Gatsby is a prime example of pursuing the American Dream. Book Reports

Bishop Baraga essays

Bishop Baraga essays Baraga is one of the most beautiful places Ive ever seen. When you get to the head of Keweenaw Bay of Lake Superior, you see the Shrine of Bishop Baraga overlooking it in all its beauty. Towering thirty-five feet on the Red Rock Cliffs, its hard to miss. When I see it, I know Im home again, because Baraga is my home town. Though it doesnt seem like much, the population of Baraga County is just over eight thousand, seven hundred people, Baraga has quite a history. In it rests the reservation of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, which has over three thousand tribal members. In my essay, I will cover Bishop Frederic Baragas history and his missionary work, mostly centered in the Copper Country of Michigan. I also want to discuss the major influences he had on the Native Americans of the Chippewa tribe. Irenaeus Frederic Baraga was born in Slovenia on June 29, 1797. He came from a wealthy family, had an excellent education in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and at the University of Vienna where he studied law. Baraga could understand five languages. After he graduated, he renounced his engagement to be married, and decided to become a priest. He was ordained in 1823. Baraga answered a mission call in 1831 and traveled to America. His intention was to minister the Native Americans of the Upper Great Lakes region. He started in Arbre Croche, Wisconsin. There he established his first church and labored at the conversion of the Ottawas for two years and four months, baptizing five hundred and forty seven Indian adults and children. He then moved eastward along the south side of Lake Superior and established five missions altogether. Grand River (1833) and LaPointe (1835) were also in Wisconsin. His next mission, LAnse, brought him to Michigan in 1843 and Sault St. Marie in 1853. In LAnse, Baraga told the Native American Chippewas of his religion and how the other Indians o...

What Is The Likely Influence Of Institutional Investors On Corporate Essay

What Is The Likely Influence Of Institutional Investors On Corporate Social Performance - Essay Example The World Business Council for Sustainable Development proposes a definition for CSR which is " CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large". Reference (this definition was developed in 1998 for the first WBCSD CSR dialogue in The Netherlands.) There has been an increasing role of CSR in the community these days. This is because of the impact of globalization, where the effects of actions on the other side of the world are being debated in the press. There is also increasing attention from investors through the rise of socially responsible investment or SRI. Investment in ethical funds was given a boost when pension funds were obliged to state whether they took into account social and environmental impacts. The reason behind such an investment is that firms that closely manage their social and environmental conditions are subject to less risk, are possibly better managed and thus will also turn out as better investment, as well as satisfying a principled standard. To promote CSR it is necessary to enter into a trust based relationship with stakeholders. In such an environment the firm will need to think of themselves as being part of a network in which value is created and where co-operation is more vital. The scheme of CSR basically is about moving away from a business focused approach towards a one that explores the impact and value on society which then further has impacts on the business. And thus if a business recognizes that it is a part of society and its aim is to create value in the society it will be able to consider the value that is created both for the firm and for society. Business and society have an impact on each other. With the increasing focus on CSR, comes another scheme better recognized as Corporate Social Performance (also known as CSP) and which also enables to calculate and view the performance of business in the social ambit. The social performance needs to be handled and organized properly to get rid of other liabilities and to make the business move on the road to progress. CSP is not only a moral value but also helps the organization financially. CSP is highly correlated with the financial performance. It is connected and related with accounting return procedures rather than market return procedures. The reason of effectiveness of CSP seems to be due to status effects between a huge number of stakeholder groups, and not because of the organizational learning effects. In order to make CSP profitable and able to pay the full amount of a bill, debt or other financial obligations top administration must plan it with a tactical vision that is communicated all through the organization. To make a successful CSP policy, it should be kept in view that it must contain both "soft" and "hard" topics (soft topics like managerial trends and employee values and hard topics like social policies, programs and managerial structures.) Reference Each of us can probably name more than ten cases in which unprincipled organizational performance had created serious consequences for organizational efficiency, both during and after the managerial "ethics crisis." Until now, however, a small number of efforts have been made to standardize the way that we think about organizational principles and social responsibility, greatly lessen the financial per