Isbens A Dolls House Essay -- essays research papers

Nora Helmer as a Doll In Isben's, A Dolls House Nora, the protagonist is treated like a doll - the property of Torvald Helmer. In Act I, there are many clues that hint at the kind of marriage Nora and Torvald have. It seems that Nora is a doll controlled by Torvald. She relies on him for everything, from movements to thoughts, much like a puppet that is dependent on its puppet master for all of its actions. The most obvious example of Torvald's physical control over Nora is his re-teaching her the tarantella. Nora pretends that she needs Torvald to teach her every move in order to relearn the dance. This act shows her submissiveness to Torvald. After he teaches her the dance, he proclaims "When I saw you dance the tarantella, like a huntress, a temptress, my blood grew hot, I could...

Free College Essays - Use of Imagery in Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Othello

Use of Imagery in Othello  Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's Othello, the use of imagery and metaphors is significant in conveying meaning as it helps to establish the dramatic atmosphere of the play and reinforce the main themes. Through this, the audience is able to grasp a better understanding of the play. Throughout Othello, images relating to poison frequently occur. These references are predominantly made by Iago. This seems appropriate for Iago who exhibits the characteristics of poison; they being fatal and deadly. There are several possible explanations to what motivates Iago: being overlooked for the lieutenancy, the belief that Othello and Cassio had committed adultery with his wife, though this is never really proved; class differences present in the society that made him feel inferior, and racial differences. This desire for revenge is so great it "doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw [his] inwards." Iago's use of language is a primary weapon in manipulating Othello. By "pour[ing] this pestilence into his ear", Iago contaminates his thoughts. Once Othello starts to doubt Desdemona's fidelity, he is so incredibly driven by jealousy that it leads him to murder her, ironically with poison. Many references are made to animals in the play. Iago uses beast imagery to express his contempt and to downgrade those he despises. Early in Act 1, he rouses Brabantio's anger by using crude images of animals fornicating to inform him that his "daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs." Such a metaphor is designed to evoke a strong emotional response. In a soliloquy at the conclusion of Act One, Iago says "It is engendered. Hell and night / Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light." Shakespeare uses the image of a monster being born as a metaphor for the start of Iago's evil scheming. It also becomes evident that Othello's mind has been corrupted by Iago's evil handiwork when he too starts to use the same sort of animal imagery in his speech. In one scene, convinced of his wife's infidelity, Othello loses all self-control crying out "goats and monkeys," animals traditionally considered lascivious. There is also a wealth of heaven and hell imagery in Othello. Iago, who is Machiavellian in nature and revels in tormenting others, can be perceived as the devil personified. Even he himself acknowledges this when he says "devils will the blackest sins put on...suggest at first with heavenly shows / As I do now.

Local Taxidermy Essay

What is taxidermy? Well should I say what is stuffing? Taxidermy is really a big thing in this small world. Taxidermy has been around for a very long time, it takes many difficult steps to becoming a good taxidermist, all the different types of taxidermy, therefore it will take carefulness, time and patience for me to mount a deer head for my product. When taxidermy first came around it was used by the Indians for clothing and even used for shelter. In this research paper you will find that taxidermy is very important to the human life, because even today people still wear clothing that is made from animal skin. Taxidermy is a general term showing the many methods of reproducing a life-like three dimensional representation of an animal for permanent display. The actual skin from an animal (including the fur, feathers or scales) is took and mounted over an artificial armature. In other cases, the specimen is completely done with man made materials. Taxidermy is derived from two ancient Greek words: taxis, Meaning movement, and derma, meaning skin. Therefore translated, taxidermy means the movement of skin. Taxidermy can be done on all species of animals including humans. A brief history of Taxidermy, Thousands of years ago when man first hunted for his food, he found that the skins of his prey, when treated with certain substances, could be preserved and used for clothing and shelter. The first taxidermists were primitive hunter-gatherers who crudely formed animal skins over mud and rock for use in their hunting rituals. Over the years, as methods increased these skins improved and the need for tanned skins increased, the tanner became one of the most important members of the tribe. Without him there would be no clothing. As the demand for quality leather and skins increased, the methods became more and more sophisticated. By the 1700s almost every town had a tannery business. In the 1800s, hunters began bringing their trophies to upholstery shops, where the upholster would sew up the animal skins and stuff them with rags and cotton. That’s where the term â€Å"stuffing† or a â€Å"stuffed animal† evolved from this crude form of taxidermy. This practice produced some terrible looking mounts and gave taxidermy a bad reputation which still haunts the industry to this day. Professional taxidermists still shudder and take offense at the term stuffing, the perfered word is mounting. In the early 20th century, taxidermy began to evolve into its modern form under the leadership of great artists such as Carl E. Akeley, William T. Horneday, Coloman Jonas and Leon Pray. These and other talented pioneers developed anatomically accurate mounts which incorporated every detail right down to each muscle and tendon of the animal. In artistically pleasing poses. They invented new techniques for mounting that allowed them to portray animals with lifelike accuracy. They created mounts in realistic settings and poses that were more appropriate for the species. This was quite a change from the crude, snarling caricatures that were popularly offered as hunting trophies. To actual trophies that show exactly the realistic look of the animal. Taxidermy in the latter part of the twentieth century has developed into a full-fledged form of wildlife art, and the successful taxidermists of today must also be considered as very fine artists in their own right. There are many different methods used today for producing mounts of different species. The taxidermist today can take pride in their works as their work is just as nice as the paintings that hang on house holds. To becoming a non forgettable taxidermists it takes practice. The modern practice of taxidermy incorporates many crafts, such as carpentry, woodworking, tanning, molding and casting. It also contains artist talent, so it takes someone that will put their time into something that they won’t except till it reaches their high explatations. In a deer head mount, the only natural parts of the animal are the antlers and the skin, the teeth can be used if they are in good dental shape, but most are artificial. The other organs are shaped by the taxidermists materials. The eyes are made from glass, the eyelids are sculpted from clay, the nose and mouth are made from epoxy or wax. The form is made from polyurethane foam. To practice taxidermy one must be extremely familiar with anatomy, dissection, sculpture, and painting as well as tanning. Today most of the parts used are not even from the real parts of the animal at all. They are completely recreated from man made materials. This is for those who that believe in the catch and release. This is usually done on fish, the only thing they are required to do is take a picture and take some measurements of the fish. Then take the picture and the measurements to a local taxidermy, the taxidermy will then take the materials and sculpture a real life like mount of the fish, Some even say that if you take the artificial fish and set it beside a real one and you wont even tell the difference. But the good thing is the hunter or fisherman can feel good about what he has done because the fish that he caught is still living plus he has a trophy on his wall that reminds him of what he caught. A taxidermy will first take the trophy and freeze it until it is time to be mounted. The taxidermist the removes the skin, to be tanned and treated for later use. The remaining muscle fibers and bones are measured and posed. The carcass is then molded and plaster. The carcass is then removed and the mold is used to produce a cast of the animal called a mannequin. Mannequins can also be made by sculpting the animal first clay. There are many companies that produce stock forms in many sizes that can be used. Glass eyes are then usually added to the display, and possibly also artificial teeth, depending on the subject’s original dental condition. An increasingly popular trend is to freeze dry the animal. This can be done with reptiles, birds, and small mammals such as cats, large mice and some types of dogs. Freeze drying is expensive and time consuming. The equipment is expensive and requires much upkeep. Large specimens can be required to spend as long as six months in the freeze dryer, although is the preferred technique for pets. There are many different types of taxidermy, for instant a Rogue taxidermy is the creation of stuffed animals which do not have real, live counterparts, be of the taxidermists’s imagination, or be endangered or extinct species. They can be made from the parts of mythical animals or they may be artificially created. Rogue taxidermy is often seen in side shows and dime museums among genuine freak animals. The other type of taxidermy is known as Anthropomorphic taxidermy its where stuffed animals are dressed as people or displayed as if engaged in human activities. This style was popular in Victorian and Edwardian times but can still be found today. The style was popularized by Human Plouequet, taxidermist in Stuttgart. Germany, when he exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Just where can you see taxidermy at? Well taxidermy is everywhere they are displayed in museums, educational institutions, businesses, restaurants, and homes. Therefore to become a taxidermist you must need some experience, you can gain this experience threw schooling. From there you will learn the basics of taxidermy, like how to measure the different parts of the animal, how to be accurate at ordering the right size form for the species. You will also learn how to tan a hide and learn the steps to putting the cape on the form. This is all important because you want to make sure that the specie looks very life like. Which if you like to rush threw things and be able to finish them without the hassle of waiting then taxidermy is not for you. Taxidermy takes patience and time, it can take a taxidermist up to six months to finish a trophy. Of course a taxidermist could do it a lot faster if they didn’t care what it looks like at the end but no they want their work to look as life like as possible. Because anyone that is a hunter or fisherman knows that having something to remind them of there trophy is a memory that will always stick with them. So when they pay a very large amount of money to get their trophy done they would expect it to look life like and give them that memory of the day it was taken or caught.

Are Wars Necessary?

Are Wars Necessary? I think, there are quite few people who actually believe that the war is something good, wholesome and useful. It is and has always been one of the worst and most disgusting, destructive events that can happen. But it is to the same degree wrong to accuse it of all the deadly sins existing in the world. Although war is always evil, sometimes it is the lesser evil, in some cases it is inevitable.I, of course, don’t support the idea that the war is necessary in socio-economical sense – there is such a point of view, stating that the war is the motive power of progress and effective method of keeping demographic situation stable. Of course, some inventions were first applied in military, but also because this research has always been better supplied. And, although a lot of people die in the course of wars, it is not enough to really influence demographics, especially nowadays.I am speaking about the war as the conflict of interests and state that yes, i n certain situations war is necessary and even turns out into a thing to be proud of. War may be offensive and defensive and, just like in the case of self-defense, in the event of armed attack from another country any kind of violence used in retaliation is acceptable, because any other course of action will mean suicide.Looking at the same analogy, there is no much difference between a country attacking another country from a mugger on the street. The fact that the offenders are numerous, wear uniforms and deliver speeches makes absolutely no difference. Read more: http://www. paperwritings. com/free-examples/essay-about-war. html#ixzz2DxD5bCkQ

Providian Trust Essay

Business Context/Key Business Drivers Providian Trust delivers financial and fiduciary services to clients across 216 branches. In an industry built on servicing clients, many of Providian Trust’s trust officers had 20-30 years of experience with the company and managed clients at a personal level. The trust officers had total control over what was sent to the client, including generation of financial statements. Control of the financial statements often resulted in a 2-3 month lag in statement delivery, a slower turnaround time compared to competitors. Additionally, trust officers often discounted or waived client fees for late or inaccurate statements, costing the company an estimated $2 – $5 million dollars per year. The institutional custody business was becoming technology intensive, and from the client’s perspective, Providian Trust had outdated reporting systems. In response to client demand, Providian Trust embarked on an initiative to upgrade their systems and change the way they serviced th eir clients. Initiative Objectives/Benefits To better serve their clients, Providian Trust started a large information technology project within the trust division. The objective of the project was to convert their outdated information system into a more efficient, trust and custody management system. Initiative leader, Michael LeBlanc, also wanted to address issues between the back office and front office, issues Providian Trust experienced for years. He convinced the Providian Trust board that the new software (Access Plus) would support a redesign of business processes. After board approval, the project scope included a system implementation and business process redesign. Providian Trust expected annual savings of approximately $9.2 million from this project. In addition to the estimated annual savings, the initiative expected the following benefits: Initiative Challenges Leadership * Inadequate member selection for Steering committee * A key leader of the field was not selected, intensifying political tension within the group * Impact: Â  * Ineffective executive sponsorship and lack of leadership guidance for the project * Implementation Committee (made up of junior people) took on Steering Committee responsibility. Implementation Committee was unaware of their role and responsibilities associated with it (e.g. are they responsible for the success of the project?). Unrealistic Timeline * Project timeline to deliver technology infrastructure and train employees was not sufficient * Many employees did not have the proper computer skills to operate a PC. PC skills were a pre-requisite for the success of Access Plus. * Clients were expecting changes as a result of the software implementation, but the field did not even have PCs or PC skills to operate the new technology * Impact: * User audience not prepared for implementation training, adoption is at risk * Risk of not meeting client expectations Project Team Selection * Proper resources were not identified for the project team * The project team was mostly made up of individuals from the Operations department that only represented a portion of the processes the initiative would impact. * The IT group selected to implement the technological changes did not have experience implementing an information technology initiative of this magnitude * Impact: * Lack of implementation experience puts technology implementation at risk * Lack of user group representation affects accuracy of business processes being changed * Employees are not fully supportive of the project since they were not represented Risk Management * Risks not handled appropriately * In multiple instances, the project team was notified of risks by senior management. Project Team did not address risks directly. Instead, they handled the topics one-off. * Project team did not handle risk of insufficient testing * Impact: * Risks not addressed impact success of project * Sufficient testing is not conducted. It is unknown whether the system can handle the information volume Results I do not expect this initiative to be successful. Inadequate planning, poor resource selection and an undefined vision put the project at risk for failure. From the beginning, there was a lack of due diligence across many levels of the project. The employees involved in the project were not selected appropriately. Junior employees who lacked experience were making project decisions, decisions that would have a significant impact on the company and the way they do business. Additionally, user representation on the project team was low, impacting the accuracy of business processes and also impacting user support and adoption of the initiative. It was evident that Providian Trust lacked strong executive leadership on the project which did not send a good message to the field. Lack of executive support will impact the adoption of new business processes. At the end of the day, if the users do not adopt the system or the new business processes, it will impact clients and clients are the central focus in this service-focused industry. Relevance and Analysis In my experience, if the project vision is not defined and the project team selection is not right, the foundation for the project is unstable. Providian Trust was operating with an inexperienced project team that lacked executive sponsorship. Executive sponsorship is a key support component to a project team, especially if the team is inexperienced. Executive support and guidance would have impacted the decisions being made and made this initiative more successful. Providian Trust underestimated the amount of training that was needed for this initiative. Success of the project was highly dependent on user adoption, something that was not addressed adequately. Providian Trust decided to take a Train the Trainer approach for this initiative. Trainers were trained 8 months before the implementation. A lot can change with 8 months remaining in a project and it is likely that training topics covered would have changed in the 8 months left of the project. Further, many employees did not have PCs and others did not have PCs for enough time to learn basic computer skills that would serve as a foundation to learn Access Plus. From a financial perspective, only 3% of the net investment was dedicated to training. In an initiative that introduces so much change into an organization that is historically resistant to change, user training needs to be a top priority. In my experience, Train the Trainer approaches are effective when trainers are sufficiently trained and there is strong leadership support. Both of these elements were missing at Providian Trust. This case reminded me of the importance of a defined project vision, leadership support and proper resource allocation.

Jordan Baker

Not all houses can be the centre of attending where everyone wants to party at that place on Saterday darks. The houses that can make this are ever filled up people and are ever throwing partys that keep the bangs traveling non halt. The house described exists in a topographic point known merely as West Egg. The one throwing all these astonishing partys is Jay Gatsby, besides known as the great gatsby.How he got his luck is unknown but everyone excepts the fact that he is really rich.the house described above is found in the exciting authoritative novel, The Great Gatsby. Nick Carraway is the 1 that tells this narrative. He tells the narrative in a really unagitated and understanding manner. Nick lives across the manner from Gatsby and is related to Daisy. Theres many different important parts to the narrative. One that many people dont relize are the minor characters, there of import because they make the major character seem more realistic. The minor characters can state parts of t he narrative that the major characters could ne'er make. They complete the book and do all the events that take topographic point seem more realistic. The minor characters of this narrative show sides of the major characters that you would ne'er see with out at that place aid. Fitzgerald, the writer of The Great Gatsby, made many of import minor characters that bring the narrative to life such as Jordan Baker, Myrtle, and George Wilson. these minor character further finish the secret plan. Jordan Baker was normally seen throughout the book. She is Daisy ‘s friend and she represents the new adult females of the 1920s. Nick said â€Å" She was incurably dishonest. She was n't able to digest being at a disadvantage † ( Fitzgerald 60 ) . Nick and Jordan so ended up in a relationship. Fitzgerald included Jordan Baker because she makes Nick more of a character instead than a storyteller. Since she is friends with Daisy, she has information that Nick could non acquire which helps the narrative be told. She told Nick the narrative behind Gatsby and how his wealth came to be. She besides told Nick about Daisy ‘s matrimony, and how Daisy decided she did n't desire to get married Tom on the nuptials dark, but she did anyhow. Jordan said â€Å"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be merely across the bay† ( Fitzgerald 80 ) . She connected Nick and Gatsby and besides connected all of the chief characters. The relationship between Nick and Jordan wa s non as strong. It was there to be contrasted with the relationship of Gatsby and Daisy. Jordan was an of import minor character because she connected the chief characters together. Myrtle Wilson foremost appeared in the narrative when Tom introduced here to Nick. Myrtle is merryed to George but is rip offing on him with Tom who is besides married. Myrtle is reasonably much a homewrecker and she is merely being used by Tom as more female company. During the party that happens in chapter 2 Myrtal repetitions Toms married woman name one time to many times and in a tantrum of fury Tom punches her in the face. This shows Toms disrespect for adult females and that he wanted nil to make with Myrtal than to utilize her. Myrtle making what she did shows that Tom is non merely a nice loving cat. Tom is shown as a 2 timer when he inquiries Daisy and Gatsby ‘s relationship even though he himself was holding an matter. Myrtle believes she is in a higher category or people than her hubby George Wilson. You can see this when she recieves a complament on something she was have oning and answer â€Å" It ‘s merely a brainsick old thing, I merely steal it on sometim es when I do n't care what I look like † . ( Fitzgerald 37 ) . She trys to conceal the white rubbish she truely is by moving snobby all because she is with Tom. In her head money is all person needs to hold felicity in life. Myrtle shows the reader that no 1 should move like something they ‘re non. George Wilson is besides another minor character in the novel. He is a mechanic and is Myrtle Wilson ‘s hubby. Tom Buchanan dainties George in a atrocious mode. He still talks to George easy, even though he is holding an matter with his married woman. When Tom went to present Nick to Myrtle, George asks Tom when is he selling him his auto. Tom replied following hebdomad, but so says â€Å" And if you feel that manner about it, possibly I ‘d better sell it someplace else after all † ( Fitzgerald 25 ) . The manner Tom negotiations to George, feels as if Tom acts superior. But George proved that incorrect because he is a sincere adult male. He really, genuinely loved Myrtle, unlike Tom. Tom practically plays both Daisy and Myrtle. When Myrtle was killed, Tom decided to state George that Gatsby killed her. He despised the relationship that Gatsby and Daisy had. He told George that, because he knew George would revenge Myrtle and so Gatsby would be out of his manner. Ge orge killed Gatsby all because of words from Tom. Tom is a barbarous adult male that merely uses George as a tool. The Great Gatsby is a great American, authoritative novel. It tells a great narrative of love and complications. It ‘s a review of the American dream. But all of it could n't hold been accomplished without the usage of minor characters. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald included minor characters functions such as Myrtle Wilson, Jordan Baker and George Wilson to sophisticate the narrative, with important actions. For illustration, Myrtle Wilson reflected the harsh and hypocrite side of Tom Buchanan. He uses her and does n't desire to go forth Daisy for her. Jordan Baker linked the chief characters together. She gave information to the storyteller that he would n't hold been able to have realistically. Her relationship with Nick made him more of a existent individual, and less of a storyteller. George Wilson ‘s character shows how Tom merely uses people for his benefits. The minor characters played of import functions in the novel. They reveal or unlock secrets about major ch aracters. The writer sends messages through minor characters that he could non through major characters. They make the major characters dynamic, and their actions causes the secret plan to alter. The narrative would n't be so great in-depth without minor characters.

Barack Obama - Knox College Commencement Address

Barack Obama Commencement Address at Knox College delivered 4 June 2005, Galesburg, Illinois You know, it has been about six months now since you sent me to Washington as your United States Senator. I recognize that not all of you voted for me, so for those of you muttering under your breath I didn’t send you anywhere, thats ok too. Maybe we’ll hold What do you call it? a little Pumphandle after the ceremony. Change your mind for the next time. It has been a fascinating journey thus far. Each time I walk onto the Senate floor, Im reminded of the history, for good and for ill, that has been made there. But there have been a few surreal moments. For example, I remember the day before I was sworn in, myself and my staff, we decided to hold a press conference in our office. Now, keep in mind that I am ranked 99th in seniority. I was proud that I wasn’t ranked dead last until I found out that it’s just because Illinois is bigger than Colorado. So I’m 99th in seniority, and all the reporters are crammed into the tiny transition office that I have, which is right next to the janitor’s closet in the basement of the Dirksen Office Building. It’s my first day in the building, I have not taken a single vote, I have not introduced one bill, had not even sat down in my desk, and this very earnest reporter raises his hand and says: â€Å"Senator Obama, what is your place in history?† I did what you just did, which is laugh out loud. I said, place in history? I thought he was kidding. At that point, I wasn’t even sure the other Senators would save a place for me at the cool kids’ table. But as I was thinking about the words to share with this class, about what’s next, about what’s possible, and what opportunities lay ahead, I actually think it’s not a bad question for you, the class of 2005, to ask yourselves: What will be your place in history? In other eras, across distant lands, this question could be answered with relative ease and certainty. As a servant in Rome, you knew you’d spend your life forced to build somebody else’s Empire. As a peasant in 11th Century China, you knew that no matter how hard you worked, the local warlord might come and take everything you had and you also knew that famine might come knocking at the door. As a subject of King George, you knew that your freedom of worship and your freedom to speak and to build your own life would be ultimately limited by the throne. And then America happened. A place where destiny was not a destination, but a journey to be shared and shaped and remade by people who had the gall, the temerity to believe that, against all odds, they could form â€Å"a more perfect union† on this new frontier. And as people around the world began to hear the tale of the lowly colonists who overthrew an empire for the sake of an idea, they started to come. Across oceans and the ages, they settled in Boston and Charleston, Chicago and St. Louis, Kalamazoo and Galesburg, to try and build their own American Dream. This collective dream moved forward imperfectly it was scarred by our treatment of native peoples, betrayed by slavery, clouded by the subjugation of women, shaken by war and depression. And yet, brick by brick, rail by rail, calloused hand by calloused hand, people kept dreaming, and building, and working, and marching, and petitioning their government, until they made America a land where the question of our place in history is not answered for us. It’s answered by us. Have we failed at times? Absolutely. Will you occasionally fail when you embark on your own American journey? You surely will. But the test is not perfection. The true test of the American ideal is whether we’re able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. Whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history, or whether we act to shape them. Whether chance of birth or circumstance decides life’s big winners and losers, or whether we build a community where, at the very least, everyone has a chance to work hard, get ahead, and reach their dreams. We have faced this choice before. At the end of the Civil War, when farmers and their families began moving into the cities to work in the big factories that were sprouting up all across America, we had to decide: Do we do nothing and allow captains of industry and robber barons to run roughshod over the economy and workers by competing to see who can pay the lowest wages at the worst working conditions? Or do we try to make the system work by setting up basic rules for the market, instituting the first public schools, busting up monopolies, letting workers organize into unions? We chose to act, and we rose together. When the irrational exuberance of the Roaring Twenties came crashing down with the stock market, we had to decide: do we follow the call of leaders who would do nothing, or the call of a leader who, perhaps because of his physical paralysis, refused to accept political paralysis? We chose to act regulating the market, putting people back to work, expanding bargaining rights to include health care and a secure retirement and together we rose. When World War II required the most massive home front mobilization in history and we needed every single American to lend a hand, we had to decide: Do we listen to skeptics who told us it wasn’t possible to produce that many tanks and planes? Or, did we build Roosevelt’s Arsenal for Democracy and grow our economy even further by providing our returning heroes with a chance to go to college and own their own home? Again, we chose to act, and again, we rose together. Today, at the beginning of this young century, we have to decide again. But this time, it is your turn to choose. Here in Galesburg, you know what this new challenge is. You’ve seen it. All of you, your first year in college saw what happened at 9/11. It’s already been noted, the degree to which your lives will be intertwined with the war on terrorism that currently is taking place. But what you’ve also seen, perhaps not as spectacularly, is the fact that when you drive by the old Maytag plant around lunchtime, no one walks out anymore. I saw it during the campaign when I met union guys who worked at the plant for 20, 30 years and now wonder what they’re gonna do at the age of 55 without a pension or health care; when I met the man who’s son needed a new liver but because he’d been laid off, didn’t know if he could afford to provide his child the care that he needed. It’s as if someone changed the rules in the middle of the game and no wonder no one bothered to tell these folks. And, in reality, the rules have changed. It started with technology and automation that rendered entire occupations obsolete. When was the last time anybody here stood in line for the bank teller instead of going to the ATM, or talked to a switchboard operator? Then it continued when companies like Maytag were able to pick up and move their factories to some under developed country where workers were a lot cheaper than they are in the United States. As Tom Friedman points out in his new book, The World Is Flat, over the last decade or so, these forces technology and globalization have combined like never before. So that while most of us have been paying attention to how much easier technology has made our own lives sending e-mails back and forth on our blackberries, surfing the Web on our cell phones, instant messaging with friends across the world a quiet revolution has been breaking down barriers and connecting the world’s economies. Now business not only has the ability to move jobs wherever there’s a factory, but wherever there’s an internet connection. Countries like India and China realized this. They understand that they no longer need to be just a source of cheap labor or cheap exports. They can compete with us on a global scale. The one resource they needed were skilled, educated workers. So they started schooling their kids earlier, longer, with a greater emphasis on math and science and technology, until their most talented students realized they don’t have to come to America to have a decent life they can stay right where they are. The result? China is graduating four times the number of engineers that the United States is graduating. Not only are those Maytag employees competing with Chinese and Indian and Indonesian and Mexican workers, you are too. Today, accounting firms are e-mailing your tax returns to workers in India who will figure them out and send them back to you as fast as any worker in Illinois or Indiana could. When you lose your luggage in Boston at an airport, tracking it down may involve a call to an agent in Bangalore, who will find it by making a phone call to Baltimore. Even the Associated Press has outsourced some of their jobs to writers all over the world who can send in a story at a click of a mouse. As Prime Minister Tony Blair has said, in this new economy, Talent is the 21st century wealth. If youve got the skills, youve got the education, and you have the opportunity to upgrade and improve both, you’ll be able to compete and win anywhere. If not, the fall will be further and harder than it ever was before. So what do we do about this? How does America find its way in this new, global economy? What will our place in history be? Like so much of the American story, once again, we face a choice. Once again, there are those who believe that there isn’t much we can do about this as a nation. That the best idea is to give everyone one big refund on their government divvy it up by individual portions, in the form of tax breaks, hand it out, and encourage everyone to use their share to go buy their own health care, their own retirement plan, their own child care, their own education, and so on. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society. But in our past there has been another term for it Social Darwinism every man or woman for him or herself. It’s a tempting idea, because it doesn’t require much thought or ingenuity. It allows us to say that those whose health care or tuition may rise faster than they can afford tough luck. It allows us to say to the Maytag workers who have lost their job life isn’t fair. It let’s us say to the child who was born into poverty pull yourself up by your bootstraps. And it is especially tempting because each of us believes we will always be the winner in life’s lottery, that we’re the one who will be the next Donald Trump, or at least we won’t be the chump who Donald Trump says: â€Å"You’re fired!† But there is a problem. It won’t work. It ignores our history. It ignores the fact that it’s been government research and investment that made the railways possible and the internet possible. It’s been the creation of a massive middle class, through decent wages and benefits and public schools that allowed us all to prosper. Our economic dependence depended on individual initiative. It depended on a belief in the free market; but it has also depended on our sense of mutual regard for each other, the idea that everybody has a stake in the country, that we’re all in it together and everybody’s got a shot at opportunity. That’s what’s produced our unrivaled political stability. And so if we do nothing in the face of globalization, more people will continue to lose their health care. Fewer kids will be able to afford the diploma you’re about to receive. More companies like United Airlines won’t be able to provide pensions for their employees. And those Maytag workers will be joined in the unemployment line by any worker whose skills can be bought and sold on the global market. So today I’m here to tell you what most of you already know. This is not us the option that I just mentioned. Doing nothing. It’s not how our story ends not in this country. America is a land of big dreamers and big hopes. It is this hope that has sustained us through revolution and civil war, depression and world war, a struggle for civil and social rights and the brink of nuclear crisis. And it is because our dreamers dreamed that we have emerged from each challenge more united, more prosperous, and more admired than before. So let’s dream. Instead of doing nothing or simply defending 20th century solutions, let’s imagine together what we could do to give every American a fighting chance in the 21st century. What if we prepared every child in America with the education and skills they need to compete in the new economy? If we made sure that college was affordable for everyone who wanted to go? If we walked up to those Maytag workers and we said â€Å"Your old job is not coming back, but a new job will be there because we’re going to seriously retrain you and there’s life-long education that’s waiting for you the sorts of opportunities that Knox has created with the Strong Futures scholarship program. What if no matter where you worked or how many times you switched jobs, you had health care and a pension that stayed with you always, so you all had the flexibility to move to a better job or start a new business? What if instead of cutting budgets for research and development and science, we fueled the genius and the innovation that will lead to the new jobs and new industries of the future? Right now, all across America, there are amazing discoveries being made. If we supported these discoveries on a national level, if we committed ourselves to investing in these possibilities, just imagine what it could do for a town like Galesburg. Ten or twenty years down the road, that old Maytag plant could re-open its doors as an Ethanol refinery that turned corn into fuel. Down the street, a biotechnology research lab could open up on the cusp of discovering a cure for cancer. And across the way, a new auto company could be busy churning out electric cars. The new jobs created would be filled by American workers trained with new skills and a world-class education. All of that is possible but none of it will come easy. Every one of us is going to have to work more, read more, train more, think more. We will have to slough off some bad habits like driving gas guzzlers that weaken our economy and feed our enemies abroad. Our children will have to turn off the TV set once in a while and put away the video games and start hitting the books. We’ll have to reform institutions, like our public schools, that were designed for an earlier time. Republicans will have to recognize our collective responsibilities, even as Democrats recognize that we have to do more than just defend old programs. It won’t be easy, but it can be done. It can be our future. We have the talent and the resources and brainpower. But now we need the political will. We need a national commitment. And we need each of you. Now, no one can force you to meet these challenges. If you want, it will be pretty easy for you to leave here today and not give another thought to towns like Galesburg and the challenges they face. There is no community service requirement in the real world; no one is forcing you to care. You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and go chasing after the big house, and the nice suits, and all the other things that our money culture says that you should want, that you should aspire to, that you can buy. But I hope you don’t walk away from the challenge. Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. You need to take up the challenges that we face as a nation and make them your own. Not because you have a debt to those who helped you get here, although you do have that debt. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate than you, although I do think you do have that obligation. It’s primarily because you have an obligation to yourself. Because individual salvation has always depended on collective salvation. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. And I know that all of you are wondering how you’ll do this, the challenges seem so big. They seem so difficult for one person to make a difference. But we know it can be done. Because where you’re sitting, in this very place, in this town, it’s happened before. Nearly two centuries ago, before civil rights, before voting rights, before Abraham Lincoln, before the Civil War, before all of that, America was stained by the sin of slavery. In the sweltering heat of southern plantations, men and women who looked like me could not escape the life of pain and servitude in which they were sold. And yet, year after year, as this moral cancer ate away at the American ideals of liberty and equality, the nation was silent. But its people didn’t stay silent for long. One by one, abolitionists emerged to tell their fellow Americans that this would not be our place in history that this was not the America that had captured the imagination of the world. This resistance that they met was fierce, and some paid with their lives. But they would not be deterred, and they soon spread out across the country to fight for their cause. One man from New York went west, all the way to the prairies of Illinois to start a colony. And here in Galesburg, freedom found a home. Here in Galesburg, the main depot for the Underground Railroad in Illinois, escaped slaves could roam freely on the streets and take shelter in people’s homes. And when their masters or the police would come for them, the people of this town would help them escape north, some literally carrying them in their arms to freedom. Think about the risks that involved. If they were caught abetting a fugitive, you could’ve been jailed or lynched. It would have been simple for these townspeople to turn the other way; to go live their lives in a private peace. And yet, they didn’t do that. Why? Because they knew that we were all Americans; that we were all brothers and sisters; the same reason that a century later, young men and women your age would take Freedom Rides down south, to work for the Civil Rights movement. The same reason that black women would walk instead of ride a bus after a long day of doing somebody else’s laundry and cleaning somebody else’s kitchen. Because they were marching for freedom. Today, on this day of possibility, we stand in the shadow of a lanky, raw-boned man with little formal education who once took the stage at Old Main and told the nation that if anyone did not believe the American principles of freedom and equality, that those principles were timeless and all-inclusive, they should go rip that page out of the Declaration of Independence. My hope for all of you is that as you leave here today, you decide to keep these principles alive in your own life and in the life of this country. You will be tested. You won’t always succeed. But know that you have it within your power to try. That generations who have come before you faced these same fears and uncertainties in their own time. And that through our collective labor, and through God’s providence, and our willingness to shoulder each other’s burdens, America will continue on its precious journey towards that distant horizon, and a better day. Thank you so much class of 2005, and congratulations on your graduation. Thank you. Good morning President Taylor, Board of Trustees, faculty, parents, family, friends, the community of Galesburg, the class of 1955 which I understand was out partying last night, and yet still showed up here on time and most of all, the Class of 2005. Congratulations on your graduation, and thank you thank you for the honor of allowing me to be a part of it. Thank you also, Mr. President, for this honorary degree. It was only a couple of years ago that I stopped paying my student loans in law school. Had I known it was this easy, I would have ran [sic] for the United States Senate earlier.