Iron And Silk Essays - Mark Salzman, Iron Silk,

Iron And Silk This book was given to me by a good friend who knew that I had an interest in Asia. I chose to read it because it was a true story and was told that it was a good read. The author travels to China as an English teacher for the Hunan Medical School. There he stayed for two years picking up many anecdotes along the way. The author already had spent a large amount of his life studying Chinese language and the martial arts. However, when he arrives in China he meets teachers who have dedicated their entire lives to perfecting a particular art or skill, whether it be martial arts or calligraphy. Mark Salzman was perfecting his calligraphy skills and as weeks had passed he began to make progress. He was getting tired of the models and wanted to try something new. When he told Hai Bin,(his teacher), he frowned and said,"Some people spend their entire lives researching a single model. You should be willing to spend a year on this one." This is an example of the dedication and perseverance these men have towards their chosen artform or skill. Another example of this theme, was Mark's Wushu teacher, Pan, who punched a fifty pound plate of steel up to ten thousand times a day. Mark's relentless practicing of the many forms of Wushu was influenced by Pan. Salzman also showed that there was great oppression. The people of China were under constant surveillance and control. Rarely were they able to make important decisions for themselves. It was sad to see that in a country with so many people there was so little freedom. The government controlled everything from the railroad to the Rat Collection Office to whether families and friends could mourn for lost loved-ones. Mark found this way of life troublesome yet he had stay strong and focused for his calligraphy and martial arts. Mark Salzman's Iron and Silk did a wonderful job of illustrating the people of China. He brought to life a corner of the world that we would rarely be able to see, outside of picture books. His representation is a very personal one, taking you beyond the scenery and into the action and heartache. Throughout this book, Salzman expertly reveals the personality and spirit of the Chinese people. He does this with his own type of special imagery. He drops in enough key details and leaves the rest to your imagination. This caused me to pay close attention to what was going on. His style of writing makes you feel like you are right there beside him, participating in each of his many escapades. I was influenced by the dedication his teachers had for their chosen artform and will remind myself to use that dedication and perseverance in my long-term goals. Mark Salzman's purpose was to take you to China and introduce you to the people he had met on his journey. He had published this book only two years after he had gone to China. He desperately wanted to share an outsiders look into China and what influences were in his life. Mark wrote so fluidly that it was person to person. Anyone can pick up this book and be an observer in the memories of the author. I found that my reading skills vary like a roller coaster. I had days when I found my reading to be very choppy and I had to remind myself to see the words in the book as speech and not words in a book,(if that makes any sense). My vocabulary was up to par and the book was an easy read. I began to use my speed reading techniques without discomfort near the last few chapters in the book.

Private property

Private property Private property is a human concept that is interesting and raises several philosophical questions. Karl Marx presents important points at the way society and those with power view private property and the issues it leads to.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Private property specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The ownership of any property is consicidered to be private. The society and the industry of a nation have placed a certain limit and frame on the way private property is viewed. It is very much connected to wealth and its accumulation. The surrounding environment and the economical industry have made a person somewhat of a property. The labor that an individual produces is a product of someone’s efforts and can be quantified by the industry. All the objects or property that someone possesses exist outside of the body and personality and so, is without a doubt private property, if that person is the one who has contributed efforts in the acquisition of the products. Even though the politics and the economy think of a man as an entity in and of itself, in relation to property and ownership, the work and the effort that someone puts in towards the said economy has become its property. It is possible to assume that this concept has some validity. The work that is required of someone would be non-existent if there was no reason or purpose for someone to work. The fact that an idea and opportunity is given to work, which is created by the state or some industry, can be seen as a property that is lended to a person. Even though it is immaterial, it is symbolic and thus, can be thought of as the sole creation of the industry. As Karl Mark mentions, the earliest private property was land and other objects that someone had. Things were much simpler when the society was not as complex, as it is today. But the hardships of modern industry have distanced a person from the country because they are viewed as property themselves. They are almost forced to put in the time and effort, in order for the industry to use someone for personal goals or wealth. This has a straight connection to greed where a person is being used through violation of moral codes and all conduct with a particular interest in the end result. When someone is in possession of land and they work on it, grow crops and take care of animals that make products, which can be used or sold, the person is working for themselves. Their labor and its results are the private property of a person and this is considered to be the most clear cut definition of private property. It is a true form of ownership where an individual is the only owner of all the entities that they themselves produce. The natural order of things requires a person to be self efficient, which in turn leads to them being productive for their own purposes.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The industrialization has changed the perspective and definition where a person has become a part of the economy and is used only as means to reaching wealth for someone else. It can be aligned with feudalism and the person becomes de-personalized, a part of a bigger system where they are just a minor piece, in contrast to the structure of industry. Overall, a person can become private only in the comfort of their own property and not the society.

Globalization and Internationalism After the Cold War Assignment

Globalization and Internationalism After the Cold War - Assignment Example Globalization has brought the world nation together since there is understanding of their differences. There is free open trade that ensures export and import of goods and services in all parts of the world (Lehmann, 45) After the end of the cold war there were many activities that were to foster international relations amongst the warring nations. The world super powers were the main protagonists in the internationalism agenda spearheaded by the United States. According to Lehmann78,The ideal of most internationalists after the cold war was to establish a world government through democratic globalization. There was formation of international organizations, such as European Union and United Nations, which were to oversee superior international relations governed by same rules. There was a lot of resistance from the nations that were not included in the organizations since they felt that they were discriminated. The leaders of these organizations were drawn from the super power nations, which made them have a lot of control over the entire globe (Lehmann,