Abstract This paper examines the concept of natural aristocracy by Thomas Jefferson. This concept laid the basis for the rest of his thoughts and teachings about the ideal society of early America. The writer shows how Jefferson viewed education, society and leaders and also mentions some of his writings.
From the Paper "Thomas Jefferson most clearly explained his views on the natural aristocracy in 1813 in a letter to longtime friend and sometime rival John Adams. Like many of the founding fathers, Jefferson despised the European aristocracy, with their notions that leadership could be earned with gold or a distinguished family name. He felt that people should rise through the ranks of society on the basis of merit, hence his ?natural aristocracy.? The hallmarks of the natural aristocrat, according to Jefferson, were ?virtue and talents.? He added that "body strength, good humor, politeness, and other accomplishments" were "auxiliary" grounds of distinction (qtd. in The Founders? Constitution). It was these natural aristocrats, he believed, who should lead a free country like the newly born United States of America ("Thomas Jefferson Biography")."
Tags: history, founding, father, natural, aristocracy, america, constitution, society
Background and text analysis, dealing with social aspects of "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekhov (money, power, politics, capitalism, communism, aristocracy, and serfdom).
Abstract In this paper, the writer accentuates the fine lines between rich and poor, landowner and slave, success and failure, that emerge in the play. The politics and economy of Russia were somewhat muddied at the time, and the capitalists, who used to be serfs, were now taking over the aristocracy, whose members did not have money-managing skills. The paper shows how Lyubov Andreyevna and her brother cling to the aristocratic past, Lopakhin is the capitalist (embodiment of the present economy) and Trofimov is a sort of prophet, predicting the rise of communism (though even Chekhov would not live to see that era). Differences in culture, speech, action, demeanor and viewpoints between Firs and Lopakhin; and all the characters (even the servants) are described.
From the Paper "After feudalism was abolished in Russia in 1861, Russia was undergoing some gradual yet drastic economic changes. The growth of entrepreneurial activity was centered around Moscow while St. Petersburg was crumbling with the tsar as he lost authority to the rising merchant class. For centuries, wealth and income had been based solely on the ownership of land. Technically, the serfs were not slaves, but their economic situations forced them into complete submission; their masters could trade them for horses or even dogs. The serfs were freed in 1861, but with no money or property, so for decades, many were still dependent on their masters. It wasn?t until just before the turn of the century that these men began to find their wealth in the form of industrial capitalism (textile production being the most prominent business). Soon these old aristocratic and new capitalist worlds began to battle with each other. This is the Russian economic background of Anton Chekhov's ?The Cherry Orchard.? (Worrall 13) Lyubov Andreyevna Ranevskaya is a middle-aged aristocratic woman who returns from France to find her estate in danger of being subjugated by the rising merchant class, specifically Yermolay Alexyevich Lopakhin. Chekhov does not favor either the aristocrat or the merchant, but stresses the strengths and weaknesses of both groups? ideals. No one person or governmental system is perfect, and everyone's "absurd, unhappy lives" (Lopakhin ? 45) fall victim to the continual change of any society."
Tags: andreyevna, aristocracy, emancipation, landowning, lopakhin, lyubov, ranevskaya, russia
Abstract This annotation comments on and summarizes Barber's "An Aristocracy of Everyone" in the same order that the concepts are presented in the text. The paper talks about Barber's suggestion that education should be the equalizer in that it should bring everybody up, instead of playing to the lowest common denominator, while recognizing that equal does not mean identical. Also discussed in this paper are how Barber explores our society's tendency to promote the self instead of the community, issues of diversity versus unity, and how Barber explores our tendency to rewrite history. Finally, the paper touches on Barber's proposal that we teach democracy and include community service in education.
From the Paper ""An Aristocracy of Everyone" explores an important purpose of public education: the preparation of Americans as functioning citizens. In order to have a successful democracy, our citizens must be able to participate. Otherwise we must choose between a country run by ignorant citizens or instead having a system ran by the elite. The reality of our democracy actually being a representative-based system does not come into play, and it does not undermine the message being presented. Barber is trying to show that education is the great equalizer, or at least it should be, and can lead to an aristocracy of everyone."
A look at England in the 1850's and the class struggles which existed between the landowners and the middle class, and the working class against the industrial revolution.
Abstract An examination of the chaos existing in 19th century England and the causes and consequences. The paper states that England's development of a dual class struggle -middle class vs. aristocracy and working class vs. middle class - arose for several reasons. The most immediate and obvious cause was the industrial revolution, which impacted the country economically, socially, and politically.
From the Paper "The year 1850 found England in the midst of some remarkable transitions. First, in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, England was in the process of evolving from being an agrarian society into being an industrial one. In fact, the year 1851 would mark the first year when the number of people in England's cities and towns was greater than the number of people in her rural areas (Hibbert 67).
"Second, for the first time in the country's history, the landowners, also known as the gentry or aristocracy, found themselves losing political ground and cultural influence to the middle class. The Middle Class, strengthened by the Industrial Revolution, had battered its way into the House of Commons and successfully passed several reform measures, such as the Prison Act, and the Lunacy Act, measures that the aristocracy would not have undertaken if left to their own devices."
A review of the book "The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium: An Englishman's World" by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger.
Abstract This paper examines Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger's book "The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium: An Englishman's World," a look at life in medieval England. It shows how Lacey and Danziger's careful research make the book as informative as it is interesting by providing a captivating insight into medieval times through the recounting of the daily lives of the people of the time. It describes how the book covers a wide range of human experience from peasants to aristocracy and gives the reader an intimate knowledge of life, death and adversities faced by people of the time as well as covering topics including how clothes were fastened before buttons were used, medieval aphrodisiacs, folk cures for common ailments and even medieval brain surgery.
From the Paper " The authors continue the book in the same captivating and conversational tone, and never fall into the trap of inundating the reader with dull statistics and information that plague so many historical texts. For example, Lacey and Danziger also dispel the popular misconception that English women of the time did not have as much property and influence as did their male counterparts. The authors note that women could own property, divorce their husbands, and receive an inheritance. When groom's families paid for a virgin girl, the money often went directly to the girl herself."
Abstract This paper discusses how Alexis de Tocqueville in "Democracy in America" and Michael J. Sandel in "Democracy's Discontent" both address issues of democracy, freedom, the role of government, and the good citizen. It looks at how their viewpoints differ because they write at different times of history. De Tocqueville writes at a time when democracy is a novel ideal. Aristocracy has been the main form of government, and this, therefore, plays a major role in his writing. Sandel, on the other hand, deals with contemporary issues such as the global community and the implications of new technology and diminishing boundaries among people.
From the Paper "De Tocqueville stresses the importance of civil equality in the achievement of true democracy. This equality implies the lack of divisions and barriers between social classes. This is the equality that he sees in American culture as opposed to European culture that still subscribes to the aristocratic means of government. The democratic ideal implies more freedom than would be possible with an aristocratic government: "Let us suppose that all the people take a part in the government, and that each one of them has an equal right to take a part in it. As no one is different from his fellows, none can exercise a tyrannical power; men will be perfectly free because they are all entirely equal"?(De Tocqueville, Book II, Chapter I)."
Abstract This paper explores how the French Revolution can be seen ultimately as a class struggle, with fights for power and privileges between the Bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. It looks at how the First and Second Estates held much power and had many privileges. It analyses the reasons why the Third Estate and other members of French society resented the entitlements of the higher two estates in France in 1789. These anxieties are discussed within their political, social, religious and economic categories including events and the reasons for antagonism within the historical context.
From the Paper "The Second Estate also shared many privileges and so were also resented by the Third Estate particularly for being generally exempt from paying tax, or at least the most onerous French tax of the time, the "taille". As the Church (First Estate) and members of the Second Estate were excused from paying tax the peasants and other members of the Third Estate were taxed more harshly in an effort to compensate the loss. The King, Louis XVI, would have shared the Third Estate's resentment for the First and Second Estates tax exemption, as it naturally reduced the state's national revenue. The King possessed powers to change established systems and the higher two estate's customary privileges, by what was known as a "lit de justice"."
Tags:aristocracy, bourgeoisie, class, church, king
Abstract This paper examines how King Louis XVI, like the other Kings of France before him, governed an absolute monarchy, by his "divine right" where he was allegedly in sole charge of his sovereign state. It discusses how by 1778, with an increasing pressure from the aristocracy and a worsening financial situation, the King was forced to summon the Estates-General, a representative group of the three orders of French society. It attempts to determine exactly why King Louis decided to allow the Estates-General to be re-called by focusing on the current financial crisis, the aristocratic revolt and the King himself.
From the Paper "However, the French aristocracy strongly opposed any attempted reforms. They were unwilling to welcome any strengthening of the royal government as they strongly objected to absolutism (for fear of reducing their power and privileges). As much of the money lent to the government came from the French elite, the royal government had always tried to please them. In 1789, Calonne decided to produce a new government body in an effort to show some sort of national agreement in France, and by doing so attempted to win the aristocracy's support. He chose not to summon the Estates-General as he felt they were too temperamental, but picked 144 members from the higher estates to form the Assembly of Notables."
Abstract This paper argues that the French Revolution was begun by certain "liberal" revolutionary leaders who sought to end the outmoded government controlled by the French aristocracy, particularly the monarchy and the reign of Louis XVI. It also discusses how the monarchy of France was greatly responsible for the revolution as were the nobility and the aristocrats, due to their greed and desire for absolute power over their French underlings. It contends that Louis XVI should have seen the revolution coming and should have done everything in his power to prevent it.
From the Paper "In May of 1789, King Louis XVI attempted to enforce limited economic reforms, and by June, the Third Estate, made up of representatives of the French people who were neither aristocrats nor clergy, established itself as the National Assembly; this was followed by the clergy who then joined the Third Estate. In response, a Paris mob stormed the Bastille, a huge government-run prison, on July 14 which marked the beginning of the end for the French aristocracy and the reign of Louis XVI. This led in August to the formation of the Constituent Assembly that ratified the "Declarations of the Rights of Man" which abolished feudalism and established a constitution that greatly limited the powers of the monarchy. "
This paper discusses that Charles Dicken's " Hard Times" was written as propaganda against the powerful forces, which rely on the deprived underclass for their profits.
1,561 words (approx. 6.2 pages), 0 sources, 2005, $ 51.95
Abstract This paper explains that Charles Dickens held to a social philosophy, which differed from the "invisible hand" theory proposed by Adam Smith that the self-interest of people ultimately leads to advancement of the common good. The author points out that the novel depicts the aristocracy, which is on the wane; the middle class, which is comprised of wealthy industrialists; the struggling working class and a fourth class, which is used for comic relief and as impetus to the plot, a circus group, who represents entertainers, whose role in society is to bring happiness and enjoyment.
From the Paper "The aristocracy is represented by Mrs. Sparsit and James Harthouse. Sparsit is motivated by her attempt to retain the aristocratic values of the upper class, even though her position is simply that of housekeeper to Bounderby. Her housekeeping duties consist of the outer trappings of the aristocratic lifestyle. But she inwardly despises Bounderby, whom she sees as a pretender. She is motivated by revenge against him. Harthouse is a bored aristocrat who is removed from the realities of life. In his position as a spokesman for a political party, he is not motivated to accomplish good, but to amuse himself. His interest in Louisa is equally shallow, because when she rejects him, he simply moves on to another town with no worse damage than a wounded ego."
This paper analyzes plays by two English satirists: William Congreve's only play "The Way of the World" (1700) and Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of being Ernest" (1895).
Abstract This paper explains that literary critics believe that English social satire flourished because there is so much to satirize; from William Congreve to Oscar Wilde, the so-called "pillars of aristocracy" tend to be pilloried, to the enjoyment of audiences who always tended to think that the satire was about someone else. The author points out that Congreve's "The Way of the World" is a version of that eternal battle between men and women; scattered throughout the play are some witty aphorisms such as "friendship without freedom is as dull as love without enjoyment, or win without toasting." The paper relates that Wilde's "The Importance of being Ernest" is a witty and comic commentary on the fastidious earnestness of turn-of-the-century society whose snobbishness and prejudices deserve to be pricked .
From the Paper "Perhaps the highlight of the play is what is now called "the bartering scene" between Mirabell and his beloved, Mrs.. Millament. It may well be the first real "pre-nuptial" agreement except it is the bride doing all the demanding. "Though I am upon the very verge of matrimony," she tells her soon-to-be husband, "I expect you should solicit me as much as if I were wavering at the gate of a monastery, with one foot over the threshold....Oh, I hate a lover that can dare to think he draw's a moment's air, independent of the bounty of his mistress. There is not so impudent a thing in nature, as the saucy look of an assured man, confident of success.." Not only does this seem to make her the first "liberated woman", but also seems to turn the noble Mirabell into a henpecked husband, surely something no male-dominated society has seen before."
Abstract This paper explores whether Cleisthenes of Athens reforms (507/508 BCE) were directly responsible for the disappearance of the aristocracy in Ancient Greece. The author discusses the development of democracy with Pericles reforms.
From the Paper "Democracy has had a long and complicated history. Traditionally ancient Greece has been seen as the birth place of the western style democracy that many modern nations are currently modeled after. Study of the historical facts however show that the political ..."
Abstract The paper examines how Americans desire the social classes of Europe, while Europeans desire American money. The paper analyzes how this is represented in the social dramas of James and Wharton. The paper discusses how Henry James' novel suggests that even an American who covets and respects the sophistication of European nobility cannot buy his way into this sensibility, nor lose his American sheen. The paper further examines how, in Edith Wharton's novel, the crass, social-climbing heroine Undine Spragg's social aspirations triumph over the fake American aristocracy of her first husband Ralph Marvell, but Undine is vanquished by the 'real' European manifestation of class in the form of her second, French aristocratic husband.
From the Paper "At the beginning of the James novel, Newman is seen gazing at the pictures of the Paris Louvre, which he experiences as a kind of an attractive and beautiful marketplace of old European art curiosities and cultural majesty. Newman covets these offerings of Europe, much as a woman might covet objects of commerce in a store, but the culture of Europe, although it can be experienced visually or aurally by an American in a museum or by listening to an opera, cannot be purchased like an American object made in a factory."
Abstract This paper looks at how in terms of entertainment, Paris had much to offer during the 18th century. It examines the most popular entertainments of the middle and upper classes, of the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy at the time.
Outline:
Public and Private Balls
Opera and Ballet
Theatre
From the Paper "Many women would occupy their mornings with reading (if they would read - illiteracy among higher class women was much higher in France than in England at the time), drawing or music. The preferred instrument among French ladies was the harpsichord. It was considered very elegant and was an ornamented piece of furniture that could occupy a room on its own with only some chairs around for the audience. Some harpsichords were masterpieces of craftsmanship and bore elaborate drawings and carved birds, flowers, lake scenes, etc. J.B. Huet was a very talented painter who painted on harpsichords during the middle of the 18th century. The music women used to play was by Francois Couperin - his first collection Suites was published in 1713. They would also play Bach and Haendel. Mozart and Vivaldi were very much appreciated. "
Abstract The paper discusses Poe's beliefs regarding 'genius' and society. The paper compares Poe's treatment of death with that of Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The paper explores Poe's philosophy of life; what he felt about the lack of intelligence that he saw in the aristocracy of his time and in the common masses. The paper analyzes Poe's tales and demonstrates how he was clearly troubled by society and the evils that he saw in it. The paper discusses Darwinism and natural law that Poe would likely have believed in.
Outline:
Introduction
Intellectual Aristocraticism
Genius, Pseudo-genius, and the Common-Sensical/the Masses
Noble Aesthetics
Poe's Tales
Friedrich Nietzsche
Conclusion - Natural Law
From the Paper "For Edgar Allan Poe, one obsession appeared to be death. It was likely an escape, and an answer to the questions that plagued him all of his life. He wrote about death as often being grotesque and painful. One example is his work "The Cask of Amontillado," where Fortunato is bricked up inside a wall in the cellar to die a slow and painful death from suffocation, starvation, or possibly both (Scary, 2002). While death is not the central focus of Poe's work that needs to be discussed throughout this paper it will be addressed briefly in this introduction because there are some tie-ins with society and Poe's opinions."
