Tragedy in Death of a Salesman Essay Example for Free

Tragedy in Death of a Salesman Essay Arthur Miller depicts a salesman, named Willy Loman in the play Death of a Salesman. Faced with hardships and troubles, Willy maneuvers in ways that cause his unfortunate outcome. In the tragedy, Death of a Salesman, the main protagonist Willy Loman’s fatal flaws were his unrelenting pride and his inability to face reality, which ultimately led to his demise. This novel is a tale about the tragedy that was the life of Willy Loman. A tragedy is a â€Å"serious drama† that depicts a â€Å"conflict† between the protagonist and a â€Å"superior force† such as which ends up with â€Å"disastrous consequences† that elicits â€Å"pity†. (Merriam Webster) Death of a Salesman is a tragedy because the main protagonist is a man filled with unrealistic hopes and dreams that lead to his demise. Although the story portrays a tragedy, I believe Willy Loman attempted to find optimism in defeat. By definition, a tragic hero is â€Å"a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy that is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat.† (Dictionary.com) Willy’s life resembled that of a tragic hero, he was not one by definition because there was nothing great or virtuous about him. He was an average person who lived a tragic life. As one critic suggests, â€Å"Willy Loman is too far down the social scale to be considered a classical â€Å"tragic hero† he represents the average man.† We learn that he made mistakes just like any other human being. In fact, one of the mistakes he made changed the very way he lived his life and perceived himself. In the beginning of the story, Willy cheats on his wife and is caught by his son Biff, which negatively affects their long-term relationship. As a result, Willy always feels guilty, leading to a constant struggle between father and son about almost everything. One example of this is in Act II, after arguing Biff says to his father, â€Å"Dad, you’re never going to see what I am, so what’s the use of arguing? If I strike oil, I’ll send you a check. Meantime, forget I’m alive† (129). A lot of times they argued because Willy always wanted to see the positive even when in realit y things were not as he believed. The tragedy is that his life was full of delusions and misguided dreams. In the beginning of the story, Willy explains to his wife why they cannot leave the crowded city to live in New York They dont need me in New York. Im the New England man. Im vital in New England(4). However, as the story continues we see that Willy had a false perception of himself. In fact, he was not well liked. Instead, he was  laughed at and pitied. In actuality, his boss had wanted to fire him, but just did not have the nerve to do it. This is seen when Willy goes to his boss asking to be given a position as a floor salesman, his boss tells him, â€Å"I don’t want you to represent us. I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time now†(83). After Willy’s life long commitment to the company, he is fired and even then, he does not wake up to the understanding that in society he is nothing special. Biff tries to make his father realize that he is nothing special by saying, Pop! Im a dime a dozen, and so are you! This infuriates Willy who counterattacks, I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman! Another one of Willy’s flaws was his unrelenting pride. For example, when Charley offers him a job he refuses saying he already has one even though in truth he was just fired. After further discussion Willy finally responds saying, â€Å" I can’t work for you, that’s all, don’t ask me why† (98). We see irony here because a little after this Willy is willing to ask Charley to borrow money but refuses to take a job from him. Willy Loman’s flaw was his hubris and his inability to face reality. He had the right idea just the wrong dreams. Ultimately, his unrelenting pride and his inability to face reality led him to his demise. One must acknowledge that throughout the whole story he strived to make up for his mistakes and do the right thing. He had mostly good intentions, however, he made mistakes just like any other human being. However, contrary to most people, he judged himself harshly for his mistakes and constantly criticized himself. He tried to overlook his mistakes or hide them for the rest of his life. As the play goes on, we learn that he has a hard time facing reality that is complicated by his unrelenting pride and at the same time, he suffers from self-loathing. As the play goes on and Willy’s identity as a salesman is stripped from him, we begin to understand better the importance of his life insurance policy. After Willy loses his job, which was his primary identity, he is forced to face reality that he could never be like his brother who was his hero. He could never be the father he wanted to be or thought his sons deserved. He wanted his son Biff to look up to him and excel in life. He realized that he was not the star salesman he always believed himself to be. We see this as he becomes increasingly preoccupied with his life insurance policy, which symbolizes the only other way he can provide for his family; he has been a failure at everything else.  He always had the best intentions and the play ends with Willy trying to provide for his family in the only way possible, as the critique states, â€Å"Willy of course ends the play with nothing he can sell – except himself, hoping that his expired life insurance policy will pay up.† According to Dictionary.com, the definition of a tragic hero is â€Å"a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat.† Although Willy was not a virtuous character, in the end, he tried to do what he thought was right by providing for his family in the only way he thought possible. His life was tragic because he tried to cope by living in denial about his failures. In the end, he faced reality in the only way he thought he could, by taking his life. Works Cited 1. Miller, Arthur, and Gerald Clifford. Weales. Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman, Text and Criticism. New York. Penguin, 1996. Print. 2. Tragedy. Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. . 3. Tragic Hero. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 08 Apr. 2012. . 4. Literary Criticism Attached

Time in The Two Poems Essay Example for Free

Time in The Two Poems Essay The titles of these poems alone suggest there will be a theme of time in them; The title Days speaks for itself as days are a way of measuring time, Toads Revisited however is much more subtle but the notion of revisiting, indirectly tells us that he is going somewhere or doing something that he has done before in his lifetime. Days is a poem about Larkins views on death and how our approach on the subject can alter the way we live. Larkin begins his first stanza with the rhetorical question of What are days for?, though this is a question similar to the biggest question of all time What is the meaning of life? Larkin answers it with a simple monosyllabic response, Days are where we live. For such a broad and open question this is a very closed, unrefined answer. This could be a reflection of Larkins view on the meaning of life, that he feels it is not important to search for a complex answer. I get the impression that Larkin is tired of life and its repetitive structure, They come they wake us, time and time over this is shown by his impassionate language and monosyllabic style. Its seems as if he feels time is passing too slowly. Toads Revisited unlike Days is the second poem out of two, the first being similar in subject but written 10 years before when Larkin was at a different stage in his life. Toads Revisited is written in a much more day to day fashion where as Days is written on a more general topic. Toads Revisited is about Larkins distaste for work and his realisation that without it his life would be empty. He looks at the way in which people without jobs spend their time. He comes to the conclusion that without his job he would have too much time and he would become bored. When referring to the unemployed he says think of being them! Hearing the hours chime Toads Revisited is set in 9 stanzas all with four lines each, this repetitive structure is used by Larkin to reflect the content of the stanzas (the dull life of unemployment. ) Towards the end of the poem Larkins words become less monosyllabic which reflects the way he feels about employment, (that is is duller to be unemployed than employed because at least job fills- like syllables!) Days is set in just two stanzas which like its monosyllabic style reflects the simplicity of the message Larkin is sending out in this poem. The second stanza of Days is a response to the second question Larkin asks in stanza one Where can we live but days? in response to this Larkin does not answer but concludes that to tackle such a question will sooner kill you than lead you to an answer, solving that question brings the priest and the doctor in their long coats. This is a sinister image that personifies death. The last two stanzas of Toads revisited show Larkins acceptance of work but not in a way that he embraces the idea of work with love and passion, but that he has not alternatives What else can I answer. Like the poem Days Toads Revisited also end on a sombre note about death, give me your arm, old toad; Help me down Cemetery road, again here death has been personified in the eerie form of a toad. Both these poems send out the message that death is ominous and inevitable.

Terms and Definitions in International Business

Terms and Definitions in International Business Question 1 Section A: Standard deviation is the positive square root of the variance. E.g. if 217.4 is gotten as the variance from a given distribution, it then implies that the standard deviation will be 14.7 by applying the square root on the variance score of 217.4. Mean-is the arithmetic average of a set of scores in a distribution. The average of the scores; 8, 9,10,11,12 is 10 which means summation of all the scores (x) divided by the total number of elements (n), which gives 10. Hypothesis this is an assumption of statement which may not be true concerning one or more population. E.g. a hypothesis to test the ability of trained employee is better or higher than that of an untrained employee in a company. Continuous variable are those variable that assume a continuum of values within the range of its observed lowest and highest values. This means that the values in the range are infinitely close to one another, and uncountable. E.g. heights of human beings temperature of a room, volume of water in tank, weights of people, etc. while categorical variable is a random variable that takes only a discontinuous set of values. It takes only specific values within a set of range of values that are countable. E.g. number of persons in a household, no of days on sick leave, scores recorded to the nearest hall mark. Bivariate research design A bivariate research is defined as the type of study which tries to look at the causal relationship between two variables under investigation Variable label and variable value variable label can be explained in words what variable represent while variable value is a set of values that relates to variable. Statistic descriptive- is agenda variable to run a frequency expressed numerically. Mode is defined as the score or element that repeats or occurs most frequently in a given distribution. Theory can be define as a system of ideas in explaining something. Paradigm- is defined as a theory, statement or fact that tends to be generally acceptable by all when explaining a particular phenomenon. Face validity seeking to know the measurement strategy, like how a measure and procedure appears. Reliability and validity reliability is a degree of assessment to produce a stable tool while validity is to test measure and what it claims to measure. Random assignment proceeding based on evaluation, for instance properties knowing how the levy tax is been paid. Covariation versus causality in a relation of x and y are related in a population, e.g. When there is no relationship meaning that is non-hypothesis while causality has to do with co-variation to random which by chance. Experimental design this is some-well defined act or process that leads to single well-defined outcome .e.g. tossing a coin to see whether heads or tails comes up, opening a book at random and noting the first word on the right hand page, etc. Measurement- finding a number that shows the size and amount of something. Spurious relationships is a calculation related to two events or variable that has no frequent interval of connections. Probabilistic statement this is a statistical statement made for the chance or likelihood of event occurance over the others. E.g. someone may say that girls can perform home chores than the boys. Descriptive statistic this is the aspect of statistic that studies a body of statistical data and no generalisation is made from the result obtained. E.g. collection of data classification of data, drawing of histogram. Polygons statistical graphs and charts. Deterministic statement: A deterministic statement is defined as that aspect of research which tries to look at the causal relationship between variables in which the occurrence or the degree of relationship between the variables occur with high sense of certainty. Question 2 Section B: (A) This is the guide line: In a typical research settings or statistical activities, Independent variable in a layman language could mean that which can change to give result to a particular thing and that is what is called Dependent Variable. There is a probability or likelihood that a relationship will exist between 2 variables; Example: A) Persons Education: X) voters turn out Here is a relationship between Independent Variable A) which is Persons Education and X) Dependent Variable which is Voters Turnout. This is because a persons education can influence people coming out to vote base on their perception about election because educated people know the power of vote. So the probability is that the election outcome would be more positive. If we look into this issue from another perspective it is possible that educated people might not take part in politics because they do not like politics and political activities. (B)Nations economic health (x) and a political revolution. There is an intimate relationship between economy and revolution. In this section economy is an independent variable while revolution is a dependent variable. The probability is that if the economy is weak X, it would affect the Y and the people would go for revolution in order to change the existing set up because of their dissatisfaction. On the other hand if we look into the issue from a deterministic lens it would come into our minds that if the economy is strong the people would have no reason for revolution because they would be satisfied. (C)Candidates height (X) and election outcome (Y). The probability in this case is that X would affect Y because people like tall people than short one. But if we look from another position it would not appear the same because if someone is short it would not mean that he would not get any vote because it is not only height which does matter. Second Part: (2): This question first of all tries to look at whether or not it is possible to conduct an experimental research by a researcher under the prevailing variables. A) An individual level of religiosity (x) his or her preference for different political candidates. In this situation, conducting an experimental research is quite unlikely especially as it involves this two variables, an individual’s level of religiosity and his/her preference for different political candidates based on the following reasons: Conducting an experiment involves the ability of the researcher to be able to manipulate and control his variables, in which it is very difficult to conduct experiment because one cannot effectively manage, control and manipulate an individual’s level of religiosity. Another reason why conducting an experimental research tends to be problematic is based on the idea that individual’s views and opinions are dynamic and not static, therefore one cannot count on that as a pretext to vote. One illuminating factor that affects experimental research is the presence of a spurious variable which individual’s adopt in the process of conducting elections for example similar ideology, individual’s personal interest could also count and not necessarily religion. (b). Military Service X and Attitudes towards foreign policy. In this situation, conducting an experimental research is quite likely. In doing this, the researcher will randomly defined and assign values on his variables as thus: Treatment group: This group involves the use of manipulation and control by the researcher in which he expose them to military service which would invariably affect their attiudes towards foreign policy Control group: This group will not be controlled and manipulated by the researcher. After assigning these values between the control and treatment group, it is quite likely that the researcher has conducted experiments on his variables and the group that has been exposed will react differently towards foreign policy than the group that has not been exposed. (c) Exposure to negative news X and Political Apathy Y Under this, having an experimental researcher is also possible when the researcher divides his population into both: Treatment Group: It comprises the group that the researcher will control by exposing them to negative political news. Control Group: It comprises the group that the researcher will not be under the purview or control of the researcher. After randomly assigning this values to this two groups, it will become evident that the group exposed to negative news will likely develop political apathy than the group that has not been exposed. D) A speakers personal characteristics (x) persuasiveness. In this situation, it is difficult for experiment to work largely due to the fact that: Human beings and their views are not static but are subject to change at any given point in time. The challenge of control and manipulation of the variable to the researcher is also problematic. Other confounding variable may lead to persuasion rather than a speaker’s personal characteristics. Question 3 Section C: Conceptualizing and Operationalizing Terms: In this first step, the researcher will define his variable conceptually and operationally. Conceptual definition means the literal or library definition whereas operational definition refers to the applicability of the term (s) in my research. Peace and justice are two interrelated ideas. It is clear to most of us that in order to achieve peace we are supposed to ensure justice and vice versa. A peace without justice would not be a sustainable one. Conceptually speaking peace means a condition where you are secured by every mean or in other words you are no longer disturbed. If we look into this operationally then it means peace is the state of society where you will not find violence in the streets and there will be no threat to your life. According to Oxford dictionary justice means’’ the state of being fair’’. If we look into this word operationally it carries different meaning to different people but the best definition is that if the social contract is monitored fairly by the authority then we can say that justice is there. In my work peace would be an independent variable X while justice would be a dependent variable Y. 2. Developing a Methodological discourse or Agenda: The second step is for the researcher to develop a methodology that will explain how the study will go about its research, whether qualitative or quantitative method. In order to prove the relationship between two variable I would collect empirical data from various sources. My work will give an understanding to the readers that whether Peace causes justice or not. 3. Generating a Hypothesis: By hypothesis it involves the use of hypothetical statements that will reject or approve the earlier established theory about the subject under investigation. The next aspect is for the researcher to develop a hypothesis that will test his variables, in order to approve or disprove the theories and it is divided as thus: H1- peace brings justice H2- peace does not bring justice Reviewing relevant related literature about the state of the art: Reviewing the works of other scholars about the subject the researcher is investigating is the next phase of the study. The next phase is to develop a literature review about the sublects under investigating such as: Literature Review on Peace- According to Tim Sisk who defines peace as a step-by- step reciprocal moves to build confidence, resolve gnarly issues such as disarmament, and carefully define the future through the design of new institution. According to New Testament, peace could mean the absence of conflict, as mentioned, but also either the health of body and mind or concord. Regarding the latter, peace seems an act of will of those in a conflictful situation. According to David Cortright- sees peace as a social equality. Socialists and feminists brought these issues to the fore and broadened the peace agenda to include problems of economic injustice and patriarchy. Literature Review on Justice- According to Chris a scientist, he said that justice is the act upholding the law. However, the controversy that remains and the debate that ensures has to do with what the law itself should be. According to Thrasymanchus, that justice is subjective form civilisation to another. Since the rulers can influence policy, law, and education, they can control the public perception of justice. 5. Data Analysis and Interpretations of Findings: This phase of research will try to clearly explain the findings of the research whether or not the research has been able to achieve its objective or not by testing the initial stated hypothesis. 6. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations: This is the final phase in the research agenda, where the researcher will clearly summarize what the study is all about, draw the necessary conclusions and offer meaningful contributions or recommendations to the study. Four Hurdle Facing Researcher: The degree of causality of variable i.e Independent and Dependent variables (X Y). Every researcher is faced with the dilemma of understanding the degree of causality between his independent variable X and his dependent variable Y. Could the Dependent variable Y also cause an effect on the Independent Variable Y The second hurdle is for the researcher to be able to ascertain whether or not the dependent variable could invariably leads to a causal relationship with the independent variable Y. The degree of Covariation The third hurdle, is for the researcher to be able to determine the degree of correlation or covariation between his variables. The presence of extraneous or Z- variable. The last hurdle or dilemma faced by any researcher is the plausibility that other confounding or spurious variables tend to also serve as the possible causes in determining the degree of causality between X and Y variables which it is the responsibility of the researcher to keep that perspective in check. 1

Jean-Baptiste Lully Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Giovanni Battista Lulli was born on November 28, 1632. His father, Lorenzo di Maldo, was a miller and his mother, Caterina del Sera, was a miller’s daughter. Lully was born in Florence, Italy and lived there until age 11. While in Italy he studied dance and music; he played violin and guitar. In March of 1646 he moved to France to tutor Mlle de Montpensier in Italian. There he studied composition and harpsichord. Lully was able to hear the King’s grande bande perform, witness balls where the best French dance music was played. When Mlle de Montpensier was exiled from Paris, Lully was released from her service and gained the attention of King Louis XIV. In February 1653 he danced in â€Å"Ballet de la nuit† with the King and less than a month later was appointed the King’s â€Å"composituer de la musique instrumentale de Roi.† Over the next ten years Lully gained control over all the royal family’s court music. This is when he began experimenting with performance practices and changing the basic stylistic features of orchestral music. Lully’s â€Å"petits violons† brought him international fame. At this point Lully focused his career on ballets. They brought together Lully’s two favorite expressions of art: dance and music. The dances he composed shaped what is now known as â€Å"French music.† Between 1658 and 1671 Lully wrote thirty ballets. During this ballet frenzy he received his French citizenship and changed his name from Lulli to Lully. He also elevated his father’s status to â€Å"gentilhomme Florentin.† Also in 1661 Lully was appointed the composer of chamber music for the King. In 1664 Lully collaborated with Jean-Baptiste Molià ¨re and started composing comà ©dies-ballets. He didn’t thing the French language was appropriate for large works but was good for ballets. Perrin, a French composer, introduced opera around this time and Lully thought it was absurd. However, when Perrin’s â€Å"Promone† succeeded, Lully changed his mind. Perrin ended up in prison over a money dispute and Lully bought the opera patent from him. This gave him complete control of French operatic performances. Then in 1673 Molià ¨re died and the King granted the patent for the Royal Theater to Lylly also. Lully’s new operatic style grew out of his popular ballets. He kept the overture, entry music for the dancers, atmosphere and action symphonies, and some of the dances themselv... ...ed. Instrumentalists would only be used in scenes where an instrumentalist would normally be found in life: weddings, festivals, etc. Lully’s influence on the orchestra cannot be overstressed. He dramatically affected its style and importance. His orchestra was emulated all over Europe. Many of the characteristics that Lully developed are still in use today. Bibliography Anthony, James R., â€Å"Lully.† The New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 1980 ed., vol. 14, p. 315-326. Anthony, James R., H. Wiley Hitchcock, Edward Higginbottom, Graham Sadler, Albert Cohen. â€Å"French Baroque Masters.† The New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians. W.W. Norton and Company, 1986. p. 1-63 Buelow, George J., â€Å"Music and Society in the Late Baroque Era.† Music and Society in the Late Baroque Era. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1994. p. 1-38 Harman, Alec and Anthony Milner. Late Renaissance and Baroque Music. Fairlawn: Essential Books, 1957. Heyer, John Hadju. Lully Studies. Cambridge Universal Press, 2000. Lewis, W. H., The Splendid Century: Life in the France of Louis XIV. Waveland Press, 1997 Newman, Joyce. Jean-Baptiste de Lully and His Tragà ©dies Lyrique. UMI Research Press, 1979.

Preferences of the Banks in Hiring Accounting Technicians Essay

Accounting technicians are now creating their names in the accounting firm. They are accounting professionals that could work in all types of organizations and widely employed throughout the public sector, industry and commerce and in private accountancy practices. According to the website of Foras Aiseanna Saothair Training & Employment Authority (n.d) they assist professional accountants in collecting, checking and analyzing financial reports. They could work independently or as a part of a team. They also said that accounting technician must work with accuracy and methodically with figures. And they must capable of compiling and analyzing transactions such as administering payrolls, bookkeeping, and other financial transactions. This research paper aims to discuss the preferences of banks in hiring accounting technicians based on characteristics and qualification in the said position. It also focuses about what does accounting technicians mean and how to be one of them. At the same time, the researchers will tackle the job description of an accounting technician. I. Accounting Technicians are like professional accountants because according to the website of Accounting Technicians Ireland that they are also qualified to work at all degrees of finance. Accounting technicians are extensively employed throughout the public sector, industry, commerce and in private accountancy practices. According to Shaw (2006), â€Å"Certified accounting technicians are responsible for a variety of administrative task to try to improve the efficiency and profitability of a company. They are usually in the accounting or finance department of charities, banks, building societies or insurance companies.† An effective accounting technician... ...s Retrieved from: http://www.saipa.co.za/page/491/accounting-technicians †¢ Anonymous (2014) Accounting Technician: job description Retrieved from: http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/276923-accounting-technician-job-description#employers †¢ Anonymous (2014) Certified Accounting Technician Graduates Retrieved from: http://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/student/foundation-lvl-qual-student-journey/qualification-resources/foundation-lvl-qual/cat-qualification/cat-graduates.html †¢ Wikipedia. (2014, February 13) Association of Accounting Technicians Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Accounting_Technicians †¢ Robertson, Tanya (n.d) Disadvantages of being an Accountant Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.com/info_12152469_disadvantages-being-accountant.html †¢ Plunket College (n.d) Retrieved from: http://www.plunketcollege.ie/news.php

The Atomic Bomb :: history

The Atomic Bomb It is agreed by many parts of our society that one of the main atrocities done by the human being took place on August 6th and 9th, 1945 in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Over 170,000 innocent Japanese individuals died due to the dropping of two atomic bombs created in the United States. This transcendent historical event suddenly ended the bloody Second World War and gave the start to a new one, the cold war , which in fact led to an atomic weapons race between the Soviet Union and the United Sates of North America. It is constantly argued if the effect that the mentioned ending of the war had was positive or not to its resolution, and if the entire world got any benefits from it, but the action of dropping the nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities by the American government was completely unjustified, unnecessary, and unfair. Japan was the only nation that was still fighting against the allied countries when Germany surrendered, and its army was in very poor conditions: its troops were considerably weak, its amount of armament was running out, and the government was about to surrender in a matter of months . In addition, the final decision was not informed or warned to Japanese authorities which, in that case, could have probably prevented the catastrophe, the dropping place of the devastating bombs were of limited military value and, finally, the decision was made partly thinking of the value of its development, the political intimidation that it would create on the Soviet Union and the rest of the world, and man’s natural but vicious need of power and leadership. The expensive nuclear attack was an unneeded method to win the war because, at the time, Japan was not strong enough to fight back the allies. More than sixty Japanese cities had been destroyed during the war by conventional bombing, the country lost potential help from Germany, the home islands were being blockaded by the American Navy, and the small islands in the Pacific Ocean once occupied by Japan were now under American control. In addition to its bad situation the Soviet Union declared war against the troubled nation by attacking Japanese troops in Manchuria. The vast majority of the people around the globe knew that Japan had no possible way to win this war. Some people would argue that the bombs were developed to reduce the number of casualties from both sides by giving a quick end to the war.

I Have a Dream Speech Essay

1- The analogy in Paragraphs 4 through 6 of the speech â€Å" I have a Dream†, use the similarity or comparability analogy. Which is means analogy is a comparison between two different things in order to highlight some point of similarity. As Freud suggested, an analogy won’t settle an argument, but a good one may help to clarify the issues. Like the Martin Luther King’s speech: It is obvious today the America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this scared obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, which has come back marked â€Å"insufficient funds.† 2 – In my opinion, racism is a certain kind of prejudice, based on faulty reasoning and inflexible generalizations toward a specific group. Much of today’s racism can be traced to the area of colonialism that began in the 1400s. When Europeans began colonizing Africa and the Americas, the white settlers adopted the idea that they were superior to the other races they encountered and it was their job to â€Å"civilize the savages.† According to Martin Luther King in â€Å"I have a dream†: â€Å" It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.† (Pg.45) Racism in the United States was worse during 18th and 19th century than at any period before or since. Segregation, racial discrimination, and expressions of white supremacy all increased. So did anti-black violence, including lynching and race riots. 3-United States has a black president from 2008 to present. Like Luther King said: â€Å" It is dream deeply rooted in meaning of its creed- we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal,† So his king came true in these days. Work Cited : Luther King, Martin. â€Å"I Have a Dream .† (1968): 44-48. Print.