Biography of Julius Caesar Essay Example for Free

Biography of Julius Caesar Essay Julius Caesar was born in 100BC to the aristocratic family of Gaius Caesar and Aurelius. He lost his father when he was sixteen. He got married to Cornelia in 84BC. He refused the order by Sulla to divorce his wife and went on exile to Asia where he learnt ‘the art of war’. He returned to Rome after Sulla’s death and was subsequently elected quaestor. After the death of his wife, He married Pompela, who was related to Pompey [one of his political associates]. In 65BC he was elected curule aedile and three years later the praetor. He became governor of Farther in 61BC and formed the first triumvirate, with Pompey and Crassus, in 60BC. He was elected consul in 59BC and same year married Calprnia. He was appointed governor of Roan Gaul in 58BC and perfected his rule with the conquest of Gallic Gaul. The Roman Civil war began in 59BC and culminated in Caesar’s rise to greater leadership role until on March 15th, 44BC the unprecedented happened. Caesar’s life is captured in prose through the literary prowess demonstrated by Antony Kamm. He shows his depth of knowledge and insight into the complex nature of Caesar’s story. His study of scholastic work proves useful, as it brings fresh insight into understanding the life and character of this great Roman leader. He shows the military leadership Caesar undertook and how it can influence our understanding of leadership in those days, as different from ours. Julius Caesar is presented in the context of human relationships he devised and others that shaped his life. Kamm also narrates cultural, religious and military landscape of the Roman republic in light of Caesar’s journey through life. Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Cicero are shown as partners in progress or dishonor. Sevilia and Cleopatra are accorded the plausible position Caesar gave them. III. MAIN IDEA The main idea of the book is that Julius Caesar is more than the stories we have heard; that he is far beyond the myths that surround his life history and that his life is a symbol of balanced service. In the vein, Kamm raises his character to the pinnacle of a superhero worthy of emulation and applaud. IV. SETTING The book contains 155 pages of well constructed account of a roman hero. It details in smooth prose the ‘Pilgrim’s progress’ of Gaius Julius Caesar and his life impacted the entire populace pf ancient Rome. It is written in well separated chapter properly linked and facilitated with ease of coherence. This account is well researched to suit the demands of the twenty-first century. V. IMPORTANT CHARACTERS The story of Julius Caesar is an interesting adventure of a bold man whose life is comparable to that of other great people like Alexandra, the Great. ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’ those are his words; they clearly confirm his strength of character and charisma. He lived true to his dream, dedicated to the course he wished and vehement in the pursuit of the same. In his pursuit of honor, the influence of his mother can not be forgotten. He lost his father when he was only sixteen but his mother took him through the painful lessons of life. Indeed, he is an example of a leader except for the tyrant nature of his leadership style: he led a number of fights to victories against nations with immense military support and ammunitions. There are lesson from every stage of his journey on the Earth, from his growth with his influential parents, to his youth and the concomitant exuberance he enjoyed. His rise to limelight is worthwhile and his fall to betrayal et coup is notable. Cassius acts in conjunction with Brutus culminated in the assassination of Caesar; they suffered for this. Many people have been endeared by this kind of life. They have attempted to cave a niche for themselves n through the use of words and symbols to re-present this roman general. Julius Caesar’s live, as captured by Plutarch in his historical outlook on lives of notable roman generals, speaks volume that can not be expounded by a single perspective of an individual. As a result, there have been many historical accounts and biographies in honor of Caesar apart from William Shakespeare’s play. VI MOST INTERESTING EVENT From the historical account of Cesar’s life, many events are important. He refused the order by Sulla to divorce his wife and went on exile to Asia where he learnt ‘the art of war’. He returned to Rome after Sulla’s death and was subsequently elected quaestor. He later married Pompela, who was related to Pompey [one of his political associates]. In 65BC he was elected curule aedile and three years later the praetor. He became governor of Farther in 61BC and formed the first triumvirate He was elected consul in 59BC. He was appointed governor of Roan Gaul in 58BC and perfected his rule with the conquest of Gallic Gaul. The Roman Civil war began in 59BC and culminated in Caesar’s rise to greater leadership role until on March 15th, 44BC. After his death, Rome continued to war for many years. The most important was his assassination by a ‘coup’ planned by Cassius, supported by Marcus Brutus, his close friend, and other senators. Cassius convinces Brutus of the need to eliminate Julius Caesar because of the possibility of turning Rome’s republic into a monarchy through Caesar’s lineage. The senators agree to this. Cesar approaches senate in the morning of the assassination; on his way, he was warned by a soothsayer to ‘Beware of the Ides of March’. He ignores the warning and heads for the Senate where he rejects a request brought before him, as expected. There, he was beaten to death. He however notices the presence of Brutus among his killers, and exclaims the popular clause: ‘Et tu, Brutus’ meaning ‘And you, Brutus’. Thereafter, Brutus delivers a logical speech at his funeral to convince the Roman people of the reason for Caesar’s assassination which was followed closely by the powerful and excellent rhetoric of Marcus Antonio that moves the mob to drive Marcus and his cohorts from Rome. The triumvirate comprising Marcus Antonio, Octavius and Aemilus become the rulers of Rome and fights to victory with the army of the assassinators; Brutus and Cassius commits suicide in the face of defeat. VII CONCLUDING SENTENCE Kamm has proved his ability to synthesize facts from complex details into smooth prose. And Julius Caesar remains head of state in ancient or modern times applied himself so assiduously to such a range of physical and intellectual activities, and excelled at them all. REFERENCE KAMM A. JULIUS CAESAR: A LIFE. September, 2006.

Feds Transition from Monetary to Interest Rate Targets Essay -- essays

Feds Transition from Monetary to Interest Rate Targets The Fed’s Transition from Monetary Targets to Interest Rate Targets Introduction The Federal Reserve appeared to be taking on a completely different stance in 1994 versus 1993. During 1993 there were no changes in the policy directives of the Federal Open Market Committee and short-term interest rates remained steady. In contrast, during 1994, the FOMC announced six different policy changes while at the same time making an adjustment to the short-term interest rate. This change in policy was due to two factors. First, the economic environment had changed. The Fed’s monetary policy during 1993 was accommodative to permit the recovery of the economy from a recession, while the policy became more restrictive in 1994 as the economy appeared to be recovering and possibly heating up. Another cause of this apparent shift was growing consensus that price stability should be the ultimate long-term goal of the Federal Reserve. Also, the Fed adjusted its intermediate targeting strategy, placing more emphasis on interest rate targets over monetary aggregate targets . Monetary Goals To understand why the Fed changed its targets and goals the way it did, we should first examine the process the Fed uses to determine and pursue its stated goals. There are six monetary policy goals that are desired in an efficient economy. These are; 1) price stability, 2) high employment, 3) economic growth, 4) financial market and institution stability, 5) interest rate stability, and 6) foreign-exchange market stability. There has been in the past, and continues to be, some concern that these goals may be in conflict with one another. This concern, although valid for some circumstances, has been given more attention than it warrants. In particular, there has been an historic belief that there is a tradeoff between inflation and unemployment. Low inflation was expected to come at the cost of high unemployment and vice versa. The experiences of the 1970’s in the United States showed us that this is not necessarily true, as we experienced periods of simultaneously high in flation and high unemployment. The tradeoff that we expect is actually a short-term one, and as Alan Greenspan noted, in the long run â€Å"lower levels of inflation are conducive to the achievement of greater productivity and efficiency and, therefore,... ... 5 goals. Second, an increasing use of interest rate targets meant that they were using targets that were more indicative of the effectiveness of its policy tools and the need for further action. Continuing to track monetary aggregates may not have revealed the need to take action. Third, the economy had been heating up and some action to slow the growth was simply needed at this time. The change in the Fed’s policy actions from 1993 to 1994 is not as drastic as it may first appear. It is merely a continuing evolution of the manner in which the Fed executes the strategy and tactics of its monetary policy. The effectiveness of this modification of its policy is borne out by the lack of any visible sign of inflation at the end of 1994. Additional time will provide the necessary information to determine if this policy stance is still effective in the future and adjustments will undoubtedly have to be made. Bibliography: References â€Å"The FOMC in 1993 and 1994: Monetary Policy in Transition.† Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, March,1995 â€Å"Flying Swine: Appropriate Targets and Goals of Monetary Policy† Journal of Economic Issues, June, 1996

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening Chapter One

â€Å"Are you having a good time?† Elena asked. I am now . Stefan didn't say it, but Elena knew it was what he was thinking. She could see it in the way he stared at her. She had never been so sure of her power. Except that actually he didn't look as if he were having a good time; he looked stricken, in pain, as if he couldn't take one more minute of this. The band was starting up, a slow dance. He was still staring at her, drinking her in. Those green eyes darkening, going black with desire. She had the sudden feeling that he might jerk her to him and kiss her hard, without ever saying a word. â€Å"Would you like to dance?† she said softly. I'm playing with fire, with something I don't understand, she thought suddenly. And in that instant she realized that she was frightened. Her heart began to pound violently. It was as if those green eyes spoke to some part of her that was buried deep beneath the surface-and that part was screaming â€Å"danger† at her. Some instinct older than civilization was telling her to run, to flee. She didn't move. The Awakening Chapter One September 4 Dear Diary, Something awful is going to happen today. I don't know why I wrote that. It's crazy. There'sno reason for me to be upset and every reason for me to be happy, but†¦ But here I am at 5:30 in the morning, awake and scared. I keep telling myself it's just that I'm all messed up from the time difference between France and here. But that doesn't explain why I feel so scared. So lost. The day before yesterday, while Aunt Judith and Margaret and I were driving back from the airport, I had such a strange feeling. When we turned onto our street I suddenly thought, â€Å"Mom and Dad are waiting for us at home. I bet they'll be on the front porch or in the living room looking out the window. They must have missed me so much.† I know. That sounds totally crazy. But even when I saw the house and the empty front porch I still felt that way. I ran up the steps and I tried the door and knocked with the knocker. And when Aunt Judith unlocked the door I burst inside and just stood in the hallway listening, expecting to hear Mom coming down the stairs or Dad calling from the den. Just then Aunt Judith let a suitcase crash down on the floor behind me and sighed a huge sigh and said, â€Å"We're home.† And Margaret laughed. And the most horrible feeling I've ever felt in my life came over me. I've never felt so utterly and completely lost. Home. I'm home. Why does that sound like a he? I was born here in Fell's Church. I've always lived in this house, always. This is my same old bedroom, with the scorch mark on the floorboards where Caroline and I tried to sneak cigarettes in 5th grade and nearly choked ourselves. I can look out the window and see the big quince tree Matt and the guys climbed up to crash my birthday slumber party two years ago. This is my bed, my chair, my dresser. But right now everything looks strange to me, as if I don't belong here. It's me that's out of place. And the worst thing is that I feel there's somewhere I do belong, but I just can't find it. I was too tired yesterday to go to Orientation. Meredith picked up my schedule for me, but I didn't feel like talking to her on the phone. Aunt Judith told everyone who called that I had jet lag and was sleeping, but she watched me at dinner with a funny look on her face. I've got to see the crowd today, though. We're supposed to meet in the parking lot before school. Is that why I'm scared? Am I frightened of them? Elena Gilbert stopped writing. She stared at the last line she had written and then shook her head, pen hovering over the small book with the blue velvet cover. Then, with a sudden gesture, she lifted her head and threw pen and book at the big bay window, where they bounced off harmlessly and landed on the upholstered window seat. It was all so completely ridiculous. Since when had she, Elena Gilbert, been scared of meeting people? Since when had she been scared of anything ? She stood up and angrily thrust her arms into a red silk kimono. She didn't even glance at the elaborate Victorian mirror above the cherrywood dresser; she knew what she'd see. Elena Gilbert, cool and blond and slender, the fashion trendsetter, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and every girl wanted to be. Who just now had an unaccustomed scowl on her face and a pinch to her mouth. A hot bath and some coffee and I'll calm down, she thought. The morning ritual of washing and dressing was soothing, and she dawdled over it, sorting through her new outfits from Paris. She finally chose a pale rose top and white linen shorts combo that made her look like a raspberry sundae. Good enough to eat, she thought, and the mirror showed a girl with a secret smile. Her earlier fears had melted away, forgotten. â€Å"Elena! Where are you? You're going to be late for school!† The voice drifted faintly up from below. Elena ran the brush one more time through silky hair and pulled it back with a deep rose ribbon. Then she grabbed her backpack and went down the stairs. In the kitchen, four-year-old Margaret was eating cereal at the kitchen table, and Aunt Judith was burning something on the stove. Aunt Judith was the sort of woman who always looked vaguely flustered; she had a thin, mild face and light flyaway hair pushed back untidily. Elena landed a peck on her cheek. â€Å"Good morning, everybody. Sorry I don't have time for breakfast.† â€Å"But, Elena, you can't just go off without eating. You need your protein-† â€Å"I'll get a doughnut before school,† said Elena briskly. She dropped a kiss on Margaret's tow head and turned to go. â€Å"But, Elena-† â€Å"And I'll probably go home with Bonnie or Meredith after school, so don't wait dinner. Bye!† â€Å"Elena-† Elena was already at the front door. She closed it behind her, cutting off Aunt Judith's distant protests, and stepped out onto the front porch. And stopped. All the bad feelings of the morning rushed over her again. The anxiety, the fear. And the certainty that something terrible was about to happen. Maple Street was deserted. The tall Victorian houses looked strange and silent, as if they might all be empty inside, like the houses on an abandoned movie set. They looked as if they were empty ofpeople , but full of strange watching things. That was it; something was watching her. The sky overhead was not blue but milky and opaque, like a giant bowl turned upside down. The air was stifling, and Elena felt sure that there were eyes on her. She caught sight of something dark in the branches of the old quince tree in front of the house. It was a crow, sitting as still as the yellow-tinged leaves around it. And it was the thing watching her. She tried to tell herself that this was ridiculous, but somehow she knew . It was the biggest crow she had ever seen, plump and sleek, with rainbows shining in its black feathers. She could see every detail of it clearly: the greedy dark claws, the sharp beak, the single glittering black eye. It was so motionless that it might have been a wax model of a bird sitting there. But as she stared at it, Elena felt herself flush slowly, heat coming in waves up her throat and cheeks. Because it was†¦ looking at her. Looking the way boys looked at her when she wore a bathing suit or a sheer blouse. As if it were undressing her with its eyes. Before she realized what she was doing, she had dropped her backpack and picked up a stone from beside the driveway. â€Å"Get out of here,† she said, and heard the shaking anger in her own voice. â€Å"Go on! Getaway !† With the last word, she threw the stone. There was an explosion of leaves, but the crow soared up unharmed. Its wings were huge, and they made enough racket for a whole flock of crows. Elena crouched, suddenly panicked as it flapped directly over her head, the wind of its wings ruffling her blond hair. But it swooped up again and circled, a black silhouette against the paper-white sky. Then, with one harsh croak, it wheeled away toward the woods. Elena straightened up slowly, then glanced around, self-conscious. She couldn't believe what she had just done. But now that the bird was gone, the sky felt ordinary again. A little wind made the leaves flutter, and Elena took a deep breath. Down the street a door opened and several children poured out, laughing. She smiled at them, and took another breath, relief sweeping through her like sunlight. How could she have been so silly? This was a beautiful day, full of promise, and nothing bad was going to happen. Nothing bad was going to happen-except that she was going to be late getting to school. The whole crowd would be waiting for her in the parking lot. You could always tell everyone you stopped to throw stones at a Peeping Tom, she thought, and almost giggled. Now,that would give them something to think about. Without a backward glance at the quince tree, she began to walk as quickly as she could down the street. The crow crashed through the top of the massive oak, and Stefan's head jerked up reflexively. When he saw it was only a bird, he relaxed. His eyes dropped to the limp white form in his hands, and he felt his face twist in regret. He hadn't meant to kill it. He would have hunted something larger than a rabbit if he'd known how hungry he was. But, of course, that was the very thing that frightened him: never knowing how strong the hunger would be, or what he might have to do to satisfy it. He was lucky that this time he'd killed only a rabbit. He stood beneath the ancient oak trees, sunlight filtering down onto his curly hair. In jeans and T-shirt, Stefan Salvatore looked exactly like a normal high school student. He wasn't. Deep in the woods, where no one would see him, he'd come to feed. Now he licked at his gums and lips painstakingly, to make sure there was no stain on them. He didn't want to take any chances. This masquerade was going to be hard enough to pull off as it was. For a moment he wondered, again, if he should just give it all up. Perhaps he should go back to Italy, back to his hiding place. What made him think that he could rejoin the world of daylight? But he was tired of living in shadows. He was tired of the darkness, and of the things that lived in it. Most of all, he was tired of being alone. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen Fell's Church, Virginia. It was a young town, by his standards; the oldest buildings had been put up only a century and a half ago. But memories and ghosts of the Civil War still lived here, as real as the supermarkets and fast-food joints. Stefan appreciated respect for the past. He thought he might come to like the people of Fell's Church. And perhaps-just perhaps-he might find a place among them. He'd never be accepted completely, of course. A bitter smile curved his lips at the idea. He knew better than to hope forthat . There would never be a place where he could belong completely, where he could truly be himself. Unless he chose to belong to the shadows†¦ He slapped the thought away. He'd renounced the darkness; he'd left the shadows behind him. He was blotting all those long years out and starting afresh, today. Stefan realized he was still holding the rabbit. Gently, he laid it down on the bed of brown oak leaves. Far away, too far for human ears to pick up, he recognized the noises of a fox. Come along, brother hunter, he thought sadly. Your breakfast is waiting. As he slung his jacket over his shoulder, he noticed the crow that had disturbed him earlier. It was still perched in the oak tree, and it seemed to be watching him. There was a wrongness about it. He started to send a probing thought toward it, to examine the bird, and stopped himself. Remember your promise, he thought. You don't use the Powers unless it is absolutely necessary. Not unless there is no other choice. Moving almost silently among the dead leaves and dry twigs, he made his way toward the edge of the woods. His car was parked there. He glanced back, once, and saw that the crow had left the branches and dropped down on the rabbit. There was something sinister in the way it spread its wings over the limp white body, something sinister and triumphant. Stefan's throat tightened, and he almost strode back to chase the bird away. Still, it had as much right to eat as the fox did, he told himself. As much right as he did. If he encountered the bird again, he'd look into its mind, he decided. Just now, he tore his eyes from the sight of it and hurried on through the woods, jaw set. He didn't want to be late arriving at Robert E. Lee High School.

Racism Is A Major Issue And Problem That Has Plagued The...

Racism is a major issue and problem that has plagued the United States of America for years. Racism has been around in our country since well before the Civil war and even today we still have people who are prejudice towards other races, but discrimination and other major issues had finally become illegal in the end of the 1960’s with the civil rights movement. During the civil rights movement we had many African American leaders and people who were fighting for civil rights within American. One of these specific people is a woman by the name of Anne Moody. Anne Moody is an African American who had done some work for the civil rights movement as a young lady and had wrote a book about her life called Coming of Age in Mississippi. In this book we get to read about her childhood, education, and the days that she spent within the civil rights movement, but the most important thing that we had gotten from this book was her discussion on how racism affected the lives of the black p opulation and the strains it put on their relationships. We will be using Moody’s book to discuss and give examples of how racism had strained or ruined the lives of the African Americans who had been alive during these tragic and scary times. We will also discuss how these strains had been manifested or in other words where they came from as well as how the African Americans coped with racism, fear, and the violence that engulfed the nation during the movement. Racism has impacted millions ofShow MoreRelatedAfrican American Essay912 Words   |  4 PagesThey were not invited here to America, and they certainly did not come here by choice. 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