The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester tells the story of how one of the most prolific contributors to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary did his work from an unexpected place: the Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane in Crawthorn‚ Berkshire. Dr. William Chester Minor was born in New Haven‚ Connecticut. He seemed a fairly normal boy‚ giving little hint of the complications that would later arise. Soon after his birth his family moved to the island of Ceylon‚ but when Minor
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Author Simon Winchester does an excellent job in his book‚ The Professor and The Madman: A Tale of Murder‚ Insanity‚ and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary‚ of portraying the details of the making of the OED. However‚ more than just a history of the dictionary‚ The Professor and The Madman is as its subtitle says‚ “a tale of murder‚ insanity‚ and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.” The Professor and The Madman reads almost like a thriller crime novel. As Salon book
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In “The Madman‚” Nietzsche describes a man going into a town‚ speaking about his beliefs‚ and being derided for doing so. However‚ with further analysis of several elements of the story‚ a deeper meaning behind the passage becomes clear. Nietzsche argues‚ through the madman‚ that morals cannot exist without God. It is important to know that‚ as a parable‚ the passage contains symbols‚ is not intended to be interpreted entirely literally. One of these symbols‚ God‚ is used to represent morality‚ and
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their day. But this gave birth to a new worldview in which God is not at the center. Friedrich Nietzsche is the one who coined the phrase in his text “The Madman”. This worldview describes that once we realize that God is dead and that we are the ones who killed him‚ we will pave the way for a better future for the generations to come. When the madman first enters the marketplace he is ironically yelling how he is looking for God and the people there find him funny.
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The novel The Catcher in the Rye‚ by J.D. Salinger‚ had a huge impact on the media in the past 30 years. Two of the most famous ones are the assassination of John Lennon and the attempt assassination of President Reagan. The assassins of the two men were Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley‚ Jr.‚ respectively. They were obsessed with the character Holden and used the concepts of the book in their reasons of murder‚ or in John Hinckley’s case‚ attempt murder. Mark David Chapman was obsessed with
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see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly --very‚ very slowly‚ so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this‚ And then‚ when my head was well in the room‚ I undid the lantern cautiously-oh‚ so cautiously --cautiously (for the hinges creaked) --I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did
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Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most analyzed plays. The Danish prince is developed into a mysterious and fascinating man. A philosopher and a fencer‚ he is a man disgusted with the rottenness of life around him and is obligated to set things right. Under the guise of madness he attempts to achieve his ends; yet there is much to puzzle over. Was Hamlet really such a good actor that he could fool everyone into believing in his madness or was he truly mad? And‚ why did he wait so long to carry
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Both Nietzsche’s "The Madman" and Camus’ "The Myth of Sisyphus" have absurdist elements. While "The Madman" deals mainly with a man who professes that "God is dead" and the effects of that death to a group of people‚ "The Myth of Sisyphus" entails an analysis of the effects of a man forced to roll a rock up a mountain and watch it roll back down for eternity. Throughout their texts‚ both authors make the argument that despite life being meaningless‚ we must continue to search for meaning. However
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As described in the writings of Lu Xun’s “Preface” and “Diary of a Madman”‚ Lu Xun emphasizes the detrimental effects that clamoring to cultural conditions has had on the Chinese people and the need for cultural reform that is present at the time. Based on the passages of “Diary of a Madman” by Lu Xun‚ it is apparent that the author uses metaphorical acts of cannibalistic activity committed by the people of China to critique/satire the destructive influence of traditional ideals and practices such
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Corporate Finance Professor H. Wang Problem Set #1 1. Calculate the present value of the following cash flows discounted at 10 percent: a. $1‚000 received seven years from today. b. $2‚000 received one year from today. c. $500 received eight years from today. 2. A firm has an estimated pension liability of $1.5 million due 27 years from today. If the firm can invest in a risk free security that has a stated annual interest payment of 8 percent‚ how much must the firm invest today to
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