Niccolo Machiavelli – The Prince (De principatibus) and Ivan IV

Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, on May 3rd, 1469. Machiavelli was alive during the time of the renaissance, the declared rebirth of learning, literature, art and culture – unfortunately, it was also a time of political instability for Italy. In spite of this, Machiavelli agreed to work for the the Signoria, Florence’s governing body … Read more

Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince and Thomas More’s Utopia

Niccolò Machiavelli beliefs show that being feared means more than being loved in his story The Prince. “From this it follows that all armed prophets have succeeded and all unarmed ones have failed; for in addition to what has already been said, people are by nature changeable”(Machiavelli Chap. 6, pg 27). By being armed, by … Read more

In ‘The Prince’, Machiavelli puts a twist on the notion of virtue

The idea of virtue can best be described as someone who strives to have high moral standards. A person who is virtuous possesses characteristics such as integrity, perseverance, and humility; all qualities that are considered admiral in those who can achieve them. Machiavelli presents a twist on virtue in his work, The Prince, placing before … Read more

Machiavelli & Ivan IV

Born in Florence, on May 3rd, 1469, Machiavelli was alive during the time of the Renaissance, the declared rebirth of learning, literature, art, and culture. Unfortunately, it was also a time of major political instability for Italy. In spite of this, Machiavelli agreed to work for Florence’s governing body at the time, the Signoria, and … Read more

‘Born in the GDR, Living in the Shadow of the Wall’ by H Vaizey

The narrative history of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) has been dominated by two extremely polarised characterisation: one that portrayed the GDR as a Stasi-centred regime where everyday life was heavily monitored by the state; and one that depicted the GDR as a socialist utopia where basic aspects of life such as housing and … Read more

Bridge of Courage by Jennifer Harbury

The book I chose to review is called Bridge of Courage by Jennifer Harbury. The book includes a collection of stories from the revolution that took place in Guatemala during the 1980’s. Guatemala faced mass destruction, unleashed by an army against the people who wanted social change. Thousands of people were killed over the course … Read more

The Collector by John Fowles – book report

Title of this book:  The Collector Writer of this book: John Fowles Character : Describe the personality of the main character. What is he/she like? What is his/her goal, strength, weakness? Who is his/her helper and adversary? Frederick Clegg: A lonely man, 22 years old, collects butterflies and has no love in his live. Until he … Read more

Persecution of Jews / Shylock in ‘The Merchant of Venice’

Since the beginning of time, it can be said Jews have placed many persecutions, more knowingly in the Middle Ages, when the Roman Empire often subdued Jews, firstly by taking over their lands and evicting them from their home during the Pagan period and after attempted to classify them s second class citizens during the … Read more

Theodore Melfi’s film Hidden Figures / The Tempest

The nature of discovery entails a journey that is transformative and concerns an individual’s relationship with them selves or their world. Discoveries can be either pursued or unexpected through the motivation of need, curiosity and wonder and can lead to good or bad consequences, but ultimately they are all concerned with the gaining of greater … Read more

Struggles of The Determined (Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle)

Famine, atrocious addictions, and corrupt political leaders, these problems all exist in the world. But, are they a common occurrence in the United States?  It may seem as if these troubles don’t plague America, however, they were once widespread and prevalent among the middle class.  The foreigners and laborers were suffering while the exploiters sat … Read more