Speech analysis free essay sample

The speech made by Manal- Al Sharif called â€Å"A Saudi woman who dared to drive† is presented in a TED conference (Technology, Environment, and Design) which is a global set of conferences. They offer live streaming of the talks and address a wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture. The speech was filmed sometime within June 2013. Manal- Al Sharif is a woman from Saudi Arabia who advocates for women’s right to drive, male guardianship annulment, and family protection in Saudi Arabia, and in this speech she tells the story of her campaign and how big the discrimination is for women who want to drive in Saudi Arabia and the campaigns that she created has started a change for women. In the beginning of her speech, she starts out by giving the audience a rhetorical question that she later on hopes that she can answer throughout her speech. We will write a custom essay sample on Speech analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The question is which battle is the hardest, the battle against oppressive governments or oppressive societies? The speaker starts off by establishing credibility after she asked the rhetorical question. Examples of the way the speaker tries to establish credibility is when that the speaker starts to say â€Å"I am a Saudi women that was put to jail for driving a car, in a country where it is not acceptable for women to do so† By telling the audience this, her credibility scale grows higher because the whole speech is about women who drive cars in Saudi Arabia and it’s more likely that she has more credibility than if a man from America were to be talking about this situation. She continues the speech by speaking about her family and personal experiences to make people comprehend the significance of how bad the perception of women driving cars really is. Already one of these examples is of her son and she brings it up in the beginning, that he asks if they were bad people and the reason for him asking this question is because of kids at his school bullying him because they thought that Aboody (Her son) and her should be put to jail because they knew she drove a car. Not only but even that her own brother was detained twice in jail just by giving her, his car keys. An example like these makes a speech more interesting, why I say that is because her bad experiences can be used in something good. Like for example this speech, where she is trying to make the people see the situation through her eyes and make a change and through her bad situations she can make people see things in the speaker’s perspective, how serious it really is and make a change along the way. Later on she continues making a connection with the audience by presenting facts about her campaign and what the purpose of the campaign was. She tells the audience that the campaign was made to encourage women to get behind the wheel and drive the day of 17 July. When that day then did come, streets were packed with police cars and religious police cars. But some hundred Saudi women broke the ban and drove that day and none were arrested, she then claims that they broke the taboo. She brings out her own credentials and what she accomplished. She brings hope that every woman can do the same, you just have to want it bad enough to bring yourself up to make a change. The speaker later on posits the claim by mentioning facts such as â€Å"There is no actual law that prevents women from driving, it was just a custom and tradition that are enshrined in deep religious fatwas (learned interpretation that a qualified jurist or mufti can give on issues pertaining to the Islamic law)† with this statement she displays the audience how the situation really is, giving them real fact and at the same time making them understand it is society who has stripped women of their right and that it’s the way people perceive of women driving and that it is no real law against it. She brings out more facts and one of those is why women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive. The reason was that there was a study that was presented to the Shura-council (its consulate of consults appointed by the king of Saudi Arabia) from a local university professor that claimed the study was based on results from UNESCO (United Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) this study said that the percentage of rape, adultery and prostitution is higher in countries where women do drive than in countries where they don’t. This argument is a very remarkable one, just for the reason that she is giving factual information of why it’s so frowned upon for women to drive but at the same time displaying how absolutely absurd the study that has been presented to the Shura-council really is. When making this statement look stupid she is making her own statement and purpose in the speech more significant and superior. As written earlier she shows that its society that has the wrong image of women because of the way that these ultraconservative customs and traditions have made it unacceptable for women to drive or have any other rights at all. Throughout her whole speech she is very focused on her ethical appeal, why she does that is because with the speeches purpose she makes a connection with the audience that involves trust. You could create a speech that evokes a specific emotion or you could construct a lot of logical arguments and it would still make people pay attention but the way that she constructed her speech was to make people see her as one of them, one of those who have had gone through struggle and one who has actually been oppressed because mostly you listen more to somebody who been through it then somebody who has only read about it. The tone was just very informative and motivational, because it was fitting to what the purpose of the speech was, it was supposed to be motivational neither sad nor happy. The speaker did not really use imagery or diction, she addressed her purpose very simple by mostly just using her body language and with that you could see that she was giving off a relaxed feeling but not too relaxed to make it all seem that she was not serious. The speech was about showing the truth of how it really is and there are women that really want to make a change to gain more rights as human beings.

Finding Commitment Essay Topics

Finding Commitment Essay TopicsIn writing your commitment essay, one of the biggest challenges you will face is finding the right topic. As any well-written essay will tell you, every topic is not the same. In addition, there are different ways in which people react to different topics. In this article, I will give you a few tips to help you choose a good topic for your essay.Research is an important thing in writing an essay. You need to make sure that you have done adequate research on your topic before writing your paper. But there are many people who do not do sufficient research on their topic and they still end up with a mediocre essay. By doing extensive research on your topic, you will be able to come up with excellent research for your essay.When you look at any subject matter, there are several factors that affect its popularity. Popularity is determined by the media, its accessibility, and how people react to it. One of the best ways to determine popularity is to look at t he comments made about the topic on newspapers and television. But how can you tell if the subject has a huge following?One way to know whether your commitment essay topics have a huge following is to do some online research about the topic. There are several sites online that offer free research materials. Look at these sites and see if your topic has a lot of interest.If you have done your own research and you still find that you have a lot of work ahead of you, then it is probably because you chose a poorly researched topic. People do not like a topic that is too complex for them to understand, so your commitment essay should have simple sentences and direct questions to ask.Another tip that you can use to help you choose commitment essay topics is to make sure that you take into consideration the type of people who read your papers. It may sound obvious, but many people do not take into account the type of audience they are targeting when they research. If you choose a topic tha t is not popular among a specific group of people, then the audience you are targeting will have less chance of reading your topic and then giving you their opinion.Another good idea for you to consider when writing your commitment essay is to ensure that the topics you choose are something that you enjoy. You will be able to increase your chances of success if you choose a topic that you enjoy. The more you enjoy the topics you choose, the more people will become interested in reading your essays.Finally, you should make sure that you have good information about the subject you are committed to. The more you know about the topic, the easier it will be for you to write. Asking as many questions as possible will help you to prepare and you will be able to create a well researched and well written paper.

Free Essays on The Medicaid Program

Introduction: The severe Depression of the 1930’s made Federal action a necessity, as neither the States and the local communities, nor private charities had the financial resources to cope with the growing need among the American people. Beginning in 1932, the Federal Government first made loans, then grants, to States, to pay for direct relief and work relief. After that, special Federal emergency relief and public works programs were started. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed to Congress economic security legislation embodying the recommendations of a specially created Committee on Economic Security. There followed the passage of the Social Security Act, signed into law August 14, 1935. History and Background: The Social Security Act established two social insurance programs on a national scale to help meet the risks of old age and unemployment: a Federal system of old-age benefits for retired workers who had been employed in industry and commerce, and a Federal- State system of unemployment insurance. The choice of old age and unemployment as the risks to be covered by social insurance was a natural development, since the Depression had wiped out much of the lifetime savings of the aged and reduced opportunities for gainful employment. The Act also provided Federal grants-in-aid to the States for the means-tested programs of Old-Age Assistance, and Aid to the Blind. These programs supplemented the incomes of persons who were either ineligible for Social Security (Old-Age and Survivors Insurance) or whose benefits could not provide a basic living. The intent of Federal participation was to encourage States to adopt such programs. The law established other Federal grants to enable States to extend and strengthen maternal and child health and welfare services, and these grants became the Aid to Families with Dependent Chi... Free Essays on The Medicaid Program Free Essays on The Medicaid Program Introduction: The severe Depression of the 1930’s made Federal action a necessity, as neither the States and the local communities, nor private charities had the financial resources to cope with the growing need among the American people. Beginning in 1932, the Federal Government first made loans, then grants, to States, to pay for direct relief and work relief. After that, special Federal emergency relief and public works programs were started. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed to Congress economic security legislation embodying the recommendations of a specially created Committee on Economic Security. There followed the passage of the Social Security Act, signed into law August 14, 1935. History and Background: The Social Security Act established two social insurance programs on a national scale to help meet the risks of old age and unemployment: a Federal system of old-age benefits for retired workers who had been employed in industry and commerce, and a Federal- State system of unemployment insurance. The choice of old age and unemployment as the risks to be covered by social insurance was a natural development, since the Depression had wiped out much of the lifetime savings of the aged and reduced opportunities for gainful employment. The Act also provided Federal grants-in-aid to the States for the means-tested programs of Old-Age Assistance, and Aid to the Blind. These programs supplemented the incomes of persons who were either ineligible for Social Security (Old-Age and Survivors Insurance) or whose benefits could not provide a basic living. The intent of Federal participation was to encourage States to adopt such programs. The law established other Federal grants to enable States to extend and strengthen maternal and child health and welfare services, and these grants became the Aid to Families with Dependent Chi...

Psychology Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Psychology - Term Paper Example It is possible for us to measure the behaviour of a person both qualitatively and quantitatively and hence psychology is now considered as a branch of science. Clinical psychology is the most important branch of psychology because of the immense contributions it gives to the treatment of mental problems of human beings. There are many branches of clinical psychology at present. Psychoanalysis is one among them. Psychoanalysis theory was developed by Sigmund Freud which deals with psychological method of investigation, systematic set of theories about human behaviour and the treatment of psychological disorders. Feminists were among the earliest proponents of psychoanalysis because it acknowledged sexual desires in all people including women, who at the time were considered asexual. But over the course of the century, the theory fell out of favor among feminists, many of whom maintained that it contributed to women’s oppression instead of their liberation. In the 1970s interest in psychoanalysis among feminists enjoyed a renaissance, and by the end of the century it formed part of the canon of feminist theory in the humanities. However, the theory still faces a great deal of resistance from feminists in the social sciences (Feminist Theory: Psychoanalytic, 2010) This paper briefly explains the feminist theory in psychoanalysis Freud argued that boys and girls begin life with similar psychological dispositions, but they follow different paths to adult heterosexuality owing to their anatomical differences and the expectations placed upon them by their families and society in general (Feminist Theory: Psychoanalytic, 2010). According to feminists the interpretations of sexual development by Freud is unacceptable. Freud believed that the environmental parameters control the sexuality more than the genetic parameters. In other words the boys and girls develop heterosexuality mainly from the environment rather than any genetic predispositions. Freud argued that the boys and girls learn a lot form the family and the society about the sexual patterns and they try to follow the same pattern. For example, boys realize their similarity with their father at an early age itself and will try to imitate the father in every respect. Same way girls will try to imitate their mothers. Freud pointed out that â€Å"When individuals did not successfully progress through the stages of development, mental illness could result. Freud maintained that unresolved early childhood traumas associated with these stages of sexual development become lodged in the unconscious and reappear in neurotic symptoms†(Feminist Theory: Psychoanalytic, 2010). Many of the psychological disorders occur at the latter stages of one’s life is attributed to the unresolved childhood traumas by Freud. For example, it is quite possible that a child could not relieve his/her sexual energy in the childhood because of the social restrictions. In family and society, children are prohibited from engage in any sexual activities because of the traditions, customs and beliefs. On the other hand, childhood is a stage during which the sex hormones are hyperactive. In other words, most of the sexual requirements were remain unsolved or unmet during childhood which will negatively impact the life of the child latter, according to Freud. In short, Freud’s theory succeeded in giving a comprehensive account about the sexual development. Freud observed that

Starbucks ethics negative side Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Starbucks ethics negative side - Assignment Example Interest of the enterprises to follow and adopt business ethics as part of their functioning has fallen down during the recession period, with unethical practices indirectly leading to recession. (Purlys 711). Starbucks is under this ethical scanner for a long time, and now the global changes on how companies should function ethically, make it imperative on the part of Starbucks to be more ethically sound, but that is not the case, with Starbucks facing problems in organizing in the changing global environment. Although, Starbucks wants to establish itself as the most recognized and respected brand in the world, it is facing some ethical issues and it is negatively affecting its organizing efforts in the changing environment. Starbucks is facing criticism for unethical as well as controversial activities like not compulsorily providing Fair Trade Coffee in all its stores and because of the use of Bovine Growth Hormone milk in its coffees and ice-creams. Fair Trade Coffee is the term given to the coffee beans, which are purchased by Starbucks or other coffee makers through ethical means like providing fair and industry standard prices to the coffee growers in the Home country as well as in the Third World countries. Also, Fair Trade activities including Fair Trade Coffee support and intersect with other community development efforts, grounding and enhancing the resulting benefits (Raynolds, Murray and Taylor 1116). However, Starbucks is accused of not selling these Fair Trade coffees in all its stores compulsorily, instead selling only to the clients, who ask for it or demand it. This way, they still selling non-Fair Trade coffees and because of this unethical practice, they are giving very low prices to the farmers, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt, and also not doing enough community services for them. Although, Starbucks’ chairman, Howard Schultz mandated that coffee farmers from its major sources in the African countries

Outline and Analyze the Challenges Facing Mellon Investor Services Essay Example for Free

Outline and Analyze the Challenges Facing Mellon Investor Services Essay Assignment Task Outline and analyze the challenges facing Mellon Investor Services in their organizational redesign and assess how well the company have dealt with those challenges in how they are approaching and managing the change. Delong, T. and Vijayaraghavan, V. (2002) Mellon Investor Services (ECCH case reference 9-402-036, Harvard Business School) Introduction Mellon Investor Services (â€Å"MIS†) is an investment management and investment services company, focused to help clients manage and move their financial assets and succeed in the rapidly changing global marketplace. Between 2000 and 2001 MIS underwent a substantial organizational redesign, which will be critically considered in this essay. Wittington and Mayer (2002) suggest that organizational performance is driven by the company’s ability to redesign structures frequently, however the change requires participation of people leading the change i.e. agents, organizational structure that welcomes the change and appropriate managements styles. The Chief Financial Officer of MIS, Jim Aramanda led the company for few very successful years, during which MIS was providing new offerings for transfer agent services including issue services, employee plans and direct services, broker / dealer services. The company had five years of successful growth and MIS was meeting and exceeding its financial goals. In Autumn of 2002 Aramanda’s became concerned for the successful future of the company and he recognised few areas that required closer attention: †¢different business units were not consolidating their offerings and taking advantage of various products, which resulted in two Requests For Proposal coming from one client whereby both RFPs were replied to separately, as opposed to a combined and unified response, †¢current successful offering of core products did not guarantee that MIS would grow in future, †¢MIS staff were not building long-term relationship with the clients therefore business opportunities may not be spotted in good time, †¢requirement for new measures of performance and progress, †¢lack of focus on hiring and rewarding talented people, †¢lack of focus on product development, which was manifested in product being offered by the sales department without confirmation that the product may actually be delivered to the clients, †¢Some of the groups, such as technology, were too achievement oriented without being focused. In order to address the above concerns and mould the company to his new vision, Aramanda hired a number of experienced consultants to support his structural redesign of MIS. Aramanda realised that the change would also involve a dramatic shift of vision and attitudes to introduce new systems and subsystems, with the likely result of clash of wills. Buchanan Badham (2008) argue that such a change can be successful if it involves one person influencing the organization according to their values, and Aramanda had the clear vision and skills to gather a team of knowledgeable people to fundamentally amend and adjust MIS future capabilities. The change that MIS underwent could be classified as ‘strategic’ or ‘transformational’ (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010) and it aimed to redefine the boundaries, methods of problem-solving and doing business in the company. Aramanda acted on his vision in a very organized manner, as he instantly hired experienced, independent and talented consultants, Mary Davis and Jeanne DiFrancesco, and empowered them to accurately assess how the change should be conducted whilst keeping disruption of the day-to-day business activities to the minimum, design a four-phase project that was consistent with Aramanda’s aggressive deadlines, and work alongside all business units to manage the organizational change smoothly and efficiently. Although the organizational change instigated by Aramanda and facilitated by the consultants proved a great success, there were certain areas that should have been dealt with differently. The main challenges I have chosen as a topic of this assignment included overall communication, dealing with resistance to change and managing relationships. 1. Communication Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that many managers do not pay attention to communication when implementing change, which may increase employee absenteeism, turnover and low productivity. Furthermore, some of the reasons for employees’ increased expectation during the change process are availability of information through the internet as well as employees’ anticipation to contribute ideas and be kept informed. If these expectations are met, employees feel valued and therefore are more likely to be committed to the company and perform better at their work. Aramanda wanted to be supportive of a certain degree of open communication culture, which was manifested by a requirement for the employees to nominate their colleagues for newly created job posts. This approach was also constructed to represent Aramanda’s interests and to manipulate employee attitudes and behaviours. The nomination process aimed to take advantage of knowledge in the network or informal skills that perhaps could have been difficult to be evaluated by an outsider. The outcome however proved to be different than anticipated, as it created a negative feeling amongst the employees. Furthermore, one of the reasons for hiring consultants in the first place was to take advantage of their impartiality and independence from office politics. Insufficient communication was also evident in Phase One of the organizational change, during which key services, products and activities of the business were analysed. The result was anxiousness amongst the employees, who being afraid of job cuts, would feel that they were disregarded and forgotten, which in return lowered their productivity until the process was complete. As outlined by Buchanan and Huczynski (2010), many companies operate within a range of open and closed communication climate. Open and honest communication leads to employees having realistic expectations, and closed and defensive communication creates an atmosphere of distrust and secrecy. Although Aramanda’s relationship with his superiors was commendable, as he had a very open working relationship with the consultants and his direct reports, the communication with his employees was not as successful. One of the reasons for this situation was a lack of Head of Corporate Communications, whose post was vacant until June 2001, therefore all information during the process of a change was not communicated to the staff. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) confirm that communication of ideas assists employees see the logic and need for change. The implication for MIS was that employees did not understand what was happening, therefore they were more unlikely to follow management decisions. Issues of communication also affected existing relationships with clients. One of the objectives of the organizational change was to evaluate every job function and employee in line with the new business strategy. This resulted in creation of new key groups, including new ‘business development’ team focused on growth and return on investment in new clients and ‘client management’ team whose assignment was growth and return on investment in existing clients. The new groups comprised of employees that had to move away from the relationships they took time and effort to establish with their clients. Before the change these relationships lead to more sales and generated more business through word of mouth. Furthermore, strong relationships improved the internal organization, morale, increased engagement and lead to greater satisfaction at work. By creation of new groups the above relationships were damaged or broken, which could have lead to a possible revenue loss caused by the impact that the organizational change had on the client satisfaction. 2. Resistance to change Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) confirm that change implies a positive experiment and creation of something new as well as a negative confrontation with the unknown through the deconstruction of familiar arrangements. Some of the MIS employees demonstrated unwillingness to accept the proposed changes, as they perceived them as threatening to the individual. The main causes of resistance to change were as follows: †¢Lack of facilitation and support Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) outline facilitation and support as most helpful, where fear and anxiety lie at the heart of resistance. At MIS some of the managers were not supporting their employees in new roles, as people were expected to continue to take care of their old responsibilities, therefore the new responsibilities had to take second priority. They employees were not given sufficient time to adjust to new jobs or recover after demanding period. †¢Low tolerance for change Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) stress that that people differ in their ability to cope with change and uncertainty, which may lead them to oppose even potentially beneficial changes. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) agree that if the change is significant and the employee’s tolerance for change is low, he might begin to actively oppose the change for reasons he does not consciously understand. †¢Misunderstanding and lack of trust Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) argue that employees are more likely to resist the change if they don’t understand the reasons behind it. As outlined in the section above regarding lack of communication, it becomes transparent that MIS employees were not told what are the positive implications of change, therefore they believed the change might cost them much more than they would gain. This could be characterised by having a low level of trust between employees and managers and result in misunderstandings and increased perception of threat when change was introduced. 3. Networks and relationships Another challenge facing the organizational change of MIS was managing existing relationships and creating new networks. One of aims for the reorganization once MIS services and products and market needs were analysed, was to break down capabilities into building blocks and then to recompose the blocks to fit within the new strategy. In practice this meant changing the divisional structure of the organization from service-based to customer-based. The change from ‘squares’ to ‘squares and triangles’ caused a large power shift and a felling of unrest and injustice to many employees. In the new organization chart the ‘triangles’ comprised of market-facing professionals and were perceived as the ‘winners’. The triangles included new business development, client management, product management development and business management analytics units. A triangle holds its place as a symbol in the mathematics of ideal proportions and in the MIS reorganizational design employees chosen to become a part of new teams were deemed as ‘drivers’ having a superior status. This formal status was closely related to the leadership, generally accepted by the others with a power to influence and control other groups. On the other hand, the ‘squares’ represented all other employees in the company and were perceived as the ‘losers’ and ‘followers’ and deemed to have an inferior status. Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that lower status groups have less power and tend to be less influential, therefore employees actively seeking status in order to fulfil their self-esteem may experience personal dissatisfaction. Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that this method of implementing organizational change can cause confusion and increase employees’ level of stress. The MIS consultants hoped that by dismantling of social networks, new networks would grow very quickly. The presumption was made that the existing social networks used to compensate for the inefficiencies in the old system, so now they should accelerate the efficiencies of the new system. Some employees viewed this as a positive move, as it allowed transitioning some people to other teams to build communication and continuity based on their prior experiences in other business areas. This however had a more political aspect as many managers when switching roles from ‘triangles’ to ‘squares’ in their self-interest wanted to take the good people with them. In practice, whereby poor communication was also a contributing factor, the new social networks were not created as rapidly as anticipated and had a negative influence on employee engagement and work performance. Another reason for changing the divisional structure of the organization was MIS’ lack of integration. Child (2004) stresses that integration is a vital product of good organization, whereby different activities collectively create value. One of identified reasons for change at MIS was to consolidate their product offering to create more value for the customers. Although it is relatively easy to state the requirement for integration, it is not so straightforward to achieve it. The problem of integration presents itself most noticeably in the relations between functions that are responsible for producing services according to predetermined parameters established within the company, and functions that have to continuously adapt to the external environment. The organization cannot remained viable without this integration. Teams are one of the most commonly used means for achieving integration, however during the implementation of change at MIS these were taken apart under conditions of uncertainty and pressure. One of the signs that the integration needs were not sufficiently met by the new teams was conflict between departments, mainly between ‘triangles’ and ‘squares’. This situation would require ongoing monitoring to ensure that the conflict does not become persistent and threat overall teams’ performance. Summary As outlined above, the main challenges of the organizational change instigated by Aramanda included overall communication, dealing with resistance to change and managing relationships. The organizational change was possible due to a great contribution from the consultants, who appreciated that an organizational change is a complex process to dramatically adjust organization vision, structure and culture in a continuous effort to improve the performance. Reference list 1.Buchanan D., Badham R. (2008) ‘Power, politics and organizational change: Winning the turf game’, p. 9. 2.Buchanan D., Huczynski A.A. (2010) ‘Organizational behaviour’, pp. 329-330, 562-564, 570-573. 3.Child J. (2004) ‘Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice; Chaper 4: Achieving Integration’, p. 81-82. 4.Kotter J. P., Schlesinger L.A. (1979) ‘Choosing strategies for change’ Harvard Business Review, March – April pp. 108-109. 5.http://www.bnymellon.com/about/index.html, accessed on 18 June 2012.

Puritan Doctrine In 17th C. Li :: essays research papers

In seventeenth century America, the world was a frightening place. God could, and would, strike a man down at any time for any missteps he might take. Nature was filled with horrors, like Indians, and the Devil resided in the forest, waiting to steal peoples’ souls. In the eighteenth century, however, the Enlightenment began. Man discovered that he could learn by following others’ example, or by observing nature, rather than looking solely to the Bible for answers. People began to become concerned with their life here on the earth, rather than concerning themselves solely with the expectations of the afterlife. God stopped being thought of as a puppeteer, pulling the strings and controlling every movement, but as a clockmaker who had wound the world up and had then stepped back to watch. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine were two important figures in the Enlightenment. Although their philosophies differed on some matters, they both believed that the world was there to observe, not merely to act as a waiting room for the afterlife. This was a dramatic change from the seventeenth century viewpoint. Franklin and Paine’s viewpoints differed sharply from those that were held to be true in the seventeenth century, and nowhere were these differences as apparent as they were in the areas of knowledge, nature, and religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In regards to knowledge, the seventeenth century view was that knowledge was to gained through studying the Bible, and that the only purpose of gaining further knowledge would be to preserve the integrity of one’s own soul, or to help others in saving theirs. The Puritans’ interests in gaining or preserving knowledge were solely religious, and they also believed that any knowledge that man was to have could be found within the Bible. In The Autobiography (Part Two), Franklin writes that his main reason for setting up a subscription library was to give himself access to more books, and that the knowledge he gained would serve as his own personal â€Å"Means of Improvement† (575). According to the Puritans, if a person had a question, he or she needed only to search the scriptures for an answer. For example, when Anne Bradstreet was searching for an answer as to why her house, and all of her possessions contained therein, had burnt to the ground , she looked to scripture, and found solace in the idea everything she had, including her own life, was on lend from God (278).