The Old South and John Crowe Ransom :: John Crowe Ransom Writers Poems Essays

The Old South and John Crowe Ransom Most remember it as a time of dashing young heroes on horseback, fair damsels in distress, and majestic castles hidden from the vulgarity of daily life by the cool shade of fragrant magnolia and honeysuckle. It was a time and place so far removed from today’s fast moving, billboard covered world that one could easily imagine that this lost civilization existed on some far off continent, or perhaps not at all. However, the fact remains that once upon a time the old South did exist, and there are many people still who feel that the loss of this culture and its ideals is nothing short of a tragedy. One such individual was John Crowe Ransom, a man whose life was tempered with his intense yearning for the tradition and stability that the old South embodied, and that has been lost forever amid the skyscrapers and factories that have replaced the cotton fields and plantation homes of long ago. The power that the old South held for Ransom drove his works, as can be evidenced in his poem, â€Å"Old Mansion,† which describes his ultimately futile attempts to return to the old traditions. The common thread unifying Ransom’s work is that of longing for the stability and tradition that the old South embodies. As in his essays, this poem explores the possibilities of what unlocking the secrets of this lost era might entail, and what benefits could be reaped in today’s society from such an undertaking. In this poem, Ransom fails; however, the poem remains an important step in his journey to seek out the old traditions and integrate them into a modern framework. To begin this journey, Ransom introduces the â€Å"old mansion† as a concrete concept to represent the traditional values and lifestyles sought. Every bit of the structure, from its ivied columns, crumbling graveyard, and ultimately, its inhabitants themselves, serve as parables for Ransom’s search. The language in the opening stanzas clearly demonstrates the reverence and personal affinity Ransom feels for the plantation home, i.e. the old South. Yet despite the fact that he wants nothing more than to return to this way of life, he still refers to himself as an â€Å"intruder† (ln 1) into this world that he cherishes so highly. Clearly, despite Ransom’s desire for a return to these simpler times, he maintains a feeling of respect for the past itself, and is not attempting to relive it. He is an intruder in this past, yet he wants desperately to understand its meaning, rather than just appreciate its beauty.

Marie Ziegler of John Deere Essay

The characteristics of effective sustainable business leadership consist of having a vision of what the business is aiming to attain, seeing the value in the process and providing the leadership to attain the goal. The leadership starts with believing in yourself knowing that your capable of making your dreams come true. John Deere was born on February 7,1804 in Rutland, Vermont. In 1836 John Deere moved to Grand Detour, Illinois to escape from depressing business conditions he had in Vermont. Capable and hard working John Deere used his skills as a blacksmith were instantly in command. John Deere opened his shop in 1837 allowing him to operate as a general repairman as well as a manufacturer of small tools such as pitchforks and shovels. Using a broken saw blade Deere created a plow in the year of 1837. By 1841, Deere produced 100 plows annually. Two years later became an alliance with Leonard Andrus to fabricate more plows to increase demand purchasing a new land for the building of a new two-story factory alongside of the Rock River in Illinois. This factory produced about 400 plows in that same year. Regardless the success, Deere’s alliance with Andrus finished in 1848, when Deere moved to Moline, Illinois which offered advantages of water power, coal and cheaper transportation than to be found in Grand Detour. In 1850, approximately 1600 plows were made, and the company was soon producing other tools to complement its steel plow. In 1858, Deere transferred leadership of the company to his son, Charles, who served as its vice president. John Deere retained the title of president of the company, but now turned his attention to civic and political activities. John Deere was active in public life throughout his career in Moline. Among other roles, he was a founder and president of the National Bank of Moline, was an active member of the First Congregational Church, and served as the city’s mayor for two years. John Deere died on May 17, 1886, at his home in Moline. (â€Å"Past Leaders â€Å", 2014). After the death of John Deere the company was producing a collection of farm tools in addition to plows, plus wagons, corn planters, and cultivators. At the same time the company expanded into the bicycle business during the 1890’s, but the essential focus stayed on agricultural imp lements. Increased  competition during the early 1900s from the new International Harvester Company led the company to expand its offerings in the implement business, but it was the production of gasoline tractors which would come to define Deere & Company’s operations during the twentieth century. After Charles Deere death in 1907, William Butterworth Deere & Company new president started the business expansion into the tractor business. During the years John Deere has been increasing profits as well as production becoming one of the best equipments for farming. According to â€Å"Past Leaders † (2014), (Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land – those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world’s dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality, built on a tradition of integrity). As of 2014, Deere & Company employs approximately 67,000 people in 27 countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia, Turkey, Canada, United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, India, Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Morocco and South Africa, among many others and is the greatest agriculture machinery company in the world. Inside the United States, the company’s primary locations are its administrative center in Moline, Illinois and manufacturing factories in central and southeastern United States. (â€Å"John Deere†, 2014). Marie Z. Ziegler is Vice President and Treasurer for Deere & Company, a position she’s held since November 2010. Ziegler is responsible for the company’s worldwide treasury and investor relations activities. Ziegler joined Deere & Company in 1978 as a consolidation accountant and has held management positions in finance, treasury operations, strategic planning and investor and banking relations. She served as Director of Investor Relations, and in May 2001, was appointed Vice President, Investor Relations for Deere & Company. (â€Å"John Deere†, 2014). The John Deere portfolio of businesses is varied, yet interrelated. Two of our businesses – Agricultural and Construction equipment – are in an excellent position to take advantage of global growth. Two additional  businesses – Turf and Forestry equipment – support and enhance worldwide channel development. And additional supporting businesses – Financial Services, Power Systems, Parts Services, and the Intelligent Solutions Group – strengthen and differentiate our equipment businesses. Strategy. (2014). The key for John Deere success is having exceptional operating performance, disciplined SVA growth, and aligned high-performance teamwork. These factors direct success for this company as they are important for the future of John Deere as they leverage and create core strengths.. John Deere future successes will require more people working for them. For that reason, they are creating strength in four additional capabilities: Deep Customer Understanding, Delivering Customer Value, World-class Distribution System, and Growing Extraordinary Global Talent. These additional success factors are critical in order to achieve sustainable SVA growth through global growth. Shareholder Value Added (SVA) – the difference between operating profit and pretax cost of capital – is a metric used by John Deere to evaluate business results and measure sustainable performance. Why Invest. (2014). John Deere tracks their progress as they follow their growth goals by monitoring Performance metrics and Health metrics. Performance metrics is the traditional financial measures based on what they deliver to their stakeholders. Health metrics is based on the company’s success factors such as their qualities, attributes, and actions being introduced to ensure the sustainability of our performance over time. Measures of Success.(2014). The â€Å"How† is represented by John Deere core values of Integrity, Quality, Commitment, and Innovation. Customers can see the value of the products and processes. People recognize how John Deere manage an every day business, including the manner of how employees, customers,suppliers, dealers, and stakeholders are taken care of. John Deere core values define them as they come together and distinguish from competitors. John Deere commitment to these core values is optional, and never waivers. Core values.(2014).

Aquaponics as an Alternative to Conventional Agriculture...

The greatest 21st-century challenge that humanity will face is not terrorism, disease, or warfare. It is not solely an issue of politics, inequality, or climate change. Instead, it is the kindling that fuels and exacerbates all other issues. Our greatest challenge is one of demography. The problem is that we exist, or rather, that too many of us do, and that we are running out of ways to feed ourselves. The most pressing issue we must decide how to handle, in the face of booming population, is how to deal with our current agricultural system. This paper will present the most damaging side-effects of conventional agriculture and will show how aquaponics, a nearly entirely self-sustaining agricultural system, addresses these impacts.†¦show more content†¦Inefficient irrigation techniques allow most of the water provided to crops to evaporate or to miss crop roots entirely as it seeps underground. Despite the wasteful ways with which we treat water, a quarter of the worldâ€⠄¢s people face water shortages (Watkins et al. 2006). This proportion will only continue to grow, particularly in the Middle East and Northern Africa (Bureau and Strobl 2012). Another alarming issue is the rate with which we are losing our rain forests. At the current rate of deforestation, rain forests could be nonexistant in one hundred years. We need to preserve rainforests because they act as protectors of biodiversity. Even though they cover only 2% of the Earth’s surface area, they are home to over 50% of our species. Furthermore, rainforests play many other critical roles by keeping our environment balanced. Trees protect soil against erosion, perpetuate the water cycle, and act as â€Å"carbon sinks† for the atmosphere (Slattery 2012). Cutting down trees means releasing that stored CO2 and speeding up climate change. Still, behind 80% of deforestation is modern commercial agriculture (Kissinger et al. 2012). Sensitive rain forests are cleared to make land for crops, with devastating results on the stability of the ecosystem. Consequently, deforestation and other activities related to food production, such as fertilizer application, ac count for almost all of our land CO2 emissions,Show MoreRelatedVertical And Vertical Types Of Vertical Farming1667 Words   |  7 PagesVertical Farms- Vertical farming is a component of urban agriculture and is the practice of producing food in vertically stacked layers or vertically inclined surfaces. Advantages of Vertical Farming Minimum Input – Maximum Output Vertical Farming is a revolutionary approach to producing high quantities of nutritious and quality fresh food all year round, without relying on skilled labour, favourable weather, high soil fertility or high water usage. Vertical Farm Systems growing cycles are consistentRead MoreAgricultural Science Sba12288 Words   |  50 Pagesnavigation, search | Agriculture | General | * Agribusiness * Agricultural science * Agroforestry * Agronomy * Animal husbandry * Extensive farming * Factory farming * Farm * Free range * Industrial agriculture * Mechanised agriculture * Ministries * Intensive farming * Organic farming * Permaculture * Stock-free agriculture * Sustainable agriculture * Universities * Urban agriculture | History | * History of agriculture * History of organic farmingRead MoreAn Introduction to Hydrophonics and Controlled Environment Agriculture40110 Words   |  161 PagesIntroduction to Hydroponics and Controlled Environment Agriculture by Patricia A. Rorabaugh, Ph.D. University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center 1951 E. Roger Road Tucson, AZ 85719 Revised December, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Controlled Environment Agriculture and Hydroponics: Past, Present and Future The Plant How to grow greenhouse crops Plant Protection: Insects and Diseases Basic Principals of Hydroponics Transplant Production Pollination, Fertilization and Bee