Is Cobol Dead :: Essays Papers

Is Cobol Dead There is common question being asked by many in the programming world. That question is â€Å"Is COBOL dead?† In spite of the years of criticism and all the predictions that some new language will soon replace COBOL, COBOL continues as a language of business data processing. Although C and Java have become significant languages over the past seven years, there is no question that COBOL is still a language of business data processing. COBOL has been an integral part of the market for nearly thirty years. There are an estimated 20 billion lines of COBOL code currently in use and a vast range of experienced COBOL programmers. There is no question that COBOL should remain as the central language in curriculum designed to prepare students for entry-level jobs in data processing. This assertion contradicts an unfortunate trend. Recent surveys have shown that the number of schools teaching COBOL is declining Colleges, educators, and others with an interest in data processing education must take advantage of every opportunity available to make the case for continued COBOL education. Certainly the newer software development tools will grow in their importance, but they will not cause COBOL to vanish in the foreseeable future. There is another side of the question that you also must look at; there is no growth in COBOL careers. Companies are no longer undertaking any kind of new development using COBOL, but still have a need for maintenance programmers. Insurance companies, banks, and large firms that have legal reporting requirements that change every time the Government's mind changes about what data it wants, still need their COBOL people to keep their legacy systems humming. And, having invested hundreds of millions of dollars into that legacy code, they have a hard time cost justifying throwing it all away now. COBOL is still used in many companies that reside here in Buffalo. The company that I work for uses COBOL in order to keep track of shipping, jobs that are still in process, and the also use it for it quality assurance for when they are audited. While they do use COBOL, there are no future plans to expand their COBOL database to handle other parts of their company. This is true for many companies all through out the world. They have invested much time and money into their COBOL systems that will remain but not expand.

Stephen Vincent Benet :: essays research papers

Stephen Vincent Benet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Only in a time when the pressure of the world amounts to angst and the fight for freedom can a world advance in it's literary achievements. A writer, just like an artist, builds his creations from the mood and settings of the surrounding atmosphere. In the first half of the twentieth century, the atmosphere was filled with resources to stimulate literary creativity, such as the second World War and the Great Depression (Roache 102: 14). The social genre of the time gave way to the broad appeal to American life and the focus of freedom leading to original stories and historical themes (Folsom 3: 953). Of course, the past would remain a constant influence. Some common topics were the Civil War and the settlement of western U.S. frontier life (Magill 1: 174). Stephen Vincent Benet took all these factors into mind during his life as a twentieth century writer/poet. Keeping the times, the life, and the literature of Stephen Vincent Benet a major part of his influence and achievements, he helped push America towards a united cultural victory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stephen Vincent Benet was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to James Walker Benet, a career military officer, and Francis Neill Rose Benet on the twenty-second of July 1898 (Roache 102: 11, 13). He described himself as a positive-thinking and modest man, who is thin, attractive, vivacious, whereas his wife and his mother-in-law would consider him a plain, tall, large biter-of- nails who carries a foolish expression, but whose intellect is too much for words (Parsekian 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He couldn't have been too foolish of a person due to his positive upbringing. Benet's parents planned for him to be a success in whatever he chose to do. Their open-mindedness encouraged him to explore books and ideas in a professional state., as well as to appreciate and take literature and history very seriously (Roache 102: 13). Because of this upbringing, all three Benet children became poets and authors. (Stephen Vincent Benet was the youngest of them.) Much influence over the Benets came from love for the country because James' military work called for traveling between Georgia, California, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania (Griffith 11).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Benet's education shows how successful he really was. He entered Yale University at 17 years old, when he published his first book. About that time, he became professional with New York writers (Roache 102: 13). Stephen Vincent Benet earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1919 and his Master of Arts degree in 1920 at Yale before accepting a fellowship to Paris where he could live cheaply and write his first novel and would later find his wife.

The Role of Greed in a Capitalist Society :: Economy Economic Essays

The Role of Greed in a Capitalist Society Introduction Much has been said about the role of greed in a capitalist, free market economy. Some believe that greed fuels the economy. Others say that it undermines the value system that drives the economy. Adam Smith said that, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest" (Smith, 1776: 26-27). This statement explains that it is the self-interest of individuals that causes people to trade. This trade pushes an economy in a forward progression, which creates a more profitable living situation for the individuals in the economy. Yet Smith also stated that an individual could either pursue the study of wisdom and virtue or the acquisition of wealth and greatness. In this context, one individual may choose to follow riches, which would in turn create a confidence in trade and the economy. The confidence of this person would strengthen the economy of that country. The other person may choose to attain wisdom and virtues. This person is notably less concerned with securing financial wealth (Smith, 1759: 62). Does this then mean that their lack of concern with material gain will work against the economy? It is my thesis that greed does not fuel the economy, but undermines the value system on which capitalism (according to Adam Smith) was built, and a good example of this today is child labor. I plan to argue that Smith’s case for pursuing self-interest only works in the context of a wealthy society. He understood that there was more to life than amassing wealth, but he did not consider the plight of those in abject poverty. Using Biblical principles, new theories on democratic capitalism, and real life examples I hope to describe how greed undermines capitalism and that the free market economy is driven by a good work ethic, delayed gratification and the virtues of individuals. These qualities can better provide the wealth of life that Smith describes in both The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. Background Information The Theory of Moral Sentiments was Adam Smith’s first book and it was first published in 1759. He was appointed to be the Chair of Logic at Glasgow in 1752 and then moved to the Chair of Moral Philosophy in 1752. He was teaching subjects such as natural theology and ethics before moving into law and government.

Laws and Rules of the Road Essay

Create a car saying (Bumper Sticker) or a Road Sign (Billboard) that would describe one main point you learned in Module 5. This is an example of a bumper sticker from a former student: â€Å"â€Å"Driving the right speed is always a good deed. Enjoy your ride and don’t collide!† 1. What would yours say? When you speed it causes more collisions so remember always be safe and wear a seat belt. 2. How would it look? It would be a billboard and it would have a picture of a had collision that happened because of speeding 3. Now, write at least one paragraph (5 sentences or more) which explains why you thought this would make a great bumper sticker or billboard, and how it summarizes the information you learned in Module Five. Remember to use complete sentence answers and proper spelling and grammar. I thought this would make a good bumper sticker because most collisions are caused because of speeding and people should not take advantage of the roads. This bumper sticker summarizes what I learned in module 5. That is because In this module I learned about driver licenses and what you need to do if you are new to the state or if you are a new comer. Also in this module I learned that excessive speeding is the cause of many collisions. Module 6 Effects of Alcohol and Drugs Some day you might find yourself in a dangerous driving situation because of drugs, alcohol, or extreme drowsiness due to medication. Talk to a parent or guardian about what they would like for you to do if you find yourself in this situation. Answer the following questions in one or more complete sentences. 1. Explain three ways you can get home safely, without getting behind the wheel, if there are drugs or alcohol in your system. A. Call a friend B. Call a taxi C. Call a parent or relative 2. Explain three ways you can get home safely if the friend you rode with has drugs or alcohol in his system and you prevent him from getting behind the wheel. A. You can drive B. Call a taxi C. Tell your parents to pick you up 3. What would your parent/guardian want you to do? They would want me to contact them and tell them I need a ride home. 4. Look up and list the number of a local taxi or car service in your community. Include the company name and telephone number.

A Study of Ethiopian Immigrants in Toronto by Ilene Hyman

A research on the Ethiopian immigrants in Toronto was done by; Ilene Hyman, Sepali Guruge and Robin Manson. Their main concern was the impact of migration on marital relationships among the newcomer Ethiopians in Toronto. The purpose of this essay is to review the research and the methodology used.The Ethiopian population in Toronto is growing hastily. There were 35,000 Ethiopians in Toronto by 2001, according to the Ethiopian association in Toronto. Ethiopia is a war torn country and many of its citizens have sort refugee status in other countries. However, only a small percentage of Ethiopians have migrated to Europe. Most of the immigrants surveyed could not speak French or English when they entered Canada.The survey on the female immigrants revealed that face challenges like unemployment, discrimination, housing, loss of social status, culture shock, language barriers and lack of credibility for employment. However, experiences for the women have not been the same. For some reloc ation gave them cost-effective sovereignty and administrative power within their households.On the other side, there are those whose position within their family has not changed.   Researchers believe that change in gender role that comes about due to migration is responsible for most of the marital conflict. This is especially so if the change in gender roles is not matched by a change in perception and attitude in the spouse (Jewkes, 2002).The report is concerned with the impact of migration on marital relationships among newcomer communities, with an emphasis on Ethiopians in Toronto. The authors investigate what effects migration has on marriages and how the couples adopt to the new circumstances. The research data was derived from married, divorced and separated couples that had recently migrated from Ethiopia to Toronto. The aim of the study was to find out the changes in the lives of new Ethiopian immigrant couples and the impact the migration had on the change in their mar ital relationship.Importance of the researchThe location of marriage in the civilization today needs to be carefully assessed. Cases of break up, separation, marital aggression and physical attack are on the rise.Past sociology, research has not given attention to the effects of migration on society and the impact on the family structure. Therefore, it is very significant to study the results that migration has on marriages.The methodology usedThe research had two phases; to evaluate the risk of marital conflict among Ethiopian couples who had migrated to Canada. (Phase 1); to examine conflict among Ethiopian men and women who were divorced or separated after migration to Canada (phase 2). The objectives for the research were set, participants recruited, data collected and then analyzed (Ottawa, 2001).For the first phase participants had to be Ethiopian immigrants who were married or living together pre-migration. Both partners had to give their consent for the process.The second ph ase targeted couples that separated or divorced post-migration. Various methods were used to attract participants such as newspaper ads, flyers at Ethiopians social events, word of mouth and so on. Participants for the first phase were easier to recruit compared to those of the second phase. Honorarium was given for participation; $50 (phase 1) and $75 (phase 2).Data was collected through interviews and demographic questionnaires. The survey also included the past of the pair preceding migration. Two Amharic-speaking Ethiopians, trained in research (male and female) assisted in data collection.This was commendable in order to overcome any language barrier. The participants were given a choice as to who should interview them whether, male or female. However, according to the report a pre-test indicated that the participants did not give preference to any particular sex.The participants were interviewed separately so that the presence of the other spouse could not influence their resp onse. After analyzing, the data collected from the interviews focus groups were formed according to sex. The aim of the focus groups was to verify or refute the findings of the data collected.Focus groups were however, not conducted for separated or divorced couples. The Ethiopian community associated some kind of stigma due to divorce. This was evident due to the low turn up of divorced couples.All the interviews and focus group debates were put on audio tape, written down and interpreted into English. The findings of the research focus on several themes such as; change, adaptation, conflict and resolving differences among the couples (Attaca & Berry, 2002).

Differences Between My Best Friend and I

It’ is hard to believe that my best friend Kelly and I have a lots of differences. Even though, we love each other we are completely different In our personalities, work experience and how we take care of our family. We both have great personalities. Kelly and I have been friends since I was 5 years old. We went to the same school and stayed in the same class until we went to high school. For example, Kelly is very friendly and she has a great humor. She is very outgoing and love to talk with different people , even people she just Met .On the other hand, I am very shy and serious kind of person. I do not like to talk with other people. For these reason is hard for me to make new Friend . To illustrate that ,when we are invited to our neighbor birthday party , so we went to celebrate with his family and friends. The party was full of strangers and Kelly began to talk with those strangers. All I did was seat in the table alone and wait for someone to talk to me. Kelly came and start to introduce me to her new friends . I feel so proud of her , because if wasn’t for her , I never have the courage to introduce myself to them.Another example, is that Kelly and I have different kinds of works . She works as secretary and I work as house cleaner . She had this great job in Boston as secretary . It is near her house, she has a great salary and a month of vacation paid every year . Her job is so easy and she just have to answer the phone ,book appointments and be in the office the whole day. However, I work as house cleaner , it is very hard work by cleaning other people dirty houses. One of the problems is that I spend a lot of money on gas, cleaning products and vacuum repairs.My salary is not stable it depends in how many houses I clean every week. Paid vacation forget about it . Finally is our Family, that is the best and important gift that anyone can have . Kelly and I have a wonderful family, we both have kids and we have been married for 5 years. Kelly has two boys and one little girl, their names are Robert 10 years old, Nicholas 8 years old and Amanda 4 years old . I have three kids too ,instead, I have two girls keren 9 years old, Sarah 4 years old and a boy he is 12 years old. We both love Our family very much and we appreciate staying together with our family .Even though, Kelly prefer to stay home and be creative with her kids by doing crafts activities . I prefer to go outside and play with them . Last winter we went to Cocokeys Park and our kids got to play together and they had a terrific time . When the park was closing we decided to sleep at the hotel inside the park, again that was the best part for Kelly stay inside. Besides our differences , we both have a wonderful family and we always share with each other ways to raise and educate our kids. After all our differences we still best friends

Piers Plowman

Elyssa-Beth Bender British Literature Dr. Zeiger 14 March 2013 William Langland: Piers Plowman The life of William Langland is a mystery. There is very little known about the man who wrote the Middle English, alliterative poem known as Piers Plowman. I did gather that he was born in the West Midlands around 1330 and may have died in 1386 (William Langland). Though much not can be found on Langland’s life, one can infer that he had many different life experiences in which he may drawn from to write Piers Plowman (Calabrese 123).Whether one looks at the elegant trial of Lady Meed at the King’s court, to impoverished life lived on Piers Plowman’s half-acre. Also the narrator in Piers Plowman seems to indicate that Langland may have been exposed to a higher education (Calabrese 123). There are three different versions of Piers Plowman, known as the A-text, the B-text, and the C-text The A-text is the earliest and shortest of the three versions and is about 2,400 line s long (Greenblatt 297). The B-text is an revision of the A-text in which the original 2,400 lines are still there but turned into a 4,000 line piece of work.During my reading of the B-Text, I found that it was more poetic in its form (Greenblatt 297). What I also found was that the C-text was almost a full revision of the B-Text with not much more added. The A-text seemed to be written in 1370 while the B-text. The C-text may have been written in 1381 during the â€Å"Peasants Revolt of 1382† (William Langland). The opening lines let the reader know what to expect: a man named Will on a religious quest that is set in a dream-like, vision state. He wakes up in Field Full of Folk in the opening scene.It is quite obvious to the reader that Will is a very righteous man as he is described to be wearing â€Å"shroudes as [he] a sheep were, / In habite as an heremite unholy of werkes. † (line 124). This indicates that Will is in clothes made of sheepskin, a symbolic meaning to The Lamb (Calabrese 4). However, it could also make the reader conclude that he may also be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The uncertainty is loathsome. The reader might think, â€Å"Is he good or evil? Will he hurt or help? † (Calabrese 124).The phrase, â€Å"unholy of werkes† seems like Will could be evil, but by the end of the poem, we see that it meant that spiritually Will was only just a child and needed to mature. In continuation with this idea, in the prologue of Piers Plowman, Will is born metaphorically into his vision and faith. In the first passus, Will is confronted by a female named, Holy Church and becomes quickly engaged in learning how to be a good Christian (line 153). Holy Church represents a holy and pure church that is uncorrupted by man (Daegman 274).She is vital for teaching Will the basics of Christianity. I found that her presence was the best way to teach Will the holy and pure way to be a Christian untouched by the corrupt hands of man . She also teaches Will that the body and soul are in constant struggle for power. Holy Church explains that Will must find the balance between physical self and spiritual self lead by the soul; what may be good for one may not be good for the other(line 209). Will must learn at this point what moderation is. Moderation is a vital step of self-control and awareness in Piers Plowman.Will is now faced with a few new characters named, Kynde Wit, who tells him the way of common sense; Reason, who tells him what reason and moderation mean; and Truth expects Will he must be truthful in speech, work, and intent of the heart and soul (700-1235). Before Will could fully comprehend what Truth meant, he need to find out what truth is not: falsity or the character â€Å"Falseness†. After meeting with these characters Will had learned everything they could instill upon him. However, since Will is in a dream-like, vision state, he fears that he will not have the capability to make the righ t decision with his own free will.In his early education with Holy Church, she fails to explain what Falseness means for Will. However in the story of Lady Meed, concept is explained (line 1456- 1729), Lady Meed seems to be the bastard daughter of Falseness and about to be wed to Fals Fikel-tonge (line 1464). â€Å"Whore of Babylon in Revelation,† she is described as, with her magnificent scarlett, silk robes (1468). Lady Meed represents the corruptive influence of money, bribery, prostitution, and is found in every aspect of society. In this story of Lady Meed, she represents good use of money.However, since Lady Meed can be used by anyone, she often falls into the wrong hands and used for corrupt purposes. Lady Meed’s marriage to Fals Fikel-tonge is ceased by Theology, who pursues that the King is the one who should decide whom Lady Meed marries (1475). In the royal court, Lady Meed and her follower voyage off to London at the expense of men of legal authority. The K ing calls upon Conscience for his advice. At this point he swears he will have nothing to do with the evil, wickedness of Lady Mead and her fate is left to the courts (1509). With the advice of Concscience, the King decides to find out what kind of person Lady Mead is.The King decides that the best thing for Lady Mead was to marry Conscience to know where the line is drawn between right and wrong (1534). Though the King’s intentions were in good reason, Lady Mead was known to be easily corrupted. The King believed Conscience was the perfect mate to control Lady Mead and make her submissive to his good morals. However, Conscience explained to the King that this would not be possible because though his morals were pure and righteous, he would soon eventually be consumed by the power of Lady Mead (1547). Since Lady Mead can be easily used by anyone, she os quickly corrupted by those around her.She is accused of corrupting the pardoners who forgive the sins of the common (not of the clergy) people. As we recall back to Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Pardoners of this time were very ill-willed men who would only accept money and power to pardon the sins of people. This corruption is said to be the work by the hands of Lady Mead. In this part of Piers Plowman, It is the responsibility of the character Penance to steer Will away from the ill-will and corruption of Lady Mead’s influence on the pardoners’ business (1609). Before a marriage with Conscience, Lady Mead discusses her character.While she shows him all the wonderful aspects of her existence, Conscience reminds her of her malevolent ways (1613). It is clear to the King that Conscience is right, however the King is blinded by Lady Mead’s conveyed character of good will. At this point, the King orders Conscience to give her a kiss on the forehead, which is to signify there to be peace between the two characters (1645). However, Conscience would not give her a kiss of peace unless Reason was summoned to asses the pros and cons, essentially, of the situation (1647-49) . The King, a benevolent creature, decides to honor the request of Conscience and summon Reason.The King decides to bring Wrong to the court to defend Lady Mead and convince the King his ways are correct (1664-1672). He believes he should be allowed to bribe his way out of the charges of rape, murder, and theft. Reason snaps back at this and urges for hard punishment to be inflicted on Wrong. The King, swept up by all these testimonies, decides in favor of Reason and Conscience, whom were selected to be his counselors. Wrong is punished and the King’s eyes are now open to Lady Mead’s benevolent aspects. He is no longer naive. At this point, the King’s court has flourished since Conscience and Reason became his advisors.Holy Church explains to Will that Conscience and Reason are two things that every person has within them on some level. She also explains that th e King is not a character that is based on royal heritage. The King is a being that represents the challenges that every common man faces (Burrow 318). Explained even further in an article by J. A Burrow every man faces the challenges of Right and Wrong, and often seeks to find Conscience and Reason in their lives. At this point, the scene fades into the Field Full of Folk once again as Will wakes up and then falls asleep shortly after.Next, Will is confronted with the character of Reason who fashions the wardrobe of a clergymen. He urges Will to repent (2573). After urging Will to confess his sins, he brings out the Seven Deadly Sins. This section of the story where Reason speaks to each of the seven and teaches Will that if he lives with The Seven Deadly Sins in his life, he will never find salvation. The next section starts with the Will waking up briefly from the vision and reflecting on his experience so far. However, our dreamer, Will quickly falls back into his dream. In this next part of his holy vision quest, he enters upon the Feast of Patience ( 2798-2906).Seven people attend the Feast, Conscience, Clergy and his wife, Scripture, Patience, Will, and The Master of Divinity. The food was simple and elegant which was to show will what penance means (Burrow 319). Later in the poem,Will is though of as a fool (3015-3016). At this point of Will still being a foolish man, he is intorduced to Anima, who tells Will the importance of putting into action all that he has learned (3025-3120). Anima prepares Will for a vision of the Tree of Charity. In a vision conveyed to Will by Piers Plowman himself, a tree is an image of fallen humanity.Piers Plowman is said to be represented as Jesus (Burrow 320). There are three kinds of fruit: human souls of wedlock, widowhood, and virginity, and it is supported by three planks. The three planks have been explained to will as the Holy Trinity (Greenblatt 399). However the Tree being threatened by Covetise, who is the Fiend of Flesh. The tree represents the tree that bore the fruit of knowledge, much like the fruit referenced in Genesis. The tree contains knowledge that is not to be consumed by man. However, in this section of Piers Plowman, The Devil is pursuing Covetise to extract fruit from the tree for evil intentions.Toward the end of the poem, Will goes to mass on Easter Sunday and, during the middle of mass, falls asleep and dreams of Piers Plowman. Piers is identified this time as the eucharistic host at the moment of consecration during the Mass when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ (Greenblatt 399). The mystery of the Body and blood of Christ is mysterious to Will as he cannot understand at what point these common items become holy. The answer is conveyed appearance of Piers before the people. Will turns to Conscience for an explanation of the mystery.Conscience recalls the life of Jesus by explaining the sacrament. The miracle at Cana involves the changing of water int o wine, a type of wine turning into blood in the Eucharist. Thus, the Three Lives are put into the perspective of the ministry of Christ, and the message is clear: it is impossible to do well, do better, and do best without divine grace, and this grace is available to all through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and penance(Burrow 380) . If Dowel is the sacramental wine, Dobet is the eucharistic bread, as it is paralleled to the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Greenblatt 399).That Piers is granted the power of binding and unbinding sins reflects back upon the early association of Piers and the Good Priest (Daegman 7) . Piers is a variation of Peter, suggesting the apostle and first pope. Piers remains behind after the Ascension, and it is to him that Grace gives the four evangelists and the four church leaders (3321-3364). Piers is known to be Jesus Christ whom is a part of the eternal, divine Church. Noticeably, the forces of Pride wait to attack until Piers until he has featured once more at the end of Piers Plowman. By the end of the poem there are no good clergy. (Daegman 8).The Barn of Unity that Grace tells Piers to build is another image of the whole Christian community (3433-3457). However, since the Tree of Charity is under constant threat, so is the Barn of Unity. Covetise and Pride try to confuse Conscience with their so that he can not tell the difference between a Christian and a dark worshipper. Conscience advises the Christians to leave the area to find safely form the the malevolent qualities (3458-3465). Events turn dark for Will and is in need of consulting Need. It can be a humbling factor, but it can also be a convenient excuse for doing what one wants to do rather than what one ought to do.Will falls asleep after being reproached by Need and dreams of the coming of Antichrist. Conscience consults Kynde, Old Age, and Death. Though Will has become an old man, he manages to keep somewhat in good humor. His appearance has changed dra matically. He has become bald, deaf, toothless, and a bit incompetent due to his old age. During this last part of Piers Plowman, Will is confronted by the inevitable character named Death (3502- 3696). As Will’s time is coming to an end, he begs Kynde for him to spare him. Kynde advises Will learn what love is (3757) . This could be compared to what Holy Church told Will in the first section.Though Piers Plowman is a lengthy alliterative poem, it ends considerably curtly. Conscience vows to undertake another quest, this time to find Piers Plowman, and he calls upon Grace for help. Then the Dreamer simply wakes up and that is the end. I found that the ending lines of the poem had no emotion to it. I was not able to feel if Will felt like his total experience was positive or negative. Will’s attitude does seem to show the slightest bit of positivity as he learns to find what it means to be a Christian and learns the value of good morals. Piers Plowman is a series of jou rneys in a dream-like vision in search for answers.The narrator named Will goes from one higher authority to another. However, as the quests move along, the main point of the journey changes. The quest was originally to find how a Christian is expected to live, however, as time goes on it becomes about finding a way to do the best and be the best one can be (Daegman 273). When the poem finishes, Will is faced with yet another quest. this indicates to the reader that a Christian’s search for salvation is eternal (Daegman 273). Works Cited Burrow, J. A. The Ending Lines in Piers Plowman. Notes & Querles (2012). vol. 59 Issue 3, p 316-400. Academic Search Complete.Web. 9 Feb. 2013. Calabrese, Michael. Piers Plowman: A Parallel-Text Edition of The A,B,C, And Z Versions. Journal of English & Germanic Philogy. (2012): vol. 35 issue 12 127-130. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Deagman, Rachel. The Formations of Forgiveness in Piers Plowman. Journal of Medieval & Early Mo dern Studies (2010). vol. 40 issue 2 p. 273-97. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. â€Å"William Langland† Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Online Web. 27 Feb, 2013 Greenblatt, Stepehn. â€Å"William Langland:Piers Plowman† The Norton Anthology English Literature vol. A. New York 397- 408. Piers Plowman Elyssa-Beth Bender British Literature Dr. Zeiger 14 March 2013 William Langland: Piers Plowman The life of William Langland is a mystery. There is very little known about the man who wrote the Middle English, alliterative poem known as Piers Plowman. I did gather that he was born in the West Midlands around 1330 and may have died in 1386 (William Langland). Though much not can be found on Langland’s life, one can infer that he had many different life experiences in which he may drawn from to write Piers Plowman (Calabrese 123).Whether one looks at the elegant trial of Lady Meed at the King’s court, to impoverished life lived on Piers Plowman’s half-acre. Also the narrator in Piers Plowman seems to indicate that Langland may have been exposed to a higher education (Calabrese 123). There are three different versions of Piers Plowman, known as the A-text, the B-text, and the C-text The A-text is the earliest and shortest of the three versions and is about 2,400 line s long (Greenblatt 297). The B-text is an revision of the A-text in which the original 2,400 lines are still there but turned into a 4,000 line piece of work.During my reading of the B-Text, I found that it was more poetic in its form (Greenblatt 297). What I also found was that the C-text was almost a full revision of the B-Text with not much more added. The A-text seemed to be written in 1370 while the B-text. The C-text may have been written in 1381 during the â€Å"Peasants Revolt of 1382† (William Langland). The opening lines let the reader know what to expect: a man named Will on a religious quest that is set in a dream-like, vision state. He wakes up in Field Full of Folk in the opening scene.It is quite obvious to the reader that Will is a very righteous man as he is described to be wearing â€Å"shroudes as [he] a sheep were, / In habite as an heremite unholy of werkes. † (line 124). This indicates that Will is in clothes made of sheepskin, a symbolic meaning to The Lamb (Calabrese 4). However, it could also make the reader conclude that he may also be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The uncertainty is loathsome. The reader might think, â€Å"Is he good or evil? Will he hurt or help? † (Calabrese 124).The phrase, â€Å"unholy of werkes† seems like Will could be evil, but by the end of the poem, we see that it meant that spiritually Will was only just a child and needed to mature. In continuation with this idea, in the prologue of Piers Plowman, Will is born metaphorically into his vision and faith. In the first passus, Will is confronted by a female named, Holy Church and becomes quickly engaged in learning how to be a good Christian (line 153). Holy Church represents a holy and pure church that is uncorrupted by man (Daegman 274).She is vital for teaching Will the basics of Christianity. I found that her presence was the best way to teach Will the holy and pure way to be a Christian untouched by the corrupt hands of man . She also teaches Will that the body and soul are in constant struggle for power. Holy Church explains that Will must find the balance between physical self and spiritual self lead by the soul; what may be good for one may not be good for the other(line 209). Will must learn at this point what moderation is. Moderation is a vital step of self-control and awareness in Piers Plowman.Will is now faced with a few new characters named, Kynde Wit, who tells him the way of common sense; Reason, who tells him what reason and moderation mean; and Truth expects Will he must be truthful in speech, work, and intent of the heart and soul (700-1235). Before Will could fully comprehend what Truth meant, he need to find out what truth is not: falsity or the character â€Å"Falseness†. After meeting with these characters Will had learned everything they could instill upon him. However, since Will is in a dream-like, vision state, he fears that he will not have the capability to make the righ t decision with his own free will.In his early education with Holy Church, she fails to explain what Falseness means for Will. However in the story of Lady Meed, concept is explained (line 1456- 1729), Lady Meed seems to be the bastard daughter of Falseness and about to be wed to Fals Fikel-tonge (line 1464). â€Å"Whore of Babylon in Revelation,† she is described as, with her magnificent scarlett, silk robes (1468). Lady Meed represents the corruptive influence of money, bribery, prostitution, and is found in every aspect of society. In this story of Lady Meed, she represents good use of money.However, since Lady Meed can be used by anyone, she often falls into the wrong hands and used for corrupt purposes. Lady Meed’s marriage to Fals Fikel-tonge is ceased by Theology, who pursues that the King is the one who should decide whom Lady Meed marries (1475). In the royal court, Lady Meed and her follower voyage off to London at the expense of men of legal authority. The K ing calls upon Conscience for his advice. At this point he swears he will have nothing to do with the evil, wickedness of Lady Mead and her fate is left to the courts (1509). With the advice of Concscience, the King decides to find out what kind of person Lady Mead is.The King decides that the best thing for Lady Mead was to marry Conscience to know where the line is drawn between right and wrong (1534). Though the King’s intentions were in good reason, Lady Mead was known to be easily corrupted. The King believed Conscience was the perfect mate to control Lady Mead and make her submissive to his good morals. However, Conscience explained to the King that this would not be possible because though his morals were pure and righteous, he would soon eventually be consumed by the power of Lady Mead (1547). Since Lady Mead can be easily used by anyone, she os quickly corrupted by those around her.She is accused of corrupting the pardoners who forgive the sins of the common (not of the clergy) people. As we recall back to Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Pardoners of this time were very ill-willed men who would only accept money and power to pardon the sins of people. This corruption is said to be the work by the hands of Lady Mead. In this part of Piers Plowman, It is the responsibility of the character Penance to steer Will away from the ill-will and corruption of Lady Mead’s influence on the pardoners’ business (1609). Before a marriage with Conscience, Lady Mead discusses her character.While she shows him all the wonderful aspects of her existence, Conscience reminds her of her malevolent ways (1613). It is clear to the King that Conscience is right, however the King is blinded by Lady Mead’s conveyed character of good will. At this point, the King orders Conscience to give her a kiss on the forehead, which is to signify there to be peace between the two characters (1645). However, Conscience would not give her a kiss of peace unless Reason was summoned to asses the pros and cons, essentially, of the situation (1647-49) . The King, a benevolent creature, decides to honor the request of Conscience and summon Reason.The King decides to bring Wrong to the court to defend Lady Mead and convince the King his ways are correct (1664-1672). He believes he should be allowed to bribe his way out of the charges of rape, murder, and theft. Reason snaps back at this and urges for hard punishment to be inflicted on Wrong. The King, swept up by all these testimonies, decides in favor of Reason and Conscience, whom were selected to be his counselors. Wrong is punished and the King’s eyes are now open to Lady Mead’s benevolent aspects. He is no longer naive. At this point, the King’s court has flourished since Conscience and Reason became his advisors.Holy Church explains to Will that Conscience and Reason are two things that every person has within them on some level. She also explains that th e King is not a character that is based on royal heritage. The King is a being that represents the challenges that every common man faces (Burrow 318). Explained even further in an article by J. A Burrow every man faces the challenges of Right and Wrong, and often seeks to find Conscience and Reason in their lives. At this point, the scene fades into the Field Full of Folk once again as Will wakes up and then falls asleep shortly after.Next, Will is confronted with the character of Reason who fashions the wardrobe of a clergymen. He urges Will to repent (2573). After urging Will to confess his sins, he brings out the Seven Deadly Sins. This section of the story where Reason speaks to each of the seven and teaches Will that if he lives with The Seven Deadly Sins in his life, he will never find salvation. The next section starts with the Will waking up briefly from the vision and reflecting on his experience so far. However, our dreamer, Will quickly falls back into his dream. In this next part of his holy vision quest, he enters upon the Feast of Patience ( 2798-2906).Seven people attend the Feast, Conscience, Clergy and his wife, Scripture, Patience, Will, and The Master of Divinity. The food was simple and elegant which was to show will what penance means (Burrow 319). Later in the poem,Will is though of as a fool (3015-3016). At this point of Will still being a foolish man, he is intorduced to Anima, who tells Will the importance of putting into action all that he has learned (3025-3120). Anima prepares Will for a vision of the Tree of Charity. In a vision conveyed to Will by Piers Plowman himself, a tree is an image of fallen humanity.Piers Plowman is said to be represented as Jesus (Burrow 320). There are three kinds of fruit: human souls of wedlock, widowhood, and virginity, and it is supported by three planks. The three planks have been explained to will as the Holy Trinity (Greenblatt 399). However the Tree being threatened by Covetise, who is the Fiend of Flesh. The tree represents the tree that bore the fruit of knowledge, much like the fruit referenced in Genesis. The tree contains knowledge that is not to be consumed by man. However, in this section of Piers Plowman, The Devil is pursuing Covetise to extract fruit from the tree for evil intentions.Toward the end of the poem, Will goes to mass on Easter Sunday and, during the middle of mass, falls asleep and dreams of Piers Plowman. Piers is identified this time as the eucharistic host at the moment of consecration during the Mass when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ (Greenblatt 399). The mystery of the Body and blood of Christ is mysterious to Will as he cannot understand at what point these common items become holy. The answer is conveyed appearance of Piers before the people. Will turns to Conscience for an explanation of the mystery.Conscience recalls the life of Jesus by explaining the sacrament. The miracle at Cana involves the changing of water int o wine, a type of wine turning into blood in the Eucharist. Thus, the Three Lives are put into the perspective of the ministry of Christ, and the message is clear: it is impossible to do well, do better, and do best without divine grace, and this grace is available to all through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and penance(Burrow 380) . If Dowel is the sacramental wine, Dobet is the eucharistic bread, as it is paralleled to the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Greenblatt 399).That Piers is granted the power of binding and unbinding sins reflects back upon the early association of Piers and the Good Priest (Daegman 7) . Piers is a variation of Peter, suggesting the apostle and first pope. Piers remains behind after the Ascension, and it is to him that Grace gives the four evangelists and the four church leaders (3321-3364). Piers is known to be Jesus Christ whom is a part of the eternal, divine Church. Noticeably, the forces of Pride wait to attack until Piers until he has featured once more at the end of Piers Plowman. By the end of the poem there are no good clergy. (Daegman 8).The Barn of Unity that Grace tells Piers to build is another image of the whole Christian community (3433-3457). However, since the Tree of Charity is under constant threat, so is the Barn of Unity. Covetise and Pride try to confuse Conscience with their so that he can not tell the difference between a Christian and a dark worshipper. Conscience advises the Christians to leave the area to find safely form the the malevolent qualities (3458-3465). Events turn dark for Will and is in need of consulting Need. It can be a humbling factor, but it can also be a convenient excuse for doing what one wants to do rather than what one ought to do.Will falls asleep after being reproached by Need and dreams of the coming of Antichrist. Conscience consults Kynde, Old Age, and Death. Though Will has become an old man, he manages to keep somewhat in good humor. His appearance has changed dra matically. He has become bald, deaf, toothless, and a bit incompetent due to his old age. During this last part of Piers Plowman, Will is confronted by the inevitable character named Death (3502- 3696). As Will’s time is coming to an end, he begs Kynde for him to spare him. Kynde advises Will learn what love is (3757) . This could be compared to what Holy Church told Will in the first section.Though Piers Plowman is a lengthy alliterative poem, it ends considerably curtly. Conscience vows to undertake another quest, this time to find Piers Plowman, and he calls upon Grace for help. Then the Dreamer simply wakes up and that is the end. I found that the ending lines of the poem had no emotion to it. I was not able to feel if Will felt like his total experience was positive or negative. Will’s attitude does seem to show the slightest bit of positivity as he learns to find what it means to be a Christian and learns the value of good morals. Piers Plowman is a series of jou rneys in a dream-like vision in search for answers.The narrator named Will goes from one higher authority to another. However, as the quests move along, the main point of the journey changes. The quest was originally to find how a Christian is expected to live, however, as time goes on it becomes about finding a way to do the best and be the best one can be (Daegman 273). When the poem finishes, Will is faced with yet another quest. this indicates to the reader that a Christian’s search for salvation is eternal (Daegman 273). Works Cited Burrow, J. A. The Ending Lines in Piers Plowman. Notes & Querles (2012). vol. 59 Issue 3, p 316-400. Academic Search Complete.Web. 9 Feb. 2013. Calabrese, Michael. Piers Plowman: A Parallel-Text Edition of The A,B,C, And Z Versions. Journal of English & Germanic Philogy. (2012): vol. 35 issue 12 127-130. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Deagman, Rachel. The Formations of Forgiveness in Piers Plowman. Journal of Medieval & Early Mo dern Studies (2010). vol. 40 issue 2 p. 273-97. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. â€Å"William Langland† Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Online Web. 27 Feb, 2013 Greenblatt, Stepehn. â€Å"William Langland:Piers Plowman† The Norton Anthology English Literature vol. A. New York 397- 408.