Mayan Economy Subsistence, Trade, and Social Classes

The Mayan economy, which is to say the subsistence and trade networks of the Classic Period Maya (ca 250–900 CE), was dependent to a large extent on the way the various centers interacted with each other and with the rural areas under their control. The Maya were never one organized civilization under one leader, they were a loose collection of independent city-states whose individual power waxed and waned. Much of that variation in power was the result of the changes in the economy, in particular, the exchange network that moved elite and ordinary goods around the region. Fast Facts: Mayan Economy Mayan farmers grew a wide variety of crops, primarily relying on corn, beans, and squash.  They raised and tended domestic dogs, turkeys, and stingless bees.  Significant water control systems included dams, aqueducts, and holding facilities.  Long-distance trade networks moved obsidian, macaws, textiles, marine shell, jade, and slaves throughout the region. The city-states are collectively designated Maya by and large because they shared a religion, architecture, economy, and political structure: today there are over twenty different Maya languages. Subsistence The subsistence methodology for people who lived in the Maya region during the Classic Period was primarily farming and had been since about 900 BCE. People in the rural areas lived in sedentary villages, relying heavily on a combination of domestic maize, beans, squash, and amaranth. Other plants domesticated or exploited by Maya farmers included cacao, avocado, and breadnut. Only a handful of domesticated animals were available to the Maya farmers, including dogs, turkeys, and stingless bees. Stingless bee pollinating a gourd flower. RyersonClark / iStock / Getty Images Plus Highland and Lowland Maya communities both had difficulties with obtaining and controlling water. Lowland sites like Tikal built immense water reservoirs to keep potable water available throughout the dry season; highland sites like Palenque built underground aqueducts to avoid frequent flooding of their plazas and residential areas. In some places, the Maya people used raised field agriculture, artificially raised platforms called chinampas, and in others, they relied on slash and burn agriculture. Maya architecture also varied. Regular houses in the rural Maya villages were typically organic pole buildings with thatched roofs. Classic period Maya urban residences more elaborate than rural ones, with stone building features, and higher percentages of decorated pottery. In addition, Maya cities were supplied with agricultural products from the rural areas—crops were grown in fields immediately adjoining the city, but supplements such as exotic and luxury goods were brought in as trade or tribute. Long-Distance Trade A young boy smiles as he holds a Scarlet Macaw by the wings to admire its plumage, Colombia, 2008. Wade Davis / Archive Photos / Getty Images The Maya engaged in long-distance trade, beginning at least as early as 2000-1500 BCE, but little is known about its organization. Trade connections are known to have been established between pre-classic Maya and people in Olmec towns and Teotihuacan. By about 1100 BCE, the raw material for goods such as obsidian, jade, marine shell, and magnetite was brought into the urban centers. There were periodic markets established in most of the Maya cities. The volume of trade varied over time--but much of what archaeologists use to identify a community that was hooked into the Maya sphere was the shared material goods and religion that were no doubt established and supported by the trade networks. Symbols and iconographic motifs depicted on highly crafted items like pottery and figurines were shared over a widespread area, along with ideas and religion. The interregional interaction was driven by the emergent chiefs and elites, who had greater access to specific classes of goods and information. Craft Specialization During the Classic period certain artisans, especially those makers of polychrome vases and carved stone monuments, produced their goods specifically for the elites, and their production and styles were controlled by those elites. Other Maya craft workers were independent of direct political control. For example, in the Lowland region, the production of everyday pottery and chipped stone tool manufacture took place in smaller communities and rural settings. Those materials were likely moved partly through market exchange and through non-commercialized kin-based trade. By 900 CE Chichà ©n Itzà ¡ had become the dominant capital with a larger region than any other Maya city center. Along with Chichà ©ns militaristic regional conquest and the extraction of tribute came a large increase in the number and variety of prestige goods flowing through the system. Many of the previously independent centers found themselves voluntarily or forcibly integrated into Chichà ©ns orbit. Post-classic trade during this period included cotton cloth and textiles, salt, honey and wax, slaves, cacao, precious metals, and macaw feathers. American archaeologist Traci Ardren and colleagues note that there is an explicit reference to gendered activities in the Late Post Classic imagery, suggesting that women played an enormous role in the Maya economy, particularly in spinning and weaving, and manta production. Maya Canoes   There is no doubt that increasingly sophisticated sailing technology impacted the amount of trade that moved along the Gulf Coast. Trade was moved along riverine routes, and Gulf Coast communities served as key intermediaries between the highlands and the Peten lowlands. Waterborne commerce was an ancient practice among the Maya, extending back to the Late Formative period; by the Post-classic they were using seagoing vessels that could carry much heavier loads than a simple canoe. During his 4th voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus reported that he met a canoe off the coast of Honduras. The canoe was as long as a galley and 2.5 meters (8 feet) wide; it held a crew of about 24 men, plus the captain and a number of women and children. The vessels cargo included cacao, metal products (bells and ornamental axes), pottery, cotton clothing, and wooden swords with inset obsidian (macuahuitl). Elite Classes and Social Stratification Maya economics were intimately tied to hierarchical classes. The social disparity in wealth and status separated the nobles from ordinary farmers, but only slaves were a sharply bounded social class. Craft specialists—artisans who specialized in making pottery or stone tools—and minor merchants were a loosely defined middle group that ranked below the aristocrats but above common farmers. In Maya society, slaves were made up of criminals and prisoners obtained during warfare. Most slaves performed domestic service or agricultural labor, but some became victims for sacrificial rituals. The men—and they were mostly men—who ruled the cities had sons whose family and lineage connections led them to continue family political careers. Younger sons who had no available offices to step into or were unsuited for political life turned to commerce or went into the priesthood. Selected Sources Aoyama, Kazuo. Preclassic and Classic Maya Interregional and Long-Distance Exchange: A Diachronic Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts from Ceibal, Guatemala. Latin American Antiquity 28.2 (2017): 213–31.Ardren, Traci, et al. Cloth Production and Economic Intensification in the Area Surrounding Chichen Itza. Latin American Antiquity 21.3 (2010): 274–89.  Glover, Jeffrey B., et al. Interregional Interaction in Terminal Classic Yucatan: Recent Obsidian and Ceramic Data from Vista Alegre, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 29.3 (2018): 475–94. Gunn, Joel D., et al. A Distribution Analysis of the Central Maya Lowlands Ecoinformation Network: Its Rises, Falls, and Changes. Ecology and Society 22.1 (2017).  Luzzadder-Beach, Sheryl, et al. Sky-Earth, Lake-Sea: Climate and Water in Maya History and Landscape. Antiquity 90.350 (2016): 426–42.  Masson, Marilyn A., and David A. Freidel. An Argument for Classic Era Maya Market Exchange. Journal of Anthropo logical Archaeology 31.4 (2012): 455–84.  Munro, Paul George, and Maria de Lourdes Melo Zurita. The Role of Cenotes in the Social History of Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula. Environment and History 17.4 (2011): 583–612.  Shaw, Leslie C. The Elusive Maya Marketplace: An Archaeological Consideration of the Evidence. Journal of Archaeological Research 20 (2012): 117–55.

The Story Of Araby By James Joyce - 1293 Words

Araby is a short story written by James Joyce. Who lived from 1882 to 1941. Quit Ireland at twenty and spend his life writing about Dublin, where he was born. The main character of this story is a young boy, who is portrayed by the first-person narrator, whose name and age is unknown. Probably his age would be about 11 to 14 years old. Also, the narrator lives with his aunt and uncle, and goes to school, which gives us an idea that he is unable to live by himself. This short story is basically about a young boy that going through his first infatuation. The story Araby has some kind of classical narrative. It has a feel in certain elements of an epic story. This is how the basic epic story goes. A hero leaves home and goes on a journey to unfamiliar place to find something or someone and then they come back home. This element’s is the boy’s journey to the bazaar. The first setting in the story comes in the beginning. The story opens with this line: â€Å"North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers School set the boys free.† Going back to the James Joyce biography, we know this that he also attended a Christian Brothers School. I can compare the events in the story to author’s life. As we already know from the chapter 48, Critical Approaches to Literature, that biography is a branch of history that can help reader to understand the meaning of the poem or a story through and to do this we need to understand an author’s lifeShow MoreRelatedJames Joyce s Araby - Interaction Of Story And Setting925 Words   |  4 PagesThe Interaction of Story and Setting in James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby†. The narrator of Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† is a young man who fell in love with Mangan’s sister. He always kept his distance and never really confronts her a nd expresses his love for her. The two didn’t want to approach each other because of shyness, nervousness, and afraid. The narrator did promise her that he will go to Dublin bazaar called â€Å"Araby† and buy something for her. This leads up to the porch where they met for the first and last timeRead MoreAraby and James Joyce1207 Words   |  5 PagesThe short story â€Å"Araby† is clearly identifiable as the work of James Joyce. His vocalized ambition of acquainting fellow Irish natives with the true temperament of his homeland is apparent throughout the story. Joyce’s painstakingly precise writing style can be observed throughout â€Å"Araby† as well. Roman Catholicism, which played a heavy role in Joyce’s life, also does so in the story which is another aspect which makes Joyce’s authorship of the story unmistakable. As a result of Irish heritage displayedRead MoreAraby, by James Joyce Essay942 Words   |  4 Pages The story, quot;Arabyquot; by James Joyce, is a short story about a young boys life and his quest to impress the young girl for whom he has feelings. The protagonists to the young boy, including the young girl, are the boys uncle, and the people at the Bazaar booth. The initial point of conflict occurs when the girl informs the boy that she cannot attend the bazaar, as she has every other year. quot;She could not go, she said, because there would be a retreat that week in her conventquot;Read MoreAraby-Postcolonial Interpretation Essay examples1504 Words   |  7 PagesARABY-POSTCOLONIAL INTERPRETATION In the short story of Araby, James Joyce attemps to expose many ideas and themes that places the setting of Araby in a postcolonial era. The narator describes the setting of NORTH RICHMOND STREET AS A BLIND, QUIET STREET, HAVING HOUSES WITH INPERTURBABLE FACES, This dull and dark description of the enviroment goes on throughout the story connecting this sombre setting Dublin with the mondane activities of the people. eg. (people doing their jobs, goingRead MoreThe Stages of Maturation in James Joyce’s Araby John Updikes AP from the Authors Perspective902 Words   |  4 PagesWhen comparing the views of both James Joyce and John Updike on maturation from adolescence to adulthood it will be important to continually compare two of their similar works in Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† and Updike’s â€Å"AP†. James Joyce and John Updike follow similar views with the latter using Joyce as a foundation and following in similar footsteps; both authors follow a process of maturation based on the allure of love, while doing it at different stages of each of the protagonists’ lives resulti ng in similarRead MoreThe Motivation for Anguish887 Words   |  4 Pages First romantic encounters by young boys are often wrought with many different emotions and illusions. In â€Å"Araby†, a portrayal of a young boy’s experience of romantic reality, the reader is witness to the narrator’s physical, emotional and chronological journey. The emotional reactions, anguish and anger, show the importance of the events in the young boy’s life. The deprecating word vanity is significant to the story’s theme, because while anguish and anger are emotional reactions, the admissionRead MoreThe Anonymous Storyteller By James Joyce932 Words   |  4 PagesIn James Joyce s Araby, the anonymous storyteller is charmed by the sister of his companion, Mangan. He plans to purchase a blessing for her at the Araby bazaar, which serves to him as a picture of getaway from the preventing environment of his neighborhood in Dublin. Through these characters and this setting, Joyce conveys the topic that in man s young optimism and his gullib le longing, he finds a restricting disillusionment, brought about by his adolescence and the constraints of his realityRead More`` Araby `` By James Joyce1315 Words   |  6 PagesThe short story â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce is a young boy who has such an infatuation for his friend Mangan sister, he begins to idolize her as if she was a saint. This is when the idea of love and desire come into play. He simply can’t stop thinking about her and sees her in a godly like way. As the story begins to unfold the realization that the young boy doesn t quite understand the concept of the illusion and the reality of what Mangan’s sister really means to him. The young boy realizes that hisRead MoreCharacter Analysis in Araby by James Joyce904 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of the Narrator in â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce While â€Å"growing up† is generally associated with age, the transition from adolescence to adulthood in particular comes with more subtlety, in the form of experience. James Joyce’s short story â€Å"Araby† describes the emotional rollercoaster of its protagonist and narrator - a young boy in love with his best friend’s sister - caused by the prospects of a potential future with his crush. The narrator of James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† is an innocent, emotionallyRead MoreJames Joyce s Araby And The Dead1176 Words   |  5 Pages James Joyce’s short stories â€Å"Araby† and â€Å"The Dead† both depict self-discovery as being defined by moments of epiphany. Both portray characters who experience similar emotions and who, at the ends of the stories, confront similarly harsh realities of self-discovery. In each of these stories, Joyce builds up to the moment of epiphany through a careful structure of events and emotions that leads both protagonists to a redefining moment of self-discovery. The main characters in both these stories

Prelude no 15 in Db major by Chopin Free Essays

The song Prelude no.15 by Chopin, also known as the raindrop prelude is written in ternary form, which means it’s an ABA structure. It’s structure unlike many other preludes has a very clear Ternary form structure with a coda at the end to finish the piece nicely. We will write a custom essay sample on Prelude no 15 in Db major by Chopin or any similar topic only for you Order Now Section A is written in Db, while section B is written enharmonically in C# minor. Although it is in Ternary form the piece can be split into 4 parts. The Coda, A, B, and A again. Melody and Rhythm Just like the name of the piece, Raindrop, throughout the piece sustained notes are used to act as the continuous raindrops falling. During the piece such as in the first bar, Chopin uses descending notes and arpeggio’s to represent falling raindrops. He also uses septuplets and turns to create similar effects. He changes to the relative minor and dominant keys to create variation within the melody. Tonality The Raindrop Prelude is written in Db major with 5 flats. Bb, Eb, Ab, Db and Gb. The piece is generally tonal and uses many different relative keys to create variation throughout the piece. Texture. Although the Raindrop Prelude is written and played on one piano the texture is generally quite thick throughout. Chopin, in the B section, uses a technique called doubling to create a powerful and a build up of the texture. This is where a note is played in octaves in both hands creating a more emotional feeling as well, as a feature of romantic music. The texture could be described as both polyphonic and homophonic as the melody above the pedaled notes is more complex but fits in with many of the sustained notes. Use of Piano. Because Prelude no. 15 is written for piano Chopin uses the abilities of the piano very well to create variation among sections. For example, in section B the melody is played in the Left hand rather than the Right which created a low forceful and powerful sound. Also by using pedaled notes in both the harmony and melody the sound of the piano created the feel of raindrops. Chopin also wrote Prelude no. 15 because many pieces of music were created for the piano in the Romantic era as the instrument was developed and made bigger which enables it to create Cantabile sounds and sustained slurs with pedals. Also piano’s were now able to make larger ranges of dynamics, articulation and pitches because of the use of hammers on strings and the extension of octaves. How to cite Prelude no 15 in Db major by Chopin, Essay examples

Hero Essay Research Paper Hero one who free essay sample

Hero Essay, Research Paper Hero: 1 who goes beyond the call of responsibility, acts sagely under force per unit area, put on the line their life, luck, or repute, and title-holders a good cause. These definitions all fit that of a hero # 8217 ; s. However, in my sentiment, a individual most decidedly does non necessitate to make everything listed above to measure up as a hero. As I see it, the three makings of a hero are bravery, forfeit, and leading. A definite mark of a hero is bravery. One who does non huddle in the face of danger is frequently given this rubric. Television show, film, and cartoon-type bravery is what many people think of when it comes to courage. However, I realize that true bravery does non hold to be of heroic proportions as histrions portray. My ideal hero demands to hold the sort of bravery to be successful in their life. We will write a custom essay sample on Hero Essay Research Paper Hero one who or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He or she would do of import determinations that affect their personal lives, their household # 8217 ; s, and others # 8217 ; lives, even when it is an highly difficult determination to do. They would stand up to unfairness, even if it merely affected a little choice figure of people. For illustration, their foreman at work has been doing inappropriate progresss toward several employees. My ideal hero would hold the bravery to inform their foreman that he/she needs to halt or they will describe them to a higher superior executive or the # 8220 ; proper # 8221 ; governments. Risking one # 8217 ; s calling in order to do colleagues discomfort disappear is an illustration of true bravery. This is what my theoretical account hero would possess the ability to make. The willingness to give up something of value for the better of another individual is besides a quality of a hero. The familiar term for this thought is sacrifice. The type of individual whom forfeits is typically really loving and compassionate. There are those whom make forfeits wholly unwillingly, and stop up repenting the workss they have done. Peoples like this are typically selfish, and do non run into the criterions of my idealistic hero. My hero or heroine would be the type of individual who sees sacrifce as a good thing. Nuns, monastics, and priests are typical illustrations. They would necessitate to believe in the thought that â€Å"to spring is better than to receive† . For illustration, the few work forces who, on September 11, 2001 caused the high jacked plane heading for the Capitol edifice to land in a abandoned field in Pennsylvania. They sacrificed their lives so that those people in the Capitol would endure a petroleum and prematurely decease. Even though they were traveling to decease either manner, they cut their life short by doing the make bolding moves to try to recapture the plane. Those heroes made the ultimate forfeit to salvage the lives of the guiltless people working in the Capitol edifice. Another trait belonging to a hero is that of leading. The ability to supply counsel and advocate in a clip of crisis, whether big or little, is a trait all heroes bear. Whether the individual is an armed forces general, commanding officer, etc. or merely a school counsellor, they are all heroes in their ain respective. Despite their evidently immense differences, they are both championed by communities of all sizes. Personally, I do non care much about the # 8220 ; macho adult male # 8221 ; war heroes. My assortment of hero is more of one whom leads civil rights motions, leads an expedition into the great unknown that is Outer Space, or leads their state in a clip of catastrophe. For case, our current President, George Bush, Jr. , is making a fabulous occupation of steering our state after the onslaughts on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Despite that war with the terrorists is inevitable, he has calmed the state and created a sense of integrity throughout all 50 provinces . Under his leading, the American populace has been convinced that everything will be O.K. . Bush # 8217 ; s direction of our state # 8217 ; s catastrophe, shows how my ideal hero # 8217 ; s leading qualities could be exercised. Courage, forfeit, and leading are standards which my greatest hero would possess. Superhero-like properties and achievements are unrealistic. Therefore, I realize that a individual who contains all of my idealistic qualities is genuinely person particular. Despite that they may non move heroic all the clip, my hero would move when he or she is needed.

102 Monsters and Revision Professor Ramos Blog

102 Monsters and Revision Evaluation Examples Quick Write What is your grade or judgment of the monster? Whats the final verdict? Evaluation Examples Cyclopes Werewolf Vampire Macbeth Monster Rubric Critical Thinking Clarity of Thought Analysis and Thesis Images and Title MLA and Revision: American Idol Offer three separate critiques of points or paragraphs. Critical. Be direct or decisive on what was good or bad in the evaluation. Generous. Be generous and/or emotional in your reading and comments. Constructive. Offer evenhanded constructive feedback. Connecting Issues to Monsters Think of a contemporary issue we have been struggling with as a society. Keep in mind the monster theory we have been working with to understand culture. In small groups, draw a monster that connects with or represents a current social issue. Add a caption or some text to give the drawing some context.

Sandras Fantasy Professor Ramos Blog

Sandras Fantasy Many artists use their personal lives and experiences they face in order to draw inspiration as well as create art that can only come from within. In the story Never marry a mexican it follows the character Clemencia a young student who falls in love with her teacher who is married yet it leads to a darker turn. When she starts to feel the power she has from within herself to control different aspects in his life and soon starts to obsess over this new found energy. However to the people who have analyzed this character all seem to have the same answer as to why it may be that Clemencia is the way she is. Yet it is never brought up how the author herself can have a direct tie in with the character development placing some of her personal life experiences that are escalated into a dark creative art piece. In this we explain how Sandra Cisneros creative ability to develop this character by not only adding in her our life but in helping us understand the bigger picture of real life prob lems that are presented in a beautiful piece of art. In order to truly understand why Clemencia is the way she is we have to look at the author herself to get a full understanding of why she made this character the way she is. Besides just an author Cisneros dabbles in many different forms of work from poetry, activism, and painting. These play an important part as certain aspects of her life leak into her stories and Clemencia herself. One example of this is from a section of the book in which the author says â€Å"I admit, there was a time when all I wanted was to belong to a man. To wear that gold band on my left hand and be worn on his arm like an expensive jewel brilliant in the light of day.† (Cisneros51). This plays a very crucial role due to the fact the in real life Sandra is not married nor does she have any romantic relationships and appears she would rather be alone. With that being said Sandra may not want a relationship in real life just as the character does not as well in the story but she turns it into a more in teresting read by making it so that Clemica is an over exaggerated version of herself. This opening scene is just one of the many that Cisneros continues to show this fantasy version of herself. Now in the story the author could have chosen any occupation for the young Clemencia to be but she plays out the character to be a substitute teacher who has a strong passion for art. In one scene she talks about how she loves to paint day and night as well as considers the jobs to be compared to prositutuion. She also mentions in that sense that rich people love her creativity and buy their artwork at her exhibitions. It even states in one article that â€Å"Now, the coming-of-age novel – an important contribution to Chicana feminist literature – has also inspired an art exhibit at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque†.(Gonzalez, Carolina Dalia,remeclza.com) . To further help you understand this its almost as Sandra is giving us the more relatable things about herself before driving into the more darker and fictional side side of her. Furthermore Clemencia goes on to talk about buying an apartment with her sister as well as it states in the book that â€Å"Im a person who doesnt belong to any class†.(cisneros55) . As I said prior the author is very well known author and is also recognized for her arts. This shows a direct simile to the character clemencia shes not rich nor poor which in my interpetions means that both the author and the character both share traits of being an artist as well as living very simple kickback life styles . To further back up this claim it also good to note that Cisneros has the funds to be able to live a very fancy lifestyle but just like the book she decides not to and would rather spend her time in her house in mexico.(â€Å"Sandra Cisneros.† Sandra Cisneros, sandracisneros.com/0.) With her involvement in activities sandra is also known to be a femminist which means she believes in equal rights for women so that men and women are on the same level. Thought the stories in her book they all seem to start with a very young girl being taken advantage of or treated horribly by the men in their lives. Now relating back to the story Clemencia appears to have power over Drew and her ability to make him do whatever she feels free too. This could have a big connection to Cisneros personal live in which in her real life she feels women are still dominated in a mans world and the story is her own way of expressing that anger. In order to drive the nail in the coffin there is a statistic of womens labor force in 2024 for hispanc women and it states that in 2024 there will only be 8.4 percent of hispacinc women in the labor force.(U.S Department of Labor.gov). With shocking statistics like that we could see why she would use her stories as a way to vent and get the challeng ing frustration of the problems women face on a daily basis. Through Clemica she is able to fantasize aspects of the women dominating the mans life and even in the process destroying other womens lives. They say art is a replication of life in which we like to use our personal lives and experiences to create art thats different than another. Thats what makes art so beautiful everyone has a different interpretation on it and brings people together to further discuss it. Now the majority of people will say that its just a fictional story and its just the authors way of entertaining the people while telling the truth. While yes I do believe to some extent it does have some entertainment aspect but more so of the author telling us her experience through means of creative storytelling and eventually coming to a life lesson. Regardless artists have inspiration and to me there is always some truth in all fiction. Works cited â€Å"U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.† Women of Working Age, Data and Stats, Womens Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, dol.gov/wb/stats/NEWSTATS/latest/demographics.htm#EduLF. Gonzalez, Carolina Dalia. â€Å"Sandra Cisneros Classic Chicana Novel The House on Mango Street Inspired This Art Exhibit.† Remezcla, remezcla.com/lists/culture/sandra-cisneros-the-house-on-mango-street-exhibit/. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. Paw Prints, 2008. â€Å"Sandra Cisneros.† Sandra Cisneros, sandracisneros.com/.

Drug Dilemmas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drug Dilemmas - Essay Example Unfortunately, in a free market economy such as the United States, nothing can be done about it, except by government intervention through price regulation. Considering what Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, said about how pharmaceutical companies spend enormous resources in developing "me-too" drugs simply to get a share of the market of a top-selling drug, there is reason to believe that U.S. drug prices do not reflect the operation of a fair and competitive market, rather, the pharmaceutical companies have somewhat cartelized themselves resulting in a monopoly of the drug pricing. 2. Given the nature of their product, do pharmaceutical companies have ethical responsibilities that other corporations don't have In your view, are the large U.S. drug companies good corporate citizens According to the Case Resource, many drug companies enjoy larger profit margins than other U.S. corporations. At the very least, and considering the nature of their product, this writer believes that pharmaceutical companies should take on the ethical responsibility of reasonably pricing their products, at least at the level of most corporations. It would be more ethical of course, for pharmaceutical companies to reduce their profit margins in order to make their drugs more available to a greater number of people. After all, the mission and vision of most drug companies is to "lead the way to a healthier world by providing products that improve lives" (Wyeth, 2008), or "we are here for the people we serve in their pursuit of healthy lives" (Abbott, 2008). However, in terms of corporate citizenship, drug companies would be thought of as good corporate citizens especially if they pay the government the correct taxes from all the revenues and profits they make. 3. Are the large drug companies guilty of price gouging or charging an unfair or exploitative price for their products In general, what factors should determine the price of drugs Should Americans be permitted to import drugs from Canada or other countries Whether or not large drug companies are guilty of price gouging or charging an unfair or exploitative price for their products is highly debatable. On the one hand, if the drug company sets its price at a profit level well beyond regular profitability standards for U.S. corporations, then the company would be guilty of price gouging. However, to determine such profit level, various factors would need to be taken into account and some of these factors may not be existent in other corporations, such as costs of compliance with government regulations considering that such regulations may be stricter in the health industry than in other industries. In general, factors that determine the price of drugs would be production costs, distribution costs, marketing costs, administration costs and other overhead costs such as R&D. This writer believes that Americans should be permitted to import drugs from Canada or other countries for that matter. If the cost of imported drugs is less expensive than U.S.-manufactured drugs, this would be very beneficial to Americans. Moreover, it would provide a natural check and balance for the pricing practices of the U.S. drug companies. 4. Do drug companies have an obligation to make new drugs available to patients who were involved in their development, either here or overseas