Internationalization in general and the internationalization of Essay

Internationalization in general and the internationalization of Universities in particular - Essay Example Both will continue, with firms increasing globalisation by responding to changing macro and operational markets to increase both efficiency and profits. The primary globalisation drivers are the loss of barriers between nations, allowing new trading relationships to develop and change driven by technology. During the early stages of globalisation, companies actively made the decision to globalise, and did so in small steps. It is now assumed that all firms will globalise unless they have a good reason not to (Yip, 2001, p.358). One of the main reasons for globalising, is the increasing rate of change in technology, especially the Internet. Even the smallest organisation can trade globally as long as they have an appropriate web site and can set up the appropriate supply chain for delivery to the customers. Yip also identified three main forms of multinational companies (MNCs): internationalist, federalist and global maximiser (ibid, pp.359-362). The federalist is the traditional MNC. The global maximiser uses pure strategy when formulating growth plans. For an SME deciding to internationalise, the internationalist strategy appears most suitable. An internationalist strategy is used by a company with a secure position within its home market/nation. Foreign activities are opportunistic rather than strategically planned and intended. The test, according to Yip, is whether or not the company could survive purely on the revenue and profit streams of the domestic business (ibid, p.359). This would also be an appropriate approach for a university seeking to expand overseas for the first time, although the use of the Internet and well-constructed, culturally appropriate learning materials with well-trained teaching staff might negate the need to physically expand overseas at all. Kaarna (2010) makes use of the internationalisation framework when considering whether â€Å"different theories for explaining the accelerated internationalisation† (p.556). He found, a s part of his initial investigations, other researchers’ work, undertaken in 2000-2003, identified two ways that enterprises attained international status by either starting as a global company or using multiple market entry modes simultaneously (ibid). Surprisingly he also identifies a study that found the use of theoretical models in peer-reviewed articles was evident in only 18% of them (32 out of 179 papers) (ibid, p.557). His research revealed that, despite its age, the internationalisation framework still held, some 34 years since its identification by Johnson and Vahlne in 1977 (ibid, p.560), although it is qualified by indicating that some of the underlying assumptions had changed, with new ideas being added based on other theories and models which, Kaarna claims, have enhanced â€Å"the understanding of [the] accelerated internationalisation phenomenon† (ibid). Other aspects affecting the increasing extent and pace of globalisation, are increasing amounts of i nvestment from companies seeking to set up operations in different countries. Restrictions are being reduced and/or removed to facilitate this, increasing the abilities of nations to import and export required goods and services (Hill, 2011, pp.12-13). Trade barriers have also been progressively reduced, although there are often threats of imposing tariffs and quotas when nations disagree with policies and approaches of other nations, resulting

Competition vs. monopoly Essay Example for Free

Competition vs. monopoly Essay 1. Analyze the fast food industry from the point of view of perfect competition. Include the concepts of elasticity, utility, costs, and market structure to explain the prices charged by fast food retailers. Firms within the fast food industry fall under the market structure of perfect competition. Market structure is a classification system for the key traits of a market. The characteristics of perfect competition include: large number of buyers and sellers, easy entry to and exit from the market, homogeneous products, and the firm is the price taker. Many fast food franchises fit all or most of these characteristics. Competition within the industry as well as market supply and demand conditions set the price of products sold. For example, when Wendys introduced its $. 99 value menu, several other companies implemented the same type of changes to their menu. The demand for items on Wendys value menu was so high because they were offering the same products as always, but at a discounted price. This change in market demand basically forced Wendys competition to lower prices of items on their menu, in order to maintain their share of the market. The previous example illustrates the elasticity of the fast food industry. Supply and demand set the equilibrium price for goods offered by franchises within the industry. Competitors of Wendys must accept the prices established by the consumer demand for the value menu. If consumers didnt respond so positively to Wendys changes, other firms wouldnt have had to adjust prices. On the flip side of this concept, there is no need for franchises to further reduce prices below the current levels. At the current prices, firms may sell as much product as they want, thereby maximizing profits. This industry has a very high utility value. Utility is a measure of satisfaction or pleasure that is obtained from consuming a good or service. If consumers feel as if they get a good meal, at a good price, then theyre satisfied. This customer satisfaction coupled with relatively low prices keeps the industry profitable. Another quality of perfect competition that may be overlooked, but is vital to this industry is the ease of entry into the market. Start-up franchises within this market structure can begin operating with relatively low initial investments (compared to other industries). This is not the case where monopolies are concerned. There are numerous barriers to entry into monopolistic market structures, capital being one of the most prominent barriers. If a new franchise an offer the consumer a quality product at a reduced price, then the chances of success are greatly increased. For example, Chanellos and Little Caesars offer discounted pizza prices, and maintain the same quality as other pizza chains. These companies spend less on advertising and more on the actual product. Thats a very important concept in this industry, because their quality product at this discounted price gives them a niche in the market. Once a company establishes a niche, they become more visible to the consumer, thereby creating more demand, which leads to greater revenue. 2. Analyze sports franchises from the point of view of a monopoly. Sports franchises fall within the market structure of monopolies. Most professional sports teams fit most or all of the characteristics of a monopoly. For each sport, there are a limited number of teams and new entries into the league are few and far between. Also, there are many barriers to entry into the market, including large initial capital investment, dominance by one or few firms, and other legal issues that must be considered. An investor would initially need cash for payroll of players, payroll for management, advertising, playing facility, and many other miscellaneous costs. The new franchise owner would need to be very wealthy and have the backing of other wealthy individuals just to purchase the franchise. Once a franchise eventually enters the market, they have the ability to set the prices for that particular market. Monopolies are price makers and the products offered are not sensitive to changes in the market. The demand curve of a monopoly is not elastic, as is such in a perfectly competitive market. The monopolistic demand curve is the same as the curve for the industry since there is only one firm within the industry. This allows the franchise owner to maximize profits by setting the price of tickets and concessions at an amount that creates the most revenue. Consumers will pay the price, if they want to attend a particular sporting event, no matter how outrageous the price. This price setting is allowable, because unlike perfect competition, there are no substitutes. Cities may have two or three teams of different types of sports (i. e. baseball, hockey, football), but few cities have more than one professional team of the same sport. Sports franchises, although theyre monopolies are not all bad. These teams bring million and millions of dollars in revenue to the city in which theyre located. First of all, jobs are created in the construction of the sports facility. Then there is revenue to the city from taxes, consumer spending at hotels and restaurants, tourist visits and numerous other avenues. Sports franchises are similar to the fast food industry in the respect that they also have a very high utility value. Fans are pleased when they witness a very competitive, hard fought sporting event, and they are willing to pay to do so. Just look at the price of Super Bowl or NBA finals tickets. Spectators pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars to witness these events year in and year out. As long as the teams are competitive and there are superstar players, consumers will continue to watch and attend events regardless of the price.

How To Get Married And Stay Married To The Perfect Mate!! :: essays research papers

How To Get Married and Stay Married To The Perfect Mate!! This book will talk about the ways and theories of how to stay married one you are married. It will cover stuff like communication, similarity, physical attractiveness, similarity, balance and equity theory, and proximity. Communication is important in relationships. I will cover the aspects of non-verbal and verbal communications. In the book I will convey the differences in the way men and woman think and this will help give a better understanding of each other and will in turn allow them to work out their problems effectively... Another aspect I will talk about is the reinforcement theory. This theory talks about the fact that you will like someone who positively reinforces you. I will talk about how this theory can be used in marriages to keep couple closer together, keeping them liking each other. In my book, I will also talk about the balance theory. The balance theory is the notion that people have the same negative and positive ways of thinking.. When this is not so, you have an imbalance which can disrupt a relationship. I will talk about how a couple can use the balance theory to make sure that they will be happy. Another theory I will talk about is the equity theory. This theory dictates that people will be more attracted to someone that they have a fair relationship with. It states that we will be happier with a person who takes as much as they give to us. Over a long term relationship, like marriage, this is important because both husband and wife feel that they are approximately equal. In my book I will talk about how to use this theory to makes sure that both couples get the same out of the relationship. I will also talk about proximity in my book. Proximity talks about being near to your partner. It is important because if one partner is away all the time, the couple will not become as close. I will deal with the aspect of how to stay in close proximity with your partner and this will lead to a closer relationship between the two. It is also important to start a relationship with someone who is near to you because this will allow the relationship to better develop itself. Also, there must be similarity between the couples. In my book I will talk about finding someone who has similar interests and traits. When two people are similar, the more likely they are to be attracted to each other and the more likely they are to be happy while they are dating and when they are

Linux Security Technologies Essay

In a world so largely dependent on computer systems, inadequate security measures could lead to anything from having a single person’s financial information compromised to an electronic 9/11 against some of our country’s most secure federal computer networks. In the modern computer based society we live in, security is essential to protecting everything from personal desktops all the way up to the most secure federal databases. And many corporate and government level computers are based on the Linux kernel. SELinux has 3 states it can be in if on a system: Enabled, Disabled, and Permissive. Enforcing means SELinux security policy is active, Disabled means SELinux security policy is not active, and Permissive is a diagnostic state commonly used for troubleshooting. To better understand what improvements Mandatory Access Control (MAC) can provide for security, one needs to know about the standard Linux security provision called Discretionary Access Control (DAC). DAC, though it is still a form of security, only provides minimal protection to a Linux file system. With DAC, access to files merely requires needed permissions from the owner of the file to access (commonly referred to as file permissions), often requiring a password to open. A basic weakness of DAC is not being able to fundamentally differentiate between human users and computer programs. And with so many systems often having such large numbers of users, it only takes hackers accessing a single user’s account to have access to any and all of the files they have permissions for. If the compromised user account were to have super-user (root) access, the hacker could then gain access to an entire file system. This became the basis for coming up with a more secure way of protecting wrongful access into standard Linux based systems. SELinux utilizing MAC, on the other hand, was created to address this very weakness that DAC has as the standard Linux security. The way MAC helps improve overall security of SELinux is by providing what is called granular permissions for every subject (user, program, process) and object (file, device). In other words, through MAC, you only grant any subject the specific object or objects required to perform a specific function, and no more. Compared to DAC, security is more compartmentalized and has more layers of protection. Hence, SELinux provides a much more secure environment than the original Linux security features alone can. Another feature providing further security for a network is TCP Wrappers. TCP Wrappers work by controlling access through the utilization of IP addresses. In Linux, this is accomplished through 2 specific files that need to be created. The first file, hosts. deny, is a file listing names of hosts that are to be denied access to the network. The second file, hosts. allow is a file listing the names of hosts that are allowed access to the same network. The absence of theses 2 files, would allow the entire Internet access to network services, severely lowering the security of a host. This lowers a system being compromised through a sort of â€Å"gate guard with an access list† policy. If your name appears on the list, you gain access; if it’s not, you don’t. Creating an artificial root directory is yet another way to provide security for Linux systems, and is commonly referred to as a chroot jail. This prevents accessing or modifying, possibly maliciously, any file outside the directory hierarchy. The command required to create a chroot jail is /usr/sbin/chroot. Note, you must be working as root inside the Linux shell to do this. By creating a chroot jail, it prevents users from navigating up the hierarchy as high as possibly â€Å"/† (root). Even if the user did not have permissions required to edit higher directories, they may still be able to see files they don’t have any reason to have any access to. Chroot can be useful for providing basic preventative security by making it more difficult to exploit information on a server. But, by limiting user access in this way, if a user account were ever hacked, it still provides yet another layer of security by limiting the amount of access each user account has to begin with. It is important to understand that you must run a program in chroot jail as a user other than root (/). This is because root can break out of jail, making the chroot jail not provide the security it is intended to against unwanted access. Setting up iptables is another form of network security in Linux. They allow for setting up a firewall on the network. Iptables allow for network packet filtering rules. The use of iptables function allows rules to be set up that can reject inbound packets opening new connections and accept inbound packets that are responses to locally initiated connections. This basic feature therefore acts as a firewall to the system, preventing unwanted outside attempts to hack into a host network. In conclusion, with the technological direction of our future apparent, security technologies will be a continuing issue that will never stop making further advances. After all, the financial, physical, and ideological future of our country, and people as a whole, cannot afford to do otherwise. As our children, and children’s children, begin to take the reins of this electronically motivated world, computer security technologies will continue to be an important issue as long as we continue as a society. References: * http://www. omnisecu. om/gnu-linux/redhat-certified-engineer-rhce/what-is-security-enhanced-linux-selinux. htm * http://fedoraproject. org/wiki/SELinux_FAQ * http://www. nsa. gov/research/_files/selinux/papers/x/img3. shtml * http://docs. redhat. com/docs/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/4/html/SELinux_Guide/selg-preface-0011. html * http://docs. fedoraproject. org/en-US/Fedora/13/html/SELinux_FAQ/ * http://www. bu. edu/tech/security/firewalls/host/tcpwrappers_macos x/ * http://www. serverschool. com/dedicated-servers/what-is-a-chroot-jail/ * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Chroot

Frankenstein †1931 and 1997 Essay

Horror genre, sympathy for Frankenstein’s creation and suspense Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly wrote ‘Frankenstein’ in 1818. She was only 19 at the time. She had a unique upbringing as her mother was a radical feminist and her father was a politician. She then went on to marry Percy Bysshe Shelly who was a poet and helped her to write some of her book. Shelly’s book was thought to be the first horror/science fiction novel. There have been a number of productions of Shelly’s novel on stage and in 1931 there was a black and white movie about it, directed by James Whale. Then in 1997, Kenneth Branagh did his own production of the well-known novel. Scenes showing typical horror genre, sympathy for Frankenstein’s creature and scenes that create suspense are commonly found in the two movies of Frankenstein. The directors have used different media techniques to portray the movie in the way they want it to be viewed and interpreted by their choice of music, camera angles, special effects, editing, costumes, make-up, location and settings. The use of mise-en-scene is also important because if the things in the background don’t match what’s being acted the movie becomes unbelievable. Allowances like sound, colour and a few other things have to be made for the older versions of ‘Frankenstein’ because the technology in the days it was made were very limited. By studying the birth scenes in both versions, the techniques used to create horror, drama and suspense and sympathy for the creature can be analysed. There are some similarities in both movies and some differences. First of all I’ll explain the similarities and then the differences. In the Whale and Branagh versions both use low-key lighting to create a dark and spooky feeling. This is typical of horror movies and it can also create suspense because the audience can’t tell what is around the corners. This creates suspicion, worry and uncertainty. It is also used because it connects with people’s fear of the dark. It is common to find bad weather in horror movies and this is evident in both of the ‘Frankenstein’ movies. It is used just before and at the same time of the births. Whale and Branagh have used this technique because it gives a cold feeling and it gives credibility to what is happening in the foreground because the lighting, electricity is needed to make Frankenstein’s monster come alive. The locations of the births are quite typical too. In the Whale version it’s in a castle on top of a hill. Like ‘House on haunted hill’ and it looks creepy and somewhere you would want to be. In the Branagh version it’s more like hell with cauldrons, heat and sweat. It reminds me of a witch brewing an evil poison. Both places for the birth are effective in creating a ‘horror’ atmosphere but the second choice is less obvious. Non-diegetic, parallel fast background music can be heard in the birth scene in Branagh’s version and this creates suspense because it gets peoples adrenalin going. But it is typically found in horror movies for this reason in particular. In the Whale version there is no music but this could be because of how old the movie is and it was hard to sequence the music with the scenes. In the Branagh version of ‘Frankenstein’ one of the best ways sympathy is created for the creature is by the way he is presented to the audience. He looks almost human but has scars all over his face and body. It looks like someone who has been hurt badly and we feel sorry for him. On the other hand in the Whale version though it’s harder to feel sorry for Frankenstein’s monster because he looks less human and it’s harder to connect to him emotionally. In the Whale version ‘Frankenstein’ is wearing a lab coat and his hair is gelled back. He looks more professional and like a proper doctor. This makes us feel sorry for Frankenstein’s creation because it shows that Frankenstein just sees him as an experiment and not as a human being with feelings. Whereas in the Branagh version he looks more wild and rough looking. This gives us the feeling he does care about the outcome of the monster because he has been so busy trying to make the monster alive that he has forgotten about himself and when he thinks the monster is dead he goes â€Å"No, No, No†, implying that he is saddened that it didn’t work. In Branagh’s version of ‘Frankenstein’ you feel sympathetic with the monster when he is born, as he is naked, clumsy, and unable to walk. Amniotic fluid is everywhere and we watch Frankenstein’s monster slide and slip about. He appears vulnerable, like a baby. He can’t control what he’s doing and Frankenstein has to help him. This makes us pity him. This contradicts with the Whale version as we don’t get to see the monster moving about, trying to touch or walk in the birth scene so we don’t feel for him as much as he is still covered up and still practically lifeless.

Should Religion be in education Professor Ramos Blog

Should Religion be in education Growing up in today’s society kids have a lack of knowledge of the controversial topic that the world deals with on a daily basis. Religion is such a huge part of the different cultures around the world that it should be acceptable to inform students on what goes on in other areas of life. Many people believe that by hiding this topic it helps keep the peace in society, but it doesn’t. It’s like shoving dust under a rug, it’s still there. Being able to teach religion in schools can educate and influence kids to have an open mind that can affect their lives in a positive way. Students in todays society fail to understand the effect religion has in todays world. In the article â€Å"Why kids must learn about Religion much earlier† by Linda K.Wertheimer she explains, â€Å"The cost of not teaching children earlier about different faiths has too big of a price. As they grow, children carry on ignorance and bias opinions they hear elsewhere.† Religion plays a huge role in the way people act towards each other. Kids need to understand the affect it has on other peoples lives. Having a knowledge about other religions can help students when it comes to stepping out in the â€Å"real† world. They wont’t be so naive on what’s going on around them.   In this article it explains how during a basketball play off game fans from a Catholic school started to shout â€Å"you killed Jesus† to the opposing side who were Jewish. We are not born hating those who are different, we are taught that. Using religion as a core knowledge can educate students by using simple lessons to stop the hate because of the lack of understanding. There is a difference between teaching and preaching. It’s not to convey ones religion upon another but to have an understanding of the difference of opinions around the world. It can teach others to be better communicators by coming to others with an understanding heart. Hate divides but love unites. One thing we should consider is the evidence in some cases, that religion can help lower depression. This is not to say it is the cure for depression, but some people find it helpful. â€Å"First, the data generally reveals that greater involvement in religion is associated with less depression†(Hummer).   Depression and Suicide is a current problem the world is facing today. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. Each year around 44,965 Americans die of suicide. Maybe its time we reach out and find ways to lower these rates. If Religion can inform others to feel a sense of meaning and purpose maybe its time we bring it to light in education. Some will argue that religion doesn’t have a place in school. The first amendment proclaims there should be separation between church and state.   However, teaching religion is not a practice to persuade anyones belief, or to practice ones religion. Its simply is a way to educate students about the different diversities around the world. Wertheimer, â€Å"Religion does have a place in school: as a part of lessons meant to show various religions’ place in history as well as their similarities and differences.† Sometimes people are afraid to talk about religion because they believe it can be more harm than good but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still such a vital element in the world.   Not talking about this controversial topic, causes people to be sensitive and offended when it gets brought up in conversation. As a result, if schools were to teach religion it wouldn’t be as sensitive of a topic to bring up. People are often offended because of an arrogant attitude towards something they don’t understand or necessarily believe. At the end of the day, some religions teach morality. Which can help students react and respond in certain situations in their life that can be beneficial in a positive way. Students who study religion are more trained in the skills associated with data gathering and direct observation. Most professions want people with skills such as, gathering data, organizing, understanding, and presenting. When we study religion we are actually studying people and their many perspectives. Which is a vital importance when a job requires relating to others, reaching out, building bridges, or incorporating many perspectives at once. We live in a world that is full of violence. â€Å"Many scholars now acknowledge the link between religion and crime reduction†(Johnson). Everyday hate crime increases because people are so lost and confused. Mclauglin states, â€Å"If educators encourage students to understand and respect people of different religious beliefs, it will immensely help lower the percentage of these hate crimes. Without teaching religion in schools some children feel that crime is acceptable, along with acting out because they aren’t taught any better.† People can become so closed minded due to the fact they are simply naive about the way others view life. By teaching religion it can broadens someones way of thinking towards others and possibly put into perspective of the value of another ones life. We all matter in this world and we live for a purpose. People need to understand the value and morality of life. Students have the right of religion expression. So what makes it okay to shut something out that is evidently going on around the world? â€Å"Greater knowledge, not less, is the path to peace on Earth† (Ellis). Overall, religion is powerful, persistent, and it shows no signs of disappearing. In teaching religion in schools ultimately does more good than harm, it causes students to have an understanding and knowledge of one of the worlds biggest dilemmas that has been dealt with for years. Students will have a greater knowledge of important information that is faced in life. It teaches students to respect others that may think differently then them. It benefits them to acknowledge people can’t force others to change. Religion has been shown to lower depression and suicidal rates.   It shows that by ones heart towards another can make a difference on how others react and respond. It teaches morality and value of ones life, which can help lower crime rates. We live in a world that will always battle with this topic but the more we talk about it, the more it will become less offensive. People need to be exposed to the reality we live in and be aware on what is going on around the worl d to better help their growth in this life. Religion is an intensely curious phenomenon that calls out for better understanding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BIBLIOGRAPHY Linda K. Wertheimer. â€Å"Why kids learn about Religion much earlier,† (March 16, 2016) http://time.com/4261597/teaching-religion/ (accessed on May 12, 2018) Emma Mclaughlin, â€Å"Religion in Education,† (March 25, 2015) https://www.hastac.org/blogs/emmamclaughlin22/2015/03/25/religion-education (accessed on May 14, 2018) Craig Ellis, â€Å"Should religon be taught in school?† ( September 22, 2017)   https://www.standleague.org/blog/should-religion-be-taught-in-schools.html (accessed on May 14, 2018) Johnson, Byron R. More God, Less Crime†¯: Why Faith Matters and How It Could Matter More. Templeton Press, 2011. Hummer, Robert A., and Christopher G. Ellison. Religion, Families, and Health†¯: Population-Based Research in the United States. Rutgers University Press, 2010.

Animal Rights Final Research Paper Essays

Animal Rights Final Research Paper Essays Animal Rights Final Research Paper Essay Animal Rights Final Research Paper Essay Animal Rights Final Research Paper Franco Pacheco ENGL-135 Prof. Gurin DeVry University December 13, 2012 Animal rights The idea of animal rights is not new. Through the 18th and 19th Century philosophers like Rousseau, Kant, Bentham, and Schopenhauer have produced different arguments in favor of the treatment of animals. Animal rights is the idea that nonhuman animals are entitled to the possession of their own lives and that they should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings. All animals are equal in the sense that they all can sense pain and suffering however as far as treating them like humans, I do not think so. Humans have been eating meat for as long as we have been on this earth and there is nothing wrong with that. That does not mean people enjoy killing them for pleasure, their lives are taking for our survival. Eating meat is not wrong as long as we are conscious of their contribution to humankind over the years, providing us with transportation, food, clothing, and companionship. Torturing and killing animals for pleasure is wrong, however, eating their meat moderately for survival is not. By the beginning of the 18th century, writers began to discuss animal feelings of pain and suffering, vivisection, and the cruel treatment of animals raised and slaughtered for food. All animals have the same capacity for suffering, but how we see them differs and that determines what we will tolerate happening to them. Most people are not capable of killing what they eat with their own hands but if is cooked and served; there are no thoughts of how or where it came from. Over 9 billion chickens, pigs, cattle, turkeys, sheep, goats, ducks, and geese are bred, raised, and killed for food annually in America. Today, the breeding of farm animals is dominated by industrialized facilities that maximize profits by treating them as production units and forgetting that they can also feel pain as human do. The abuse of farm animals in factory farms, for example, did not see an influx until the early 19th century, when small family farms and traditional ranching of livestock started to cave under the pressure of larger institutional farming practices. As factory farms became the norm, so, unfortunately did the systematic and prolonged abuse of animals raised for human consumption. Most animals in these facilities are forced to endure physical and psychological abuse for months if not years on end, deprived of the ability to perform behaviors inherent to their species, and housed in overcrowded facilities with insufficient food, water, and natural light. Most are given steroids to enhance growth, and antibiotics to fend off illnesses that are likely to occur in such unsanitary conditions. Their eventual slaughter is often performed in a manner as inhumane as the condition in which they are forced to exist until that day. There are many people working for the improvement of the ways in which animals that are raised for food are handled and slaughtered; most notable is Temple Grandin. She is one of the leading authorities on the design of animal handling facilities, specializing in the humane handling of animals at the point of slaughter in the meat industry. She is credited with having â€Å"done more to improve welfare for animals at the point of slaughter than any human alive. † According to data extrapolated from U. S. Department of Agriculture reports that nearly 10. billion land animals were raised and killed for food in the United States in 2010. This is a 1. 7% rise from the 2009 totals, larger than the 0. 9% increase in US population, meaning that animals killed per-capita increased slightly. Based on January-August 2011 USDA slaughter numbers, it is projected that the number of land animals killed in 2011 will increase an additional 1% from 2010 numbers, rising to approximately 10,266 million animals. Fortunately, due to increased feed prices and sinking domestic demand, Bloomberg. om is speculating that there may be a 5% drop in animals raised for food in 2012! While the number of aquatic animals killed each year is not reported, meticulous calculations by researcher Noam Mohr estimate the number of finfishes killed each year for US consumption to be 13,027 million, and the number of shellfishes to be 40,455 million, resulting in a combined 53,481 million (over 53 billion) aquatic animals who died for American consumption in 2010. Becoming a vegetarian overnight will not stop the purposeful harm done to animals at the hands of human beings. Consequently, I agree that there is a lot that has gone very wrong with most of our meat production, but we are omnivores, and arguing that we are not is not going to get us anywhere. It may be possible to live without meat, but considering that all animals will eventually die, will be a sin not to eat them before other animals do. We feel bad of the killing of the animals we eat, but not bad enough to stop eating them completely. People have their own reasons for becoming vegan and not everyone is concern about the animal’s welfare. Becoming vegan will not stop animal abuse; people are still going to do what they want to do, especially if it involves animal cruelty. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) can do all they can, but you cannot right all the wrongs in the world. The most prominent of the abolitionists is Gary Francione, professor of law and philosophy at Rutgers School of Law-Newark. He argues that focusing on animal welfare may actually worsen the position of animals, because it entrenches the view of them as property, and makes the public more comfortable about using them. I actually hate the way animals are treated and could not find a better way of killing them without making it go through torture. However, I am not switching to become vegan, just because a group of people considers it cruelty. I still love meat, but I treat animals with respect and morality because they are providing the protein my body needs for survival. It is not admissible to cause animal’s unnecessary pain and suffering. I do not believe in the unethical treatment of animals, however I do believe in the ethical use of them. Confinement production of livestock and poultry has generated a major conflict between the meats, dairy, poultry industries, and reformist welfare and abolitionists animal rights group. They condemn and oppose factory farming because they view intensive production as inhumane, being carried out under unnatural conditions and causing suffering for the animal and poultry. Over the past 50 years, animal agriculture has increased from small family farms to large corporate factory farming systems. In these factory-farming systems, their main concern is increasing the profits margins at all costs and the process has devastating consequences for the animals. Farmed animals lead a life of misery from the moment they are born to when they are slaughtered. Every day, everywhere across the globe, millions of these animals are mishandled, kept in confinement, mutilated as part of routine husbandry practices, and deprived of their basic physical and behavioral needs. In September of 1994, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) designated the National Farm Animals Awareness Week (Guither, pg. 1). They criticized the cruelty of the confinement housing of such animals and they asked consumers to â€Å"shop with compassion. † Bernard E. Rollin an American philosopher and currently a professor of philosophy, animal sciences, and biomedical sciences at Colorado State University urges the food animal producers and animal industry â€Å"not to resist and combat the new ethic f or animals , for they will not win, but rather to appropriate it into their production systems with the help of research that acknowledges and respects the patent truth that animals can both suffer and be happy†(Guither, pg. 9). In the last two decades hundreds of thousands Americans have fight animal rights as part of a new, powerful and controversial social movement. All animal liberationists believe that the individual interests of non-human animals deserve recognition and protection, but the movement can be split into two broad camps. Animal rights advocates, or rights liberationists, believe that these basic interests confer moral rights of some kind on the animals, and/or ought to confer legal rights on them; for example, the work of Philosophers Tom Regan and Peter Singer. They do not believe that animals possess moral rights, but argue, on utilitarian grounds (Utilitarianism in its simplest form advocating that we base moral decisions on the greatest happiness of the greatest number) that, because animals have the ability to suffer, their suffering must be taken into account in any moral philosophy (Isacat, 2008). Dr. David Nibert is a Professor of Sociology at the Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He teaches Animals Society, Global Change, Social Stratification, Minority Groups, and Law and Society. He is the author of Animal Rights/Human Rights: Entanglements of Oppression and Liberation (Rowman/Littlefield). He conducted a survey among residents of Clark County, Ohio and found that support for animal rights is significantly related to seven of the eleven variables, suggesting the existence of an important link between ones disposition toward human and nonhuman animals. Five hundred and one residents of Clark County, Ohio, aged eighteen and older, responded to a telephone survey conducted April 16-18, 1993. This survey was designed to examine respondent’s opinions on several social issues. One of the questions was, Some people say that animals have rights that people should respect. Would you agree or disagree? They were also asked eleven questions adapted from the General Social Survey (Wood, 1990). Here are the results of the Nibert’s survey: â€Å"Of the 501 respondents, 246 (49. 1 %) were male and 255 (50. 9%) were female. 81 1 (20. 8%) were less than 30 years of age, 208 (41. 6%) were between 30 and 49 years old, and 184 (36. 8%) were over 50. 76 (15. 2%) had not graduated from high school, 277 (55. 3%) were high school graduates and 143 (29. %) were college graduates. The sample was predominantly white (461 or 92%) and married (334 or 66. 7%). In response to the animal rights question, 373 respondents (74. 5%) agreed, 84 (16. 8%) disagreed, 37 (7. 4%) were undecided and 7 (1. 4%) refused. For purposes of convenience, the respondents who agreed that animals have rights will be referred to as animal rights supporters. Examination of demographic variables reveals that age, sex, place of residence and religion were significantly related to support for animal rights. Younger people were more likely to support animal rights than older people, women more than men, and city residents more than those living in more rural areas of the county (Nibert 1994). † To summarize, Animal rights are a matter of personal choice. Every individual has a right to decide how he or she wants to treat others, including other species. Animals have been around on the earth for as long as humans have, if not longer. They play an important role in todays society whether or not we choose to admit it. To say that animals have rights is only to end the discussion before it starts. Animals will be animals and they will eat one another for the need of survival: that is a natural phenomenon. We can reduce some suffering by eliminating certain practices in certain areas, but this will not solve the problem. As explained above, we cannot humanely raise nine billion animals. Going vegan is the only solution. Also, keep in mind that some meat, eggs and dairy products are misleadingly marketed as humane but offer only marginal improvements over traditional factory farming. These animals are not raised humanely if they are in larger cages, or are taken out of cages only to live in overcrowded barns. And humane slaughter is an oxymoron. References Cavalieri, Paola. (2001) the animal question, why nonhuman animals deserve human rights. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Grillo, Alexander, (August 15, 2012), Five Reasons Why Meat-Eating Cannot Be Considered a ‘Personal Choice’ Free from Harm, Food and Psychology http://freefromharm. org/food-and-psychology/five-reasons-why-meat-eating-cannot-be-considered-a-personal-choice/ Guither, Harold D. (1998) Animal rights, History and scope of a radical social movement. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press Issitt, Micah Newton, Heather (2011), p2-2, 1p Animals Deserve the Same Rights as Humans. http://search. ebscohost. com. proxy. devry. edu/login. aspx? direct=truedb=pwhAN=26608510site=pov-live Rich, Alex Wagner Geraldine (2011), p1-1, 1p Points of View: Animal Rights: An Overview. http://search. ebscohost. com. proxy. devry. edu/login. aspx? direct=truedb=pwhAN=22827052site=pov-live Thompson, Michael (2012) Why We Have Ethical Obligations to Animals: Animal Welfare and the Common Good more http://wpunj. academia. du/MichaelThompson/Papers/392701/Why_We_Have_Ethical_Obligations_to_Animals_Animal_Welfare_and_the_Common_Good April 12, 2011. American Humane Association hails ‘yes’ vote on humane standards for poultry in Washington americanhumane. org/animals/animal-welfare-news/american-humane-association-hails-yes-vote. html Report: Number of Animals Killed In US Increases in 2010 http://farmusa. org/statistics11. html Animal Rights and Human Social Issues David A. Nib ert, Wittenberg University (1994) animalsandsociety. org/assets/library/283_s222. pdf

A Reflection Essay

A Reflection Essay A Reflection Essay A Reflection Essay Paper: Writing Tips A reflective essay is a paper that basically describes your views and feeling about some particular subject. The goal of it is to convince the personal experiences and feelings that resulted. Unlike many other types of essays the purpose of this paper is not to discuss the subject, but to explore the ideas. To Write A Reflection Essay: Getting Started Before writing find the topic. There can be one major or several small topics. When you choose a topic fora reflection essay, think about the information that you have learned and interesting facts that brought you some new knowledge. It should be wide enough to raise the interest in reader. Consider at least three-page reflection essay writing. The main part of a reflection essay has to include: Keep to the basic rules of five paragraph essay: Write an introduction paragraph that gives the information about the author and the document Develop your idea by dividing it into several important points and, therefore, into several paragraphs Give solid background information Use topic sentences Provide some sense of the importance of your writing for your own faiths development Use good sentence structure, avoid sentence fragments and fuses sentences, choose language that expresses your meaning While writing a reflection essay you should provide your own experiences in an interesting manner, however carefully consider your target auditorium. It is very important to get the reader involved in the story. A reflection essay is like playground for good presentation of ideas and experiences of the writer, they allow him to grow. The successful reflection essay will involve the reader in the writers ideas, emotions, and experiences. Thus, you should use vivid writing style, different linguistic tools and analyze the audience carefully in order to engage your reader as much as possible. A Reflection Essay Writing Help If you need help in writing your work or you simply do not have time to make a research and to prepare it, you are welcome to become our client and receive a professional help in your task overnight. It is easy and very convenient. Read more: Essays on Patriotism Assignment Help Writing a Critical Essay Synthesis Writing Steps Custom Writing Service

Methods Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Methods - Research Paper Example The design also involves administration of pre and post examination test to measure the fluid levels among the participants (Nationaltechcenter.org, 2013). For this study, a non-equivalent control-group design will be used to allow the researcher to compare the measurements of treatment group with the measurements recorded by the control group. This is intended to determine if there is a variance in in the level of dehydration that can be associated with the administration of diuretics. The control group in this study will be a group of 40 patients suffering from hypertension, who will not be allowed to use diuretics for a controlled period of time within the acceptable medical standards. A pretest will be done on them to measure the level of hydration before the experiment is done and a posttest carried out later. Treatment group in this case will involve another group of 40 hypertension patients who will undergo pretest to measure their level of hydration, then issued with diuretic tablets. A posttest examination will then be carried out on the treatment group to determine level of dehydration. ... Sample and Setting This study will involve a sample size of 80 patients suffering from high blood pressure and are between age 40 and 55. The sample size will be divided into two groups, one being a control group and the other being treatment group. This group of people was chosen because of their health condition and the fact that people with hypertension conditions are medically allowed to use diuretics under prescription of the doctors to help them lose fluids that are retained as a result of their conditions. The study will be carried out at Agha Khan Hospital during clinics schedules in collaboration with the hospital’s administration and the doctors’ guidance. The choice of this setting is influenced by the high turnover number of the blood pressure patients who visit the hospital on a daily basis and the availability of doctors to monitor the control group in case of any effect as a result of the planned temporary deprivation of diuretics. Description of the Powe r Analysis This study used G Power software for the power analysis. This helps to avoid trial-and-error method of finding a sufficient sample size, G Power allowed imputing the desired power of 0.8 as directed together with the given alpha value, which is 0.5 and expected effect size of 0.3 to generate the minimum sample size needed. The power analyzed here gives the probability of whether to accept or reject the null hypothesis. It should be noted that effect size is of 0.3 indicates that there was a small effect. The alpha of 0.5 shows the error or 95% confidence level in the data used or that the researcher is willing to accept a possibility of a 5% chance in the results. Quasi experiments control the intervening variables, since there is a controlled administration of the diuretics to

Endangered Species Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Endangered Species - Research Paper Example The present crisis of endangered species is distinctive in that the failure of biodiversity is happening rapidly, and the main cause of the catastrophe is the activities of human beings. Some scholars such as Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold and Elisabet Sahtouris believe that the current crisis persists because of lack of ethical responsibility and failure to connect with the environment in the part of humans (Benson and Rob 188). One of the most endangered species that are facing extinction is the rhino species found in Africa and Asia. The Rhino population in the two continents is roughly 29,000 surviving in the world. This is a massive difference from the population of rhinos at the beginning of the 20th century standing at 500,000 rhinos. For instance, in Africa there are 20,000 white rhinos and 4,880 black rhinos. In Asia, however, the statistics are more alarming as there are only 2,850 great one-horned rhinos, 200 Sumatran rhino and 50 Javan rhino. There are only seven north ern white rhinos living in the world (Rhino Info n.d). With then rhino, facing distinction in the future is inevitable that governments form laws that protect this endangered specie from human hunters who kill them for their horns, as well as meat. The illegal rhino horn hunt has been the biggest human activity that has led to a drastic decline of the rhino species instigated by the illegal rhino horn trade, political conflict, as well as habitat loss. The rhino is mostly valued for production of Chinese medicine and poaching is the greatest menace facing rhino today. The horns are also used to construct ornamental handles for stiletto in Yemen one of the main markets of the rhino horns from Africa (Rhino Info n.d). In some areas, where normal law and order has collapsed mostly in war zones, and where political instability exists, poachers have found it easier to kill the rhinos, thus endangering them as well as other species. For example, poaching of rhino has been ascending in DRC , Nepal and Zimbabwe due to political conflicts (Rhino Info n.d). The basic issue in environmental ethics is whether there can be a non-anthropocentric environmental ethic, which is a foundation for right ant and wrong activities concerning the environment, which is not based exclusively in human fears. Most people claim that ethics is only based on anthropocentric environment. According to Benson and Rob (188) environmental ethics involves animal rights theories and biocentrism theories as well as egocentric theories. This entails that sentient animals, individual living things and conservation systems have moral standings respectfully. Leopold held that most ecological problems were because of ignorance, and understood that his own his own capability to recognize how environment works were the consequence long education and observation. However, in the current contemporary world, where environmental education and policies are protecting biodiversity ignorance has no room. It is ir responsible for instance, to cut down trees from indigenous forests, which are at, risk of extinction for logs, yet there are alternative means of producing similar tools without having to render tree populations extinct (Bagheera n.d). Leopold grew in a culture where concealed land ownership was part of the dream of America. However, this caused

Politics by Aristotle Mere Life and Good Life Essay

Politics by Aristotle Mere Life and Good Life - Essay Example According to Aristotle, freedom is affected by the constrains that arises in our normal life. On the other hand good life is positive in one way as it empowers the youth to be in a position to take leadership roles and accept to be ruled. Through this, we can be in a position to give our priorities right or wrong. According to Aristotle, good life comprises varied ideals in its ethical concerns. In philosophy, there is broad attachment of ethical virtues to external produce. What affects the public people’s life, are the basic ethical virtues. These include ambition, and courage. In achieving these virtues, then it calls for need to be politically active and take political roles and getting involved in court proceedings. External goods refers to useful factors that accompany ethical virtues like power, honor and wealth. The best source of happiness in human beings is friends and family members (Aristotle 23). Aristotle defines politics in various scopes of participation in politics. Good life does not necessarily root from citizenship. To maintain a good life, one needs to create an atmosphere that is politically stable. A politically stable community is a community that has life and property security. In life, if one is denied or has no access to political nature, then it implies that you are staying alone or staying in a community that does not recognize importance of the politics in life (Aristotle 76). Human beings differ and some may decide to live a political society despite the law and order and moral law that the society provides and the opportunity that is engaged in participating in politics. Household arises out of the essential natural instincts that demands reproduction and material survival. This is because Aristotle did not put more emphasis in politics and he does not relegate household values. Household is not confiding to the standards of meeting the natural instincts. Thus for a household to be

The prograssive way for Halifax Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The prograssive way for Halifax - Essay Example This strategy options are the most promising one, present day situation in veterinary market is marked by two factor - specification, which is to do with the 'design quality' of service, and conformity, which is to do with the 'process' quality which is achieved are of particular importance to customers. On the other hand, Halifax can open its branchers in other city areas. This strategy will help to attract new clients providing veterinaty services near their residence. This strategy will help the clinic to create a strong brand image and increase the number of loyal customers. Service concepts of Halifax should include improvement of communication, and the environment composed of all the individual services. Client retention is important for many businesses because customers create demand in an industry. On the one hand, it helps the company to standardize services and, on the otehr hand, it secures the business from decrease in sales. Client retention is important because it helps to know customers "one by one", and it allows the firm to meet particular needs of the clients and find specific ways to solve their current problems. Also, client retention makes it possible to develop a basic long-term goal and objectives of an enterprise, and adopt courses of action and allocate resources necessary for carrying out these goals. Customer reteention will help to generate profit (McDonald, Christopher, 2003). Customers loyalty can be achieved thro... That is why maximizing each employee's potential as an individual and as a team member will be a key to maximizing the profitability of each hotel. To ensure customer satisfaction the veterinary clinic should implement and develop new strategy based on Web services. It is not a unique and a new form of service, but, unfortunately, this type of service is seldomly used by veterinary services. The idea of the web-enabling veterinary services is to provide the clinic with the tools they need to compete more e effectively and to grow their businesses successfully. To build a loyal group of clients, Halifax should consider time as the important factor of delivering service. Consider first the fee of services, a customer takes into account the delay or wait. This delay or wait will normally be evident as the period of time between placing an order and receiving the service. This is clearly an important dimension of customer service, because veterinary service is depended upon providing services at the exact time Another factors helped to retain a loyal group of clients include location of the clinic (and its subsidiaries), the cost reductions, high service quality and staff communication skills, free of charge web services and call centers. Ultimately they are the two factors which determine the quality levels provided by hotel industry to its customers. These two factors however are themselves determined by other factors. Service concepts are based on understanding the unique environment in which hotels operate. 4. What market segments exist in the market for veterinary services for household pets Market segmentation is the process identifying specific segments of clients with similar demands who exhibit similar responses to a firm's marketing mix. Within

FIFA World Cup Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FIFA World Cup - Essay Example The global supervision body chose Uruguay as the host state for celebrating the FIFA competition for men. However, it is only the year 1942 and 1946 whereby the FIFA was not held because of the WWII. Although Sir Thomas Trophy is at times recognized as the First World Trophy; the 1930 World Cup is one of the certified football competition recognized as the First World Cup. The earlier host countries for FIFA World Cup were given to those countries that participated in the FIFA congress, but choosing the location had disruptive issues. Although the first international football team was played first in the year 1872, in Glasgow, Jules Rimet came with the ideas of FIFA World Cup in 1928; hence marked the first written international football tournament. The historical background for World Cup can be traced back in 1928 when Jules Rimet, the president of FIFA decided to establish the global football competition for men. Although the first international football team was played first in the year 1872, in Glasgow, Jules Rimet came with the ideas of FIFA World Cup, hence marked the first written international football match (FIFA World Cup, 2013). The first FIFA began in Uruguay, which was chosen as the host nation; thus, the final competition of only thirteen teams played for the final World Cup. The world Cup has qualified effectively since the first edition of the international football events. This international football team has significantly attracted many nations; thus, there are currently 32 teams in the final tournament. These squads have proceeded by a two-year qualifying method that involves almost 200 teams from across the globe. Scotland and England became the earliest national football teams to participate in the worldwide football tournament that occurred in Glasgow, in the year 1872. However, the events rarely took place outside the Great Britain during this period. The

The Leadership Self Assessment and Reflective Assignment Essay

The Leadership Self Assessment and Reflective Assignment - Essay Example Assessment type: The Survey Were you surprised by your findings? The purpose of planning and implementing ‘the survey’ as a strategy and method of assessment is effective in finding out specific information concerning specific populations or audiences. Whether it is an ordinal Likert scale of quantitative analysis or a nominal scale survey analyzing societal demographics, I have started, again, to realize that I am a part of the important population and audience that has shared meaning within society. However, I am also part of a dialectic society that must continuously and consistently try to maintain ethics, value, budgets, and integrity amongst dynamic change and norm/value diversity and adversity. When participating in a survey or assisting to design a survey, I am practicing strategies in participatory management. Interestingly, the planning, designing, and completion of a survey does result in surprising results. Therefore, the answer to the initial question is â⠂¬Å"yes†. I am surprised by the results of a survey†¦in which results are swift, unexplained, and blunt. Assessment type: The Interviews Have the findings changed your behavior in any way? The assessment technique of the ‘participatory interview’ process is not only intimidating, but interesting and thought provoking. In a sense, conducting an interview as a researcher or employer or, in turn, responding to the assessment questions as an interviewee are both critical components of the participatory decision-making procedures called ‘The Interview’. The conceptual nature of interview assessment is multi-faceted. Is it an example of situational inquiry, where someone simply needs to ask questions concerning the management of a situation and a response is required? Or is the interview assessment the important component of proactive, collaborative communication. I think the ‘narrative interview’ process is an important component and demo nstration of the communication skills of good listening and effective speaking. Therefore, in answering the question†¦ â€Å"Were there changes in behavior as result of the prospective findings†? Yes, narrative and situational interviews, as well as the basic job interviews, have the effective ability to put both the interviewer and respondent in positions of control and empowerment. There is a consciousness of appearance and intellectual perspectives; self-awareness, multi intelligences, and moments of reflexivity emerge within the context – the time and space – of the interview. Approaches to inquiry, whether personal or professional, often create symbiotic relationships. Both the interviewer and the respondent can exercise the concept of shared, purposive meaning, assessing if there are common values, purposes, and perspectives. As a very authentic Headmaster demonstrating leadership and management abilities once stated, â€Å"†¦ the endless commit tees and endless debates about process, I still want people involved†¦I seek its voice all the time† (R. Evans 232). Assessment type: The Questionnaire Interesting thing about questionnaires, they are a strategic method in which I’ve been allowed to be creative and innovative in the approaches to

FIFA World Cup Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FIFA World Cup - Essay Example The global supervision body chose Uruguay as the host state for celebrating the FIFA competition for men. However, it is only the year 1942 and 1946 whereby the FIFA was not held because of the WWII. Although Sir Thomas Trophy is at times recognized as the First World Trophy; the 1930 World Cup is one of the certified football competition recognized as the First World Cup. The earlier host countries for FIFA World Cup were given to those countries that participated in the FIFA congress, but choosing the location had disruptive issues. Although the first international football team was played first in the year 1872, in Glasgow, Jules Rimet came with the ideas of FIFA World Cup in 1928; hence marked the first written international football tournament. The historical background for World Cup can be traced back in 1928 when Jules Rimet, the president of FIFA decided to establish the global football competition for men. Although the first international football team was played first in the year 1872, in Glasgow, Jules Rimet came with the ideas of FIFA World Cup, hence marked the first written international football match (FIFA World Cup, 2013). The first FIFA began in Uruguay, which was chosen as the host nation; thus, the final competition of only thirteen teams played for the final World Cup. The world Cup has qualified effectively since the first edition of the international football events. This international football team has significantly attracted many nations; thus, there are currently 32 teams in the final tournament. These squads have proceeded by a two-year qualifying method that involves almost 200 teams from across the globe. Scotland and England became the earliest national football teams to participate in the worldwide football tournament that occurred in Glasgow, in the year 1872. However, the events rarely took place outside the Great Britain during this period. The

The Yoruba Rites of Passage Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Yoruba Rites of Passage - Term Paper Example The Yoruba is considered as one of the largest ethnic communities in Africa having a population of approximately 30 million people (Johnson 16). The community is mostly found in countries such as Nigeria, Benin and Togo, though it is possible to find that there are some who have migrated to other countries such as the US and other destinations for immigrants. These subgroups are 20 in number and are as a result of the fact that the community had 20 kingdoms, each led by an independent king and when the kingdoms were dissolved, the communities continued to recognize themselves in that scope. Much of the economic activities conducted by this community mainly involve farming (Akintoye 29). However, due to industrialization and subsequent rapid urbanization, some of the members have migrated to urban areas in search of formal employment, but it is observed that even in these areas, the Yoruba people still engage in crop production though in a minimal scale. As with any other community in Africa and the world in general, the Yoruba’s have their own unique culture which is greatly respected and strictly followed by the members. This is despite the fact that the community is surrounded by diversity, especially in religious dimension, which has the capacity to influence and assimilate these people thereby resulting to abandonment of traditional practices (Ambibola 22). This paper will examine the Yoruba’s culture in the context of rites of passage, i.e. traditional practices conducted in defining moments such as birth, marriage and eventually, death. Birth The birth of a child is an event that is received with great joy and happiness as it involves the introduction of a new life to the world. It facilitates the continuation of a family lineage and the existence of a community, which may otherwise become extinct in the absence of new births to compensate lost lives. The Yoruba people are no different from other communities in recognizing the importance of new births. This may be the reason why every newborn child must undergo two major processes that include welcoming and naming which are celebrated in two different occasions. In these occasions, tradition demands that parties be held and in this case, Iko Omo and Isomo Loruko are the two words that are used to refer to the welcoming and the naming parties respectively (Akintoye 41). In both Iko Omo and Isomo Loruko, the family must ensure that proper planning is done as these are considered to be the most important and probably defining moments for the child’s future. Depending on the financial capability of the family, it is a requirement that food be in plenty and to achieve this, most of the people opt to slaughter a cow or a goat. Buying of new clothes is also a component of these celebrations as family members must look smart and presentable in an effort to signify their status and also to symbolize their joy for the arrival of the new born (Lawal and Sadiku 22). It may be observable that buying of new clothes during important occasions such as Christmas. It is a common practice in most of the societies and this may be interpreted to signify their celebratory mood. It is also common for parents and the family of the newborn to hire celebrities such as musicians to entertain the crowd with music. Also, when these celebrations are in progress, traffic along the streets near the venue of the celebrations may be disrupted as a result of people blocking the roads while singing and dancing such that anyone familiar with the Yoruba culture would definitely tell what is

Ulysses S. Grant Essay Example for Free

Ulysses S. Grant Essay Ulysses S. Grant, an army General and the 18th president of the United States of America is considered one of the greatest war strategists and generals in American history. His rise to fame was brought about by his successful exploits and exceptional military leadership serving as a Union General in the Civil War. Most notable of which are the decisive wins in the battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and the siege of Petersburg which eventually led to the Confederacys surrender. But while his contemporaries hold him to the highest regard as a military leader, the same could not be said about his presidency. Political leadership proved to be unsuitable for him, and while his dignity was said to be unquestionable, his presidency is severely criticized and condemned due to rampant corruption and perceived inadequacy. Grant was baptized Hiram Ulysses Grant in Point Pleasant, Ohio on April 27, 1822, the eldest in a brood of six. He came from a family which Grant (2002) proudly asserts as all-American: â€Å"My family is American, and has been for generations, in all its branches, direct and collateral† (p. 12). His parents were Jesse Root Grant, a tannery and farmland owner, and Hannah Simpson Grant, a frontier woman (McFeely, 1981). Grants family relocated to Georgetown in 1823, where he started his formal education—this place was to be his home until his seventeenth year, before he goes off to West Point. He attended the school of Richardson and Rand in Maysville, Kentucky, then the Presbyterian Academy, a private school in Ripley, Ohio. (Grant, 2002) Grant (2002) found his childhood â€Å"uneventful† (p. 17) and professed no inclination towards his studies. He did show exceptional equestrian skills and was noted for his diligence. With his skills, he was put in charge of doing any work that required proficiency with horses—tilling land, hauling wood, plowing and furrowing the land, etc. His lack of business skills (an issue which would later on figure significantly in his life) was evinced in one situation when the eight year-old Grant was given some money by his father to buy a colt, with the instruction of bargaining with the owner. Grant said to him: â€Å"Papa says I may offer you twenty dollars for the colt, but if you won’t take that, I am to offer twenty-two and a half, and if you won’t take that, to give you twenty-five† (Grant, 2002, p. 20). Needless to say, the owner got the colt full price. At age seventeen, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a registration mistake made by the appointing congressman omitted Hiram from his name and added Simpson, his mothers maiden name. Grant, however, did not correct the mistake, and he has been known by that name ever since. Grant was an average student, graduating 21st in a class of 39 (McFeely, 1981). He did not care to have a career in the military (he wanted instead to teach) and saw his West Point appointment as just another opportunity to travel, he said: â€Å"A military life had no charms for me, and I had not the faintest idea of staying in the army even if I should be graduated, which I did not expect† (Grant, 2002, p. 26). After graduation he was stationed in St. Louis, Missouri where he met and and pursued Julia Dent. They later married in 1848 (McFeely, 1981). During the outbreak of the Mexican War, grant fought his first battles under Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, where he took part in important offensive missions. After the war, he went back to St. Louis, Missouri to tend to his family and establish several business and farming ventures (Grant, 2002). However, even with the help from relatives and friends, his business endeavors failed (due in part to his less than adequate business skills) and he faced great financial difficulties (McFeely, 1981). Grant then moved back to work in Galena, Illinois when his father offered his a clerical position at his store (Grant, 2002). When the south broke away from the Union, signaling the start of the Civil War, Grant decided to fight under the Union banner. He gathered volunteers to Springfield and enlisted his services to the government. As a colonel, he successfully took control of an unruly volunteer regiment and was promoted to brigadier general. He proved to be a great military leader and went on to lead many successful campaigns. His skill as a military strategist and tactician earned him the respect of his contemporaries and made him a household name. (McFeely, 1981) He fought on to lead the Union in a series of decisive victories—battles in Belmont, Fort Donelson, Fort Henry—and became the commander of the Union army. When asked about his terms of accepting surrender, his reply was â€Å"no terms, except an unconditional and immediate surrender† (McFeely, 1981, 135). This, as well as the unconditional surrender of more than 14,000 confederacy soldiers at Donelson earned him the nickname â€Å"Unconditional Surrender Grant† (McFeely, 1981, 135). He also launched an exhaustive and grueling campaign to wear out and capture the Confederate forces. This culminated in the siege of Petersburg which forced General Robert E. Lee to flee and eventually surrender his army at Appomattox Court House (McFeely, 1981). After the war, he was nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidential elections and won, although he was reluctant to accept the post. After learning of his victory, he told his wife: I am afraid I am elected (Goode, 1999, p. 18). He entered the White House at age 46, the youngest president in American history. He took part in many notable policies, especially those that aim to reduce national debt and re-establish public credit (Hesseltine, 1935). The reconstruction of southern states were also facilitated under his reign. However, corruption was so widespread in the administration that it overshadowed everything—it even came to be called as â€Å"Grantism† (Goode, 1999), which was regarded by many â€Å"unfair† considering Grant himself didnt take part in the corruption (Skidmore, 2005). Grant was also criticized for his passivity and for his haphazard appointment of officials. Many, if not most of the people under him, even those he appointed were involved in numerous scandals and for exploiting the governments coffers (Hesseltine, 1935 and Goode, 1999). After his presidency, Grant was only relieved to leave the politicians life—â€Å"I certainly never had any taste for political life (Goode, 1999, p. 18) he confessed. He retired and lived a comfortable life with his wife in New York, until he was diagnosed with throat cancer. He has completed written his Memoirs a few days after his death and it remains one of the most popular presidential autobiographies in history. When grant died in 1885, fire bells rang throughout the country, however, â€Å"it was for Grant the soldier that they rang, not for Grant the president† (Goode, 1999, p. 19). References Grant, U. S. (2002). Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation. Goode, S. (1999, July). Ulysses S. Grant: The Unheroic Hero. World and I, 14, 16-19. Hesseltine, W. B. (1935). Ulysses S. Grant: Politician. New York: Dodd, Mead Company. McFeely, W. S. (1981). Grant: A Biography. New York : Norton. Skidmore, M. J. (2005). The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant: A Reconsideration. White House Studies, 5, 255-265.

Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work Essay examples -- Cy

Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work  Ã‚   Appeal to emotions, individualism, and intellectual achievement were three important elements of Romanticism. This essay will explore the degree to which Cyrano de Bergerac exemplifies these elements of Romanticism. First and foremost is the appeal to emotions. All of the other facets of romanticism can be related to the emotional appeal in Cyrano de Bergerac. Because strong emotional appeal is perhaps the most important method used by the author to create identity with the reader, especially in romantic works, the actions which elicit the emotional responses must, then, show a great deal about the character. The character's motives and philosophies can be determined through his actions. Because Cyrano de Bergerac was written in the romantic style, certain intellectual and emotional principles exist throughout the play, which will now be observed in depth. The overall feeling which one procures after reading Cyrano de Bergerac is a kind of nostalgic sadness. Because the first half of the play is very up-beat, very elated in style, the rather grim ending is that much more bitter. As the play opens, there is much merrymaking and festivity in preparation for the play. The sheer happiness of all of the colorful characters is transferred to the reader almost instantly. The mood is portrayed very well as being light and bubbly, an overall good feeling. The next major shift comes when Cyrano enters and, after riding himself of Montfleury, puts on the spectacle wherein he demonstrates not only his impeccable verbal dexterity, but also his fencing abilities - and both at the same time. This whole scene causes a strong reaction from the audience, and in turn, the re... ...ls of the romantic revolution, the nobility of spirit and individuality must be preserved, and intellect, whether you had it or not, was part of this, because part of being individual was coming up with some of your own ideas, possessing uniqueness of thought. Once again, this evokes a certain emotional response from the person who interprets this pseudo intellectualism, and the feeling the reader has about it is an integral part in the establishment of an identity with the characters. In conclusion, it has been shown that the primary vehicle for the expression of an authors ideas and concepts about a character is the emotional response which is depicted by the characters actions. In romantic works, because of the importance that emotion played in the romantic revolution, the appeal to emotions is the distinct and definitive factor of a good romantic play.    Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work Essay examples -- Cy Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work  Ã‚   Appeal to emotions, individualism, and intellectual achievement were three important elements of Romanticism. This essay will explore the degree to which Cyrano de Bergerac exemplifies these elements of Romanticism. First and foremost is the appeal to emotions. All of the other facets of romanticism can be related to the emotional appeal in Cyrano de Bergerac. Because strong emotional appeal is perhaps the most important method used by the author to create identity with the reader, especially in romantic works, the actions which elicit the emotional responses must, then, show a great deal about the character. The character's motives and philosophies can be determined through his actions. Because Cyrano de Bergerac was written in the romantic style, certain intellectual and emotional principles exist throughout the play, which will now be observed in depth. The overall feeling which one procures after reading Cyrano de Bergerac is a kind of nostalgic sadness. Because the first half of the play is very up-beat, very elated in style, the rather grim ending is that much more bitter. As the play opens, there is much merrymaking and festivity in preparation for the play. The sheer happiness of all of the colorful characters is transferred to the reader almost instantly. The mood is portrayed very well as being light and bubbly, an overall good feeling. The next major shift comes when Cyrano enters and, after riding himself of Montfleury, puts on the spectacle wherein he demonstrates not only his impeccable verbal dexterity, but also his fencing abilities - and both at the same time. This whole scene causes a strong reaction from the audience, and in turn, the re... ...ls of the romantic revolution, the nobility of spirit and individuality must be preserved, and intellect, whether you had it or not, was part of this, because part of being individual was coming up with some of your own ideas, possessing uniqueness of thought. Once again, this evokes a certain emotional response from the person who interprets this pseudo intellectualism, and the feeling the reader has about it is an integral part in the establishment of an identity with the characters. In conclusion, it has been shown that the primary vehicle for the expression of an authors ideas and concepts about a character is the emotional response which is depicted by the characters actions. In romantic works, because of the importance that emotion played in the romantic revolution, the appeal to emotions is the distinct and definitive factor of a good romantic play.   

Musical Development as a Cognitive Ability Essay -- Psychology Psychol

Musical Development as a Cognitive Ability Cognitive Psychology Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This paper discusses theories of cognitive development and its relationship to musical development. Cognitive development is closely related to musical development and learning. Jean Piaget developed theories of the cognitive development in children. Musicologists have developed theories on how musical development has cognitive components. Cognitive development is acquired through interaction with an environment, just as musical development is acquired through interaction with a musical environment. Jean Piaget on Cognitive Development   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cognitive development is the investigation of how mental skills build and change with increasing physiological maturity (maturation) and experience (learning) (Sternberg, p.444). Cognitive development involves qualitative changes in thinking, as well as quantitative changes, such as increasing knowledge and ability (Sternberg, p.444). Most cognitive psychologists agree that developmental changes occur as a result of the interaction of maturation (nature) and learning (nurture) (Sternberg, p. 444). According to Sternberg, despite the differences in theoretical approaches, there are some basic principles that that crosscut the study of cognitive development (Sternberg, p.446). First, over the course of development, people seem to gain more sophisticated control over their own thinking and learning. As people grow older, they become more capable of more complex interactions between thought and behavior. Second, people engage in more thorough information processing with age. Third, people become increasingly able to comprehend successively more complex relationships over the course of development. Finally, over time, people develop increasing flexibility in their uses of strategies or information. (Sternberg, p.446) He explains that as people grow older they become less bound to using information in just a single context, and they learn how to apply it in a greater context (Sternberg, p.446).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most influential contributors to developmental research is Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896- 1980). His theory of cognitive development is one of the most comprehensive in the field (Sternberg, p.446). Piaget believed that the function of intelligence is to aid in adaptation to the environment (Sternberg, p.44... ...derlying tonal and metrical structures to guide their song performance, even though they seem to have no reflective awareness of such structures (Sloboda, p. 214). Changes in musical awareness between the ages of five and ten seem to reflect a general intellectual change from inactive competence, which is displayed only within the bounds of specific and directed activities, to a reflective awareness of the structures and principles which underlie such competence (Sloboda, p. 215). Piaget would characterize this change as moving from pre-operational to operational though (Sloboda, p. 215). In music it is marked by an increased ability to explicitly classify music as conforming to rule or style, and an increasing advantage of memory and perceptual tasks for those sequences which conform to rule (Sloboda, p. 215) Works Cited Sloboda, J.A. (1985) The Musical Mind: The Cognitive Psychology of Music. Oxford Psychology Series No. 5. Clarendon Press, Oxford. pp. 194-215. Sternberg, Robert J. (2003) Cognitive Psychology. Thomson-Wadsworth. Third edition. pp. 444- 449. Swanwick, Keith (2001) â€Å"Musical Development Theories Revisited†. Music Education Research, Vol.3, No.2.

Imagination as a way of knowing

History Imagination permeates all the areas of knowledge; even the ones that are traditionally seen as being based purely on logic and reason. It is the logic and reasoning that leaders must do everyday to either prevent a war or how to protect his/her soldiers. This very system is what leads to war and death in history. Many historical figures have succeeded in being remembered throughout history through each individual's reasoning and logic based on a given situation.For example, when George Washington decided to cross the Delaware River for a surprise attack while heir enemies were out partying thinking that they've won, but were later slaughtered and obliterated by Washington's men. Washington later became the first United States President. It was this rational and logical reason that they won the war. Another instance is when Napoleon Bonaparte decided to not retreat while they had the chance at the Battle of Waterloo, that battleground became his resting place.He was later kill ed in battle by a battalion of the enemy soldiers. Many of his men perished in the battle as well. Even in Australia's history, Galileo was a tragic day of death. The leaders of the Australian Army told their soldiers to run straight at the enemy machine gun turrets, and all were killed. Only after they lost thousands of their soldiers did they retreat from Galileo.Imagination is a creative way of thinking. It involves creating solutions in an inventive way, and one that can benefit them. Imagination is in every being, and they have the capacity for greatness with their logic and reason, and in this case, could change history. â€Å"Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of the Imagination Is Incalculable. † – Carl Jung

English vs. Mother tongue as a medium of instruction Essay

I. Introduction Background of the Study Before we discuss the so-called Gullas bill or the proposed act strengthening and enhancing the use of English as a medium of instruction, let’s get a backgrounder on the state of education in the Philippines. For every 100 children that start grade one in our country, only 65 will reach Grade 6, the others having dropped out along the way (with 18 of the dropouts occurring between Grade 1 and Grade 2). What this means is that even before these children are 12 years old, more than one third of them are essentially condemned to poverty. That is not all. The net enrollment ratios have been steadily decreasing between 2003 and 2007, and for the Philippines, that has gone down from 90.3% to 83.2%. The quality of that education is abysmal. Only 26% or a little over  ¼ of 6th graders have a mastery of English, where mastery is defined as obtaining a score of 75% or higher in English, 31% of those students have a mastery of Math and 15% have a mastery of Science. And if that is abysmal, that means the quality of high school education has to be the pits because only 7% of them have mastery in English. 16% have mastery in Math†¦ 2% have mastery in Science. Even college does not help: only 2 to 7% of college graduates who apply for positions in BPOs show English mastery, and even then, they have to undergo another three months of training to increase their competence. This is where the Gullas bill comes in. The rationale of that bill is that if we want to have greater competence in English, and be in a position to take advantage, or compete in a globalized world, English must be used as the medium of instruction from Grade 3 onwards. Now everyone will agree that we need greater competence in English to be competitive in a globalized world. But educators or those who have done education research will disagree that using English as the medium of instruction will accomplish that goal. As a matter of fact, they point out that research findings are unequivocal, that to achieve greater mastery in English or Filipino, the most effective medium of instruction is in the child’s mother tongue that is her first language or the language spoken at home. Studies in country after country bear this out. Teaching in an official school language that is not the mother tongue is a major barrier in the child’s learning. In the Philippines, the experiment was conducted in Kalinga, where teachers use Kalinga to teach children from Grades 1 to 3 to read and write. It is also the medium of instruction for teaching other subjects, including Filipino and English. Out of the 10 districts in the Kalinga division, the Lubuagan district topped the 2006 national achievement test Grade 3 reading test for both English and Filipino, with mean scores of 76.55% and 76.45 respectively, which indicates mastery. The Tinglayan district came in a far second, registered only 63.89% and 53.58%. The Gullas bill has very good intentions. But, as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Statement of the Problem 1. Between the two medium of instruction, which is effective? 2. Do you agree that English is effective as a medium of instruction? 3. Do you believe that English is a barrier in child’s learning? Significance of the Study Our study determines whether the English or the mother tongue is the effective medium of instruction, to determine the affectivity of English as medium of instruction and give justice to the belief of English as a barrier in child’s earning. Scope and Limitations This particular study focuses on the topic â€Å"English versus mother tongue as a medium of instruction. This study will also explore the issue of whether the English or mother tongue is an effective medium of instruction Operational Definition of Terms English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca. Gullas Bill is the proposed act strengthening and enhancing the use of English as a medium of instruction, let’s get a backgrounder on the state of education in the Philippines. Medium of Instruction is the language used by the teacher to teach. Teaching the language, or educational content, through the target language increases the amount of exposure the learner gets to it, and the opportunities they have to communicate in it, and therefore to develop their control of it. Mother tongue one’s native language; the language learned by children and passed from one generation to the next II. Methodology A. Sampling Who are your respondents? Students who are English majors Elementary students who already undergone mother tongue subjects

“a Farewell to Arms” by Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms A symbol is an idea that represents another idea that has meaning behind it. In â€Å"A farewell to arms† by Hemingway, there are several symbols that help us understand the story better. Rain, river, and the officer’s stars are some that Hemingway uses to represent another idea. Rain is a recurrent symbol in the book that represents the idea of death and lost. At the beginning of the book Lt. Henry says â€Å"At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came the cholera. But it was checked and in the end only seven thousand died of it in the army† (Hemingway 4). Lt. Henry is associating the rain with the seven thousands of soldiers that died. When Henry and Catherine are in the hospital she says that â€Å"she is afraid of the rain because she sees herself dead in it† (Hemingway 126). She says this because she is afraid that his love for Henry will not last and eventually their love will die. While rain represents death and lost in the other hand the river represents the opposite. River is another important symbol in â€Å"A farewell to arms†. The river represents hope, a new beginning. When Lt. Henry is capture by the battle police for treachery he thinks to himself; â€Å"So far they had shot every one they had questioned [†¦ ] I ducked down, pushed between two men, and ran for the river† (Hemingway 225). Lt. Henry jumps into the river because he wants to forget everything about the war. He leaves everything behind except Catherine to start a new life. Officers often wear stars to represent their status in the army and show how important they are. They represent competence and duty. In chapter 15 when Lt. Henry is the hospital because of his injured leg a doctor tells him they can not operate till 3 months. Lt. Henry calls for another doctor, Dr. Valentini which agrees to operate on him. Lt Henry says â€Å"There was a star in a box on his sleeve because was a major† (Hemingway 100). Henry is knows his in good hands because of the star the doctor is wearing while the other doctors did not have stars on their sleeve. Another example is chapter 32 when Henry talks about removing his stars and uniform; â€Å" I would like to have had the uniform off although I did not care much about the outward forms. I had taken off the stars [†¦] I was through. (Hemingway 232). Lt. Henry does this because he does not want to have anything related to war, since the stars and uniform represent his duty in war he takes it off to forget about the war. In â€Å"A Farewell to Arms† the symbols such as rain, river, and the officer’s stars help us understand the story better. Rain symbolizes death and lost while river symbolizes a new beginning, new life, and finally the stars the officers wear on their sleeve represent the competence and duty.

What is Gnosticism What current expressions do you see today Essay

What is Gnosticism What current expressions do you see today - Essay Example "The demiurge may be depicted as an embodiment of evil, or in other instances as merely imperfect and benevolent as its inadequacy permits". Along with the demiurge exists a good supreme being, however remote and distant. In order to free oneself from the material world, one must find gnosis or "spiritual knowledge available to all through direct experience or knowledge". Some sects of Gnostics believe Jesus of Nazareth was sent to earth to bring gnosis, some believe he was sent to teach gnosis, and still others believe that he was just a man. In the first centuries before Christ, Gnosticism was popular in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean areas. It was, however, suppressed in the fourth century by the Roman Empire. In the middle ages, many converted to Islam. "Gnostic ideas became influential in the philosophies of various esoteric mystical movements of the late 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and North America, including some that explicitly identify themselves as revivals or even continuations of earlier gnostic groups". Unlike Judaism, Christianity, and a lot of Pagan systems, the soul is not held by a Supreme Power. Gnosticism places, "the salvation of the soul merely in the possession of a quasi-intuitive knowledge of the mysteries of the universe and of magic formulae indicative of that knowledge. Gnostics were "people who knew", and their knowledge at once constituted them a superior class of beings, whose present and future status was essentially different from that of those who, for whatever reason, did not know (Arendzen, 2007)." The Catholic Encyclopedia offers that "A more complete and historical definition of Gnosticism would be": A collective name for a large number of greatly-varying and pantheistic-idealistic sects, which flourished from some time before the Christian Era down to the fifth century, and which, while borrowing the phraseology and some of the tenets of the chief religions of the day, and especially of Christianity, held matter to be a deterioration of spirit, and the whole universe a depravation of the Deity, and taught the ultimate end of all being to be the overcoming of the grossness of matter and the return to the Parent-Spirit, which return they held to be inaugurated and facilitated by the appearance of some God-sent Saviour. (Arendzen, 2007) There are essentially two great components that comprise the basis of Gnostic thought. The first is astrology. Astrology involved the power and influence of certain planetary bodies or symbols. "The greatness of the Seven -- the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn -- the sacred Hebdomad, symbolized for millenniums by the staged towers of Babylonia, remained undiminished. They ceased, indeed, to be worshipped as deities, but they remained archontes and dynameis, rules and powers whose almost irresistible force was dreaded by man. Practically, they were changed from gods to devas, or evil spirits" (Arendzen, 2007). The second major component is magic, or "the power ex opere operato of weird names, sounds, gestures, and actions, as also the mixture of elements to produce effects totally disproportionate to the cause" (Arendzen, 2007). Various doctrines to Gnostic theories exist. These included Cosmogony, Sophia-Myth, Soteriology, Eschatology, Doctrine of the Primeval Man, and the Barbelo. Various rites also exist, including Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, the

Female Characters in Flannery O'Conner Short Stories Essay

Female Characters in Flannery O'Conner Short Stories - Essay Example Some have an aspect of madness, some are very assertive and others are very devout Christians. The three short stories that will be critiqued for the elements of women are , â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge,† â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own,† and â€Å"A Circle In the Fire.† All three stories provide the reader with a look into the traditional, Southern woman and her need for survival. 2 â€Å"Everything that Rises Must Converge† In the beginning of this story, the reader is introduced to Julian and his mother. They are on their way to a â€Å"reducing class at the Y† (O’Connor 1) where his mother must lose 20 pounds. The reader is immediately pulled into the story because the writing is very clear and crisp. O’Connor has the reader standing behind the mother and watching her try on her hat to get it to fit her head in just the right way. The author writes, â€Å"she lifted the hat one more time and set it down slowly on top of her head† (â€Å"Everything† 1). This automatically sets the mood for what is going to happen and the reader understands that the mother is elderly by the â€Å"grey hair protrude on either side of her florid face †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Everything† 1). ... This mother and son conflict continues throughout the story. His mother was â€Å"still [living] according to the laws of her own fantasy world† (â€Å"Everything† 6) where she would always remain. He saw the world differently and was attempting to make her see the world for what it was—a place that had changed. His mother still thought she was living in a time when slaves were slaves and everything in her mind was right. This is not the world they were living in now. Bryan N. Wyatt states that Julian wrestles with what to do with his mother since he has become emotionally detached from her. He thinks about abandoning her at a bus stop to get out of her clutches. Michael W. Crocker and Robert C. Evans note that the convergence in the story has to do with Julian’s mother being seen as n outsider of the society in which she lives and having to come to terms with the fact that life is not what it used to be – that blacks are now free and they can move around as whites and they can work in jobs instead of on plantations (par. 7). This is a sad stroke of luck for Julian’s mother because it is difficult for her to deal with this truth. In fact, this is so difficult that she walks down the street, has a heart attack and dies at the end of the story when she is confronted with reality. To say that this is a poignant ending is an understatement. The reader can identify with Julian’s mother and with Julian because these two people are seen in everyone’s family. The mother in this short story is very traditional, and she may be suffering from delusions as she lives in her fantasy world. She only understands good Southern hospitality that she grew up with and she is not prepared for the life outside of this