Thursday, September 3, 2020

Moral Conflict in Antigone Essay -- World Literature Sophocles

The significant good clash in Antigone by Sophocles is the contention over which worth is generally basic. The play presents the ethical clash about whether the god's law or the city's law is all the more impressive. This is by all accounts the most noticeable subject. The contention emerges principally between the lamentable legends Antigone and her uncle-in-law Creon, King of Thebes. The city of Thebes had experienced a war in which Antigone and her sister Ismene have lost both of their siblings to it, Eteocles and Polyneices. Eteocles' battling for Thebes was covered and respected as a legend. (lines 24-26) Polyneices was left unburied and disrespected in light of the fact that he is viewed as an adversary of the city. (lines 27-32) Creon decrees that whoever violated the law by covering Polyneices will be viewed as a crook. (lines 203-209) The contention among Antigone and Creon emerges when she concludes she should respect her sibling's demise and gives him internment. (line 72) I myself will cover him, she communicated to Ismene. When Antigone has covered her sibling, she is brought before King Creon to clarify her activities. (p. 177) Sophocles presents the different sides of the contention, moral law versus city law; Antigone communicates the side of good law and Creon communicates his side with the laws of the city. Antigone starts by disclosing to her sister Ismene it was her obligation as a sister that she ought to cover her dead sibling. It is an obligation she owes to her family. She likewise communicates that the ruler won't keep me from my own. at the end of the day, obligation to the family is over her obligation to the city. Antigone additionally reveals to Ismene that she is happy to turn into a crook and bite the dust for her convictions. She trusts her demise won't be futile, and it is respecting her fa mily; and the divine beings, thusly, will perceive... ...Ismene stands up to Creon and discloses to him she had a section in Polyneices internment. (line 537) She is willing presently to join Antigone in her difficulties and isn't afraid to let it out. (line 539) She is eager to join Antigone in death. On account of Ismene, her character can resolve the contention all alone. She understands she is nothing without her family and Creon's laws have removed her family. The contention introduced in Antigone includes all the characters and unfortunate legends. Regardless of whether its inside clash or strife between two individuals, the subject is available all through the whole play. Contradicting sees lead the primary characters to take activities that in the long run crush all. Works Cited Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Robert Fagles. Writing and the Writing Process. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. sixth. ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 2002.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

September Writing Prompts for Grade School Students

September Writing Prompts for Grade School Students September is an incredible month for educators and understudies to begin the propensity for every day composing. Composing each day, in any event, for a brief timeframe, can set the establishments for extraordinary accomplishments during the year ahead. These prompts have been decided to feature key occasions and remembrances during September and are incredible for every day warm-ups or diary passages. Month of September: Better Breakfast MonthClassical Music MonthNational School Success MonthRead-a-New-Book Month Composing Prompt Ideas for September September 1st Theme: Nursery RhymesThe adolescence rhyme Mary Had a Little Lambâ (1830) depends on an episode in the life of Mary Sawyer of Sterling, Massachusetts. when her sheep followed her to class one day.What was your preferred nursery rhyme as a youngster? For what reason do you think you enjoyed it so much?September second Theme: Better Breakfast MonthWhat is your concept of an awesome breakfast? Portray precisely what youd serve.September 3rd Theme: Labor DayThe first Monday in September is put aside as a yearly national tribute to the commitments laborers have made to the quality, thriving, and prosperity of our nation. As per the United States Department of Labor site, Labor Day is a production of the work development and is committed to the social and monetary accomplishments of American workers.How does your family observe Labor Day weekend?September 4th Theme: Classical Music MonthHave you at any point tuned in to old style music? What is your inclination about it? For what reason do you feel that way?September 5th Theme: Pizza (National Cheese Pizza Day)Describe your ideal pizza. Incorporate insights concerning the outside, sauce, and fixings. September sixth Theme: Read a Book DayThere are examines that show the beneficial outcomes of perusing on social prosperity. Perusing fiction improves a perusers capacity to comprehend different people groups convictions, wants, and contemplations that are unique in relation to their own.Do you like to peruse? Assuming this is the case, what kind of things do you like to peruse: books, magazines, sites, and so on. If not, why dont you like to read?September 7th Theme: Neither Rain Nor Snow DayThe informal ideology of the United States Postal Service is epitomized in this statement found on the James Farley Post Office in New York City:Neither snow nor downpour nor heat nor misery of night remains these messengers from the quick fulfillment of their named rounds.Describe the challenges that you that mail bearers may look on some random day? Do you think this is a difficult activity? Would you need to be a mail carrier?September eighth Theme: Anniversary of the Day Ford Pardoned Nixo nOn September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford absolved Richard Nixon of any bad behavior related with Watergate. For what reason do you think Ford exonerated him? Do you figure he ought to have? Why or why not? September 9th Theme: Grandparents DayWhat are three characteristics that you think make an incredible grandparent? For what reason do you think they need these qualities.September tenth Theme: T.V. Supper DayDo you believe that it is significant for families to have supper together at any rate a couple of times each week? Why or why not?September eleventh Theme: 9-11 World Trade Center Remembrance DayYou can have understudies tune in to previous Poet Laureate Billy Collins perused his sonnet The Names.Write a sonnet or bit of exposition celebrating the individuals who passed on the 9/11 attacks.September twelfth Theme: National Day of EncouragementWhich individual do you feel has roused and energized you the most in your life? Clarify your answer.September thirteenth Theme: Scooby Doos BirthdayIf you were in a Scooby-Doo scene, who might you want to be combined up with as you chase for apparitions: Scooby and Shaggy, Fred, Velma, or Daphne? Why?September fourteenth Theme: Pet Memor ial DayDescribe your preferred pet, living or dead. On the off chance that you have never had a pet, clarify what sort of pet youd like to have and what you would name it. September fifteenth Theme: National School Success MonthWhat do you want to do to turn out to be progressively effective in your classes at school? Clarify your answer.September sixteenth Theme: Mayflower DayPretend you were on the Mayflower on that first journey to settle in America. Depict your emotions after leaving England and afterward observing your new home.September seventeenth Theme: Constitution DayResources on The Constitution Center site: Explore the best, neutral, intuitive Constitution on the web, including materials composed by the top established researchers from over the political spectrum.Journal subject: If you could just keep one of the accompanying rights, which would it be? The right to speak freely of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of the Press. Clarify your answerSeptember eighteenth Theme: Childhood (National Play-Doh Day)Do you miss primary school? Why or why not?September nineteenth Theme: Talk Like a Pirate DayWrite a sonnet or a section as though you were a privateer depicting all the fortune youve pillaged. Make a point to compose like a privateer. September twentieth Theme: Chicken Dance DayToday is Chicken Dance Day. For what reason do you imagine that numerous grown-ups appreciate moves like the Chicken Dance and the Hokey Pokey? Do you appreciate them? Why or why not?September 21st Theme: World Gratitude DayName five things that you are thankful for. Clarify why you are thankful for each.September 22nd Theme: Dear Diary DayCreate a journal section about an exceptional day. This can be a genuine day in your own life or an anecdotal journal section. Make a point to begin with Dear Diary.September 23rd Theme: Checkers DayYouve been approached to play either checkers or chess. Which would you pick and why?September 24 Theme: National Punctuation DayWhich accentuation mark do you have the most issue utilizing effectively? You can browse the period, comma, colon, or semicolon.September 25th Theme: National Comic Book DayThe comic book showcase in North America has reached as high asâ $1 billion annually.Do you perused comi c books? Why or why not?September 26th Theme: Banned BooksBanned Books Week is a yearly occasion initially propelled in 1982 that praises the opportunity to peruse. As indicated by the Banned Books Week website:This is a push to unite the whole book network - administrators, book shops, distributers, writers, instructors, and perusers of various kinds - in shared help of the opportunity to look for and to communicate thoughts, even those some think about strange or unpopular.Do you feel that school libraries should boycott certain books? Bolster your assessment. September 27th Theme: Ancestor Appreciation DayWrite about your preferred precursor. On the off chance that you dont know whether your progenitor or dont have a most loved one, tell which most loved individual you wish was your predecessor. Clarify your explanations behind picking this person.September 28th Theme: Good Neighbor DayIn the sonnet Mending Wall by Robert Frost, the neighbor states Good fences make great neighbors. Clarify what you believe that announcement means.September 29th Theme: Coffee DayAre you an aficionado of espresso? Assuming this is the case, for what reason do you like it? What way do you like to drink it? If not, why not?September 30th Theme: Chewing Gum DayTake a stand either possibly in support of biting gum. Compose three contentions to help your supposition.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Why may the Romans be considered great city builders Essay

For what reason may the Romans be viewed as incredible city developers - Essay Example The capital city of Rome was particularly well known for its point by point arranging and association. It is hard to see how city organizers of Rome could have pulled off such a fantastic and clearing venture without the guide of current design helps. However, the landmarks, government structures, open entertainment houses and different structures and arrangements inside the city were very best in class for the time. Also, a portion of the innovation utilized by Romans keeps on discovering application in current urban areas today. With no more prominent guide than stones, blocks, wood and mortar, the Romans developed extraordinary works of compositional worth. The Bridges over Danube and Rhine are prime instances of Roman design. These two streams, which set the northern furthest reaches of the domain, end up being an obstacle for the northward development of the realm. To defeat this issue Julius Caesar united the best compositional personalities available to him to assemble these s trategically and militarily significant scaffolds. The Colosseum is another milestone in the memorable city of Rome. Much following a few centuries of its development, the structure has to a great extent stayed unblemished, offering guests a dramatic encounter. Worked by Emperor Titus, the Colosseum was intended to have combatant battles and creature battles. So during its working days, it was observer to probably the most violent fights forever.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Huongs Characters and the Suffering of Women under Confucian Ideologies - Literature Essay Samples

Traditional ideals, particularly in Asian culture value male superiority in the household whilst the women, has to assume secondary roles in the family. Confucianism as the foundation of most Asian regions since the Han dynasty in China has defined the mainstream discourse on gender onwards. The Three Obediences and Four Virtues defining the social codes for a virtuous woman and specific gender roles became the cornerstone of the kinfolk and society in general. Consequently, the majorly patriarchal ideologies in Confucianism has been regarded as sexist and historically damaging to Asian women. In Duong Thu Huong’s Paradise of the Blind the motif of one’s identity being defined for them is explored through the three main female characters from two generations Hang, Que (Hang’s mother) and Aunt Tam. The bildungsroman narrative focuses on Hang’s character charting her progression from a submissive girl to familial and cultural expectations to an individual who develops a fuller sense of who she is. Hang’s mother Que as a stereotypical character fits into the traditional side of Vietnamese society while the character Aunt Tam defies gender roles. Que suffers from the clutches of Confucian ideologies in that she is subjugated to the traditional female roles and familial loyalty that puts the male interests as the priority always. Whilst Aunt Tam despite defying the roles also suffers as an educated woman since she is not perceived by men as desirable, moreover, she is entangled in familial obligations to the dead. The Confucian ideologies teac h that a virtuous woman obeys the men in the family; the father in childhood and before marriage; the spouses after they marry; and their sons in widowhood. Furthermore, social stigmas were placed on factors such as remarriage or education for women leading to the decline of status of woman. Thus, through the Vietnam backdrop, Huong expresses the suffering of women under Confucian ideologies due to the traditional gender roles, familial duties and loyalty, and societal expectations. Through the female characters, Huong highlights their suffering under Confucian ideologies through the traditional roles that warrant self-abnegation and self-sacrifice. Que asserts â€Å"To live with dignity, the important thing is never to despair. You give up once, and everything gives way. They say ginger root becomes stringy but pungent with age. Unhappiness forges a woman, makes her selfless, compassionate† (HÆ °Ã† ¡ng). Que continually accentuated the act of being self-sacrificing as a woman in Vietnamese culture according to the maxims and traditional practices of Confucianism. As a street vendor in Hanoi only making measly earnings, Que takes pride in the suffering in which traditions have enacted upon them. She fortifies Hang to express the same kind of selflessness showing the extent to which generations of women are bound to the traditional roles. The teachings threat female autonomy as mothers convey the ideals of passivity and subjection in the Vietnamese cultur e. At a young age after witnessing a peasant woman vending barley sugar Hang ponders, â€Å"I was mesmerized by her huge, splayed feet†¦scored with tiny cracks, encrusted with gray patches of dead skin. Decades before her, another woman, just like her†¦plodded along with the same feet† (HÆ °Ã† ¡ng). Huong highlights that peasant women have been trapped in traditions which exacted extreme hard work and great suffering from them, and are passed down from mother to daughter. Furthermore Hang watches as her mother, Que, honors his brother and blinded by her loyalty to him even at times neglecting her own daughter. Consequently, women around Hang specifically Que and Aunt Tam lead lives that are dependent on honoring the patriarchy and the dead thus suffer through familial loyalty and duties. As Hang is welcomed at the ancestral home as the heir she feels â€Å"as if I were drinking to some solemn, merciless vow, some sacred, primitive rite† (HÆ °Ã† ¡ng). Hang alludes to the self-sacrificing familial loyalties she has witnessed through her mother and her foster mother, Aunt Tam and she is unsure of adopting the same position. Hang witnesses Que’s self-denying steps of devotion to her brother Chinh and her Aunt Tam’s loyalty from the bitterness of her wronged family. Throughout Hang’s childhood, Que is portrayed as consumed in servicing her only remaining family, her brother Chinh; she struggles and suffers to provide for his family which also entails two sons. The Three Obediences of Confucianism asserts that the maiden or married woman has an obligation to the male s in the family her entire life. Thus, Que even neglects her own daughter to cater to his remaining brother and his sons as males are considered more important. The shackles of familial loyalty are also seen through Aunt Tam who is devoted to continuing the bloodline and tending to the wrongdoings imparted on her dead family. She even supports Hang’s studies not for her sake but in order to honor the memory of her grandfather and father. In traditionalist Vietnam culture, the people are defined by the rules set by their preceding generations hence the living must serve the dead. Hang who intends to separate from the bounds of familial devotions asserts, â€Å"We can honor the wishes of the dead with a few flowers on a grave somewhere. I cant squander my life tending †¦ shadows, the legacy of past crimes† (HÆ °Ã† ¡ng). By the end of the novel, she realizes that this path will not bring her happiness and takes the risk to leave behind her familial duties in pursuit of her own happiness. Additionally, Huong suggests that women in Vietnam have to fit a very specific criterion to be considered a real and virtuous woman, eligible for marriage. Hang states, â€Å"My aunt was very beautiful but since she was educated and aloof she couldn’t seem to find a husband† (HÆ °Ã† ¡ng). It suggests that the sole role of a virtuous woman is to get married and domesticity, any other endeavors are against societal expectations. Being educated is frowned upon rather than celebrated. Moreover, the assertion suggests that the woman should only be beautiful and nothing else. Aunt Tam as an educated woman and aloof individual are main reasons she fails to attract a husband. In traditionalist Vietnamese culture, women have to abide by certain standards and social codes placed by centuries-old ideologies. Henceforth, women who subvert the norms but are still traditionalists, in essence, suffer the wrath of the ideologies. Essentially, the reasons why Hang’s decision to subvert the traditions is followed by complete detachment from the culture. Accordingly, Huong illustrates the suffering of Vietnamese women under Confucian ideologies as a result of its traditional gender roles, familial devotion and loyalty, and cultural expectations. Huong explores this motif by describing Hang’s struggle against following the customs and being unhappy and broken and her quest to find happiness. Through her eyes, the customs has subjugated her mother Que and other peasant women into a life of self-sacrifice, unhappiness, and self-abnegation. The traditionalist culture fosters the veneration of the patriarchy and the dead at the expense of the women preventing thinking for oneself if one is female. The rigid social codes for women also nurtures an unfortunate life for women who challenge the norms while still imbued with the ideologies. Fundamentally, the thoughts allow for patriarchal devaluation and oppression through the obligations and expectations they demand from women. Work Cited HÆ °Ã† ¡ng, DÆ °Ã† ¡ng Thu. Paradise of the Blind. 1988. Web.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Compare and Contrast Women at Home in Ww1 and Ww2

Compare and contrast the role of women at home during World War I and World War II. Before World War I and World War II, women at home had the roles of maintaining duties for their family and children, such as cleaning, caring for the house, and cooking for the family. They were more likely judged by their exquisiteness rather than their ability. Just before World War I began, women were beginning to break away from the traditional roles they had played at home. Throughout both World Wars, women in the United States faced similar challenges, however, during the Second World War; women were trusted with much more freedom and responsibility than they had in the First World War. In comparison, the first and second World Wars†¦show more content†¦At the time of World War one, the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA), Patriotic League, and the Red Cross organizations were made to help the war efforts. The Red Cross for example, allowed women to work and help the war effort as nurses. As women were not seen to work in higher praised jobs that only men could do, they proved themselves to be as skilled if not more during World War one. Women worked in industries and their development was drastically spoken about in newspapers and articles. There successes and skilled efforts was commended and was beginning to change the minds of men who thought women were incapable. Women, during World War one, replaced men in skillful jobs such as railroad workers, and other machine operators. During the beginning of World War one, women were seen as incapable of holding professional jobs that men took. However, demonstrating their efforts in factories and hel ping the war effort showed the capability of women to work in any job that was traditionally for women. Throughout World War one, women gained the positions of being doctors, lawyers, and bankers. These job opportunities during World War one gave women a chance to show the male-dominated society that they were proficient and were able to more than staying at home and raising their children. Throughout World War one, women had played a vital role in helping the war and its soldiers. Women also played a key role in helping the

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Manual vs Computerized Accounting - 1225 Words

Manual versus Computerized Accounting Ever since Lucas Pacioli wrote about and spread the knowledge of double entry accounting in his â€Å"Summa di Arithemetica† in 1494, modern manual accounting was born (Hendrickson, 2007), though manual accounting has existed in many forms since ancient times. In contrast, computerized accounting systems are a more modern invention, as the first computer was invented between 1943 and 1946 (â€Å"Great Events in Accounting amp; Business History†, (n.d.)) and Arthur Anderson first computerized the payroll of General Electric in 1953 (â€Å"Great Events in Accounting amp; Business History†, (n.d.)). Powerful personal computers were not readily available to the average person until the 1980’s and 1990’s. Manual†¦show more content†¦Computerized accounting systems have advantages. They can increase the speed and efficiency of the accounting process and can be less labor intensive owing to the automation of many functions like journalization a nd calculation. Performing the summation of all the individual transactions entered is automated and printing financial statements from the data is quick and easy. Although there may be data entry errors, these may be easier to find in a computerized system, and there should be no transcription error as the computer performs the transcription for you. Computerized accounting systems, since they can easily handle large numbers of transactions with ease, are more practical for large companies with a large volume of transactions. Lastly, one advantage I’ve seen with computerized accounting is the generation of financial statements at any time during the accounting cycle, if you wish to do this. With manual accounting, this is labor and time intensive and impractical. Computerized accounting systems are not without their disadvantages, though. For example, many small businesses don’t have a lot of start-up capital and most computerized accounting systems are somewhat cost-prohibitive for them. They are dependent upon computers with all the attendant problems that can come with that – power outages, viruses, data security, and computer fraud. I believe, as well, that theShow MoreRelatedComputerized vs. Manual Accounting1630 Words   |  7 PagesPrepared For : Mr. Nelson Title: | Computerized Accounting should completely replaces Manual AccountingPrepared By : Ali H. Al-MuslimID#: 200628620Section# : 05SN#: 02Group#:01Word Count:1,333 | 10/7/2012 10/7/2012 Table of Contents Table of Contents II Introduction 3 I. Manual Accounting 4 A. Benefits 4 1. Cost effective 4 2. Availability 4 B. Limitations 4 1. Finding Errors 4 2. Time Factor 5 II. Computerized Accounting 5 A. Benefits 5 1. 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Financial Position Memo

Question: Discuss Medbox's overall financial reporting and financial position.? Answer: Overall financial reporting and financial position analysis of Medbox The quarterly financial statement of Medbox shows that the gross profit levels of the company are negative and hence the gross profit ratios are negative. The present GP ratio for September 30th 2014 is around (5.91) which suggests that the company lacks financial profitability. (Refer to appendix 1) This also suggests that Medbox has no financial capability to pay for operating expenses like salaries, selling and marketing, research and development and general administrative expenses. The company shows consistently negative net incomes because despite the low gross margin ratios the company has incurred high operating expenses and low revenues that have led to loss from the operations. The return on assets ratio is around (0.36) which is also negative suggesting that the company is not able to manage its assets effectively to yield the greater amounts of income (Leach, 2010). (Refer to appendix 3) The analysis of the balance sheet shows a number of unusual items like derivative liability, which increase the amount of liability of the company. The investments of the company are also nil in 2014 and 2012 showing low amount of assets. Hence from the analysis of the balance sheet it can be confirmed that the company has a low liquidity position. The low liquidity position and the negative revenue shows that the company is not in a condition to pay short or long term debts and is advisable to increase the sales of the medicine storage devices in order to attain a stable financial position (Skov Jensen, 2011). References Leach, R. (2010).Ratios made simple. Petersfield, Hampshire: Harriman House. Skov Jensen, H. (2011).Recommendations financial ratios 2010. Copenhagen: The Danish Society of Financial Analysts.

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau Essay Example

Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau Essay Author Albert Raboteau’s book will find a place in any American religious history canon. Raboteau, being an African American himself, was able to bring out the compassion and earnestness in his cause – which is to bring to light the plight and travails of enslaved Black Americans from a religious perspective. The book is written in such a tone that it opens more profound levels of understanding and appreciation for the reader. In this way, the book is a piece of art as well as a document of history. The book succeeds in taking the reader to the original setting and milieu that forms its background. More importantly, the book adopts simple prose style that appeals to readers from all walks of life. The rest of the essay will be a summary of the central points in the book. The book takes the form of Raboteau’s responses to some of the reactions he had experienced over the years. In line with his literary mentor Sydney Ahlstrom’s anticipation, the revival of African-American history as a field of inquiry in its own right also helped rejuvenate the allied subject of religion and history with respect to America. This is also made necessary by the fact that any attempt to trace African-American history is inevitably linked to the associated religious traditions, and likewise, â€Å"the religious history of America cannot be told adequately without incorporation of the African-American experience†. Raboteau’s narrative gives vent to the suppressed voices of African Americans of the past, quite reminiscent of some of the narrative techniques employed by African American novelists of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. This also serves as the â€Å"central theme in other liberation theologies†, and applies in significant ways to secular as well as religious history, leading up to contemporary practices. Alongside the expression of black American sentiments, the book also notes the parallel historical events in the American continent. The fact that most of the African American immigration to America has been un-volitional is recognized through out the text. We will write a custom essay sample on Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In an attempt to explicate the true implications of â€Å"slave culture†, the author is compelled to touch upon the political aspects of religion and argues in favor of their necessity. In other words, this â€Å"creative means of continuation† of African cultural influences, frequently intertwined with European and Judeo-Christian origins, provides a sense of belonging and identity to the community, while leaving aside other aspects of slavery. The book essentially provides the necessary foundation for the oppressed masses to rebel against authority and to free themselves from the repressive mental shackles of slavery. The author claims that the basic motivation for writing this book â€Å"was the passing-on of unwritten traditions, oral traditions no longer heard†. Also, he intends to invoke interest in the subject through conventional methodology to educate the reader. This, Raboteau believes, is the spiritual effort of contemplating about â€Å"a tradition that stands a continuing challenge to the complacency exhibited by most of Christianity†. In respect of the task of documenting long-standing traditions, the book is quite good. The author includes hymns and songs, and anecdotes and verses, historical narratives as well as scholarly interpretations of various sources for the documentation of this little studied aspect of American religious history. Raboteau incorporates in the text extracts from native African languages in addition to adaptations by black Americans already living in the Americas. The author also depicts in depth several practices and customs, including the â€Å"ring shout and belief structures†. For instance, the preservation of aspects of African deities and gods was usually more pronounced in the South American continent when compared to the predominantly Protestant North America. Raboteau also gives different rationales for it, which takes into consideration â€Å"the greater possibility of syncretism and cross-identification of practices†. Raboteau notes that, after a while, most of the American slaves were â€Å"native-born†, while elsewhere in the world (Caribbean and Latin American regions), there was a steady and gradual influx of immigrants from the African continent. Raboteau also delves into some of the contradictions inherent in American Christianity which uses religious conversion as a justification to enslave other people. In recent times such practices are very rare, but the primary reason for allowing the enslavement of certain communities was to make them subordinate to the faith of convenience (which in the case of African Americans was Christianity). Furthermore, there was this conception that â€Å"there were not only spiritual benefits to the slaves, but also the contact of the slaves with Western civilization was by itself a better state than that in which the people had lived as free persons†. There were hindrances for a short while in allowing slaves to convert to Christianity, for it would allow them to expect just, fair and equal treatment. The author’s depiction of the governing institutions and the way the â€Å"invisible institution† is run is quite interesting. The public churches of the day were always surrounded by controversies as a result of their exclusive nature. The ‘invisible institution’, as the author refers to it, â€Å"existed often as a forbidden aspect†. African American slaves were allowed to participate in both black churches (the congregations of which also contained members of other racial and ethnic minorities). According to Raboteau, these congregations usually see more number of slaves, many of whom risk punishment when they join other worshippers in secluded locations. Close to the end of the Civil War, the culture of slavery prevailing in America was to a great extent associated with Christianity, especially in the southern states. The author asserts that â€Å"the secular/sacred clash often present in the modern-day culture was present even in the slave cabins, where secular music that provided antecedents to rhythm and blues would sometimes compete with the more religious-oriented calls to worship†. The only criticism that could be attributed to Raboteau is it emphasis on Christianity alone, while not taking into consideration other religions. Also, the author can also be criticized for not representing the viewpoints of women, especially given their significance in â€Å"the preservation of slave culture and religion†. Although these criticism in them don’t take away the many merits of the book, more revisionist history is required in this field before a complete picture of this controversial aspect of the country’s past is understood properly. In the final analysis, the book is a landmark in the quest for the true history of American minorities in general and African American Christians in particular. In this sense, it is one of the most important pieces of literature, pertaining to the political, religious and sociological evolution of America.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

General Electric GlaxoSmithKline

General Electric GlaxoSmithKline Changes in Technology That GE Has Undertaken in Product and Process General Electric (GE) built Local Growth Teams (LGT), which was a process change of the manufacturing technology that the company has always used. The new process shifts the focus of production to where the company has a high potential of selling its commodities.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on General Electric GlaxoSmithKline specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, LGT allows GE to build latest offerings, which are separate from the items that are already in its inventory. Previously, all subsidiaries of GE worked as part of the whole company; however, fresh subsidiaries under the LGT structure operate as new companies. Therefore, their interaction within the organization occurs as a form of partnership enabling them to obtain necessary resources when needed, and still maintain their autonomy for operation (White and Bruton 2-3). The com pany also introduced the concept of ecomagination. This was another method innovation in the use of technology. It merged the generation of energy and the process of manufacturing vehicles that use the spawned energy. The innovative process of production gave general electric the ability to create new opportunities, which increased its products value and their market demand (White and Bruton 4). GE also undertook product innovation changes. In the first case, the company used a system-integration approach for existing products to improve them and increase their market share. While developing LGT structures, GE used applied research methods to utilize existing knowledge, about the products in its inventory to develop first-hand products.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The up to date products by LGT improve the firm’s market position in emerging countrie s that lack a sustainable market for its traditional products. Therefore, the above example illustrates the use of systems integration as a type of innovation. For example, the company applies the same basic research that developed ultrasound machines technology to develop portable ultrasound-machines in India and China. The firm also re-engineered its work progression. Instead of controlling the processes of LGT from once central location, GE allowed all LGT to operate independently and consolidate their functions as individual companies. This ensured that the organization was deleting all unnecessary hindrances in management levels and work. The above innovation was an example of using applied technology to create altered merchandises. The company introduced new-fangled products, which lead to new opportunities in emerging markets. At the same time, the company introduced the modern process of researching and manufacturing that concentrate of its high-growth market. Combination of Technology and Management General Electric has made changes to its organization, which gives it a market advantage when using technology. The firm altered its structure where necessary like in the case of LGT. It also reviewed its personnel policies and leadership. The firm created local teams that understand the needs and challenges of specific markets. This allowed the company to come up with products that are relevant and cost-effective in their respective markets.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on General Electric GlaxoSmithKline specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The organization holds patents to various technologies and allows its local growth teams to exploit the patents and come up with new products. To achieve this objective, the firm reorganized its management roles and objectives to realign them with technology. The new orientation implied that policy and leadership bend towards a technology that fit t he business the company wants to grow in (White and Bruton 4). Strategic Concerns for GE in Future As General Electric extends its global presence, it should also seek to develop new customer relationships in its existing markets. The company should not take for granted markets where its strategies are already doing well. Technological innovations often lead to the loss of a company’s competitive advantage. For example, fresh technology might render a product obsolete or cut its production costs and force companies to reduce their prices or face the wrath of recent entrants to the market. So while GE is shifting its power to where the growth is, it should also look at existing markets that are not growing but are under threat of disruption by technology. As GE expands its manufacturing capabilities in new markets, it should also look at its capabilities more closely. Its competitors will soon copy its innovative processes of fabrication and come up with competitive outputs. T he company must ensure that the introduction of toned-down alternative products, in unknown markets, does not make it appear to be neglecting the demands, of the market. Otherwise, it might suffer a backlash on its products as consumers seek to fulfil their needs with better products from competitors. As the firm realizes high returns in new markets, it should not become a victim by defending its market share when other firms introduced superior products.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Technology and Product Changes to Monitor The firm should monitor the technologies that alter the demand of its products or render them obsolete. It should also monitor processes that tear down geographical boundaries or market barriers. These processes will either remove its competitive advantage of exclusivity or allow it to tap fresh value-creating ideas. It should look at processes that allow existing technologies to serve additional purposes, and lead to new commodities (Tidd, Pavitt and Bessant 17-21). Marketing and Technology Balance General Electric maintained a balance of its marketing efforts and technology by managing its technology and innovation as the core of its production. The company used technology to produce products of distinctive capabilities and costs. Having varied versions of the same product allowed the company to serve a wider market, including fewer traditional areas. The company also followed other technology developments within the industry but leveraged its expertise and network to create new products that eventually earn it a significant market share. GE bought technology when it realized that the development of its own technology would take time or was expensive. The firm bought other firms that already had the technology it was eyeing, or the marketing capabilities that increased its market share (White and Bruton 2-4). Special Planning Needs for GSK GSK needs to plan how to diversify its global business while it continues to simplify the operating model of the firm. The firms need to plan how to retain its competitiveness of producing new products. Therefore, it needs to reorganize its research and development area to make them more efficient. The firm needs to build an internal innovation foundation, which will support innovation. It needs processes that allow knowledge to transfer among its eight broad areas of focus. As it generates ideas and products, the firm also needs to manage them at any given time. Thus, the firm req uires an efficient evaluation process. During the planning phase, GSK needs to consider its technology and innovation strategy in relation to its dominant competitive position. It needs to look at how processes, operations and systems are influencing its capabilities. Thereafter, it should examine ways to alter its organization structure to take advantage of the knowledge for internal innovation. The company has to coordinate its operations globally to ensure the outputs for customers, stakeholders and competitors become valuable data for processing in its RD areas, which will strengthen its competitive position. Industry Trends for Consideration GSK should look at entrant companies in the eight market areas that make up its focus. The mint companies increase the competition for the existing market share and may come with new technologies, which disrupt the dominant position of GSK. In addition to checking for newcomers, the company should also observe how existent products are infl uencing the economic inefficiency that exists within the industry. When all inefficiencies cease to exist, it will no longer be profitable, for the firm to continue innovating in the particular focus area (Zahra and Ali 105-106). The firm should look at epidemic trends of neglected diseases that form the core of its research focus. The trends assist the firm to plan on the scale of resources that it should commit. The trends also provide information that might be replicable in the development of drugs for similar diseases. Above all, the company should monitor breakthroughs in treatment technologies and medical combinations. Up to date processes and products will allow the firm to introduce modern ways of using their existing technology or come up with fresh products. GSK can be innovative enough to beat its competitors in the race of introducing new products. However, the firm also needs strong retail presence to sell and grow its market share. Therefore, the company should monitor mergers and acquisitions within the production channel. It should also keenly follow the changing preferences of retailers as state requirements influenced them in their respective countries. Lastly, GSK should monitor regulatory conditions that govern the administration of health care. Often, official directives lead to the abandonment of a product in favour of another. In other cases, users develop the resistance to a specific combination of medication and require new types. The firm should look at medication resistant trends. Critical Implementation Issues The allocation of over 10 per cent of revenues on research and development was critical to the company’s development of high mid-size products. The firm needed to support its innovation and marketing efforts an appropriate financial budget to make it sustainable (Betz 51). If it had not allocated funds to develop mid-size products, then it would be exposing its strategic advantage when its successful products become obs olete. Therefore, the allocation of ten per cent of revenues, on the product, research was important in the firms diversification strategy (White and Bruton 71). Without the research and development of mid-size products, the firm would fail on its strategy of delivering more products of value. Having a constant stream of new products ensures that the firm is competitive and profitable. If it instead concentrated on a few big-size products, then it would succumb to cyclic periods of good and bad performance (Betz 51). The quest for the market leadership position in the pharmaceutical industry obliges firms to remain innovative even when they are enjoying the market dominance. Besides, new diseases and their resistance are always emerging; therefore, it is paramount that the firm allocates substantial revenue to research and development. Another critical implementation issue is the return on innovation policy. Without a criterion for justifying the development of a specific product, t he firm would waste resources on areas that do not meet its expectations. For a company generating so many products in a particular period, proper control of its inventory is important to ensure that the production resources do not go to waste (White and Bruton 72-73). Influence of Changes Made in 2008 The changes made in 2008 that created Discovery Performance Units will accelerate the implementation of the firms critical issue of competitive advantage. For example, in line with the research and development of mid-size products, DPU will reduce the organizational inefficiency associated with decision-making in large organizations. In addition, concentration on particular focus areas by the DPU will enable GSK to develop better quality products and reduce research mistakes that come with diverse interests. Funding guarantees for DPU also give them a security of tenure, which allows them to plan and implement research and development calendars without financial interruptions. The eli mination of short-term discontinuances will ensure that GSK achieve its goal of providing the best science and products to consumers. The 2008 restructuring allows the firm to continue benefiting from innovations and continue developing capacities for more novelties in the future (White and Bruton 73). After the new introductions of 2008, project management at GSK has become more decentralized. The dispersion makes the firm more adaptable to emerging trends within the industry. It allows the research to focus on different technologies without compromising the firms already dominant position in specific products. Special Evaluation Needs GSK needs to determine whether the innovations coming from its research labs, and the subsequent product developments, will be successful, in the market. The firm has to know how many products it intends to produce over a given period and offer them in the marketplace. It also needs to define the quantity of each product line. The company needs to lo ok further than sales and profits when it evaluates its long-term strategy concerns. The evaluation should focus on how its products are relating to their substitutes, in the market. GSK already has strategies for its business and needs to evaluate their effectiveness and relevance in the industry. The corporation has to know if the growth of a diversified global business contributed to its dominant position. Secondly, its strategy of delivering products of more value should be evaluated against the need for making profits. Lastly, it should evaluate its efficiency strategy to see if there are additional avenues for reducing costs or increasing value. The use of an internal innovation strategy has the most influence on how well GSK evaluates its progress. The cross-fertilization of ideas encouraged by the company is also crucial for knowledge transfer with aids decision-making within the firm. The sharing of information among departments assisted the company to reorganize its operat ions in 2008. It will continue to influence the evaluation of progress within the firm. Control Systems for GSK GSK obtains much of its competitive advantage from its human capital. Therefore, it needs human-resource system to control the exploitation of human capital (Verburg, Ortt and Dicke 54). The system would assist the firm to control the compliance of its employees and increase their commitment to its goals. The company also needs a balanced scorecard system to increase the efficiency of inter and intradepartmental transactions and services (Sisaye 37). The company has many product lines and needs a just-in-time technology (JIT) system. The system will reduce transaction costs and other costs that arise from the production, distribution and sales processes. As it continues to develop products from preventing disease, the company also needs to prevent its operations from causing harm to its environment. An environment system, which reports the organizations impact on its ecolo gy, will assist it to create more value without violating environmental laws of specific countries. Betz, Frederick. Managing Technological Innovation: Competitive Advantage from Change. 2nd ed. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons, 2003. Print. Sisaye, Seleshi. The Ecology of Management Accounting and Control Systems. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Print. Tidd, Joseph, Keith Pavitt and John Bessant. Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. West Sussex: John Wiley Sons, 2005. Print. Verburg, Robert, Roland Ortt and Wilhelmina Margaretha Dicke, Managing Technology and Innovation: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print. White, Margaret A and Garry D Bruton. The Management of Technology and Innovation: A Strategic Approach. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Zahra, Shaker A and Abbas Ali, The Impact of Innovation and Technology in The Global Marketplace. New York: International Business Press, 1994. Print.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Reflection on the Use of Technology in Education in the UAE Essay

Reflection on the Use of Technology in Education in the UAE - Essay Example This essay stresses that every year, the country has reported a significant increase in the number of students enrolling for different courses in the institutions of learning. Eventually, the number of instructors has decreased below the recommended student: teacher ratio. At the same time, many institutions of learning have made education a form of making profits by admitting as many students as possible. The higher the number of students in institutions of learning, the lower is the capability of the lecturers to deliver to all the students. The result has been the use of different technologies in education. This paper makes a conclusion that the success of the use of technology in teaching and learning heavily depends on the perceptions and attitudes of both the educators and the students. The perception has been primarily positive following the digital technology campaign and the need for technology literacy in schools. Institutions that do not implement technology learning in the UAE are seen as outdated and ones that do not instill the required skills to their students. In the earlier years, the use of technology in education in the UAE was a debatable topic that attracted varying opinions. Many people in the country discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in education. However, as many institutions started adopting the use of technology, its benefits now seem to outweigh its shortcomings. Education has taken a new dimension and meaning with the use of technology.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Digital Communication and Death of Print Journalism Essay

Digital Communication and Death of Print Journalism - Essay Example According to the paper findings, it can, therefore, be said that digital communication tools such as blogs and micro-blogging sites have taken journalism to a whole new different level. Digital journalism can be instantaneous and can spread news faster than any other mass media. Also, it gives the power of journalism to individuals not represented by any corporation. Individuals who are not professional journalists also can report news and put it out as the open source. Digital communication has built a platform for sharing unbiased news and at the same time getting numerous perspectives. More importantly, it is an interactive forum and allows for a debate on the news from the general public (Schultz, 1999).  Digital journalism is now starting to pose a serious threat to print journalism. Digital journalism has numerous advantages over traditional print journalism. Many daily newspapers are now starting to have a digital presence. In today’s world, people lead a high-tech an d busy life. People are always on the move and go to the internet for all they need. Print media is slowly losing reader base to digital journalism (Zafra, 2007). The one communication style and delay in reporting is all contributing to the decline of print journalism. It is definitely clear that in the near future print journalism will be completely replaced by digital journalism.

Friday, January 31, 2020

Immorality of Excessive Gambling Essay Example for Free

Immorality of Excessive Gambling Essay Excessive gambling is immoral because it causes people to exhaust their resources on an activity with uncertain results which can result to bigger problems in the end. Those who gamble should practice moderation in their ways so that they will be able to avoid the possibilities of gambling dependency on one’s future and of drying-up one’s financial resources just to satisfy an earthly pleasure. Instead of going to casinos and playing card games on a regular basis, people should only do so as a pastime so that they can a lot most of their time to more rewarding activities that are certain to compensate for their efforts. If a person gambles too much, the tendency of the individual is to use most—if not all—of his financial resources just to satisfy his desire to gamble (Kusyszyn, 1984). An excessive gambler does not mind if the odds of winning are small compared to the odds of losing. Moreover, an excessive gambler no longer minds if the money he has gambled has already reached to amounts that are already way beyond the ordinary. The excessive gambler, therefore, is so devoted to spending a luxurious amount in the hopes of winning his bet which, if he did win, he will then again use to gamble. While the case of an excessive gambler is not always beyond repair, the damages that his deeds can inflict not only to himself but also to his family can certainly alter the course of their lives for the worse, if not the worst. For one, financial debt can never be far behind because an excessive gambler will find ways just to fuel his addiction—including loans either from lending institutions or other people. This will certainly affect the financial security of himself and of his family. Another thing is that excessive gambling can lead to loss of time for work and for the family. If the excessive gambler losses time for his work, there is a great chance that he will be losing his job which can cut-off his or his family’s source of income. The loss of time for the family is also negative consequence because it causes family members to lose emotional bond. If the gambler is a father, there is the risk that his children will no longer see him as a fatherly figure or, probably worse, they may reach the point where they will no longer miss his presence in the household while he is out in the casinos gambling. More importantly, excessive gambling is immoral because it takes away the opportunity for families to develop and grow in many ways. Instead of spending the money on gambling, the money could have been better spent on household furniture, on paying monthly bills, family vacation and other things that could have brought the family closer together. The latter options are certainly the better options to take instead of gambling too much. The omission of these good options in exchange for the worse option is certainly not a moral thing to do when the person could have just chosen the option that was primarily beneficial to everybody in the household and its future. From a utilitarian perspective, disregarding the option that maximizes benefits to the most number of individuals concerned is not the moral thing to do (Freeman, 1994). Thus, excessive gambling is immoral from a utilitarian standpoint. Aristotle’s philosophy of moderation suggests that human beings should avoid the extremes because the excess and the deficiency of anything are vices whereas the moderation of it is considered to be a virtue (Yu, 1998). The same principle can be applied to contemporary gambling. For example, an individual’s deficiency of playing slot machines in casinos or anywhere else where there ways to gamble is considered as a vice. On the other hand, spending too much time, attention and resources on playing poker in a Las Vegas casino is also considered to be a vice. The best option that should be taken is a moderate gambling practice because, according to Aristotle, the moderate way is the virtuous way which can lead to the good life. Instead of going regularly to casinos or spending more time in the race track than in the household, the excessive gambler should practice moderating his addiction. He can instead cut the time and money he is spending on his vices and devote more of them to his family. He can also choose to work harder in the office or spend more time with his children so that he will have less time for gambling. The bright side to that is that he becomes less of a person addicted to gambling while being more of a normal person at the same time. The point is not to siphon all of your time, resources and attention to gambling as it deprives you of some of life’s better activities. It does not mean, however, that the person should altogether abandon gambling. The thing is that gambling can still be a part of a person’s life, only that this time around gambling is no longer an addiction but rather a leisurely activity spent for pastime. In fact, moderate gambling can be a source of emotional bond for family members especially for the adult parents. For instance, a couple can decide to go on vacation in Las Vegas and spend a bit of time and money in a casino where they can play together for fun. If they lose, not much is lost because the primary goal was to establish more emotional bond together. If they win, however, their financial winnings can be considered as mere ‘bonuses’ to their primary intent. This perhaps best explains why gambling can also be a good deed so long as it is within moderate limits. It is easy to see and understand why excessive gambling is immoral. For the most part, it is a menace that tears down family bond and deprives people of spending their lives on better activities. Although excessive gambling is immoral, the moderation of gambling can still be considered as a good thing for it can also bring families closer together. References Freeman, S. (1994). Utilitarianism, Deontology, and the Priority of Right Utilitarianism, Deontology, and the Priority of Right. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 23(4), 313-349. Kusyszyn, I. (1984). The Psychology of Gambling. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 474, 133-145. Yu, J. (1998). Virtue: Confucius and Aristotle. Philosophy East and West, 48(2), 323-347.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Use of Steroids in Baseball Essay -- Sports Argumentative Persuasive E

Use of Steroids in Baseball Since Major League Baseball all-star Ken Caminiti openly admitted to Sports Illustrated to have used steroids during his career, steroid use as a muscle and performance enhancer has been uncovered and become a big issue Major League Baseball is wrestling with. The â€Å"ongoing and delicate subject, baseball’s dirty, little secret that is no secret anymore,† is a huge and growing problem (Curry B20). Now that light has been shed on the issue, critics are beginning to realize the magnitude of this problem and do not like it. Steroids are a cheating virus that is spreading quickly. Users cheat other players, themselves, the fans, and the game itself. Action must be taken to rid Major League Baseball of this virus before it takes over the game. Steroids are illegal in the US, and banned from baseball, however in the past they have not been suspected to be such a big problem. Therefore, Major League Baseball has failed to properly address it with preventative measures. In the 2001, the Major League Players Association’s contract with Major League Baseball protected players on the 40 man roster against testing. As for the minor leagues, testing only occured in-season, and was restricted to some players. Many players use in the off season and know how long the drugs will remain in their bodies (anywhere from 2 weeks to 18 months). If tested positive, they receive a warning about the hazards of the drug and are not punished at all. Five to ten percent of minor leaguers tested positive, and which fails to account for users not tested, those who used out-of-season, and those who found measures around the test. In the majors, some suspect that 50% of players use steroids and some, such as Jose Canseco, as hig... ...2002: D3 Steroids.com. 2003. Anabolics.com, Inc.5 Mar. 2003. Verducci, Tom. â€Å"Totally Juiced.† Sports Illustrated.com 3 June 2002. 5 Mar. 2003. Yesalis, Charles E; Cowart, Virginia S. The Steroids Game US 1998 Associated Press articles on www.CBSnews.com National Pastime Altered By Drugs CLEARWATER, Fla., March 31, 2003 Jason Giambi Subpoenaed SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2003 Barry Bonds In Subpoena Lineup SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22, 2003 Designer Steroid Doping Scandal SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 23, 2003 Steroid Scandal's Impact Spreads SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 25, 2003 Athletes Testify In Doping Probe WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2003 Baseball To Test For Steroids NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2003 Bonds At Bat In Steroid Probe SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2003

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Of Kind and Cruel Fates Essay

Irony, in its essence, is the humor of contradiction. It is contradiction, in the sense that where we would expect events to lean on one way, events instead completely take the opposite direction. A crude example would be where a string of freak accidents occur at a factory where the manager is showing off to his potential clients that his company is â€Å"accident-free†. Irony is humorous because if one saw it with impartiality, one would find it funny. Having a car accident right after a road is â€Å"improved† to avoid further accidents, would be funny. To study irony further, one could study an average person’s sense of humor. While as a child, he may delight in the curiosities of the environment, eventually he becomes adjusted to seeing it everyday, and eventually his enjoyment of it fades. Humor takes on a different characteristic for him. There is the slapstick comedy, where he finds the antics of the performers as funny and absurd, and there is the situational comedy, where he finds funny ordinary people falling to ridiculous situations. The common thread to this humor is that it attacks at something. Whether it is to ridicule a person behaving out of the social norm (as the slapstick), or to ridicule a person’s belief or principle that is generally viewed as absurd (the parody), the higher the degree of abuse at the object of humor, the funnier. Irony, then, is humorous in the sense that it attacks something, through its contradiction. As an impartial viewer, we may find funny things that we know to be true as envisioned by the ironic set-up, but which is obscured in the minds of those who are involved in the irony. Humor moreover has intrinsic values it seeks to instill to its impartial witnesses, and consequently irony occurs as some way to inform the viewer of a cosmic lesson. We can delve in this further through the study of three stories, Tartuffe, The Princess of Cleves, and Nathan the Wise. There are several ironic situations that occur throughout the play Tartuffe. The story revolves around a household scandalized by having its head (the father) entertain and welcome as part of the family a man who openly and vocally shows his displeasure at what he deems as vices borne by the various members of the family and the house. One of the first ironic situations occurs with the son, Damis, who hides in the room while Tartuffe has a private conversation with his mother, Elmire. His intention is to unmask Tartuffe to his father as a hypocrite and get him out of the house (Moliere, 39-46). When he finally sees evidence of the man’s scandalous behavior towards his mother and reveals it to his father, not only does his father not believe (owing to the hypocrite’s skillful use of words), but has Damis instead kicked out and even encourages Tartuffe to continue his scandalous behavior towards his wife, in order to spite his family (47-51). The humor in the situation centered on how big a fool the father was to believe in Tartuffe’s virtue, and an even bigger fool not to see the truth when it is right in front of him. This is further stressed in the next ironic situation, where after Orgon (the father) finally realizes the extent of his friend’s deceit, he tries to tell his mother, who was also fooled by the hypocrite. For all his protestations she does not believe him until she sees it herself (Moliere, 68-71). The irony is that where he once ignored the loud protests of his family, likewise his mother does not believe him, even for his loud protests. The final ironic twist, however, turns out for the good as the hypocrite Tartuffe, having been unmasked and set his plans for revenge, intrigues on the King and plans to have them all arrested, only to have him as the object of arrest, as the King was â€Å"wise† to his intrigues (77-80). The play has these alternating reversal of fortunes, and its ironic humor attacks two things: that blind faith without reason in open Virtue is folly, and that any malice masked in virtue never remains unpunished. A more tragic tale of irony is that of the Princess of Cleves. Introduced to a court as Madam Chartres, she wins the affection of the Prince of Cleves, who endeavor to marry her despite the protests of his father; she falls, however for someone else, the Duke Nemours (Lafayette, 15-17). The story then centers around him trying to find the opportunity to confess his love, and she, now married, desperately tries to stave off his affections while suppressing hers. We do not see the irony unfold until the very end: the Princess anguishes over her affection for the Duke throughout her marriage, but following the death of her husband suddenly she has a change of heart and is convinced that her husband was a far better man than the Duke (101-107). It is only after the husband dies and they finally have an opportunity to be together does she decide not to be with the Duke. The irony here attacks the notion that love borne from adulterous intention will eventually bear fruit. It might have been attack towards the growing acceptance of the public towards the notion of infidelity, (almost every character is involved in an affair with someone else) and their giving it idealistic fervor. The Princess of Cleves, despite the best of her intentions, continued to bear her love to someone else, and pined for that other person, and consequently, in her husband’s death she realized her folly too late, and chose to suffer the rest of her life in that guilt. Nathan the Wise has such a complicated string of ironies, that one who skims through even the slightest of details would not appreciate the ironies that eventually occur. Originally, the story of the Jewish merchant Nathan centered around the Muslim conqueror Saladin trying to fool him out of his money—and this tale has found itself in the pages of Boccaccio’s Decameron. Nathan answers so skillfully that ironically it was Saladin who was put to shame by his own question and humbled before the Jew (Lessing, 90-97). This story is, however, expanded by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, and this encounter between the Egyptian conqueror and the Jew becomes the main theme. The tale then revolves around a Templar, who was pardoned by Saladin for the reason that he resembled the conqueror’s brother (Lessing, 36); the consequences of his rescue of a Jewish maiden (and subsequent encounter of the grateful surrogate father Nathan), and the intrigues of the Patriarch who would have him either kill Saladin or turn over Nathan, who he found had raised a Christian child to the Jewish faith (the same Jewess he rescued) (37-40). The irony, from an impartial point of view, might have been to some degree absurd. The Templar, in almost the fashion of Oedipus, tries desperately to seek the truth, and unmask what he sees in his prejudice as malice committed by the Jew Nathan (Lessing, 109-127). And, also in the fashion of Oedipus, not only does he discover that the girl he was trying to save (and hope to marry) was his sister, but Saladin who he would have killed had he agreed to the Patriarch, was his uncle after all (165-172). The irony also hits Saladin, as his pardoning the Templar Conrad because he looked like his brother, redounds to the truth that Conrad was his brother’s son. While the ironic twist might seem ridiculous to the trained eye, in the sense it fits to the lesson first imparted by Nathan to Saladin: that all men are equal before God, regardless of Faith. This is a happier chide at the Medieval sensibility of hostility between Faiths. Irony is humorous, because we find that the contradiction it creates makes sense. We might have felt our sensibilities offended when we saw that the Princess of Cleves did not end up with the Duke Nemours, but the cosmic twist was to show to us that infidelity was wrong. We would have preferred that the Templar should have instead ended up marrying the Jewess, but the irony was there to impart the lesson that prejudice has, after all, no place in the world. We sometimes do not find ironic circumstances that funny, as if we lived the life of Duke Nemours or became as aghast as the Templar Conrad. But eventually, we will learn that the contradiction was to impart to us that our plans may go completely the other way, because they may not have been right in the first place. And, the wiser we become to this truth, the more we will realize that irony, though it might strike sad for us, has a reason. The better we accept this, the more we will be prepared to just take a step back, take a view of the bigger picture, and laugh. WORKS CITED Lafayette, Madame de. The Princess of Cleves. New York: Project Gutenberg. 27 Sept. 2008 . Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim. Nathan the Wise. New York: Page, Curtis. Project Gutenberg. 01 Mar. 2003. . Moliere, Jean Baptiste. Tartuffe. New York: Project Gutenberg. 26 Oct. 2008. .

Monday, January 6, 2020

Hurricane Katrin The Second Largest Hurricane - 862 Words

Hurricane Katrina known as the fifth largest hurricane ever to hit the United States formed on August 23, 2005 and dissipated August 31, 2005. Katrina was classified as a category five hurricane with wind speeds up to 175 mph. Katrina made headlines because of its destruction region which was Louisiana. Many families especially African-Americans were considered to be vulnerable and left to die from the disaster. In the following I will address whether Katrina was a natural disaster ready to happen or if it could have been prevented by an elaborate plan to evacuate the effected regions. African-American neighborhoods were devastated by Hurricane Katrina because they lived in low line areas, whereas Whites lived in higher grounds less likely to get hit by the storms. Low income communities were hit more because of urban areas. These areas included levees that didn’t protect homes from the storms. What is astonishing is that the government was fully aware that New Orleans levees were failing and wouldn’t hold a category five Hurricane. Yet they did nothing to protect the humans. Federal and local government hindered and prevented the evacuation of African-Americans from their neighborhoods. Failures included not having an evacuation plan for New Orleans. IEM which stands for Innovative Emergency Management is compromised by the government to form an evacuation plan for a natural disaster. In reality there was no plan that IEM had for Hurricane Katrina. Here we can clearly noteShow MoreRelatedRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesinspiration: Dulcie Roach from Hopewell Primary School, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica; Elaine Bortner and Philip Hirai from Jamaica Wesleyan Bible College, Savanna-la-mar, Jamaica; and Roger Ringerberg, Jamaica Theological Seminary, Kingston, Jamaica. Second, thanks to my professors and advisors at Drew University, Karen Brown, Jonathan Reader, and Roger Shinn, whose advice and insights have helped to shape the focus and hone the arguments of this book. Third, the research for this book was facilitated