Homeric Parallels of Greek and Trojan Culture

The Parallels of Greek and Trojan Culture Homer’s The Iliad paints an epic and gruesome picture of the Achaeans and Trojans civilizations warring over a ten-year span. If one were to compare these once great cultures, the striking similarities would suggest friendship rather than enemies. Not only did both nations perform similar rituals and sacrifices, but also these rites were directed to the same group of gods. Specifically the Trojans and Achaeans had a tremendous respect for the dead and the Underworld.Also, the philosophies of both cultures centered on, arete, which for a warrior was excellence determined by a man’s prowess as a soldier during wartime or as an athlete in peace (Chiekova 9/11). Another parallel of the cultures was hubris, and the refusal to admit one’s wrongdoing because of pride. A final irony is the fact that Apollo is considered to be the â€Å"most† Greek of all gods, and yet he fought for the Trojans. Essentially both nations pra yed to the same gods, performed identical rites, followed the same core set of principles and yet from all these similarities, neither nation could find a way to form a truce.The first parallel of Achaean and Trojan culture stems from praying to shared gods. It was common knowledge of the ancients that if one were to honor the gods with sacrifices, the god would eventually reciprocate. And so both nations attempted to win favor. â€Å"At once we’ll sacrifice twelve heifers in your shrine, yearlings never broken, if only you’ll pity Troy, the Trojan wives and all our helpless children,† exclaims Theano, a Trojan Priestess (The Iliad, Book 7, page 180), while the Greeks also relied on divine intervention.Nestor recalls past sacrifices hoping the gods will once again return to the Achaeans, â€Å" There we slaughtered fine victims to mighty Zeus, a bull to Alpheus River, a bull to lord Poseidon, and an unyoked cow to blazing eyed Athena,† (The Iliad, Book 11 , page 266). Not only are the Trojans and Greeks sacrificing the same animal but also in this instance they are praying to the same goddesses. Another example of the same religious practices regards to paying tribute to the dead.Both believed that a soul remained restless and was unable to cross the River Styx and enter the underworld until burial rites were conferred. An example of the importance of proper burial occurs at the end of Book 7, after the duel between Hector and Great Ajax, â€Å"†¦If you are willing come, we’ll halt the brutal war until we can burn the bodies of our dead,† (The Iliad, Book 7, page 196). The mutual respect for the process of death is just another instance of the parallels between societies.The next example of how the Achaeans and Trojans were eerily similar is in regards to cultural beliefs. In order to become a great man or hero, one must possess arete. Arete is earned by performing exceptional feats and in turn gaining glory for on e’s name and country. To understand how important arete was to the ancient Greeks, the story how Achilles was brought into battle can be recalled. Achilles, mother Thetis, hid him amongst the women of Lycomedes. Achilles remained hidden until Odysseus arrived at the island with various gifts.Achilles was the only one interested by the fine swords and shields Odysseus brought, and thus revealed himself. Odysseus then continued to remind Achilles of his destiny, that if he enters the Trojan War he would die, but earn himself immeasurable glory on the battlefield (Chiekova 9/28). Earning arete was more important than living for not only Achilles and the Achaeans but also the Trojans. Hector earned his arete by proving his intense loyalty and returning to battle even though he knew he was going to die, too.Andromache pleads â€Å"Yes, soon they will kill you off, all the Achaean forces massed for assault, and the bereft of you, better for me to sink into the Earth,† (The I liad, Book 6, page 183). Another common theme found in both cultures is of hubris. Countless examples of characters making choices based on pride can be found throughout the epic. One specific example of pride influencing choices of the Achaeans is when Menelaus calls his men cowards for not volunteering to battle with Hector. What disgrace it will be-shame, cringing shame, if not one Danaan, now steps up to battle Hector. You can all turn to earth and water-rot away! † (The Iliad, Book 7, page 190). This is a classic example of challenging ones pride or shaming one into action. For the Trojans, even when it seems that the city is about to fall, he refuses to return Helen to Menelaus. He proclaims â€Å"I say no, straight out- I won’t give up the woman,† (The Iliad, Book 7, page 197). Paris would rather see the entire of city of Troy fall then return his prized Helen and damage his pride.The final great irony of the Trojan War is the concept that Apollo was the m ost Greek of all gods, and yet he fought for the Trojans (Chiekova 9/25). Apollo epitomizes everything the Achaeans strived for. He is often depicted as a young man perfected in beauty and grace and referred to as the sun god. Besides being a great archer, Apollo had many noble characteristics including being the god of healing, music, archery, and crafts. He is often identified by his iconic laurel wreath lyre, and bow. The Achaeans viewed all of Apollo’s traits as virtuous and emulated themselves after him (Chiekova 9/21).The great paradox is that the Greeks offend Apollo by refusing to return the daughters of one his priests. This causes Apollo to side with the Trojans and deliver a vicious plague upon the Greeks. Homer writes, â€Å" The arrows clanged at his back as the god quaked with rage, the god himself on the march and down he came like night. Over against the ships, he dropped to a knee let fly a shaft and a terrifying clash rang out from his great silver bow†¦He cut them down in droves- and the corpses-fires burned on, night and day, no end in sight,† (The Iliad, Book 1, page 88).Comparing Achaean and Trojan society it becomes quite apparent that the cultures were more similar than different. Each society practiced the same religion, strived to achieve greatness and respect in battle, and had a unique respect for Apollo. The parallels between civilizations almost seems as if the Achaeans and Trojans should have been allied with one another, but it seems that there eerie similarities almost led to conflict.

Physical Activity and Childhood Obesity

As people age the knowledge and experiences they gain in life may help shape their daily decisions. Adults are often more conscientious of the benefits physical activity has on their bodies and their health. With the growing popularity of video games, the distraction of television and the fast paced lifestyles many people are now living, children are being greatly affected. The result of children being more sedentary in current times has led to a greater prevalence of child obesity in society.In order to combat this issue it is imperative that children partake in physical activity. Children learn by example and the involvement the schools, communities and parents have with the child helps shape their outcomes in life. There are several factors that may contribute to childhood obesity. In an article on Children’s Physical Activity and Obesity it states that; â€Å"[†¦] the effects of parenting, the home environment, and developmental and psychological factors on diet, obe sity, and physical activity have received significant attention† (Luisa Franzini, PhD, 2oo9).From this attention, new research and developments are achieved. The number of children who experience overweight is growing at an alarming rate in recent times. According to an article on overweight and obesity, 1 out of 3 children are considered overweight or obese (Kids Health, 2009). Research has shown that overweight and obesity leads to health issues, some of which can be fatal. Moreover, the CDC states; â€Å"Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease† (Healthy Youth, 2010). Further, experiencing overweight in childhood presents a greater possibility of experiencing overweight in adulthood. According to the CDC, obese youth are more likely to become overweight adults , and therefore more at risk for associated adult health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis (Healthy Youth, 2010).A positive outlook on afore mentioned statistics is that these health issues can be prevented by adapting a proper diet and engaging in physical activity. There are a number of ways to prevent childhood obesity. According to an article on Disease Prevention Programs Targeting Obesity in Children, a majority of programs developed and tested to treat childhood obesity have included dietary modification, increased physical activity, and/or reduced sedentary behavior (Adrienne R. Hughes, 2008).With the growing popularity of video games and number of television channels, more children are engaging in sedentary behavior. However, reducing sedentary activities among children can help prevent obesity. In fact, Hughes states; â€Å" Encouraging obese children to increase their physical activity will help to red uce adiposity and improve cardiovascular, metabolic, and psychosocial health (Adrienne R. Hughes, 2008). The amount of time spent being physically active is also important in preventing child obesity.In fact, in an article on Tackling Overweight and Obesity in Children it states; â€Å"Children should take part in at least one hour of moderately intense activity per day; this should make breathing heavier than usual, but talking should still be possible† (Crocker, 2007). It is important to gradually increase physical activity in order to avoid injury or over exertion. Further, as a school, a community and as parents it is important to set good examples for children. Through proper physical activity and diet the prevalence of child obesity can be diminished.

Operation information system management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Operation information system management - Essay Example The telecommunication component constitute of information technology that helps to channel information to all the departments within an organization. In addition, information technology encourages creativity and innovativeness because of dynamism experienced in business environment. The major types of information systems include; functional system and organization information systems. Functional information systems provide support to specific departments within an organization (Encyclopedia Britanic pp.1-3). An example of functional information systems include; production system, marketing systems and cross functional systems. Those systems helps in ensuring that there efficient and effective logistics operations (Encyclopedia Britanic p.3). On the other hand, organization information systems are those systems that enhance effectiveness and efficiency in organization operations. Among the organization systems include; those that provide support to the organization operations, organiz ation knowledge and managerial support. Operation support encompasses three major areas of operations namely; supply chain management, transactional systems and management of customer’s relationships (Encyclopedia Britanic pp.2-3). Knowledge support system facilitates flow of knowledge through out the organization. Among the knowledge systems include; collaboration support systems, professional knowledge support systems and knowledge management systems. A collaboration management system helps to ensure proper coordination among all departments within an organization. On the contrary, a professional knowledge management system helps to promote cohesiveness among different professionals working together in a company. Connectively, management support system entails decision support models such as executive support systems and managerial reporting systems (Encyclopedia Britanic p.3-7). Therefore, this study will provide a comprehensive report and an analysis of the role and acqui sition of information systems for TGL senior management as well as line management. Role and acquisition of IS for TGL for its senior management and line management Information system involves three major roles namely; providing support to business operations, making managerial decisions and providing support to achieve strategic competitive advantage (Bagad p.2). Business operation role involves applying information systems in recording inventories, billing of vendors and customers, management of cash flows to mention just but a few. For example, it can be scrutinized that TGL Company has an account department that takes part in executing business operation role. For example, it was reported that TGL account department makes purchase orders as well as make payment for goods and services on behalf of the entire organization. In addition, TGL marketing department conduct marketing research to determine popularity of their company products and design marketing strategies that can be e mployed to market their company products. Whereby, marketing managers provides managers with necessary information that can help them make sound decisions on the most appropriate design that can be employed. On the other hand, information system plays decision role, this involves providing information that may help TGL managers to decide whether to invest, divest or not to invest on a particular product (Bagad p.2-3). Finally, information syst

Capitalism vs. Socialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Capitalism vs. Socialism - Essay Example As the essay discusses capitalism increases competition whereas socialism discourages competition. Every country needs domestic food production for its own national security and independence. Domestic food production can be increased only with the help of competition. In nom-competing economies or in socialist countries, the absence of competition makes people lazy. The resources in this world are fixed whereas the population size is increasing. It is difficult for the increasing population to find better living standards if they adhere to a particular level of productivity. Socialism on the other hand does not believe much in competition. It works on certain impractical principles which may appear good at a glance. This discussion stresses that none of the socialistic world or communist countries succeeded in achieving the objectives of socialism which is the major reason why communism wiped off from Europe and on the verge of destruction in other parts of the world as well. Not only China, even Cuba has recently announced lot of economic reformation policies which were earlier black listed by these countries as the bi-products of capitalist economy. Capitalism utilizes the willpower of individuals, especially entrepreneurs, to foment economic activity. Capitalism is based on the assumption that individuals operate based on self interest; however, by doing so they not only help themselves, but also propel others towards economic success. (Socialism vs Capitalism). One of the major criticisms against capitalism is that it makes two types of citizen in a country; rich and poor. However, it should be noted that even after years of implementation of socialistic principles, countries like China, Cub a and Soviet Union failed to reduce the gap between the rich and poor in their territory. On the other hand, it should be noted that capitalist countries like America and Britain not only remain wealthy, but also succeeded in reducing the gap between t

Online retailing business model company analysis Essay

Online retailing business model company analysis - Essay Example Lack of physical retail stores except their studios and warehouses enables them to devote their time and resources to the virtual operations. In this manner, they are able to maximize their revenue while cutting costs that involve setting up of retail shops. With the vision of inspiring and getting their inspiration from cool girls all over the world, Nasty Gal intends to provide their customers with truly unique items exclusive to their brand. Online retailing is a fast growing sector of the commerce world as a result of a fast growing consumer base. Increase in access to internet services has made it possible for most people to access the services of Nasty Gal. Customers can purchase clothes, shoes and accessories directly from the web page, which they receive through shipment to their location anywhere in the world from New York to Australia. Their â€Å"about us† page provides information about the history of its establishment as well as providing information about the founder and other team members behind its operations. It also provides information about their clothes, shoes and accessories, and gives instructions on how to search and make purchases (Nasty

Memo of Analysing Apple Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Memo of Analysing Apple Inc - Research Paper Example The 2013 financial year shows a general fall in the revenues and profit of the company. In 2011, the firm had a revenue of 108.249. The figure implies that revenues grew by 44% to reach a value of $156.508 in 2012. Consequently, net income increased by 60% and rose from $25.922 in 2011 to $41.733 in 2013. The figures above show that Apple’s revenue is growing at a decreasing rate. The situation is supposedly caused by factors such as increasing expenses, ethics and corporate social responsibility and competition from other major brands. Apple will try to minimize the proportion of income arising from operations. As seen in the 2012 and 2013 financial years, costs substantially reduced the income applicable to shares. Reduction of expenses will be done through more outsourcing of business in areas where the costs of operations are lower. In addition to that, the company will set new standards or business terms to its suppliers to increase the quality of products and avoid delays. As Saxena and Sangeeta put it, effective outsourcing and sub-contracting is sure ways of reducing costs for the firm (154). The reputation of the corporation in terms of ethics and CSR is not sound (Warther and Chandler 95). Apple will thus seek to address the concerns by participating in welfare programs in communities where it operates. The CSR action will be based on environmental issues, employment, sports and health. The ethical perspective will focus on fair remuneration of employees, especially in supplier firms. Moreover, Apple will track and eliminate bribery that has ravaged the company and its supplier with the interest of enhancing the corporate image of the company. Apple faces stiff competition from major technology giants such as Samsung, Sony, Huawei and LG. The competition is intense and eats into the market share of brands such as iPhones. As a result, Apple will invest in research and development to ensure its products remain unique and differentiated from

The Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Death Penalty - Essay Example It is just mirroring the kind of offense that it seeks to condemn. A penalty that will serve as a deterrent to crime must be one which effectively or to a great extent stops the individual from entertaining or doing an illegal act. It is one which completely changes the mind of the person -- a shift of personal belief happens. In America, crime rates are comparatively high due to the following factors: harsh sentencing laws and racial turmoil (Liptak, 2008). The harsh sentencing law connotes that if one is convicted of a certain offense in US, the offender could not in any way escape the minimum sentence as it is made mandatory. This goes to say that if one commits a crime, he or she will surely experience being incarcerated thereby adding to the number of offenders. Racial turmoil is seen as one of the reasons for the high crime rate as it has been observed that the American police authorities are more aggressive in arresting black offenders than the white ones (Anonymous, n.d.). Am erica is not alone in its enforcement of the death penalty despite the international pressure of abolishing it. China, Pakistan, Iraq and Sudan are some of the countries which also favor capital punishment (Anonymous, n.d.). Other countries are not implementing this type of penalty due to religious and humanitarian causes.

Campaign Finance Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Campaign Finance - Coursework Example Campaign Finance comes through many different avenues, from single-person donations to contributions from big and small corporations and political special interest groups. These days it’s impossible to run for any position without money for travel, ads, and â€Å"get-out-the-vote† campaigns. The only way someone without the financial clout of Ross Perot can go toe-to-toe with the â€Å"big boys† is by joining one of the two main parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. Without the reach, both financially and politically, of these two parties, the odds are squarely against you. True, the occasional â€Å"independent† might win a seat on Congress, but how many independents do you know that won a seat who weren’t former members of one of the parties?So, the first step in financing a campaign is joining a party—unless, of course, you’re Ross Perot. But even he ended up getting squashed in the end through other, more political, methods.C ampaign finance is categorized in two ways: â€Å"hard money† and â€Å"soft money†. Hard money is â€Å"donations made directly to political candidates.† (Wikipedia: â€Å"Campaign Finance in the United States†, paragraph 2) These direct donations come from organizations, individuals, and (you guessed it) the political parties. â€Å"Soft† money is money that isn’t received or spent by the candidate’s campaign but spent by individuals/organizations for political advertisements (often made by the said individual/organization) for a favored candidate’s position or attacks on his opponents. More or less, â€Å"hard† money is donated to a campaign for the candidate to spend while â€Å"soft† money isn’t donated, just spent. There’s a fine line between the two that has more to do with semantics than the action, itself. While there’s a limit on how much â€Å"hard† money can be sent to a can didate, there is no limit on how much â€Å"soft† money his political allies can volunteer to spend on his behalf.  

The ethical issues faced by human resource professionals Research Paper

The ethical issues faced by human resource professionals - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that human resource management is an important part of any business. Since the inception of industrialization, corporations are hiring and recruiting employees, and therefore human resource professionals are not something new. Managing human resource also involves many ethical considerations. In today’s dynamic business realm the job of an HR manager has become extremely difficult because of the increasing diversity in the workplace and bad economic situation all over the world. The present research has identified that human resource professionals are business graduates who specialize in human resource management. They may also take counseling courses in order to take a position of human resource professionals. The license is not required to become a human resource professional because it is a common business-related function. A doctorate can also be pursued in the field. There is no specific code of ethics that governs human resourc e profession. Every organization is free to choose its own ethical standards. The author has rightly presented that there are general laws that restrict organizations to conduct discrimination when hiring employees. There are also harassment laws that are a part of all code of ethics. But there is no universal code of ethics for human resource professionals. The four ethical issues in human resource management pertain to hiring, promotion, firing, and privacy of employees.

Rhetorical Analysis on Ads in Magazines Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Analysis on Ads in Magazines Essay Magazines are gaining in popularity nowadays as a tool not only to provide information, but also to advertise ads on products that are available on the market. Since magazines gain readers with different kinds of interest, what are the rhetorical strategies used by advertisers to market similar products to different target audiences of similar culture? Capturing the target audiences’ attention requires understanding about the audiences which open new avenues for many strategies to be used by advertisers to advertise an ad in order to make sure that the ad can actually capture the target audience. To describe or analyze the strategies used by advertisers, a variety of analytical tools, such as determining who the target audience is, describing the details in the ad, studying the Aristotelian appeals used by the advertisers, and also the angle of vision involved in the ad are needed to examine these strategies. Describing the details on an ad could be a good starting point to begin the analysis. Kraft ad for its Macaroni Cheese in Oct 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine shows a girl standing on her right feet, with a smile carved on her face and an umbrella in her left hand. Beyond her are two boxes of macaroni and cheese of the same size, one of Store Brand and another one of Kraft, sitting right next to each other with the Kraft’s splashing a massive amount of cheese out of the box. What appears right above the bottom line, with all letters capitalized, is â€Å"KRAFT HAS MORE CHEESE THAN THOSE OTHER GUYS. SO GO FOR THE CHEESIEST† and with a bigger font right above it, is â€Å"THE MAC WITH MORE CHEESE†. Emphasis is on the color of the Kraft macaroni, the splashes of cheese, the girl’s boots, and the umbrella, as they stunningly boast the same magnificent orange color, unlike the one that is being used on the macaroni of the Store Brand. Sunchips came up with an ad in May 2010 issue of Women’s Health magazine on page 109. The focus in the ad is on a lady with a black hair and brown skin smiling as she is about to make her bite on a chip that she is holding. Right above her head is a sentence saying â€Å"THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO HELP THE PLANET. HARVEST CHEDDAR IS ONE†. Few steps beyond the lady, happily playing with the fresh water of in the river, are two kids. There is even rock face by the river’s edge with 4 people on it watching the kids. Nothing can beat the feel of having river water flows through our fingers and touches our body as we immerse ourselves in the water. It is amazing of how the water never stops flowing, not even a single second. SUNCHIPS claims that such beauty of nature can be sustain with the use of its plant-made bags that is compostable. Happiness is possible as we can enjoy every single bite of the chips and at the same time, taking care of the nature. Such joy can be seen on the face of the lady that is about to make her bite. Determining who the target audience is should be the next step after describing the details in the ad. Kraft appeared in the Good Housekeeping magazine, targeting middle class and a wide range of age of married women that care about the health of the their family, interested in learning home cooking for the family and care about environment. An article on â€Å"Cook like a Chef† provided some interesting food for the family and how to make it. This article is targeting married women in the middle class who would like to learn how to cook some interesting meal that is affordable for the family. Dixie Ultra came up with an ad showing a picture of a family happily having breakfast by using their paper plates. This ad targets on those who care about the environment. Fresh Step came up with an ad for its product, which is a healthy food for cats. This ad is clearly targeting those who care about the health for the family by promoting a healthy product for pets in the family. It is clear that based on the evidences found in the magazine, the advertiser for the ad for Kraft is basically targeting a wife and a mother that puts family above all else. The ad for Sunchips appeared in Women’s Health magazine, which targets middle-aged up to old women with middle-class income that care about staying in a healthy lifestyle as a consumer. â€Å"Run Less / Lose More†, an article in the magazine provided the information on how do women, ranges from middle-age up to old, lose fat in order to obtain a healthy and nice looking body. Another article that showed the reason for this type of target audience is â€Å"Lose your Fear of Lifting†, which gave some encouragement to women to get a perfect bodyline. The magazine came up with an ad, â€Å"Metabolic Max Program† by Jenny Craig that showed the target audience is those in pursuit of healthy lifestyle and at the same time concern about how much they will have to spend on such program. Another ad showed a lineup of affordable branded cosmetics products for the women. This ad is targeting middle class women that care about their beauty appearances. Different from the ad for Kraft, the advertiser for Sunchips’ ad targets any women, whether married or not, that put physical appearance and health as the top priorities in their life. Now that the details in the ads and the target audience have been figured out, making way for rhetorical analysis for both ads is needed to show how the strategies used by the advertisers to connect the details in the ads with the target audience and how do they give impacts to the audience. In order to attract the targeted audience, Kraft uses a strategy called pathos, one of the Aristotelian appeals, on its ad. The use of orange color in high contrast tends to attract the targeted audience as it can show the amount and quality of cheese that is being used to make the product. Cheese is well known for its delicious taste and good for the health, so this detail will surely attract the target audience, as they would want to choose a delicious and healthy food for the family. A picture of a girl standing on one leg with joy also brings the same strategy. The emotion that is being expressed by the girl tends to catch the targeted audience’s attention because they would definitely want to see their children having the same emotion. These two strategies tend to be related to pathos because they are attracting the audience’s emotions and values. The same strategy, pathos, is being used by Sunchips in order to steal the targeted audience’s attention. Pathos can be seen through the use of a picture of a lady that is about to make her bite on the chips. Such pleasant smile showed by the lady can attract the audience by creating a desire of having the same smile among the audience. Besides pathos, logos is also being used in the ad too. The message in the ad, about what are the bags of the chips made off, gives a clear reason to the targeted audience. For the consumers that care about their health, they will definitely give attention to this message because it helps them maintain a clean environment. Living in a clean environment is another way of having a healthy lifestyle. In this ad, the strategy of delivering emotions to the targeted consumers shows pathos. Logos can be seen by the reasons showed in the ad for the targeted consumers. Another strategy for the rhetorical analysis is the angle of vision, which is the use of important details to be focused on and the omitting of other details that may distract the audiences’ attention, is being involved in the ad too. For Kraft ad, the advertisers focuses on the massive amount of cheese spilling out from the box that contains Kraft’s macaroni and cheese product. The reason why the advertisers did this is because that they wanted to show how large is the amount of cheese present in the product. The advertisers include a text that suggests the macaroni product of Kraft has more cheese and a picture of a girl that is happily standing on one leg, for the audiences to focus on. The angle of vision presents in these details attracts the target audience by showing the quantity of the cheese and how appetizing the Kraft’s macaroni and cheese is. These would probably be the things that the target audience would want to focus on when it comes to choosing f ood that their kids will enjoy. However, there is a scientific detail that the advertisers try to omit from the audiences which is the ingredients used to make the product. Since the target audience wants healthy food for their families, this detail is being omitted because without doing so, the ingredients will show how unhealthy the food is. The advertisers for Sunchips ad focus on the image of a lady that is smiling while holding a chip on her hand and the use of the beautiful scene of a riverbank beyond the lady. Such beautiful smile of the lady and how wonderful is the environment shown in the ad are as if that the secrets lie behind the chips. This would attract the target audience as they would want to see such beauty in themselves. The same detail as in the Kraft ad, which is the nutritional information, is being omitted from the audiences because of not healthy. This is done because the advertisers know that the targeted audiences care about health in their life. The rhetorical strategies used by advertisers to advertise an ad are simply not just strategies. They are a step-by-step method to deliver the message in the ad to the target audiences; from determining whom the target audiences for the ad are, to how to give an impact to those audiences by using Aristotelian appeals and angle of vision in the ad to so that the target audiences could get a clear picture on what is being delivered by the ad. Analyzing the strategies used to deliver what the advertisers wanted to through the ad could actually open up new avenues on how to communicate with the audiences through an ad by just connecting the details available in the ad. In fact, it is not only helpful to gain audiences for an ad, but also to gain readers for our writing work. Works Cited Sunchips. Advertisement. Womens Health May 2010: 109. Print. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Advertisement. Good Housekeeping Oct. 2009: 108. Print.

Concepts of Power and Resistance

Concepts of Power and Resistance Power and Resistance Where there is power, there is resistance, and yet, or rather consequently, this resistance is never in a position of exteriority in relation to power (Foucault, 1978: 95-96). In human sciences one of the main issues has always been the relationship of resistance to power. Where there is power, there is resistance; power affirms that there exists resistance and visa versa. But before starting to think about resistance, we have to take in mind that power is no longer considered a unitary, constant force that emanates from a particular social class or institution, rather it is seen as a more tenuous fabric of hegemonic forms (Constable, 2007: 11). Foucault (1978: 95-96) questions our assumption that power is always and essentially repressive, he wants to show how power also can be positively in a way that it can produce forms of pleasure, systems of knowledge, goods, and discourses and that it not only works negatively, by denying, restricting, prohibiting and repressing (Abu-Lughod, 1990: 42). The focus within studies of resistance recently shifted from large-scale collective revolts to more unlikely forms of resistance such as subversions and small or loca l resistances which do not especially aim to overthrow the system and which do not result from ideologies of emancipation (Abu-Lughod, 1990: 41). Hence both concepts have turned to be more complex than initially supposed, but this makes it even more interesting and more widely applicable to various situations where people try to construct their life within structures of power. Resistance The term resistance has been used by many scholars to describe a wide range of actions and behaviours in all aspects of human social life and in different settings. Hollander and Einwohner (2004: 534) illustrated how everything from revolutions to hairstyles has been described as resistance. Consequently following from the diversity of actions and behaviours which used to be named as resistance, they found in their analysis of the concept that there is little agreement on the definition (ibid: 234). Therefore it is important to outline the range of characteristics that can exist within the concept of resistance. First of all the scale whereat the resistance occurs has not always the same size; acts of resistance may be for example individual or collective, widespread or limited to local areas. Levels of coordination are also variable, in some situations there will be a higher extent in which the resisters intentionally act together, than in other. Thereby the targets where resistance is directed to also differs, they vary from individuals to groups and from organizations to institutions and social structures. As well the direction or goals are variable, while resistance mainly is understood to be aimed at achieving some sort of change, sometimes it is possible that the behaviour described as resistance aims to constrain change. Finally, while resistance is generally understood to be a political action, some writers suggest that resistance can also be identity-based (ibid: 536-537). Action and Opposition After having observed the dimensions of variation of resistance Hollander and Einwohner (ibid: 537) tried to describe the core elements of resistance to see how all these phenomena can be described with the same term. They identified action and opposition as two core elements within the discussions of resistance where authors seem to agree on. Resistance is not a quality of an actor or a state of being, but involves some active behaviour, whether verbal, cognitive, or psychical, and another component common to almost all uses is a sense of opposition. After having identified these core elements, the lines of disagreements became clearer, which made them realize that several debates of resistance above all differed in their position on two central issues: recognition and intent (ibid: 537). Recognition and Intention Acts of resistance are not always equally visible, their variation in visibility becomes clearer when we analyze the contrast between everyday resistance and more (and more obviously contentious) forms of political mobilization. Sometimes the intention of resistance is to be recognized, while other resistance is purposefully hidden, so recognition depends in part on the goals of the people who resist (ibid: 540). While Scott (1985) in his book about modes of everyday resistance among peasant workers argues that resistance need not to be recognized as such and that it may remain relatively invisible to the powerful, other scholars define resistance as necessarily provoking recognition and even reaction from others (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 541). This level of recognition also varies depending on the two different groups of others who can identify an act as resistance, to wit targets and observers. The first group contains those to whom the act is directed and the second group can comprise the general public, members of the media and researchers (ibid: 542). After the question if oppositional action must be readily apparent to others, and if it must in fact be recognized as resistance, Hollander and Einwohner wonder if the actor must be aware that she or he is resisting some exercise of power and intending to do so for an action to qualify resistance (ibid: 542). Also on this matter scholars do not completely agree, roughly classified Hollander and Einwohner (2004) distinguish three different views. The first group of scholars believes that the actors conscious intent is a core element to be able to classify certain behaviour as resistance. The second group thinks that measuring intent is difficult or even impossible, as resistance not only arises in public, but also privately. People in these cases may be conscious of oppression and may intend to resist in some fashion, but this will not be visible and therefore impossible to measure. Following to the last group of scholars we must not focus on the intent, as resistance can occur cons ciously or unconsciously, concentrating on intent will neglect important forms of resistance (ibid: 542). Types of Resistance Hollander and Einwohner (2004) didnt want to define the verities and the falsities among all possible meanings and contends of the term resistance. Therefore they decided to analyse the various opinions to see if it would be possible to describe different forms of resistance without judging what is wrong and what is not. They already observed that all scholars seemed to agree that resistance implied oppositional action of some kind. Leaving discords about whether resistance must be intended by actors or whether it must be recognized by targets and/or observers. They therefore argue that it is useful to think of resistance in terms of distinct types, each defined by a different combination of actors intent, targets recognition, and observers recognition. Not all scholars will agree that all behaviours summarized in Table 1 should be called resistance, but it will help to emphasize again the core elements of resistance. The first type, overt resistance, comprises for example social movements and revolutions, and individual acts of refusal. It is visible behaviour, which is recognized by both targets as observers as resistance and is also intended to be recognized as such. Covert resistance refers to acts as gossip and subtle subversion in the workplace; they are intentional but go unnoticed by their targets. However they are recognized as resistance by culturally aware observers. These two forms of intentional forms of resistance are followed by some unintentional forms of resistance. The first one is recognized as resistance by both the observers as the targets but is not meant as such. And the second one contains so called self-defined targets who may be the only ones who recognize certain behaviour as resistance (target-defined resistance). A separate category contains externally-defined resistance, these are acts of resistance that are neither intended nor recognized as resistance by actors or their targets, but are labelled by third parties. The last two forms of resistance go to a certain degree unnoticed by others. If recognized by their target but unrecognized by third-party observers, they have called it missed resistance. If an actors intent ional act goes unnoticed by both targets and observers alike, it may be classified as attempted resistance (ibid: 544-547). Interaction Understanding the interaction between resisters, targets, and third parties plays a central role in the comprehension of resistance. Resistance is socially constructed; resisters, targets, and observers all participate in this construction (ibid: 548). Of course often there is no overall agreement on the question if certain behaviour can be seen as resistance or not. What one observer (or participant) sees as resistance, another may see as accommodation or even domination this does not only happen between the different participative groups but also within the parties there is variation. Resistance is a complex set of thoughts and behaviours (Ortner, 1995: 175). Dichotomizing resistance and dominators ignores the fact that there are multiple systems of hierarchy, and that individuals can be simultaneously powerful and powerless within different systems (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 548). In her article about resistance and the concept of dà ©brouillardise (a way of social manipulation) used by Auvergnat farmers in rural France, Deborah Reed-Danahay (1993: 223) describes how Kondo (1990: 221) based on her research in Japan also emphasizes the intertwining of power and meaning, so that no one can be without power. Everyday Resistance After appointing the different types of resistance, it is necessary to take a first glimpse into possible forms of resistance among undocumented migrants to see on what kind of forms we have to continue focussing. First of all, it is obvious that undocumented migrants wont participate in any overt form of resistance (i.e. demonstrations) because it probably endangers their precarious situation. Therefore it is not very likely that the target of the resistance will recognize their acts as such. It will also vary if the acts are intended as resistance. Consequently, it is more likely that possible forms of resistance among undocumented migrants will be: covert resistance, attempted resistance and externally-defined resistance. Especially the first two forms of resistance are familiar to Scotts concept of everyday resistance. He describes: What everyday forms of resistance share with the more dramatic public confrontations is of course that they are intended to mitigate or deny claims made by superordinate classes or to advance claims vis-à  -vis those superordinate classes. Where institutionalized politics are formal, overt, concerned with systematic, de jure change, everyday resistance is informal, often covert, and concerned largely with immediate, de facto gains (Scott, 1990: 32-33). Scott points out different expressions of everyday resistance: foot dragging, dissimulation, false compliance, smuggling, etc. He refers to these practices as hidden transcripts (Scott, 1990) that are not easily visible in official transcripts and those on-stage behaviours controlled by elites (Reed-Danahay, 1993: 222). He described the existence of a too strongly focus on official and public transcripts of culture resulting in an underestimation of subordinated people and argued for a look into the unofficial transcripts to see the variety of forms of resistance taking place in this area of social life (ibid: 223). Though, Reed-Danahay (ibid: 223) points at a, ly to her, disturbing simplification [by Scott] by describing resistance as something which can be found in the hidden transcripts of the weak while only conformity becomes visible in the public transcripts of both the weak and the strong. This derives from the fact that he sees ideology as a coherent message, while there is c ontradiction and ambiguity in any discourse (ibid: 223) Everyday Practices Similar to Scotts everyday resistance is Michel de Certeaus (1984) concept of everyday practices. He divides strategies and tactics and explains why many everyday practices are not strategic but tactical in character. A strategy is the calculus of force-relationships which becomes possible when a subject of will and power can be isolated from an environment. Strategies possess their own place which forms a starting point from where relations with the outside can be generated. Tactics on the other hand, do not possess their own place, so the other cannot be singled out as a visible totality. Tactics constantly manipulate events to turn them into opportunities. De Certeau (ibid: xix) describes: A tactic insinuates itself into the others place, fragmentarily, without taking it over in its entirety, without being able to keep it at a distance. Everyday practices are a gathering of ways of operating characterized by victories of the weak over the strong and consisting of clever tricks, knowing how to get away with things, hunters cunning, manoeuvres, polymorphic situations, etc (De Certeau, 1984: xix). Tactics produce a certain movement within the system. They show to what extent it is possible to use intelligence to consort power within the daily struggle. Strategies, on the contrary, have a rather ambiguous relation with power. They use the instruments of the power for their own purposes. Hence, the structure of power where the strategies compete against at the same time sustains them (De Certeau, 1984: xviii). Scotts concept of everyday resistance, consisting of practices as foot dragging, dissimulation and smuggling tends to be more similar to strategies than to tactics. While De Certeaus concept of ways of operating (or everyday practices), like knowing how to get away with things, are more tactical in character. We could say that strategies aspire to undermine the structures of power and thus are more saturated with a notion of resistance, whereas tactics not only aim to resist, but also comprise an accommodating component. Cunning Despite their differences, De Certeau and Scott are concerned with the same kind of behaviour. Reed-Danahay (1993: 222) presupposes to use the concept of cunning to refer to this behaviour. ly to her, Detienne and Vernants (1978: 3-4 in Reed-Danahay: 1993: 222) description of the Greek quality of metis summarizes accurately the significance of cunning: [it] combine(s) flair, wisdom, forethought, subtlety of mind, deception, resourcefulness, vigilance, opportunism, various skills and experience acquired over the years. It is applied in situations which are transient, shifting, disconcerting, and ambiguous, situations which do not lead themselves to precise measurement, exact calculation, or rigorous logic (1978: 3-4; quoted in Scott 1990: 164 in ibid: 222). Also De Certeau (1984: xix) is conscious about the connection between metis and his ways of operating. Together with cunning, metis refers to the idea of Goffmans concept of making do in difficult situations and overcoming hardships (Reed-Danahay, 1993: 223). ly to Reed-Danahay, resistance suggests a mechanical metaphor of solid bodies coming into contact. Unlike resistance, cunning includes some fluidity in social life, leaving room for play or manipulation (ibid: 223). Dà ©brouillardise Reed-Danahay therefore speaks of a more complex notion of power and resistance, where forms of power lay both with agents of the dominant culture and with the resisting people themselves (ibid: 224). In her fieldwork in a mountain valley in the Auvergne region of central France she describes how people from a place fictionally named Lavialle have adopted a stance of resistance to agents who threaten their cultural autonomy. She shows how these farmers use the French concept of dà ©brouillardise as a manner to talk about social manipulation expressing accommodation, resistance, cunning, ways of making out and ways of making do (ibid: 221). Dà ©brouillardise connotes both resisting domination and other forms of social manipulation or even partial accommodation. It is a form of everyday resistance and it is a way of taking advantage of a situation that presents itself. Dà ©brouillardise has a dual nature, it consist of both making out and making do and is associated with both defensi ve postures and coping strategies in everyday life (ibid: 224). Conclusion Migrants and Resistance Abu-Lughod and romanticizing resistance With the concept of dà ©brouillardise Reed-Danahay tries to cover the gap between theory and practice. This is viable because the villagers she observes are actually using the concept in their ordinary language. According to her dà ©brouillardise refers to a more complex form of power than the theories of Scott (ibid: 224). Dà ©brouillardise Accomodation The ethnographic literature also contains examples of positive values associated with behaviours interpreted as everyday resistance when no native term or vocabulary for it is present. (223) Even while resisting power, individuals or groups may simultaneously support the structures of domination that necessitate resistance in the first place. Various authors have referred to this complexity as accommodation (e.g., Sotirin and Gottfried, 1999; Weitz, 2001), ambiguity (Trethewey, 1997), complicity (Healey, 1999; Ortner, 1995), conformity (St. Martin and Gavey, 1996), or assimilation (Faith, 1994).These authors stress that a single activity may constitute both resistance and accommodation to different aspects of power and authority (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 549). Nevertheless it is easy to romanticize resistance as Abu-Lughod says, to view its forms as signs of ineffectiveness of systems of power and of the resilience and creativity of the human spirit in refusal to be dominated, to focus on successful forms of resistance and neglecting to consider accommodation, passivity or acquiescence adequately (In: Constable, 2007: ). It is only valuable if we can find a way between romanticizing resistance and portraying young migrants as passive oppressed victims.

Hawthorne Effects On Factory W :: essays research papers

Hawthorne experiments were conducted at the Hawthorne (Illinois) plant of the Western Electric Company to determined the psychological factors, components of the job and work satisfaction on the employees. The experiments identified the factors that will help me to manage the operating employee of the factory. The Hawthorne experiments were divided into three phrases and there were 4 experiments conducted within this purpose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first phrase was the test room studies where there were two experiments conducted for this purpose. The first experiment was the illumination experiments (1924-1927) which studied the effects of lighting on output. Two groups of workers were selected in the company and one group had no variations in its level of lighting while the other group were placed under the envoirement that had several variations from better to worse. The result was surprising, as output of both groups were increased. The second experiment named Relay Assembly Test Room ((1927-1929) were conducted to further the investigation. In this experiment, a group of women were made to subject of various conditions that include the effects of changes in working conditions such as rest periods and meal breaks. Again, the result of the experiment shown that regardless of whether the conditions were improved or worsened, the productivity always increased. Elton Mayo identified this situation is due to the fact that the women responded to the researchers’ attention. And saw themselves as a special group. This form of behavior is known as â€Å"Hawthorne effect†. From the first phrase of studies, I learnt that an important factor were not the incentives or working conditions, but is the esprit de corps that lies within the workers. In this case, I need to develop the esprit de corps among the operating workers by showing more personal interest to them. In short, I need to pay a lot of attention to the operating workers in my factory. The second phrase of the Hawthorne experiment was the interviewing studies. Interviewing programs were established to determine the attitudes of people at the plant towards their jobs, working conditions and supervision. It was also aimed to establish the importance of social relationships in the work situation to increment the interest in human relations at work. 21000 people were interviewed for a morale survey. The survey, however, cannot identify the dissatisfactions of the workers. The result of the survey identified that the wealth of material gained was used to improve several aspects of working conditions and supervision.

Hardys Tess of the dUrbervilles - Existentialist Failure to Create an

Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Existentialist Failure to Create and Preserve Meaning      Ã‚  Ã‚   When wilt thou awake, O Mother, wake and see†¹ As one who, held in trance, has laboured long By vacant rote and prepossession strong†¹ The coils that thou hast wrought unwittingly; Wherein have place, unrealized by thee, Fair growths, foul cankers, right enmeshed with wrong, Strange orchestras of victim-shriek and song, And curious blends of ache and ecstasy?†¹ (Hardy, "The Sleep-Worker")    Inherent in the ruthless progress of society, there paradoxically lies a growing moral deterioration. In Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy "faithfully present[s]" Tess as a paragon of virtue, utilizing her as an instrument of criticism against a society too debauched to sustain the existence "of its finest individuals" (Wickens 104). Unwilling to compromise her strict adherence to personal morals, Tess suffers immensely; her ultimate inability to exist on this "blighted" (21) star exposes the regression of a hypocritically sanctimonious society, whose degraded values catalyze her destruction.    Innocently unaware of "cruel Nature's law[,]" (115) Tess is violated by the response which her sexuality arouses in Alec. Yet, although it is nature which induces Tess to lose her virginity, it is society which renders this loss a sin. Tess's change from "a mere vessel of emotion untinctured by experience" (8) to one stained by a "corporeal blight" (98) elicits a severe social condemnation. Ironically, in its attempt to deny the natural instincts of mankind, social selection takes on the characteristic ethical absence of natural selection, "ensuring that the social relations among people will... ...Hardy, "The Darkling Thrush")    Works Cited Beer, Gillian. "Finding a Scale for the Human." Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Ed. Scott Elledge. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1991. Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Ed. Scott Elledge. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1991. Hardy, Thomas. "The Sleep-Worker." Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Ed. Scott Elledge. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1991. Hazen, James. "The Tragedy of Tess Durbeyfield." Howe, Irving. "At the Center of Hardy's Achievement." Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Ed. Scott Elledge. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1991. Hyman, Virginia R. "The Evolution of Tess." Ethical Perspectives in the Novels of Thomas Hardy. Wickens, G. Glen. "Hardy and the Mythographers: The Myth of Demeter and Persephone in Tess of the d'Urbervilles."   

Upton Sinclairs The Jungle as Socialist Propaganda Essay -- Upton Sin

The Jungle as Socialist Propaganda In the world of economic competition that we live in today, many thrive and many are left to dig through trashcans. It has been a constant struggle throughout the modern history of society. One widely prescribed example of this struggle is Upton Sinclair's groundbreaking novel, The Jungle. The Jungle takes the reader along on a journey with a group of recent Lithuanian immigrants to America. As well as a physical journey, this is a journey into a new world for them. They have come to America, where in the early twentieth century it was said that any man willing to work an honest day would make a living and could support his family. It is an ideal that all Americans are familiar with- one of the foundations that got American society where it is today. However, while telling this story, Upton Sinclair engages the reader in a symbolic and metaphorical war against capitalism. Sinclair's contempt for capitalist society is present throughout the novel, from cover to cover, pers onified in the eagerness of Jurgis to work, the constant struggle for survival of the workers of Packingtown, the corruption of "the man" at all levels of society, and in many other ways. To understand the ways in which political systems are important to this novel, it is necessary to define both capitalism and socialism as they are relevant to The Jungle. Capitalism, and more specifically, laissez-faire capitalism, is the economic system in America. It basically means that producers and consumers have the right to accumulate and spend their money through any legal means they choose. It is the economic system most fitting with the idea of the American Dream. The American Dream portr... ... the reader. Capitalism underwent a severe attack at the hands of Upton Sinclair in this novel. By showing the misery that capitalism brought the immigrants through working conditions, living conditions, social conditions, and the overall impossibility to thrive in this new world, Sinclair opened the door for what he believed was the solution: socialism. With the details of the meatpacking industry, the government investigated and the public cried out in disgust and anger. The novel was responsible for the passage of The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. With the impact that Sinclair must have known this book would have, it is interesting that he also apparently tried to make it fuction as propaganda against capitalism and pro-socialism. Work Cited: Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: Doubleday Page & Associates. 1906

Moral Absolutes Essay

Why are Christian ethics and theology inseparable? What did Francis Schaeffer mean when he said that not all things are the same to God? Christian ethics is inseparable from theology because it is grounded in the character of God. Francis Schaeffer said that not all things are the same to God and means that God exists and has a character, but not all things are the same to him. Some things conform to His character, and some are opposed to his character. 2. What did Schaeffer conclude about a society without moral absolutes? Do we see this in society? Schaeffer concludes that if a society has no moral absolutes then there is no final appeal to judge between individuals and groups whose moral judgments conflict. There will be no standards and only conflicting opinions. 3. On what authority do Christians base their belief in moral absolutes? How specific is this authority? Christians base their beliefs in moral absolutes through the Bible. Of course, you cannot solve all moral decisions by referring to the Bible but there sufficient guidelines provided to give us a sense of what is morally right. These guidelines are the Decalogue also known as the Ten Commandments and tat is how specific the authority is. 4. Ethically speaking, what are Christians called to do? Christians are called to love the Lord with all their heart, all their soul, and with all their strength and with their entire mind and love your neighbor as yourself. 5. What did Dietrich Bonhoeffer mean by the question, â€Å"Where are the responsible people? He meant Christians, who are willing to treat God’s moral order with the same respect they show His physical order; who love God with their whole body, soul, spirit, mind and strength; who treat others as they desire to be treated. Ethics 3. 2 6. Why do Muslims view Muhammad as morally exemplary even though the Hadith does not paint a flattering portrait of his life? Muslims are conditioned to look at the whole picture through the eyes of faith. Certain things that the Prophet did do not conform to ordinary ideas of morality and may be considered sensual and cruel, but believers look at the whole thing differently. To them morality derives from the Prophet’s actions; the moral is whatever he did. Morality does not determine the Prophet’s actions, but his actions determines morality. 7. How do Christianity and Islam differ in relation to their beliefs about ethical absolutes? Christianity and Islam differ because Christianity is based on the Bible and Islam is based on the Qur’an and the Bible grounds morality in God’s essential character; the Qur’an teaches that God cannot be ultimately known. 8. In what two ways is the term jihad used? First: the battle against temptation and sin for the sake of self-control and the development of virtue; Second: the battle against any and all who oppose Islam. 9. What motivates Muslims to behave ethically? They are motivated by several fronts like: to develop personal virtue and spirituality, to better the state of others, to strengthen relationships, and to anticipate the coming judgment. 10. Which motivation is strongest? The anticipation of final judgment. Ethics 3. 3 11. What is the ultimate ethical question for a Secular Humanist? What questions did Morris B. Storer outline in his book Humanist Ethics? The ultimate ethical question for a Secular Humanist is Can morality be achieved without the foundation of absolute religious beliefs? Who makes the rules, God or men? Morris B. Storer outlined: Is personal advantage the measure of right and wrong or the advantage of all affected? Is there truth in ethics? Are right and wrong expressions of heart or head? Do people have free wills? Do you measure morality by results or by principles? Do people have duties as well as rights? 12. Why are there such diverse views and conflicts regarding humanistic ethics? There are diverse views and conflicts because there is a lack of consensus about the foundation of ethics and that is problematic for the whole concept of Humanistic ethics. 13. Who proposed the â€Å"no-truth thesis† and what does it state? Kai Nelson and it states that no question of the truth or falsity of moral values can sensibly arise. 14. How do most humanists attempt to dodge the â€Å"no-truth thesis†? How does Corliss Lamont address this issue? They attempt to doge it by claiming that they use reason to determine right and wrong in the context of ethical relativism. Lamont addresses the issue with optimism stating that as long as we pursue activities that are healthy, socially useful and in accordance with reason, pleasure and happiness will accompany us and the supreme good will the eventual result. 15. What did Arthur E. Gravatt, Joseph Fletcher, Herbert W. Schneider, and Paul Kurtz have to say about Ethics? Dr. Arthur E. Gravatt: Moral behavior may differ from situation to situation. Behavior might be moral for one person and not another or moral at one time and not another. Joseph Fletcher: Rights and wrongs are determined by objective facts or circumstances, that is, by the situations in which moral agents have to decide for the most beneficial course open to choice. Herbert W. Schneider: Morality is â€Å"an experimental art† and is the â€Å"basic art of living well together. † Moral right and wrong must therefore be conceived in terms of moral standards generated in a particular society. Paul Kurtz: Moral principles should be treated as hypotheses, tested by their practical worth and judged by what they cause to happen. Ethics 3. 4 16. How did Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels view the issue of morality? Marx and Engels denied that moral ideals, moral considerations, are central in human life and social evolution. Rather, it is biological and social evolution that determines their definition of morality. What is right and wrong is determined by what is best for evolution. 17. What is the Marxist-Leninist morality of the future? How will it be determined? Their morality of the future is when the proletariat finally destroys the bourgeoisie. The new classless society will determine the new morality, just as this evolution toward a classless society is dictating today’s morality. 18. What is the Marxist-Leninist view of â€Å"old morality?They view old morality as products of the bourgeoisie invented and used by the propertied class to oppress the propertyless proletariat. 19. What is the Marxist code of ethics according to the book Scientific Communism? â€Å"Devotion to the cause of the working class, collectivism, mutual aid, comradely solidarity, hatred toward the bourgeois ie and toward traitors to the common cause, internationalism, and stoicism in struggle are traits which not only define the content of proletarian ethics, but also characterize the moral image of the typical representatives of the working class. 20. What means have Marxists historically believed would bring about a society without class distinction? What have been the results of such an ethical system? They believe that revolution is the most efficient means for creating a society without class distinctions. This system is responsible for 83 million deaths between 1917 and 1964. But from a Marxist-Leninist point of view, it is worth the price if people die to abolish social classes and private property.

Horace Mann: Foundations of Education Essay

Abstract Horace Mann, the father of free public schools. He saw how education was and wanted to improve and expand the opportunities for every student and teacher. Mann’s vision for improving education was to give Americans a better quality of life for years to come. Horace Mann Horace Mann is known as the father of the common schools. His concept for the common school stressed several principles, the biggest of them was the desire to create a foundation proficient for teaching and preparing students to build a more positive and thriving society. To achieve this desire, Mann advocated his ideas for what show education should be. First Horace Mann believed that training men and women who would be dedicated only to the profession of teaching America’s youth. Secondly, he wanted religion taught. Many of Horace Mann’s ideas concerning education were embraced by America, and to this day our school system shows that the philosophy of Horace Mann is still revered and being used. Horace Mann’s education was limited, he had no more than ten weeks of schooling a year. Mann talks about his early teachers saying, â€Å"My teachers were very good people, but they were very poor teachers†¦with all our senses and our faculties glowing and recepti ve how little were we taught† In 1837, Mann became Secretary of Massachusetts Board of Education. In his second and twelfth annual report he states â€Å"Facts incontrovertibly show, that for a series of years previous to 1837, the school system of Massachusetts had been running down. Schoolhouses had been growing old, while new ones were rarely erected. School districts were divided, so that each part was obligated to support its schools on the moiety of a fund, the whole of which was a scanty allowance† (Downs, 1974, Chapter 4) In the Common School Journal, Mann writes â€Å"that the duty of government is see that the whole people are educated,-but that the duty has  been neglected by both the general and state government† (Mann, 1852, p. 1). The most destructive all was that the private schools were taking all the funds, the common schools of Massachusetts were weakened, they lacked supervision and the wealthy families had lost interest. Horace Mann wanted to bring school districts to a centralized authority and also to being some sort of standardization to the towns throughout the state, this was the Prussian educational system. â€Å"Schools were established, supported, and administered by a central authority: The state supervised the training of teachers, attendance was compulsory, parents were punished for withholding their children from school, and efforts were made to make curricula and instruction uniform† (Brouillette, 1999, para. 9). Mann had to get the whole state of Massachusetts to increase the tax revenue for the common school system, if they were to build more adequate school and get well qualified teachers to teach in them. After observing broken run down schools and inadequate teachers, he went to build normal schools, these were schools or academies for training teachers. He argued that students deserved a curriculum that was stimulation and textbooks that were for different age levels (Gibbon, 2002). Today there are placement exams that teacher have to take to show that they are proficient in the areas they are hoping to teach, and states now require teacher to be evaluated to show that they are meeting the needs of the students and school. There may be training a teacher may need to take to stay up to date. Some believed that public, or free schools were only for children that were poor, but rather publicly supported schools are for all children regardless of social class, gender, religion, ethnicity, a nd or country of origin (â€Å"Common school movement,† n.d.). It was not till the General Court of 1642, where it passed the compulsory education law; this is where every child in their districts should and could be educated. However, the 1642 law did not make education free, it was not till 1674 when another law was passed to change the discrepancy and would make schools compulsory and education both free and universal. Mann’s second ideas was the topics one of which is considered to be controversial today; religion in schools. â€Å"He was absolutely convinced that if children were given the proper moral and religious education, they would grow into the citizens needed to maintain and develop the democracy of the great American states† (Buck, 2002, p. 115). Today we see this going battle still, we have  parents not wanting their children to say the pledge of allegiance, religious holidays are now called seasonal parties, there is no more praying, we now have a moment of silence. He was absolutely convinced that if children were given the proper moral and religious education, they would grow into the citizens needed to maintain and develop the democracy of the great American states Today we see this going battle still, we have parents not wanting their children to say the pledge of allegiance, religious holidays are now called seasonal parties, there is no more praying, we now have a moment of silence instead. If religion was till in schools there would be more time spent on each religion rather than on the more academic learning aspects of school. Horace Mann wanted religion taught not for the spiritual teaching but more for the moral and integration character. In the end Horace Mann’s crusade improved education, he had done just that and improved teacher salaries, he had lengthened the school year, and established new high schools. The question is, Does Horace Mann’s work still exist today? Yes, his work is still being used to this day. School districts get their funds through the raised taxes, although like in Mann’s time there is still that gap between districts where taxes are not as high as other areas causing for schools of rural areas to be less equipped with the necessities needed to learn. Teachers are more thoroughly trained with years of schooling and are tested before going into schools to teach. After each year teaches are evaluated on their performance. As for the religion in schools, Horace Mann fought for a good cause but with all the different religions it was going to be an uphill battle to keep it in the schools. He believed that if the children were taught morals and religion it would an improvement to both individual and society. References Brouillette, M. J. (1999). The 1830s and 40s: Horace Mann, the end of free-market education, and the rise of government schools. Retrieved from http://mackinac.org/2035 Buck, T. M. (2002, December 15). A leadership challenge: Horace Mann and religion in public school. Lutheran Education, 138(2), 113-123. Retrieved from http://lej.cuchicago.edu/files/2011/07/LEJ-138.2-Archive-scan1.pdf#page=33 Common school movement- Colonial and Republican schooling, changes in the antebellum era, the rise of the common school. (n.d.). Retrieved from education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1871/Common-school-movement.html Downs, R. B. (1974). Horace Mann; champion of public schools. New York, NY: Twayne Publishers Inc. Gibbon, P. H. (2002, March 29). A hero of education. Education Week, 21(38), 33-36. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2002/05/29/38gibbon.h21.html Mann, H. (1852). The common school journal and educational reformer [Entire issue]. , IV Retrieved from http://archive.org/details/commonschooljou00manngoog

Elements / Characters Essay

Crisostomo Ibarra – Also known as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsilan, a Filipino who studied in Europe for 7 years. The love interest of Maria Clara. Son of Don Rafael Ibarra. Elias – Ibarra’s mysterious friend and a fugitive. Kapitan Tiyago – Also known as Don Santiago de los Santos the known father of Maria Clara. Padre Damaso – Also known as Damaso Verdolagas, a Franciscan Friar and Maria Clara’s biological father. Padre Salvi – Also known as Bernardo Salvi. Maria Clara’s secret admirer. Maria Clara – Maria Clara de los Santos, Ibarra’s sweetheart and illegitimate daughter of Padre Damaso and Pia Alba. Pilosopo Tasyo – Also known as Don Anastasio. Known to be a crazy person by his neighbors but actually quite a wise person. Ibarra seeks advice from him. Sisa – The Mother of Crispin and Basilio, who lost her mind after losing her sons. Basilio – The elder son of Sisa. Crispin – The younger son of Sisa who died because he was punished by the soldiers who was accusing him of stealing money. Alperes – Chief of the Guardia Civil and mortal enemy of the priests. Donya Victorina – Victorina de los Reyes de Espadana, a woman who thinks she is in the same class as the Spanish people or a social climber. Donya Consolacion – Wife of the Alperes and also a social climber who abused Sisa. Don Tiburcio de Espadana – Spanish husband of Donya Victorina and pretends to be a doctor. Linares – A distant nephew of Don Tiburcio de Espadana, the would-be fiancà © of Maria Clara. Don Filipo – A close relative of Ibarra, and a Filibuster. Senyor Nol Juan – The one who supervised the making of the school. Tarsilo at Bruno – Brothers, whose father was killed by the Spaniards. Iday, Sinang, Victoria,at Andeng – The friends of Maria Clara. Kapitan-Heneral – The most powerful official in the Philippines. A friend of Ibarra who hates secular priests and corrupt officials. Don Rafael Ibarra – The deceased father of Crisostomo Ibarra. Kapitan Pablo – Leader of the rebels whose family was destroyed by the Spaniards. Padre Sibyla – A Filipino friar who spies on Ibarra. Pedro – Abusive husband of Sisa. â€Å" Noli Me Tangere † Capitan Santiago de los Santos, or Capitan Tiago, hosts a dinner in his house at Calle Anloague. In the party there were important people who attended, such as Padre Damaso, Padre Sibyla, Liutenant Guevara, Laruja, Donya Victorina de Espadana, and Don Tiburcio de Espadana. Capitan Tiago then enters the living room and introduced Crisostomo Ibarra to the guests as the only son of Don Rafael Ibarra and that he just arrived from Europe. At dinner over â€Å"Tinola†, the guests were conversing about Crisostomo’s travels to several countries and then Padre Damaso interfered and embarrassed Ibarra and so he left the party.

Explain why Germany and her allies were defeated in WWI and assess their treatment in the 1918/1919 settlement

There were many factors that played a part in Germany's defeat in World War One, and none of them can be singularly attributed to its loss. Despite this, some factors did play a more important part than others. Some of the major factors were America's entry into the war, low morale in Germany, and Germany's Ludendorrf Offensive. The American entry into the war was a major factor contributing to Germany's defeat. When the Americans declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, they provided a huge injection of funds, soldiers and productive capacity to the Allies' war effort. The millions of American soldiers that were sent overseas in 1917 and 1918 were fit, young, and most importantly, fresh with relatively high morale compared to the other Allied soldiers. World War One was a war of attrition. The side that could wear down the enemy side first would be victorious. The contribution of the American soldiers, funds and resources to the Allied side allowed them to survive for longer than the Central Powers. Therefore, the entry of America into World War One was a major factor causing Germany's defeat. The Ludendorrf Offensive, which was launched on March 21, 1918, was a series of three offensives undertaken by the Germans to try to force an Allied surrender after the Russian withdrew from the war. With the Eastern front free, the Germans concentrated all their resources on the Western front to try to break the stalemate there. At first the Ludendorrf Offensive was successful, but the German troops advanced so fast that their supply lines could not keep up. This allowed the Allied forces to surround and defeat the stranded German troops. The Ludendorrf Offensive was a gamble by Germany. It required an input of high levels of resources, and as it was not successful, these resources were ultimately wasted. As World War One was a war of attrition, the Ludendorrf Offensive accelerated, if not caused, Germany's defeat. By 1917 and 1918, morale amongst the German people was very low. They had begun to lose faith in the war. An outbreak of Spanish Influenza in Europe had hit Germany, and had created unrest amongst the population. Shortages of consumer essentials spread widely throughout Germany. The Germany public began to resent the war, calling for â€Å"peace at any cost†. The production of munitions fell, and the weapons supply to the German soldiers fell to levels much lower than the Allies'. The low morale amongst the civilians and soldiers worsened the German position. Therefore, low morale amongst the troops and civilians on the German side was a major factor leading to Germany's defeat in World War One. There is no obvious single factor for Germany's defeat in World War One, but among the main reasons were the American's entry into the war, the Ludendorrf Offensive, and the low morale among soldiers and civilians at the home front. The Treaty of Versailles was the culmination of the 1918/1919 peace settlement process that was imposed on Germany by the Allied powers in 1919. The treaty imposed a number of harsh conditions on Germany. As a result of the treaty, Germany had to reduce its army to 100 000 men, and give up its air force altogether. Germany had to give away thirteen percent of its land, and hand over control of its overseas colonies. Germany was forced to pay over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6, 600, 000, 000 in war repatriations. Also, and significantly, the Treaty of Versailles demanded Germany accept full responsibility for starting the First World War. To assess Germany's treatment in the 1918/1919 settlement, it is useful to examine the motives behind the key negotiators, Germany's aims, and Germany's guilt The British public were very angry and were out for revenge. â€Å"Hang the Kaiser† and â€Å"Make Germany Pay† were both very common calls in the time just after the war and the British Prime Minister David Lloyd George could not afford politically to be easy on Germany. This shows that Britain's intentions when contributing to the Treaty of Versailles would have been to harshly punish Germany The then president of France, Georges Clemenceau, was determined to see that Germany was punished so harshly that it would never be able to start a war again, as he believed they had done. As was the case with the British, there was also widespread public anger towards Germany. The American President, Woodrow Wilson, was the third major participant in the treaty negotiations. He too wanted to punish Germany, but also had an interest in a stable Europe, which would depend on a stable Germany. Given the attitudes of the Allies who met in Paris for the peace negotiations, Germany's treatment in the Treaty of Versailles would definitely have been harsh, as all three entered the negotiations with a view to punishing Germany. When judged by its previous actions, it can be argues that Germany was not justified to expect a settlement any more favourable than what they received. They had already proven that in victory they could be as harsh as the Allies with the treaty they presented Russia upon their withdrawal from the war, the Brest-Litovsk Treaty. In this treaty, the Germans demanded that Russia hand over large areas of its territory and pay substantial repatriations. Given the harsh treatment the Germans imposed on Russia after its defeat, the treatment of Germany in the Treaty of Versailles can be justified. There is an argument that if Germany had won, they would have imposed penalties as harsh or harsher on the Allies. This supports the argument that the Treaty of Versailles was not too harsh on Germany. But perhaps the best way to determine whether or not the Treaty of Versailles was really harsh on Germany is to see the effect on Germany of the treaty, and the length of time it took for Germany to recover.

Historical and Theoretical Perspective on Teaching Reading Essay

Historical and Theoretical Perspective on Teaching Reading - Essay Example Teachers can teach reading through several methods, one of these methods is the testing and measuring approach, in this method the teacher uses tests and assessments to measure how well the student has read and learned from the assigned tests (Lapp, 2007, p.423). The objects that are measured through these tests are informed to the students before hand during the sessions of instructions and then the teachers check whether these objectives have been accomplished. The tests should be consistent with the learning objectives and then it is checked whether the objectives have been met. This method pays emphasis to focused activity based teaching as the teacher teaches those parts that will be assessed. Curriculums that are designed on these methods are highly structured as this curriculum focus on the objectives that need to be attained by students. Students can learn through this teaching method if they are motivated with the assistance of reward for attaining set goals. The downside of using this method is that restricted amount of learning and teaching takes place as students only learn and obtain information which is going to be tested and other information is ignored. One of the most appropriate methods of teaching how to read is the subject method approach which pays emphasis on the significance of subject matter derived by students while they are involved in the process of reading (Richards, 2001, p.19). The basis of this form of reading is that a message should be transferred to the reader of a particular text.

GEOL - Meteorology and Space Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

GEOL - Meteorology and Space Science - Essay Example Latitudinal variations that produce the differential heating of air, water and land lead to creation of ocean currents (driven by wind, and differences in temperature and salinity) and global winds. As for elevation, with the increasing of altitude, the corresponding temperature of air decreases. It depends on the shape of the land (relief) how cold or hot it is going to be. The higher above the sea level the place is, the colder it is going to be. The water bodies of near water are providers of moisture for the land masses of the world. 3. The KÃ ¶ppen climate classification system is most widely used for classifying the climates of the world. Realizing that the best expression of climate is native vegetation, KÃ ¶ppen divided the Earth’s surface into climatic regions having in mind the vegetation distribution. 4. There are five groups based on the monthly and annual averages of temperature and precipitation. A)Moist tropical/megathermal climates (constant high temperature at sea level or low elevation; the temperature is around 18Â °C or higher all year; no winter season); B)Dry (arid and semiarid) climates (Precipitation is exceeded by potential evaporation throughout the year); C)Mild temperate/mesothermal climates (average temperature is above 10Â °C in the warmest months, April to September, and 3Â °C-18Â ° in the coldest month); D) Continental/microthermal climate (average temperature above 10 Â °C in the warmest and below −3 Â °C in the coldest month); E)Polar climates (the average temperature is below 10 Â °C all year) 5. A group climate can be found on the margins of the tropical zone, while B group is in foggy coastal steppes. Climates C and D often co-occur. Southern planes are located in the mild C group, while locations that are north are in the colder D group. The climates of E group occur on the near the islands of the North American Eurasian landmasses and some islands near the Antarctic

Affirmative Action in the workforce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Affirmative Action in the workforce - Essay Example Though there are no legal requirements to hire unqualified people, opponents argue that affirmative action causes the minority to get a job over a more qualified worker. This logic has two flaws. One, the employer can choose many reasons to hire a ‘qualified’ applicant. It is an open and ambiguous term that can easily be largely ignored or manipulated to suit the employer’s possible racist tendencies. Another problem with the opponent’s argument is the previously discussed method of standardized testing. The quality of education a person receives doesn’t necessarily predict their future potential. Another argument by those opposed to affirmative action is that it disproportionately benefits middle and upper-middle class minorities, not the poor and working class people of color who need it most. A more careful examination of this criticism shows that affirmative action programs have benefited substantial numbers of poor and working class people of co lor. â€Å"Access to job training programs, vocational schools, and semi-skilled and skilled blue-collar, craft, pink-collar, police and firefighter jobs has increased substantially through affirmative action programs. Even in the professions, many people of color who have benefited from affirmative action have been from families of low income and job status† (Ezorsky, 1991, p. 64). Opponents point out that affirmative action is patently unfair to white males because they must pay for the past discriminations of people of a different era and mindset and may not get the jobs they might be more qualified for. These opponents are correct in that specific white people may be passed by for some job opportunities because of affirmative action policies and that they and their families suffer as a result. Proponents counter that the lack of employment opportunities is unfortunate and its causes are what the debate should be

What effect did World War II have on the nation's industries, and how Essay

What effect did World War II have on the nation's industries, and how did the war revolutionize the U.S. economy both immediately and in the long term - Essay Example Women came out to work in masses. Nearly 19 million women were employed in various jobs in 1944. Most of the money the women earned went to savings, improving the economy of the country preposterously.1 When the soldiers started to return home after the war, the families were eager to spend on happy reunions. Also thousands of men returning from the battlefields needed employment. This led to massive increase in the consumer products market.i There were just 8 shopping malls in the U.S. by the end of the war, which increased to over 3500 by 1960. The Eisenhower era2 which prevented another catastrophic atomic war boosted the growth of several industries which transformed into huge corporate companies in the later part of the century.ii The rapid emergence of the equality in rights propaganda in the post war period, led to the framing of Civil Rights Act of 1964, the most revolutionary legislative piece in the U.S history. It eliminated all racial, ethnic and gender based discrimination in the working area, making the country a haven for labor

Ational Geographic photographers videos and responses Assignment

Ational Geographic photographers videos and responses - Assignment Example He has a specially improved camera Obscura helping him to reveal iconic landscapes from the unique perspective. He says his pictures are dreamlike and surreal, but are products of camera in recording, which is like a dream in the physical wake (National Geographic 1). He uses photography to reflect the influence of global warming. His time-lapse cameras have captured evidence of reducing glaciers and changing snow patterns across the world. He maintains that camera gives a language to communicate to the world because the pictorial language can penetrate people’s hearts and minds. He insists that the photographer’s highest calling is to challenge and alter the inherited wisdom (National Geographic 1). Professor Kashi describes the highs and the lows of the working as a photojournalist. During the interview, Kashi shares his beliefs that a photographer’s great work comes from the issues he or she genuinely cares. He maintains that a photojournalist has to examine the world and himself because of the challenges and risks involved to accomplish the mission (National Geographic 1). He gained access to North Korea where he stresses on seeing life from you because of the different passions possessed by various people. In his viewpoint, the lives of the photographers are not normal life. He expresses interest in the photos of people taking the bus, couple crying at the Pyongyang airport and kids throwing snowballs at each other (National Geographic 1). Brian Skerry has been diving with the camera for over 30 years capturing the unseen world below the water’s surface. The passion of protecting the planet for the future motivated his underwater photography. He says that photography is a discovery process as he spends time with different kinds of sea creatures underwater from the biggest to smallest (National Geographic 1). He photographed human rights abuses and conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He captured the lives of citizens in the

Japan and the Pacific Rim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Japan and the Pacific Rim - Essay Example Overall, Japan is considered a good place to do business because of its relatively stable economy and friendly local people. The Japanese economy has now slipped behind China in terms of GDP, although it is still considered a large economic force within Asia and the world as a whole. China is a strange case because their governmental systems and economic choices do not necessarily match up. The Chinese government is very strictly Communist, although over the last couple of decades, the ruling party has seen the need to bring about capitalist reform in order to propel China to become an economic superpower. Today, China has a great deal of political clout in such organizations as the United Nations because of its tremendous size. Other countries have picked up on this and realize how important trade can be with China. As such, many countries choose not to go against many Chinese economic decisions. China was not always the way it is today though. After China fell to the Communists in 1949, Mao Zedong led China through an era that ultimately proved unsuccessful. Millions of people died of starvation through China’s eccentric Communist policies. It took a long time for those in power in China to realize that capitalism may be a better option for a number of reasons. Korea used to be unified as one country; however, due to the Korean War in the early 1950’s, there is the Communist-backed North and the Democratic South. The economic differences between these two neighbors are vast and it can be put down to the difference between Communism and capitalism. The North Korean government is extremely secretive and rarely releases information to the outside world. On the other hand, South Korea can be considered as one of the success stories of Asia. In the late 1950’s, after the end of the Korean War, South Korea’s literacy rate was extremely high in conjunction with a very low average GDP per capita. It took a vast amount of modernization and new technology

Despite the absence of god or gods, as well as a lack of concern for Essay

Despite the absence of god or gods, as well as a lack of concern for the afterworld, Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism can be considered religious traditions - Essay Example All these aim to get enlightenment and achieve nirvana, and thus be liberated from all the cycles of births and deaths and related sufferings. There are two main branches of the Buddhist religion. Theravada is the oldest surviving form of Buddhism that is still in practice mainly in Sri Lanka and in some parts of south East Asia. Mahayana form is practiced in the East Asia, while a variant of Mahayana known as the Vajrayana is often referred to as the third branch. Confucianism is a way of thinking that is more philosophical than religious, which originated in China. The founder of this form of ethical way of thinking, was Confucius (551- 478 BC), who lived around the same time as that of Lord Buddha. Confucianism deals with the ethical, moral, social, philosophical and to some extent religious aspects of life and has exerted tremendous influence in the cultural heritage of East Asia. It has become the state religion in some countries of this region. Confucianism lays stress on devel oping the moral ethics of a person so that a state can be governed by moral rules alone, and not by any enforced legal system. This article will explore and examine the various tenets of Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism and discuss whether these two form of practices with their absence of gods or any god like figures, and their utter lack of concern for the afterworld can be referred to as a religious traditions, or best be left to calling, as only philosophical thoughts. Theravada Buddhism: Theravada Buddhism translated literally means ‘teaching of the elderly,’ originated in India and is said to be the oldest form of Buddhism that is still in practice today. It is a conservative form of religious practice, and its sutras are said to be the closest to original doctrines of Lord Buddha. It has been the chief religion of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia and Burma for many centuries, and is also practiced in some parts of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia,

Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Decision Making Essay When you are making a decision there are six steps you want to follow they are; identifying and diagnosing the problem, generating alternative solutions, evaluating alternatives, making the choice, implementing the decision, and evaluating the decision. There are times in our lives when we have to make important decisions such as changing jobs, moving to a new state, buying a new house or going to school. For me this decision came a little over a year ago when I decided to go back to school and further my education. The first step of my decision making process was to identify the problem. I have been working at the same job for six years with no chance of advancement. I just had my first child and when my leave was up, I didn’t want to go back to the same job that I hated. Next, I had to look at all of my options. Yes, I could have gone out and got another job, but really how far can you go with just a high school diploma. I wanted to be able to go out and make a difference and do something that I love doing. Last, with my husband’s support I made the choice to go back to school. And I have to say it has been the best decision I have ever made. I will be done with my associate’s degree in August then I am starting my bachelor’s degree. This will not only help me but my family too. Even though my situation is somewhat different from the one in the text, we both made the decision to better ourselves. She had to cut cost and repay the company’s debt. This made Xerox survive and is now a thriving business.

Critque essay Essay Example for Free

Critque essay Essay In the story â€Å"The Operation,† by Pensri Kiengsiri , a story that has a third persons’ point of view. The reader learns that Kamjorn, the father of the kid, don’t have much affection to Danu because Danu is a victim of polio which made Danu a crippled kid. Its conspiracy leads the reader into having a feeling of sympathy for the boy. And the story’s setting, contributes well to the growing sympathy of the readers to Danu, as Kiengsiri’s treatment of timing cause the readers to anticipate a shocking things that’s to unfold. The time at which â€Å"The Operation† is set introduces an element of tension between the parents. Kamjorn informed the readers that when he taught about going to Bangkok he first wanted to see his best friend, rather to go to the hospital which is his main reason of going to Bangkok; it is â€Å"his mind strayed to other days in Bangkok, student days and to the old school mates, he would have a chance to look up. † As the reader already knows that Kamjorn intends to catch up with his old friends, the very mention of â€Å"strayed to other days† evokes the sense of a plan that will certainly make sadness to the boy’s feelings. The added suggestion of â€Å"chance to look up† introduces an atmosphere of uncertainty: that planted to the reader’s mind is the notion that all is not normal and right to the world. The sense of uncertainty to Kamjorn that he will not go to his son and doesn’t show to his son it is a big factor to his son operation. Just as the time in which â€Å"The Operation† is set infuses the story with an atmosphere of sadness, so do the physical surrounding in which the bulk of plot unfolds. â€Å"When Kamjorn reached Bangkok, he went to meet his friend and to actually catch up with them. When his daughter haven’t seen any sign that either one of their parents arrived, she was worried and called to their house and somehow convinced her mother to travel. † Both things added to the reader’s sense that there’s something is not right and that something imminent is about to occur. This atmosphere of imminence increases as their mother went to the train and hasn’t heard anything from her until the operation is almost finished â€Å"an accident on an express train†¦fatalities†Ã‚  that’s the only words Kamjorn’s mind ever digested before he fainted. For it is only in the final conversation of the story. The imminence that happened to Kamjorn’s wife that caused him to faint. It has successfully concealed the true sense of Kamjorn tears last before he fainted. Hence, the manner Kiengsiri described the time and setting of â€Å"The Operation† serves to greatly enhance the effect of this tale upon the reader. In accompanying the story’s characters into a world thet grows steadily more gruesome at every turn, the reader’s feeling of sadness and foreboding increases, the reader is doubly troubled the disturbing revelation made in the story’s final conversation. Kiengsiri’s use of setting and timing in this story mirrors the special effects employed in dramatic movies-effects that have the viewers wiping their tears, totally absorbed in plot and atmosphere. It is good that a 6 page short story can evoke with words the same response that movie makers use millions of dollars, efforts and truckloads of technology to create.