Certainty in Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy...

Certainty in Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy Renà © Descartes was the first philosopher to raise the question of how we can claim to know anything about the world with certainty. The idea is not that these doubts are probable, but that their possibility can never be entirely ruled out. If we can never be certain, how can we claim to know anything? The First Meditation of Meditations on First Philosophy, subtitled What can be called into doubt, opens with the Meditator reflecting on the number of falsehoods he has believed during his life and on the subsequent ability of the body to deceive him. Seated alone by the fire, he resolves to demolish former opinions and rebuild his knowledge on more certain grounds. The†¦show more content†¦However, the Meditator realizes that he is often convinced when he is dreaming that he is sensing real objects. He feels certain that he is awake and sitting by the fire, but reflects that often he has dreamed this very sort of thing and been thoroughly convinced by it. On further reflection, he realizes that even simple things can be doubted. Omnipotent God could make even our conception of mathematics false. One might argue that God is supremely good and would not lead Descartes to believe falsely all these things. He supposes that not God, but some evil demon has committed itself to deceiving him so that everything he thinks he knows is false. By doubting everything, he can at least be sure not to be misled into falsehood by this demon. Recalling his previous thoughts in Meditation Two, the Meditator supposes that what he sees does not exist, that his memory is faulty, that he has no senses and no body, and that extension, movement and place are mistaken notions. Perhaps, he remarks, the only certain thing remaining is that there is no certainty. Although this argument often seems logical and fully-developed, Descartes uses this meditation to as inspiration prove that perhaps there is one thing that is absolutely certain in the universe: his existence. The Meditator has conceded that he has no senses and no body, but can he not exist either? He has also noted that the physical world does not exist, which might also seem to imply his non-existence. Yet toShow MoreRelatedDescartes Six Meditations on First Philosophy Essay1347 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the six meditations on First Philosophy, French philosopher Rene Descartes seeks to find a concrete foundation for the basis of science, one which he states can only include certain and unquestionable beliefs. Anything less concrete, he argues will be exposed to the external world and to opposition by philosophical sceptics. The sense of the Cartesian reform is the imposition of a new method of thinking. Descartes’ method to begin with is reductive, removing all knowledge acquired withoutRead MoreThe Nature Of The Human Mind878 Words   |  4 PagesRene Descartes second meditation is titled, Concerning the Nature of the Human Mind: That it is Better Known than the Body. In his second meditation, Descartes argues that the human mind exists merely by itself without any physical representation in the world. This argument lead to many of his later meditations and allowed him to really build the framework for Western Philosophy. The cogent argument is arguably the most crucial argument, which lead us to our philosophy of the mind. In some respectRead MoreArguments For The Existence Of God1137 Words   |  5 Pagespersonal experience, and some on philosophy. Descartes offered two arguments towards the existence of God: an informal proof in the third meditation and the ontological proof in the fifth me ditation. Descartes believed that with the employment of a rational method of inquiry which applied some of the methods of analytic geometry to the study of philosophy, our ability to attain certainty and validity about our knowledge would be greatly increased. For Descartes to include a second and distinct proofRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1318 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophical Questions November 2, 2017 Cogito Ergo Sum Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy and his questioning of our existence in reality is a question which philosophers have tackled throughout time. Cogito ergo sum or I think therefore I am, a phrase brought about by Descartes is the backbone of his whole philosophy of our existence in reality. As long as we are thinking things, we exist. When we look at this approach to our existence we must first deny that any sensory data that we receive is believableRead More Rene Descartes Essay1094 Words   |  5 PagesRene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and body have been very influential over the last three centuries. Descartes was born at La Haye (now called Descartes), and educated at the Jesuit College of La Flà ¨che between 1606 and 1614. Descartes later claimedRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1712 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) contains six Meditations. In the first two of these Descartes addresses doubt and certainty. By the end of the second Meditation Descartes establishes the possibility of certainty by concluding that he is a â€Å"thinking thing† and that this is beyond doubt. Having established the possibility of certainty, Descartes attempts to prove the existence of God. The argument he presents in the Third Meditation for the existence of God has been nicknamed theRead MoreDescartes and God Essay820 Words   |  4 PagesDescartes and God Everywhere in this world there are debates on many things. Logic is often employed in order to understand and come to an agreement on these debated topics. One such topic, which is arguably the greatest topic of debate occurring in modern day, is the existence of God. Sure, many people believe in some sort of higher being, but how many of them try and use logic and rational thought to prove the existence of God. Many probably, however we will only look at one such person.Read MoreRene Descartes And Kant1013 Words   |  5 Pageswith many philosophers worth studying, a common theme present amongst Renà © Descartes, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant is the fact that all three philosophers challenged the traditional ways of thinking about philosophy respective to their eras. In certain aspects, all three of these philosophers also grappled with understanding, discovering, and logically explaining the power of the mind to shape whole truths. From Descartes’ foundational work with me thodological doubt to Kant’s contribution to previousRead MoreEssay about Descartes View on the Senses652 Words   |  3 PagesDescartes first meditation included a few arguments that Descartes studied and analyze. The one I choose to analyze was his argument of sense deception. The actually argument is the following: (1) My senses sometimes deceive me. (2) If my senses sometimes deceive me, then they might always deceive me. (3) If my senses might always deceive me, then I cannot be certain about any beliefs acquired through my senses. (4) If I cannot be certain about any beliefs acquired through my senses, then I mustRead MoreRene Descartes s Meditation On First Philosophy802 Words   |  4 PagesRenà © Descartes objective in Meditation on First Philosophy is to construct philosophy as a solid methodical study and discipline alike the sciences. To do so he must first suspend belief in all things doubtful and from their go about verifying the true concepts of the world. In meditation II he verifies that he is a thinking thing and finds that the certainty of the cogito â€Å"I think therefore I am† lies in the distinct perception of what he affirms. From this he generates a general rule of evidence

Qualitative Observation Of A Chemical Reaction Lab Report

Qualitative Observation of a Chemical Reaction Purpose: Carefully observe and interpret a chemical reaction. Apparatus: Equipment- 250mL beaker, 125mL Erlenmeyer flask, cardboard square, chemical scoop, metric ruler, lab countertop, rubber stoppers, safety goggles, lab apron Materials- candle ( 2cm diameter), matchbook, 2 toothpicks, Limewater solution, string, aluminum foil, Cobalt Chloride paper Procedure: Note appearance, odor, and feel of the unlighted candle. Heat the bottom of the candle and secure it to a cardboard square on your lab counter. Light the candle and allow it to burn for several minutes. Note any changes. Briefly describe the burning candle. Blow out the flame and immediately place a lighted match in the â€Å"smoke†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦- During: The wax began dripping down the sides of the candle once the wick was lighted. The flame was blue at the bottom and ombred up to yellow at the top of the flame. The flame was jumpy and not steady. - After: Liquid wax was puddled around the wick of the candle. - Results: When a lighted match was held 2cm away from the unlighted candle in its smoke, the flame would jump from the match to the wick having been carried by the smoke. Test 2 (procedure 4) - Before: There were more wax drips down the sides of the candle. - During: The liquid wax was exposed to the heat of a lighted match. - After: The liquid wax underwent a physical change after being exposed to the heat of the match. - Results: When liquid wax is exposed to the heat of a match, it transforms back into its original solid state. Test 3 (procedure 5) - Before: The area around the wick was all solid wax instead of liquid wax as in previous tests. The wood toothpick was placed in the solid wax around the wick. - During: The toothpick was lighted using a match and began to burn, but not for very long. - After: Only the top of the toothpick was burnt. The candle remains in the same shape as it was at the beginning of the test. - Result: Once the toothpick had been lighted, the flame went out before it hit the body of the toothpick. Only the tip of the toothpick had been exposed to theShow MoreRelatedMatter And Chemical Characteristics Of The Unknown Powders826 Words   |  4 PagesSeptember 23rd, 2014 Matter Qualitative Lab Report Purpose:- The purpose of the lab is to perform series of tests to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of several unknown powders, and then use that information to classify the unknown powders. Hypothesis:- I believe that by testing substances with various chemicals, for example, vinegar, iodine and that will help to find out what the substance is and what is it quality. Materials:- In order to perform this lab, you need:- †¢ LitmusRead MoreLab Report On The Chemical Parts Of A Substance1478 Words   |  6 PagesIntroductory Chemistry 1110 Qualitative Analysis Using Precipitation Reactions Lab reports are due week of September 29 – October 3, 2014. Your lab report must contain the following information: Experimental data may be collected with other students in introductory chemistry labs. However, I understand that sharing information required for a lab report or unknown submission (including but not limited to word processing or spreadsheet files, calculations, graphs, conclusions and additionalRead MoreIdentifying Inorganic Compounds Using Qualitative And Chemical Tests1288 Words   |  6 PagesIdentifying inorganic compounds using qualitative analyses and chemical tests Jessica Vithayathil U84363206 CHM 2045L Section: 033 Aaron Clark October 13, 2016 Introduction Due to climate change during the turn of the 21st century and overall population growth, scientists have noticed greater amounts of negative impact on water sources (Barber, 2011). Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) have been identified as one of the root causes of stress for these water sources (Barber).Read MoreYeast Fermentation Lab Report885 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Yeast Fermentation Lab Report SBI4U Chaweewan. Sirakawin Present to Ms.Allinotte November 21. 2014 Introduction: Fermentation is a metabolic pathway that produce ATP molecules under anaerobic conditions (only undergoes glycolysis), NAD+ is used directly in glycolysis to form ATP molecules, which is not as efficient as cellular respiration because only 2ATP molecules are formed during the glycolysis. One type of fermentation is alcohol fermentationRead MoreAnalytical Chemistri Intro1796 Words   |  8 PagesOutlines ï‚â€" ï‚â€" ï‚â€" ï‚â€" ï‚â€" ï‚â€" ï‚â€" ï‚â€" LU1 :Analytical Chemistry Overview LU2: Measurements and Data Treatment LU3: Stoichiometric Calculations LU4: General Concepts of Chemical Equilibrium LU5: Gravimetric Methods LU6: Acid-Base Equilibria LU7: Acid-base titrations LU8: Analytical Separations Course Assessment Laboratory reports (15%) ï‚â€" Assignments (15%) ï‚â€" MidTerm Examination (30%) ï‚â€" Final Examination (40%) ï‚â€" 3 References 1. Christian, G.D. (2003). Analytical Chemistry, 6th edition. NewRead MoreSpring Syllabus2332 Words   |  10 Pages[pic] [pic] Florida AM University Department of Chemistry CHM 1045 Lab Syllabus | COURSE SYLLABUS | |Course Number: CHM 1045L |Course Title: General Chemistry I Laboratory | |Prerequisite(s): Read MoreQualitative Anion Tests Essay1330 Words   |  6 PagesExercise 14: Qualitative Anion Tests PURPOSE: The purpose of this experiment is to identify some commonly occurring anions to study some of the reactions used for their identification. PROCEDURE: You must first determine to which of the three groups the various anions belong. Since no two people observe the same event in exactly the same way it is important to also conduct specific confirmation tests on the known samples of each anion. This information will help identify the anionRead MorePotassium Chlorate1336 Words   |  6 PagesBackground All compounds consist of elements chemically combined in fixed proportions – they obey the Law of Constant Composition. One way to express the proportion each of element in a compound is as a percentage by mass, or mass percent. In Part A of this lab, a sample of potassium chlorate will be experimentally analyzed in order to determine the mass percent of elemental oxygen present in it. To do this, the potassium chlorate must be heated to temperatures greater 400  °C, causing it to thermally decomposeRead MoreSleuth your slurry2119 Words   |  9 Pages Abstract: This labaratory report shows that when presented with an unknown chemical substance, identification of that substance is revealed through a seires of tests that involve chemical and physical properties of that substance. Problem: You are given an unknown chemical substance that you need to be able to identify. How are you going to do this? The compound can be either harmful or toxic, so what you need to do is test all of its physical and chemical properties, and then find out theRead MoreClassifying chemical reaction2457 Words   |  10 PagesClassifying Chemical Reactions Introduction Pre-lab questions 1. Which reactants used in this experiment are flammable? Discuss the safety precautions that are necessary when working with flammable materials in the lab? 2. Summarize the following description of a chemical reaction in the form of a balanced chemical equation? 3. Common observations of a chemical reaction are described in the introduction section. For each observation, name a common or everyday occurrence that must involve a chemical reaction

Capital structure free essay sample

Capital structure describes how a corporation has organized its capital—how it obtains the financial resources with which it operates its business. Businesses adopt various capital structures to meet both internal needs for capital and external requirements for returns on shareholders investments. As shown on its balance sheet, a companys capitalization is constructed from three basic blocks: Long-term debt. By standard accounting definition, long-term debt includes obligations that are not due to be repaid within the next 12 months. Such debt consists mostly of bonds or similar obligations, including a great variety of notes, capital lease obligations, and mortgage issues. Preferred stock. This represents an equity (ownership) interest in the corporation, but one with claims ahead of the common stock, and normally with no rights to share in the increased worth of a company if it grows. Common stockholders equity. This represents the underlying ownership. On the corporations books, it is made up of: (I) the nominal par or stated value assigned to the shares of outstanding stock; (2) the capital surplus or the amount above par value paid the company whenever it issues stock; and (3) the earned surplus (also called retained earnings), which consists of the portion of earnings a company retains after paying out dividends and similar distributions. Put another way, common stock equity is the net worth after all the liabilities (including long-term debt), as well as any preferred stock, are deducted from the total assets shown on the balance sheet. For investment analysis purposes, security analysts may use the companys market capitalization—the current market price times the number of common shares outstanding—as a measure of common stock equity. They consider this market-based figure a more realistic valuation. CHOOSING DEBT VERSUS EQUITY It should be noted that companies may operate without funded debt or, more frequently, without any preferred stock. By the very nature of corporate structure, however, they must have common stock and the related stockholders equity account—though, when the company fares badly, the equity can be a negative amount. In arranging a companys financial structure, management normally aims for the lowest feasible cost of capital; whereas an investor seeks the greatest possible return. While these desires can conflict, they are not necessarily incompatible, especially with equity investors. The cost of capital can be kept low and the opportunity for return on common stockholders equity can be enhanced through leverage—a high percentage of debt relative to common equity. But increased leverage carries with it increased risk. This is the inescapable trade off both management and investors must factor into their respective decisions. The leverage provided by debt financing is further enhanced because the interest that corporations pay is a tax-deductible expense, whereas dividends to both preferred and common stockholders must be paid with after-tax dollars. Thus, it is argued, the lower net cost of bond interest helps accrue more value for the common. But, of course, increased debt brings with it higher fixed costs that must be paid in good times and bad, and can severely limit a companys flexibility. The Financial Handbook, spells out four problems that tend to increase as leverage escalates: (1) a growing risk of bankruptcy; (2) lack of access to the capital markets during times of tight credit; (3) the need for management to concentrate on finances and raising additional capital at the expense of focusing on operations; (4) higher costs for whatever additional debt and preferred stock capital the company is able to raise. Aside from the unpleasantness involved, it is noted that each of these factors also entails tangible monetary costs. Still, because of its tax advantages and stability relative to equity capital (common stock), some finance theorists have argued that higher proportions of debt capital may be advantageous to corporations. Their advice is not always heeded, however. Although periodically companies use debt to buy back common shares, a practice that can improve stock performance, most large companies rely heavily on equity financing. The elusive optimal capital structure is that which minimizes the total cost of a corporations capital. While complex mathematical formulas abound for devising varying capital structures and projecting potential returns under a vast number of scenarios, there is no proven way to arrive at an optimal structure except, to some extent, by hindsight. In practice, there are no fixed rules on what represents an ideal capitalization. In any case, an appropriate capitalization must depend greatly on the nature of the business, prevailing economic and financial conditions, and sundry other shifting factors. There is a good body of research that suggests companies tend to employ debt under certain circumstances more than others. For example, a survey from the late 1980s reported that CFOs of major companies decided whether to use debt based on the nature and risks of the cash flows associated with the capital investment. Another mid-1990s study produced compatible findings. When diversifying into new lines of business, the study suggested, companies that are moving into related fields tend to use equity capital and those entering unrelated fields tend to use debt. Ownership structure is also an influence. Firms with a high degree of management ownership, for instance, are less likely to carry high levels of debt, as are corporations with significant institutional ownership. Regulated utilities represent a special case. Agencies and organizations acting as consumer advocates regularly argue that utilities should be held to an optimal capitalization standard—optimal invariably meaning a heavy layer of debt so as to permit a higher percentage of profits to flow to the common, thus reducing the need for rate increases. Utility management in its turn warns of the danger of too much debt and the need for a stronger equity cushion—a structure that will require more revenues (i. e. , higher rates) for the utility to earn its authorized rate of return. In earlier days, a debt-free structure was often considered a sign of strength and many industrial companies that were able to finance their growth with an all-common capitalization prided themselves on their clean balance sheet. Especially in the rapid expansion after World War II, however, the vast demand for capital and low interest rates—made even lower thanks to tax deductions—made debt financing increasingly attractive. Not only was the immediate demand on income relatively modest but since the interest requirement remained fixed, all future income growth financed by this debt capital would flow straight through to the common. Benjamin Graham and David Dodd, often considered the fathers of modern security analysis and noted for their advocacy of prudent investing, long ago pointed to the advantages of a sound but not excessive amount of debt in the corporate structure. In confronting the debt-free is best argument, they shrewdly asked how one could advise a conservative investor to buy good-quality bonds if the very act of issuing bonds implied that the company had taken a dangerous and unwise step? Graham and Dodd recommended: In most enterprises, a bond component no more than—[but] not too far below—the amount that careful financial institutions would be ready to lend †¦ would probably be in the interest of the owners. STRATEGIC LEVERAGE The leveraged buyout (LBO) stampede of the 1980s brought a new twist to the capitalization issue. Large corporations with conservative, low-debt capitalizations became especially vulnerable to capture. Corporate raiders with limited financial resources, had the ability to raise huge amounts of noninvestment-grade (junk) debt to swing the deals. The captured companies could then be dismembered and stripped of cash holdings so the raiders could pay down their borrowings; in short, the preys own assets were used to pay for its capture. As a takeover defense, many potential targets began to assume heavy debt themselves, often to finance an internal buyout by its own management. Again, success would often depend on the successful sale of major assets. The raiders make no apology for such actions. As described by Harvard professor Michael C. Jensen, they can purposely leverage the firm so highly (at times with current income insufficient to meet current interest requirements) so the company cannot continue to exist in its old form. But, he argued, this generates benefits. It creates the crisis to motivate cuts in [low-return] expansion programs and the sale of those divisions which are more valuable outside the firm. The problem with this theory, to some observers, is that it assumes any value tucked away by existing management is automatically fair game for distribution to stockholders—including those who move in for just that purpose—and makes no allowance for the companys long-term needs. As applied, the theory also made little distinction between good and bad management, but tended to brand the management of any targeted company as either inept or feathering-its-own-nest or both. Whatever the merits of the opposing arguments, the flood of LBOs brought with it an essentially new type of security—the junk bond, a bond rated as noninvestment grade or speculative. The position of junk bonds in a capital structure, from a legal and accounting standpoint, is clearly that of debt. It is usually subordinated to the claims of many other lenders, but ranks ahead of any equity holders. From the investors standpoint, if the bond portion of the portfolio is intended to represent a relatively safe anchor, with a dependable return on well-protected principal, it is important to stick to investment grade issues. For those willing to assume (and able to recognize) the increased risk, a holding of junk bonds, preferably a well-diversified selection, can be justified as part of the more speculative part of the portfolio.

Supernatural Forces In Macbeth Essays (773 words) -

Supernatural Forces in Macbeth Supernatural Forces in Macbeth In the play "Macbeth," there were many interesting sections which could be concentrated on due to the suspense and the involvement of the supernatural. The use of the supernatural in the witches, the visions, the ghost, and the apparitions is a key element in making the concept of the play work and in making the play interesting. Looking through each Act and Scene of the play, it is noticed that the supernatural is definitely a major factor on the play's style. The use of the supernatural occurs at the beginning of the play, with three witches predicting the fate of Macbeth. This gives the audience a clue to what the future holds for Macbeth. "When the battles lost and won" (Act I, Scene I, l.4) was said by the second witch. It says that every battle is lost by one side and won by another. Macbeth's fate is that he will win the battle, but will lose his time of victory for the battle of his soul. After the prophecies of the witches' revealed the fate of Macbeth, the plan in which to gain power of the throne is brought up. The only way to gain power of the throne was for Macbeth to work his way to the throne, or to murder King Duncan. Murdering the king was an easier plan since the motivation in his dreams urged him on. Lady Macbeth also relied on the supernatural by her soliloquy of calling upon the evil spirits to give her the power to plot the murder of Duncan without any remorse or conscience (Act I, Scene V, ll.42-57). The three sisters are capable of leading people into danger resulting in death, such as the sailor who never slept (Act I, Scene III, ll.1-37). Lady Macbeth has convinced her husband Macbeth to murder King Duncan. On the night they planned to kill Duncan, Macbeth is waiting for Lady Macbeth to ring the signal bell to go up the stairs to Duncan's chamber. He sees the vision of the floating dagger. The interest of the dagger is that it leads Macbeth towards the chamber by the presence of evil of the dagger being covered with blood. Then the bell rings and Macbeth stealthily proceeds up the staircase to Duncan's chamber. Once the murder has been committed, eventually Banquo has his suspicions about Macbeth killing Duncan to have power of the throne. There is constantly more guilt and fear inside Macbeth and his wife that they decide to have Banquo killed. Macbeth and his wife attend a banquet in which a ghost appears. Once the murderer notified Macbeth that the deed was done, he observed the ghost of Banquo sitting in his regular seat. This caused Macbeth to act in a wild manner, making people suspicious of his actions. (Act III, Scene VI, ll.31-120). The use of the supernatural has increased the suspense now that Macbeth is constantly relying on the prophecies of the three witches. Hecate, the Queen of witches is angry with the three sisters for not involving her in their encounters with Macbeth. The witches plan to lead Macbeth to his downfall by making him feel over-confident. (Act III, Scene V, ll.1-35). Further on in the play, Macbeth finds his way to the witches' cave and demands to know what lies ahead for him. The three witches predict what he is going to ask and produce the first apparition which is an armed head. "Macbeth!, Macbeth!, Macbeth!, beware of Macduff; beware thane of Fife. Dismiss me: enough." (Act VI, Scene I, ll.77-78). The first apparition tells Macbeth to beware of Macduff. Then the second apparition appears (a bloody child), and says: "Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth." (Act IV, Scene I, ll.85-87). This apparition informs Macbeth that no man born from a woman can harm him. finally, the last apparition appears and is a child crowned, with a tree in his hand. The apparition is saying that he will never be defeated until Great Birnam wood shall come against him to High Dunsinane Hill. "Be lion melted, proud, and take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are: Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam wood to High Dunsinane Hill shall come against him." (Act VI, Scene I, ll.98-102). These apparitions convinced Macbeth that this was his fate and became over confident, and lead him to his death. The use of the supernatural in Macbeth results quite well with the respect of the

Critical Analysis on an extract of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee William

Critical Analysis on an extract of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee William "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams shows a scene where Amanda (the mother) confronts Tom (her son) who made a grave mistake in match making Laura (his sister) and his best friend, who happens to be engaged. All this events happen within the comfort of the family home, displaying the intense feeling of something ominous just about to happen- the family conflict. This is demonstrated through the failure in the family's ability to communicate and comprehend each other. This creates familiarity within the audience as well as sympathy, as the audience is able to relate to the happenings as depicted. Sympathy wells up within them too as the break up of the family is about to happen, showing how the characters become disappointed and the sense of guilt breaks out within them, in which their only reaction is to flee from it.The extract opens with Amanda facing her son, Tom who appears to be totally nonchalant and self-righteous.Performance Saratov Puppet Theatre "Teremok" Â «Gla... The sarcasm in her tone showed the awkwardness and the escalated tension in the whole event. The opening lines "Come in here a minute. I want to tell you something awfully funny" shows how the use of oxymoron emphasize on the distant nature between mother and son, fencing a barrier between them, as a result of their inability to communicate, finally ending in the contrasting interests between them.What more, Tom's lines of "The warehouse is where I work, not where I know things about people!" shows his inability in relating to others, including his family. This stirs up sympathy from the audience towards Tom as his inability to feel belonged to someplace force him to become entrapped in his own world as suggested by the lines "You don't know things anywhere! You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions!"...

Banking Risk Management

Banking Risk Management Credit Risk Models The Black-Scholes-Merton Model There are various credit risk models, which have been proposed by researchers in order to reduce the risks associated with future transactions. One of these models is the BSM framework structured models. This model was proposed by Merton in 1974. He derived the value of an option from a company, which could default loan repayment (Merton, 1974).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Banking Risk Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Black-Scholes-Merton model assumes that there is a latent firm asset value, which is determined by the company’s future cash flows. This model is used to determine the firm’s debt and equity value. This model includes components, such as risk free interest rates, asset payment ratio, and asset risk premium. Merton (1974) argues that the asset return rate and the risk free interest rates are the constants which are non-sto chastic. The model also assumes that the company’s capital structure relates to a pure equity and a single zero coupon debt, which matures within a given time. Incase of a default experienced by a company, the stock price of the defaulting firm is expected to go to zero. According to this model, the debtor is assumed to be a seller in the European put option. On the other hand, the equity holder is assumed to be a buyer of European call option (Merton, 1974). The model uses the Black –Scholes option pricing in order to determine the relationship between the equity market value and the bond market value. Shibita and Yamada (2009) proposed the BSM structural model to a bank, which was just this side of bankruptcy. This helped the bank in its recovery processes. According to Shibata and Yamada (2009), the banks choice to continue operating or be liquidated plays a vital role on the losses of the loan. They assumed that this decision should be made severally at a certain t ime after the bankruptcy. Individual-level reduced-form models This refers to the models which are not of the class of structural models. At the individual level, a reduced form model can also be described as the credit scoring one. This model was developed by Altman (1968). The credit scoring model uses linear and binomial models to regress the defaults among companies.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It identifies various accounting components, which have statistical explanatory capability, in order to differentiate between the defaulting and non defaulting firms. After estimating the coefficients of the model, the loan applicants are given a Z-score in order to classify them as good or bad. Several decades after its proposal, the credit scoring model got a significant development. Altaman and Saunders (1998) discussed the wide spread of the individual level mode l and its major developments over the years. Altman and Narayanan (1997) evaluated the historical accounting variables used in the credit scoring models across the world. According to them, most of the studies proposed the use of financial ratios, which determine profitability, and liquidity. These financial ratios may include market value equity/debt, (EBIT)/sales as well as working capital/debt. Altman (2005) proposed a scoring system known as Emerging Market Score Model to use to define the emerging corporate bonds. Portfolio reduced form models These models were proposed by Jarrow and Turnbull (1992). According to them, the idea of these models is related to the concept of risk neutral. Risk neutral is a common technique used to predict the probability of the future cash flow. It helps in computing the asset prices by using risk neutral default probabilities. Jarrow and Turnbull (1992) used the idea of risk neutral to develop the credit risk premium which is also known as the cr edit spread. They decomposed the credit risk premium into two components. Poisson /Cox process model This is a subclass of the portfolio reduced form models. It was developed by Jarrow and Turnbull (1995), and it can be described as the simplest model of the portfolio reduced form model. In this approach, the default process is assumed to be a Poisson process with a constant intensity where the default time is exponentially distributed. Markov chain model This is a credit risk model, which was originally proposed by Jarrow et al. (1997). This model considers the default event as the absorbing state and the default period as the first period when the Markov chain hits the absorbing state.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Banking Risk Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Factor model This is a credit risk model, which puts into consideration two vectors of explanation variables. The first vector is a set of macr o economic variables, such as interest rate, inflation rate, money supply growth as well as GDP growth. This vector explains the systematic risk, which causes default events. The second vector involves a set of firm-specific variables, which determine individual risk. According to Pederzoli and Torricelli (2005), the variables are considered simultaneously. Conclusion The credit risk models have various shortcomings. For instance, the BSM framework structural model consists of several simplified assumption in its derivation. The simplified assumptions restrict the applied value of the model. This has made the subsequent researchers focus on reducing these assumptions. The individual level reduced form models may not pick up fast moving developments in borrowers conditions. This is because the model uses explanatory variables, which are based on accounting data. According to Agarwal and Taffler’s (2008), credit scoring models, such as Altman’s Z-score, may not be used t o forecast distress as compared to the structural models. References Altman, E 2005, An emerging market credit scoring system for corporate bonds,  Journal of Emerging Markets Review, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 311-323. Altman, E, Saunders, A 1998, Credit risk measurement: Developments over the last 20 years, Journal of Banking and Finance, vol. 21, pp. 1721-1742. Gordy, MB, 2000, A comparative anatomy of credit risk models, Journal of Banking  and Finance, pp.119-149.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Jarrow, R, Turnbull, S 1997 A Markov model for the term structure of credit risk spreads, Review of Financial Studies, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 481–523. Merton, C 1974. On the pricing of corporate debt: The risk structure of interest rates.  The Journal of Finance, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 449–470. Saunders, A Allen, L 2002, Credit risk measurement: New Approaches to Value at  Risk and Other Paradigms. John Wiley Sons, New York.

Organizational Security Expansion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Security Expansion - Essay Example However, security of their personnel and business security are areas of their great concern when exploring internationally new markets. Security companies involve large capital investments and hence cannot take any risk in investing in unproductive markets. This is because such a mistake is very costly to its operations. Harwood, (2008) Observes that Africa and Middle East are characterized by terrorism, pirates, poverty, corruption and other forms of violence. Though these require security service operations, they are a major threat to the operations of many security companies since they can lead into serious losses. An American security company expanding in Arab nations is risky than any other since it might mean more war and insecurity as opposed to business. Therefore, an American security company that wants to expand its operations in Africa and middle east may have to consider the possible threats that may affect its personnel welfare, business continuity and shipping among others to determine if they are potential investment areas or not. Expansion of the security Company Operations in Africa and Middle East Expansion of security operations from America to Africa and Middle East markets is a very risky task to undertake. This is because African and Middle East nations are characterized by serious insecurity issues, which mime negatively affect the companies operations. On the other hand, it may increase the company’s performance, since the two regions are characterized by insecurity issues, and hence may require boosting their security in their daily tasks. Therefore, the demand for security in those areas is likely to e high, despite the serious challenges that are likely to be encountered. Security Challenges in Africa and Middle East African nations are frequently dominated by war and other insecurity issues. The Security Council has in many cases addressed insecurity issues and other peace threats around African nations. The most affected nations in Africa are Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Libya, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Somalia, among others. Therefore expanding the se curity company’s operations in those areas may lead the company into facing many challenges, which might lead to loss of its employees together with profits, due to major, risky and intensive operations. The first challenge that the company may encounter is hostility in those nations (Anonymous, 2011). First, American people are seen as a major threat to peace and security in Africa and Middle East, especially in Arab territories. Therefore, such nations may be reluctant to offer those contracts and other job opportunities, besides threatening its existence in their nations. Though America has been in the fore front in trying to restore and maintain peace and security in Africa and Middle East, their efforts are little appreciated, since they lead to more insecurity, as terrorists try to fight them back. Therefore expanding an American security company operation in these regions may not be a wise decision, if the company has goals of future prospects. Secondly, African nation s lack major businesses and other big operations that require the services of a security company. This is because; their economy is still unstable as they are still in the developing stage. Therefore, the demand for such services is still low, and is mainly given to African based security based companies, since they positively viewed by many Africans, thus attracting customers. However, Christian nations may not oppose American security companies, since they have no negative issues with them. On the other hand, they believe that they are better equipped and could therefore offer superior

The time machine ch9-12 summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The time machine ch9-12 summary - Essay Example He is convinced that people are kept smart and strong through variety of needs and dangers. The Time Traveler takes a nap and then he moves to open Sphinx and then he gets the Time machine. He finds the door open by the time he gets Sphinx and then he throws his club. (Wells 10) Time traveler decides to farther forward in time and he begins to start travelling first as the evening approaches. He stops on a beach as he watched the sea moving slowly. After standing for sometimes, he realizes that he is surrounded by crabs, though he manages to escape. (Wells 11) In a flash, Time Traveler sees someone named Hillyer, though it is not clear to him, but when he wakes up he realizes that it was a dream though the Time Machine was in a totally different place. In the house, the Time Traveler hears the guest eating. Everyone looking at the Time Machine is looking worn though they are consoled by the Time Machine. The narrator was suppose to narrate them a story but then he decides to disappear but by the time he comes up e finds the Time Machine and the Time Traveler are already gone. (Wells

The Worst Disease That You Could Ever Get Essay Example for Free

The Worst Disease That You Could Ever Get Essay At first when this assignment was presented to us I planned to write something about the worst disease anyone could get. At first a lot of diseases came into my mind. I thought about cancer, AIDS, ulcers, thalassemia etc. But as I was surfing the net in order to find more information about one of those diseases I realized that there were so many diseases that were even worse than the ones I thought. I had had the chance to hear about some of them but when I read more about them I realized that I knew so little. Some of them may not be life threatening diseases but anyway it is hard for those people to live in that way. Healthy person has a million wishes, a sick one only one. Unfortunately, for this people, even the wishes wont help. Some examples of these kind of diseases may be: * PROGERIA = is an extremely rare genetic disease wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. * Leontiasis Ossea (LION FACE SYNDROME ) = is a rare medical condition, characterized by an overgrowth of the facial and cranial bones. It is not a disease in itself, but a symptom of other diseases, including Pagets disease, fibrous dysplasia, hyperparathyroidism and renal osteodystrophy. * PORPHYRIA (THE VAMPIRE DISEASE) = The porphyrias are a group of rare inherited or acquired disorders of certain enzymes that normally participate in the production of porphyrins and heme. They manifest with either neurological complications or skin problems, or occasionally both. * NECROTISING FASCILITIS = commonly known as flesh-eating disease or flesh-eating bacteria syndrome, is a rare infection of the deeper layers of skin and subcutaneou tissues, easily spreading across the fascial plane within the subcutaneous tissue. * FIBRODISPLASIA OSSIFICANNS PROGRESSIVA = sometimes referred to as Stone Man Syndrome, is an extremely rare disease of the connective tissue. A mutation of the bodys repair mechanism causes fibrous tissue (including muscle, tendon, and ligament) to be ossified when damaged. In many cases, injuries can cause joints to become permanently frozen in place. Surgical removal of the extra bone growths has been shown to cause the body to repair the affected area with more bone. But I would like to center my attention on two diseases of this kind. Grisi siknis Imagine yourself having dinner with your family when suddenly you fall into a trance-like state, your eyes roll back into your head, your body becomes rigid and you are completely oblivious to the outside world. All your family hears is swearing, grunts and painful groans coming from your taunt, stretched face. Your body suddenly goes into convulsions before you jump up attacking your family members or unseen assailants with all your strength (double what it was before you fell ill). You tear at your skin, pull out your hair, eat whatever roaches, spiders or insects are within reach and speak in tongues. Other victims are reported to have performed superhuman feats or they speak the names of the next to be infected, although it is not always accurate. During attacks, victims report mental visions in which devils or evil spirits come for them, and have sex with them. These victims will remain in this state for days or even weeks and they are completely unaware of what is going on and what they are doing during this period of time. It sounds like a horror film scene or something like that, doesn’t it? But that’s nothing more than the Grisi siknis. Grisi siknis (in Miskito language, means â€Å"crazy sickness†) is a contagious, culture-bound syndrome that occurs predominantly among the Miskito People of eastern Central America and affects mainly young girls from 15 to 18 years old. According to western physicians this is classified as a dissociative fugue, which is distinguished by impulsive travel and amnesia, identity uncertainty, stress, and impediment to normal social function. It is most often related to intense emotional stress, emotional upset, worry, fear and general anxiety (whereas Miskito tradition holds that Grisi siknis is caused by possession by evil spirits). But despite the western physicians theories the Grisi siknis can be treated only by traditional Miskito healing methods. The Miskito healers may use vapor baths, herbal remedies, exposure to dead people, pregnant women and various meats etc. Ondines curse What about the Odine’s curse?! Have you ever heard about that? According to the French folk tale Odine was a breathtaking beautiful nymph. But as we all know if a nymph or mermaid falls in love with a human and bears his child than she will â€Å"lose† her immortality. That is what happened to Odine when she saw the handsome Palemon. When Palemon saw Odine, he was taken by her incredible beauty, as well. Eventually thay fell in love and got married (after Palemon broke his engagement with the young Berta). When they  exchanged the wedding oaths, Palemon vowed that My every waking breath shall be my pledge of love and faithfulness to you. The following year Odine gave birth to their son and as a consequence she lost her immortality. After a long period of time things began to change until finally Odine found her husband lay sleeping with his arms wrapped around his former fianceà © Berta. Having sacrificed her immortality for this man, she was filled with anger and regret. She woke him and uttered her curse. You pledged faithfulness to me with your every waking breath and I accepted that pledge. So be it. For as long as you are awake, you shall breathe. But should you ever fall into sleep, that breath will desert you. Ondine still retained some of her magic . . . enough to make the curse come true. ****** Ondines curse, also called congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) or primary alveolar hypoventilation, is a respiratory disorder that is fatal if untreated. Persons afflicted with Ondines curse classically suffer from respiratory arrest during sleep. It is is congenital or developed due to severe neurological trauma to the brainstem. In other words these patients should make a voluntary breathing; if they forget to do so then the consequences would be fatal. The symptoms of this disease are: * tumors of the sympathetic ganglia * difficulty swallowing * anomalies of the pupilla * darkening of skin color * drowsiness * fatigue * headaches * inability to sleep at night etc.

The Role and Structure of Greek Tragedy in Philip Roth’s Eli the Fanati

The Role and Structure of Greek Tragedy in Philip Roth’s Eli the Fanatic When one’s in pain—physical, mental, or emotional—one always believes it is worse than everyone else’s. Yet when an acquaintance bemoans a bad day, one still manages to wave it off: it could not be worse than one’s own pain. Even if it is a past pain and there are only scars, those scars are tenderer than the friend’s current sores. Individuals forget that anguish can be shared and another’s intervention can diminish it. This theme has been around for millennia and was particularly explored in the works of Greek tragedians. In Eli, the Fanatic Philip Roth employs structural and thematic elements of Greek tragedy to illustrate that human beings can be responsible for each other’s suffering. One of the essential elements of Greek tragedy, that of the chorus, can be filled in by Ted, Shirley, and even Miriam. They are the residents of Woodenton who call Eli. Traditionally, the chorus plays an active role and can be a sounding and advising board for the protagonist. Ted in particular tries to advise Eli and, like the customary chorus, he represents the masses, the people, in this particular case the town of Woodenton. As Ted informs Eli, â€Å"The Jewish members of the community appointed me, Artie, and Harry to -2 see what could be done† (276). The Greek chorus, in Greek tragedy, represents the masses and often serves to counterpoint the protagonist, and Ted’s near-fanatical grudge against the Yeshiva certainly counterpoints with Eli’s growing benevolence toward them. In Roth’s context, the residents of Woodenton, the Chorus, also serve as a counterpoint to Eli’s guilt. Eli becomes concerned over the Greenie’s happiness a... ...s Eli who, as he awakens to the laws of Gods, also becomes aware that just as there are laws beyond those he preaches, there is pain beyond his own. Greek tragedies were successful in that they taught viewers how to extend their compassion, and Roth duplicates this motive. He suggests that if one is willing to accept the laws of God, then one can also help others. It is an idealistic message perhaps, but when one is suffering, one wants to believe that others are concerned, even if they don’t physically share the pain. -7 Works Cited McDonald, Marianne. â€Å"Seamus Heaney’s Cure at Troy: Politics and Poetry.† Classics Ireland. 1996. University College Dublin. 13 Feb. 2006. ssics/classicsinfo/96/McDonald96.html> Roth, Philip. Goodbye, Columbus. NY: Vintage International, 1959.

Toddlers and Tiaras

Toddlers and Tiaras 2 Screaming crowds (mostly hysterical mothers), make-up, hair extensions, teased hairstyles, clouds of hairspray, fake teeth, false eyelashes, spray tans, elegant costumes, weird postures, twitched face expressions, tiaras, trophies, money and more or less talent are the ingredients for the usual children beauty pageants. Those young girls that compete in these beauty contests are between ages 3 to 10 and sometimes even younger than 2 years old and usually have one only goal, get the money and get the tiara (tiara and/or trophy and/or ribbon).Of course, these insane mothers/fathers (so called parents) enter these little beauties not at their own request into these pageants. They fill in the applications on time, pay the participation fee, create or buy the outfit, establish the type of performance for the talent section, usually some song or dancing is a very popular talent to be displayed. The moms create and exercise the hairstyle and make-up, keep a strict rehe arsal schedule, hire trainers if the mom herself cannot coach the whole thing, travel hundreds of miles with their children just to spend a weekend on an emotional roller coaster and hopefully win the competition.So why do these mothers put their young girls through this experience? Well, first of all, â€Å"For them to have fun and experience dress-up in a more complex environment. † Because she likes it and because she is beautiful, etc. Off the record more, the answers include the â€Å"For the money† and â€Å"Because she has to be number one. Anyway, for myself, the most feared answer to that question would be â€Å"Because I used to participate in such contests myself†, and no matter how that sentenced ends (I always won or I’ve never won, but I know she can do it! ). What can a child learn by being a professional/serial beauty pageant contestant?Well, encouraging the sense of competition and having a hobby to be dedicated to is okay, spending time with mom is great, but when you become a winning machine, and a Tiara chaser collector, serious psychological problems can occur. These contests promote Physical Beauty as the main value, with the talent section being a close second. These children, especially these little girls are going to pay so much attention to her looks and knowing she is being judged for it, will be very susceptible to develop eating disorders, such as Anorexia or Bulimia.Also, paranoid features can occur as a response to the, â€Å"No other girl here is your friend† between mother and daughter and you just smile on the outside and develop a little hatred inside for all other competitors. This also brings another problem to my mind, dissimulation as a form of interaction, which can be used outside contests too and become a habit. All those screaming crowds and rivers of tears and having to put on an act and playing a role could lead to learning hysteric behaviors. Anxiety is no stranger for these youn g girls either.If at first sight they seem to learn how to be prepared for stressful situation, think of this: what if the girl does not really want to participate and does this only to please her mother? What if she can’t actually dance or sing, but she has to do that anyway? And what if she feels embarrassed? What if she would rather like to spend time with friends in her home town and not in some cheap hotel miles away from her house? Then I believe yes, anxiety and frustration are near these children at all times.These and many other psychological problems can emerge from having to be something that you are not at a very early age. And inner problems are not the only ones. Displaying such a mature look (these girls are five or six years old, yet their faces look like those of at least 16 years old) may attract unwanted public, such as pedophiles. Paying the fee for your child’s picture to be posted on a website with heavy traffic is again, in my opinion, not the be st choice to be made. Toddlers and Tiaras 3Unfortunately, there have been cases of young pageant participants that have been victims in murder cases, so things are not as simple as one might think. In most cases, mothers are trying to live out their dreams through their children that they couldn’t accomplish themselves when they were younger. Playing dress-up with your daughter can be great, but why transform it into a full-time job? I must also mention that these competitions occur on weekends, so these children have no downtime or time to themselves to unwind and just play with their friends and do what children do best, â€Å"PLAY. So many things can be discussed about children beauty pageants, ranging from ethics, parenthood, mental health, development, competition or interpersonal relationships, but before I end, give your children time to make their own choices and fulfill their own dreams. Toddlers and Tiaras 4 References http://psychologycorner. com/toddlers-and-chil dren-beauty-pageants-%E2%80%93-risk-factors-for-severe-psychological-turmoils/

Anglo Saxon Poetry Of Beowulf English Literature Essay

BeowulfA is the most of import verse form in Old English and it is the first major verse form in a European slang linguistic communication, †¦ remarkable for its sustained magnificence of tone and for the glare of its manner, as has been remarked by Margaret Drabble. Beowulf has been categorized as a â€Å" Primary Epic † by C.S.Lewis. In wide footings, a primary heroic poem is drawn from the unwritten narrative stating tradition as opposed to what Lewis termed as a â€Å" Secondary Epic † which is a planned literary creative activity. A Handbook to Literature defines the undermentioned demands for a literary piece to be classified as an heroic poem: On the footing of these standards, which shall be examined in the undermentioned paragraphs, Beowulf can safely be characterised into the heroic poem genre. The hero of Beowulf is â€Å" a figure of heroic stature † . Beowulf ‘s physical stature mirrors his qualities and when we foremost see Beowulf as he arrives from his fatherland Geatland at Scyldings in the land of the Danes, attending is drawn to his stature by the Scylding guard who exclaims that he has ne'er seen a â€Å" a mightier baronial, / a larger adult male † ( 247-48 ) Beowulf is a hero of heroic strength with the strength â€Å" clasp † of 30 work forces, who kills nine sea monsters on a swim. Subsequently he establishes his strength by killing Grendel and his female parent. Though immature at the beginning of the verse form, Beowulf has all the devisings of a good leader. He reveals his line of descent to the reader when he mentions his male parent to the guard who is funny about him ( 251 ) . Beowulf besides reveals his male parents name and the name of his male monarch, Hygelac. On his meeting with King Hrothgar ( 418 ff. ) , we realise that non merely is Beowulf brave and brave but he besides is loyal and has come to refund the generousness and kindness of King Hrothgar to his male parent Ecgtheow. He besides divulges that he has cleansed his fatherland of its enemies and has killed a folk of giants. Thereafter he shows his strength when he kills the sea monsters while viing with Breca. Beowulf ‘s handling of Unferth ( 529 ) is a farther testimony to the wisdom of the immature hero. By his handling of Unferth, and the maner in which he reminds the assemblage of the certificates of Unferth and how he killed his ain brothers, Beowulf asserts himself even before he confronts Grendel. In the conflict with Grendel, Beowulf displays his accomplishments as an intelligent warrior as he allows Grendel to devour a Geat, while he lies still accessing his enemy. As a con sequence of analyzing his enemy he manages to rend Grendel ‘s right claw off from his shoulder socket. He farther strengthens his repute as a worthy and courageous warrior in the mode in which he deals with Grendel ‘s female parent. He besides shows himself as a loyal friend when Hygelac is killed in a conflict, since he does non claim the throne for himself but supports his boy. Merely when Hygelac ‘s boy is killed in a fued does Beowulf go up to the throne. The conflict with the firedrake in his old age once more proves his strength and him as a good warrior though a few critics found him reckless for non worrying about who would go up him to the throne. Beowulf besides makes the usage of the tools of heroic poems such as asides, addresss, and expeditions. There is besides a mirroring of the unwritten tradition of narrative stating in the text, as we see the â€Å" scop † who chants the occurrences of The Finnsburh Episode ( 1063-1159 ) . The asides though they appear cumbersome were feats of good known heroes and popular narratives. For case the blood-feud history of Finn and the Danes reverberations Cain and Abel in its misrepresentation, craftiness, treachery and disloyalty. The slaying of Finn to revenge the decease of Hnaf brings on the onslaught of the monster Grendel, who is eventually slayed by Beowulf. The narrative of this narrative non merely celebrates his triumph but besides highlights the triumph of good over immorality. Unlike the classical heroic poem, Beowulf does non get down â€Å" media RESs † and has no supplication to the Muse, but it is an heroic poem however, given the character of the hero, the events of great magnitude and besides the poetic composing. The verse form employs the usage of initial rhymes, which carry more significance than a rime. A important portion of the verse form does use the usage of rime as good. But over all it is evident from the scrutiny of the verse form that it was compose for unwritten narrative as opposed to a literary piece. Beowulf is a glorious merger of many subjects, viz. the subjects of Christian and Pagan rites, of light and darkness which mirror good and evil, of Men and Monsters, of Treasures, of the importance of Genealogy, of community, of Wyrd and of good Kingship which runs analogue in the narrative. In the book English Epic and Heroic Poetry, the writer W. Macneile Dixon, stresses that Beowulf is was perchance non â€Å" crude poesy † ( Pg. 14 )[ 5 ]when it was composed. Though the linguistic communication of the verse form appears to be simple, the poets have drawn on both the Pagan and Christian elements. Therefore Fitela, Scyld Scefing and Sigmund from heathen mythology are offered as defenders of demeanor and the monster Grendel ‘s household line belongs to the family tree of Cain ( 107 and 1258-67 ) . Again we see a strong heathen influence as the Anglo-Saxon construct of Wryd is a subject by itself in the text. Beowulf calls upon Wyrd when he battles the first sea monster of the nine that he killed, when he competed with Breca. Subsequently he attributes his endurance to the Christian God. ( 569-574 ) . He besides refers to Wyrd at his concluding reference. Hrothgar besides thanks God when Beowulf defeats the monster Grendel. Through the text Hrothgar ‘s advocate and warnings to Beowulf reflect the Christian dogmas of generousness and the pattern of gold giving followed at that clip. Three of the awful seven deathly wickednesss are besides mentioned as a warning to Beowulf. ( 1724-78 ) When Beowulf is deceasing ; Wiglaf tries to resuscitate him utilizing a ritual with H2O which calls to mind the Baptism. Beowulf is really heathen in the mode in which he chooses to contend the firedrake entirely, and it is in maintaining with the codification of behavior of the warrior. His subsequent funeral, with a adult female and 12 considerations mourning him name to mind, Christ ‘s adherents and Mary Magdalen forenoon Christ. Good and immorality is a nother subject running through the text and it is farther emphasised as we view the struggle of visible radiation and darkness, and heaven and snake pit. The text begins with a apposition of the light universe of the human warriors and their gay mead-hall with the dark universe of Grendel ‘s prevaricator ( 417-426 ) . The universes invariably clash as Grendel ‘s haterate and slaughter of the Danes brings Beowulf to him who is non afraid to face the darkness. ( 480-488 ) . Hrothgar ‘s soldiers though brave do non last boulder clay dawn. Where Grendel symbolises darkness, his female parent symbolises snake pit and somberness that is dark at its darkest. Continuing with the subject of dark and light is the subject of adult male and monster. While we are cognizant the Grendel is a monster ( 101-108 ) , we are besides reminded that possibly Beowulf is besides non wholly human, since he kills nine sea monsters, and about has the power equivalent to Grendel particularly s ince his feats of conveying the monsters to an terminal could easy be lines used for Grendel. ( 551-558 ) the subject of good triumphing over immorality besides runs through the heroic poem as even though Grendel is strong with crisp claws he is defeated non by the blade but by the bare custodies of the heroic Beowulf. ( 987-990 ) Again we are reminded of Beowulf ‘s strength which is more than human as he is contending Grendel ‘s female parent, and he is protected by his extraordinary armor which is adorned with two rings demoing the friendly relationship of the Geates and the Danes and their support of Beowulf. The heroic poem is rich in item since it has a hero who harmonizing to Hegel[ 6 ]the hero Beowulf is waited on manus and pes, and has to fight for basic endurance, and the necessities of life such as â€Å" Equus caballuss and arms and nutrient † . The subject of hoarded wealth therefore besides highlights the implicit in economic sciences of a feudal society while heightening the heroic poem. Harmonizing to W.P.Ker, in his book Epic and Romance, he mentions that Beowulf was likely written by two Scribes and has a construction with a â€Å" prologue at the beginning and a judgement pronounced on the life of the hero at the terminal † ( Pg.158 ) BeowulfA has an omniscient ( â€Å" omniscient † ) storyteller. The narrative voice remarks on the character ‘s actions, and knows and is able to describe on what they think. The storyteller is cognizant of things- for illustration, the expletive on the firedrake ‘s hoarded wealth ( lines 3066-75 ) -that are non known to the heroic poem ‘s characters. Beowulf portions this all-knowing narrative with other heroic poems, such as theA Iliad, A theOdyssey, A and theA Aeneid, A but remains subtly different. The storyteller ofA BeowulfA makes an expressed connexion with the audience, admiting a shared background of cultural cognition, in the gap lines of the verse form: A † WeA have heard of the thriving of the throne of Denmark † ( accent added ) . The storyteller ‘s voice is besides closely connected with those of the characters. Both use narrations in the same manner, to indicate a moral or to project†¦ ..

political movements essays

political movements essays There were many political movements in history, each with their own strategy for mobilizing the people to rise to the cause. However, each of these strategies had similar goals to reach as many people as possible. Each movement was staged in different times and the social conditions of those times influenced the ways that the leaders of these poltical movements mobilized, but the similarities in their strategies are noticible. The slave revolt organized by Denmark Vesey and the Civil Rights Movement are prime examples of these different strategies of mobilizing society. Denmark Vesey had three main tactics for attracting support for his slave revolt, religion, fear and intelligence. Vesey was a minister class leader at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. He used his session of bilblical instruction to put his word out to groups of people. He tried to prove from it [the Bible] that slavery and bondage is against the Bible (Robertson, 47). He read from the Bible about how the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt from bondage. It was testified at his trial that he emphasized frequently, and which his black listeners... recalled his applying to their bondage at Charleston were Josua 6:21 and Zacharia 14:1-2: And they utterly destroyed all tthat were in the city, both man and woman, both youg and old... and Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, adn they spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I shall gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished... By utlilizing passages from the BIble to show that slavery was wrong and to demonstrate his desire for a violent and total revolt, he was telling the blacks of Charleston that God willed their revolt. Vesey used relitgion because the AME Church was a meeting place of slaves and free blacks away fro...

Existent vs. Existing

Existent vs. Existing Existent vs. Existing Existent vs. Existing By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders about the correctness of the following phrase: â€Å"the strengths of the existent organization.† Says the reader: I just read this phrase in an email sent out from the Deans office of a large Midwestern university known nationally for academic excellence. Personally, I would not have written the sentence with the word existent I would have used â€Å"existing.† Did someone not proofread carefully enough? Is â€Å"existent† OK to use? Does it sound too snooty? Although both adjectives mean â€Å"having being or existence in the present time,† existing is the word most commonly used to describe such things as organizations, processes, laws, and amenities: Your IT department might have a list of best practices and guidelines that you can use to streamline information, avoid duplication, protect sensitive data, and use existing systems more efficiently. Use of immunoglobulin heavy- and light-chain measurements compared with existing techniques as a means of typing monoclonal immunoglobulins. The four main methods in reforming law are repeal  (get rid of a law), creation of new law, consolidation (change existing law) and codification. Existent may not be exactly â€Å"snooty,† but it is more often used in discussions of spiritual or philosophical matters than in talking about day-to-day activities: It is commonly accepted that there are two sorts of existent entities: those that exist but could have failed to exist, and those that could not have failed to exist. Entities of the first sort are  contingent beings; entities of the second sort are  necessary beings. Russells problem of the  existent  round square might then be reformulated as  the problem of the existent-cum-modal-moment round square.   One point on which there is agreement [about Existentialist thought] is that the existence with which we should be concerned here is not just any existent thing, but  human existence. When speaking of a health condition that is in existence at the time someone applies for health insurance, the usual term is â€Å"pre-existing condition.† There is a word pre-existent, but like existent, it appears mostly in religious and philosophical writing. For example: According to Baha’i teachings, the individual soul of a human being comes into being at the time of conception and only thereafter is eternal; in other words it is not pre-existent. [They also teach] that God, a reality which human consciousness cannot comprehend, is pre-existent, that is He exists prior to time and to His creation. Arius (c. 256-336 CE) believed that the pre-existent Son of God was directly created by the Father, that he was subordinate to God the Father, and that only the Father was without beginning or end, but that the Son was also divine. The word nonexistent, on the other hand, is quite common in ordinary speech:   Cops Arrest Photographer for Nonexistent Law They [job applicants] bought a bachelor of science degree in biology, dated June 13, 1975, and a masters degree dated June 10, 1988, in Collins name both from Lexington University, a nonexistent school purportedly in Middletown, N.Y. Speakers and writers who replace existing with existent in a non-philosophical context may be creating a back-formation from nonexistent. In standard usage, it’s still best to use existing to refer to such things as laws, customers, and systems, reserving existent for philosophical discussion. The adjective extant, â€Å"continuing to exist,† is used to describe artifacts or structures that have survived beyond the time other things like them have disappeared. Here are two examples of this use: The only extant copy of Clarkes 1619 broadsheet can be found in the British Library. The Yambol Covered Bazaar is the only such Ottoman institution still extant in Bulgaria. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in SThe Letter "Z" Will Be Removed from the English AlphabetDouble Possessive

Contemporary ethical dilemma found in the business world or a topic in Research Paper

Contemporary ethical dilemma found in the business world or a topic in business ethics - Research Paper Example †. It is in this regard that this paper is written to present relevant contemporary issues in business ethics with actual experience and application in a health organization, St. Luke’s Medical Center. St. Lukes Medical Center (SLMC) is located in the Philippines and has provided high-quality healthcare for over a century. Founded in 1903, its mission is to provide outstanding out-patient care. Today it is the foremost and most admired hospital in the Philippines and an acknowledged leader in Asia. SLMC receives patients from around Asia, Micronesia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States. (SLMC About Us 2009 par. 1) A patient had been confined in a private room in this health institution for almost one month due to chronic illness with diverse complications. Due to her long stay and numerous laboratory, diagnostic and therapeutic examinations, her statement of account reached a staggering amount which could not be immediately covered by the funds of the patient and her family. She had been accompanied by her daughter who helps by providing physical, emotional and financial support. However, due to the critical condition that her mother experiences, their account was classified as â€Å"red tag†. Patients with red tags are immediately referred to the Customer Relations Department who monitors their status and closely coordinates with the Accounting and Cashier Department for settlement and collection purposes. Once a patient has been classified as â€Å"red tag†, any procedure (therapeutic, diagnostic, laboratory, etc.) need to be immediately settled prior to the administration of the procedure, regardless of the necessity and the kind of the procedure to be undertaken. The rationale for this is to prevent further increases in the amount due to the hospital which might not be collected nor paid. The patient regularly needs any of

Environmental Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Environmental Sustainability - Essay Example It has also been alarmed by the fall of Soviet Union. China naturally wants to get benefits of globalisation and has been showing a reformed smiling face to the global economic world. For a communist regime, this is no mean task and even though the internal control has never been slackened in any way. The economic conditions are definitely exhilarating, but western economists say that there are obvious pitfalls in the economic path chosen by Chinese government unless it makes amends for economic and environmental sustainability. China is the most populous country in the world having population density of more than 130 people per sq. km. The family plan came into being when the Chinese government realised that the population problem is getting out of hand. "Chinese government realized that the over-rapid population growth was harmful to economic and social development, and would cause great difficulties in the fields of employment, housing, communications and medical care; and that if China could not effectively check the over-rapid population growth, and alleviate the tremendous pressure that the population growth was exerting on land, forests and water resources, the worsening of the ecology and the environment in the coming decades would be disastrous, thus endangering the necessary conditions for the survival of humanity, and sustainable social and economic development" China's economic development is not simply based on the g... ttribute much of China's rapid economic growth to two main factors: large-scale capital investment (financed by large domestic savings and foreign investment) and rapid productivity growth. These two factors appear to have gone together hand in hand. Economic reforms led to higher efficiency in the economy, which boosted output and increased resources for additional investment in the economy" according to CRI issue brief for Congress", http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/IB98014.pdf It is considered to be Chinese miracle that the economic growth of China has altered the world economic scene. But according to economic analysers, Chinese economic growth has reached a critical stage, where more caution is necessary in policy making. "At the same time, China's economic transition also reached a critical stage. Significant internal developments were and still are forcing the government to consider more aggressive reforms" http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1094/is_n3_v33/ai_20946408 But, there are many internal and external factors hindering Chinese economic growth. It is not easy to change the economic internal scenario overnight from an autocratically managed, centralised economy into a liberalised with slackened control one overnight. There are many steps to be taken mainly to alter the internal shape of the economy, industry, finance and business and naturally, the path to do that is rather rough. It is true that China is facing difficulties with state owned enterprises, which are running under loss and are about to shut down. The government has decided to support the larger enterprises, and the smaller enterprises will become part of history. China's economic development has caused other Asian and Western countries to sit up and take notice. China, till now, has

How Parents Treat Sons And Daughters Differently Essay

How Parents Treat Sons And Daughters Differently - Essay Example This child then becomes the adult of the society, and the subsequent domino effect for the creation of all prejudices, biases and polarity comes into existence. Taken objectively, because essentially the male and female child are intrinsically very different, it is virtually impossible even for the most passionate of parents to claim that they have sustained a just rule for all. The study finds its rationale in the fact that it is essential to understand where the root cause of discrimination is embedded within the human behavior, as it later on goes on to produce social, economic, religious and moral prejudices within the human community - a reality that is causing all the unrest in out world. There quite a few studies, which have worked on this project. "In the United States, a person's gender has affected the level of education she is likely to receive, the occupation she will take up, and the wages she will be paid" (Blau 1998, U.S. Department of Education 2000). Morgan, Lye, and Condran (1988) discover that sons reduce the risk of marital disruption by 9% more than do daughters. In the same domain, Dahl and Moretti (no date) find that having a girl considerably affects marriage and divorce rate; being 3.4% less likely to be living with her father compared to a first-born son. Some studies have found that "fathers interact more with infant sons and are more engaged with adolescent sons than daughters" (Barnett and Baruch 1987). There is also accord among researchers that fathers spend less time in childcare than mothers do (Pleck and Masciadrelli 2004). METHODS In order to gain a basic insight into the issue, a study was designed which would give an idea about the issue. The results would help us understand whether the incidence of this problem is existence or is it just an academic model. Participants The volunteer participants of the study were 25 pairs of brothers and sisters. They were different in sibling order, and even in the total number of siblings. But from every family, one son and one daughter were selected. For 25 families, the total number of participants thus came out to be 50. The inclusion criterion was children aged from 4 to 12. They were not told about the exact of the study, so that their biases and preconceived notions would not come into play. Also, the same tool was given to all of them, seeking their opinion about how they thought their parents treated them, in general. Procedures The tool used was a specifically designed questionnaire that would measure up to the basic requirements within the household, school and neighborhood of children aged 4-12. as literacy and cognitive understand would be an obvious issue, therefore the questionnaire was administered to all of them through an interview, wherein the standardized items were asked from all the participants in isolation. It is very important to mention here that as children are well under-aged to make their own legal and rational decisions, therefore an undertaking was also signed by their parents which would admit them participating in this study. The exact scope of the study was told to the parents. Dependent Measures The questionnaire itself addressed issues of psychological, sociological, familial, economic and

Management and Leadership of Organizations Essay Example for Free

Management and Leadership of Organizations Essay Management and Leadership of Organizations Unit 1 Individual Project American InterContinental University Details: The internet has created new ways to do business for organizations with much less capital planning as opposed to the high capital needs of traditional brick and mortar organizations. Based on this, how should management and leadership be addressed for each type of business? Research successful traditional and online retailers and address the following issues: Discuss the organizational structure of one traditional and one online retailer. Identify two management or leadership challenges for each type of retailer. Are the challenges basically the same or different? In what ways are they the same or how are they different? If you were advising a successful leader in a traditional retailer who was interested in making the transition to working as an online retail organization, what advice would you give? Management and Leadership This paper I will examine the roles and responsibilities of authoritative managers and leaders in advancement and creating an advantageous authoritative ability in a company. I will additionally differentiate amid administration and administration aural an aggregation as able-bodied as call the roles in which both managers and leaders comedy in creating and advancement an advantageous authoritative ability in a company. I will go on to explain how the arch action of administration supports the conception and aliment of an advantageous authoritative ability in a company. Finally, I will achieve with my recommendations that both managers and leaders can use to actualize and advance an advantageous authoritative ability in a company. The responsibilities of the managers in a company are to overlook employees’ performance, accommodate acknowledgment during advance reviews, and analyze areas of improvements and agent recognition. A company will also have leaders, which are classified as assignments or work leaders. Their duties are to aid advisers like themselves in their circadian job duties. Assignment or work leaders tend to be added accomplished advisers who managers agent this responsibility. Although the two high leaders and management seem to be similar, I can truly tell you they are very different. Someone people maybe a manger but not a true leader. The definition of a manager is to accept subordinates and leaders accept followers. (Changing Minds) There are dissimilarities with a leader and a manager at each company. They can have very different attitudes on their goals. whit a manager in a company’s authoritative goals are linked to the ability of the organization based on the four functions of administration such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, as with leaders access goals are on a more personal level. Leaders tend to advance his or her own account rather than accommodate to the â€Å"Main Objective† of the organization. Leaders accept an abundant access on others. According to the analysis I have found it states that, â€Å"Outstanding leaders connect their strategic substance and effective interpersonal processes to codify and apparatus strategies that produce a result and acceptable aggressive advantage†. Within a company, both managers and aggregation leads have a role in creating and advancement an advantageous authoritative culture. Often, a person can tend to act out of ethnocentrism, which is â€Å"the addiction to adjudicator others by the standards of one’s accumulation or culture, which are apparent as superior,† This behavior reflects badly on an organization. Managers and aggregation leads in a company are declared to reflect the personality of the support the overall goals and the organization. For example, a company, it is important that you accomplish every goal to get a customer’s to have absolutely corporation with an operational person in a proper time frame that you guarantee your customers so that they are happy. To do this involves a lot of maneuverings from several people in the organization. Both managers and leads must take on some activity to ensure this is done. An acceptable leader will help motivate the advisers to want to access and meet this goal. This entails the lead of management, which â€Å"involves the manager’s efforts to activate high achievement by each employee†. In A company, administering account achievement evaluations on advisers or employees helps each manager by pointing out employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvements to accredit that agent to grow to be more successful. This supports the conception and aliment of an advantageous organizational culture within the company. This way the advisers or employees can see where they are and what area they need to change to be affective in the organization’s goal. The leading action of administration â€Å"involves the manager’s efforts to activate high achievement by employees†. In an organization, this is handled by administering account evaluations of each advisers and having daily team meetings to communicate tasks that are being followed and completed to be sent to high management. This is additionally how administration supports the conception and aliment of an advantageous organizational culture in a company. Recommendations for managers who demand to be leaders are to appearance compassion. To be a leader a person needs to see the world as an opportunity to change. They need to accept the employees dilemmas. Respect the assessment of the advisers and accomplish decisions that will be acceptable not only for them but the company as well. Leaders should not be acquisitive or selfish. They need to accept the amount of sharing, and apperceive their success is the effect of the efforts of every individuals. In conclusion I have shown you the different aspects between a manager and a leader in a company. With a new concept and a diverse world of business it is very necessary to implement both the managerial skills with the leadership skills in order to create new ideas. All of the Employees need to feel that their worth everything to the company and that they know that their opinions matter in the company as well. With c company you will always have challenging assignments and implementing that will build an idea in an employee and some are will not be discontent or unhappy. References Changing Minds Retrieved from http://changingminds. org/disciplines/leadership/articles/manager_leader. htm The Art and Science of Leadership sixth edition author Afsaneh Nahavandi

Chaucers The Canterbury Tales Essay -- Chaucer Canterbury Tales Essay

Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales Critics interpreting Chaucerian depictions of drunkenness have traditionally focused on the state as an unalloyed vice, citing variously as justification the poet’s Christian conservatism, his intimate association with the disreputable London vintner community, and even possible firsthand familiarity with alcoholism. While we must always remain vigilant to the evils of excessive inebriation, to portray Chaucer’s images of drink and revelry in The Canterbury Tales as an unqualified denunciation is to oversimplify the poet’s work and to profane his art. By fusing his portrayals of drunkenness with the revelation of truth and philosophical insight, Chaucer demonstrates the capacity of wine and ale to evoke the funky earthiness of humanity that we so desperately seek to avoid and that is so fundamental to our corporeal experience. On the surface, drunkenness in The Canterbury Tales seems to be a force of disruption. The belligerent Miller churlishly demands to tell his tale before the Monk and thus violates the Host’s intended order of tale-telling. Indeed, the Miller’s interruption violates the very structure of the medieval social order by having member of the third estate of commoners interrupt the representative of the nobility embodied in the Knight. In another example of disruption, the intoxicated Cook falls off his horse as the party finally approaches Canterbury. He, too, causes a weighty disturbance as the stronger pilgrims are forced to remount â€Å"his hevy dronken cors† (IX. 67). For its tendency to disrupt the tales, commentators have traditionally portrayed drunkenness in an unfavorable light. Yet, such an interpretation is misguided. The eruptions of drunken... ...enness is â€Å"hard-wired into the structure as a whole.† But drunkenness in the Tales is not â€Å"a symptom of some pervasive spiritual malaise,† as Bowers argues; drunkenness is a sign of a vibrant spiritual vitality. Drunkenness realigns the pilgrims with the inescapable earthy creatureliness that constitutes the fundamental paradox of the human condition. We assiduously endeavor to transcend our material world and use myriad euphemisms to avoid the truth, but we inevitably come crashing down into the filthy, funky, moist humus. We are ever burying our dead, ever reconstituting our humando. No, the answer lies not in Bowers’s teetotalism; Criseyde holds the truth. â€Å"In every thing, I woot, ther lith mesure,† she says. Everything must come in moderation, including moderation itself. According to Chaucer, a few drams of whiskey will be just fine. In vino veritas.

Populism and the Jacksonian Democrats Essay

Question: In what ways were the late nineteenth-century Populists the heirs of the Jacksonian-Democrats with respect to overall objectives and specific proposals for reform? The Populists of the late nineteenth-century were in many aspects the heirs of the Jacksonian Democrats, carrying on the legacy and tradition left behind. The Populists were very similar to the Jacksonians in many of their overall objectives and specific reform proposals. During the Jacksonian Era from about 1828-1842, the Democrats set the standard to be carried on later by the Populists. The Jacksonian Democrats identified with the common man. They wanted all democrats to agree. In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president and he was later reelected in 1832. In the year of his reelection, Jackson established the spoils system to reform the government, removing some federal officeholders (â€Å"To the victor belong the spoils†) and made the right of elected officials to appoint their own followers to public office and established feature of American politics. Also in this year, Jackson vetoed the bill to recharter the Bank of the United States. This sets the tone for his, and the Democrats, ongoing battle with the Bank and its president, Nicholas Biddle, later to rise to climax when Jackson removed federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. A year later, in 1833, the nullification crisis erupted, pushing Jackson and his Democrats into another battle, this one with John Calhoun and nullification. Jackson insisted that nullification was treason and those implementing it were traitors. The nullification crisis was averted by compromise: the lowering of the tariff of 1828, the tariff of abominations, gradually be lowered. Jackson believed in a distinct, but simple theory of democracy, that it should offer â€Å"equal protection and equal benefits† to all its white male citizens and favor no region of class over another. This meant an assault on what he considered the citadels of the eastern aristocracy and an effort to extend opportunities to the rising classes of the west and south. It also meant a firm commitment to the continuing subjugation of African Americans and Indians, keeping these â€Å"dangerous† elements from the politic body to keep the white-male democracy they valued in preservation. Carrying on the Jacksonian legacy, the Populists were mostly farmers and industrial workers; they were the common man. They believed that wealth belonged to the working class, those who create the wealth, not the owners and a graduated income tax (as the income goes up, the tax rate goes up, so wealthier people pay more taxes than the poor). The Populists were champions of the workingman, pushing for better work conditions and a shorter workweek, as well as putting more money in the hands of the workers. One of the biggest reform proposals of the populists was bimetallism and free coinage of silver. Free coinage of silver would have increased the supply of money since silver was in easy circulation. An increase in the supply of money would generally lead to inflation unless the supply of goods and services by at least as much. As did many industrial workers fearing for their jobs, the Populists wanted to limit immigration. In carrying on the legacy left by the Jacksonian Democrats, the Populists exhibited many of the same ideas and proposals. The election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency in 1828 marked not only the triumph of a particular vision of government and democracy, it represented the emergence of a new political world. The Populists emergence in 1873 represented the emergence of a new political world as well. The Jacksonians may have represented and identified with the common man, but the Populists were the common man. During both eras, a main reform movement of each was to upset the eastern powers; Jackson was to defeat the stranglehold of the aristocratic east on the nation’s economic life; the Populists were set to defeat the stranglehold of the industrial east on the nation’s economic life. Both parties were champions of the common man, although it was the Populists championing themselves. The legacy and tradition left behind by the Jacksonian Democrats was aptly picked up by the Populists of the nineteenth-century.

The Roles of Identity in Society

The Roles of Identity in Society Many would argue that social justice is being served when someone says â€Å"we are all the same under the skin†. We are not all the same under the skin. Within us are our own senses of identity, constructed by our familiar discourses, the physical environment and its embedded culture, and our individual differences. Our sense of identity accounts for our perceptions of ourselves and how we are positioned by others in terms of culture, tradition, rituals, race, family, religion and education (Allen, 2004). Our identities affect our life chances through our positions in society, the access we have to power, status, education, and wealth (Allen, 2004). Examining our own identities gives us insight into the role identity plays in life and society and therefore some understanding of the impact that the identities of others has for them on their life choices (Austin, 2005). This essay will examine the importance of the search for identity, and the desire to reconcile those identities with society’s expectations, for the narrator in the novel by McDonald and Pryor (1999), ‘The Binna Binna Man’. The journey of this character will be positioned against my own life’s story as I attempt to compare the roles our identities have played in positioning us as members of Australian society. The narrator in The Binna Binna Man is a character who has a very secure sense of his own identity. He has a sound knowledge of his spiritual heritage, his people’s traditions and the importance the strength of his identity has for him and for his people. He seems perplexed by the idea that his cousin Shandell is â€Å"†¦living different from all that stuff’ (McDonald & Pryor, 1999, pg 17). He is reminded by his â€Å"girragundji† (a guide for life sent by his ancestors) that the way to stay strong and avoid getting lost is to have faith in his spirituality and his identity (McDonald, et al. , 1999). This is proven to him when he almost follows Shandell down the path to self-destruction. The Binna Binna Man, their beliefs, bring them both back to the strength they gain from knowing that they are Aboriginal Australians, with a wealth of culture, history, knowledge, and skills. Unfortunately their people bear the scars of that wealth being devalued and misunderstood by the Anglo Australian hegemonic society. This is demonstrated through the sadness they carry and the way they feel how many of their people they have lost. The narrator and his family have to scrape together the means to travel out of the community they live in to be able to participate in their cultural rituals of grief and burial because they are not traditions easily accessible to them in Australian society. The narrator does not carry around the invisible knapsack of rights and power described by McIntosh (1988) that gives him access to the ability to carry out the roles of his identity. Rather, he realizes the struggle he has ahead of him, to keep the strength of his identity and to be able to survive life and society with it proudly intact. He can see the strength of his people, but he can also see their struggle (McDonald et al, 1999). As noted in McDonald (2004) Australian Indigenous youth battle on a daily basis with the pressures their identities generate such as racism, poverty, the hegemonic culture of school, and having English as a second language, while trying to maintain the roles expected of them from their Indigenous cultures. It is an enormously demanding and frustrating battle for these youth to get through their daily lives intact, let alone being able to achieve well in either world. The narrator is struggling with his identity as an Aboriginal youth in Australian society and is trying to emerge from a history of oppression and denial. He has not inherited wealth from his parents or the social and cultural capital necessary to be able to identify with the hidden curriculum of the education system (Allen, 2004). His family has only relatively recently emerged from a period of oppression under The Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 (Genever, 1992) where the Indigenous people of Australia were denied, by the Australian Government, the right to own anything, freedom of movement, the right to practice their cultural traditions, or the right to the education required to â€Å"participate as responsible citizens† (Genever, 1992). He is caught in Australian society, within his cultural boundaries â€Å"†¦(the objective presence of cultural difference)† as discussed in McDonald’s paper on ‘Forms of Social Justice’ (2004). In no way is he served by social justice by being given the same chances I was, under the pretext of â€Å"treating us all the same†, as though we share a common identity. The development of my identity has benefited from what McIntosh (1988) terms â€Å"unearned privilege†. The life choices and chances I have, I have inherited, not struggled or worked for. I am fortunate to have a very strong family support structure within my immediate family and my extended family. Traditionally, as a family, we celebrate birthdays, special events and seek advice from one another as needed. There is a strong sense of respect for elders in my family and the younger generation bears responsibility for their well-being. Predominantly, my family follows the Catholic religion and my values and beliefs reflect this. Consequently, I have developed a strong sense of self worth through the influence of my family and their cultural practices. I am a third generation Australian. My family was middle class and although not overly wealthy in terms of material belongings I can see that my life was rich in opportunities and choices that the narrator was not afforded. I was born into an environment that set me up to be able to succeed at school. English is my first language and I speak it well enough to succeed at school and to be accepted into university. I am immersed in a society where the traditions, customs, practices and language of my heritage surround me and dominate all other identities. The practices and language used by my family were consistent with those of the schools I attended, where the autonomy and independence encouraged in Indigenous children like the narrator may have been misinterpreted and devalued as neglect (Malin, 1990). I did, however, experience a brief time in my schooling that bore a stark contrast to that described above. When I was nine years old, I attended a school in Hawaii for twelve months and for the first time in my life was part of a minority group where my language, culture and experiences were not valued by the students or the teacher. I was never asked to share anything about myself or my life in Australia and was the victim of some ridicule from my peers because I lacked knowledge of, and a skill for playing, baseball. I was subjected to racist remarks about the colour of my skin and was never supported or really even acknowledged by my teacher. As a class, we were required to write a paper detailing the history of American presidents which I found extremely difficult. The exercise held no meaning for me and I was unable to connect with it on the same level that my American peers did. My developing experience as a pre-service teacher now allows me to see the value that would have come from the teacher asking me to write my paper on the history of Australian Prime Ministers, and to share that with my teacher and the class. This would have been an opportunity for the teacher to encourage a rich, authentic learning experience for me and for my American classmates – a sharing and valuing of knowledge and cultures and an opportunity to break down some of the cultural barriers that were present within the classroom and the school. I strongly believe that education is the key to success in society and that teachers hold powerful positions with regard to recognizing and valuing the diverse groups in their classrooms. My development as a pre-service teacher depends on an ongoing commitment to value and support every student in my classroom by understanding their cultures and how their identities shift and change, have different importance amongst peers, family, and the community. I will continue to make myself aware of the role identity plays in shaping our self perceptions and, therefore, our life chances. The education system has, in the past, failed certain groups and continues to reproduce social disparities, prejudices, conditioning and spirals of failure for these groups (Keefe & Carrington, 2007). As teachers, we should not see the cultural differences of our students as excuses or reasons for students to fail. Rather, we need to adapt our teaching practices and find ways to give them access to education and opportunities. Students need to be taught to view the world, themselves and others critically in order to recognize and discontinue the perpetuation of social inequities in education and other institutions. If teachers can work towards identifying the inadequacies in teacher service, they begin to address the needs of disadvantaged groups ensuring equitable access to education, as is every student’s right. As I raise my own child and instill in him the same practices, language and culture as my family did for me, I am aware I am equipping him with that â€Å"invisible knapsack† that McIntosh (1988) writes about. I am aware that I am sending him out into a world where he does not have to carry his identity around with him like a weight around his neck, restricting him access to education, his choices, his rights and responsibilities. I do hope however as I continue to grow and learn, that I instill in him the ability to understand ‘identity’ and what that means for him and for others. As he grows and learns he will understand that if he were to be treated â€Å"the same† as many of the minority groups he lives amongst, that he too would have to struggle to maintain his identity, just like the narrator. I know that his identity will provide him with more than his share of opportunities and choices. It is clear that various cultural and traditional factors shape our unique identities. Teachers have a responsibility to recognize and value the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge that their students bring to the classroom, and to ensure that pedagogies incorporate a variety of styles to cater for this diversity. Researching this topic and reflecting on my own experiences has been a valuable exercise that will influence my teaching philosophy and the way I view identity and diversity. Compiling this essay brought back virtually forgotten memories of events I myself encountered during my schooling when I experienced a situation akin to those described by the narrator. I strongly believe that our education system must implement inclusive curriculum programs that value all cultural identities. This will ensure that all students receive educational opportunities and the chance to develop self respect and positive dispositions towards learning, thus enhancing life chances and empowering them to succeed. . References: Allen, J. (2004). Sociology of Education: Possibilities and Practices. (3rd Ed). Southbank, VIC: Social Science Press. Austin, J. (Ed. ). (2005). Culture and Identity (2nd ed. , pp 139-154). Sydney: Pearson Education Australia. Genever, T. (1992). Black and Blue. Aboriginal-Police Relations in Far North Queensland During The Currency of The Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1893 – 1939. Unpublished Honours Thesis, JCU, Tsv. Keefe, M. , & Carrington, S. (Eds. ). (2007). Schools and Diversity (2nd ed. , pp 108 – 127). Sydney: Pearson Education Australia. McDonald, H. , (2004). Forms of social justice. Notes prepared for teacher education students. Townsville: James Cook University. McDonald, H. , (2004). Supporting Indigenous students as â€Å"smart, not good† knowers and learners: The practices of two teachers. Paper adapted for exclusive use of students enrolled in ED2990 and ED3290 at James Cook University. McDonald, M. , & Pryor, B. M. , (1999). The binna binna man. Crows Nest. NSW: Allen & Unwin. McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack. Available from http://seamonkey. ed. asu. edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking. html (Accessed 17 September 2008). Malin , M. (1990). â€Å"Why is life so hard for Aboriginal students in urban classrooms? † The Aboriginal Child at School, 18 (1), 9-29.