In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay

In the play ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare, one of the main themes is the discrepancy between appearance and reality. The development of this theme through the plot, soliloquy and imagery help to reinforce the player’s role in the play and directs the audience to where their allegiances should lie for the climax of the play. The theme appearance versus reality is clearly evident throughout this Shakespearean play; it is introduced at the very beginning through Claudius’ speech to the court. The structure and rhythm of this blank verse carries him through but the imagery that Shakespeare uses signals to the audience the corruption in Denmark – he uses phrases such as ‘defeated joy’, ‘one auspicious and one drooping eye’ and ‘wisest sorrow’. These opposing images and hollow phrases reveal the hypocrisy of the diplomat’s words; how can a person have ‘one auspicious and one drooping eye’ unless they are duplicitous? Claudius’ opening speech is also eloquent, relaxed and so carefully structured that it appears rehearsed – he deals with three items of business before confronting his black-suited nephew: Old King Hamlet’s death; the threat from Fortinbras’ army; Laertes’ impending departure to France. Shakespeare here signals to the audience that Claudius is uneasier than he appears by leaving his nephew and son-in-law to deal with last. In my opinion, the exposition of Claudius’ Machiavellian mature at the beginning through the theme appearance versus reality is very effective as it reveals to the audience the corruption in Elsinore which essentially instigates Hamlet’s revenge and also exposes Claudius at the beginning of the play as the antagonist, aligning the audience’s sympathies. Furthermore, this main theme is developed through the soliloquies – in particular Claudius’. During his agonised soliloquy, Claudius puts on the appearance of praying but he is pseudo-sincere in this: ‘Pray can I not, though inclination be as sharp as will. ‘ This reveals Claudius confessing to the murder of his brother but not repenting for his sins. As he is not sincere in this, he believes that he will not go to heaven: ‘My words fly up, my thoughts remain below, words without thoughts never to heaven go. ‘ This rhyming couplet not only reveals the theme appearance versus reality, but is also richly ironic as this ‘prayer’ actually saves his life. Shakespeare also employs the transferred epithet ‘stubborn knees’ to further emphasise Claudius’ reluctance to repent for his sins and how he is putting on the appearance of praying, albeit mendaciously. In my opinion, the development of the main theme through Claudius’ soliloquy successfully polarises Claudius from the protagonists and reinforces him as the villain in the play, directing the audience to where their allegiances should lie for the climax of the play. In addition, Shakespeare conveys the theme appearance versus reality through Hamlet’s ‘antic disposition’. This is illustrated particularly well through Hamlet’s exchanges with Polonius: ‘Let her not walk i’th’sun. Conception is a blessing. But as your daughter may conceive – friend, look to’t. ‘ Although these words sound like nonsense to Polonius and the audience, there is a thread of bitter satire running through them. Hamlet reveals his witty sarcasm here as he is aware that Ophelia has been prevented from seeing him and tells Polonius that he should not let her walk in the sun if he wishes to prevent her becoming pregnant. Hamlet’s ‘antic disposition’ is reinforced throughout the play but particularly through his exchanges with Claudius: ‘Excellent i’faith – of the chameleon’s dish. I eat the air, promised crammed. You cannot feed capons so. ‘ Hamlet here is trying to make Claudius think that he is frustrated at not being the King; Claudius pretends not to understand him. In my opinion, Shakespeare effectively polarises Hamlet from Claudius through his ‘antic disposition’ and wit which in turn successfully aligns the audience with the protagonist for the denouement. Furthermore, it could be argued that the theme of surveillance intertwines with the main theme appearance versus reality which helps to further develop the audience’s awareness of the conflict between reality and appearance. For example, Hamlet’s conversations with the two people he loved, Gertrude and Ophelia, were eaves-dropped by Polonius. As a result of the spying, Ophelia and Gertrude spoke to Hamlet with constrained formality: ‘How does your honour for this many a day? ‘. This heated exchange between the eponymous prince and Ophelia during ‘the nunnery scene’ recapitulates arguably the main theme of the play; appearance versus reality which is exposed at the very beginning and is reiterated through Hamlet’s exchanges with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – they also spy on Hamlet for Claudius: ‘they did make love to this employment! ‘. In my opinion, Shakespeare effectively evokes sympathy for Hamlet and his little allies through dramatic irony and further polarises Hamlet and Claudius through the development of this main theme hence reinforcing Hamlet as the tragic hero of the play. In conclusion, the development of the theme appearance versus reality is essential in augmenting the audience’s understanding and appreciation of the play as a whole. In my opinion, Shakespeare effectively develops this main theme through the plot, soliloquy, imagery and dramatic irony which successfully reinforces the player’s role in the play and also directs the audience to where their sympathies should lie for the denouement.

Focal Point Consultants Essay

While observing CanGo for last two weeks we at FPC (Focal Point Consultants ) have identified some six major issue that we feel should be addressed to allow the organization to better achieve there over all goals. First Concern—Priority 1 CanGo appears to have a financial issue and there is has not been a complete audit to address this issue. Also CanGo needs to learn how to use the resources that they already have and redefine the processes and procedures. First Recommendation The financial team at CanGo needs to work with all the key areas of the company to conduct an audit of current processes. This audit will allow for everyone to review all the current processes that are in place and determine what they can do to enhance them and at the same time the financial team can use this data to outline how much the current processes are costing the company overall. At the conclusion of this analysis the reports will allow for the company to cut spending in the correct areas so that they can improves the others. There are many things that can be done to make improvements without spending money or having to acquire new technology or devices. Within the warehouse for example the layout can be enhanced even more so that people are not wasting time walking. Minor and Major changes to just the layout will allow the CanGo to improve efficiency and overall performance. Each department head needs to complete a detailed time study on the processes they outlined above. Once this time study is complete then the data can be used to see what is taking the longest and make changes to that process. By taking these steps it will allow CanGo to approach improvements in the correct manner by taking those actions that don’t have ny hit to the company’s bottom line. After all these types of changes are complete that is when and only when money should be spent on new technology and devices to make processes more efficient. Second Concern—Priority 2 The loyalty of customers for the specific targeting market is declining. Second Recommendation Think about how you want to be treated as a consumer. Now apply that same concept to the targeting market. Review the evaluations that are submitted by the consumers. It will tell what impression the company is making. Also, spend time in the Customer Service department. This the first point of contact for consumer. How they are handle will determine whether a consumer will return: Customer service might just be the most critical of all in running your business. If your customers like how they are treated, not only will they keep coming back, but they will refer you to others. Treating customers as individuals and not as a stepping stone up your ladder of success can go a long way. Listen to their concerns and build a relationship with them. If your customer feels as though you have their best interest they will be loyal to you. Your customers can really do a lot of your marketing for you. Word of mouth, especially in a world where Facebook and Twitter are some people’s main way of communicating, is a very powerful tool (Debs Marketing Connections, 2012). Third Concern – Priority 3 Online purchases CanGo has talked about that they have a high rate of items added to the online shopping cart. Although this information does not support the amount of purchases actually received via CanGo’s online website. Third Recommendation  Having a high rate of items added to an online shopping cart means that you have a good storefront and getting customer’s to actually place the items within there shopping carts. This is only one piece of the multipart puzzle. The shopping site needs to be enhanced to entice the customer to actually complete their purchase as that is how we are going to make money overall. Since there is a high traffic volume to the website we would also recommend that the marketing team reach out to a third party website advertising company that will pay to place ads on CanGo’s website. This will drive also be another source of revenue for CanGo so they can then reinvest this money back into the company. Fourth Concern – Priority 4 While Reviewing the video’s from weeks 3 and 4 I saw a issue that they is an issue within the warehouse and they do have a solution but no really reviewed the reports that Debbie provided. I think that these reports should have been reviewed while in the meeting so that they could have discussed all the points of the issue and the recommended solution to the warehouse productivity issue. Then Liz asked the group a question I wonder how the board will feel about this recommendation. Fourth Recommendation A solution to this problem would be to complete a full audit of the issue and do a trial run analysis of the proposed solution. This would allow for recommendations to be made to the board and the results of the proposed solution can be given right away. As people need to see measurable figures so that they can tell if something will be worth putting the time and money into the project. Fifth Concern – Priority 5  In the week 4 Videos they are talking about the market segment of boys in Japan. They ask each other questions about how they can get the market analysis complete and then the gentlemen having lunch say that I will do it. Fifth Recommendation There are a couple of thing on this problem that needs to be solved first managers should not interrupt an employee’s lunch unless it is extremely urgent. This is an issue because the employee stated he is â€Å"Just trying to enjoy my lunch break†. The Manager should have approached the employee at a later time when he was not at lunch. Then there is the issue of the market analysis. This assignment should get assigned out to a third party marketing company that can tap into the market in Japan and gauge what the consumer wants. This would be a lot more cost effective than attempting the complete this analysis on their own and wasting resources that they don’t have in the first place. Sixth Concern – Priority 6 Sales are not increasing as projected for the company possibly due to the design of the online purchasing process. Sixth Recommendation Place a test run on the current online purchase process as a consumer. Time the entire process to see how long it takes. As the test run is being completed, keep the consumers’ needs and wants in mind. Determine if needs were met as well as satisfied. View the information available to see if it’s appealing to lead to the purchase the item. Also, notate likes and dislikes of the experience. Have a group of employees to assist to gather more information for comparison. Determine what updates can be implemented to entice the consumer to make a purchase. Keep track of different trends to keep a competitive edge for things like: 1.  In-store pick up. In the past few months we’ve seen Walmart implement in-store pick up for orders placed online, while Sears and Kmart are going a step further bringing online purchases out to your car. In Chicago, Sears and Kmart are even testing home delivery and bundling items with those from its retail partners at Sears’ Marketplace, further blurring the lines between online only retailers and those that came before. And in Florida, Farm Stores lets shoppers order groceries online and pick up at a drive through. 2. Pick up depots.  Smaller retailers without a vast network of stores like Walmart or Sears may open designated pick up locations for goods ordered online. Retail consultant Neil Stern of McMillan/Doolittle points to French retailer Chronodrive. com as an example. 3. Mobile Apps. Smartphones are the dominant cell phone and apps for all platforms are growing. The ones that allow for price comparisons or send out coupons are already among the most heavily used with good reviews, but we’re just getting started. 4. Less flash more function. Forget about flashy apps or features like virtual dressing rooms.  Consumers haven’t responded to these and rightly so. Maybe the technology will get there, but until it does, user reviews are better gauges of clothing fit and quality than any technology can offer. 5. Video. Look for more user-generated video on retail sites. Retailers are letting customers upload video clips modeling new clothes or using a new purchase. Davis believes this is one trend that will definitely pick up speed. 6. Social networking. Facebook and Twitter aren’t even close to played out yet. Consumers can increasingly â€Å"like† or follow a favorite retailer and get discounts or tips on deals.  JCPenney is using Facebook to actually sell goods and more than 12 million consumers â€Å"like† Victoria’s Secret on Facebook as of last month (March), making it the most popular retailer on the site (its Pink brand ranks No. 2, according to the ChannelAdvisor Facebook Commerce Index). That’s an active population of customers reaching out and requesting information from the retailer. And social shopping is just getting started, says Jim Okamura, managing partner at Okamura Consulting, a group specializing in online retail. There’s evidence (that Facebook offers) a good return on investment and there are a lot of retailers that haven’t done anything yet,† he says. â€Å"This is going to be the year of Facebook testing. 7. Daily deals and flash sales. This may seem like a very crowded playing field, but sites like Ruelala and OneKingsLane are reproducing at a furious pace. And based on how quickly many items sell out, often within minutes of email notifications going out, more will jump on this popular trend. 8. Retail based social networks. This is one trend experts don’t expect to happen at any large level. Sears is still trying to build a social network of its own customers and Walmart tried and abandoned a similar effort, neither attempt bodes well for its success. Facebook really owns this space, but look for small, focused sites to create communities of like-minded users, says Okamura. 9. International. â€Å"There’s been an accelerating trend in international or cross border e commerce, of small niche online retailers are now doing 10-20% of their sales outside of their own country,† says Okamura. Look to online shops like SousVide Supreme that sells specialized cooking equipment and StyleTrek. com, a community built to launch up and coming international designers as models. Other big name retailers like Zara and Top Shop are building out their online business to reach U. S. shoppers, even as the store base grows more slowly. 10. Deal aggregators. Of course there are always deal sites, like Dealnews, ConsumerSearch, FatWallet and Brad’s Deals that are cutting through the din of so many sites and sales to bring consumers only the information they’re interested in. (Forbes, 2012).

Overview of Ames Test

The AMES test also known as bacteria reversed mutation assay is used to evaluate the mutagenic properties of test articles. The test was first developed by Bruce Ames in 1974 (Krebsfaenger). The amino acid dependent strain of S. typhimurium and E. coli are used in this experiment where in the absence of the external histidine source, the cells cannot grow to form colonies. Specifically these strains of Salmonella are defective in 1. ) Repair of mutations (uvrB) and 2. A rfa mutation (eliminating a portion of lipolysaccharide (a coating of outer bacterial surface)). The rfa mutation here fulfills two purposes: 1. ) Helps Salmonella in growing in presence of sodium desoxycholate or crystal violet. and 2. ) Increases the cell permeability allowing more mutagen to enter the cell. The lack of uvrB gene in the decreases the rate of repair mechanism of mutations occurring resulting in the increased incidences of occurring mutations. These auxotrophic strain cannot grow on the media without histidine and biotine (due to uvrB).If these organisms are allowed to grow on the media lacking both of these, the strain get converted to prototroph resulting the organisms to grow on the mutagenic chemicals to be tested in the media. If the chemical being tested is mutagenic, the organisms will grow as some substance are capable of causing mutations in the cells at same site or at nearby sites resulting in restoring gene's function and these mutations in the cells can revert back the gene regaining its function (Tejs).These revertant cells are then able to grow on the media which does not contain histdine as it can now synthesize histidine on its own. This mutation causes the cells to divide continuously. If there is no further mutation occurring in the cell, the cells will die out like normal cell. But if any further mutation occurs which allows the cells to grow for many generations, then the cancerous cells will be formed. The principle of Ames test is specifically based on the hypothesis that any substance that is mutagenic for the bacteria used in this test may also turn out to be carcinogenic (compound causing cancer).The most important limiting points of the Ames test includes first an assumption that though Ames test is being tested on prokaryotic microorganisms, it will detect the mutagens or cancer causing agents in human beings. (Though this test uses rat liver enzymes, Ames test is not able to serve the perfect model for human beings. ) Secondly, mutagens found by this test might not be carcinogenic i. e. further test may be required. also all carcinogens are not mutagens ( i. e. Ames test is unable to find such agents eg: asbestos).Third, some nitrate containing compounds lie nitroglycerine can cause false positive production by producing nitric oxide. ? Works Cited 1. Krebsfaenger, Niels. â€Å"AMES TEST: Bacterial Reversed Mutation Assay. † Genpharmtox, Assay Sheet AMES TEST. Gen Pharm Tox, n. d. Web. 21 Nov 2012. . 2. Tejs, Sebastian. â€Å"The Ames Test: A methodological Short Review. † Environmental Biotechnology. Environmental Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury, n. d. Web. 27 Nov 2012. . 3.

The real Zhuge liang which different with Romance of the three Research Proposal

The real Zhuge liang which different with Romance of the three kingdoms - Research Proposal Example different Chinese leaders, both ancient and current, examining how the Chinese cultures are portrayed in the novel, and to find out how these cultures are being still being observed the current. Romance of the three Kingdoms is one of the highly regarded Chinese classics that are gathered into a semi-fictional mythical work of arts which highlights what took place during the era of Luo Guanzhong (Guanzhong, pg3). Despite the fact that the incidences portrayed in this novel took place 1700 years ago, this duration of history can be described as the golden age of chivalry and since then, characters such as Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao have become Chinese household names. This novel gives the story that is partly legend, partly historical and partially mythical. It chronicles the historic lives of feudal lords and their royals who labored to either restore the dying Han Dynasty or form another well established kingdom in its place. Even though the novel captures more than 100 characters, the major concern is the remnants of the Han Dynasty that finally formed the three nations Wei, Wu and Shu (Guanzhong, pg8). The novel deals with personal, army battles, conspiracies, plot s and how these states struggled to attain dominance. It also elaborates on how the Chinese view their past in a cyclical manner. Thesis statement: The life of Zhuge Liang has a positive significant to the lives and manner of ruling by the present Chinese leaders. On the other hand, the Chinese cultures during the time of Zhuge Liang were very dominant and their applications are still being practiced today. Drawing ideas mainly from the novel, the relationship aspect of Zhuge Liang legendary in the Romance three kingdoms is highly elaborated. Game play revolves around managing numerical data, each representing a character of a city or an individual (Guanzhong, pg12). For instance, a town would have data showing the amount of food kept within its wall, its susceptibility to disasters like

Paper converters Ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 2

Paper converters Ltd - Essay Example an be certain organizational elements, such as culture, that can highly affect the performance of organizational plans, either in the short or the long term, no matter the capabilities of organizational leader. The review of the terms of the merger leads to the assumption that the specific strategic decision was quite necessary, in order for the position of the two firms in their industry to be secured. Still, the lack of appropriate planning of the relevant initiative has an important implication: the actual benefits of the merger have been less than initially estimated, a problem that has been related to cultural problems both at organizational and at national level. The problem has become clearer when the firm, Paper Converters, decided to expand to Zambia. A series of measures, especially in regard to training and motivation, across the organization should be taken so that the position of the firm in the international market to be secured. Current report aims to show the reasons that can lead mergers to fail. Particular emphasis is given on the post – merger effects on firms that are interested in expand internationally. In addition, the report provides a series of recommendations in regard to the effective control and management of post merger effects. Reference is made in particular to Paper Converters; however, the findings and the recommendations presented in the study can be used for facing similar challenges. As noted in the case study, Paper Converters has been created from the merger between Dyson Papers Ltd and Jones Sales Agents Ltd. The merger was completed in 1988. The first of these companies had been established in Corby in 1983 as a result of the incentives provided then by the government for the creation of businesses in the particular region (case study). The second firm, the Jones Sales Agents Ltd, was based in Stevenage, about 60 miles far from Dyson Papers (case study). The physical distance between the two firms was considered as an

Nato and United Nation on the Conflict in Kosovo Essay

Nato and United Nation on the Conflict in Kosovo - Essay Example Kosovo is located in Southern Serbia and has a population of majority Albanians. Until 1989, the region was autonomous within Yugoslavia. Kosovo conflict refers to armed struggles in Kosovo province, Yugoslavia. From 1998 to 1999, there was an armed clashes caused by the Kosovo Liberation Army who wanted independence from the Yugoslav Military and Serbian police (Singh 2009). Between March and June 1999, NATO launched an air strikes and patrols on FR Yugoslavia while the KLA continued with their wars with Yugoslav Security Forces. This led to a large population displacement. NATO’s intervention in Kosovo was to stop the humanitarian crisis and restore peace stability in the region. Despite numerous challenges during 78 days of aerial strikes, more than 37,000 excursions occurred and 10,484 of the strike attacks happened without any fatalities. NATO’s objectives were to help for the achievement of a peaceful resolution to the crisis at hand and to promote security in nei ghboring nations especially in Albania and Macedonia. The involvement of NATO's was to settle the war in the most peaceful way. Their involvement, however, brought more problems than solutions. Albanians not only fought amongst each other but also NATO soldier (Kaplan 2010). The world's involvement in the conflict angered both sides of the conflict. Other objectives of NATO and the UN in Kosovo were; to stop to all military action and end repression, the withdrawal of the military and paramilitary forces from Kosovo, the setting up of international military in Kosovo, the unconditional return of all refugees and displaced persons and unstoppable access to them by humanitarian organizations and the establishment of a political agreement in conformity the Charter of the United Nations and international law. To show that NATO and UN did not act objectively in the conflict, in Kosovo, there were claims by Yugoslavia that NATO raids caused between 1,000 and 6000 civilian casualties. NATO 's secretary general, Lord Robertson, admitted after the conflict that the exact human lives claimed will never be known. Figures in Human Rights Watch reports estimate between 490 and 530 civilian demises, 80 to 140 resulting from cluster bombing. Kosovo attacks were deadly due to many confused refugee movements. On the ground, there was ethnic cleansing by the Serbians that led to 300,000 Kosovo Albanians fleeing to Albania and Macedonia with thousands more internally displaced in Kosovo. The United Nations reported that 850,000 people had fled their homes. The choice of targets to hit was highly controversial. The destruction of bridges at the Danube disrupted shipping on the river after the war causing economic challenges to countries along the river. The attack on industrial facilities damaged the economies of many local towns. These examples show that the organization did not act objectively in pursing their objectives. Moreover, the Serbian government and a numerous internati onal pressure groups accused NATO of carrying out war crimes during the war. For instance, the bombing of a Serbian television headquarters in Belgrade on April 1999 led to 16 deaths and numerous injuries. This was a deliberate attack on a civilian property hence constituting war crimes. The argument for NATO’

Copley, Watson and The Shark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Copley, Watson and The Shark - Essay Example This tension is evident in the painting Watson and the Shark. To prove that they are worthy painters at that time, artists would have to paint a historical painting. A historical painting was quite a testament to an artist’s skill because the painting is large and the historical details present in the painting should be accurate, since inaccuracy can result to embarrassment for the painter, as the errors are there for the audience to see. Usually, the subjects for historical paintings are biblical events and situations that preach morality and lessons. There are also paintings, like the name of the genre suggests, that chronicle historical events. Thus, it is also a responsibility of the painter to show the world which event is important and that judgment is also reflective of the painter’s priorities and personality. The historical paintings are artists’ interpretations of the said event; even if they have facts about the event, the painting is dependent on the artist’s knowledge of the event and this may lead to m isinterpretation. If an event is misinterpreted, then the painting is not a success. The subject of the painting Watson and the Shark is Brook Watson and it took place in Havana, Cuba in 1749. Brook Watson was the Lord Mayor of London at the time when he commissioned Copley to paint this unfortunate event in his life. He was fourteen years old when he went to Havana to work in his uncle’s trading ship. As a seaman, he was required to go out to sea. One day, while swimming, he was attacked by a shark. The shark attacked him twice: first by biting off a piece of flesh from his right calf, and then secondly, biting off his whole right foot. His colleagues, who were waiting for their captain to escort him to shore, helped him as they fought of the shark and saved Watson. This was considered to be the first shark attack (on a human) to be fully

Theories of women's relationship to public space in all their Research Paper

Theories of women's relationship to public space in all their complexity - Research Paper Example When we look at large scale events in global history like major exploration, war and colonization, it is the male ambition to conquer, control and exploit which characterizes them. Traditionally, males are active and operate in the public arena, while females are passive and are confined largely to private and domestic spaces. These stereotypes are evident in the system that we know as patriarchy, and they operate at the level of individuals within families, in different social and cultural groups, and in the way that nations and states relate to each other. Journeying out to capture and control a physical location is a classically patriarchal activity. We can detect this kind of influence when we look at the narratives of history that have been drawn up to make sense of human behaviour. The age of empire building, somewhat ironically under the leadership of a British Queen, as well as various kings and prime ministers across the globe was one of expansion for the conquerors and cult ural demolition for those who were colonized. Just as women in Victorian England were nominally revered and respected, but at the same time dominated and repressed by their husbands, so narratives of the â€Å"exotic† and the â€Å"primitive† were used to give a positive spin to the systematic exploitation of vast areas of Africa, India and Asia. Hierarchical Western systems were introduced to replace overlapping tribal and national structures and women found themselves on the bottom rung of all these new hierarchies. The position of former colonies was for many years to be trapped into an opposition to this dominance, rather than to develop freely in whichever direction they would themselves have chosen. It was only in the mid to late twentieth century that authors in former colonies began to theorize this bitter experience and emerge from the imposed binary opposition of colonialism into a more nuanced appreciation of power relations in the modern world. One such aut hor, Tayeb Salih, reflects on these matters in his novel Season of Migration to the North (Salih, 2009) and draws complex parallels between the subjugation of Sudan under colonialism and the subjugation of women under patriarchal systems. The novel revolves around themes of colonialization, a term which in feminist theory â€Å"almost invariably implies a relation of structural domination, and a discursive or political suppression of the heterogeneity of the subject(s) in question† (Mohanty, 1988, p. 61) and exploration of the complex and various types of male and female relations that exist in the post-colonial world. This makes the book at times complex, even ambiguous, but this quality ensures that it is true to situation, Unresolved issues that were paramount in the period immediately after independence was gained in the Sudan are presented as they were experienced, not least the evolving role of women and their gradual emergence into public life. The plot revolves around , as the title suggests, what happens when some of the residents of Sudan migrate back to where the colonial masters came from, before returning to their homeland having gained new and shocking knowledge which then contributes to the way that the

A prevention drug of the global health company Coursework

A prevention drug of the global health company - Coursework Example Just like launching any other product in the market, it is imperative for this company to carry out market research so as to be able to establish the feasibility of this new offering. Strydom posits to the effect that market research helps the marketer to gain knowledge about the needs and interests of the targeted customers. New information and communication technology such as the internet as well as surveys can be used to carry out this exercise. This company ought to segment the market so as to identify the targeted people. The success of the new product depends on the information provided to the targeted consumers about the benefits of the new drug. Once the management has decided on its product concept and marketing strategy, it can then evaluate the attractiveness of the proposal and this can be done through carrying out a business analysis. This involves a review of the sales, cost as well as profit projections to establish if it is worth to start the business venture.

Ethical presentation PowerPoint Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ethical - PowerPoint Presentation Example b. Starbucks Mission To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup andone neighborhoodat a time (Starbucks b) c. Product range Starbucks offers a range of exceptional products that customers enjoy in their stores, at home, and on the go. Among these products are; Coffee with more than 30 blends and single?origin premium coffees. Handcrafted beverages of fresh?brewedcoffee, hot and iced espresso beverages, Frappuccino ®coffee and non?coffee blendedbeverages, smoothies andTazo ®teas. Coffee?  andtea?brewing equipment, mugs and accessories, packagedgoods,music, books and gifts. FreshFood baked pastries, sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits and fruit cups (Starbucks b). II. Position on ethical matters a. People – people are the most important asset in an organization. In Starbucks, the importance of its people are elevated in treating them as partners and implementing labour practices that is consistent with Starbucks Global Human Rights Standa rd where Starbucks promotes equal opportunity in its hiring practices, makes recruiting decisions based solely on job-related criteria and does not use forced labor. To quote Starbucks; â€Å"We respect diversity in each other, our customers and suppliers and all others with whom we interact.† Starbucks offers comprehensive healthcoverage for eligible full?  and part?time partners and equity in the company through Bean Stock as its expression of treating employees as partners (Starbucks a). b. Ethical Sourcing – Starbucks takes a holistic approach to ethically sourcing the highest quality coffee. Their purchasing decisions includes supporting farmer loans and forest conservation programs to areas where they buy their coffee. Through this ethical purchasing practice, Starbucks is able to help foster a betterfuture for farmers and help create a more stable climate forthe planet. In the business aspect, this ethical practice also helps to provide the company a long?term supply ofthe high?quality beans it has been offering to its customers (Starbucks d). c. EnvironmentalStewardship – Starbucks share their customers' commitment to the environment. One of its core values is the belief in the importance of caringfor our planet and encouraging others to do the same. It envisions that by 2015, all of its cups will be made up of reusable or recyclable materials. It also endeavors to significantly reduce its environmental footprint through energy and water conservation efforts, recycling and green construction (Starbucks d). d. Community Involvement – Starbucks endeavors to be a socially responsible member of its community wherever it may conduct business. From the neighborhoods where its stores are located to the ones where its coffee is grown –Starbucks believe in fostering thriving communities. Bringing people together, inspiring change andmakinga difference in people’s lives – it’s allpart of being a good neig hbor. Also, it aims to contribute one million hours each year to the communities in 2015 (Starbucks c). Enforcement of Starbucks ethical standard Starbucks implement a zero tolerance compliance to its ethical standards. Any suppliers who fail to adhere to Starbucks their ethical practices are discontinued from doing business with the company. During an audit of its suppliers in 2011, the assessment found that 38 out of 129 factories failed their zero-tolerance standards. Subsequently, 26 of these businesses were discontinued and 14 were able to resume business with Starbucks after a

West Bank, Gaza and the Arab-Israeli Conflict Essay Example for Free

West Bank, Gaza and the Arab-Israeli Conflict Essay West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been very crucial in the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict. After the First World War, the area was under the British Mandate of Palestine. But Jordan captured West Bank in 1948 when the Arab-Israeli War commenced. By 1967, Israel recaptured the West Bank during the Six-Day War. Yet, Jordan did not drop its claim to the area until 1988. It is interesting to note that most of the residents in the area are Arabs. But since 1967, more Israeli settlement has been added. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank area is historically important because they consider this area as historically theirs. As such, they called it Judea and Samaria. The Arabs, however, object to this terminology and claims that the Israeli just want to justify their expansionist aims. As such, the Arabs call it the occupied West Bank of the Jordan River. The establishment of Israeli settlements in the West Bank area drew the ire of Arabs during the 1970s. Only in 1978 did the Arabs’ desire for self-rule taken into consideration under the Camp David Accords. The plan however never materialized. Gaza Strip on the other hand is part of the Palestinian authorities although it has been in the hands of the Israeli military since 1967 as part of the West Bank occupation. In 1987, the Arabs started rioting in response to the curfew and increased Israeli presence at the Gaza Strip. In their view, such acts were a violation of their human rights and they could not allow it to proceed. This led to the Intifada or uprising, which led to protests and violent attacks. The Israeli military responded with force leading to deaths and property damages. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank figure prominently in the security concerns of Israel. In the first place, the occupation of Gaza Strip was tied up to the efforts of Israel to cut off the support of Lebanon to Palestinian fighters. The occupation was a means to stem the attacks against Jerusalem and serve as a watching post should there be renewed violence and fighting directed against the country, which stands as an island in a sea of Arab nations. As Israel continued to occupy the Gaza Strip and West Bank, it went through painful confrontations, peace talks—some of which succeeded, most of it failed. Yet, with the continuous assertion of Palestinians of their right to the territory and the civilian toll of the conflicts, Israel had to agree to the terms of various peace talks in withdrawing from the territory and relinquish control to Palestinians. In the year 2005, the Israeli government declared unilaterally that it has ended its occupation of the Gaza Strip. Due to the continuous dangers posed on the civilians and perhaps because of the heavy damages caused by war, the government has chosen this course of action. Still, the case of West Bank and Gaza Strip is peculiar because of the lack of sovereignty of the area prior to the occupation of Israel. Yet, with the withdrawal of Israel from the region, the country still holds control of Philadelphi Route, which is important in preventing the smuggling of materials into Egypt. The main concern of Israel remains its security and the prevention of hostilities. Reference Dowty, Alan (2001). The Jewish State: A Century Later. California: University of California Press.

How Hiphop Has Changed the Youth in Society Essay Example for Free

How Hiphop Has Changed the Youth in Society Essay Throughout the past 30 years, there has been much speculation about how negative hip-hop music truly is, and how it actually affects the youth. The hip-hop music of recent years has been the foundation of many controversial issues and has been illustrated negatively by the media countless times. Issues such as gun and knife crime which has escalated heavily within younger age groups in the last 15 years, especially in the USA and UK and also drug abuse, the use of marijuana being used openly within the younger generations. Hip-hop has been accused of influencing the youth to become more misogynistic towards women by constantly having explicit content, such as racist and sexist lyrics in their music. Hip-hip has always been stereotypically associated with violence and black crime. Due to this, older generations have always had an antagonistic outlook on the entire hip-hop genre of music. Although hip-hip music is considered negative in the eyes of many people, there is to consider various questions to have a better understanding and point of view on the controversial issue. Today we speak, dress and drive what the stars do. Where we shop and eat even the types of homes we buy is dictated by what we hear the celebrities are doing. That is a powerful influence over an individual adult but only imagine what type of influence this has over an impressionable pre-teen. Due to the fact that hip-hop/rap music appeals to the thirteen to eighteen year old audiences and the artists performing come from very similar backgrounds of the listeners, rap music is able to control the way that youth think. Teens and pre-teens are using their part-time job pay check to buy grills (a form of jewellery worn in the mouth) and other types of jewellery and even weapons such as knives and guns are seen as metaphorical fashion accessories for the youth, as these things are incorporated into the lyrics of hip-hop and rap music. What is hip-hop music? In order to understand the hip-hop phenomena one must first create a foundation of knowledge through learning its history. Hip-hop began from a mixture of spoken word poetry, jazz drumming, and jazz instrumentations. Hip-hop is one of the most popular genres of music out today and has been steadily growing in popularity since its rise in fame from the late 1970s. With the rise of MTV in the early 1980s, early hip-hop music was constantly being shown with TV shows such as ‘Yo! MTV raps’ and since then has been known to be one of music’s most successful art forms and has remained popular to this day. With over forty years of being around, hip-hop has grown and matured and most importantly expanded from its origin of the south Bronx in New York, to worldwide. The genre and sub culture originated in the early 1970s when a Jamaican immigrant by the name of Clive Campbell aka DJ Kool Herc, first hit the scene in the Bronx. Campbell started DJ-ing his own parties, playing soul, funk as well as RB records on his turntable set. Herc also brought his know how of the sound system and the popular dancehall/block party scene. Graffiti art had also begun to take shape in the subways of Philadelphia in the mid 1960s. A black teenager by the name of Cornbread began tagging the subways in hopes of attracting a girl he had found feelings for; from this form of youth expression came Graffiti. Fab 5 Freddy, one of the original DJs of Hip-hop, began an art from known as scratching and popularized DJing. Hip-hop consists of four elements, ‘B-boying’ or also known as break dancing. ‘Djing’, ‘Emceeing’, and street art or more commonly known as ‘graffiti’. Djing, also known as the first element of hip-hop began when disc jockeys created beats on two turntables. The way DJs created their beats was simple yet revolutionary in an essence. The DJs would first find a portion of a song that emphasized a percussive pattern, and then looped a portion of the song to form a rhythmic pattern. This procedure is now more commonly known as sampling. With the beat or instrumental now developed, the DJ decided the music needed some accompaniment to the music such as singing or poetry. This procedure is known as rapping or Emceeing. From hip-hop spawned the sub-genre ‘Rap’ in the early 1980s. More and more artists became interested in the new form of music out of New York. In 1981, Rap gained a lot of exposure through popular shows such as 20/20 and Saturday night live. The 1990s saw even more change in the hip-hop industry. Early in the decade, artists fought for permission to sell their albums since most authorities deemed them ‘obscene’ due to the explicit content within the music. A lot which expressed sexual references towards women and talked about the use of drugs. Hip-hop music also spoke strongly about politics and poverty, artists such as Tupac and Public Enemy spoke about such issues. In the 1990s the tension that had been gathering between the west coast ‘Gangsta’ and the East coast artists has exploded and resulted in the shooting deaths of Christopher Wallace and Tupac Shakur. In the present day Hip-Hop is one of the largest and fastest growing sources of capital and has a great influence on its fans. The roles that Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop artist play in America require responsibility, however, many of the performers and labels take none. By using television and other various sorts of visual media Hip-Hop portrays less than positive stereotypes and all but influences the youth to accept these stereotypes as normal behaviour. The detrimental effect that popular Hip-Hop has doesn’t stop at the visual level. Lyrical content in songs have been dumbed down and filled with violence, sex, and drugs. For example the song â€Å"Hate Being Sober† by Chief Keef condones the use of drugs at all times and gives the impression that it is ok and cool. â€Å"While many Hip-Hop songs contain messages about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, few provide an accurate portrayal of the negative consequences of substance abuse† Negative accusations and harsh criticism has always been an issue for the hip-hop genre of music. Some of these accusations include how hip-hop influences the youth to become more misogynistic towards women by constantly having explicit content, such as racist and sexist lyrics in their music. Because of this, Hip-hop music has been criticized greatly by the media accusing the music of affecting the youth that sexism and other such forms of oppression are acceptable to society. Although the media has a major impact on how Hip-hop is viewed by the masses, their is some people who view Hip-hop differently. Famous civil rights leader Al Sharpton was asked on what he believed on this particular issue and said, The hip-hop culture is just like electricity, it can be used negatively or positively. The same electric current that lights up your house can also electrocute you. It is the misuse of hip-hop culture to attack our women and promote violence. We must encourage the proper use of hip-hop culture. We are all influenced by the hip-hop generation. (Is hip-hop culture, 2000) On a survey done to twenty-five people in the 17- 60 yrs of age range, twenty people know someone that is exposed to the Hip-hop culture and twenty-one of them believed that Hip-hop isnt a negative art form. In Figures 1, 2, and 3 show the results from the survey done. On Figure 2, it shows that most of the people surveyed do believe that Hip-hop music has the most influence on the youth. Rap music generally depicts the lives and souls of many under privileged youths, citing depression and violence during upbringings. The youth of today’s society and in the past, take this music as a way of expression, a way of overruling everything they believe is corrupt and in their own way become corrupt themselves by not caring about the rules. Rap music can be transparently seen as a striking negative influence on today’s youth just by listening to certain songs which praise violence and the use of drugs. Take rapper Wiz Khalifa for instance. This artist is a prime example of being a huge negative influence to today’s society by the extensive amount of marijuana use, portrayed within his lyrics. The artist mentions marijuana in his songs and speaks about it in a positive way, speaking about the stimulating effects it has on him and almost making the drug sound ‘cool’ to the younger generation, making them think that smoking this drug is cool and acceptable as rapper Wiz Khalifa openly smokes it and mentions it. The number of drug references in rap music has raised six fold since the genre revolutionised pop music. Researchers who analysed the lyrics of hundreds of songs say rap has been transformed from one which warned against the dangers of drug abuse to one that routinely glorifies it. And because many of the references are coded, many parents are unaware what their children are listening to.

Importance of Effective Communication in Construction

Importance of Effective Communication in Construction Introduction Civil engineering works are not just the building of structures, but they provide a livable and safe environment for society. To make it all work, the disciplines involved must be in constant communication. They cannot work in isolation and must communicate with other civil engineers and professions and also be able to communicate with society. When communication fails it will have a negative effect on the works. Defining communication In the Oxford Dictionary the word communication is defined as to share or exchange information, and the word effective is defined as producing an intended result. For a civil project, effective communication can be defined as communication between inter-disciplines, which produces a structure that is designed to be safe, serviceable and economic, and constructed to be on budget, time and to the customers satisfaction. In order for communication to be effective a common language must be used which is understood well by the various disciplines. In communication between two parties, there are four key components involved: Transmitter: person with information Receiver: person to whom information is directed Medium (nature of information): words (written and spoken), drawings, figures, symbols, codes, graphs, diagrams, charts, etc Channel (method of communicating information): meetings, documents, email, telephone, video link, projector slides, etc For communication to be effective, information should flow in both directions because the receiver may not be listening to or reading what is being communicated. There must be a response from them to know that the person has both received the message and understood it2. The nature of Civil Engineering works Compared with products manufactured in factories, where most if not all the design and production stages are carried out by a single company and the end products are the same, civil engineering works are manufactured on site with a number of different disciplines involved in the process at different stages of design and construction. These works are always made to the customers specifications, making them unique for each project. With so many different disciplines3 involved, there is an important need for effective communication between them for any project to be successful. For example, the customer must communicate their needs to the consultant engineers. The consultant engineers must understand the customers needs and interpret them into a design. Then, once the plans have been developed and a bid has been taken, the contractor must understand the plans and communicate the plans to the sub-contractors. The importance of effective communication during civil works As said by Peter Rogers How many projects go wrong because somebody has a vision at the top and the people beneath destroy it because they either do not believe in what is being created or the ambition has not been communicated to them?4 Effective communication is a means to an end, which is fundamentally a project delivered on time, on budget and to an agreed quality. So, where there is a breakdown in communication the opposite is likely to occur. In the UK this has left a bad reputation of the construction industry with the client and as has lead to an increase in disputes with many of cases ending up in court. In 1992 this increasing trend prompted the Conservative government to assign Sir Michael Latham, a former MP with experience of the construction industry to investigate. In 1994 he published his report called Constructing the Team5. One of the recommendations he made was the need for improved team-working, which highlights a need for improved communication between team members. A few years later when the Labour government came into office in 1997 they set up The Construction Task Force. It was made up of a team of ten industry clients6 who were to advise on ways of improving the quality and efficiency of housebuilding. They mentioned seeing the industry typically dealing with the project process as a series of sequential and largely separate operations undertaken by individual designers7. In 1998 the Construction Task Force presented their report (commonly known as The Egan Report). Based on their findings they recommended five key changes that were needed for improvement in the construction industry: Committed leadership A focus on the customer Integrated processes and teams A quality driven agenda Commitment to people It can be seen from their recommendations that a crucial element for any of them to be successful is the ability to communicate and listen effectively and although the Task Force looked specifically at housebuilding, their findings can be applied to civil works as well. It has been over ten years (currently 2009) since the Construction Task Forces recommendations. Looking at the performance of the construction industry in last 5 years, it can be seen that there has been improvement but a lot is still needed. A summary of the performance of the construction industry from 2004 to 2008 is shown in Table 1.1. Client product satisfaction has been at 80% or above for the last five years, but this also means that 1 in 5 clients have not been mostly satisfied with the final outcome of their project. Also the figures for defects last year show that approximately one third of defects had a negative impact on the client. Case Study 1: Wembley Stadium The Wembley stadium project is an example of how clients, contractors and sub-contractors can fall out due to poor communication or the lack thereof, which can cause the project to go over budget and time. The client who is Wembley National Stadium Ltd originally selected Bovis Lend Lease and Multiplex to both design and construct the stadium, but negotiations broke down over costs. Multiplex then independently offered a cheaper tender to the client for a fixed price of  £326 million, which in September 2000 was accepted by the client10. However, the price gradually increased to  £445 million after detailed specifications were made. Bovis believed the client had broken the public sector procurement guidelines and that the project should have been retendered. The government commissioned a report to investigate the issue and concluded that retendering would have harmed the project even further in respect to time and money and believed it was not practical to have retendered. But the report also stated that the client: Failed to follow a formal procurement process, including creating proper documentation Carried out two procurement processes at the same time, making it difficult to have competitive procurement Had meetings and conversations with Multiplex before a formal procurement process There were also other problems. Multiplex complained that the client had made 600 design changes to the contract and there were disputes such as the definition of practical completion. There were delays with the raising into position of the arch. Multiplex said that the delays and other troubles were the result of the subcontractor Cleveland Bridges late and defective design of fabrication work. Cleveland Bridge said that the delays and other troubles were because of too many variations or the late supply of information by Multiplex or by the structural engineer, Mott MacDonald Limited. Case study 2: Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 On 27 March 2008 BAA opened Terminal 5 after six years of work, costing  £4.3 billion. The project was a success in terms of being built on time and within budget. However, on the first day of opening there were problems with the baggage system. The baggage system failed and so over 23,000 pieces of luggage needed to be sorted manually. At a press conference just two weeks earlier, BAAs strategy director said We have a world-class baggage system that is going to work perfectly on day one. An investigation into why these problems occurred was undertaken by the House of Commons Transport committee. They found that most of these problems were caused two main factors: Insufficient communication between owner and operator, and Poor staff training and system testing During their inquiry the national secretary for aviation, told the committee: members and shop stewards locally had been raising concerns both within BAA and BA for a considerable period in relation to the opening of Terminal 5, but that no consideration was given to the response from the trade union side. 11 A shop steward working for BAA said that union representatives: said to the company that the way it was going would not work. Based on our own experience having worked there for years no technology can take that away. we said that they must listen to what we said and do it this way, but we were told that, no, it was a state-of-the-art building and everything would work and be all right.12 The Chief executive of Heathrow BAA said that if he could rewind time, he would focus resolutely and determinedly on keeping British Airways and BAA in the same room tightly together. 13 Methods to achieve effective communication According to research carried out by Court, Culley and McMahon14, the method of communication has an effect on the richness of the information received and processed. Table 1.2 shows the various methods of communication and the levels of richness of each. Table 1.2 shows that the best method of communication is verbal, such as in meetings. With verbal communication immediate feedback is received. Information flows in both directions and new issues may be introduced by either party. Meetings are an essential part of effective teamwork and are probably the most important time where designers and constructors work together. They can be said to have two main functions: A social purpose where team members become familiar with one another and one anothers ways of working, A business purpose for communicating information and agreeing actions. For meetings to be successful each must take time to listen to the other, and remove prejudices. We are all individuals and have our own ways of working and communicating with others. What is needed is the desire to communicate and the passion to build something that is good. By sharing information between members, a team is able to make best use of its combined knowledge. Good communication in meetings also depends on individuals being able to understand what is being said. The use of terminology which is not understood by others outside the profession risks poor communication and misunderstanding. A language must be found which is understood well by all parties. Integrated teams An integrated team which was one of the recommendations of the Construction Task Force is another effective method of having team members talking to each other. Multidisciplinary companies like Arup or Amec have the advantage of the different disciplines working for the same company and in the same building. Typically the members of the project work on the same floor in an open plan office making it easy for communication and ideas to be exchanged between the different team members. Computer programmes As the old saying goes A picture is worth a thousand words, in the same way computer programmes such as CAD can be used to produce 2D and 3D drawings, which can then be communicated to other project members. There is industry standards in terms of symbols and legends used on drawings so that everyone is able to understand what is being communicated. CAD drawings can also be sent electronically to the other team members so that they are able to view the same information and develop their information onto the design. They are also able to analyse the structure and its connection with other structural elements and make any adjustments if necessary. Case Study 3: MidCity Place, London MidCity Place, an office development in London took 57 weeks to construct, which according to the developers Stanhope Plc is half the industry average build time and at a cost 20% lower than the market average for a building of its quality15. The project was completed in December 2001, eleven weeks ahead of schedule and within budget. The contractors Bovis Lend Lease and Stanhope developed a logistics process based on experience in the car industry. The logistics programmes scheduled all the components in their sequence in the construction and put this information into 3D modelling software. The programme modelled the building and its assembly and also allowed them to find glitches in the delivery and construction sequence. The techniques used on MidCity Place are now being used on other Stanhope/Bovis Lend Lease projects, where they are being developed further. Education Educating students at an early stage is important in order to allow them to enact the roles they will need to fill when entering the industry. From experience, this is currently being achieved by methods such as group projects, presentations and subjects such as Civil Engineering Management. Although these methods do improve the personal skills of an individual there does not seem to be any formal subject in developing communication skills. It seems that communicating ideas is left more as an art that needs to be developed individually by students, than something that can be learnt academically. There are postgraduate courses such as Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) run at Cambridge University or the Project Team Leadership Programme run by Design Build Foundations and Henley Management College, which broaden the education of graduates to getting the industry communicating and working together. Conclusions Communicating information is just as important as the information that is being communicated, without which no progress can be made and ideas will remain just that. A lot of time is spent communicating during civil projects. It is in the interest of all those participating in a project to develop effective forms of communication, as a breakdown in communication can have not only time delays and cost overruns, but also harm a companys reputation and/or even bring financial ruin. References 1. Payne, A.C, Chelsom J.V and Reavill L.R.P (1996), Management for Engineers, John Wiley Sons, England, Pg 192. 2. Ibid, Pg 193. 3. These professions are typically the Client, Civil Engineer, Contractor, Sub-contractor, Manufacturer, and also the general public. 4. Spence R, Macmillan S Kirby P. (2001), Interdisciplinary design in practice, Thomas Telford, London, Pg 28. 5. Latham, M. (1994), Constructing the Team, HMSO, London. 6. The members of the Construction Task Force (circa 1998): Sir John Egan (Chairman), Chief Executive, BAA plc, Mike Raycraft, Property Services Director, Tesco Stores Ltd, Ian Gibson, Managing Director, Nissan UK Ltd, Sir Brian Moffatt, Chief Executive, British Steel plc, Alan Parker, Managing Director, Whitbread Hotels, Anthony Mayer, Chief Executive, Housing Corporation, Sir Nigel Mobbs, Chairman, Slough Estates and Chief Executive, Bovis Homes, Professor Daniel Jones, Director of the Lean Enterprise Centre, Cardiff Business School, David Gye, Director, Morgan Stanley Co Ltd, David Warburton, GMB Union. 7. DETR (1998) Rethinking Construction: the report of the Construction Task Force July 1998, Pg 13. 8. Ibid, Pg 12. 9. Ibid, Pg 4. 10. Morton R, revised by Ross A (2008), Construction UK, Introduction to the Industry, Blackwell, Pg 145. 11. House of Commons Transport Committee (2008), The opening of Heathrow Terminal 5, The Stationery Office Limited, Pg 74. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Court AW, Culley SJ and McMahon CA. (1997), The Influence of information technology in new product development. International Journal of information Management, Vol. 17 N0.5, Elsevier, Pg 359-379. 15. www.stanhopeplc.com, MidCity Place (2009). 16. Office for National statistics (2008), Construction Statistics Annual No.9, Palgrave.

life lessons :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since I was young until now, I have learned a lot of life’s lessons. And some I go by, and some I use once and then get rid of them. But there are ones that I keep for a short time, and keep for a long time, because you never know when they will come in handy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ones that I have still, they are good ones. I keep the good ones, and just forget the bad ones, because why keep lessons that will not help get you some where or get you out of a jam. Having little good life lessons is a lot better than having a lot of great life lessons or a lot of bad life lessons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is one main life lesson that I use all the time. And it is, to never be a quitter, because being a quitter is worse than losing. Being a quitter is even worse than being a loser. Cause, who would want to be called a quitter their whole life. I would rather spend extra time trying to get it down and done, then be a quitter. Cause if you quit at one thing, most will quit every time a roadblock is in their way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life lessons are good for people. They can help you more than they can hurt you. They really don’t hurt you, because they are like warnings for the bad stuff out in the world today. They are just little helpful hints. They are especially helpful when you are in the time of need. If a life’s lesson hurts you, you are using them in the wrong way.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think the more life lessons you get and keep is good for your self-character. They show good character about you to other people. Because you don’t want to have badly self image. Because if other people see it as a bad self image, then you will try so hard to make it look like a good self image, and that you have good character, then it will make you look self absorb.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Essays Papers

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Part I, lines 130-202 Of the service itself I need say no more, 1 For well you will know no tittle was wanting. 2 Another noise and a new was well-nigh at hand. 3 That the lord might have leave his life to nourish; 4 For scarce were the sweet strains still in the hall, 5 And the first course come to that company fair, 6 There hurtles in at the hall-door an unknown rider, 7 One the greatest on ground in growth of his frame: 8 From broad neck to buttocks so bulky and thick, 9 And his loins and his legs so long and so great, 10 Half a giant on earth I hold him to be, 11 But believe him no less that the largest of men, 12 And that the seemliest in his stature to see, as he rides, 13 For in the back and in breast though his body was grim, 14 His waist in its width was worthily small, 15 And formed with every feature in fair accord 16 was he. 17 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Essays Papers Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Part I, lines 130-202 Of the service itself I need say no more, 1 For well you will know no tittle was wanting. 2 Another noise and a new was well-nigh at hand. 3 That the lord might have leave his life to nourish; 4 For scarce were the sweet strains still in the hall, 5 And the first course come to that company fair, 6 There hurtles in at the hall-door an unknown rider, 7 One the greatest on ground in growth of his frame: 8 From broad neck to buttocks so bulky and thick, 9 And his loins and his legs so long and so great, 10 Half a giant on earth I hold him to be, 11 But believe him no less that the largest of men, 12 And that the seemliest in his stature to see, as he rides, 13 For in the back and in breast though his body was grim, 14 His waist in its width was worthily small, 15 And formed with every feature in fair accord 16 was he. 17

Silent prayer :: essays research papers fc

A majority of Americans have been exposed to or heard of marijuana. Marijuana is a common drug among all age groups of Americans. It was once legal and still popular. The US government and citizens have now raised the question if this party drug that is know to relax the body and mind should be legalized in the United States (â€Å"What are the Pro’s and Con’s of Marijuana Use† par. 1). Marijuana is derived from the dried leaves of a hemp plant called cannabis sativa. Already legal for medicinal use in California and Arizona, many are trying to make marijuana available to all Americans of legal age. The debate on the legalization of marijuana has been going on for several years within the government. The reason why this issue has been so hard to resolve is that there is a multitude of arguments supporting both sides of the debate. Money plays an important role in supporting the legalization of marijuana. Possession of marijuana as a criminal offense costs the taxpayers billions of dollars. This money goes into anti-drug advertisement and action plans, the enforcing of the law, and also all the money spent to keep all the marijuana drug offenders in the prison system (Libertarian Party 7). It could be better used for action against drugs that are more harmful than marijuana like crack cocaine, LSD, or heroin. These drugs pose a bigger health threat than marijuana (Libertarian Party 7). 2 Health issues are also an important aspect when arguing that marijuana should be legalized. There is never any guarantee as to the contents of the marijuana that is being bought off of drug dealers. Chances are that marijuana can contain many other various substances that are even worse for one’s health (Libertarian Party 4). If the government were to have control of the production of marijuana, the need for drug dealers would be eliminated, and the product that the consumers are receiving would be more pure (â€Å"What are the Pros and Cons of Marijuana Use†). The government control of marijuana would offer several other advantages. The cost of marijuana would be much lower if the government controlled the sell of it. Usually drug dealers charge very high prices for marijuana to satisfy their own greed. If marijuana were legalized, users would be purchasing marijuana from the government. It would be easier for the government to keep marijuana out of the hands of minors and eliminate the influences of black markets. Silent prayer :: essays research papers fc A majority of Americans have been exposed to or heard of marijuana. Marijuana is a common drug among all age groups of Americans. It was once legal and still popular. The US government and citizens have now raised the question if this party drug that is know to relax the body and mind should be legalized in the United States (â€Å"What are the Pro’s and Con’s of Marijuana Use† par. 1). Marijuana is derived from the dried leaves of a hemp plant called cannabis sativa. Already legal for medicinal use in California and Arizona, many are trying to make marijuana available to all Americans of legal age. The debate on the legalization of marijuana has been going on for several years within the government. The reason why this issue has been so hard to resolve is that there is a multitude of arguments supporting both sides of the debate. Money plays an important role in supporting the legalization of marijuana. Possession of marijuana as a criminal offense costs the taxpayers billions of dollars. This money goes into anti-drug advertisement and action plans, the enforcing of the law, and also all the money spent to keep all the marijuana drug offenders in the prison system (Libertarian Party 7). It could be better used for action against drugs that are more harmful than marijuana like crack cocaine, LSD, or heroin. These drugs pose a bigger health threat than marijuana (Libertarian Party 7). 2 Health issues are also an important aspect when arguing that marijuana should be legalized. There is never any guarantee as to the contents of the marijuana that is being bought off of drug dealers. Chances are that marijuana can contain many other various substances that are even worse for one’s health (Libertarian Party 4). If the government were to have control of the production of marijuana, the need for drug dealers would be eliminated, and the product that the consumers are receiving would be more pure (â€Å"What are the Pros and Cons of Marijuana Use†). The government control of marijuana would offer several other advantages. The cost of marijuana would be much lower if the government controlled the sell of it. Usually drug dealers charge very high prices for marijuana to satisfy their own greed. If marijuana were legalized, users would be purchasing marijuana from the government. It would be easier for the government to keep marijuana out of the hands of minors and eliminate the influences of black markets.

Evil: Mark Twain and Higher Animals

From The Damned Human Race by Mark Twain Mark Twain is a central figure in American literature. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, his finest work, is the story of a journey down the Mississippi by two memorable figures, a white boy and a black slave. Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835 and was raised in Hannibal, Missouri. During his early years, he worked as a riverboat pilot, newspaper reporter, printer, and gold prospector.Although his popular image is as the author of such comic works as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi, and The Prince and the Pauper, Twain had a darker side that may have resulted from the bitter experiences of his life: financial failure and the deaths of his wife and daughter. His last writings are savage, satiric, and pessimistic. The following selection is taken from Letters from the Earth, one of his last works. It has been under the title The Damned Human Race and has been printed in numerous essay anthologies.Did todayâ⠂¬â„¢s newspaper feature headlines about people fighting somewhere in the world (Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa)? Most likely, it did. In the following selection, Mark Twain concludes that the combative and cruel nature of human beings makes them the lowest of creatures, not the highest. With scathing irony, he supplies a startling reason for humans’ warlike nature. The Damned Human Race Mark Twain I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the lower animals (so-called), and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man.I find the result humiliating to me. For it obliges me to renounce my allegiance to the Darwinian theory of the Ascent of Man from the Lower Animals; since it now seems plain to me that the theory ought to be vacated in favor of a new and truer one, this new and truer one to be named the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals. In proceeding toward this unpleasant conclusion I have not guessed or speculated or conjectured, but have used what is c ommonly called the scientific method. That is to say, I have subjected every postulate that presented itself to the crucial test of ctual experiment, and have adopted it or rejected it according to the result. Thus I verified and established each step of my course in its turn before advancing to the next. These experiments were made in the London Zoological Gardens, and covered many months of painstaking and fatiguing work. Before particularizing any of the experiments, I wish to state one or two things which seem to more properly belong in this place than further along. This, in the interest of clearness. The massed experiments established to my satisfaction certain generalizations, to wit: 1.That the human race is of one distinct species. It exhibits slight variations (in color, stature, mental caliber, and so on) due to climate, environment, and so forth; but it is a species by itself, and not to be confounded with any other. 2. That the quadrupeds are a distinct family, also. Th is family exhibits variations (in color, size, food preferences, and so on; but it is a family by itself). 3. That the other families (the birds, the fishes, the insects, the reptiles, etc. ) are more or less distinct, also. They are in the procession.They are links in the chain which stretches down from the higher animals to man at the bottom. Some of my experiments were quite curious. In the course of my reading I had come across a case where, many years ago, some hunters on our Great Plains organized a buffalo hunt for the entertainment of an English earl. They had charming sport. They killed seventy-two of those great animals; and ate part of one of them and left the seventy-one to rot. In order to determine the difference between an anaconda and an earl (if any) I caused seven young calves to be turned into the anaconda’s cage.The grateful reptile immediately crushed one of them and swallowed it, then lay back satisfied. It showed no further interest in the calves, and n o disposition to harm them. I tried this experiment with other anacondas; always with the same result. The fact stood proven that the difference between an earl and an anaconda is that the earl is cruel and the anaconda isn’t; and that the earl wantonly destroys what he has no use for, but the anaconda doesn’t. This seemed to suggest that the anaconda was not descended from the earl.It also seemed to suggest that the earl was descended from the anaconda, and had lost a good deal in the transition. I was aware that many men who have accumulated more millions of money than they can ever use have shown a rabid hunger for more, and have not scrupled to cheat the ignorant and the helpless out of their poor servings in order to partially appease that appetite. I furnished a hundred different kinds of wild and tame animals the opportunity to accumulate vast stores of food, but none of them would do it.The squirrels and bees and certain birds made accumulations, but stopped wh en they had gathered a winter s supply, and could not be persuaded to add to it either honestly or by chicane. In order to bolster up a tottering reputation the ant pretended to store up supplies, but I was not deceived. I know the ant. These experiments convinced me that there is this difference between man and the higher animals: he is avaricious and miserly; they are not.In the course of my experiments I convinced myself that among the animals man is the only one that harbors insults and injuries, broods over them, waits till a chance offers, then takes revenge. The passion of revenge is unknown to the higher animals. Roosters keep harems, but it is by consent of their concubines; therefore no wrong is done. Men keep harems but it is by brute force, privileged by atrocious laws which the other sex were allowed no hand in making. In this matter man occupies a far lower place than the rooster. Cats are loose in their morals, but not consciously so.Man, in his descent from the cat, has brought the cats looseness with him but has left the unconsciousness behind (the saving grace which excuses the cat). The cat is innocent, man is not. Indecency, vulgarity, obscenity (these are strictly confined to man); he invented them. Among the higher animals there is no trace of them. They hide nothing; they are not ashamed. Man, with his soiled mind, covers himself. He will not even enter a drawing room with his breast and back naked, so alive are he and his mates to indecent suggestion.Man is The Animal that Laughs. But so does the monkey, as Mr. Darwin pointed out; and so does the Australian bird that is called the laughing jackass. No! Man is the Animal that Blushes. He is the only one that does it or has occasion to. At the head of this article we see how three monks were burnt to death a few days ago, and a prior put to death with atrocious cruelty. Do we inquire into the details? No; or we should find out that the prior was subjected to unprintable mutilations.Man (w hen he is a North American Indian) gouges out his prisoners’ eyes; when he is King John, with a nephew to render untroublesome, he uses a red-hot iron; when he is a religious zealot dealing with heretics in the Middle Ages, he skins his captive alive and scatters salt on his back; in the first Richards time he shuts up a multitude of Jew families in a tower and sets fire to it; in Columbus’s time he captures a family of Spanish Jews and (but that is not printable; in our day in England a man is fined ten shillings for beating his mother nearly to death with a chair, and another man is fined forty shillings for having four pheasant eggs in his possession without eing able to satisfactorily explain how he got them). Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it. It is a trait that is not known to the higher animals. The cat plays with the frightened mouse; but she has this excuse, that she does n ot know that the mouse is suffering. The cat is moderate (unhumanly moderate: she only scares the mouse, she does not hurt it; she doesnt dig out its eyes, or tear off its skin, or drive splinters under its nails) man-fashion; when she is done playing with it she makes a sudden meal of it and puts it out of its trouble. Man is the Cruel Animal. He is alone in that distinction.The higher animals engage in individual fights, but never in organized masses. Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and with calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out, as the Hessians did in our Revolution, and as the boyish Prince Napoleon did in the Zulu war, and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel. Man is the only animal that robs his helpless fellow of his country takes p ossession of it and drives him out of it or destroys him. Man has done this in all the ages.There is not an acre of ground on the globe that is in possession of its rightful owner, or that has not been taken away from owner after owner, cycle after cycle, by force and bloodshed. Man is the only Slave. And he is the only animal who enslaves. He has always been a slave in one form or another, and has always held other slaves in bondage under him in one way or another. In our day he is always some mans slave for wages, and does that mans work; and this slave has other slaves under him for minor wages, and they do his work. The higher animals are the only ones who exclusively do their own work and provide their own living. Man is the only Patriot.He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, and keeps multitudinous uniformed assassins on hand at heavy expense to grab slices of other peoples countries, and keep them from grabbing slices of his. And in the intervals between campaigns, he washes the blood off his hands and works for the universal brotherhood of man, with his mouth. Man is the Religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion, several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself, and cuts his throat if his theology isn’t straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother’s path to happiness and heaven.He was at it in the time of the Caesars, he was at it in Mahomet’s time, he was at it in the time of the Inquisition, he was at it in France a couple of centuries, he was at it in England in Mary’s day, he has been at it ever since he first saw the light, he is at it today in Crete (as per the telegrams quoted above) he will be at it somewhere else tomorrow. The higher animals have no religion. And we are told that they are going to be left out, in the Hereafter. I wonder why? It seems questionable taste. Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that he is the Unreasoning Animal. Note his history, as sketched above. It seems plain to me that whatever he is he is not a reasoning animal. His record is the fantastic record of a maniac.I consider that the strongest count against his intelligence is the fact that with that record back of him he blandly sets himself up as the head animal of the lot: whereas by his own standards he is the bottom one. In truth, man is incurably foolish. Simple things which the other animals easily learn, he is incapable of learning. Among my experiments was this. In an hour I taught a cat and a dog to be friends. I put them in a cage. In another hour I taught them to be friends with a rabbit. In the course of two days I was able to add a fox, a goose, a squirrel and some doves. Finally a monkey. They lived together in peace; even affectiona tely. Next, in another cage I confined an Irish Catholic from Tipperary, and as soon as he seemed tame I added a Scotch Presbyterian from Aberdeen.Next a Turk from Constantinople; a Greek Christian from Crete; an Armenian; a Methodist from the wilds of Arkansas; a Buddhist from China; a Brahman from Benares. Finally, a Salvation Army Colonel from Wapping. Then I stayed away two whole days. When I came back to note results, the cage of Higher Animals was all right, but in the other there was but a chaos of gory odds and ends of turbans and fezzes and plaids and bones and flesh not a specimen left alive. These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a theological detail and carried the matter to a Higher Court. One is obliged to concede that in true loftiness of character, Man cannot claim to approach even the meanest of the Higher Animals.It is plain that he is constitutionally incapable of approaching that altitude; that he is constitutionally afflicted with a Defect which must make such approach forever impossible, for it is manifest that this defect is permanent in him, indestructible, ineradicable. I find this Defect to be the Moral Sense. He is the only animal that has it. It is the secret of his degradation. It is the quality which enables him to do wrong. It has no other office. It is in capable of performing any other function. It could never hate been intended to perform any other. Without it, man could do no wrong. He would rise at once to the level of the Higher Animals.Since the Moral Sense has but the one office, the one capacity (to enable man to do wrong) it is plainly without value to him. It is as valueless to him as is disease. In fact, it manifestly is a disease. Rabies is bad, but it is not so bad as this disease. Rabies enables a man to do a thing, which he could not do when in a healthy state: kill his neighbor with a poisonous bite. NC) one is the better man for having rabies: The Moral Sense enables a man to do wrong. It enables him to do wro ng in a thousand ways. Rabies is an innocent disease, compared to the Moral Sense. No one, then, can be the better man for having the Moral Sense. What now, do we find the Primal Curse to have been?Plainly what it was in the beginning: the infliction upon man of the Moral Sense; the ability to distinguish good from evil; and with it, necessarily, the ability to do evil; for there can be no evil act without the presence of consciousness of it in the doer of it. And so I find that we have descended and degenerated, from some far ancestor (some microscopic atom wandering at its pleasure between the mighty horizons of a drop of water perchance) insect by insect, animal by animal, reptile by reptile, down the long highway of smirch less innocence, till we have reached the bottom stage of development (namable as the Human Being). Below us, nothing. Discussion Question: How does Twain use satire in this essay? Be specific and refer to the text along with your explanation. Summary Response Assignment: Write a summary response on Twain’s essay, The Damned Human Race. †¢ †¢In the first part of your paper, the summary, you should objectively (without bias) summarize the essay by discerning only the most significant points Twain makes. Do not include analysis, interpretation, evaluation, or opinion. Simply report the â€Å"guts† of his essay. Use academic, third person voice in this section. In the second part of your paper, the response, comment on Twain’s essay. How do you interpret it? What do you think about it? With which points do you agree or disagree? Why? Evaluate Twain’s essay. Is it effective or ineffective in making his point? Why? Use first person voice in this section because you are providing your own opinion.

Discrimination and the Arts Essay

1. W.E.B Du Bois makes a strong and persuasive argument about â€Å"double consciousness† and racial struggle in America. ANSWER THIS QUESTION: Do you agree that â€Å"art†Ã¢â‚¬â€broadly defined—can be an antidote or a form of resistance against certain kinds of discrimination? 2. Take a position on this issue by first exploring at least three of our course texts, starting with Du Bois and leading through several of our other readings (Martin Luther King, Alice Walker, bell hooks, or any of the other writers we’ve read in this unit or the previous unit on disability). IN OTHER WORDS, you must use Du Bois and at least two other authors in Cultural Conversations. Is there, for example, an art to the practice of nonviolence such as King describes, or to the use of language discussed in Linton and Slackjaw? 3. Ultimately, your exploration of these connected ideas should lead to a clear position of your own, and you must demonstrate in this paper that you can synthesize a number of differing ideas in the pursuit of your own argument. We will discuss strategies to do so in class. 4. Provide an example from contemporary culture of people resisting (or not resisting) discrimination. Use this example to demonstrate your position on art as resistance. Consider questions such as: would art have helped the less empowered people fight back? Did art play a part in the arguments against discrimination? In what ways does art address discrimination in your example? You may use print or web sources for this example as long as you document these carefully. In addition, you must define what you mean by â€Å"art† in order to construct a strong argument. 5. Include in your paper an acknowledgement and rebuttal of an opposing or counter-argument. This section of your paper may be short, but it is a vital aspect of your paper, so don’t forget to include it. IN OTHER WORDS, give the other side of your answer to the top question about art as an effective form of resistance and then argue against it. If you answer â€Å"yes,† then say how people could argue â€Å"no† and argue against them. 6. You will need to use at least five sources for this paper: THREE from Cultural Conversations (Du Bois plus two others) and TWO related to your example (they can be nonscholarly). 7. GRADING BASED ON: forming a thesis, showing originality, constructing and organizing your argument, using textual evidence, showing you understand the main themes of the course/unit, meeting stylistic and grammatical standards, and finding and using sources. 8. Use MLA format and citation style. Also use 1 inch margins and Times New Roman or similar font. No cover page please. Number your pages and include a header with your name and my name on it. Staple your paper. Don’t forget a title. Proofread. W.E.B. Du Bois Marcus Garvey Booker T. Washington Langston Hughes Anna Julia Cooper Frances E.W. Harper Anonymous Reviewer Lifting the Veil of Ignorance, B.T. Washington Memorial at Tuskegee University From Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (1952): â€Å"Then in my mind’s eye I see the bronze statue of the college Founder, the cold Father symbol, his hands outstretched in the breathtaking gesture of lifting a veil that flutters in hard, metallic folds above the face of a kneeling slave; and I am standing puzzled, unable to decide whether the veil is really being lifted, or lowered more firmly in place; whether I am witnessing a revelation or a more efficient blinding.† Bob Marley â€Å"Redemption Song† â€Å"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery None but ourselves can free our minds.† Langston Hughes â€Å"I, Too, Sing America† Frances E.W. Harper â€Å"The Burdens of All† From W.E.B. Du Bois’ Criteria of Negro Art: PAGE 160: â€Å"The apostle of beauty thus becomes the apostle of truth and right not by choice but by inner and outer compulsion. Free he is but his freedom is ever bounded by truth and justice; and slavery only dogs him when he is denied the right to tell the truth or recognize an ideal of justice†¦ Thus, all art is propaganda and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists†¦ I do not care a damn for any art that is not used for propaganda. But I do care when propaganda is confined to one side while the other is stripped and silent.†

Emotion Appeal Essay

The fallacy of ad hominem is an attack against the person of the one asserting a claim. The assumption made is that, as a consequence of the attack against the person, the claim made by such person is also false. 2. Ad hominem tu quoque This fallacy is possible to occur when a person made two inconsistent statements or a statement inconsistent with a prior action. It is assumed the claim later made is false because of the inconsistency without considering which or whether one of the two statements or actions made is really true. 3. Appeal to consequences of a belief Appeal to consequences of a belief makes the truth or falsity of a claim be based on the consequences that may occur if its truth or falsity is accepted. In this fallacy, if a claim will result to good consequences, it must be true and vice versa. 4. Appeal to authority Appeal to authority exists when a claim is asserted to be true based on the fact that it was made by an authority, who is in fact not an authority on that subject or is not qualified to make such claim. If the person to whom the claim is attributed is actually an authority or an expert, then there is no fallacy. 5. Appeal to emotion Appeal to emotion is the act of stirring one’s emotion to influence a person to accept that a claim is true. 6. Begging the question Begging the question is properly called as reasoning in circles. It involves a premise that contains an assumption that the conclusion is true, thus giving rise to a situation wherein the premise is used to support the truth of the conclusion while the conclusion is used to support the truth of the premise. 7. Confusing cause and effect This fallacy occurs when a person assumes one event to be the cause of another event just because these two events usually occur regularly together, when there may in fact be no justification or proof establishing such causal relation other than the fact that they often occur together. 8. Middle ground The fallacy assumes a position to be true just because it lies in the middle of the two extremes. 9. Red Herring This fallacy is used to direct the attention of the other person away of the main topic of the argument. The argument is diverted from the main issue to another issue which is not relevant, but s introduced under the guise of being relevant to the main issue. 10. Slippery slope This fallacy argues that one event will follow another event without giving a justification why. This usually occurs when the causation is too remote, such as when several other steps, which may not be inevitable, will have to follow before such claimed consequence may arise. 11. Straw man This fallacy occurs when a person attacks a distorted position of another person, as a consequence of which it is assumed that the real or original position is also falsified. 12. Who is to say? In this fallacy, a person asks the question â€Å"who is to say† or other similar questions, but already has a preconceived answer that no one is to say. As a consequence of this, it is accepted that the issue cannot be decided because no one is capable or qualified to decide on it.

Justifying The State Essay

Q1 If the state is not a voluntary organisation, how can one be under any obligation to obey its commands? This is a question about justifying the state. What D. D. Raphael calls † the grounds of political obligation.1 If the state can be justified somehow then so can the commands it makes, whether it is voluntary or not. This would be a state built on individual consent; obligation to the commands of the state would flow from that consent. This essay will discuss the possibility of justifying of the state through the idea of a social contract. The state when it creates a law draws a line one cannot cross without consequences. For clarity I am talking about a serious law, specifically one that obviously has a moral base, the law against murder for example. An individualist might say ‘I have no intention of crossing that line anyway because I believe it would be morally wrong to do so’. The law in his case may as well not exist. Just by not breaking a law it can appear as though he supports it. When what he might agree with is what the law defends/upholds /represents, and that is the moral principle behind it. This is one reason why some people appear to uphold the law when in fact all they may be doing is following a personal moral code. or simply agreeing with the basic rational belief shared by most people that ‘murder is wrong or (maybe) tax for the NHS is good’ for example. I suggest this analogy can be applied when questioning many commands of the state. When I obey the state by paying taxes, I may not be doing so because I am obligated too by law but for other reasons including moral ones. Socialists (as do many others) might argue that they are happy to pay more tax in return for a wider societal benefit that includes all, i.e. as in the National Health Service. Therefore a socialist might argue that she paid her National Insurance not because the law obligates her too, but because it ‘fits her moral attitudes and outlook anyway’. The fact that she has no legal right to refuse to pay becomes relevant in this case only if she actually doesn’t. The above argument is Lockean to the extent that it â€Å"appeal[s] to the idea of individual consent.†2 It is also in part my own view, which is (I think) essentially individualist in nature, though not libertarian. The relevance of my own view to this essay is that when thinking about this question, I realised that I had no idea what my own moral position was regarding some of the most crucial problems and contradictions of political philosophy. Many of these questions require (I think) a moral stance in order to be able to make sense of them. This may seem like a non-academic approach as if I am personalising or reducing this essay to subjective notions, however the questions and issues of political philosophy are in large part moral questions and issues that therefore have as a basis, personal moral opinions. Locke’s view according to Wolff is that obligations to the institutions of the state â€Å"must be justified in terms of the will, choices or decisions of those over whom they have authority.†3 Justification of the institutions of the state that enforce obligation then is reliant on the idea that personal autonomy is of premier value. Will Kymlicka defines this as the belief that the individual is ‘morally prior’ to the community. One objection to this is the communitarian argument that the individual is not ‘morally prior’ to the community instead individuals are a ‘product of the community.’4 There are other objectors to Locke’s idea that autonomy is the primary value. Wolff writes that Bentham considered â€Å"the primary value is not autonomy but happiness †¦ whether we consent to the state is irrelevant.† 5 This utilitarian argument is that the ‘happiness’ of society, as a whole is of more value than personal autonomy or the happiness of the few or one. And that therefore one has a duty to obey the commands of the state as it pursues this goal. So if the state decides that having nuclear weapons is for the greater good (happiness) then I would be obligated to pay my share of tax for them whatever I thought. I may be against nuclear weapons or the military in general for moral reasons (pacifism for example) but my moral objection is sacrificed for the greater happiness. The problem political philosopher’s face is finding ways to solve issues like the one above. Just how does one justify the state? One theory is the idea of ‘the social contract.’ Wolff here defines the ‘project of the social contract theory.’ â€Å"The project of showing that individuals consent to the state lies behind the idea of social contract theory. If, somehow or other, it can be shown that every individual has consented to the state, or formed a contract with the state, or made a contract with each other to create a state, then the problem appears to be solved.†6 It is difficult to support the idea that the state, and thereby its commands and responding obligations, can be justified by the theory of a social contract. â€Å"The theory of a social contract tries to justify political obligation as being based on an implicit promise, like the obligation to obey the rules of a voluntary association.†7 If there were such a contract (based on the idea that the state is a voluntary organisation) the problem of individual obligation to the state would be solved. One could join (or leave) institutions of the state at will, and not be subject to state penalties. This is clearly not so. To clarify this further I can ask a different question: how much like a voluntary association is the state? The consensus among political philosophers is I think that the state is not a voluntary organisation. To be born is to be joined to it. As Raphael says â€Å"the universality of the states jurisdiction makes its compulsory character more pervasive and more evident. â€Å"8 Individuals are inextricably linked to it in many ways, for example through the financial/legal institutions. Neither of these institutions are voluntary, they both carry obligations that are enforceable by law. For a comparison I will examine what I think a voluntary organisation is. The obligations I have to the UEA regarding my degree, I agreed to honour. They were stated, I accepted. This does not mean I think the UEA is perfect. Just because I am obligated, (I agreed to the UEA rules) does not mean I cannot criticise the parking problem. What is important is that I chose to join. My obligations to the UEA are voluntary, and I can withdraw from them voluntarily and leave the university should I choose. This is not possible in the case of the state. â€Å"[I] am subject to the rules whether I like it or not.†9 As a general philosophical attitude I am ‘nervous’ or sceptical of organisations people are forced to join or have to remain joined to, this includes the idea of a state. This could be framed as, (if this sentence makes sense) ‘I do not like the idea that there is a group I am unable not to join’. These reasons might help to explain why I am ‘generally sceptical’ of some of the motives of our own state. So where does this leave us? The above contentions highlight some of the problems of the social contract theory. The central objection to it is that the state is not voluntary therefore there can be no ‘mutually agreed contract.’ Nor has there historically ever been one. As Wolff observes, if there ever was a social contract â€Å"What is the evidence? Which museum is it in?†10 The idea of a hypothetical contract is an attempt to solve this problem. It does not rely on any formal notion of â€Å"actual consent, be it historical, express, or tacit.†11 The hypothetical contract relies on hypothetical consent. If hypothetical consent were possible it would provide a moral reason for political obligation. That is the ingredient the question this essay is discussing implicitly implies is missing. The idea asks us to imagine a position from where we could successfully negotiate a social contract. Rawl’s idea is a very complex one that effects many issues. In his Theory of Justice, Rawls sets out primarily to establish â€Å"what moral principles should govern the basic structure of a just society.†12 Rawls Theory of Justice suggests a set of specific moral principles that he hopes will achieve this consensus view. It is these principles that critics of the theory in the main object to. What they are concerned with is the kind of society that would emerge from behind any veil of ignorance whatever its character. For the purpose of this essay the idea of a ‘veil of ignorance’ which is subject to many conditions, is the device Rawls uses to argue for consent. If people can agree on what would be just, (which he argues is possible using the principles he suggests) from behind a ‘veil of ignorance’ the consent reached would be a voluntary contract. Again the problem remains, what principles really constitute a ‘just society’ are not clear. Objections to Rawls ideas include the ‘libertarian critique.’ Kukathas and Pettit13 argue that for principled libertarians like Nozick the state that would emerge from Rawls’s theory â€Å"is bound to seem inherently evil.†14 Nozick’s objections are based on his libertarian view that â€Å"Individuals have rights, and there are things no person or group may do to them (without violating their rights)†15 To conclude is this essay is very difficult; the argument I have tried to demonstrate is that one cannot be under any obligation to obey the commands of the state using the social contract model. I have argued that the social contract fails because it is not consensual. I have also tried to show that the idea of hypothetical contract cannot work because the ‘veil of ignorance’ still does not produce consent because people cannot agree on what the principles of a just state are. One can only be obligated to obey the commands of the state (I think) when its principles are consensual. Bibliography Chandran Kukathas and Philip Pettit, Rawls, A Theory of Justice and its Critics, (Polity Press 1990) Kymlicka, Will, Contemporary Political philosophy. Raphael, D D, Problems of Political Philosophy, (Macmillan press 1990) Wolff, Jonathan, An Introduction to Political Philosophy, (oxford University Press 1996) Colin Dunlop His II Political Philosophy Dr Kathleen Stock 04-04-03 Q1 If the state is not a voluntary organisation, how can one be under any obligation to obey its commands? 1 Raphael, D D, Problems of Political Philosophy, p175 2 Wolff, Jonathan, An Introduction to Political Philosophy, p38 3 Ibid.p38 4 See Kymlicka, Will, Contemporary Political philosophy, Ch5 (I think) his discussion â€Å"multiculturalism and communitarianism.† 5 Ibid.p38 6 Ibid.p43 7 Raphael, D D, Problems of Political Philosophy, p182 8 Ibid.p181 9 Ibid.p181 10 Wolff, Jonathan, An Introduction to Political Philosophy, p44 11 Ibid.p44 12 Chandran Kukathas and Philip Pettit, Rawls, A Theory of Justice and its Critics, p36 13 Ibid. See chapter 5 † The Libertarian Critique† 14 Ibid.p74 15 Robert Nozick quoted by Chandran Kukathas and Philip Pettit in, Rawls, A Theory of Justice and its Critics, p76