Human Nature in Shakespear’s Plays Essay

Topic- in Shakespeare’s plays how is his unusual detailed knowledge of nature as well as of human beings shown? Shakespeare was a man who deeply loved nature and the beauty of it. He was not just an author who experienced and enjoyed nature but also as someone who studied, understood and knew nature intimately. In this essay there will be discussions about how Shakespeare would often use examples from nature to describe the nature of human beings in his plays and how did he show a deep understanding and knowledge of human nature which he would put that deep knowledge in his plays and poems. Shakespeare’s greatest influences were the works of other great writers as well as from variety of books, and plays which he used as subject materials for his own plays. He got most of his ideas from existing written literature. All of his plays were based on British history, adjusted to suit the occasion. He also drew ideas from many things that he grew up with, like his love for nature gave him several ideas how to write some of his plays and poetry. Besides this, he got many ideas from his childhood as his father is known to have often told him ‘bedtime stories’. Shakespeare may have got inspirations from nature and some ideas of characterizations from real life experiences but his plots where never made from events that happened in his life. Two of his favorite writers were Geoffery Chaucer (1340- 1400) and Plutarch (46-120). Chaucer, who was the first poet ever to be buried at the â€Å"poet’s corner† in Westminster Abby was from a wealthy family where his father was as a deputy to King Edward the third’s butler. Chaucer’s poetry was in Middle English and he was known to be one of the finest poets in England. Shakespeare admired him and many of the sources of his plays came from Chaucer’s poems. Plutarch studied philosophy and he taught it as a teacher in Rome where he earned the admiration of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. Plutarch’s work was translated by Sir Thomas North which had become very popular in Renaissance England. His translations were then used by Shakespeare himself as sources for many of his plays like Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens, etc. The way Shakespeare examined and admired nature was quite different from regular viewers. His way of seeing nature was deep and he would use it in many other forms as well. He would usually find ideas for his poems by what he saw and nature was the biggest part that inspired him how to write his poems and plays. For example in one of his plays named King Lear, the concept of nature is considered to be the groundwork of the whole play. From Kingship through to personal human relations, to the views of the empire, from the representation of human nature to the animal imagery, there was nature filling every line of King Lear. Nature is a socially constructed concept which is made in order to legitimize the existing social order. By drawing a brief sketch of the political and social beliefs of the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages, it will be at the same time outlining the arguments for believing that nature truly is the socially constructed concept. The Elizabethan and Jacobean age was a time of change and disorder. They were not known for their unity. Elizabeth had her subjects worry about who would succeed her as she was not married, therefore there was no heir to carry on with the throne. ‘Kings are justly called Gods for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power on the earth. ’ This quote was taken from the speech of James I where he describes the divine rights of Kings. James I had succeeded Elizabeth I to be the first Stuart King. Although he had the Kingship, he still was not able to overcome the political and financial problems of the state. In order for the continuation of his reign, the unity and harmony of the state and nature was of great importance. He legitimized his power by naturalization. Therefore by ‘nature’ everyone has its place, and knows the duties and obligations to that place, and those who have power cannot be questioned which are the divine rights of Kings. The belief in the social order restricting from the natural order is an important concept to hold when probing the idea of nature being utilized to maintain the status quo. The interdependence of man and nature as a theme is explored in King Lear. Men are always represented in the relation to the divine hierarchy which is the physical world and the world of animals but they are never represented in isolation. It becomes easier to understand the actions of Lear with the almost constant references to nature, once the concept of correspondence between man’s nature and the natural world is understood in terms of legitimizing the social order. In King Lear, the tragedy shown in the play is when Lear tries attempting to overthrow the ‘natural’ social order by handing over his crown to his daughters. Once disorder is initiated by Lear’s revocation of his powers and rights as King, disaster in corresponding hierarchies follow. Lear’s abandonment of his power is in direct opposition to the concept of the Divine Right of Kings. According to the laws of nature, it was impossible for Lear to stop being a king, because that was his rightful position by divine ordination and in fact throughout the play he is still referred to as the King, even though he has divided his crown. Also Lear is unable to stop seeing himself as the King, which can be seen from his banishment of Kent, soon after he has relinquished his powers: Hear me, recreant, on thine allegiance, hear me: That thou hast sought to make us break our vows, Which we durst never yet, and with strained pride To come betwixt our sentence and our power, Which nor our nature, nor our place can bear, Our potency made good take thy reward. King Lear (1. 1. 169-173) In this speech Lear not only uses the power of the King which he no longer holds to banish Kent, but he also, unknown to himself, explains why he cannot or should not divide his kingdom, for it goes against both his ‘nature’ and his ‘place’ to divide his ‘power’ from his ‘sentence,’ which is exactly what he does, thereby attempting to deny his nature and position. Aside from the natural position of Kings the natural social order can also be seen in terms of power relations between characters: King over subjects, fathers over daughters, husbands over wives. This naturalization can be seen as being represented by the character of Lear. He possesses his daughters, because he controls over them, therefore it is only ‘natural’ that they should proclaim their love for him. Cordelia’s refuses this which is therefore shocking to Lear and he calls her ‘a wretch whom nature is ashamed’. (1. 1. 213-214) The animal imagery that is shown in King Lear indicates the unnaturalness of a character‘s behavior in comparison to how they should behave if they observed the natural social order. This contradiction again underlines the distinction between nature and the ‘natural social order’. Shakespeare was good in phycology and describing the human character. He did not state many new ideas of human nature in his place as much as he did on the personalities and behaviors that all human beings have. There still are experts that claim that Shakespeare was the ‘inventor of human nature. However, these were Shakespearean experts and not the experts in psychology or human personality. It was not that Shakespeare new more things around him than other people but it was how he saw and examined things and people around him. In many of his plays and poems he showed deep knowledge of human nature. The way in which we experience fear, love, hatred, jealousy, despair, or anything else one can name. The way he wrote it and staged it would leave many artists in the dust and that the meaning of his work would stay with readers and viewers while everything around them changed. Shakespeare managed to grasp what it took to shape the essence of human nature in many of its aspects and drop it into text and drama in a way that would draw our ears, our eyes and our hearts. Unlike psychology, Shakespeare tries attempting to understand why people do what they do. He simply outshone most others, in many times and many places, at drawing portraits of the mystery of human behavior. Shakespeare used to combine nature and human nature together in many of his plays and poems. He used to describe human behavior by relating them with nature. In one of his plays known as Troilus and Cressida, he quotes the following: Let not virtue seek Remuneration for the thing it was; For beauty, wit, High birth, vigor of bone, desert in service, Love, friendship, charity are subjects all To envious and calumniating time One touch of nature makes the whole world kin, That all with one consent praise new-born gawds, Though they are made and moulded of things past, And give to dust that is a little gilt More laud than gilt o’erdusted. (3. 3. 169–179) This quote was spoken by the character known as Ulysses where he says this to the great Greek warrior Achilles who did not participate in the Trojan War because he contained a broken pride and was in love with a Trojan. He did not understand why he was not liked by the other Greeks and Ulysses tried to get Achilles mind back into action by giving him an uncomplimentary lecture on human nature. In the seventh line of Ulysses’ quote, he speaks about the ‘touch of nature’ which means ‘natural traits’. These are vital characteristics that make us all in this world kin. The phrases nowadays used for our ‘touch of nature’ as warmth or generosity or any other romantic ideal is different from how Ulysses describes it. He sees unanimity in our gaudy originalities as our ‘touch of nature’ is a short memory. The past deeds of Achilles, like beauty, wit, love, and so on, are subject to the ravages of time. In other words, it is our nature to forget these types of faded glories because they do not seem important anymore as there are bigger things that should be remembered instead of wasting it on these small glories that will be slowly forgotten in the future. Shakespeare’s unusual yet deep ways of describing human nature through his characters in his plays were unique. From the way he wrote his plays and poems, it would almost feel like to the reader and viewer that he lived in another type of world and that he saw everything around him very differently from normal people. He was very good in describing what he felt through what he saw as well. In one of his well-known plays called Hamlet, one of Hamlet’s quotes he says as following: What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me— nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so. (2. 2. 303–312). This passage exemplifies how Hamlet says that man is like an angel or god in apprehension. The ‘quintessence of dust’ states that from all God’s work, Man is one of the noblest. Despite all this nobility, Hamlet is not delighted by all this grace or beauty of man. This is one of the moments where his sincerity is genuinely in question as he explains this to two of the king’s followers or ‘parasites’ as he seems them as, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He feels like there is nothing in Denmark for him and that it feels like a prison to him where he is stuck in following his uncle’s orders and wished that there was another choice for him to follow instead. Even though Man is described as the beauty of God’s works, from what he sees man as in his life gives him another image of human nature.

Humanism and Secular Humanism

The question has been raised: who is in control of curriculum in our school? Not just the choosing of the precise books, but who is in charge of the contents of the books that curriculum directors can choose from? Once the answers to these questions are found, what should be done if they point to one group? So many problems in the United States have arisen when the people discover that one group is violating the people†s rights in some way by not allowing others power, that it would be logical to conclude that it would be perceived by many to be unfair if it is found that one interest group chooses what all American children learn, especially if that interest group is furthering their own interests by doing so. However, finding out the answers to these questions is quite difficult at best. The subject has been written about extensively, and since there are so many opinions, the unbiased truth is virtually impossible to come by. In this topic, it has been at least suggested by others that everyone is biased, including our Supreme Court, so one must tread carefully in stating so-called â€Å"facts.† Humanism and secular humanism and what they have to do with present educational curriculum will be discussed for the remainder. Though human nature tends to make all humans biased in some way, both sides of the argument have been researched and will be documented until fair conclusions can be made. First, the term â€Å"humanism† must be defined. To do this fully, the definition of â€Å"humanism† will be given from the dictionary, and then humanists themselves will have a turn to define themselves. Merriam Webster†s Collegiate Dictionary terms â€Å"humanism† as â€Å"a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; esp.: a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual†s dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason.† The same dictionary defines â€Å"doctrine† as â€Å"a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief: DOGMA.† To understand fully what this is pointing to, one must then look at the definition of â€Å"dogma†-â€Å"a doctrine or body of doctrines concerning faith or morals formally stated and authoritatively proclaimed by a church.† Most will agree that an accredited collegiate dictionary is an acceptable place to look for information, and here it is shown that humanism can be tied to a religion. People who claim to be humanist would also seem to be a good place to look for a formal term for humanism. Rebecca Bushnell writes of early humanist pedagogy when she says, â€Å"This is a humanism based on belief that people are largely responsible for what happens on this earth; committed to tolerance, attention to the differences among people and the need to treat them with equal respect; shaped by a cheerful acceptance of ambivalence and contradiction; and informed by an almost painful historical consciousness, which sees the past as estranged yet able to illuminate present concerns (8).† This explanation definitely sounds like what most people want to feel, or at least what they claim to, but humanism is more than this. Humanism is also defined by the worship of man; Curtis W. Reese writes, â€Å"There is a large element of faith in all religion. [Christianity has faith] in the love of God; and Humanism in man as the measure of values†¦Hypotheses, postulates, and assumptions in their proper realm are comparable to faith in the realm of religion. In this way I speak of the faith of Humanism.† Another humanist deals with the humanistic beliefs in right and wrong: â€Å"In humanism right and wrong are defined in terms of consequence to human life (10).† To further clarify what humanists believe, more writings of humanists will prove that they consider humanism to be their religion. Gerald A. Larque, a man who signed the Humanist Manifesto II, writes, â€Å"Our religion is based upon the best that we know about our cosmos, our world, and ourselves†¦We recognize our oneness with the cosmos and our spatial and temporal minuteness†¦We see ourselves as the highest life-form the evolutionary process has developed†¦(11).† The 1979 Humanist of the Year, who co-founded and edited The New Humanist, also believes humanism to be a religion: â€Å"†¦Humanism in a naturalistic frame is validly a religion†¦(7).† A Humanist Manifesto, also known as the Humanist Manifesto I, continually describes humanism as a religion. â€Å"The time has come for widespread recognition of the radical changes in religious beliefs†¦In every field of human activity, the vital movement is now in the direction of a candid and explicit humanism†¦religious humanism (13).† From the Humanist Manifesto II, one can see that Kurtz thinks of humanism as † a philosophical, religious, and moral point of view† and that it offers a believer a formula for salvation and a future sanctuary (12). Other humanists who claim humanism as their religion illustrate what â€Å"religion† means to them. Julian Huxley says in Religion Without Revelation, â€Å"There are whole religions which make no mention of God. The most notable example, as already mentioned, is that of Buddhism (14).† Furthering this thought, â€Å"Religion, then,†¦will mean a ruling commitment practiced by a community of individuals to what they believe creates, sustains, saves, and transforms human existence toward the greatest good (15).† With this, one has sufficient information concerning basic humanism beliefs. Besides the fact that humanists themselves admit to being a religious organization, there are several examples of how the American legal system treats humanism-as a religion. In a Supreme Court case, Torcaso v. Watkins, a Notary Public from Maryland was reinstated after being fired for refusing to proclaim a belief in God. The Court recognized religions that do not believe in God as â€Å"real† religions when it wrote, â€Å"Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism and others (7).† This statement will be considered later in the discussion. All formal humanist membership organizations in America claim 501(c )3 religious tax exempt status or deem themselves expressly religious. Dr. Paul Kurtz states, â€Å"Even the American Humanist Association (3,500 members)†¦has a religious tax exemption (7).† An editor of The Humanist magazine, Paul Blanshard says, â€Å"There has been another victory for those who would interpret the word â€Å"religion† very broadly†¦the appellate court reversed by a unanimous decision. Now the F.O.R. [Fellowship of Reconciliation] is established as a â€Å"religious† organization, with full right to tax exemption (7).† Tax-exempt status is serious business. In an article titled â€Å"The Religion of Democracy: Part II,† Rudolph Dreikurs argues that humanism should be thought of as religious because of the form and content. â€Å"The new religion will probably be humanistic. It will be concerned with man and not with God.† This â€Å"new religion† will have new principles, new rituals, and new symbols (16). Those involved in the humanist religion also have their own ministers, and â€Å"minister† is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as â€Å"one officiating or assisting the officiant in church worship.† Harvard University has its own Humanist chaplain, Thomas Ferrick, who is also â€Å"one of the 34 full- and part-time chaplains that make up the United Ministry at Harvard and Radcliffe, and he also serves as executive director of the Humanist Association of Massachusetts† local chapter (17).† In Auburn University†s Student/Faculty Directory, under â€Å"Auburn Pastors and Campus Ministers-Humanist,† there is a Humanist Counselor for the students (7). The University of Arizona†s Student Handbook for 1990-1991 lists â€Å"Humanists† under the title â€Å"Religious Services† (7). These facts should only prove further that Humanism is a religion. Now that humanism is understood, it is time to link humanism with present-day educational curriculum. Paul Vitz conducted research on the censorship of student†s textbooks, funded by the National Institute of Education, a part of the federal government, and came to the conclusion that they are strongly biased for the Secular Humanist worldview. â€Å"Whether one calls it secular humanism, enlightenment universalism, skeptical modernism, or just plain permissive liberalism, the bottom line is that a very particular and narrow sectarian philosophy has taken control of American education (18).† This seems to be a documented conclusion from an recognized institute, but yet it has not been fully discussed with the American public at large. Humanists themselves have admitted to the fact that they use the classroom to further their religion. John J. Dunphy states in his A Religion for a New Age, â€Å"[T]he battle for humankind†s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being (19).† Another man who calls himself a â€Å"Humanist minister†, Charles Francis Potter, says: â€Å"Education is thus a most powerful ally of Humanism, and every American public school is a school of Humanism. What can the theistic Sunday-schools, meeting for an hour once a week, and teaching only a fraction of the children, do to stem the tide of a five-day program of humanistic teaching? (20)† He then continues, â€Å"So very Humanistic is modern education that no religion has a future unless it be Humanism (20).† These men obviously believe very strongly not only that humanism is being taught in American public schools, but also that it should overpower other religions. John Dewey, who signed the Humanist Manifesto I, wrote a book, Education Today, in which he voices many opinions about education and how humanism should be implemented. â€Å"I believe that†¦it is the business of every one interested in education to insist upon the school as the primary and most effective instrument of social progress and reform†¦(21)†. On page eighty he says, â€Å"We certainly cannot teach religion as an abstract essence. We have got to teach something as religion, and that means practically some religion.† He also believes public education to be the vehicle by which this â€Å"deeper religion† is promoted (21). Now that it has been documented that the humanist religion is being funneled into public schools, it is time to give a few examples of the things in school curriculum that are humanist in nature. First, homosexuality is being pushed as acceptable behavior to students. The schools are teaching that it should be looked at as positive to have â€Å"full sexual adjustment without any hang-ups caused by outdated religious concepts. And our schools are the main tool used to teach the young people this human freedom (6).† Not only is homosexuality taught as â€Å"okay,† but they are also teaching the theory of evolution in full force. Teachers are not allowed to present any kind of argument for creationist theory; Jerry Bergman, Ph.D., states, â€Å"In fact, it is often considered inappropriate to criticize evolution, let alone present the creationist position (6).† This occurs without much argument, despite the fact that there are many books very critical of evolutionary theory â€Å"written by either evolutionists or by individuals who at least do not agree with the creationist perspective (6).† The biology textbook Of Pandas and People by Percival Davis and Dean H. Kenyon was included by the trustees in Plano, Texas, in the school curriculum, and humanist educators lost all pretense of â€Å"tolerance† because the book â€Å"acknowledges the abundance of design manifest in the natural world and thus reasonably postulates an intelligent Designer (7).† Homosexuality and evolution are just a couple examples of humanist perspective in the schools. The logic these humanists use, that schools are the best place to push their beliefs, makes complete sense, even â€Å"falls in line† with some of the basic thoughts of sociological theory: that â€Å"no knowledge is value-neutral; no knowledge is free of presuppositions. All knowledge is rooted in the social structure in particular ways and reflects (even if indirectly) the particular interest of different sectors of the population (4).† Reasonably, this idea is also true for knowledge given to children in public schools. Even John Dewey said (as quoted earlier) that the teaching of religion is inevitable in schools, that â€Å"some religion† would have to be taught. Is this what the American Constitution allows? It is wrong, and very punishable, for public schools to advocate Christianity or to teach any of its beliefs, but the teaching of humanism†s beliefs remains untouched. Humanists tend to label certain â€Å"unpopular† ideas (those that they do not agree with) as religious, and those they do support as non-religious. For instance, schools are free to teach â€Å"thou shalt not steal, lie, or murder† but not â€Å"thou shalt not commit adultery or take the name of God in vain.† What is the difference between the two statements, which are both from the Ten Commandments, the most basic Western religious law? Other concepts taught presently that have a religious origin are â€Å"the goal of treating others as one would like to be treated, the need to take an occasional break from one†s work, to be balanced in all things, and the attempt to be fair to all people (6).† One of the biggest objective of liberals in recent years has been to insure equal rights for all people, yet this idea was adopted as a religious goal over 2,000 years ago in the Christian Scriptures. Bergman states, â€Å"Incidentally, the source of the belief in the equality of man is the Bible, few ancient books espouse this concept, and it is foreign to most non-Christian peoples (6).† Since these concepts are biblical in origin, why are the students not told this? What about the fact that abortion, homosexuality and fornication are talked about in school, but teachers are not allowed to discuss the religious side of the issue, only the side deemed non-religious? Though the public schools are teaching a type of religion, obviously, the students are not informed about it; in fact, the topic of religion is not deemed important (6). Community schools, before federal aid was instigated, were to reflect the values of those who lived in it. â€Å"What happened to â€Å"community public schools† that were to reflect the values of the community? They disappeared when federal aid was approved. Now only what is approved by secularists [humanists] in Washington is ‘neutral† (22).† As James David Hunter documents, â€Å"Public education arguably shares a common ethical orientation with modern humanism, particularly to the degree that these perspectives are advanced without respect for cultural traditions that might dissent (4).† Community†s values are no longer taken into account when curriculum is chosen. In recent times, the idea of choice in education has come to life with a system of tuition vouchers, but criticism of this choice has been rampant among the educators who believe in humanism. Richard A. Baer, Jr. writes: â€Å"The point is this: Education never takes place in a moral and philosophical vacuum. If the larger questions about human beings and their destiny are not being asked and answered within a predominantly Judeo-Christian framework, they will be addressed within another philosophical or religious framework-but hardly one that is â€Å"neutral.† The arrogance and philosophical implausibility of secular humanism are demonstrated by the insistence of many humanists that their position possesses such neutrality, lack of dogma, and essential rationality. It is an arrogance that also quickly becomes coercive and imperialistic, as is clearly seen in the widespread opposition among such educators toward genuine choice in education, for instance, the kind of choice that would be possible through a system of education tuition vouchers (23).† If America is a land of freedom, one would assume that Americans could choose where to send their children to school and what they are taught. However, not all Americans can afford private schools, so beyond their local public school, there is no choice. With all of this discord, it would be surprising if no one had taken this matter to the courts. They have, in some aspects. First one must look at the history of the First Amendment. The First Amendment was written to guarantee that the interest of certain faiths would not be expanded by direct or indirect benefaction of the government, at least not to the hindrance of smaller, minority faiths. When originally written, its intention was to curb the â€Å"deep and long-standing tensions† between various inter-Protestant competitions (4). Of course, they also encompassed conflicts between Protestants and Catholics and between Jew and Christians, whose beliefs are quite different, though these conflicts were minor because Catholics and Jews comprised less than two percent of the population at the start of the nineteenth century. When these populations increased, their full religious liberties were still restricted, continuing past the beginning of the twentieth century (4). This failure to fully perfect the ideals of the First Amendment is important because â€Å"many of the social dynamics taking place in the present find a parallel in the past (4).† Not only have the numbers of Muslims, Mormons, Hindus, and Buddhists grown, but the secular humanists have increased from two percent in 1962 to about eleven percent in 1990. Though humanism is not the same kind of religion as Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism are determined to be, how should they be perceived for First Amendment purposes? The Supreme Court held a strict definition of religion-â€Å"Our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian†¦Ã¢â‚¬ -until the early 1940s, when it broadened the definition: â€Å"Religious belief arises from a sense of the inadequacy of reason as a means of relating the individual to his fellow men and to his universe-a sense common to men in the most primitive and the most highly civilized societies†¦It is a belief finding expression in a conscience which categorically requires the believer to disregard elementary self-interest and to accept martyrdom in preference to transgressing its tenets†¦Conscientious objection may justly be regarded as a response of the individual to an inward mentor, call it conscience or God, that is for many persons at the present time the equivalent of what has always been thought a religious impulse (4).† This expanded the criterion from the nature of belief in a divine being to the psychological function of belief (4). In 1961 the Supreme Court decided that a Maryland law violated the no establishment clause because it put â€Å"the power and authority of the State of Maryland†¦on the side of one particular sort of believers-those who are willing to say they believe ‘in the existence of God† (4).† This new functional definition was not used with the no establishment clause by opponents until the case Smith v. Board of School Commissioners. The plaintiffs believed that most of the textbooks in the county public school system promoted secular humanism†s religion, which would violate the no establishment clause of the First Amendment. The first judgment in the case favored the plaintiff; however it was eventually overturned. A Washington Post columnist, Colman McCarthy, wrote: â€Å"A careful reading of the decision, as against a skimming of news accounts of it, reveals that Mobile families had a fair grievance: That what was taught in classrooms about religion was impeding the teachings of mothers and fathers at home about religion. What†s wrong with that complaint? (4)† What is wrong with that complaint? Surely every parent has the right to teach their children what they want to. It seems confusing to find that the Supreme Court did not believe humanist religion to be in school curriculum, especially when humanists themselves have admitted to the fact, as documented earlier. However, humanists have backtracked from their earlier, outspoken works. Paul Kurtz, quoted earlier, wrote his 1989 book, Eupraxophy: Living Without Religion, to â€Å"take back† all the earlier writings of humanists that claimed it a religion. He even coined a term-eupraxophy-to describe humanism without using the word religion. â€Å"Eupraxophy†¦provides a coherent, ethical life stance†¦it presents a cosmic theory of reality†¦defends a set of criteria governing the testing of truth claims†¦advocates an ethical posture. And it is committed implicitly or explicitly to a set of political ideals. Eupraxophy combines both a Weltanshuung and a philosophy of living.† Now, why would Kurtz do this after he had decided already that humanism was, in fact, a religion, his religion? Why? Kurtz realizes that if humanism is religion, then it will not be allowed in the schools: â€Å"For if humanism, even naturalistic and secular humanism, is a religion, then we would be faced with a violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof.† (24).† It causes more confusion in the whole topic when different people claim different things. The whole argument comes down to this: That academic freedom seems to be unequal among educators. There are many different religious beliefs in America, and most teachers would claim to have some kind of religion or world view. â€Å"Academic freedom is the ability of the instructor to teach what he/she feels is the truth about reality in an intellectually honest and reasonable way (6).† Teachers in the present day are not allowed to teach what they believe and why, because of the First Amendment. Humanists and Christians have both agreed that religion will be taught in the schools in one manner or another, and this causes a great problem because someone must choose which religion will be taught. Noebel writes in his Clergy in the Classroom: â€Å"Imagine a child enrolled in a public school and learning only what that public school imparted (with no outside interference from family, church, Christian teachers or Congressional chaplains). When he graduated, what would he believe? Without divine intervention, he wouldn†t have much choice: Secular Humanism would be all he knew. This situation is idyllic, as far as the Humanists are concerned. Because their doctrines are every bit as dogmatic as Christian doctrine, and because they view Christianity as a ‘rotting corpse,† they use their established position to censor any hint of positive Christian influence in the classroom. Though they posture as ‘open-minded,† ‘tolerant† folks, Humanists eagerly discriminate against Christianity in the classroom (7).† This is not fair, just as it would not be fair if America†s public schools taught strictly Christian doctrine. Excluding religion from the classroom, when the whole purpose of school is to teach the entire body of knowledge, is â€Å"censorship of the worst sort (6).† Many parents, Humanist or Christian, Buddhist or Catholic, are rightfully worried that their children†s teachers will indoctrinate their children with some specific religious belief. However, students are bright, reasoning people and do not gullibly believe everything a teacher says. Children who have strong prejudices against certain groups do not let go of them easily, even when a teacher tries to help that child overcome the prejudice. Also, a teacher†s ideas may spark a child†s desire to further research the topic so that the child comes to his own conclusions. If students are to become those who can debate important topics, it seems that removing all religious questions would hinder that which is significant for living a well-rounded life (6). Jerry Bergman gives the example of Australia to clarify whether it is possible to bring religion into the classroom. Only three percent of Australia†s population attends church regularly, but the schools still have classes in religious education as an â€Å"integral part of the school curriculum at all grade levels (6).† This brings the conclusion that religion in schools is feasible, and not just the religion of one group. In conclusion, the questions asked at the beginning have been answered, but not fully. It has been proven that Humanism is a religion, by quotes of many influential Humanists and by the Supreme Court, and that there is evidence of Humanist beliefs in our school curriculum, by a federal government study and by Humanist†s admittance. Many men, Humanist, Christian, and those with unknown beliefs, have agreed that education cannot occur without some religious worldview†s influence, and the topic does not seem to be dormant in their minds. The battle is not over; the writer is quite convinced that there will be more court battles concerning this issue. To have an education system that treats each person†s beliefs equally, there needs to be a change. Either separate all children into schools of their respective religions, or treat them as intelligent individuals with minds that deserve to learn about all religious views and the immense amount of history that goes with them. Shujaa, Mwalimu J. Too Much Schooling, Too Little Education: A Paradox of Black Life in White Societies. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press, Inc., 1994. This book covered many areas of African-American education, and was a great background knowledge source. The topics most valid to my interests were the African experiences in schools, the analysis of African-American males† response to schooling, exploring exemplary African-American teachers† views, and African-Americans† communal nature of learning. Also I got great information concerning different school environments, and their effect on African-American students† education, which I then used to get strategies for teaching African-Americans from.

Accounting Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Accounting - Thesis Example The accounting standard deals with the disclosure of important accounting rules followed in presenting and preparing financial statements. In the early years, this activity was recommendatory in nature. Throughout this period, this was recommended for utilization by business firms listed on a familiar stock exchange, and other huge industrial, commercial and business enterprises in the private and public sectors. This accounting standard is accounting for fixed assets. In various enterprises these assets are grouped into different groups, for instance buildings, land, plant and machinery, furniture and fittings, vehicles, goodwill, patents, trade marks and designs. â€Å"This Standard deals with accounting for government grants. Government grants are sometimes called by other names such as subsidies, cash incentives, duty drawbacks, etc† (Accounting Standard (AS) 12: Accounting for Government Grants 125). FASB Statements and Standards. ICAEW: Library & Information Service. 2012. Web. 08 February 2012. < http://www.icaew.com/en/library/subject-gateways/accounting-standards/us-accounting-standards/fasb-statements-and-standards

Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Reading Response - Essay Example He says that poverty is an indication of ignorance and crime. After he saw three handcuffed men being taken away, he that they were not rich men and without knowing their criminal offence, he knew that poverty had contributed to their misery. He then says that poverty contributes to nine tenths of the human miseries. He holds that poverty is a crime since it seems to him that majority of those suffering from poverty are not poor due to their own faults, but as a result of conditions that have been created by the whole society. It is a mans decision if he chooses to be poor but when others are involved, he is responsible for the criminality. He says it is true on the analogy of the priest and the man selling soap. The man would rather be that poor doing dubious business to provide for his family than to have his soul saved. He says that poverty is not brought about the natural means but by the human actions evident when people seek shelter and children with the women suffering the mos t. Poverty problem is not noticed in nature but in a civilized world. He says that the root cause of poverty is primary injustice and the monopolization of land. He is logical in his speech. He differentiates crime from being poor when he states that poverty is a crime but being poor is not a crime and murder is a crime but being murdered is not a crime. He also explains that poverty is curse for both the rich and the poor; they all live in the same areas and breathe the poverty since it is like air. He argues that forcing poverty to other people is a crime and blames the society for the poor conditions of poverty. He defends the poor but also argues that they are partly responsible for poverty. He also uses logic when he states that poverty is a result of injustice and monopolization of land that has enslaved others in the name of freedom. George uses pathos when he argues that poverty would not have been a crime if it was divine but

UNDER THE LION'S PAW by hamlin garland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

UNDER THE LION'S PAW by hamlin garland - Essay Example With almost cinematographic precision the opening paragraph takes the reader in the reality of the farmer’s every day life: IT was the last of autumn and first day of winter coming together. All day long the ploughmen on their prairie farms had moved to and fro in their wide level fields through the falling snow, which melted as it fell, wetting them to the skin all day, notwithstanding the frequent squalls of snow, the dripping, desolate clouds, and the muck of the furrows, black and tenacious as tar (Garland 1). What captures the attention is the literary uniqueness of the characters. Although they are created in order to convey the author’s ideas about the organization of society, the characters in â€Å"Under the Lion’s Paw† also possess captivating dimensionality, which is revealed through their actions, feelings and struggles: The little woman's eyes filled with tears which fell down upon the sleeping baby in her arms. The world was not so desolate a nd cold and hopeless, after all (Garland 3). Garland also conveys broader notions of the organization of society and the distribution of resources through his characters. He expresses his moral views of good and evil. The social contrast between these characters is what constitutes Garland’s universe and the human values on which it is based. One of the leading characters in the story is Timothy Haskins. He is the embodiment of the average, hard-working man, who is ready to sacrifice everything in the name of his ideal, which is his family. Haskins is Garland’s vision of the hard-working, honest man, who has internalized the constraints of the system, which in most of the cases works against him: Many a night he worked till his anxious wife came out at ten o'clock to call him in to rest and lunch [†¦] No slave in the Roman galleys could have toiled so frightfully and lived, for this man thought himself a free man, and that he was working for his wife and babes (Ga rland 10). Timothy Haskins represents the individual aspect of a social struggle, against land speculation and unfair taxation in the 1880s and 1890s. In this sense the story sends the author’s message for social reform as the only road to democratization. The antidote of this vision of social and economic equality is Jim Butler. He is the collective image of those, who have gained economic supremacy through illegal means, and greed has transformed their capacity to create into capacity to dominate. It is difficult to say whether Butler is morally corrupt or just taking advantage of the system. Jim Butler was one of those men called in the West "land poor† [†¦]But a change came over him at the end of the second year, when he sold a lot of land for four times what he paid for it. From that time forward he believed in land speculation as the surest way of getting rich (Garland 5) Finally, Steve Council represents the virtues of society, such as compassion, trustworth iness, sincerity, empathy, honesty, and kindness. These are the pillars of society, as envisioned by the author, which he has embedded in Council’s uncomplicated, noble character. Council moved about uneasily in his seat and stopped his stammering gratitude by saying: "Hold on, now; don't make such a fuss over a little thing. When I see a man down, an' things all on top of 'm, I jest like t' kick 'em

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Case Study Example 2. The HR department will also offer monthly training to all employees. This is because 76 % of the respondents signified that they needed additional training. Employees will be categorized into two groups based on the training they need. The trainings available are computer and communication training. Computer training will be offered by a local- based institution, providing training on computer packages, for 4 months. Training will be offered on every afternoon of Friday and Saturday. Much of the training will focus on computer packages, as networking is an essential tool of communication, in the modern corporate world. On the other hand, five members of the staff will lead their colleagues in leaning communication techniques. This will be done daily as from 3pm to 5pm. 3. The facilities and comfort provided by the company are pretty reasonable; however, the HR department will consider improving medical and transport facilities because 90 % of the respondents need modern welfare administration. In the next 3 months, the company’s heath unit is going to be stocked with modern medical equipment to improve service delivery. Additionally, one doctor and three nurses are going to join the medical team, in the next one month. Two more luxury buses will be delivered to the fleet department, in two months time. This, in addition to the existing buses, will enhance movement of employees from one point to another. 4. The HR department will also review its promotion and transfer strategies because 63 % of employees need regular employee movement. It is necessary to note that this will only depend on an employee’s performance and efficiency. Therefore, those who need regular movements must improve their work output and efficiency. While interviewing employees, most of the correspondents complained that relationship between labour force and management is

Federal elections and policy implications in 2012 Research Paper

Federal elections and policy implications in 2012 - Research Paper Example There are often different types of federal policies in the United States. These policies are usually subdivided according to the subject matter. The policy issues Almanac provides the background upon which information, links, and archived documents to cardinal America’s public policy issues are organized and categorized (Gleick, Christian-Smith, and Cooley 13). The United States has divided its public policies into nine categories: †¢ Criminal justice that include death penalties, drug policies, and gun controls †¢ Cultural and social policies including abortion, art, and civil rights †¢ Economic affairs policies that include taxes and budgets †¢ Education policies that incorporate elementary, secondary, and higher education †¢ Environmental policies that concentrate on global warming and quality of air †¢ Government operation policies that govern the campaign financing reforms and the privatization †¢ Health care policies that include health insurance and Medicare †¢ Social welfare policy that deals with social security and welfare †¢ Foreign affairs and national security policies that govern spending on the national defense ... Notably, during the 2007 elections, president Obama promised much on the economic recovery. At the end of his first tenure, it seems that he did not deliver fully as he had promised and the economy that was affected by Bush policies and administrations still moved to the worse. These facts have made the economic affair policy environment  quite volatile for either party (Coleman 127). Regardless of who could have won the 2012 presidential elections, the economic affair policy environment still remains heated. Additionally, the health policy was also a significant issue in the 2012 presidential campaigns. Despite the differences in opinions concerning the appropriate health care policies to be enacted, at some point Mitt Romney at one point agreed with some elements of the Obamacare (Gleick, Christian-Smith, and Cooley 21). Regardless of these agreements in opinions, the health affairs policy environment also remained a heated campaign throughout the campaign period. Other policies were viewed as one party or presidential aspirants show. For instance, president Obama mainly addressed the cultural and society policy on same sex marriage. Regardless some significant policies were not given concentration  they deserved. For instance, the environment policy is a radical policy that not only threatens United States but the entire globe. The environmental policies are the concerns of the citizens since from the 2008 election campaigns; it seemed the sure way of providing the cheap energy alternative (Gleick, Christian-Smith, and Cooley 54). The 2008 presidential campaign captured the attention of numerous Americans since the â€Å"DRILL, baby, drill† promised Americans cheap and reliable energy that was to be produced at home rather

Outsourcing vs. Off Shoring Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Outsourcing vs. Off Shoring - Assignment Example One of the criticisms of off shoring is that it denies the local community employment opportunities as it transfers jobs to foreign countries, and therefore companies that participate in off shoring do not directly contribute to the economic development of the local community. As for outsourcing companies, they are mainly criticised for relying on third parties to perform some of their core functions thereby failing to develop in-house knowledge of the outsource functions. Secondly, outsourcing has the potential of misaligning customers’ interest since some core functions of the business are not performed by the company originally contracted (Oshri et al. 2009). Outsourcing and off shoring have similarities in advantages they offer that include reduced cost of operations, sub-contracting of work to equally qualified external workforce, and labour flexibilities. According to the studies conducted by Tuckman (1965), he stated that high performance teams usually follow five common stages or phases that include the forming, the storming, the norming, the performing, and the adjoining stage. For teams that perform either outsourced or off shored tasks, a team leader in the forming stage which is the first stage will bring together different members so as to form the team, at this stage the team leader may just introduce members and then proceed to the next stage, which is the storming stage. Under the storming stage, the team leader will exercise his or her authority by delegating tasks to team members and clearly define the team’s objectives and goals. Under the norming stage, team leaders usually try to control the fallouts witnessed in the storming stage and a well-structured hierarchy is usually established. Under the fourth stage, the team leader usually engage in developing team members as they work towards achieved the objectives and goals that were delegated to the team. The last stage of managing of team is the adjourning stage whereby team

Cooperate Inquiry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cooperate Inquiry - Essay Example The total idea of cooperation inquiry is that research is made with people in contrast to traditional methods based on actions research made on people. The first step is in a research process is to find and formulate a feasible starting point. The main questions of the research are: What issue in practical experience is worth studying over a period of time Does it fit capabilities and do researchers have the resources Is there a fair chance researchers can get somewhere if they research this issue These are questions researchers needs to ask when beginning research. Cooperative inquiry begins with reflection upon such discrepancies and tries to save them from being forgotten in the maze of everyday work (Harwood 72). They become the focus for further development of the research process and for the generation of knowledge about that process. Such discrepancies need not always be negative and problematic for the researchers. Action research can also focus on trying out good ideas for improvements or on the further development of one's own strengths (Schon 43). Second step - action phase - is aimed to tests proposed actions and record expected outcomes. One possible way of testing our knowledge of a situation researchers want to improve and develop is to obtain additional information-perhaps by carrying out an observation or by interviewing other people involved. The whole inventory of data collection methods can be used for this purpose (Schratz and Walker 92). As researchers have seen, other people's views can provide starting points for our own reflection, helping to actuate tacit knowledge or to stimulate researchers to collect additional information. It is important to remain clear that such explanations are hypothetical, providing stimuli for research and development rather than replacing them. By introducing changes, trying out new actions, and observing their results, our view of the situation in which we find ourselves is often deepened. Researchers need to find a pattern in the complexities of the situation identified as the star ting point for research. First, researchers try to identify the most important individual elements of the situation, to distinguish them from less important elements, and describe them as vividly as possible. The main questions at this stage are: What is happening in this situation Which events, actions and features of the situation are important Which people are involved, and in what kind of activities (Smart 82). Phase three is a second action phase. When researchers formulate important individual elements of the practical theory, they should not restrict themselves to what happened, but also take account of the context. Cooperative inquiry does not take place in a laboratory in which the researcher controls most of the context. Their own actions are embedded in a framework of other people's interests and actions. Their research and development activities in turn have consequences for others. This stage usually involves people outside the group and the research (Reason. 2008). The aim of this stage is to generate new ideas and new experiences. The main questions at this stage are: Which other people are affected by my research and deve

Analyze the article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyze the - Article Example Hence the study found out that the perception of school librarians and their internship experiences. It has been found that many higher education institutions are turning to the online programmes as the student is in a position to access greater learning resources, proffesional experts. What is more is that the student has unlimited geographical area that the student is accessed at their own convenience (Dotson, 2010). The program is very beneficial to the already employed students who cannot be able to attend the full time learning program, hence making it possible for anyone to advance in their studies. Furthermore it is more effective as the students undertaking the course work are in a better position to practice what they learn as they can apply it in the daily activities of their work (Dotson, 2010). More over the programme has been very effective in reducing the gap between academia and practice; this is because students learn experimentally as they practice what they have learnt (Dotson, 2010). Studies also show that the programme is becoming more popular all around the world. Other studies that have been carried out previously indicate that many students are now turning to online learning programmes as they are more convenient and effective. The study turned out to be meaning full and also useful; this is because online learning programmes have over the years been proven to be more effective by the previous studies. The main objective of this study was to find out if the online facilitated graduate internship programmes were effective (Dotson, 2010). The study therefore found it to be effective. As most of the students worldwide are now embracing online education Furthermore the advancement in technology have helped to make this process more effective, this has been very critical as it has supported distance learning

Education in Saudi Arabia and the United States of America Essay Example for Free

Education in Saudi Arabia and the United States of America Essay Education continues to be the priority of all nations around the world. Countries devote vast resources to ensure equal opportunity to study for their people. In return, the educated segment of the population becomes the wealth of these nations and will more likely meet the social and economic demands of the country. The educational systems are continuously developed to meet not just the local but also the global demands and challenges. It is more appropriate to look at the disparity on the education sector of one country to another in order to determine what needs to be improved and developed in one’s educational system. This paper aims to provide an assessment on the similarities and differences of education in two countries, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America (USA). The education in Saudi Arabia and the USA are similar in terms of government spending on education, freedom to choose the school where they will attend to, and education for people with special needs, while differ in terms of attitude towards education, literacy rate, religion in school, gender roles, grading scales, and stages of education. Both the Saudi Arabia and USA government spend immense resources on the education sector. The Saudi Arabia government’s increased awareness on the importance of education to its people paved way to its provision of bountiful support to education. Like the USA government, the Saudi Arabia government finance general education for both boys and girls. It also provides free post-secondary education and offers financial help to students. At cases, meals, books, and transportation are subsidized. In the same way, the USA government offers free general and post-secondary education for all financed by the government. In both countries, students are also allowed to choose what school they will attend to. They have the options to enroll in public, private, or home school. Most of the parents prefer to send their children in public school practically because they are much â€Å"free† from burden. There were also those who prefer private schools thinking that these schools might provide better, quality education to their children especially for those seeking a competitive edge in college admission. A few considers home schooling best for their children for reasons that they can effectively tailor a curriculum that would best suit their children’s academic strengths and weaknesses, especially those with disabilities. Aside from home schooling, those with disabilities may be sent to schools which will cater to their needs like schools for the blind, deaf, physically and mentally handicapped, among others (Education, 2005). The Saudi Arabia and USA governments have put on these schools to encourage individuals to their full potential and share social and emotional experiences with their peers having the same conditions as themselves. The curricula in the special classes given to the students were tailored fit to their needs. For instance, the educational programs given to the blind and deaf individuals were different. For sure, blind students were thought of using Braille while deaf students do not. One variation the Saudi Arabia and the USA government have is the attitude towards education. In the USA, school attendance is mandatory and nearly universal at primary and secondary levels. School districts meet to discuss school curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies to further improve the education in the state. On the other hand, in Saudi Arabia, the government does not impose mandatory attendance in school. Although, it is encouraged that the free primary and secondary education are availed since education is given free and open to every citizen. The literacy rate for the two countries presented, are varied. The USA literacy rate is estimated at 99% for both men and women, whereas, literacy rate in Saudi Arabia is estimated at only 84. 7% for men and 70. 8% for women (Literacy, 2007). The Saudi Arabia government recognizes the importance of literacy in propelling the economy; hence, one of its objectives for the education sector is to eradicate illiteracy especially among adults and girls through several literacy programs. In the USA, despite the high literacy rate, the government is continually implementing programs to further develop the education sector. Religion is the main core of education in Saudi Arabia. The curricula developed conform to the Shariah (Islamic holy law) and the Quran. Men were trained of Islamic education to become members of religious clergy. They provide religious secondary education with focus primarily on Islamic and Arabic studies, although, the curriculum also includes general education. The schools which administer these were Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University and the Islamic University of Medinah (Sedgwick, 2001). On the contrary, education in the USA is not focused on religion but there are some schools which may offer religion subjects that are not quite extensive as religion studies in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, education is segregated by sex. Education for boys is different from education for girls. Education is divided into three separately administered systems: general education for boys, education for girls and traditional Islamic education for boys (Sedgwick, 2001). However, in the recent years, education for girls was continuously being developed to meet the growing demands of the country. Unlike in the USA, education is offered to both sexes, giving them equal opportunity to study. The educational programs that were developed cater to both sexes. Grading scales were prepared to gauge the students’ performance on school. Grading scales in the USA and Saudi Arabia differ. In the USA, marks were given on the scale of A to F. In the criterion-referenced system, the equivalent grades of these to 0 to 100 percentile are as follows: A=95-100 or 90-100, B=85-95 or 80-90, C=75-85 or 70-80, D=65-75 or 60-70, and F is given to marks below 65 or 60. There is also the norm-referenced system where marks are given as follows: A=top 10% of the class, B=next 20% of the class, C=next 30% of the class, D=next 20% of the class, and bottom 20% of the class (Grading systems, n. d). On the contrary, the grading scale in Saudi Arabia was given as follows: 5=90-100, 4=80-89, 3=70-79, 2=60-69, and 1=0-59 (Sedgwick, 2001). The stages of education in both countries also vary. Education in Saudi Arabia starts with primary, followed by secondary, and higher education. Primary education is for ages 6 to 12. An intermediate education, which is part of primary education, is carried out for ages 12 to 15. Secondary education is divided into three: general, religious, and technical. These are taken by ages 15 to 18. The higher education is also divided into three stages: the baccaloreus (bachelor’s degree-4 years), darajat al majisteer (masters degree – 2years), and doctoorah (doctorate– minimum of 3 years) (Sedgwick, 2001). On the other hand, education in the USA is composed of these stages: preschool (1 or 2 yrs), elementary/middle/high school (12 yrs), associate, bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees (Structure: General Information, n. . ). The differences in education in both countries mainly lie on their history, culture, social and economic conditions, whereas, the similarities were bought about by their desire to provide accessible, quality education free and open to all. Education stimulates the people to contribute to its country in addressing the increasing local and global demands. This motivates the countries to improve and further develop its educational system.

Belonging Essay Example for Free

Belonging Essay An individuals perception of belonging is created with the passing of time and ones mixing within the world. This view is Represented in St Patricks College written by Peter Skrzynecki and Neighbours written by Tim Winton. Belonging is how one feels connected to people, places, communities within the world . St Patricks College looks at the unhappiness of a boy in high school, feeling out of place. Neighbours shows a young man’s emerging understanding of the culture diversity and generosity of the neighbours he once looked at with suspicion. The couple feels alienated and foreign in their own home and country. Ones culture influences the connection you have and feel to a place, such as the suburb and school in St Patricks College. St Patricks College is set in a Catholic school. â€Å"Our Lady† – reference to our lady lets the reader know it is a highly religious catholic school. â€Å"Over shadowed by the clouds† this suggests the statue face is not clear. Indirectly life for the boy is uncertain at school. The use of the word shadow symbolises a casting doubt in the boys school life. The narrator explains the boy doesn’t fit in, depicted in the simile â€Å"Feels like a foreign tourist† the boy feels excluded because of his Polish background both at school and around the town he lives in. The passing of 8 full years at this place and he still does not feel a serious connection to the suburb or the school. In Neighbours the couple feels disconnected to the town in which they move to. At first alienated,suspicious and foreign in their own home. They don’t feel that they belong in the neighbourhood even though it is a part of their country. The couple’s sense of belonging begins to grow as time passes through acceptance. The couple begin to fit in with the outsiders traditions and decide they love it. As time continues to pass the two cultures may have different opinions on the lifestyle of one another although they decide to accept this and gain a sense of generosity through the pregnancy of the Wife. The people a person grows up with (usually family) vastly influence how you connect to people within the world. In St Patricks College the son is expected to be a part of the Australian school and fit in with other children, just as he belongs with his family in his Polish home. There is a barrier to communication with the people at St Patricks College compared to he’s Polish influenced home as the boy is not familur with this culture and finds it difficult to connect and gain a sense of belonging within this social group. Since there is no connection to Poland in the school teaching, this then leaves the boy feeling isolated from everyone else as he doesn’t connect. This is represented in the quote â€Å"Mother enrolled me at St Pat’s with never a thought†. The boy and Mother have individual ideas about what it means to belong. Since the mother did not understand his lack of belonging, the boy felt forced to complete the â€Å"8 years† for the moth ers sake â€Å"Prayed that someday mother would be pleased†. This shows the change over time when the boy now relates to prayers. In neighbours, the couple are new to this town and feel that the migrants around them all connect yet even though this is their country they feel disconnected within their community due to the cultural diversity. The use of alliteration in spitting, shouted and screamed add to sense of â€Å"difference† and strangeness further alienates the young couple. The young couple establish smiling relationships ad exchange food and gifts and feel proud of their relationship they have built with the migrant neighbours. This depicts the way that with the passing of time, the couple learn and grow to belong to this community. As time passes the young mans final realisation shifts by finishing the short story with the perception of the goodness the migrant neighbours were trying to put upon the new couple within this new community. A persons community influences the connection they have with the world and in the passing of time. In St Patricks College, the boy does not find a connection to the school or the children in that community. The boys feelings over time do not change. An example is shown at the end of the poem â€Å"The darkness around me wasn’t for the best before i let my light shine†. The darkness refers to him not feeling a part of the school community and that this school was not the best choice for him. The use of irony in â€Å"Let my light shine† (the school motto) is shown to depict the fact that Peter can only achieve it when he has left the school community- when the boy leaves the school, he then can enjoy life. â€Å"I stuck pine needles into the motto† this act of rebellion and lack of regard gives us a sense of empathy as he does not belong nor accept this community. The young couple have cultural differences within the community. They find it difficult to connect to the migrant neighbours. This is shown throughout the short story as an unbroken and uncomfortable relationship exists for a while between the 2 parties. We realise the immigrants think the couple are odd, changing the perception of the reader slightly. Winton shows that there is a ‘difference’ on both sides which causes the alienation and isolation. In the quote â€Å"He watched in disgust as the little boy urinated in the street†. This refers to the diversity in the cultures which is carried throughout the neighbourhood. From this the couple do not gain an understanding nor a sense of belonging until they discover that they are warm and friendly yet live a lifestyle differently. Over time the couple begin to no longer feel foreign in their own home and gain a connection to their community. In conclusion, the close study St Patricks College and Neighbours show different perceptions of belonging and not belonging. Although through the passing of time and interaction within the world, both texts gain the concept of whether they belong to a certain place, persons or community.

The Effect Of Conflict On The Gaza Strip Politics Essay

The Effect Of Conflict On The Gaza Strip Politics Essay The small strip of land between Egypt and Israel known as the Gaza Strip has been a combat zone in the ongoing Arab-Israeli Conflict since the 1940s. After the 1st Arab-Israeli War ended in 1949, Egypt annex Gaza. In the 1956 and 1967 wars between Israel and Egypt, Israeli forces under enemy control the crowded urban Gaza area, returning it to Egyptian control after the 1956 war,  but keeping it after the 1967 war. The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel effectively ceded control of Gaza to Israel, but Gaza became a theatre of war in the Palestinian rising against Israel known as The Intifada in the late 1980s. This uprising led to the peace agreement known as the Oslo Accords. Under this treaty, the Palestinian Authority (Palestinian government dominated by the Fatah movement), took over the organizational authority of the Gaza Strip (other than the established Israeli settlements and military areas) in 1994. In the summer of 2005,  Israel unilaterally evacuated its last military outposts in the Gaza Strip, hoping that would simplicity ongoing tensions with the Palestinian forces in Gaza. On June 25, 2006, Palestinian militants crossed from Gaza into Israel, kidnapping an Israeli soldier. Israel responded on June 29 with an invasion of the Gaza Strip. This campaign continued until Nov. 26, 2006, with a cease-fire. Despite the cease-fire, Palestinian rockets have been launched with some regularity into Israel, with Israel often responding with air and missile attacks on Gaza targets. 2007 Palestininian Civil War in Gaza In June of 2007, a short civil war between the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, resulted in the expulsion of Fatah forces from Gaza. Hamas is well thought-out the more militant of the two groups, and Hamas does not recognize Israels right to exist and seeks to reclaim all Palestinian lands from Israel. 2007-2008 Gaza Conflict This stage of the ongoing warfare in Gaza consisted of a series of battles between Palestinian militants and the Israel Defense Forces beginning in Mid-May of 2007. Palestinian forces fired more than 220 home-made Qassem rockets at the Israel town of Sderot and the western Negev region over the span of a week. The Israeli warplanes responded with air-to-ground missiles and bomb, targeting Hamas military and political infrastructure targets. On February 29, Israeli ground forces entered Gaza, killing nearly 100 Hamas militants. Israel also halted the transfer of electricity, fuel, and other supplies into Gaza in an attempt to weaken Hamas. Despite all attempts of controlling the violence, Hamas forces continued to launch missile attacks at Israel. It must be noted that Hamas, like the Hezbollah army in Lebanon, is allied with, and supplied by, Iran, which is a declared enemy of Israel. In June of 2008, Egypt, acting as the go-between, managed to put together a cease-fire between Israe l and Hamas. This cease-fire was broken several times by both sides, but largely brought a measure of peace to the Israel-Gaza border. Israel maintained closed borders with Gaza, hoping to pressure the Hamas regime economically. While Israel indicated a willingness to extend the cease-fire, Hamas began increasing its Qassem rocket attacks on Israel, forcing the Israeli government to make a decision on how to respond. 2008 Gaza War: Airstrikes and Ground Invasion On December 27, 2008, Israeli forces launched a major air attack on Hamas political and military targets in Gaza. Reports indicate that between 200 and 255 Palestinians died on the first day of the attacks. Reports also indicated that Israeli ground forces were moving toward the Gaza border. Hamas forces responded with more Qassem rocket attacks, with some newer, longer-range rockets reaching the Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod. Mid East analysts view the massive Israeli response as a means of showing its enemies that Israel is still a military force to be reckoning with. After losing the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Israel felt that Hezbollah, Hamas, and their Iranian patrons no longer fear Israel. Ever since independence in 1948, Israel has existed surrounded by enemies and literally has fought nearly continuous wars along its borders ever since. Too many Israelis, appearing fragile, or acting fragile in front of its worldly foes only invites additional attacks. Thus, while the Qassem rocket attacks are a real danger to the quarter-million or so Israelis within range of the Gaza border, these Hamas rockets create no imminent danger to Israels existence. By responding so forcefully, Israel hopes to ward off other enemies whose attacks could be more deadly, in particular, Iran, who is on the rise of nuclear ambition. The timing of Israels attacks is rather interesting, but actually somewhat unsurprising. It is no secret that President George W. Bush is a enthusiastic supporter of Israel, and the Dec. 27 attacks began as President Bush had only 24 more days as President of the United States. Both in the media and in the United Nations, the United States under the Bush Administration has been an firm supporter and ally of Israel, blocking key votes in the UN, which called for a cease-fire. Unsure of how the incoming Obama Administration may perceive an attack on Hamas, Israel likely determined to act to secure its southern border while their good friend George W. Bush was still in office and able to provide proper and diplomatic assistance. As of January 5, United Nations officials, as well as media outlets estimate that the Gaza War has seen 524 Palestinians killed and 2,600 wounded since the Israel began Operation Cast Lead on December 27, the majority of these casualties among members of Hamas security forces, but at least 200 of the dead were civilians. Israel reports one soldier and three civilians killed since December 27, with 30 civilians wounded by Hamas rocket attacks. Israeli artillery joined in the attacks on January 3, 2009. Despite the massive air attacks, Hamas was still able to launch over 400 rockets and missiles into southern Israel. It became apparent that air power alone would not accomplish the affirmed Israeli goal of halting the cross-border attacks by Hamas upon Israels civilian people. On January 3, thousands of Israeli troops, in three brigade-size formations, backed by tanks and attack helicopters, launched the expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip in what Israel calls the second stage of Operation Cast Lead. The Israeli military reported 30 soldiers received wounds in the opening hours of the offensive, and also reported dozens of cas ualties among the defending Hamas forces. It was also reported that Israeli naval vessels assisted with the invasion, providing fire into the Gaza Strip in support of ground troops. Go here to see Ehud Barak Announcement about the start of the Israeli ground offensive. By the end of the first day of the ground offensive, Israel announced that its forces had bisected the Gaza Strip and surrounded the city of Gaza. Heavy combat war also reported near the northern Gaza towns of Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya. On January 6, Israeli forces fired mortar rounds at what they say was a launching area for Hamas rockets. The Israeli mortar shells struck a United Nations-run school at which hundreds of Palestinian civilians had taken shelter. The UN reported approximately 40 dead civilians in this attack. The bombing of the school brought a large amount of criticism on Israel from around the world. Though Israel justified the attack by claiming Hamas launched rockets from that area, Israel took a hit in terms of world public opinion. On January 8, Hezbollah forces launched rockets into Israel from Lebanon, raising the possibility of a second front in the new war. Israeli troops pushed into a heavily populated area of Gaza City from the south on January 11 in hard fighting, in which Israeli and Hamas forces engaged in vicious unconventional asymmetrical warfare house to house, and street by street. On January 17, Israeli announced a unilateral ceasefire, deciding to halt operations without first securing an agreement with Hamas. The next day, January 18, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militia groups declared they would halt the launching of rockets into Israel for one week, while demanding that Israel withdraw from Gaza within the week. May 31, a deadly predawn Israeli raid on ships off Gaza has sparked international outrage, following the deaths of international activists who say they were trying to transport humanitarian supplies.

The Compulsion Toward Evil in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay

The Compulsion Toward Evil in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†      Ã‚   It is the intention of this essay to demonstrate the compulsion toward gross evil in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† that is indicated by the actions of the characters, a compulsion that includes not only the leading characters but virtually everyone in the tale.    In Salem village that fateful night when the young Puritan husband was departing home for the night, he exchanged â€Å"a parting kiss with his young wife.† The wind was playing with â€Å"the pink ribbons of her cap.† Literary critic Wagenknecht surveys some of the critical interpretation relative to these ribbons on Faith’s cap and how they convey a message from Hawthorne:    Mathews finds the pastel of infancy in pink, but since pink is a color intermediate between red and white, William V. Davis prefers to take it as suggesting â€Å"neither total depravity nor innocence† but â€Å"the tainted innocence, the spiritual imperfection of mankind,† a view shared, up to a point, by Robinson. . . . (62).      So the critics would have us believe that the author is making a statement here: that seemingly good Faith is not all that good, based on the author’s placement of pink ribbons on her cap.    She whispered, â€Å"Dearest heart, prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed tonight. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that she’s afraid of herself sometimes.† Q.D. Leavis says in â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet† that â€Å"It is a journey he takes under compulsion, and it should not escape us that she tries to stop him because she is under a similar compulsion to go on a ‘journey’ herself† (36). So the main male and female characters are manifesting similar compulsions toward evil. .. ...n toward evil in the tale, which is indicated by the actions of the characters, a compulsion that includes not only the leading characters but virtually everyone.      BIBLIOGRAPHY    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc.,1959. 247-56.    Lang, H.J.. â€Å"How Ambiguous is Hawthorne?† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Leavis, Q.D. â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Martin, Terence â€Å"Six Tales.† In Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965.    Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989. The Compulsion Toward Evil in Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown Essay The Compulsion Toward Evil in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†      Ã‚   It is the intention of this essay to demonstrate the compulsion toward gross evil in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† that is indicated by the actions of the characters, a compulsion that includes not only the leading characters but virtually everyone in the tale.    In Salem village that fateful night when the young Puritan husband was departing home for the night, he exchanged â€Å"a parting kiss with his young wife.† The wind was playing with â€Å"the pink ribbons of her cap.† Literary critic Wagenknecht surveys some of the critical interpretation relative to these ribbons on Faith’s cap and how they convey a message from Hawthorne:    Mathews finds the pastel of infancy in pink, but since pink is a color intermediate between red and white, William V. Davis prefers to take it as suggesting â€Å"neither total depravity nor innocence† but â€Å"the tainted innocence, the spiritual imperfection of mankind,† a view shared, up to a point, by Robinson. . . . (62).      So the critics would have us believe that the author is making a statement here: that seemingly good Faith is not all that good, based on the author’s placement of pink ribbons on her cap.    She whispered, â€Å"Dearest heart, prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed tonight. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that she’s afraid of herself sometimes.† Q.D. Leavis says in â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet† that â€Å"It is a journey he takes under compulsion, and it should not escape us that she tries to stop him because she is under a similar compulsion to go on a ‘journey’ herself† (36). So the main male and female characters are manifesting similar compulsions toward evil. .. ...n toward evil in the tale, which is indicated by the actions of the characters, a compulsion that includes not only the leading characters but virtually everyone.      BIBLIOGRAPHY    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc.,1959. 247-56.    Lang, H.J.. â€Å"How Ambiguous is Hawthorne?† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Leavis, Q.D. â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Martin, Terence â€Å"Six Tales.† In Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965.    Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989.

Sci-fI Films Essay -- essays research papers

In this essay I am going to discuss about the topic: â€Å"Science fiction often plays off the real against the artificial, either in the form of humans versus non-human (androids, cyborgs, synthetics), or the world versus the non-world (cyberspace, inner-space, intentional space)†. I have chosen the films â€Å"The Matrix† and â€Å"Bicentennial Man† An explosion in information access and exchange is fueling the Information Superhighway that was created as a result of the computer revolution. If technology has truly become a god, then cyberspace is definitely its bible. Its scope is endless; its breadth enormous. Although the foundation of cyberspace, the computer, definitely serves to dehumanize culture, the Information Superhighway itself does not. If anything, cyberspace is re-humanizing the computer revolution. The World Wide Web, through pictures and graphics, has added personality and more personal contact to a technology that for years was ‘just the facts.’ Although the statement might be made that this is a pseudo-rehumanization that masks true human characteristics with digital ones, this is at least a step in the right direction. Something that removes the human qualities or attributes from culture can be said to dehumanize it. This technology destroys our view of truth and meaning. The basic presupposition of the Information Superhighway is that it contains information on any subject and can answer any question. It causes people to search places other than God for direction, truth, and meaning. Involvement with the technology serves to replace our involvement with reality. There is a tendency for people to start thinking of themselves and others in terms of their online personalities. Many people develop a whole other life on-line and some even end up being unable to separate their on-line identity from their real one. Recent movies such as The Matrix and Bicentennial Man serve to further blur this already fuzzy line. Bicentennial Man, directed by Chris Columbus (US, 1999), is based on a story Isaac Asimov wrote in 1975 and like many of his stories, it deals with the enigma of a machine with the intelligence of a man, but without the rights or the feelings. As we might expect the film presents Asimov's concept of the intelligent robot, a concept that, like Asimov himself, pre-dates the modern world of personal computers, video games, the Internet, 'e... ...housand years ago. If the portrayal of intelligent machines in films teaches us anything, it is that it is fortunate that such machines do not yet exist. It is fortunate that is, for the machines, because all the evidence would indicate that we are not yet ready to treat them as fellow persons. Fortunate too for us perhaps, because when they became smart enough to mount a successful rebellion they might make us pay for their oppression (Mitchell 2003). Reference: 1. Edwards, D A, ‘The Matrix’, The Matrix: An Ideological Analysis, viewed 5 June 2005, http://fiffdimension.tripod.com/matrix.htm1. 2. Menor F 2000, The Matrix(1999), viewed 7 June 2005, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/ 3. Mitchell, D 2003, What s it like to be a Robot?, viewed 7 June 2005, http://www.zenonic.demon.co.uk/zenorobot.htm 4. Setzer V W 2002, AI - Artificial Intelligence or Automated Imbecility, viewed 7 June 2005, http://www.transintelligence.org/articles/Artificial%20Intelligence.htm 5. The Matrix 1999, motion picture, Prod. Joel Silver. Dir. The Wachowski Brothers. Perf. Laurence Fishburne, and Keanu Reeves 6. www.duke.edu/~djs12/Lit%20Theory/ Lit%20Theory%20-%20The%20Matrix.doc