Frankenstein’s Romanticism Essay

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, comprises and exemplifies many signature Romantic tropes. Though Shelley may integrate gothic elements into her story, the core of the novel is one of genuine and heartfelt Romanticism. Almost all Romantic ideals are overtly present and entrenched in the narrative so thoroughly that Frankenstein cannot be said to be anything but an adherent of the Romantic genre. Among these Romantic codes are the Romantic ideal of creating â€Å"something† from nothing, the use of nature as a striking and influential force, and the Romantic reverence for the consecrated cycle of life and death. Among the ideals most valued and sought after in the Romantic community was the idea of true stimulation, delved from one’s own imagination and brilliance. This is why the Romantics were among the first to speak out against replicating the works of others, stating that the most beautiful art is that which was â€Å"created from nothing†. In this sagacity, Victor Frankenstein was a true Romantic; his goal of â€Å"bestowing animation upon lifeless matter† (p. 48) is the epitome of creation from oblivion. Furthermore, his desire to do as no others have done before, breaking new ground with lofty and seemingly unfeasible objectives was one thing Romantics took pride in. The success of Victor Frankenstein’s creation mirrors Mary Shelley’s credence that, with ample determination, even the ostensibly impossible can be accomplished. One of the themes most concomitant with Romantic works is the clout and beauty of nature. When Frankenstein’s monster, lonely and abandoned, takes to the forest in an effort to track down his creator, he finds solace only in the beauty of the first of spring, claiming that he â€Å"felt emotions of gentleness and pleasure that had long appeared dead, revive within† (p. 148). This Romantic notion of nature’s altruism and spiritual healing capabilities is juxtaposed by an alternative idea tantamount with Romantics: the pure power of the natural world. As a child, Victor Frankenstein is flabbergasted by the way that lightning exenterates a large oak tree, claiming that he had never â€Å"beheld anything so completely and utterly destroyed† (p. 32). The obliteration not only indicates the power of nature, but also foreshadows Frankenstein’s creation of the monster further in the novel. This idea of Victor Frankenstein as a Romantic may lead one to ask the question, â€Å"Why, then, did the Romantic ideals turn out so poorly in this Romantic’ novel? † The answer is this: Frankenstein broke a fundamental rule of Romanticism; he attempted to disturb the sacrosanct cycle of life and death. He created the monster in an attempt to one day â€Å"Renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption. † (p. 48), however, in the eyes of a pious Romantic, this would be an atrocity and insult to God in accordance with Romantic devotion for all things natural, including death. Because of this insolence for Romantic beliefs, Victor Frankenstein was mandated to pay the ultimate price. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can, and should, be considered a true Romantic novel. Though some of the plot and setting may have been cadged from Gothic literature, the morals and principles of the book find their place with Romanticism. From intrinsic respect of all things natural, to the omnipotence of human creation and imagination, Frankenstein embodies the Romantic spirit almost immaculately.

Pablo Picasso: Comparison and Contract of His Works Essay

The Artist. The man named Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso is renowned for the shorter name Pablo Picasso. He was born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga City, in Andalusian region of Spain. His parents were Jose Ruiz y Blasco and Maria Picasso y Lopez. His father was a painter who worked as a curator in a museum as well as a professor of Arts and Crafts. Pablo Picasso received formal art training from his father at an early age. At sixteen, he was sent to Royal Academy of San Fernando to be an artist. His Works. He had many artistic paintings from the beginning of his career. There were art creations by this genius that greatly showed his evolution in different art forms during his time. Among them are the Child with a Dove in 1901, the Italian Girl in 1917 and the Girl Reading at a Table in 1934. The art qualities and representations of his arts were distinct with each others. The Child with a Dove, which he made in the early years of his career showed the traditional style of his art’s representation. This displayed his technical abilities in painting as a young artist. The oil canvas was applied with thick layers of paints or known as ‘impasto’. The artistic ability of Pablo Picasso was represented in a different light with his artwork in 1917, the Italian Girl. In this painting, he displayed a colorful synthetic cubism style different from his earlier traditional art. This painting holds the colorful and lively color of his early work with the Child with a Dove. However, the depiction of the human female form was represented in cubes which was an exact opposite of the form and shapes he had in his early artistic representation. Both paintings are oil in canvas. His other work that displays the female form is the Girl Reading at a Table in 1934. This artwork displays another totally different approach in his art. His adoption of the surrealism art is clearly depicted in this art. Although he still used oil in canvass, this specific art included enamel. Influences. The Child with a Dove was a pure and traditional artistic representation of the young artist that may greatly be from his training with his father. While in the Italian Girl, it depicts the Cubism art of his time. The true revolutionary approach of the Pablo Picasso here was inspired greatly by Cezannes. The flattened space shown in the art was a great turn around from his traditional approach to art. Moreover, his great adaptation of the different artistic display was greatly seen in his surrealist art in his work, Girl Reading at a Table in 1934. At this time the great effects of the war were also seen in the many works of art just like that of Picasso. The classicist displays of artistry were then the mode after the shock and horror was over. Conclusion Generally, the Child with a Dove among the three mentioned arts was the most acclaimed of them. His works in the Blue Period which were realism were more accepted than the later works he had which are debated. (Koppelman) His work of arts displays a real artist since he was not only known in one form of artistic representation but with a number of styles. Moreover, his fame after his lifetime proves that his contribution in arts of different forms. All in all, he was known to have an estimated 50,000 artworks during his life. He was capable of changes and adaptation of all the different eras of arts in his time. His pieces selling in millions of dollars in our time are evidences enough of his great influence to the arts in the past as well as in the present. The Picasso’s creature had been influenced on developing of Art and Culture of XX century. And on the world auctions before nowadays are searched and sat out for sale new and new little known works of famous artist from his huge heritage (http://www. pablo-ruiz-picasso. net/) Works Cited Hamilton, George H. (1976). â€Å"Picasso, Pablo Ruiz Y†. in William D. Halsey. Collier’s Encyclopedia. 19. New York: Macmillan Educational Corporation. pp. 25-26. PabloPicasso. Net. (unknown). , retrieved on May 07, 2009. Koppelman, Chaim (1988). â€Å"Power and Tenderness in Men and in Picasso’s Minotauromachy†. Aesthetic Realism Foundation. New York City 10012

Marriage at an Early Age Essay

Marriage is regarded as a moment of celebration and a milestone in adult life. The age at first marriage varies across the globe. Being married before the age of 18 has been a social norm in third world countries [refer to Appendix A]. The percentage of women being married before age 18 is estimated to be 20 to 50 percent in average in developing countries (Joyce, et al. , 2001). On the other hand, western countries are unlikely to experience the similar pattern of marriage. The marital union is normally delayed too long although this is the most apparent reason for the breakdown in sexual ethics (Orsi, 2001). Because of its wealth, western society chooses to marry later in life until they have built an adequate maturity in age, education and financial state. Nowadays, many international organizations have made an effort to reduce the number of early marriage worldwide (Yudkin and Robert, 1996). Many believe that the practice of early marriage can hinder self-development of young girls. However, in western countries, there are several efforts to promote young marriages (Orsi, 2001). They believe that early marriage should be looked as a platform to cultivate maturity together but not as an institution just for the grown-up individuals. As we are concern, early marriage is widely practice in developing countries hence a global issue has arisen as to whether early marriage does really hinder self development due to the consequences it brings to young girls. The practice is believed to bring several benefits to some extent. However, the adverse effects it brings can impede the self-development of young adolescences in many aspects including health consequences, character building and education as well as career opportunities. 2. 0Statistical Studies of Early Marriage This aspect highlights the prevalence of early marriage across the globe and the very reasons of early marriage especially in developing countries. This aspect is important to illustrate the situation regarding early marriage worldwide. 2. 1Prevalence of Young Marriage The practice of young marriage is most common in developing countries (United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2001). According to Joyce (2001), an analysis of Demographic and Healthy Survey data shows that Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asian countries are having the most cases of early marriage. Of these countries that have high cases of young marriage, Niger is the leading country with 88 percent of the women married before age 18. Adapted From: Joyce, L. F. , et al. (2001). Future Options Foreclosed: Girls Who Marry Early. Reproductive Health and Rights. 139-143. Retrieved January 25, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www. path. org/files/RHR-Article-14. pdf. 2. 2Major Factors That Lead to Early Marriage The huge number of young marriage in developing countries is due to several reasons. Poverty is one of the major factors underpinning early marriage (Joyce, 2001). A young girl may be regarded as an economic burden for a family thus early marriage is looked as a strategy for economic survival. A current study of five very poor villages in Egypt shows that young girls are being married off to much older men from oil-rich Middle Eastern countries for family survival (UNICEF, 2001). Besides, early marriage is one way to ensure that a girl is protected from physical disturbance (UNICEF, 2001). Parents believe that their daughters are safer when they marry early as there is always a man to guard them. For instance, some families in Northern Uganda encourage the young girls to marry to militia members in order to secure protection (UNICEF, 2001). For third world countries, marriage shortly after puberty is common among those living traditional lifestyles (Joyce, 2001). The girls as early as 14 years old have to carry responsibilities as a wife. As it has become a social custom, the tradition is carried on from one generation to the next. 3. 0Opponents’ Views Against Early Marriage This aspect discusses some of the opponents’ views against early marriage. It mostly talks about the disadvantages of early marriage to the girls including the lack of education, health problems and psychosocial disadvantages. The arguments given agree that early marriage does hamper self-development. 3. 1 The Denial of Education The opponents believed that early marriage denies the right of young adolescents to the education they necessitate for self-development. In traditional societies, the investment in a girl’s education is thought to be wasted as the girl is going to marry and stay at home doing household chores (UNICEF, 2001). For instance, in Northern Nigeria, early marriage is the very reason girls are often withdrawing from school (UNICEF, 2001). Because of the early end of female education, they have limited opportunities to develop skills and acquire knowledge ‘that serve them well throughout their lives’ hence restricts their economic and career opportunities (Joyce, 2001). This is because withdrawal from school that results in illiterate and unskilled women will lead to no recognition in professional field. 3. 2 Health and Reproduction Problem The opponents also argued that early childbearing which always occurs in early marriage endanger the lives of both the mother and her baby (Joyce, 2001). The early pregnancy increases the risk of complications and dying during delivery. A report shows that the risk of death due to pregnancy-related cases is doubled among women aged 15 to 19 compared to adult women (Adhikari, 2006). They further stressed that these girls are also more susceptible to sexually-transmitted diseases (UNICEF, 2001). Hormonal fluctuations and permeability of vaginal tissues experienced by these girls can lead to infertility. Moreover, according to a study in Rwanda, 25 percent of women who were pregnant before 18 were infected with HIV although they only had sex with their husbands (UNICEF, 2001). 3. 3Psychosocial Disadvantages When early marriage takes place, the girls will confront with great emotional damage. Sociologists suggested that this is due to their confinement at home to do household chores hence their mobility is denied (UNICEF, 2001). Most of the girls are depressed with this situation that eventually affects their emotional well being. An Indian research conducted in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh found that the spouses of early marriage usually suffered from great psychosocial damage (UNICEF, 2001). Another concern raised by the opponents is that the young girl loses her social life outside family cycle and this has affected her chance of cultivating her own identity (UNICEF, 2001). The most important implication of this is that her self-esteem is silently hindered from being developed and this will make her vulnerable to sexual and physical violence. In Eastern Africa for instance, a young wife has no right to refuse sex to her husband even though her partner is suspected with HIV (UNICEF, 2001). 4. 0 Proponents’ Views on Early Marriage This part will enlighten several views that support early marriage in our society. This includes health benefits, social stability and character advantages. In this argument, early marriage is looked upon as a better practice than delayed marriage. 4. 1 Health Benefits The proponents believed that body functions are more effective and healthy at early stage in life. For women, the body is particularly geared towards reproduction during early adulthood (Orsi, 2001). Early marriage is beneficial because desire and energy from young couples also produce healthy offsprings. They also highlighted that later marriage has led to problematic births and birth defects. This can happen as the body is unlikely to negotiate any burden like pregnancy at a late age. Not surprisingly, later marriage which is always associated with cohabitation and premarital sex increase the risk of sexually-transmitted diseases (Orsi, 2001). The hazardous infections like HIV will spread widely if the practice of premarital sex has became a lifestyle. 4. 2 Early Marriage as a Solution to Cohabitation Another issue raised by the proponents is that the trend towards later marriage has led to a great social deterioration in the society in term of cohabitation. In the United States of America, cohabitation is more prevalent than other countries as the people choose to marry later in life (Henslin, 2005). A study found that cohabitation before marriage is the very reason for breaking up after they were married (Henslin, 2005). Besides that, the increasing case of cohabitation in the United States of America is clearly illustrated by the graph on the next page. Adapted From: Henslin, J. M. (2005). Cohabitation. Sociology- A Down to Earth Approach (2nd Ed. ). 468. Boston: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon. They further argued that married couples including young spouses gain more benefits in terms of physical health, general happiness and longevity than cohabitants. This is proven from a study which was cited as strong evidence that cohabiting couples experienced the rate of depression three times more than married couple (Popenoe and Dafoe, 2006). . 3 Self-development Improvement It is also believed that early marriage helps in cultivating maturity. Early marriage is looked upon as a platform for young people to grow in maturity together. Moreover, they share experiences at an early age before egoism is deposited in their heart. This is important to ensure a successful marriage is established (Orsi, 2001). They further emphasized that early marriage is a natural institution to grow emotionally by everyday give and take at an early age. This foundation is hard to build later in life. Also, through The London Telegraph, Emma Besbrode has reported that individuals that are unmarried by early age are more vulnerable to depression and loneliness (Orsi, 2001). This unbalance in emotional development will lead to a stressful life. 5. 0 How Does Early Marriage Hamper Self-development? In this area, both arguments from proponents and opponents are being evaluated in terms of health, character building and education. This is important to determine whether the practice of early marriage does impede self-development. 5. 1 Health Aspect Health is a very important aspect in self-development of an individual. Early marriage greatly affect the health of young adolescents especially girls. Although women who marry later in life are also vulnerable to problematic birth, (Orsi, 2001) the girls who are particularly still growing up have to struggle with the risks associated with early pregnancies (UNICEF, 2001). This is because the physical features of the girls are not fully developed and therefore both the girls and their babies have to compete to obtain the necessary nutrients for themselves. This means that early marriage endangers both mother and her baby. Besides those, sexual intercourse that takes place at a very young age can enhance the risk of sexually-transmitted diseases (STD) (UNICEF, 2001). It is also true that STD can also infect unmarried people as well especially among cohabitants, but a recent study conducted in Rwanda shows that the younger the age at sexual intercourse, the higher the risk of STD (UNICEF, 2001). This proves that early marriage set off a poor cycle of health. 5. 2 Character Building Aspect Each and every individual has his/her own character. The practice of early marriage limits character development as a girl who marries early experiences less socialization outside her family cycle (UNICEF, 2001). This reduces her opportunities for building her own identity which is vital for her successful self-development. On the other hand, some individuals believe that early marriage is a stage for maturity to be acquired and it is not just for matured individuals (Orsi, 2001). However, it is not the case as these girls are affected by great emotional disturbance and depression. Inter-American researchers have discovered that these emotional consequences are ‘unavoidable part of life’ for those who choose to marry early (UNICEF, 2001). Therefore, it is clearly shown that early marriage does hinder personal development. 5. 3 Education and Intellect The importance of well-developed education is vital for an individual to survive. Since early marriage is the major reason for young adolescents to quit from school (Adhikari, 2006), it can restrict career prospects of a girl by limiting her chances to acquire important skills and knowledge. Without those qualities, the girl’s future seems to foreclose to any opportunities for economic survival. In fact, unemployment rates are higher for those who have limited education (Baker and Dryden, 1993). This is clearly illustrated from the table below. Unemployment Rate by Educational Attainment for 15 to 24 year-olds, Canada, 1991 Educational AttainmentUnemployment Rate 0 to 8 years29. 5 Some secondary education20. 7 High school graduation15. 7 Some post-secondary12. 6 Post-secondary certificate11. 7 University degree 8. 1 Total16. 2 Source: Baker, M. and Dryden, J. (1993). Patterns in Employment and Unemployment or Young People. Families in Canadian Society (2nd Ed. ). 93-94. Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. For those reasons, early marriage is proven to bring more harm than benefits. This practice consequently hampers one’s personal development. 6. 0 Conclusion The practice of early marriage in our society today does hinder personal development of individuals in terms of health, character building and intellectual qualities. First, a girl is more vulnerable to diseases and complications when sex intercourse takes place between the spouses occur at an early age. Early pregnancies followed by childbearing can also bring harm to the girl by increasing the risks of dying and problems during delivery. Apart from this, character building which is important to determine one’s unique identity will be affected as well when a girl enters marriage at a young age. The loss of mobility and social life due to the early marriage will result in lack of self esteem and great emotional damage. In addition, limited education is obvious among those who marry early. In the long run, this lack of schooling will restrict economic and career prospect in the future because withdrawal from school means no qualifications and recognition. This will foreclose the future options of one’s self. Therefore, the practice of early marriage is proven to hinder personal development and should be reduced among young adolescents especially in developing countries with high incidence of young marriage. Effective steps should be executed by international organization to reduce the number of this practice worldwide. For instance, each country should rise up the legal age for marriage. Besides that, education should be promoted among young couples so that they acquire adequate level of education for their future. Although it is difficult to reduce the number, by helping the young spouses with their life, it more or less, reduces the burden they carry.

Formal analysis of one photograph chosen by student making use of two Essay

Formal analysis of one photograph chosen by student making use of two different methodologies taught in the module - Essay Example Semiotics is the use or capturing of visual meaning within an image. It can be described as a language within itself, without the need for words. Indeed, it is clear that ‘The Power of One’ is extremely emotive, its language powerful and vast and immediate. What is the visual meaning of this image? As has been already mentioned, this image has the potential to evoke contradictory visual meaning, depending on what one sees and on whether one solely sees rather than reads into the image. The implicational qualities of images alone create an array of possibilities as to how an image will be read and just what the observer will see both at the beginning and during the observation of an image. That is to say that what one may see or feel or notice, and how one will accept an image when first viewed may not necessarily be, and is usually not the same as that after observing and examining an image for some time. Images are different from texts of actual language, and this cause s one to approach an image with uncertainty; ‘The Power of One’ does not tell one how to feel or what exactly it is – there is no actual language. And so, one must decipher the unwritten yet strongly visible language portrayed. This is where the previously mentioned conflicts become apparent. Indeed, it is quite simply an image of a woman, but is she defying the soldiers or protecting her land? The expression on her face is pained, perhaps she is trying to simply protect her land†¦or it could be determination and anger, perhaps she is defying the soldiers, fighting them. But let us look at the image as a whole, for there is a great deal more language contained in other elements which will allow one to understand perhaps on a deeper level the woman and the purpose of her presence. We can see the language of the soldiers – the clothes they wear are black; a menacing colour of death; they are all male. The woman wears household clothes; she is a woman

Movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Movies - Essay Example Most of the movies, no matter where they are produced contain so much indecency that they are not able to be watched at least in front of young kids. Young people have immature and underdeveloped brains, they usually do not have enough experience to differentiate between good and bad, therefore often face the consequences of their acts. This factor is destroying our young generation because at very young age they are being introduced to adultery, abnormal sex, etc. It also influences the behavior of children. They get distant from their families and start spending most of their time in watching movies. The increasing number of sales of c.ds doesn’t show a good sign. As this is also an age of studying hard and performing well in school but by spending more time in movies and songs lead them to perform poor in schools. If a movie doesn’t contain these issues than it has other problems like Racism, which creates discrimination among people due to their different lifestyles and background. Movies are supposed to be made to get entertained but if they start creating discrimination among human beings than they are not of any value. In order to make their child a better human being, parents must pay considerable attention to the nurturing and fostering of their children, because once habits are developed, than they will stay in their subconscious mind

California Exit Exams Litigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

California Exit Exams Litigation - Essay Example A recent nationwide study by the Manhattan Institute revealed that only 32 percent of all American students leaving high school are college-ready. The picture is said to be bleaker for the so-called ELL (English Language Learner) students, which is 20 percent for African-American students and 16 percent for Hispanics. Among all the states, California has the highest population of such minority students, followed only by New York (Garcia, 1991), such that a big proportion of graduates from California's public high schools is unfit for college. To erase this blot in the state's educational landscape, the state legislature enacted the California High School Exit Exams (CAHSEE) in 1999, which was implemented on a voluntary basis in 2001 for the high school students scheduled to graduate in 2004. From that time until the exit exam was made mandatory in 2006 as a requirement for graduation of all public high school students, the program has been hounded by controversy. So far, two class ac tion suits have been filed against state authorities alleging that the exit exam is arbitrary and impracticable. This paper examines the effects of CAHSEE to see if there is really such a cause for action against the program and whether the changes set to be introduced in the rules as a consequence of the lawsuits can improve the situation. The California High School Exit Exam is one of many state-specific educational schemes given impetus by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was enacted by the national legislature in 2001 to reduce the dropout rates and narrow the perceived achievement gap among high school students all over the US. A priority concern of NCLB is the increasing number of special education students who lag behind in academic achievement because of physical and cultural handicaps. Students with physical disabilities and those with ethnic roots, that altogether comprise 35 percent of the public high school population in California (Greene & Winters, 2004), have the highest dropout rate and the lowest ranking in academic achievement and expectations because of poverty and lack of language skills. The NCLB mandated the adoption of testing schemes to ensure that the public school system benefits all students and non-performing public schools improve their instruction. CAHSEE was California's respons e to the measure, which has similarity in content to other schemes established in about half of the American states. There are a dozen other smaller programs, including the school choice initiative and the voucher-and-charter school scheme in which students are allowed to leave public schools for better performing private ones, with appropriate assistance (Forster, 2006). In all, the common goal is to forge a 100 percent passing rate for all public high school students so no one is deprived of the opportunity to pursue a college degree. The CAHSEE consists of two main sections: English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Under the ELA section, examinees are usually asked 72 multiple-choice questions and have to write a 2 and page essay. To obtain a passing grade in this section, the students must get 60 percent of the questions right. In the math section, which comprises 80 multiple-choice questions, the passing score is 55 percent. Sample questions in the ELA and math tests

Philosopy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosopy - Term Paper Example Therefore it can be a good thing to lie because by telling â€Å"white† lies we may have the intention of saving others from hurt feelings or we may prevent a crime. In such a case the underlying motivation of the lie is not selfishness, as the intention was to save another’s feelings. If no such underlying selfless motives are present, the outcome of the action can still be positive, as in the example given in this question. This would be an example of act utilitarianism whereby the result of the act is good and therefore the act must be deemed to be good, irrespective of the underlying motivation. Mill explains in â€Å"Utilitarianism† that â€Å"the Greatest Happiness Principle† holds that â€Å"actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, or wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness†. Following that principle, Mill believes that there is no difference in the moral value of an act to help others, or whether the fact that they have been helped is a side effect of an egoistic, self-motivated action. The outcome is the increase of general happiness: a person’s life has been saved, and the person who saved the life has arrived at a financial gain. The act therefore must be deemed moral as it has increased general happiness. An instinctive reaction to this argument for me is that there is a moral obligation and duty to save a person’s life irrespective of any personal gain (Kant’s categorical imperative) and that therefore to save someone’s life purely for financial gain lessens the morality of the action. Still there is a certain compelling elegance in Mill’s argument that, if solely considering the outcome of an action and not the motive that triggered the action, then one is perfectly justified in saying that a person who is lacking ethically sound motivation for his actions is nevertheless still capable of acting in a moral and ethical way. 3.

War and the media (focusing on the First Gulf War) Essay

War and the media (focusing on the First Gulf War) - Essay Example It is believed that although the main cause of the war was a very ancient conflict of Persians and Arabs. At that time and moment there was a great social and revolutionary change that was occurring in Iran. There was a whole lot of establishment of religious leadership. The reforms that were occurring in Iran were of quite a serious nature. The reforms were both social and political. Saddam Hussein judged the fact that this conflict would put Iran in a weaker position and hence make it easier for the Iraqi soldiers to get hold of the situation and thus invade Iran. The master mind behind this war was Saddam Hussein who believed, that if they attacked the Iranian at this point and time of conflict and turmoil, they will not be able to counter attack and hence face quite a lot of issues with their own security. He considered as the best time for the Iraqis to take over and establish their own supremacy over the whole area. They believed this as the most opportune moment. There was als o a fear of loss of power that had driven Saddam Hussein to consider the attacks. He believed that the Shiite uprising in Iran can ultimately affect the people living in Iraq too. Iraq has a dominant Shiite population and hence he feared that the Shiite Iraqis might feel motivated and rise against the Sunni establishment. It was this fear and the will to become the leader in the region that Saddam Hussein leapt into war. The reason that Saddam Hussein also felt fearless and jumped into war was that they had the support of Americans as well. Iran was undergoing a complete religious transformation and they had always considered Americans as the great Satan. They had declared openly their anti US feelings. This was what fueled the US and they sided with Iraq in this war to terrorize Iran and take control of it. Also, after the First World War , there was a demarcation that was made between the countries. The continued border disputes within both the countries also fueled the incident. If we consider the role of media, media has always been in the hands of those who are in power. In this case it was America who was quite at much stake. They had freshly lost a battle in Vietnam, which despite being a prolonged war turned out to be a gift of deaths alone for the Americans. It was highly important for them that they get a good name and reputation for themselves. Therefore, in this case they favored the Iraqi. The Iranians were very openly against the Americans and therefore, to be able to have their own say and hold in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf they sided with Iraqis. Iraqis had the worst fear in the form of their own Shiite population who might rise up against them as they attacked the Iranians, whose majority population was Shiite. This was what made the war more of name saving game for the Americans. They very publicly showed their support for the Iraqis and provided them with help and guidance so as to be able to overcome Iran. The first two years of t he war proved to be difficult for Iran as they had a very weak army , and which had been further weakened by the constant uprising that was occurring in their state. They could do little to protect themselves, with the continuous infiltrations of the Mullahs in the army. Once they had been able to regain a bit of their control over the army their attack had turn to offensive instead of a defensive one. America just to prove that they were

What is the relationship between homeless young adult transitional Research Paper

What is the relationship between homeless young adult transitional housing program and job readiness - Research Paper Example Dependent variables include reason for being homeless, level of education, educational attainment, age, length of time spent in transitional housing, current employment status (or duration in employment), program referral, job retention capacity, mental health status, and substance use. Survey method will be used to source for data, which will involve 251 participants between the age of 18-24. Study outcomes will be analyzed using statistical methods, that is, SPSS and Intercooled Stata. Finally, an analysis of implications of the study on policy and practice reveal relevance between this research and social work values and ethics. Over the past years, the number of homeless people in many states has been on the increase, and the United States has particularly focused much attention on the plight of homeless young people as well as those that age out of foster care systems (Bloom, 2010). Researchers have explored the various challenges these two groups face, especially in connection to job readiness, thus the federal, local and state legislators have endeavored to devise means of facilitating change the lives of these young people. Instituted policies mostly focus on increased funding for support of independent living skills, housing, and education. It is in this respect that the Transitional Housing Program for Homeless Young Adults (THP) was founded. It provides a wide range of services including housing, which comprises payment for utilities and rent; food vouchers, employment assistance, training on life-skills, transportation resources among others (Baider & Frank, 2006). Research has shown a close linkage between homelessness and job readiness, where people, especially the youth who transit from childhood to adulthood, as well as those that age out of foster care systems, stand higher chances of being unemployed due to lack of

Sustainable tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sustainable tourism - Essay Example This paper aims to find links of term of sustainable tourism with sustainable development. Moreover, this paper will try to highlight their influence on each other. It was around mid 20th century when experts (Gruder, pp. 81-88, 2007) all around the world increasingly felt that no development witnessed over the time was free from the cost of environmental deterioration. They realized that human species has been developing at an accelerating pace, and this growth has benefited many people as well. However, this development has been happening at the expense of sustainability of this planet. Quite understandably, as responsible citizens of this planet, and keeping in mind the long-term existence of humans on this planet, some steps were essential. In the year 1972, at the Stockholm Conference on Humans and the Environment (Meadows, pp. 1-14, 1972), it was the first time when under flag of United Nations, this topic was brought under consideration. Despite the fact that it was after mid 19th century when the concept of sustainable development came up on the screen in its current form; however, in some form or the other, the concern of balancing human growth with other environmental and external factors has been there since centuries. In context of tourism, one of the earliest examples of tourism were found in Mesopotamia, where the administration made sincere efforts in development of recreational areas, preservation of animals and plants and balancing their reproduction growth with the hunting activity (Butler, pp. 40-45, 1990). Many other great rulers like Alexander the Great and Asoka followed these ideas and tried to implement concept of sustainable development in the field of tourism within their capacity and constraints and research of that time (UBC, pp. 11-27, 2008). One of the most important developments in the field of sustainable developments was presentation of the romantic vision by Hall (pp. 13-34, 1998) in the 19th

Understanding the Principles and Practises of Assessment Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Principles and Practises of Assessment Essay Assessment is the process of measuring the achievement of learners. It is an obvious way of checking that learning has taken place and is a good way of measuring the learner’s knowledge and practical skills that they have learnt. It is important for the assessor to initially establish whether the learner has any specific learning needs so that they can prepare to support the learner in whichever way they feel necessary. Learning and development are closely connected. The learner needs guidance in order to understand what it is they are required to learn, also to check that they are on track and also ways in which they can improve. This is generally where formative assessment comes into play. Formative assessment is used whilst learners are developing their skills and can also be useful throughout their course. It gives the assessor the opportunity to provide the learner with constructive feedback which they can use to improve their future performances. It also allows the learner to build on their strengths and learn from mistakes by listening to the assessor’s feedback, preparing them for summative assessment. Summative assessment is used when the students are up to a standard where they can carry out an assessment without any support or guidance. This should be up to industry standards and completed to commercial timing. By this stage there should be very few, if any areas for improvement and the learner must have a very strong underpinning knowledge of the subject. (AC 1.2) Define the key concepts and principles of assessment It is vital that assessment has to be fair, consistent and valid to ensure all learners have an equal chance of receiving a fair assessment. An assessor should not be swayed to give a learner an easier assessment because they favour them or on grounds of gender, race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs; the assessment process should be the same for every learner and purely judged on their knowledge, skill and competence within their subject area. There may be occasions where the assessment process has to be adapted to suit learners’ individual needs; however this still should eventually lead to the same outcome. In order for an assessment to be fair the assessor should clearly identify to the learner what outcomes are being assessed so that there is no area for confusion between the learner and assessor. Assessors should take guidance from the awarding body that they work alongside for the assessment criteria, for example in my area of work; I have to abide by the criteri a that is set out by VTCT. To ensure that the evidence is sufficient the learner should successfully cover all of the criteria set out by the awarding body and by the industry in which they are working. The most reliable way to ensure that an assessment is valid and reliable is for the assessor to observe a student first hand. This is the clearest way for the assessor to be sure that the student possesses the knowledge that is shown in their work and that it has not been copied from another source. This evidence should also be current, so therefore the assessor would need to have witnessed this within a reasonable timeframe as things change so frequently. It is important for assessors to ensure that they are up to date with current trends and changes within their industry and all assessors are required to keep up to date with continual professional development. It is also vital that all assessors are assessing to the same standard, this is usually monitored and updated during team standardisation meetings whic h should be carried out regularly. (AC 1.3) Explain the responsibilities of the assessor An assessor should firstly fully understand the standards and requirements they are working to. This means that all assessors should be fully qualified to the required standard within their industry and should regularly attend team standardisation meetings to ensure they are assessing to the same standards as other assessors.

Creating False Memories Essay Example for Free

Creating False Memories Essay The brain works in odd ways. The article entitled â€Å"Creating False Memories†, by Elizabeth F. Loftus, is an article about just that. The studies included in the article are proof that the brain can twist certain memories in order to fit them to a suggestion made by someone else; or a suggestion can create entire false memories. Some people are more susceptible than others to â€Å"remember† a false memory when a suggestion is made, but it is likely that anyone could â€Å"remember† a false memory. The article seemed to point out that older memories that would be less clear to begin with, such as childhood memories, are easier for suggestions to twist than a memory that happened in recent years. While reading the section subtitled â€Å"Imagination Inflation†, it became obvious that even one that was reading the article, if one took the example suggestions given in the article, then it would be incredibly tempting to remember things that were imagined. One would realize that it was only imagination at work, but if asked a few days later what was remembered about it, it would be easy to believe that it was a real memory. How can one truly distinguish between memory and imagination? Then again, is the memory of an act of imagination not a true memory in itself? There are many ways that one could be confused on this subject, because technically, memories of imagined things can be true memories. Memory and imagination are so closely related that it would be very difficult to tell the difference between the two. What was especially incredible about this article was the section subtitled â€Å"Impossible Memories. † Individuals actually remembered aspects from their second day of life, even though this is medically impossible. It is common knowledge that people cannot begin to form memories that would be remembered into adulthood until the age of two or three. Yet, given a suggestion, people will just run with it. It could be the â€Å"imagination inflation† theory at work, and it probably is. Many people are influenced daily about what happens when children are born or how children are taken care of in a hospital right after birth. People hear stories, see the scenario in television and film, and perhaps have been there when a sibling was born. However, can certain people actually remember their births or shortly thereafter? After all, there are exceptions to every rule. This article made for fascinating reading. The studies used are impressive and it makes sense. It is hard to believe that psychiatrists can, either knowingly or unknowingly, give their patients suggestions in order to create false memories. How many people are really aware of what others say to them or how it might affect them? The article is compelling and it makes one think twice about how their brain works. It makes one think about how many of the â€Å"memories† one believes are true memories from childhood are actually true memories or false memories. Where childhood is concerned, most individuals have to rely on parents or relatives to relay stories, but what if those memories are inaccurate? This is the point of the article. The human brain is so complicated and delicate that if one is not careful who knows what kind of damage can be done. Loftus, Elizabeth F. â€Å"Creating False Memories. † Scientific American. 277. 3 (September 1997): 70-75.

Factors Influencing MNCs Investment Choice in India

Factors Influencing MNCs Investment Choice in India The Asian economies have been the main focus of global investors for last few years because of their growth nature and the way they facilitate the establishments of new businesses. Within these economies, India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and many other countries are included the essence of these countries is that they promote overall development in terms of more and more investments from domestic as well as foreign investors for the improvement in their gross domestic product and standard of living. All of these countries have their own core strengths to attract investors, for China it is their abundant cheap labour resource, for India it is the quality of available talent that has created a mark in the global space in the software, services industries. India possesses one of the greatest potential the Democratic government that formulates various policies to benefit the common people of the country. To improve the livelihood, provide better facilities for the citizens the GOI is always committed to invest more and more. Therefore all these factors have actually made India a place full of opportunities not only in the services sector but also in the manufacturing domain. As more private and government funded institutes are coming up with better facilities for learning and development in the both professional and personal fields, students are getting the feel of the corporate world and the criticalities involved therein. Indian economy has been the major centre of attraction for all of the developed nations. More and more MNCs are looking forward to build a long term comprehensive and sustainable relationship with Indian companies to enter the lucrative Indian market. FDI has been one of the major sources of investments in the sunrise industries as well as core industries that need a revamp in terms of innovative practices and management policies. The proportion of FDI and economic growth are positively correlated and combination of both is actually driving the overall GDP of the country. India is poised to be one of the biggest economies, thus it needs more and more collaboration with global organizations that would lead towards more employment that can actually move up the consumption pattern of the citizens to sustain growth trajectory even in time of economic recession. Whether India possesses any geographical locational advantages or not, or whether MNCs believe that owning the establishments in any foreign location would help them grab the market more quickly these are few issues which would be analyzed in detail. This thesis report outlines the factors pertaining to India, those attract foreign companies to invest in India through direct and indirect path and how it has been the core strength of the country to grow depending on the investments made by both domestic as well International business houses. Finding out those elements whose impact has been significant in the Indian growth story would be of utmost importance from the purview of this study. Concepts from various models have been undertaken to understand the underlying theory and analyze from the point of view of an investor as well as the foreign location of investment. B. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY The coverage of the study includes finding out the opportunities and potential hindrances for investment in various sectors in India. Now a days India is being compared with China, Russia in terms of their economic growth and also market strength to sustain any kind of global economic disaster and also to keep moving the wheel of growth. We would analyze the critical scenarios of already present in the economy based on few models and understand the potential of future investments and try to match whether there are any opportunities for even smaller Indian players to become a part of the growth story. We would keep a track of the sectors which are very small now but showing a good promise for investors and how the GOI should take care of the rules and regulations so as to make the entry path very easy. Exports have been Indias major strength and its actually shortening the gap between import and export. That is a very good sign of improvement of overall market sentiments. OBJECTIVES/ PURPOSE OF THE STUDY- To find out the factors which drive various sectors of the Indian economy and analyze the outcomes of investments already made. The project would specifically concentrate on the potential of the country in attracting investors from different geographies. We would use the Dunnings OLI model, Uppsala model, Transaction cost theory etc and many more to find out what drives the foreign MNCs to look for Indian markets. Which are the major domestic player as well as International players those are operating in India presently and which are the pockets or zones that are giving them a major boost in their business growth? Also we would understand the market operating challenges faced by them and what are the measures that they implement to overcome those. D. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY- We would go through the movements of export goods and how the final products or services have changed its form considering the two different eras pre and post economic liberalization. We would design a questionnaire and administer it among a particular target group to find out their psychology or their opinion about the suitable direction for the investment portfolio of various organizations and according to them where the growth potential lies and where the country is lacking as compared to other economies. We would implement the concept from different models and find out what are the elements which are the main catalyst behind Indias growth saga. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS E1. RESEARCH QUESTIONS:- The research would incorporate these questions during the research and try to analyze from various point of views. Q1. What are the ownership advantages that a MNC can possess? Q2. Whether is it better to own or outsource the operations for a particular foreign location? Q3. What elements form the locational advantages for a foreign country for any investor? Q4. Does Internalization really give an edge over other methods of investments? Q5. Is Internalization a step by step process or it can be achieved directly? Q6. What is the implication of culture/geographical proximity for the case of foreign investments? So these are the broad areas which would be discussed in this thesis report to understand the driving factors for foreign investments. HYPOTHESIS:- The kind of growth potential the Indian market is promising is full of hopes even for the younger generation because it would provide job opportunities in a huge volume. There has been birth of a bread of young entrepreneurs who want to make their mark by doing something for their own as well as benefit the overall economy. So the transaction cost theory would be used to analyze the initial set up costs, various commission based charges that any business need to incur. The basic hypothesis would be build upon the fact to find out the several factors those influence foreign investors to choose India as one of their major investment destination. Transaction Cost Theory shows us that any MNC would like to optimize its transaction cost of initiating any business process in any new geography. Uppsala model shows the direction towards an efficient process followed by MNCs while making the investment decision in a foreign location. H1. Do OLI advantages make a country favourable for investments? H2. Step by step internalization process makes MNCs more efficient as compared to the direct internalization process H3. Transaction costs are basically sunk costs for a MNC H4. Gaining experience of domestic markets facilitates the decision making process for investment in foreign location H5.Geographical and Cultural factors significantly impact the investment decision LITERATURE REVIEW Indias major advantages are its availability of good quality talents hugely required for the software and services industry, cheap labour wages facilitating operational issues at a very lower cost as compared to other developing nations. Its strategic location and the kind of international border it shares with its neighbouring nations give it an edge over other Asian economies in terms of accessibility of raw materials and markets to export produced goods. The GOI has taken several measures to make investments in India simpler by means of promoting SEZs, STPs with lower tax regime. The kind of growth potential it promises is immense in terms of volume of business as well as value. Being the largest democracy in the world, the laws would actually become more and more citizen friendly and thus leading towards sustainable business environment. Transaction cost theory states that when the internal transaction costs are higher than external costs then the company would outsource some of its jobs to other agencies and downsize. And when the reverse is true the organization would grow. Both the situations are understandable from the figure given below. (SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transaction_costs) The literature review would focus on the following points OLI ADVANTAGES The ownership, locational and Internationalization are the major factors that drive the investment decision for any MNC. India in a way possesses one of the most important resources the pool of available talent. Geographically also India has an advantage over Russia and many other countries the climatic conditions are also is suitable for any kind of businesses. Many foreign MNCs are entering the Indian market by means of joint venture and many are initiating in the SEZs to get tax benefits. TRANSACTION COSTS: HOW TO GET THE MAXIMUM OUT OF IT Transaction costs are generally the cost of participating in a market; this may vary from market to market as well as category to category of products or services. The bargaining cost is the most important one because it decides the capabilities of the investors, like how well can they manage their channel partners? UPPSALA MODEL This model determines the step by step procedures those are followed by MNCs in order to get the feel of the market. Any organization would not mind to have few orders from foreign clients to find out their own prospect in that market and if they feel that they have the required potential, it may lead to full fledged investments in terms of machinery, labors etc. DATA COLLECTION METHOD H1. PRIMARY The primary data would be collected by means of administering the research questionnaire among a specific target group. The target group may be People from various background working in several industries with market knowledge for more than 3 years H2. SECONDARY The sources of secondary information would mainly be journals, magazines. PROPOSED ANALYSIS OF DATA The data output from the questionnaire would be analyzed using statistical tools and applying the present market conditions. We would find out the factors those drive the export growth and what the GI needs to perform to attract more investment both from domestic as well as International players. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY- The upshot of the study would provide us with an understanding about the factors those drive the investment decision for any MNC considering the Indian market. Various models would help us to analyze the pros and cons of the market conditions and find out the flexibility, accessibility of the market. More and more foreign MNCs are trying to grab the growing Indian market, because within the next 15-20 years India is poised to become one of the global super powers. And that means it would need overall support from various spheres of the geography manufacturing, agriculture, services etc. So it is better for the MNCs to start finding out their core competencies specifically for India and look for suitable options for investments. So from investment choice point of view this report would give us insights that might help any MNC planning to enter the Indian market LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY- This report would entail few models that can define the potential of the market; it would clearly distinguish between various factors which influence the investment decision. So it would not be possible to consider the strength and weaknesses of every company to find out their core competencies before investing; it would not encompass the criticalities involved for all the industries in India. But overall it would generate sufficient idea that would guide any investor while choosing the lucrative Indian market.

Shakespeares Hamlet - The Melancholy Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Melancholy Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Shakespeare’s tragic drama, Hamlet, the multi-faceted character of the hero is so complex that this essay will enlighten the reader on only one aspect of his personality – his melancholy dimension.    A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy presents convincing evidence regarding the true extent and depth of the hero’s melancholy sentiment:    But there is a more formidable difficulty, which seems to have escaped notice. Horatio certainly came from Wittenberg to the funeral. And observe how he and Hamlet meet (I.ii.160). . . . Is not this passing strange? Hamlet and Horatio are supposed to be fellow-students at Wittenberg, and to have left it for Elsinore less than two months ago. Yet Hamlet hardly recognizes Horatio at first, and speaks as if he himself lived at Elsinore (I refer to his bitter jest, ‘We’ll teach you to drink deep ere you depart’). Who would dream that Hamlet had himself f just come from Wittenberg, if it were not for the previous words about his going back there? How can this be explained on the usual view? Only, I presume, by supposing that Hamlet is so sunk in melancholy that he really does almost ‘forget himself’ and forgets everything else, so that he actually is in doubt who Horatio is. (370)    It is obvious that from the very outset of this tragedy there is a melancholic protagonist. And the depressing aspect of the initial imagery of the drama tend to underline and reinforce Hamlet’s melancholy. Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes some of this imagery of the opening scene:    The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. (35)    Horatio and Marcellus exit the ghost-ridden ramparts of Elsinore intending to enlist the aid of Hamlet. The prince is dejected by the â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† of his mother to his uncle less than two months after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). There is a post-coronation social gathering of the court, where Claudius insincerely pays tribute to the memory of his deceased brother.

World Wide Consortium Essay -- Expository Internet Essays

World Wide Consortium Tim Bernes-Lee in 1989 created the World Wide Web, and in 1994 he and a few others established the World Wide Consortium. (a) The World Wide Consortium’s mission is â€Å"to lead the world wide web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the web (a).† This is an international organization with a variety of members making up the organization. They all have a common goal which is to make the web standardized with rules and principles, and to date they have made over eighty recommendations.(a) The World Wide Consortium has had three long-standing goals. These are to provide universal access, a semantic web, and a web of trust. Universal access means â€Å"to make the Web accessible to all by promoting technologies that take into account the vast differences in culture, languages, education, ability, material resources, access devices, and physical limitations of users on all continents (a).† Semantic Web means to build a software setting that allows everyone to utilize the assets that are accessible on the World Wide Web. Web of trust means â€Å"to guide the Web’s development with careful consideration for the novel legal, commercial, and social issues raised by this technology (a).† In this paper I am limiting my discussion to universal access and the issues surrounding it. To help promote the three goals the consortium has also developed three design principles for the web. These principles are interoperability, evolution, and decentralization. For the web to have interoperability, a user needs to be able to use any hardware or software they want and still be able to access what’s on the web. When someone adds something to the web they need t... ...ortium and I knew nothing about the World Wide Consortium. It is good to know that there is a dedicated group setting guidelines and recommendation to achieve universal access to the web, making sure the web software is compatible o all users and is making the web a trusted way of doing business. I believe that this organization is helping the internet to continually grow successfully, and without this organization the internet probably would not be near as useful as it can be. People would probably just do what ever they felt like doing. I now realize how important it is to really think about a lot of issues when designing a website to make it universal accessible. Building a website is now not simply designing one, but also thinking about how everyone will be able to have access no matter what language they speak, how old they are, or if they have a disabled.

What are the primary perils of and salutary remedies for political powe

What are the primary perils of and salutary remedies for political power? Political power has been an issue plaguing man since the beginning of politics itself. How to gain it, how to hold it, how to properly use it, how to exploit it. Throughout time power has been exercised by those that hold it over those that do not. As with anything, problems are sure to arise. These problems call for solutions if peace is to be restored. The primary perils of political power are a strong desire to keep it, a devotion to anything other than justice, an unwillingness to stand for the right thing, and ruling in a merciless manner. The remedies of political power can be (but are not limited to) confidence that laws are just, a willingness to negotiate, the sharing of power, and staying strong in what is just and right. The first problem (or peril) of power is that those who posses it do not in any way wish to give it up. King stated that â€Å"Lamentably, it is an historic fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.† (King 68) This often causes a lack of willingness to negotiate with others. Mandela says of the white in South Africa â€Å"Whites had the highest standards in the world-and aimed to keep it that way.† (Mandela 367) There would be no negotiating on the part of the whites. They simply refused to assume the risk of losing what they held. â€Å"Creon will not listen to Antigone, nor does he listen to anyone else but his own inner demons.† (Mandela 456) By not listening to another, Creon threw negotiation by the wayside, which not only aided the corruption of his power, but ultimately lead to his demise. Even when negotiations are made, they must be acted upon, not simply spoken. The fact that King a... ... the devotion to agendas other than justice, the rejection of standing up for the right thing and no mercy are problems King and Mandela address. To remedy4hese perils, the two men suggest that those in power be sure that their laws are just, be willing to negotiate and share their power, and have the spirit to stand strong for what is just and right. Though a single problem can weigh down political power, no one solution can solve it. It must be a combination of these and/or many more in order to solve the true perils of political power. The truth is, when something it so highly desired, so highly revered such as political power, corruption lurks behind every corner. It is up to those in charge (as well as those that influence them to be sure that this power is not corrupted, not abused. This is the preservation of politics; this is the preservation of justice.

The Last Lecture Randy Pausch Reflection

Reflection of Randy Pausch’s â€Å"The Last Lecture† Pennsylvania State University Berks Campus The Last Lecture began as a good-bye speech, made by Randy Pausch, a 47 year old professor diagnosed with terminal cancer. His speech at Carnegie Melon University became an Internet phenomenon. It has also been published as a book. I really thoroughly enjoyed his Last Lecture speech. He had a lot of good talking points and brought up some new perspectives, or ways of looking at life situations that got me thinking. He talked a lot about his dreams when he was a child and was very humorous and inspirational throughout his speech.He also had a lot of quotes that I really enjoyed and they are what I want to focus on. â€Å"When you screw up and no one yells at you about it then they have given up on you. † They yell at you because they care. This is something that applies to my life. I have had presumably some of the worst years of my life my junior and senior year of hig h school through entering college. I always believed my parents never understood where I was coming from, and if I did anything slightly wrong, they would blow the situation out of proportion.This is not exactly the same thing, because I would not say that I have â€Å"screwed up† in my actions, but more, I have done things that my parents disagreed with. My parents would yell at me for reasons that I did not understand, and things that my friends’ parents would never yell at them for. I know that there are individual differences between families and their own beliefs, but at the time, I hated my parents. We would get into the pettiest fights, and my parents never knew how much I did not do to try and please them. I just wanted to run away and leave and or find a way out.These were somewhat dark times for me because my relationship with my parents was just extremely terrible. Our arguments took an emotional toll on me, and it affected all of my relationships outside of my family and my schoolwork; anything that was important to me was not anymore. All this being said, now that I have been in college I have realized that my parents do really care about me and when they ever got angry or would not let me do something, I know now that it was out of love and parental instinct to protect their child and have my best interests in mind.They also were so strict and disciplinary with me because they just wanted a better life for me than they had, and they did not want for me to â€Å"screw up†. I really appreciate all that my parents have done for me to have the life I had, and I am so lucky to have parents who care about me and my future so much. This ties back into another thing Randy Pausch said, which was â€Å"when you do something when you are young, it sticks with you. † My parents are pretty conservative and raised me with strict discipline, placing all their emphasis on my academics.My dad would always make me sit at the dinner tabl e and do all of my homework before I could go play or do anything else. This is something that has stuck with me for a long while. I am not as good at still doing this, but what my dad made me do, helped contribute to my work ethic that would get me good grades, organization, and good time management skills all throughout grade school. Also, like Pausch’s father, my dad taught me humility. I try to live my life as modestly as I possibly can, and I get the most gratification out of the smallest things.Unlike Pausch’s father though, my dad never let me draw and write on the walls, even though that never stopped me from doing it, but rather my dad still let me express my creativity in other ways that would not cause property damage. Having a creative outlet is such an important thing and I was glad I was able explore and let my imagination run. If anything, in today’s society, creativity is something that is being undervalued and sacrificed in the sake of making pr ogress and conforming to an academic standard, where the arts and other areas of study are not looked as highly upon as studying science or business, for example.It also comes down to material goods and earnings when choosing a course of study. A statement that stuck out to me was that â€Å"people are more important than things. † This is an idea that seems to have been innate for me. Since I was young, I always cared a lot about the people in my life, and that has translated to how I am now. I value friendships so much. I believe that yes, you have your family and they should always be there and support you, but having friends creates such more stable foundation in the relationships that you have. You can make a lot of money and buy whatever you want, but money does not equate happiness.I appreciate the people who are in my life and all the experiences we have shared together, which I will continue to reminisce about and keep forever. Money or things could not give me all t hose experiences. Sometimes I feel like people are so driven by their need for a sense of achievement and wealth/power that they push people away and give up any chance of building their friendships and enjoying the fruits of life that you can only get through your interaction with people. These people just end up alone, and that is something I do not want to do.Randy Pausch was very successful at being able to always put people before things. â€Å"Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you want† and â€Å"brick walls are there to show how much people want something,† we two of my most favorite quotes that came out of his speech. The more I reflected on these words, the more I thought about how true they are. I never thought of experience in that way, but I guess that is what results from at least some of my experiences. I feel like I have great experiences, but they are times when I do get exactly what I wanted.No doubt though, many of the best ex periences I have had were ones where things did not go exactly as planned but they ended up being just as great, if not more great, than they would have been if I had gotten my way. Another important thing about experience I think, is that you have to let yourself experience, and not hold yourself back. You could look at something that happened to you and complain and cry about it, but you could look at it from the perspective that you have gained knowledge for future events, and you only grow and learn from your experiences, either good or bad.I know that many times, I feel like only bad things happen to me, and as much as I appreciate gaining experiences from them, it feels like I always have to the route of learning from my mistakes. I got into my first car accident on my way back home from FTCAP at Berks, and clearly that was not something I wanted. But I gained experience from it, and I guess it has made me become a more cautious driver. The other quote about brick walls really struck a nerve with me and that is why it was one of my favorites.I feel like I have come up against many brick walls in my life. Sometimes I cannot break them down, but I guess that means that I did not want something enough. Physically, I know that there are those times where I am in a game, and I am just exhausted. When I feel like I cannot push anymore, something inside me, whether it be my want to be better than someone else, or sense of competition and want to win, I find a whole source of energy and intensity that was not there before. Usually this allows me to overcome my fatigue and perform better.If I looked at every obstacle in my life as a brick wall that I would have to break down or overcome, I feel like I usually come up short and only make maybe a crack in the wall. I believe that when I am really passionate about something, I put literally everything I have into it and hope that it shows how badly I really, truly want something. Most of the time, I will admit, I ge t discourage or frustrated easily. I want to be able to not let these walls stop me from achieving anything.So this is a quote I have up so I can see it everyday, and it is quite motivating to see that I have to put effort into my day to achieve anything. I found the part of his speech where he talked about working on Imagineering inspirational. This was something that was his dream, and once he finally achieved his dream, this forever changed his life. I am not sure if I have an ultimate dream of what I want to be, in the future, but I hope to be like Pausch and enable childhood dreams of others.I do not even know what it would be like to fulfill your own dream or the dreams of others, but I would love to be a part of something bigger than myself and help others. I am realizing that there are so many people out there who are less fortunate than I, and those people work so much harder to achieve their dreams. My parents could even be used as examples. Their dream was to escape commu nism, and lead a better life for themselves and for their children. They worked extremely hard to build themselves up from nothing.I hope to someday have a dream that I want to achieve that badly. Pausch had pancreatic cancer, three kids, and did not want to be an object of pity even though he knew when his life would end. I envy that about him. He continued in his speech to talk about how to live and achieve your childhood dreams. I think that that was very motivational to us, especially as college students, because he is basically saying that we can be whatever we want to be and we should not let anything get in the way of our dreams.Pausch said that you should have a sense of fun and wonder which should never go away. I could not agree more. We are young, and should be curious and enjoy life. Often the flame of life seems to dim until it blows out over time, but like Pausch I hope to be able to have as much fun and fulfillment out of anything that I do. When I get out of school, and begin to work, I hope that I will be able to go to work everyday and be excited about it. I realized that I am basically living out a dream that I laid out for myself, whether I knew it or not.It has taken a lot for me to get to where I am now, and I have worked for â€Å"my dream† for so many years, it has become one of the only things I know how to do and work towards. I guess this dream is become a child psychiatrist, or work with children and help them medically. His conclusion of the lecture gave me a lot to really just think about. Really, his entire speech conveyed that you should never underestimate the value of having fun. You should work and play well with other, tell the truth, and apologize.You should show your gratitude. And not to complain, just work harder. This is such a great way I think to look at life. Life is all about living, and living is having fun and enjoying yourself. That is the only reason for doing anything. I mean it is simple, but why would you want to put all your time and energy into doing anything you do not like? Even those things that are difficult can be made easier if you just look at the situation from a different and more hopeful perspective. I know that I do not show my gratitude enough.I know that I am thankful, but sometimes a simple â€Å"thank you† does go a long way. I know that I do a lot for people and I do it because I want to, but those two words carry a lot of weight. I also know that I tend to complain a lot. His speech definitely was motivational in the fact that so many people, like myself, can spend an excessive amount of time being negative and looking at everything as a long and arduous task, when life is all about just trying to do the best you can and having an optimistic point of view.If you do not complain about things and just force yourself to get them done, you will be so much more satisfied with yourself and the work you accomplished. He went on further to talking about how you should live your life. Pausch said that if you live properly, your dreams will come to you. I am skeptical of this, but maybe if I try to live more â€Å"properly† then things will all fall into place. I realized that I often know what I want, but I do not do anything to help me achieve what I want.Also there are times when I feel like I am trying my best to live â€Å"properly† and make the best of every situation, but sometimes, I just do not want to make myself feel better about myself or any situation I would be in, and I would just rather sulk and pity myself. Randy Pausch definitely had ego integrity as he entered the last stages of his life. His attitude and his approach to facing death was something very awe-inspiring. He is not afraid of death, and he feels as if he has lived a fulfilling life. Even though he is leaving his children and family behind, he knows that they will carry on and live life to its maximum otential because he has shown them how. As upset ting and devastating as it is to lose someone who is very close to you and has made such an impact in your life, I believe that his family will be able to handle his death and have a positive outlook on the future, even without Pausch’s presence there, because he was so positive about his life and what he has contributed and done. I think as much as I would want to be optimistic or realistic about death and accept it, I think I would be more upset and more ego despair than Pausch was.Yes, death is a naturally occurring event and everyone dies. It is just somewhat unfair to me that certain people do not have the chance to live out their life. I also am just more afraid of when my life ends, I will not have accomplished everything that I wanted to, or made any difference in the world. Maybe someday, I will be able to give a â€Å"Last Lecture† speech that is just as motivational and inspirational as Randy Pausch. I also hope to get into the mindset that Pausch talked abo ut in his speech—living life, not worrying about death, having fun, and going after my dreams.

Bacteria Growth and Glucose Percentages

Bacteria’s Growth Affected by Various Glucose Percentages This lab tested whether or not different glucose levels activated bacteria growth. My lab group and I wanted to figure out, if more glucose was spread on the bacteria plates, would there be more bacteria growth in the agar plate. My group predicted that with 25% glucose (the highest percentage of glucose), the bacteria growth would be the greatest. In order to conduct this experiment, my group had 3 ager plates. One plate had 0% glucose, the next plate had 5% glucose and the third plate had 25% glucose in it.Once we received all the plates, we light an alcohol burner. We then used a pipet to sterile collect bacteria from the culture tubes. We then opened the first ager plate (0% glucose) and transferred 10 drops of bacteria culture onto the plate. Then we did the same for the next 2 plates (5% and 25% glucose). Next, we sterilized the spreader by waving it in the flame (alcohol burner) for 15 seconds. Then, we let the s preader cool for 10 seconds, and then opened the first agar plate and spread the bacteria around the plate by quickly and slightly sliding the spreader back and forth across the plate for 5 seconds.Then we closed the plate and did the same thing for the next 2 plates. Next, we sealed each plate with a strip of Para film and then placed the plates with bacteria on the side of the room until the following week. After waiting a week, we received our group’s ager plates back. We noticed that with our experiment, the most amount of bacteria growth had no glucose in it. Our results were the following: with no glucose, there was 25% bacteria growth, with 5% glucose added to the ager plates, there was only 15% bacteria growth, and with 25% glucose added to the ager plates, only 1% of bacteria growth was present.The least amount of bacteria growth contained the largest percentage of glucose. Based off of our group’s results, we can reject our hypothesis. We realized that our pr ediction was not what our results showed us. Our prediction was that 25% glucose would have the most amount of bacteria growth, however we can now conclude that bacteria growth does not need any glucose to reproduce. In fact, the more glucose there is, the least amount of bacteria growth occurs. If glucose is present in the bacteria, it is possible for bacteria to reproduce; however bacteria will reproduce the greatest when no glucose is present at all.

Analysis of ‘Ceremony’ By Leslie Marmon Silko Essay

If Native American community adopts the ethics of white traditions that regards them as less than human being, they begin to look down on themselves. In ‘Ceremony’ Leslie Marmon Silko visibly represents this dual bind sociology called internalized domination. ‘Ceremony’ is one of the most reflective and touching works of Native American literature, a story that is itself a ceremony of curative. Tayo, a World War II experienced person of combined lineage, comes back to the Laguna Pueblo stipulation. He is intensely frightened by his experience as a hostage of the Japanese and later offended by the negative response he came across from his community. Only by throwing himself in the Indian past can he can set in motion to get back the harmony that was taken away from him. Masterfully written, full of sober magnificence of Pueblo saga, ‘Ceremony’ is a use of lasting power. ‘Ceremony’ deals with the gender roles of three women are significant to the development of a character named Tayo who is half-white and half-Indian. These three women are Tayo’s birth mother, Auntie, and Old Grandma. His mother left him when he was four years old and that began his sense of emptiness and abandonment. She could not bear to raise a child that brought the reservation shame by her mistake. Auntie raised Tayo and was the mother figure he lacked. She had no problem accepting to take him, but only to conceal the shame of her younger sister. Auntie was always hesitant toward Tayo as he was not her real son and was also a half-breed. For Tayo, this only added to his feeling of displacement and emptiness. She would give her affection and attention to her real son Rocky, but would let Tayo just sit there alone. After the war Auntie nursed him because he was all she had left after Rocky got killed. He would wake up crying after dreaming about how much Josiah had loved him and always hugged him when he was a little child. Now he realized that there was no place left for him and he would never find peace. Auntie may have been a mother figure to him, but to Tayo she was just someone who looked after him. Old Grandma, unlike Auntie, does accept Tayo and wants what is best for him. When Auntie rejected the idea of a medicine doctor because he’s not full blood, Old Grandma got angry and said that he was her grandson and why should she care what they say anyway. She has been around for many years and doesn’t worry about what other people will say about Tayo or about their family. The significance of Montano to the novel, Ceremony is very powerful and vital to the recovery of Tayo. She lives up in the rim rock and is in touch with the earth and her surroundings in every way. Being torn between the white world and the Indian world is what leaves Tayo feeling invisible and hollow inside. Montano helps him to become more in touch with his Indian side and to feel the strength and power from the earth. She teaches him the importance of certain plants, flowers, and ceremonies and how they are significant to Indian culture and survival. Tayo falls in love with her, and through his love, he begins to feel alive again. He realizes that he does have a place and that he is not invisible to everyone and to his surroundings. When he is not with her, instead of the nightmares, she fills his dreams. He woke up one night and thought about the overpowering love he felt for her. He shed tears filled his eyes and the ache in his throat ran deep into his chest. Tayo no longer feels like a walking shadow, but finally a real person with feelings and emotions. It is through Montano that he discovers himself and ultimately is able to deal with being a half-breed in a changing world. When she finally leaves him, he is able to go on living and remembering all that she taught him. Conclusion: I really enjoyed this story. It was a great portrayal of how family might mistreat you just because you are a little different than them. Sometimes people can’t deal with the fact that a family member is only half of the race that they are. I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially to anyone who feels that they are secluded and have no friends just because they are bi-racial.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In ‘Ceremony’, the main character, ‘Tayo’ have to come to terms with himself and his near environment upon his come back from World War II. He is distressed from a sort of post disturbing anxiety disorder which has affected him bodily as well as psychologically due to the fact that he has lived as a prisoner of war in Japan. As a result, he must deal with all of the terrible memories when he comes back to stay with his family on the Laguna Pueblo reservation in New Mexico. To complex his problems, Tayo is half Native American and half Caucasian, so he should also deal with the extra pressures of the double culture. He is torn between the Native American world and the white world, and is unable to feel a secure refuge or belonging. Tayo’s friends and family think that they know the personality of and cure for Tayo’s sickness and depression; though it is only the Native American formal procedures which will really help him. He needs to observe the junction of life and actually realize the cyclical nature of his feelings and measures that he has faced. With the help and good judgment of Old Betonie, Tayo ultimately finds harmony in the Native American ceremonial even surrounded by all of the contradictions currently in America. In Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko exposes the many contradictions present in America today. Be it the government’s policies concerning Native Americans, the American model of courage, or the history which the children study in their classrooms, America is full of sarcasm and paradoxes. These inconsistencies do not in any way cut down the magnificence of America as a country, but to a certain extent serve to remind its people that we do not at all times keep in mind those who helped us turn out to be what we are at present. Silko’s novel is a legendary reminder for Americans to recognize our first true nationalized custom and keep in mind that the Native American tradition is still alive and well today. Silko has demonstrated that America has made blunders in the history, but undoubtedly has the power to put right those mistakes today. References Silko M, Leslie â€Å"Ceremony† Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Rep edition (March 4, 1986). ISBN-13: 978-0140086836

Culture of Jamaica

The first settlers of Jamaica called the land â€Å"Xaymaca† which means â€Å"Land of springs† (Pillai, 2013). It is said that this is where the name of the country came from. Jamaica is known for many things like its beaches, wildlife, and reggae music. Jamaica has a mix of people from different races, religions, and countries so its culture is varied. Christopher Columbus discovered Jamaica in 1494, but people have in habited the island for thousands of years before.The Arawaks and Tainos are said to be the first ribes to settle on the island, between 4000 B. C. AND 1000 B. C. (Pillai, 2013). From 1494 to 1655, Jamaica was a Spanish colony. It was a British colony from 1655 to 1962. Jamaica was granted a new constitution in 1944 and gained universal suffrage. The country gained independence August 6, 1962 (Purcell, 2013). The population of Jamaica is 2,909,714 (FindTheData, 2013). 16. 5% of the population lives below the poverty line. Africans make up most of the Jam aican population. After Africans, many of the Jamaicans are multiracial and from Indian or Chinese decent (Pillai, 2013).English is the official language of Jamaica (Purcell, 2013). Jamaican Patois is the de facto national language of Jamaica, which is a Creole language (Pillai, 2013). It is the most commonly spoken language in the country. Many religions are practiced in Jamaica. Tainos, the first settlers, worshipped forces of nature like plants and animals. They believed in the God Yucahu and Goddess Atabey. They also worshipped good and evil spirits to prevent natural disasters (Pillai, 2013). Christianity made its way to the island with the colonizers. About 80% of Jamaicans are Christians.Rastafari developed in the 1920s in Jamaica. It is a â€Å"blend of Old Testament Christian faith, mystic beliefs, and African fundamentalist ideology. † The Rastas keep their hair long in dreadlocks, reject western society, and use marijuana spiritually (Pillai, 2013). Jamaicans have certain traditions and beliefs. A common birth rite is to bury the umbilical cord of a newborn baby, and usually a tree is planted over it, signifying that they are always connected to their birth place. Funerals are an important ritual to the Jamaicans. A big funeral is a sign ofa good life (Purcell, 2013).Nine Night is a Jamaican ceremony or funeral where friends and family sing, dance, and drink for eight nights then sing farewell songs on the ninth night. They rearrange the room of the deceased so their spirit will not recognize it and return. A last meal is set out under the silk-cotton tree, a hiding place for the spirits, for the diseased spirit (Pillai, 2013). Jamaican weddings are big, lavish, and family-oriented. Both families of the bride and groom meet before the wedding and friends start sending gifts like eggs for the cake (Pillai, 2013). Jamaican foods are usually hot and spicy.Their strong spices and herbs make heir dishes popular around the world. The national dish is the Ackee and Saltflsh. Spicy Jerk pork and Jerk chicken are very popular Jamaican cuisines. The national drink is Jamaican rum (Pillai, 2013). Rice is a ceremonial food. Curried goat meat is the main meal at parties, weddings, and tunerals (Purcell, 2 Jamaican attire is a combination of European and African style. Jamaican women wear brightly colored outfits of a skirt, top, and headscarf. Men wear brightly colored western-style clothes with short sleeves. Due to the humid weather, Jamaicans don't wear heavy clothing; they prefer cotton clothing.Rastafarians wear clothes made of natural fibers. These clothes are always in their sacred colors of red, yellow, and green. â€Å"According to the Rastafarians, Red signifies the blood of the black people, Yellow stands for the gold that was stolen from Africa, and Green symbolizes the lost African lands† (Pillai, 2013). The also wear a tam or hat to go over their dreadlocks. The official currency of Jamaica is the Jamaican dolla r (FindTheData, 2013). Manufacturing and services are the main sources of economy. Service includes tourism, which is a great contributor to the economy.Jamaica's main trade allies are the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Caribbean Economic Community. Major imports are consumer goods, construction hardware, electrical and telecommunication equipment, food, fuel, machinery, and transportation equipment. Jamaica's major exports are bauxite and alumina, apparel, sugar, bananas, coffee, citrus and citrus products, rum, cocoa, and labor (Purcell, 2013). Jamaica's gross domestic product (GDP) is $25,620,000,000. Their GDP per capita is $8,900, which is also the world average. Jamaica has a high inflation rate of 6. 9%.They also have a high unemployment rate of 14% (FindTheData, 2013). The country is in a bad economic situation. Jamaica has a bicameral parliamentary legislative system. They are a member of the British Commonwealth. The British monarch, the governor genera l, the prime minister and deputy prime minister, and the cabinet make up the executive branch. The Senate and the sixty members elected to the House of Representatives make up the legislative branch. The Judicial branch is the Supreme Court and lower courts. The main political parties are the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labor Party Purcell, 2013).Sociologists would need to know about Jamaican custom to know what not to say or do around Jamaicans to not offend them. They would need to know some of Jamaican history which would let them know that there was much slavery and oppression during the colonial period. Jamaicans might get offended if this subject is brought up in the wrong manner. It would be wise for sociologists to know that the Jamaican Patois language is a symbol of defiance from European cultural authority (Purcell, 2013). Their Jamaican identity is very important to them. Their identity ncludes many things like their religion traditions and customs.

Assess the View That Cults and Sects Are Only Fringe Organisations That Are Inevitably Short Lived and of Little Influence in Contemporary Society Essay Example for Free (#2)

Assess the View That Cults and Sects Are Only Fringe Organisations That Are Inevitably Short Lived and of Little Influence in Contemporary Society Essay Contemporary society (12) , Cult (8) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints It can be argued that cults and sects are only fringe organisations that are inevitably short lived and of little influence in contemporary society, however some may have views to contrast this idea. A sect is an organization, which usually breaks off from an established religion, which finds itself in disagreement with beliefs and values of wider society and refuses to tolerate the beliefs of others. Although the desire to be a member is voluntary, as oppose to being born into, like religion, sects are rejected by society and claim strong obligation and commitment by its members. A sect is an extremely narrow-minded organisation, which is often led by a charismatic leader. Whereas, in contrast, a cult does not progress from a mainstream religion and does not reject or challenge societal norms. However, as tolerant of other beliefs as they are, they still attract a great deal of negative press, for example brainwashing. Members in a cult are usually more like customers than followers. An example of a cult is Heavens gate, which is a destructive doomsday cult, centered in California. There is a mass of supporting evidence that cults and sects are short lived and insignificant to wider society. Nevertheless, it must be maintained that the matter is complex as there are many sects and cults, which identify themselves differently. There is evidence to support this view of a short-lived nature of sects. This is due to many reasons. World rejecting sects, due to their nature and succeeding societal rejection and stigma of bad press, must be able to compromise with society and becoming a denomination and therefore cease to be a sect, if this is not done then the sect will die out. There is also an argument that sects cannot have a great deal of affect upon society over a long term period as they cannot survive past the charismatic leader’s lifetime and therefore sustain themselves over more than one generation. The American theologian Niebuhr theorises that another reason for transience of sects is that they rarely live past the 1st generation because the 2nd generation usually lacks the belief of the 1st. In this way, their membership dwindles as the 2nd generation chooses to leave the sect and hold other views in wider society. However Wilson disagrees with Neibuhrs view and says that he overates his case and chooses to not pay attention to groups who did preserve a ‘ distinct sectarian stance’. Similarly, evidence proves to discredit the belief that a sect fails to live on past their leader’s death. For example, The Mormons have continued for many generations and also the Amish- however this could be attributed to the protective ‘isolation-like’ in which they live. There is also a possibility that the Moonies surviving is due to the leader preparing for his son to take over his position as the charismatic leader after his death, however this is yet to be seen. Cults have seen a large incline in their number recently and because they are more accepting of wider society and despite receiving bad press, offer a practical solution to peoples’ issues and wishes, seem less likely to die out due to refusal and disapproval. They are also financially rather stable, the Church of Scientology for example has an estimated income of over  £200m per year. This is down to the consumer attitude of cults. There is also a mass of evidence for their importance in society in a sense that audience cults have a mass market of ‘self help therapy’ there are many books available for example, tarot reading, crystals and reflexology regularly appear on the best seller list and often more room is devoted to these books rather than Christianity books themselves. The view that cults are fringe movements is less supported than that for sects. Sects very infrequently continue on as sects but cults such as scientology are not only prosperous but also have a huge celebrity following trend; admired by the public for example Tom Cruise. There is also evidence that sects and cults can be of great influence to society – though it is debatable as to whether or not that is possible today in a society as apparently secular as ours. Weber suggests in his Theodicy of Disprivilege that because they offer a solution to problems: justification and explanation for life and its problems, to marginalised groups such as dropouts or ethnic minorities, world rejecting sects that offer status appeal to people. An example of this is Liberation Theology which was for the poorer people which had great influence upon the priorities of the Catholic Church in Latin America (though it has become more conservative, it continues to represent human rights and democracy). Bruce argues that it is not a religion and is instead a shallow, meaningless thing. Due to the elements of choice it offers, the choice about which bits to believe and whether to take its readings into account, it does not require commitment. This he argues prevents it having religious status. Post Modernists see it as being spiritual shopping: it is part of a consumerist culture. Despite not necessarily being a religion, there is lots of evidence to show that it has influenced society as a whole and, some sociologists would claim, aided secularisation. There is also evidence to show that it is unlikely to be particularly short lived as it fits in so well with our Capitalist, consumerist society and our individualistic values and is so profitable. Therefore, though there is strong evidence to show that sects and cults are ‘fringe organisations’, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that neither are short lived in themselves either through the Sectarian cycle or demand and supply (though sects tend to become denominations) and also to suggest that the influence of sects and cults on society is greater than expected; though the influence of sects and cults is exemplified by older examples and so one cannot be sure as to how successful they will be in today’s society, except in regards to specific sects and cults. In conclusion, the view that cults, sects are fringe organisations that are inevitably short-lived and of little influence in modern-day society, is on the whole not wholly correct but has some strength in that the permanency of all is arguable as is their status as fringe organisations. Assess the View That Cults and Sects Are Only Fringe Organisations That Are Inevitably Short Lived and of Little Influence in Contemporary Society. (2016, Mar 30). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you