The theme of betrayal Essay Example

The theme of betrayal Paper These two poems are written about very different subjects but they both explore the theme of betrayal. In the first poem ‘Havisham’, the poet Carol Anne Duffy uses Mrs. Havisham, a fictional character from the well know novel ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, as her extended metaphor for betrayal. In the second poem ‘Kid’ by Simon Armitage, the poet presents the theme of betrayal from a slightly different perspective using ‘Batman and Robin’ as his literary conceit. Both Havisham and Kid feature literary conceits through which the poets convey the characters thoughts to the reader. In Havisham, Duffy uses her chosen metaphor as the title. This makes the theme of betrayal known to the reader from the very start of the poem. Duffy asexualises the main character in the title through the absence of the pronoun â€Å"Mrs†. This puts extra emphasis on Mrs. Havisham’s metaphoric significance. In kid, Armitage uses the extended metaphor (Batman and Robin) to sarcastically influence the speakers’ role reversal of his childhood relationship with his stepfather who left him and his mother, to be in a relationship with another woman. Both poems use strong plosives in the opening line of the poem. Havisham starts off with the phrase â€Å"Beloved sweetheart bastard†. The repetition of the letter ‘b’ gives the poem an immediate aggressive tone and evokes anger. This phrase is also an oxymoron; the poet is expressing the characters unhealthy state of mind through the polarisation of feeling. This is a result of these two feeling, love and hate, are irreconcilable, and yet both experienced by the speaker to their extremes. We will write a custom essay sample on The theme of betrayal specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The theme of betrayal specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The theme of betrayal specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Simon Armitage in kid also employs plosives to emphasise the anger and violence expressed throughout the poem examples include, â€Å"Batman, big shot† and â€Å"punching the palm of your hand†. Therefore, both poems use plosives in order to gain the same effect, emphasis on aggression and anger. Clothing is another common device used by both poets to express the characters state of mind. In Havisham the speaker seems to use clothing to convey a deeper meaning to the reader. â€Å"Loves hate behind a white veil† This oxymoron presents two overwhelming contradictory emotion. This shows that although the speaker is angry there is also a more sophisticated side to her. However in kid, the description of clothing is far less sophisticated; â€Å"now I’ve doffed that off-the-shoulder / Sherwood-forest-green and scarlet number for a pair of jeans and crew-neck jumper† . The speaker in kid evaluates his adulthood through his clothing, which shows that he does not operate well in society. The clothes that belong to childhood is the â€Å"Sherwood-forest-green and scarlet number† and the â€Å"pair of jeans and crew neck jumper† belong to adulthood. The speaker shows immaturity by describing his adulthood in terms of external virtues. This would seem fairly mundane in contrast to Havisham, which refers to clothing as part of an intelligent literary device, which subsequently has an effect on the reader. Enjambment is used in both poems, with each poet using this technique to create different effects on the reader. In Havisham, Duffy uses enjambment to build up dramatic tension in the poem. The enjambment used in Havisham goes against normal structure in poetry; â€Å"who did this / to me? †, the effect that is created by the thoughts of the speaker running over from one line to the other, emphasises the great anger felt by the speaker at this point. This use of enjambment is doubly useful, in this case as the overall effect of the enjambed lines is that the idea takes the form of a rant. Armitage creates a mood of aggression in Kid, partly caused by the structure of the poem. Kid is presented in four long periodic sentences with multiple sub-clauses, enjambed over nearly every line. One of the many examples can be seen on line one over to line two were the speaker says â€Å"when you gave the order / to grow up†. The emjabments used in kid also add to the menacing tirade in the poem. In Havisham the structure of the poem resembles that of natural speech. This results in the poem being more naturalistic. At the end of the poem Duffy uses the breakdown in rhythm, â€Å"b-b-b-breaks† to emphasise the speaker’s emotions. By adding in this caesura Duffy shows the disintegration of language, which connotes the breakdown of mind and the unstable mental state of the speaker as a result of the betrayal. Similarly in Kid, Simon Armitage also uses caesura’s to emphasise some key words and themes within the poem, â€Å"I’m taller, harder, stronger, older†. As well as adding greater emphasis to the words, the use of commas between each word breaks up the rhythm of the poem and similarly to Havisham makes the poem exceed the boundaries of normal poetry. This causes the poems to take on the form of a rant. Language devices are used in both poems to enhance the build up of tension. In Havisham, Duffy uses alliteration to build up tension and as stated above, show the unhealthy state of mind of the speaker. The example of this is â€Å"b-b-b-breaks†, this shows the feelings of the speaker mounting up inside her, and she has difficulty getting them out. Her hesitancy in this case could also allude to the speaker’s shamefulness of herself and the state she is in. Duffy also uses sibilance to enhance this effect, â€Å"Spinster, I stink†, this also could allude to the same effect as previously in which the speaker is ashamed of herself. The term spinster refers to unmarried women of marriageable age, and unlike bachelor has negative connotations. This use of sibilance crates a very real effect to the poem the reader can hear, see and smell Havisham in their mind. The assonance found in the second stanza, â€Å"cawing Nooooo at the wall†, implies that Havisham has been re-living in her mind the past events in her life, something that is often not psychologically healthy. The significant literal device found in Kid is the use of repetitive assonance which in this case is all the lines ending in ‘r’: â€Å"order wander yonder rather corner †. These assonances conjures up an ‘index finger pointing belligerently at the interlocutor’. The resulting effect is that of mounting anger and violence in the speaker. In conclusion Duffy lends pathos and a tragic dimension to her character. In order to have a tragic dimension in a character, the character needs to have experienced some sort of tragic event. For Havisham this was the betrayal which causes her to be totally self-aware. As a result this event will manifest itself in to the character of the speaker. This will cause the reader to sympathise with the speaker. In Kid, Armitage presents a character who seeks to measure himself favourably at someone else’s expense. This makes it much harder for the reader to sympathize with the speaker in Kid than in Havisham. As a result of this I feel that the speaker in Havisham is far more captivating than the one in Kid. This is mainly due to the effect the tragic event of betrayal suffered by the reader, has affected her behaviour. This in conjunction with the various stylistic and linguistic features in the poem make Havisham a more powerful and effective poem.

Lof

Lof In the movie, there are some obvious differences with the book, however they do not affect the plot drastically. For example: In the book, Ralph has blond hair whereas in the movie he has black hair. The characters have slightly different personalities in the movie. Jack is meaner and more savage. His friendship with Ralph disappears very quickly. Besides those small details, there are some bigger differences that partially affect the story. For example: The pig head see alive and crueler than the one in the movie: when Simon finds himself in front of it, he imagines that the head is speaking to him in a mean way (the pig tells him indirectly he's going to die). Furthermore, in the movie, the pilot lives longer and dies later on when he goes into the cave and he is then referred to as the monster. In the book, the monster is know as the beast which is a parachutist that drifts to earth during a plan explosion over the island.Ralph Paglia

Capital Punishment Cheapens the Value of Human Life

Today, the most serious crimes (especially murder and rebellion) are preserved and the death penalty (or similar death penalty) is a judicial order to execute a prisoner as a punishment for capital crime (defined by each country). The cruel killing of citizens by the state can be traced back to ancient times. Indeed, from an objective point of view, the judgment of the Gospel before 2000 and the subsequent crucifixion can be regarded as a classic death penalty procedure. The death penalty or capital punishment means state penalty for convicted criminals, ie the most serious crime - the death penalty. The word capital comes from the Latin capital and means around the head, so the meaning of death (symbolic meaning) will be distracting. Death penalty and murder by law are completely different Murder is caused by individuals for personal purposes. But human life has the greatest value. Regimes using numerous death sentences, particularly political or religious crimes, infringe the most important human rights, ie the rights to life. Abusers believe that the death penalty is the most serious violation of human rights, as human rights violations are the most important and the death penalty infringes it, it is not necessary and it hurts the condemned psychological torture. Human rights activists oppose the death penalty and call it cruel and inhumane and punishing punishment. Amnesty International views this as ultimate irreversible human rights denial. Most countries, including almost all the first world countries, have abolished capital punishment or practical death penalty. Notable exceptions are the United States, China, India, Japan, and most Muslim countries. America is the only Western country still using the death penalty Seek killing of others' daily life. The death penalty is a vicious circle. Regardless of media, politicians and others, someone will provoke the masses of the United States and then claim that the people will support the death penalty. This h as led to the expansion of media coverage of capital lawsuits which in turn stimulated the population and continued its cycle. People should be compared to sheep in a way; by themselves, this person may be smart, but collective consciousness is formed under many other existences. Under the influence of the group, this wise person can imagine acting in ways not normally considered. The death penalty further weakens our lives by becoming a means of legitimate discrimination. Southern countries are more likely to convict a black man than a white male, especially if the crime is against a white man. If it turns out that the minority group is supported much, everyone will be excluded from the punishment of the law. essay.com/TITLE: Capital punishment: justice or murder? Theme: Koch's Death and justice: how punishment of death confirms life vs Brooke's punishment for death Title: Capital punishment: Is it justice or murder? Theme: Koch's Death and justice: how punishment of death confirm s life vs Brooke's punishment for death

The Influence of Youth Gangs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Influence of Youth Gangs - Essay Example Often, the blame is placed on social and economic disadvantages, lack of parental involvement, or a failure of institutionalized support such as the foster care system. Intervening in a child's pre-teen years could help change the child's first inappropriate steps down the road to becoming a gang member. Yet, many of the child's decisions to engage in extreme anti-social behavior have their foundation outside the child's upbringing, socio-economic status, or physical environment. The social environment of today's youth has left them vulnerable to the influence of gangs, and has helped shaped a class of youth incapable of determining right or wrong and incompetent to realistically weigh the outcome of their actions. Finding markers that could help sociologists, family courts, schools, and law enforcement predict a child's propensity to engage in gang activity could help lead to early intervention or create effective anti-gang programs. To begin a discussion on gangs and gang membership it is helpful to clear up some of the more common misconceptions and myths that surround gangs. While gangs are often perceived as a modern problem brought on by the stress of growing up in today's world, they have been around since the beginning of mankind. The origin of gangs in America began as the new immigrants, faced with a harsh life in a new country, would die or abandon their children. The 18th century orphanages, predecessor to the foster care system, were set up to care for the expanding population of homeless children (Lewis). However, the children soon discovered that they could look after one another as a means of existence. According to Lewis, "Gangs were generally comprised of members of the same race and ethnic background, who banded together for protection, recreation and financial gain". This would inevitably lead to problems of delinquency and theft as the gangs became more organized and cohesive. In essence, youth gangs in America were initially formed for the purpose of survival. Modern gangs can today be found in almost any medium sized American city, and have focused their criminal activity on the drug trade and violence. Gang membership has exploded in recent decades and Savelli reports that national membership topped one million youths in 2001. In addition, gangs are spanning the country to cities such as Minneapolis where members are as young as 13 years old (Chanen and Collins A1). Their escalating numbers have also been accompanied by an escalation in the types and severity of their crimes. Firearms have become much more commonplace within the youth gang setting and a study by Ruddell and Decker revealed the following: Regardless of the location of these respective studies, juvenile respondents generally told the researchers that they had some experience with firearms and that they were relatively easy to obtain. In addition, when juveniles were asked about their firearm of choice, they typically indicated a semiautomatic pistol of some description (50). This has led to more sophisticated organizations as rival gangs fight for drug territory and use violence as a means to settle their disputes. As an example, the US Department of Justice states that, "The Black Gangster Disciples Nation (BGDN) exemplifies such an evolution from a relatively disorganized criminal street gang to a formal criminal organization"

M I B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

M I B - Essay Example arget markets, and political forces that would affect the organization’s decision to venture abroad; and (3) as long as there are potentials and opportunities in the local market, Wal-Mart wanted to tap these to build enough internal resources and financial capabilities to prepare for international expansion. During the early stages of its international expansion in the 1990s, Wal-Mart predominantly selected countries closest to its geographical location and where the profile of the target market share parallel behavior with those exhibited in the local markets. The first market it expanded to was Mexico, which was located just beyond their border. The rest of the countries were also close geographically, like Puerto Rico and Canada. Expansion to other countries such as Hong Kong, could have considered the nature of expanding markets and the vast opportunities that the target markets from this location could contribute to Wal-Mart’s international growth. The organization could have also considered the incentives provided by the international governments, including tax incentives or subsidies for setting up greenfield investments in these areas. Wal-Mart chooses between acquisitions, greenfield investments and joint ventures on the following grounds: (1) after considering costs of market entry; (2) cultural underpinnings; (3) government incentives and legal laws; (4) human resources expertise and capabilities; (5) familiarity with the environment; and (6) consumer profiles. Under greenfield investments, for example, Wal-Mart decides based on lack of potential targets to be acquired and there are local resources deemed experts to operate the organization. Joint venture, are most appropriate in cases where there has been an identified organization with competencies in the area and both partners could contribute their respective core competencies to result in longer term mutual gains. As indicated by the case facts, â€Å"a joint venture agreement rather than full

Cricket World Cup Essay Example for Free

Cricket World Cup Essay Professional cricket player. Largely considered crickets greatest batsman, Sachin Tendulkar was born April 24, 1973 in Bombay, India, to a middle-class family, the youngest of four children. His father was a professor while his mother worked for a life insurance company. Named after his familys favorite music director, Sachin Dev Burman, Tendulkar wasnt a particularly gifted student, but hed always shown himself to be a standout athlete. He was 11 years old when he was given his first cricket bat and his talent in the sport was immediately apparent. At the age of 14 he scored 329 out of a world record stand of 664 in a school match. As his accomplishments grew, he became a sort of cult figure among Bombay schoolboys. After high school Tendulkar enrolled at Kirti College, where his father also taught. The fact that he decided to go to the school where his father worked was of no surprise. Tendulkars family is very close and years after hed achieved stardom and cricket fame, he continued to live next door to his parents. Professional Play Tendulkar made his debut in international competition at 16 with a match against Pakistan in Karachi. He wasted little time matching the expectations surrounding his arrival on the professional field. At the age of 18 he scored a pair of centuries in Australia, then in 1994 racked up a score of 179 in a match against the West Indies. FSachin Tendulkar was born April in Bombay India. Given his first cricket gat at the age Tendulkar was just when he became india youngest Test Cricketer. In he became the firtst Cricketer to score centuries runs in a single innig in Test play. In Tendulkar reched another major milestone, becoming the first player to recortd runs in one-day international play. Early Years Professional cricket player . Largely considerd cricket greatest BGatsman, SachimTendulkar was Born April in Bombay, India to a middle class family, the youngest of four children. His fat her was a professor while his mother worked for a life insurance company, named after his family’s bavourite music Director, Sachin Dev Burman, Tendulkar wasn’t a particularly gifted student, but he’d but he’d always shown himself to be a standout athlete. He was years himself to be a old when he was spot was immediately apparent. At the age of he scored out of a world record stand of in a school match. As his accomplishments gewe, he became a sort of cult figure among Baombay schoolboys. After high school Tendulkar enrolled at Kirit College , whre his father also taugh. The fact that he decided to got to the school where his fat her worked ws of no surprise. Tendulkar’s family is very close and years after he’d achieved stardom and cricket fame, he continued to live next door to his parents. Aprofessional Play Tendulkar made his de but in international competition at with a match against Pakistan in Karachi. He was wasted little time matching the expectations surrounding his arrival on the professional field. At the his arrival on the p rofessional field. At the age of he scored a pair of centuries in Australia, then in racked up a score of in a match aginst the West Indies. ? Tendulkar was just 23 when he was named captain of his countrys team for the 1996 World Cup. While the tournament proved to be a disappointment for his club, Tendulkar did nothing to diminish his own standing as one of the worlds dominant players. He finished out the World Cup as the events top scorer. In India, Tendulkars star shined even brighter. In a country reeling from troubled economic times, the young cricketer was seen as a symbol of hope by his countrymen that better times lay ahead. On national newsweekly went so far as to devote an entire issue to the young cricketer, dubbing him The Last Hero for his home country. His style of play—aggressive and inventive—resonated with the sports fans, as did Tendulkars unassuming off the field living. Even with his increasing wealth, Tendulkar showed humility and refused to flaunt his money. Tendulkars dominance of his sport has continued, even as hes moved well into his thirties. He scored his record-breaking 35th century in Test play in December 2005 in a match against Sri Lanka. In June 2007 he set another mark when he became the first player to record 15,000 runs in one-day international play. In January 2010 he again moved into the record books when became the first batsman to score 13,000 runs in Test play. Just one month later he registered another first, a double century in a match against South Africa. That same year he was named the 2010 International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year. In April 2011 Tendulkar chalked up another milestone when he led India to a World Cup victory, his first in his long career. During the tournament, the batsman again showed why hes one of the sports greatest athletes by becoming the first batsman to score 2,000 runs and six centuries in World How to Cite this Page: Sachin Tendulkar Tendulkar was just when he was named captain of his coutry’s team for the world cup. While the tournament proved to be a di for his club, Tendukar did nothing to diminish his own standing as one of the world’s dominant his own standing as one of the world’s dominant players. He finished out the World Cup as the event’s to p scorer. In India , Tendulkar’s star shined even brighter. In a coutry reeling from troubled economic times , the young cricketer was seen as a symbol of hope by his countrymen that bet ter times lay ahead . On national newsweekly went better times lay ahead. On national newsweekly went so far as to devote and entire issue to the young cricketer dubbing him The Last Hero for his home country His style of play aggressive and inventive resonated with the sport’s fans, as did Tendulkar’s unassuming off the field living Even with his increasing Wealth, Tendulkar showed humility and refused to flaunt his money . Tendulkar’s dominance of his sport has continued, even as he’s moved well into his thirties. He scored his record breaking the century in Test play in December in a match against Sri Lanka. In June he stet another mark when he became the first player to record runs in one day international play  in January he again moved finto the record bookds when became, again moved into the record books when became the first batesman to score runs in Test play. Just one month later he registered another first, a double century in a match against South Aftica. That same year he was named the International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year. In April Tendulkar Chalked up another Milestone when he led india to a World Cup victory , his first in his long career. Duting the tournament, the batsman again showed why he’s one of the sport’s greatest athletes by becoming the first batsman to sxore runs and six enturies in World Cup play.

jobs Essay -- essays research papers

Here's your big chance to make some extra cash right out of your home. You won't believe how much money you can make doing this. You can easily make up to a $1000 weekly working only 2-3 hours a day. We will supply you with all materials to start making $4.00 for every letter you process and mail out! The best part of all this is there is no limit! You can ship us back as many letters as you want. Positions are being filled very quickly and the longer you wait, the more likely you will not get accepted in this once in a lifetime opportunity! Keep reading to learn more and register today! You will NEVER have to sell any of our products in ordered to get paid. Your pay will be based on the number of letters you mail us. You will not have to make any cold calls or solicit door to door trying to make sales. You will get paid $4.00 for every envelope regardless if a customer buys our products. Mailing letters from home can make you more money than you could ever dream of. You will no longer have to wake up and take that long drive to work and suffer all those long hours. From now on, you can just wake up and say, "I'm my own boss!" You can work the hours you want and do what you want. There will be no boss looking over your shoulder ever again. This program will allow you to choose your own hours and work at your own pace. There are no obligations. You can easily make up to two times as much money than your regular paying job. As a home mailer, all you need to do i... jobs Essay -- essays research papers Here's your big chance to make some extra cash right out of your home. You won't believe how much money you can make doing this. You can easily make up to a $1000 weekly working only 2-3 hours a day. We will supply you with all materials to start making $4.00 for every letter you process and mail out! The best part of all this is there is no limit! You can ship us back as many letters as you want. Positions are being filled very quickly and the longer you wait, the more likely you will not get accepted in this once in a lifetime opportunity! Keep reading to learn more and register today! You will NEVER have to sell any of our products in ordered to get paid. Your pay will be based on the number of letters you mail us. You will not have to make any cold calls or solicit door to door trying to make sales. You will get paid $4.00 for every envelope regardless if a customer buys our products. Mailing letters from home can make you more money than you could ever dream of. You will no longer have to wake up and take that long drive to work and suffer all those long hours. From now on, you can just wake up and say, "I'm my own boss!" You can work the hours you want and do what you want. There will be no boss looking over your shoulder ever again. This program will allow you to choose your own hours and work at your own pace. There are no obligations. You can easily make up to two times as much money than your regular paying job. As a home mailer, all you need to do i...

Religion in Ancient China Essay

The earliest information found about religion in ancient China is during the Shang Dynasty and so religion in the Xia dynasty remains unknown. Religious beliefs and rituals were prominent during the Shang Dynasty. The most significant deity was Shang Ti, Ti meaning ‘Deity Above’ or the ‘Lord on High’. He ruled as a supreme god over all the other gods and spirits. The gods and spirits were believed to symbolize objects found in nature; the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, everything from mountains and rivers to the stars in the night sky. Ti is believed to have punished those who disobeyed or offended him and rewarded those who pleased him. It is said that Ti formed a noble court in heaven consisting of all deceased worthy ancestors. The Chinese’s belief in family harmony was associated to belief in the afterlife. The ancestors who were considered commendable served Ti, helping him govern the world. Ancestors were also worshipped and were said to act a mediators between the gods and humankind. It was thought that if ancestors were appropriately honoured, respected, and provided for, they would promote the family’s prosperity. A favour or grievance to a member of the family was considered a favour or grievance to the ancestors; consequently, people were reluctant to offense or harm descendants of a powerful family. It was believed that in the afterlife they would live in a celestial court in many ways similar to their earthly courts. Each Chinese family was expected to have an ancestral shrine in the centre of their home to honour and venerate their ancestors. Sacrifice to the gods and the ancestors were also a major part of the Shang religion. When a ruler died, slaves and officials were sacrificed with them in order to guarantee that their afterlife would be the same or similar as their life on earth. People were also sacrificed in smaller numbers when significant events, such as the founding of a palace or temple, took place. Along with their deceased ancestors, the Chinese had people on earth who acted as mediators between the celestials and the human race. Priests were among these intermediates and were responsible for a number of tasks including reading prayers and overseeing sacrifices and funerals. An augur is another type of mediator, responsible for asking gods questions on behalf of humans using various practices of foretelling to unearth the answers. The use of oracle bones was the most notable form of divination. The augur would ask the question, punching holes into the bone, usually the shoulder-bone from an ox, and in some cases the shell of a tortoise. The bone would then be held over a fire, until cracks appeared. These cracks would be made more evident by rubbing ink over the bone. The augur could now read the cracks and determine the answer of the god. Records of the questions and answers of readings were engraved on the bone. Questions on these oracle bones included issues of weather, warfare, agriculture, hunting, childbirth, and sacrifice. In reflection with their agricultural nature, the ancient Chinese use to honour the local deities of soil in order to increase the fertility of earth and to promote the growth of crops. Over time, this practice of earth worship began to dwindle and the veneration of Heaven increased. Divination was considered the only way to determine the requests and future actions of the ruler of Heaven who was also seen as a kind of ancestral figure. The Chinese were animistic and so believed that nature had many spirits. Good spirits, referred to as shen, and bad spirits, referred to as gui, were both thought to dwell in Heaven and Earth. The sun and the rooster were believed to have authority over the gui. This concept of shen and gui later influenced the formation of the yin and yang concept. The people of ancient China believed that there were two contrasting forces abiding in everything in nature; that is yin and yang. This concept was thought to be formed with the influence of the shen and gui concept from earlier ancient China. Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, or tranquil; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity and nighttime. Yang, on the other hand, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, or aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime. During the time of the Eastern Zhou, religion in China underwent an evolution. The early gods were forgotten and replaced with ideologies that worked as both philosophies and religions. A phenomenon called the ‘Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought’ took place in ancient China. Schools and philosophers flourished around this time and it was dubbed an era of great cultural and intellectual expansion in China. The four most prominent schools of thought that evolved during this epoch were Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism. Confucius was born 551 BC and grew up to become one of the most influential philosophers in Chinese history. Confucianism is a composite philosophy of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious thought. He built his philosophy around five virtues: compassion, morality, decorum, wisdom and honesty. Compassion was considered the cornerstone, symbolizing loyalty, filial piety, patience and benevolence. He also believed that everyone should be in harmony with one another and establish a society ruled by standard etiquette and conduct. A legendary philosopher by the name of Laozi is believed to have established the religious philosophy of Taoism. The ‘forces of nature’ is the central belief behind the concept of Tao, which is literally translated as â€Å"the path† or â€Å"the way. † Taoism is in many ways the contrary of Confucianism, focusing on the individual within the natural realm rather than the individual within society. It also focuses on the affiliation between humanity and the cosmos, vigour and long life, and wu wei, that is action through inaction, which is said to create harmony with the Universe. Mo Di or Mozi was another Chinese philosopher form the Eastern Zhou period. He was strongly opposed to the teachings of Confucianism and Taoism. Mohism was based on the idea of universal love, ‘everyone is equal before heaven’. Mozi believed that everyone should practice communal love in order to create a heaven on earth. He also believed that an individual’s perception should be the basis of human cognition and not imagination or logic. Mozi advocated abstinence, and therefore opposed music, regarding it as excessive and a waste of resources which could instead be used to help those in need of basic necessities such as food, water and shelter. He even opposed elaborate funerals also regarding it as a waste of money which could be used in more useful matters. He also advocated pacifism thus disapproving of offensive war, only accepting aggressive action to defend the weak. Legalism, while the term itself was invented in the Han dynasty, was one of the major doctrines followed during the Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought. It was established by Han Feizi and Li Si and theorizes that the human race is evil and in order to prevent this evil causing chaos, laws need to be put in place. Legalism wasn’t concerned with the nature or purpose of life, not even the welfare of the public; rather it sought the states prosperity and military aptitude. Out of these four philosophies, only Confucianism and Taoism are considered religions by scholars, as only they contain spiritual elements. Confucianism and Taoism both became part of what is now known as The Three Doctrine. Buddhism is the third doctrine however it was imported from India and flourished during Imperial China.

Cuban Missile Crisis Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography Assignment. Divine, Robert A. The Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Markus Weiner Publishing, 1988. This book written by Robert Divine is an historical overview of the most important events, causes, and the consequences after and during Cuban Missile Crisis revolution of 1962 This author provides a concise but not oversimplified review of the many complicated aspects of this affair; wich brought the world to the age of nuclear war.This book helps me to have a better point of view about all Cuban Missile Crisis revolution of 1962 including some Cuban points of view and also American points of view, wich are very important to have a better understanding of this big event. Garthoff, Raymond L. â€Å"Reflections on the Cuban Missile Crisis†. Washington D. C. : The Brookings , 1989. In this book Garthoff has revised earlier analysis to make the most accurate, eye-opening story yet of the 1962 crisis.This book focuses in the nature of the crisis, its consequence s and its lessons for the future, It provides a combination of memoir, historical analysis and political interpretation, and also it gives particular attention to the aftermath of the crisis. This helps me to solve how this war happened and how it affected the world. Laurence Chang, Peter Kornbluh. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. New York: The New Press, 1992.In this book written by Chang and Kornbluh, are released documents reveal just how dangerously close the world came to nuclear destruction in 1962 and also provides me the official correspondence between John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro. It focuses on the political decisions between countries and how they controlled this crisis. This book would help to understand the political problems and the relationships between these countries. James G. Blight, Bruce J. Allyn and David A. Welch. Cuba in the brink.New york: Pantheon Books, 1993. This book is an analysis of Cuba, Its relations with the superpowers, and its role during the missile crisis is superb and unmatched in the existing scholarship on this topic This book helps me to know more about Cuba and to have more contexts in Cuba’s role in this crisis, also this book tells me about the political and social intentions of the U. S. A over Cuba. And how they found a solution to this problem. Topping, Seymour. On the Front Lines of the Cold War : An AmericanCorrespondent's Journal from the Chinese Civil War to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. Los Angeles: LSU Press , 2010. This e-book was written trough several researches by Seymour, This book helps me to know more about this Big war and to have a background to see how this war is related to Cuban Missile Crisis, and how Cuba was involved in this huge problem. This book focuses on Cuban history and its relation with the world problems. I found it very interesting and useful because give me more information about Cuban history.

Free Essays on The Great Cat Massacre

The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History. First Edition. Robert Darnton. New York: Basic Books, 1999 XIII + 298. The Great Cat Massacre with out a doubt has one of the most unusual titles ever created especially for a book about history. Now this unusual title perhaps fits this book better than any other straight - forward title Mr. Darnton could have conjured. You see the text contained in the book isn’t just your standardized, boring, and redundant view of history. Most historical text looks at history from a political standpoint, of which king did what and what were the political effects of a war; then what were the politics like after the war, how were they changed and by which major political figures did the changing. Darnton instead of the old style of viewing history looks at it through the eyes of the people, and not the figures of history. Mr. Darnton’s book The Great Cat Massacre, reexamines French culture during the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteen century with the eyes of the peasant’s. Robert Darnton looks at the writings of the peasant’s, and trace s them to their origins and compares them to other text of similar origins and text, to create credible accounts or views of particular topics of the people during the era. In this review your going to see a summarization of the book, describing the various subjects of this book. After that I will comment on Mr. Darnton’s on some topics like his organization, writing style, and fairness to his subject material, then discuss the historical importance of the topics that Robert Darnton mentions in his book and give you my personal opinion of the book its self. Next I will discuss with you a battery of topics like why I choose the book, is the book controversial, what was the authors purpose for writing the book, what were some of the major theses, who or what Darnton’s sources were? Lastly I will end this review with a compare and con... Free Essays on The Great Cat Massacre Free Essays on The Great Cat Massacre The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History. First Edition. Robert Darnton. New York: Basic Books, 1999 XIII + 298. The Great Cat Massacre with out a doubt has one of the most unusual titles ever created especially for a book about history. Now this unusual title perhaps fits this book better than any other straight - forward title Mr. Darnton could have conjured. You see the text contained in the book isn’t just your standardized, boring, and redundant view of history. Most historical text looks at history from a political standpoint, of which king did what and what were the political effects of a war; then what were the politics like after the war, how were they changed and by which major political figures did the changing. Darnton instead of the old style of viewing history looks at it through the eyes of the people, and not the figures of history. Mr. Darnton’s book The Great Cat Massacre, reexamines French culture during the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteen century with the eyes of the peasant’s. Robert Darnton looks at the writings of the peasant’s, and trace s them to their origins and compares them to other text of similar origins and text, to create credible accounts or views of particular topics of the people during the era. In this review your going to see a summarization of the book, describing the various subjects of this book. After that I will comment on Mr. Darnton’s on some topics like his organization, writing style, and fairness to his subject material, then discuss the historical importance of the topics that Robert Darnton mentions in his book and give you my personal opinion of the book its self. Next I will discuss with you a battery of topics like why I choose the book, is the book controversial, what was the authors purpose for writing the book, what were some of the major theses, who or what Darnton’s sources were? Lastly I will end this review with a compare and con...

Research perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Research perspectives - Essay Example They have higher and better developed cognitive skills giving them an edge over their younger counterparts. However language learning is one of the very crucial skills where they can be outsmarted by children. The critical learning period hypothesis posits that children learn a second language faster as compared to adults and have the ability to achieve native like expertise. Adults on the other hand are less likely to learn a second language post a certain age and such feat as achieving native-like expertise observed in young children, is almost non-existent or at best a rare phenomenon (Chiswick and Miller, 2008; DeKeyser, 2000). Researchers and language experts have observed that children up to a certain age naturally possess the ability to grasp various languages if they are exposed to it and achieve expertise and fluency in both – their native language as well as the foreign language. This skill or expertise is however highly restricted to a certain period of time known a s a critical period. If this period passes the language learning skills begin to fade and acquiring proficiency or native-like expertise in second language learning becomes a highly challenging task (Reichle, 2010; Rasinger, 2007; Singleton, 1989). However this hypothesis has found several critics who dismiss such claims and debate the relevance of the hypothesis (Nikolov, 2000; Hornberger and Corson, 1997; Ioup et al., 1994; Scovel, 2000). This study aims to assess, explore and analyse the credibility of the ‘critical period hypothesis’ and ascertain the impact, role, and implications of this period in second language acquisition via a comprehensive study of literature available on the subject. 1.1. Thesis statement: Competence in all spheres of human life is usually expected to increase and improve gradually over time and individuals are known to achieve expertise in various skills over the course of their lives. However certain skills such as language learning for in stance, are restricted to a certain critical period whereby it is claimed that L2 proficiency is best achieved before this 'critical period' since unlike other skills it is known to fade over time, thus implying that children are better equipped to achieve L2 proficiency as compared to adults. 1.2. Research objectives: The key objective of this study includes: To examine the relevance of critical period with respect to acquiring language learning skills among children and adults To ascertain whether children have superiority in language learning as compared to adults and whether such ability is dependent on a specific learning period. To examine the various factors such as biological, psychological, environmental, etc and assess its impact on second language acquisition. 1.3. Research problems: Being an English teacher in Saudi Arabia, I have often observed the various learning patterns of learners of English as a second language. Some of the key problems discussed as a part of this study include the following: Is there a substantial difference between adults and children with respect to second language acquisition? In what aspects does the critical period affect second language acquisition among individuals? Is there a common consensus among researchers with regard to relevance and credibility of the critical period hypothesis and its impact on second language acquisition among children and adults? Whether the decline in language learning abilities is the consequence of maturational factors or cognitive factors or any

European Debt Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

European Debt Crisis - Essay Example According to Investopedia (2012) the crisis led to the reduction of the confidence of the market for European businesses and economies. In contrast, according to the version of Constancio (2012), the European sovereign debt crisis emerged only in spring 2010. The European sovereign debt crisis is the climax of the banking crisis resulting from the demise of the Lehman Brothers and the resulting bailout extended by governments to their banking system (Constancio 2012). In other words, it is held that the European debt crisis started out as a financial crisis from the Lehman Brothers. In the climax of the crisis, government was forced to support the financial system, creating large debts for government leading to the sovereign debt crisis. II. Impact on bond and other markets (equity, derivatives, commodities, forex, gold, etc.) Constancio (2012) has a good discussion on the emergence of European sovereign debt crisis and its impact on the financial markets. We use his interpretation. After the failure of the Lehman Brothers, the ECB or the European Central Bank implemented a policy of strong credit support and measures to boost liquidity way above than what could be achieved by a mere interest rate policy. The European government implemented measures to increase the maturities for debts, more access to foreign currencies and a program of bond purchases. The European sovereign debt crisis became severe with Moody’s downgrade of Portugal on 5 July 2011 (Constancio 2012). The situation plus the risk of a Greek default triggered a sell-off of Italian and Spanish assets. The initial effects of a sovereign debt crisis are for bond yields to go up. However, investors find it appropriate to reduce their exposures to government bonds in view of risks that governments may not be able to pay for their debts. Simultaneously, markets can expect that the foreign exchange markets can be affected substantially as demand for currencies affected by the crisis can significa ntly go down, proportional to the perception of the extent that the would be affected by the sovereign debt crisis. The effect on the foreign exchange market is important as the effects reverberate on the equities, commodities and derivatives markets. Expected depreciation of currencies affected by the sovereign debt crisis can lead to falling equities, commodity prices and derivative prices. However, as markets are interrelated, or as companies in one country may have investments in companies directly affected by the sovereign debt crisis, all of the financial markets are affected. The more correlated the companies in a region, for example, the more the rest of the markets are affected by the sovereign debt crisis in one country and soon, especially as governments respond to the crisis with bailouts and enhanced liquidity, the correlated governments and economies are affected by the sovereign debt crisis and not only the countries that were initially affected by the sovereign debt crisis. In contrast, to the extent that gold is seen as a store value of value, gold prices can pick up and enjoy a better market. When the financial markets are in doldrums and gold is seen as the better store of value than the bonds, equities, commodi