The Cask of Amontillado - Irony and Symbolism Essay

It is Edgar Allan Poes intense use of symbolism and irony throughout the Cask of Amontillado that establishes the short story as an indeed interesting candidate worthy of thorough analysis. The skillful use of these devices are utilized by the author to create this horrific and suspenseful masterpiece. br brThe Cask of Amontillado is a horror short story, which revolves around the themes of revenge and pride. The plot involves two men: Montresor, the narrator, who is an Italian aristocrat seeking revenge against the second main character: Fortunato, a proud man that boasts about his conoisseurship of wines and who finally walks to his own death. br brIrony is a manner of expression through which words or events convey a reality†¦show more content†¦Such figure foreshadows the events taking place later that night in the damp catacombs. br brThe way the narrator treats his enemy is one of the clearest examples for ironic elements. When the characters meet, Montresor realises that Fortunato is afflicted with a severe cold, nevertheless he makes a point of him looking remarkably well. Montresor acts in the most natural and friendly way towards the man object of his revenge, and even praises his friends knowledge in the subject of wines. Also upon their meeting, Montresor begins a psychological manipulation of Fortunato. He claims that he needs his knowledge to ascertain that the wine he has purchased is indeed Amontillado. Furthermore, he acknowledges that Fortunato is engaged in another business (i.e.: the celebration of carnival), so he would go to Luchresi, who, one is made to believe, is a competitor of Fortunatos. To these words, Fortunato is forced by his pride to accompany Montresor to the vaults (where the Amontillado is kept), dissipate his doubts and also to prove his higher status than Luchresi as a connoisseu r of wine. In fact, during their way down under in the catacombs, the twisted mind of Montresor, dares to give Fortunato the chance to go back, due to the almost unbearable dampness and foulness rampant in the vaults and Fortunatos state of health. The narrator clearly knows about the stubborn nature of Fortunato, and isShow MoreRelatedSymbolism and Irony in The Cask of Amontillado1291 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism is something that represents more than what it really is. It is often by authors in their writing to give it more emphasis. For example: In life there will always be peaks and valleys meaning in life there will be ups and downs but we should enjoy the peaks and fight through the valleys. Objects can also be a form of symbolism such as The Bible, it represents more than just a book. It represents Life, Church, Religion, and the life of Jesus Christ and what he stood for. Irony is likeRead MoreSymbolism and Irony in Cask of Amontillado866 Words   |  3 Pages In â€Å" The Cask of Amontillado†, the author, Edgar Allen Poe, uses symbolism and irony to connect to the readers. Symbolism is an object or word that has two meanings. Poe uses this device when he writes, â€Å"Fortunado is dressed as a fool†(20). It is symbolic representation of what Fortunado is. Irony is a twist in a situation that creates tension between the two conflicts. Poe uses irony throughout his story as a way of enticing readers. The narrator, Montresor, tells about how he got revenge 50Read MoreExamples of Irony and Symbolism in The Cask of Amontillado1334 Words   |  6 PagesWriters often use symbolism in the story to give a more vivid description rather than just saying, pictures are a perfect example. Symbolism is the art of using any object, place, name or anything that represents something rather than its original meaning. A good example can be a roller coaster because it indicates that there will be ups in downs in life. Another example is the color Red this color can symbolize blood, passion or danger. Irony is another technique used in the story to give it a betterRead MoreHow The Cask of Amontillado Uses Symbolism and Irony1291 Words   |  6 Pages Often, writers use symbolism to describe an object with more clarity to the reader. It provides additional layers of meaning to a text. Symbolism is not only important in literature but is also important in everyday life. For instance, symbolism is found in colors, objects, and on flowers. For example a rose can represent love and romance. Symbolism is used in literature, movies, and even on street signs. Such as the colors in the street light: red means stop, yellow means slow down, and the greenRead MoreSymbolism and Irony Used in Edgar Allan Poes The Cask of Amontillado753 Words   |  3 PagesEdgar Allan Poe uses symbolism and irony in unison throughout â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† to demonstrate Montresor’s villainous intentions. As the narrator, Montresor explains that although a friend named Fortunato has insulted him and deserves to be avenged. However, he has hidden his goal from Fortunato, giving no â€Å"cause to doubt [his] good will.† Montresor, aware of Fortunato’s influence, knows he must â€Å"not only punish, but punish with impunity.† Instead, he lures Fortunato to his grave with theRead MoreThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe836 Words   |  3 Pages Symbolism is the use of objects to represent ideas or qualities in the story. In the story many things are used as symbols such as the actual cask of amontillado, the trowel, the jester costume and the setting in which there is two in the story. Another literary technique used significantly in the story is irony. Irony is the expression of ones meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. In the short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† Montresor a very troubled manRead MoreGothic Literature : The Dark Side Of Romanticism1518 Words   |  7 PagesThe theme of Gothic stories is either mysterious, horror, or even death. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are authors that demonstrate Gothic literature. Some of their work include, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe and â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Cask of Amontillado tells how the narrator Montresor seeks revenge on his acquaintance, Fortunato. Montresor to desperate measures and did not catch. However, in â€Å"The Birthmark†, Aylmer, a scientist has become obsessedRead MoreThe Theme of Revenge in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† Essay1629 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a frightening and entertaining short story about the severe consequences that result from persistent m ockery and an unforgiving heart. Poe’s excellent use of Gothicism within the story sets the perfect tone for a dark and sinister plot of murder to unfold. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† simply overflows with various themes and other literary elements that result from Poe’s Gothic style of writing. Of these various themes, one that tends to dominant the storyRead MoreThe Casket Of Amontillado . Edgar Allan Poe’S â€Å"The Cask1680 Words   |  7 PagesThe Casket of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a short story illustrating how pride leads to the downfall of two men. At the story’s heart is the tale of Montresor, the protagonist, getting revenge on a former friend, Fortunato. Poe’s characterization of Montresor shows a sinister, proud man, obsessed not only with his revenge but also not getting punished himself. â€Å"It must be a perfect revenge, one in which Fortunato will know fully what is happening to him and in whichRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe707 Words   |  3 Pagesstory of The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe writes in first person point of view from the perspective of Montresor who seeks revenge against Fortunato. Montresor began to develop the perfect plan for revenge. During the carnival season, Montresor meets with Fortunato and decides to implement his plan carefully through irony. Poe s story describes the murderer s mind which has lived as a memory of Fortunato s death for fifty years. Poe uses different types of irony and symbolism in the conversations

Are the Stories from the Holocaust Survivors with PTSD...

This investigation will answer the question To what extent are the stories from the Holocaust survivors with PTSD reliable as historical sources? This question is important because there are still holocaust survivors alive today, and their stories are arguably the ones that teach us he most about the Holocaust, since they are primary sources of the event. The survivors dealt with a lot of physical and emotional trauma while in the camps, so it would be easy for them to procure PTSD. The mental illness PTSD can make it harder for the survivors to talk about certain events, because it could increase the symptoms of the illness. With this research investigation, it is possible to analyze whether the stories from the Holocaust survivors are†¦show more content†¦(NIMH RSS. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 2013) Survivors often pushed the trauma to the backs of their minds, which then caused hosts of emotional and psychological terror and difficulties. (NIMH RSS. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 2013) â€Å"Six decades after the end of World War II and we are still learning how a mass genocide like the Holocaust is affecting it’s victims† We are still learning and gathering information. (Barel, Efrat, 2010) There was a lot of psychological denial. There was not much help for the Jews once they were liberated, since doctors were scarce. Diseases were easy to catch, and life was still hard for the Jewish people. (Bettelheim, Bruno, 1979) Survivor’s Evidence Holocaust survivors can be defined as â€Å"any persecuted Jew who lived under Nazi occupation during the 2nd World War and who was thus threatened by the policy of the ‘final solution’ but managed to stay alive.† (Kellermann, Natan P.F., 2009) Survivor and Psychologist Viktor Frankl often stops throughout his novel, attempting to save the reader from the horror. â€Å" But mercifully I do not need to describe the events which followed.† (Frankl, Viktor E., 1959, Page 31) â€Å"It is easy for the outsider to get the wrong conception of camp life, a conception ingled with sentiment and pity. Little does he know of the hard fight for existence which

Nonfiction Piece Free Essays

Essay Proposal This piece draws a portrait of a stranger in a coffee shop. Offering a kind of weekly enigma to me, she has come to represent the constant allure of mystery in the seemingly trivial. This essay focuses on that enigma, and the possible answers I have for them. We will write a custom essay sample on Nonfiction Piece or any similar topic only for you Order Now I start the essay with a snapshot of what this woman is. What does she look like? What does she do? In giving a descriptive appraisal at the beginning, I lay the foundation of the mystery. I note her gestures – the faint inclination of her head when she looks at her watch, the expectation apparent on her face when someone walks through the door, and the inevitable disappointment almost every time – and raise the question that would bring us closer to â€Å"solving† her mystery: Why? Why does she look the way she does? Why does she act this way? Why is she there? In this part of the essay, I create the mythos I have woven about her through the answers to these questions. In this essay, I depict her as I see her – the woman waiting. Because of the questions she has raised in me, I have assigned her an identity.  This essay presents her as what she seems to be, and then seeks to go further, bringing both reader and author along for a venture into who she is, or at least, what she might be. In writing this, I thrust the philosophy that everyone really has a story. The natural inclination of the curious man is to find out. And if one cannot know, then you can always let your imagination run free. Literary Nonfiction Essay There she is again, alone in the table at the far corner. Today, she has brought books with her: sonnets by Pablo Neruda, a creative writing textbook, and a discredited memoir. The book of poetry has been opened, and rests on her lap. A notebook, bound in leather, lies open on the table. A pen rests on the stark whiteness of the pages. She is looking at none of these. She smokes bent cigarettes every five minutes or so. She drinks her coffee as she glances at the door, trying not to look as if she were truly alone – that by looking at the doorway once in a while, she can pretend (and the world with her) that someone is coming to meet her.  Her cellphone, too, lies open. She takes a bite from her slice of lemon cake. The phone’s screen remains dark, no matter how long she stares at it. Outside it is raining. She looks up, scans the crowd, most of whom are oblivious of her presence. I cannot be. I have known her for far too long. No, I do not know her name, and I do not think I will ever ask. But I have seen her so many times before, her presence is more familiar than a stranger’s should be. Today, I have positioned myself only two tables away from her. Because I know I can never march up to her and demand what she is, I content myself with absorbing everything I can of her. I have sat closer to her today. I cannot help this fascination. I simply want to know. Her gaze finally rests beyond me, towards the door. I see her face more clearly than I ever have before, after all these weeks. Oval, and wan – her forehead is high, her eyes wide and dark. It is not a delicate face, for perhaps the prolonged sadness has seeped into her bones that her face has toughened, has become stronger. Her cheeks jut out and her lips are thin and pale. Her mouth is arranged into its usual tightness. She sighs when the door opens, then closes, and turns away. She looks at her watch. She sighs once more, leafs through the open book of poetry. When will she realize that she is the only woman in a cafe of lovers? Or has she always known? She has one mug all to herself, the others have to share. One cup of coffee, one white porcelain rim, for two bleeding mouths of bleeding hearts.  Inevitably, I think of the possibility of the reluctant lover. Every week, I see her here, always alone. I have never seen her leave with someone. I have never seen anyone, man or woman, stride over to her table, hold her hand, to lead her outside. Perhaps she has waited with the smallest of hopes that soon, someone would come to end the waiting. But perhaps the reluctant lover roams now the asphalt streets, in a suit and tie, a briefcase hanging from one hand as though it is an extension of his body. And this woman, with her poems and novels and empty notebooks – she is here, waiting, being watched by a person who has seen enough of her to realize that she is waiting.  Another woman – more of a girl, really – is at another corner. But she smokes her cigarette with the ease of one who knows that someone will meet her. Soon she will be gone and this woman, this woman, would light another cigarette and turn another page of one the books she has brought. I see her cellphone buzz, vibrating on the surface of the table. She twitches, then snatches it. Her eyes run over the illuminated screen, taking in the message quickly. Then, her lip curls, and she tosses her cellphone back to the table. Has she been told that she has to wait longer? She returns to her book but her gaze is blanker now. This book she has been reading has quite possibly turned out to be a chore and all too soon, the words blur until they are white. There is too much of her coffee, and the crystal grains of sugar have refused to melt. The lemon cake crumbles. Even her cigarette offends her, and she puts it out, only half-consumed.  With her, this woman, her waiting – things pale and darken at the same time. Knowing these things are just distractions, something to pass the time that just seems to crawl slower and slower that it sometimes falls still: the coffee cannot be finished, the cigarette doesn’t burn, the page goes on and on and on. Something has cloaked her – is it the knowledge that all these are things she’d rather not be doing? Shouldn’t be doing in the first place? She must finish her coffee, and only crumbs should be left on her plate. The book, open on her lap, can be replaced. There are two other books in her bag, and she takes them out: poetry speaking of a requited waiting.  She must think now: all this talk about unrequited love, when poetry should be made about unrequited patience: waiting for the phone to vibrate, waiting for the crumbs to settle, waiting for the coffee mug to empty, waiting for the cigarette to turn into ash, waiting for the books to turn to the last page, waiting for the rain to stop, waiting for the clock to strike ten, waiting for someone to come through the door with the spaciest of smiles just for her. Waiting, waiting, waiting. If she wrote – and I have feeling that she does, in spite of the blankness of her notebook now – how many times has she written about women like her?  She looks at her watch. Her phone vibrates one more. Listless, she picks it up, punches at the buttons. In but moments, her face clears, she sags in her chair. She is starting to smile.  I wonder then: the reluctant lover (but only in her mind, only when they are not together.) Has the un-reluctant lover tells her that he is near? Would Neruda, then, glow again? Because she is a woman who waits diligently albeit unwillingly, week after week, later, she will be disgusted with how much everything makes sense now. Even waiting in a parked car, while errands are run, will make her smile. The rain will fall harder. The drops will be opaque against the windshield and yet it shall leave shadows on her jeans. Oh, that smile. And she will think: Everything should be a familiar novelty, a novel familiarity. Yes, even waiting for him to come back with a bag or two of bread, while a Japanese love song drifts from the radio. She will think the song talks of a fulfilled longing, of a waiting ended.  But now, she is still waiting. But now she is sure that someone shall come for her.  She looks at me, sees me watching her. The smile she gives me is fleeting, the token nicety for strangers who stare too long at you. I smile back at her. She looks at the doorway, but it seems more out of habit, than anticipation. One last look, then it is time for me to go. How to cite Nonfiction Piece, Essay examples Nonfiction Piece Free Essays Essay Proposal This piece draws a portrait of a stranger in a coffee shop. Offering a kind of weekly enigma to me, she has come to represent the constant allure of mystery in the seemingly trivial. This essay focuses on that enigma, and the possible answers I have for them. We will write a custom essay sample on Nonfiction Piece or any similar topic only for you Order Now I start the essay with a snapshot of what this woman is. What does she look like? What does she do? In giving a descriptive appraisal at the beginning, I lay the foundation of the mystery. I note her gestures – the faint inclination of her head when she looks at her watch, the expectation apparent on her face when someone walks through the door, and the inevitable disappointment almost every time – and raise the question that would bring us closer to â€Å"solving† her mystery: Why? Why does she look the way she does? Why does she act this way? Why is she there? In this part of the essay, I create the mythos I have woven about her through the answers to these questions. In this essay, I depict her as I see her – the woman waiting. Because of the questions she has raised in me, I have assigned her an identity. This essay presents her as what she seems to be, and then seeks to go further, bringing both reader and author along for a venture into who she is, or at least, what she might be. In writing this, I thrust the philosophy that everyone really has a story. The natural inclination of the curious man is to find out. And if one cannot know, then you can always let your imagination run free. Literary Nonfiction Essay There she is again, alone in the table at the far corner. Today, she has brought books with her: sonnets by Pablo Neruda, a creative writing textbook, and a discredited memoir. The book of poetry has been opened, and rests on her lap. A notebook, bound in leather, lies open on the table. A pen rests on the stark whiteness of the pages. She is looking at none of these. She smokes bent cigarettes every five minutes or so. She drinks her coffee as she glances at the door, trying not to look as if she were truly alone – that by looking at the doorway once in a while, she can pretend (and the world with her) that someone is coming to meet her. Her cellphone, too, lies open. She takes a bite from her slice of lemon cake. The phone’s screen remains dark, no matter how long she stares at it. Outside it is raining. She looks up, scans the crowd, most of whom are oblivious of her presence. I cannot be. I have known her for far too long. No, I do not know her name, and I do not think I will ever ask. But I have seen her so many times before, her presence is more familiar than a stranger’s should be. Today, I have positioned myself only two tables away from her. Because I know I can never march up to her and demand what she is, I content myself with absorbing everything I can of her. I have sat closer to her today. I cannot help this fascination. I simply want to know. Her gaze finally rests beyond me, towards the door. I see her face more clearly than I ever have before, after all these weeks. Oval, and wan – her forehead is high, her eyes wide and dark. It is not a delicate face, for perhaps the prolonged sadness has seeped into her bones that her face has toughened, has become stronger. Her cheeks jut out and her lips are thin and pale. Her mouth is arranged into its usual tightness. She sighs when the door opens, then closes, and turns away. She looks at her watch. She sighs once more, leafs through the open book of poetry. When will she realize that she is the only woman in a cafe of lovers? Or has she always known? She has one mug all to herself, the others have to share. One cup of coffee, one white porcelain rim, for two bleeding mouths of bleeding hearts. Inevitably, I think of the possibility of the reluctant lover. Every week, I see her here, always alone. I have never seen her leave with someone. I have never seen anyone, man or woman, stride over to her table, hold her hand, to lead her outside. Perhaps she has waited with the smallest of hopes that soon, someone would come to end the waiting. But perhaps the reluctant lover roams now the asphalt streets, in a suit and tie, a briefcase hanging from one hand as though it is an extension of his body. And this woman, with her poems and novels and empty notebooks – she is here, waiting, being watched by a person who has seen enough of her to realize that she is waiting. Another woman – more of a girl, really – is at another corner. But she smokes her cigarette with the ease of one who knows that someone will meet her. Soon she will be gone and this woman, this woman, would light another cigarette and turn another page of one the books she has brought. I see her cellphone buzz, vibrating on the surface of the table. She twitches, then snatches it. Her eyes run over the illuminated screen, taking in the message quickly. Then, her lip curls, and she tosses her cellphone back to the table. Has she been told that she has to wait longer? She returns to her book but her gaze is blanker now. This book she has been reading has quite possibly turned out to be a chore and all too soon, the words blur until they are white. There is too much of her coffee, and the crystal grains of sugar have refused to melt. The lemon cake crumbles. Even her cigarette offends her, and she puts it out, only half-consumed. With her, this woman, her waiting – things pale and darken at the same time. Knowing these things are just distractions, something to pass the time that just seems to crawl slower and slower that it sometimes falls still: the coffee cannot be finished, the cigarette doesn’t burn, the page goes on and on and on. Something has cloaked her – is it the knowledge that all these are things she’d rather not be doing? Shouldn’t be doing in the first place? She must finish her coffee, and only crumbs should be left on her plate. The book, open on her lap, can be replaced. There are two other books in her bag, and she takes them out: poetry speaking of a requited waiting. She must think now: all this talk about unrequited love, when poetry should be made about unrequited patience: waiting for the phone to vibrate, waiting for the crumbs to settle, waiting for the coffee mug to empty, waiting for the cigarette to turn into ash, waiting for the books to turn to the last page, waiting for the rain to stop, waiting for the clock to strike ten, waiting for someone to come through the door with the spaciest of smiles just for her. Waiting, waiting, waiting. If she wrote – and I have feeling that she does, in spite of the blankness of her notebook now – how many times has she written about women like her? She looks at her watch. Her phone vibrates one more. Listless, she picks it up, punches at the buttons. In but moments, her face clears, she sags in her chair. She is starting to smile. I wonder then: the reluctant lover (but only in her mind, only when they are not together.) Has the un-reluctant lover tells her that he is near? Would Neruda, then, glow again? Because she is a woman who waits diligently albeit unwillingly, week after week, later, she will be disgusted with how much everything makes sense now. Even waiting in a parked car, while errands are run, will make her smile. The rain will fall harder. The drops will be opaque against the windshield and yet it shall leave shadows on her jeans. Oh, that smile. And she will think: Everything should be a familiar novelty, a novel familiarity. Yes, even waiting for him to come back with a bag or two of bread, while a Japanese love song drifts from the radio. She will think the song talks of a fulfilled longing, of a waiting ended. But now, she is still waiting. But now she is sure that someone shall come for her. She looks at me, sees me watching her. The smile she gives me is fleeting, the token nicety for strangers who stare too long at you. I smile back at her. She looks at the doorway, but it seems more out of habit, than anticipation. One last look, then it is time for me to go. How to cite Nonfiction Piece, Essay examples

Ethics Personality and Coping Human †Free Student for Students

Question: Discuss About the Personality and Coping? Answer: Introducation People are often defined by the nature of their personalities. These personality traits are identified by temperaments that determine the proceeds of a persons actions. Normally our behaviors are centered on the environmental challenges that we are faced with. These challenges define the coping mechanism that we employ to try and overcome or better still live with these challenges. This essay, therefore, is dedicated to outline the proceeds of what personality is, to give an understanding of personality defining theory: the five factor model of personality, and to outlining the different coping strategies as it try to decipher the relationship between personality and the proactive coping mechanism employed by university student. This argument will be based on the support from arguments in the past research evidence linking these two constructs. This issue is of significance to psychology as it helps psychologists to determine the likely coping mechanism that an individual will most l ikely apply as is predicted by their personality traits. Personality can be described as the distinctive differences in individuals acts that are determined and shaped by the environment an individual developed in. The set of values, attitudes, personal memories, social relationships, habits, and skills (Mischel et al, 2004) acquired in the course of development are the key determinants of an individuals personality traits. These traits are firm personal characteristics that are portrayed in the specific pattern of behavior that an individual showcases in varying situations. Many proceeds have been made in trying to define what personality is and what it entails but, the measuring of personality is still a poorly defined discipline in psychology. Personality has no distinctive measuring scale but makes use of personality tests such as personality inventory and the varying personality questionnaires. This implies that it cannot be quantified as being a distinctive figure on a predetermined scale but, personality can only be qualified by the various personality tests. Personality is different from temperaments as it is a product of socio-cultural concept whereas temperament is mainly designed by the biochemical systems at work in an individuals body and cannot be easily changed by mere socialization (Trofimova, 2016). This implies that personality is dynamic and the personality traits can be altered to accommodate change in an individuals life. Many psychologists possess different definitions of the term personality depending on the theories they tend to put forward as the best exploration of the basis of personality. One such theory determined to develop on the basis of personality is the Five-Factor Model of personality. The Five-Factor Model of personality is an attempt by personality psychologists to interpret the dimensions of personality traits in the population. It presents the personality traits in a hierarchical organization that is formed initially by five basic dimensions: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness (McCrae and John, 1997). These five dimensions are indicated by the use of roman numbers thought to be neutral and carry various classes of possible personality traits from which the personality of an individual could be discerned. An extrovert is basically an active, assertive, energetic, enthusiastic, outgoing and talkative individual. An agreeable person tends to be ap preciative, forgiving, generous, kind, sympathetic and trusting. A conscientious person can be defined as being efficient, organized, planful, reliable, and responsible and thorough. A neurotic individual is often anxious, self-prying, tense, touchy, unstable and worrying. Finally, an open person is artistic, curious, imaginative, insightful, and original and prides themselves in wide interests. This Five-Factor Model of personality has been a key guide for the personality psychologists in the analysis of the personality traits of individuals and the main reason why different individuals tend to take on different approaches when faced by the same challenges. The kind of approaches that individuals prefer to take when faced with varying challenges is what is referred to as their coping mechanism. When we speak of coping, we are broadly referring to the act of adapting to a different way of life or situation. In psychology, coping refers to the means that people use to include their conscious effort in solving both the personal and interpersonal problems in order to tolerate stress and conflicts (Weiten and Lloyd, 2008). Stress in this case is the challenge that confines one to desire change and hence take on a certain coping mechanism. The coping mechanism employed by an individual could involve an array of coping strategies also referred to as the categories of coping. The term coping basically describes the reactive coping strategy that uses the action-reaction mechanism of action. This implies that a stressor has to occur for the coping response, the reactions, to follow. This is different from the coping strategy referred to as proactive coping. In proactive coping, the coping response is initiated without the occurrence of the prior stressor and is designed to counter or curtail the occurrence of future stressors (Snyder, 1999).The effectiveness portrayed by any coping effort is determined by the nature of the stressor, the nature of the person, and the circumstances that surround the individual at the time of devising a good coping strategy. When we say that the coping effort depends on the nature of the individual, this basically implies that the coping responses employed by different people are depended on the nature of their personalities (Carver and Connor, 2010). Personality is related to coping by way of it being the determining factor that influences the type of coping style adopted by individuals. It can be used to predict the coping style likely to be adopted by an individual. The three basic coping styles include problem focused coping style, positive emotional-focused coping style and the negative emotional-focused coping style. The problem-focused coping style includes the reactive and the proactive coping styles that also fall in the positive emotional-focused coping style as they are designed to reduce the stress levels of a stressor experienced by the individual. Various personality traits have since been associated with various coping styles by first analyzing the implication of the personality dimensions. Agreeableness and Conscientiousness are associated with the positive problem focused coping strategy with agreeableness also being associated with the positive emotion-focused coping strategy together with openness. Neuroticism, Extraversion and Conscientiousness are associated with negative emotion-focused coping strategies. This has further been proven by various research studies an example being a study conducted on three hundred students, with half the number being girls and half the study population being boys, that deciphered that indeed, personality influences the coping strategies used by various individuals (Atefe and Mohammad, 2011). This research made use of correlation studies to carefully analyze the sample size that was representative of the population being investigated. This methodology applied was suitable for the research question that was dedicated to decoding the relation between personality and coping. The hypothesis: personality determines the coping strategies used by an individual, is correct based on the evidence reviewed by the researchers. The conclusions of the research followed logically from the results reported by the researchers. In a nutshell, the research showed that neuroticism and extraversion can predict stress and coping (Atefe and Mohammad, 2011) as high neuroticism is associated with the experience of more stressful events and the susceptibility to negative emotions and frustration, and high extraversion is associated with both higher stressful and enjoyable events, with the experience of positive emotions. This implies that the neurotic individuals will tend to use inadaptable copin g styles while the extraverts will employ active coping strategies and seek positive social support. The inadaptable coping strategies employed by neurotic individuals will mainly be emotion-focused coping strategy such as escape and avoidance. Conscientious individuals will employ negative emotion-focused coping strategies as avoidance, for example, by being the bigger person and taking the fault for something they did not do so as to avoid confrontations while open individuals will prefer positive emotion-focused coping strategies as relaxation and recurrent appraisal. Highly agreeable individuals will employ positive emotion-focused coping strategies like seeking positive support and together with conscientious individual will also use positive problem-focused coping strategies such as planning. The researchers in this study, however, did not acknowledge the limitations of their research and did not suggest any alternative ways of researching the topic that might overcome the pos sible limitations. With the evolution in science, technology and in the world systems as a whole, education platforms have seen grave changes in their proceeds. People are now travelling far and wide to attend school in different parts of the world and with ever changing curriculum. This exposure to new environment and dynamic curriculum are among the top stressors for university students. The students are expected to adapt to the new environment and quickly in order to keep up with the changing dynamics of their curriculum and achieve excellent academic results. This proves challenging for some of the students and for some, it is quite easy. The difference in the adaption capabilities of the different students can be attributed to the differences in their personalities. This is also true for the academic performance. Many research studies have shown that the personality of an individual defines their academic performance. One such study is the analysis of the relationship between personality and academic performance by one Arthur E. Poropat that showed that academic performance correlates significantly with agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness (Arthur, 2009). This study was conducted on a sample size of close to seventy thousand students from the tertiary level of education with minimal sample size contribution from the students in secondary and primary levels of education (Arthur, 2009). The analysis was aimed at discerning the relationship between personality and academic performance. The predictions of the analysis makes sense, however, the methodology is not well defined. This analysis used a very large sample size that adequately represented the population being investigated. The conclusions follow logically from the results reported by the analyst as it outline that academic perfo rmance is depended on personality, age, level of education and to some extent the intelligence of the individual in question. The analyst also outlined the recommendations for future research in the topic. The hypothesis propagated by this analyst is practical and easily passes as a fact since, a neurotic student in their adaptation to the new environment and the changing curriculum will be inclined more to the negative emotion-focused coping mechanisms such as avoidance that will see to it that they are removed from the studying experience and hence perform quite poorly. The same applies to high extroverts who experience high stressful events and do not seek positive social support. However, agreeable, open and conscientious students will tend to apply both positive emotion-focused coping strategies such as relaxation and positive appraisal, and positive problem-focused coping mechanism as planning. This will enable them to effectively outline their study schedules to accommodate any change in the curriculum and hence positive and proactive coping. This will enable them to cover the semesters course work in time, leaving them with enough time for revision and hence, good academic perf ormance. It is of particular importance to understand how personality relates to coping especially for psychologists as this forms the foundation that will guide the psychologist on discerning the reason behind the behavior of a patient when faced with specific stressful situations. This will guide the psychologist to predict the possible outcome or patterns of behavior of an individual based on their personality and offer the appropriate advice and therapy where needed. This will contribute to the effective examination and hence positive and effective interventions for the case studies being interviewed by the psychologist. Therefore, coping refers to the adaption and responses to challenging situations in life with proactive coping referring to the coping mechanisms that are employed by individuals to curtail the proceeds of future stressors. Personality is the pattern of behavior that shapes an individuals character and is depended and/or determined by the socio-cultural environment that an individual is exposed to during their development. Personality cannot be measured but can be qualified and defined based on the personality and psychological theory that one identifies well with. One such theory is the Five-Factor Model of personality that presents the dimensions of personality to be within a hierarchy of five determinants: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Openness. Peoples personality often defines and determines the coping strategies that they are likely to employ when faced by various stressors and hence, by understanding the personality of an individual, one can e asily predict the coping mechanism that that particular individual is likely to use in dealing with their stressors. This also applies in the education forum with a practical application in academic performance especially for the university students. University students are faced by many stressors, the key ones being, the need to accommodate to a new environment and the dynamic nature of the tertiary level curriculum. These stressors define the coping mechanism based on the personality of the student and hence reflect on the academic performance of the student. Hence, personality determines the proactive coping mechanisms that will be used by the university students in their proceeds References Arthur, E. P. (2009). A Meta-Analysis of the Five-Factor Model of Personality and Academic Performance. Griffith University. Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 135, No. 2, 322-338 Atefe, K., and Mohammad, Ali B. (2011). An Investigation of the Relationship between Personality Dimensions and Stress Coping Styles. Iran: Thran University. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 30(2011) 797-802 Carver, C. S. and Connor-S, J. (2010). Personality and Coping. Annual Review of Psychology. 61: 679-704 McCrae, R. R., and John, O. P. (1997). An Introduction to the Five-Factor Model and Its Application Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., and Smith, R. E. (2004). Introduction to Personality: Toward Integration. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Snyder, C. R. (1999). Coping: The Psychology of What Works. New York: Oxford University Press. Trofimova, I. N. (2016). The Interlocking between Functional Aspects of Activities and a Neurochemical Model of Adult Temperament. In Arnold, M. C., Temperaments: Individual Differences, Social and Environmental Influences and Impact on Quality of Life. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. 77-147 Weiten, W. and Lloyd, M. A. (2008). Psychology Applied to Modern Life. 9th Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Roman Coliseum Essays - Films, The Outsiders, Greaser, Grease

Roman Coliseum 1. If I could be any one of the characters in the book The Outsiders, I would be Ponyboy because of his many good characteristics. He is intelligent which show by his good marks in school. He understands that it's wrong to fight unless for self-defense. He is heroic; this shows by the fact that he ran into the burning church to save the children at the risk of his own life. Also, he has a bright future and many opportunities in his life because of his school grades and good-natured personality. These characteristics are what separate him from the other greasers and are also why I want to be like him. 2. It is five years after the worst week in Ponyboy's life and many things have changed. Ponyboy has finished high school with top marks. He has quit smoking and is an all-star runner for the track team and was voted most likely to succeed. He has been offered several full scholarships to some of the best colleges in the country. Him and his brothers moved out of the city after Ponyboy finished high school and Darry decided to go to college. Ponyboy has learned that good things can come out of bad lives and has ?stayed gold?. 3. I think the title of the book The Outsiders is a very good title considering the book itself. I think that the title described two people. I think Ponyboy is an ?outsider? because he's not like the other greasers. He is not a hood because he's smart, level headed, and caring. He's not tough like Dally because he picked up the glass from a bottle that he smashed. He also is one of the only greasers with a bright future; his education will take him far in life regardless of where he grew up. Also, Randy is an ?outsider?. Randy is not like the other socials. He understands that fighting won't solve anything. He also doesn't hate all of the greasers just because everybody else does. He is a bright boy and finally understands that socials and greasers aren't as different as people think. I think the title refers to them because they aren't like the others in their group. 4. The person that said that had a very good meaning to what they said. They meant that if you fight you might lose others that you hold dear or possibly your own life. If you lose everyone that you hold dear then you get tough like Dally. Being tough is worse than dying because when you get tough you don't feel any emotions. Not being able to feel emotions is like being alive but not being able to live. I think this would be worse than dying because if you can't live then there's no point of being alive. 5. The few words Johnny wrote in the letter to Ponyboy had a great meaning hidden within. When Johnny said ?stay gold? he meant that Ponyboy should try not to end up like the others and that Ponyboy had a future so bright that he was glowing. When Johnny asked Ponyboy to tell Dally that there's still lots of good in the world he was really asking Ponyboy to help Dally understand that the world isn't just like the streets of New York and that there are many good things in the world worth living for. These few words written by Johnny had a frighteningly large impact on Ponyboy because Johnny, with his last ounce of strength, wrote that note telling Ponyboy to keep going and Dally to keep living. Bibliography fgdzhzgchgfhf hghfghfhfhfghgfhfg hfghfghfghgfhgfghfghgfgghgffgfggf hbcghjgfhfghgfh History Essays

Myrtle Beach vs. Gatlinburg Essay Example

Myrtle Beach vs. Gatlinburg Essay Example Myrtle Beach vs. Gatlinburg Paper Myrtle Beach vs. Gatlinburg Paper There are two vacation spots I frequently visited in my youth that hold special memories for me. The two places are Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. When I was very young and lived In South Florida, my family would make our yearly two-week vacation to our home In Boone, NC. Each year, this trip Included a visit to Gatlinburg. I hold very special memories of these trips and still love to vaults the Gatlinburg area. When I moved to North Carolina In my late teens, Myrtle Beach was the vacation and summer break spot. Even on my first visit to Myrtle Beach, although very different, it instantly reminded me of my trips to Gatlinburg as a child. Although both places are very different, in many ways they are very much the same. After going from the vacationing child, to the paying adult, I realized more and more how both places appeal to the same vacationer. I also realized that forms of entertainment were either the same or comparable. Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg compliment and differ in many ways, and a few of those examples are stage entertainment, restaurants, and scenic vacation experiences. Both vacation spots have tons of entertainment. Sometimes the problem with family vacation spots Is not what are we going to do, but how are we going to do It all In Myrtle Beach, some of my favorite entertainment activities are Big Laughs Theatre Wild 4 Hypnosis Comedy Show. Located In Surefire Beach, SC, this show Is a belly-laughing good time. This show consists of audience members being hypnotized and doing funny things they do not remember. The show is great for all ages, which makes it a family favorite. Another fun entertaining place in Myrtle Beach is The Carolina Pry. The Carolina Pry is the only show named, Top Attraction in Myrtle Beach by CNN, New York Times, and USA Today, just to name a few. Shows at this location would include, Light, a laser light show to music such as The Beetles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin, Good Vibrations, music of the ass, ass, and ass, blended with rich multimedia screens, special effects, and elaborate costuming. This fast-paced, high-energy show will take the audience back to the decades that brought out the best In American popular music. On the other hand, In Gatlinburg the stage show entertainment Is equally Inviting. One of my favorites Is the Hypnotized Comedy Hypnosis Show with Guy Michaels. This show is self-explanatory. It consists of audience members being hypnotized and doing funny things. This is a blast. I was laughing from start to finish and will go overtime I visit Gatlinburg. Another wonderful stage attraction in Gatlinburg is the Sweet Fanny Adams Theater, which offers a variety of shows, which include a suspense who-done-it type show and singing, and dancing comedy shows. Both Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg have wonderful stage entertainment. Along with great stage entertainment, both places have comparable yet different dining experiences. In Myrtle Beach, a trip would not be complete without a visit too seafood buffet. In my opinion, Captain Jacks Seafood Buffet Is the best. Located In N. Myrtle Beach, this buffet has everything In a seafood dream that you want. I personally eat the crab legs until I could bust. Another fun dining experience In Myrtle Beach Is Medieval Times. Although entertaining, this Is a theme restaurant taking the patrons back to the times when knights battled on the field. As the lance eats tenet meal wit n tenet Tellers, wanly Includes cornels news, teen caner on their knight to victory. This is fun for the whole family, and I never miss it when visiting Myrtle Beach. Another favorite of mine in many beach locations, including Myrtle Beach is Jimmy Buffets Marriageable. You cannot beat a Cheeseburger in Paradise with a giant traditional margarita. Gatlinburg is equally exceptional in restaurant choices. No trip to the Smoky Mountains would be complete without a down-home locally owned BBC restaurant. Bennett Pit Bar-B-Queue is the way to go. Located on River Road in Gatlinburg, it is the best BBC in town. Their menu has child-friendly options, but the beef brisket or baby back ribs are the way to go. Gatlinburg also has an entertainment-themed restaurant called Dolly Parsons Dixie Stampede located in near by Pigeon Forge. This is rodeo-themed entertainment with food varieties for everyone in the family, a great time for everyone. For breakfast, vacationers want to eat like the locals. The best breakfast buffet, which is locally owned, is Mountain Lodge Restaurant. Trip Advisor is full of people singing the praises of this budget-friendly restaurant with food that tastes like Grandma made it s country breakfast for under 8. 00 at its best. In addition, both Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg are vacation destination spots. Both appeal to the same traveler, but in very different ways. Myrtle Beach, located at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, has any beach-themed activities for the whole family. Many companies at Myrtle Beach offer activities such as Jet skiing, boating, fishing, paralleling, snorkeling and scuba diving. My favorite is Jet skiing. Any time I visit Myrtle Beach, I stop by Myrtle Beach Water Sports. This early morning Jet ski trip is two hours and is well worth the price. Gatlinburg also has Smoky Mountain related activities. A few of these activities would include whitewater rafting, boating tours through the Smokiest, fly-fishing, scenic helicopter rides and Dollys. My favorite is Dollys. Yes, Dollys is a theme ark but Dolly Pardon, came up with the inspiration for Dollys based on her childhood in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The American Dream - Essay Example The most basic comparison is that both American residents as well as these illegal immigrants want to live the American dream but the catch here is that is that although the goal is the same but the environment that the American nationals have is in stark contrast to the facilities that the illegal immigrants have, since they are illegal immigrants they can never have the same facilities that proper American nationals enjoy because no one would be willing to employ them not only because it is illegal to do so but also because the illegal immigrant might move out any time. The values of freedom of speech, equality and opportunities for every one have become so embedded in the American culture that every one is able to make use of them and enjoy them, so the illegal immigrants are also able to enjoy this culture so both the groups have a same working environment but the fact remains that illegal Mexican immigrants will never be given the status of citizens and hence never be entitled t o the American citizenship or American dream. In contrast when these Mexicans cannot find proper jobs according to their academic qualification, they take up petty jobs and therefore do not continue to look forward to the material well being and in affect stop believing in the American dream.

You find a topic for me Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

You find a topic for me - Coursework Example It is crucially important for every individual to master the art and skill of writing particularly in the present age considering its tremendous use and application both in academic and professional domains. â€Å"Today, in the 21st century, people write as never before—in print and online† (Yancey 1). Some of the things that I learned in depth during this semester were the different styles of writing and citation, the strategies of effective interviewing, and the methodology of conducting literature review and conduct research. This semester will be one of the most useful episodes of education for me throughout my life given I intend to be a researcher whether or not my career is eventually academics or industry oriented. My rhetorical analysis project was â€Å"Mimicking the Sadness of Human Nature: The Monkey Painter Analysis†. As the title suggests, the painting that I analyzed in this project was â€Å"The Monkey Painter† by Alexandre Gabriel Decamps. The main idea Decamp wanted to convey through this painting was to elaborate the effects as well as solutions for the natural emotion of sadness experienced by human beings. This was a very interesting and thought-provoking analysis as I learned many interesting philosophical realities such as, â€Å"There are two types of people in the world: those who prefer to be sad among others and those who prefer to be sad alone† (Krauss). This assignment taught me how to make effective use of ego, pathos, and logos to make the writing convincing and appealing to the audience. My tendency to be biased in writing was a significant challenge I had to deal with in this project. The condition placed in the assignment that disallowed students to use first person language helped in making the writing unbiased to some extent because I was constantly reminded that I did not have to foster my personal views upon the readers as I write. This project taught

Natural Disasters Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Natural Disasters - Research Paper Example Although to date, it is still not very clear that Pakistan’s relief efforts were a success or not because of the excessive obstacles created against government, policy makers and humanitarian organization by the lack of communication and transport, but rehabilitation and rescue services started as soon as the underground eruption hit the area Name of the student: Name of the teacher: Course number: Submission date: Even after six years, Pakistan is still enduring impacts of the massive earthquake occurred on the morning of October 8, 2005. Pakistan is a sovereign Islamic state in South Asia. Its northern areas consists of lush green valleys, mountains, ice cold lakes, fruit laden orchards and flower laden slopes. With its rich historical past, these areas serve as heaven of relaxation for tourists as depicted in figure 1 and 2. Figure 1 Valley of Kashmir FIGURE 2: Valley of Swat On the morning of October 8, 2005 at 8:50 A.M local time, these areas were hit by a massive earthqu ake. The magnitude of the earthquake was Mw =7.6 which was the strongest earthquake in the last 100 years in the area. It hit the Himalayan Region of the Northern Pakistan and Kashmir. ... Figure 3 illustrates the situation of the city before and after the event. Figure 3: City of Balakot: Before and After Destruction The initial death toll, according to media reports, was 30,000 people killed only in Kashmir with42, 397 people injured and 200 army soldiers killed on duty. Completely destroyed areas included the city of Muzaffarabad and Balakot, which turned into a plain piece of land after the quake. (Pakimp3,2005). The government’s official death toll is 75,000 whereas, USGS states 86,000 people’s death with 69,000 injured including extensive damage in northern Pakistan. Various other Northern areas of the state were also badly affected such as Gilgit, Baltistan, Swat and Khyber province of Pakistan. Major cities such as Rawalpindi, Islamabad were also affected. A 10- story residential building in Islamabad, named Margalla Towers collapsed completely, killing almost all of the occupants. The death toll grew significantly after the actual event due to ha rsh weather and difficulties in the support services. Severity of the destruction of earthquake is not completely attributed to the severe up thrust in the land plates but poor construction also played a major role in spreading the destruction. As figure 4 and figure 5 show an example of poor construction in the capital city of the country. FIGURE 5: Margalla Towers collapsed due to construction defects The severe shaking was not the limit of this massive natural disaster but aftershocks, landslides and rock falls also rocked the devastated areas a number of times for several weeks. Land sliding was the main feature of this event and earthquake triggered a band of landslidings along the fault rupture trace. These

Social Stratification and Class

Social Stratification and Class Discuss what is meant by social stratification and evaluate the different ways that social class has been defined and measured. The term social stratification refers to the grouping of social classes within a society. This is a specific form of inequality, and the effect of this is that certain groups in society are seen as having a higher status or rank than others based on power and wealth. Social stratification works by society ranking which is based in four sections. Social stratification can be passed from one generation to the next, i.e. royalty, it is universal but varies over time and place, it is a trait of society not individual differences and lastly social stratification also goes on beliefs and not just inequality (Wikipedia, 2014). Sociologists argue that some form of social stratification occurs in every society in the world despite that everyone claims to want an equal society (Burton, 2013). Sociologists consider there to be three main systems of stratification in today’s societies. These are slavery, the caste system and the class system. Slavery has legally been abolished in many countries but there is still evidence of at least 400 million people living under conditions that amount to slavery. For those living in Sudan, Ghana, India, Pakistan, and many other countries with similar ideals, slavery is a common thing to happen and in certain parts of Asia sex slavery is also common. A caste system is a social system built on ascribed status. This is a status based on characteristics a person is born with, such as race, gender, religion, age etc. In a caste system there is no chance to change from one caste to another and marriage outside of a person’s caste is not generally permitted. Often in a caste system the marriages are pre-arranged between parents rather than a choice of the individual. A class system is a social system built on achieved status. This is status that a person either earns or chooses so is not dependent on where a person was born or a person’s parentage. Those born in a class system c an choose their education, career and partner. A person in a class system may also start off in one class but can move between classes (Spark Notes, n.d). For many sociologists the focus is on the caste and class systems of stratification and the amount of social mobility within that system. This social mobility is the ease of which a person can move up or down the class system and will be based on a person’s wealth or power. In modern western societies, stratification is organised by class and divided into three main layers, upper class, middle class and lower class. Each of these classes can then be broken down into further categories determined by things such as housing locations (Wikipedia, 2014). A person’s social class will depend on where they are from, what they do for a living, where they achieved their education, who they are connected to and how powerful them people may be, how much wealth they have and their position in society. When a person’s social class is being considered their education will not generally be considered, unless of course they attended a high ranking education facility. This person will also need to have some high connections to be considered for upper class status. If a person is lacking any of these factors they will be considered as middle or even lower class, depending on their postcode or bank balance, within a western society. In modern western societie s there are different categories for social stratification such as age, race, gender, class, race or disability and in some places there will be even more categories (Wikipedia, 2014). Social classification has taken place long before the modern form of classifying people began. Social stratification has been measured in different forms; from asking people which class they feel they belong in to using a person’s postcode. The two most used measures are both based on occupation. The Registrar General’s Standard Occupation Classification (SC) and the Socio-Economic Groups (SEG). The SC began in has been in the census since 1901 and is based on a person’s occupation which will fall into one of six categories: Professional, Intermediate, Skilled (Non-Manual/Manual), Partly Skilled and Unskilled. This is an ordinal measure that ranks occupation, by skill and social standing. The SEG is made up of 17 different categories and would in fact cover all eventualities of employment, house worker, student etc. This is a nominal measure that ranks occupation by employment status (Anon, n.d). The SC has strengths as well as weaknesses with its use. It is a simple system with easily generalizable categories. This system is also useful when wanting to compare the changes in occupations held over a period of time. However, this system does not appear to group people it focuses more on the occupation. Another problem with this system is that the categories do not consider the differences in income between certain occupations. The SEC also has some strengths and weaknesses to its reliability in measuring class. Its main strength is that it does have a wider range of categories for people to consider, however its biggest weakness is that is still fails to acknowledge certain people, such as women, students and the unemployed (Sociology Org, 2013). Having more than one way of measuring social class has caused many problems. As occupations have changed dramatically over the years there are many problems with the way the SC and the SEG measures class. The biggest of the problems is that they are not designed to measure the occupations of women, housewives, students or even the unemployed adequately. Although this will generally be the most reliable as people will accept what is told to them by a government body such as the Registrar General. In 1994 a government review of social classifications took place with the aim to review the reliability of using occupation to measure social class, to review the social class categories and to assess the effectiveness of the changes made. These changes took place in 1998 and a new classification system, NS-SEC, was introduced beginning in the 2001 census (Anon, n.d). This change made to the way occupation is measured comes in eight categories to include the differences in set locations. The categories of the NS-SEC are: higher managerial and professionals, lower managerial and professionals, intermediate occupations (clerical, sales and services), small employers and own account workers, lower supervisory and technical occupations, semi-routine occupations, routine occupations and never worked or long term unemployed (Wikipedia, 2013). References Anon. (n.d) Definition and Measurement of Social Class [online]. Available from: http://www.uwic.ac.uk/shss/dom/newweb/classdefinition/Difficulties.htm [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Anon. (n.d) Social stratification [online]. Available from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1sqi=2ved=0CDAQkA4oADAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwordnetweb.princeton.edu%2Fperl%2Fwebwn%3Fs%3Dsocial%2520stratificationei=TIw5U6OlM6viywP42IIIusg=AFQjCNFPiQoB3wnfTRpv0MM_X4Pr_XWEMwsig2=f2pVumGz7bpiGO8bUQIBnQ [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Burton, J. (2013) Class and Stratification [class hand-out]. Access to Social Science: Class and Stratification, Northampton College. Nov 2013. Sociology Org. (2013) Measuring Social Class [online]. Available from: http://www.sociology.org.uk/s3a.pdf [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Spark Notes. (n.d) Social Stratification and Inequality [online]. Available from: http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/social-stratification-and-inequality/section3.rhtml [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Wikipedia. (2013) National Statistics Socio-economic Classification [online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Statistics_Socio-economic_Classification [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Wikipedia. (2014) Social Stratification [online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_stratification [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Bibliography Anon. (2010) What does â€Å"Social Stratification† mean? [Online]. Available from: https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100529054226AAF1wY9 [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Boundless. (n.d) Social Stratification [online]. Available from: https://www.boundless.com/sociology/definition/social-stratification/ [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Iiser (n.d) NSSEC [online]. Available from: https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/archives/nssec [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Rose, D. Pevalin, D. (2010) Re-basing the NS-SEC on SOC2010 [online]. Available from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1ved=0CC8QFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ons.gov.uk%2Fons%2Fguide-method%2Fclassifications%2Fcurrent-standard-classifications%2Fsoc2010%2Frebasing-the-ns-sec-on-soc2010.pdfei=MNI5U7nYCujOygO0-4Jousg=AFQjCNGQRPlUIA8sgVVcnseWNnreDM-o-Asig2=gpMzKE9XFYtaHKlPa4trYgcad=rja [Last Accessed Jan 2014]. Sociology Guide. (n.d) Questions on Social Stratification [online]. Available from: http://www.sociologyguide.com/questions/social-stratification.php [Last Accessed Jan 2014].

Benefits Of Early Retirement :: essays research papers

Benefits of Early Retirement Early retirement is not such a bad idea, but only if itÕs affordable. Today, people who begin this process feel confident that they can live out the rest of their lives comfortably. Still being young enough to enjoy what is earned is another good reason why someone might want to advance into retirement. Also, having good health is another popular reason why it is a good idea to retire early. After working hard, one should reward them self by enjoying what they have worked for. Either off benefits or money allocated throughout the working years, these retirees enjoy what they worked for. Not only do they feel relaxation and enjoyment, retiring early also gives them a sense of accomplishment. Purchasing previously desired land or traveling to a country never visited before are just some examples in which early retirees enjoy the money that was saved. Since the assets are all earned, spending this bonus makes one feel proud for what they worked for and that the working years didnÕt seem like a waste. Something simple such as being young can make someone retire early. Retiring early just for being young also has their advantages. This way, the retiree can explore more areas and get to stay longer because they have more years to enjoy than an ordinary retiree. Also, when someone gets older their health slowly diminish and their ambition to go out and travel also vanishes. Finally, having good health while retired pays off. One would tend to enjoy retirement more if their health were in decent shape. Irritating injuries and irksome illnesses certainly keep the retiree limited while being retired. Ambition to travel and going out and doing things lowers when the health is low.

Racial Inequality Can Be Resolved Using No Violence

Looking at society is it easy to identify many global issues circulating the world in our present day. These issues extend from sexual and racial differences to religious affairs to, finally, larger conflicts such as proceeding wars. The aim of this project is to focus on one global issue that in some way directly influences me and has a somewhat negative impact. Once identifying the issue and analyzing it I am to research on two identities that have, in the past, been faced with the same issue and attempted to solve it. I am to analyze their methods concluding weather they’ve been successful or not. Taking many affairs into consideration I have concluded to one problem that is most closely linked to my everyday life and me. This problem is racial discrimination. It does not affect me directly as I have never lived in a society where my race was discriminated against however I have lived among a diversity of races and have seen the impact it has on my closer friends. Having chosen the topic I wish to explore I have then formulate my problem into a question which states; How can racial equality be increased using non-violent methods? I have chosen to formulate my question like this because I cannot say that I live in an environment that fully discriminates and degrades racial differences however I can say that it is not an environment and society that is completely oblivious to racial differences as in an ideal situation it should be. I have chosen to explore this problem as I grew up in a multi-racial society where racial discrimination was never a factor as race was completely neglected and everyone seemed to be equal. Moving to my current society I have found that it is not the case and the racial majority here seems to be the white and has very limited views on other races. I found that this could be due to the lack of interaction with other races and find it disturbing as I expected people to be more open minded and less primitive on the situation. As I go to an international school I’d expect the racial tolerance to be higher than amongst people who do not however I was surprised to see racial injustice amongst some of my classmates. I have chosen this problem as even though I am among the majority, according to my race, I am still affected by how the minority is mistreated. Seeing as this is also a global problem I have chosen two personalities who have in the past been faced with this problem and attempted in solving it. My first identity is Martin Luther King Jr. as he fought for the civil rights of African Americans using non-violent methods. And my second identity is Nelson Mandela as he fought against the Apartheid in Africa, persisting nonviolent methods to their full extent. I chose Martin Luther King Jr. as one of my personalities as he fought for racial equality for African Americans in the United States, using nonviolent methods, and Mahatma Ghandi as an influence. He fought through campaigns and in organizations, using strictly no violence, in attempt to achieve his goal, civil rights for African Americans, first in the United States then globally. Nelson Mandela is my second choice, as he fought for his goal over many decades, not necessarily without violence, however with determination to achieve it no matter if it began to seem impossible. Both personalities have had a great impact in the world and have become iconic figures of what they fought for, this is the major reason I chose them and not anyone else. They have gained a title with their name and this is what makes them significant and relevant to this problem. Analysis Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th 1929 and lived till April 4th 1968, dying at an early age of 39. He was an activist fighting for civil rights of African Americans living in the US at that time. In 1955 he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was a political and social protest campaign whose aim was to oppose the Montgomery city policy of segregating the racially different in public transportation. Two years later, in 1957, he assisted the foundation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, of which he became the president. The SCLC is a civil rights organization, which was a huge part of the Civil Rights Movement at that time fighting for the civil rights of African Americans. In 1963 a political rally was held in support of the economical and civil rights of African Americans, it was called the March on Washington, in which Martin Luther King held his â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech outlining racial equality and proposing an end to discrimination. King also tried to expand American values ad include the vision of a ‘colour-blind’ society, which according to his terms was a society oblivious to skin colour and race creating equality for everyone. Subsequently to the speech in 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Piece Price for his engagement in the end to racial segregation and discrimination through civil disobedience and in a peaceful manner. After this he resumed his contributions to help end poverty and stop the then occurring Vietnam War. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4th 1968 the third Monday of each January is celebrated as a U. S. Federal holiday since 1986. Nelson Mandela is a South African born on July 18th 1918. In 1942 he qualified in law from the University of Witwatersrand and joined the African National Congress only two years later. The National Party supported the apartheid policy of racial segregation and won the 1948 election becoming the ruling party in South Africa. After this time Mandela became more active in participating in politics. In 1952 the ANC organizes the Defiance Campaign, which promoted equality amongst South Africans providing full civil rights. This he followed with the Congress of the People in 1955. This also outlined the importance of equality among South African People provided the basis of the anti-apartheid cause. Simultaneously Mandela and Oliver Tambo (1) commenced and operated a law firm providing free or low-cost legal counsel to many blacks who lacked any professional representation. Like Martin Luther King Jr. Mandela was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings of non-violent resistance, as were the following generations of South African anti-apartheid activists. In 1956 Mandela was arrested for treason and was on trail until 1961 when he was finally freed from criminal charge. In 1960 Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within the African National Congress, which in June 1961 was finally agreed to. This is how the Umkhonto we Sizwe was formed. This was nothing mor e than an armed wing of the ANC, which fought against the apartheid government. In 1962 Mandela was once again arrested however this time sentenced to five years imprisonment only to be tried with plotting to overthrow the government by violence the following year. With this he was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. From 1964 till 1982 Mandela was imprisoned at Robben Island Prison, just off the coast of Cape Town. Even during his imprisonment Mandela’s reputation grew as the most significant black leader in South Africa and as the symbol of resistance the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. His refusal to compromise his political position over his freedom was constant from which his popularity grew even more vastly. On February 11th 1990 Mandela was released after which he immediately returned to his life’s goals that he had set four decades earlier. He served as the South African president from 1994 till 1999. Conclusion It is evident to conclude that in his short lifetime and even shorter time of being active Martin Luther King Jr. accomplished a lot as he had aimed to. It is unfortunate that his death came so soon as he might have been able to proceed with more changes in the world. Mandela also spent a lot of his life fighting for what he believed in, granted not always peacefully, and however unlike King Mandela did spend 27 years in prison, coming out with even more will power and reason to pursue his goals. Both men deserve the recognition they gained and are good role models and identities for this project. It is evident that King fully succeeded in using non violent methods to pursue his goal however the two identities were placed in two different positions, one with more ‘freedom’ one with less, to fight for the same goal. Yet looking back at the times it is evident that the situation for Mandela seemed to be a lot harder hence resulting in him using violence to a certain extent. Solution Campaign methods have proven to be the most widely used in the past and somehow the most successful however the key to their success is the involvement of the government in the issuing of new policies. In our community there an interracial relationship is not banned neither is the use of any public or private factors between the races. Each and every race is regarded as an equal and there is no policy saying otherwise. Yet the factor of racial discrimination is still present, this is not as extreme as it used to be and was presented in Mandela and King’s case however the racial prejudice stands between the actual members of the community. This prejudice most commonly consists of verbal accusations with some violent occurrences however no major events have been marked. Therefore enforcing a campaign to acquire new laws and policies would be pointless, as this would not change anything. This racial prejudice is mostly expressed in schools amongst younger generations and therefore this is where it should be suppressed. As my solution against this problem I would enrol punishments to students who racially discriminate against others. I would enforce the punishment not to be too mild as this will lead to no future change. In my opinion is a child is racially violated in a classroom or in the presence of a teacher they should be sent out preceding a warning. If this behaviour is repeated the student’s inflicting the crime parents should be called in for consultation. This may seem harsh however racial prejudice has a great impact on one person and completely banishing it should be practiced. On a wider scale to encourage the presence of other races the government should enforce the translation of crucial signs and notices as for the foreigners to understand. On a larger scale not much can be done to punish a verbal offender however violence for racial discrimination should be punished. As I mentioned before this issue is not so serious amongst my community outside school and only action to encourage an interracial community can be encouraged.

Does Tv Have Negative Effect On Society

TV corrupts our children. Jerome Singer once said, â€Å"If you came and saw a strange man teaching your kids to punch each other, or trying to sell them all kind of products, you’d kick him right out of the house, but here you are; you come in and the TV is on, and you don’t think twice about it. † He is correct; entertainment television is an especially bad influence on children for many reasons, including not enough control on violence.These things are quite literally ruining America by corrupting our next generation’s leaders, our children. This year, more American children will die from a fired gun than from children who will die of asthma, pneumonia, influenza, cancer, and AIDS combined. What does this have to do with TV? Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that youth who are avid TV watchers become aggressive adults.A study from the University of Michigan showed that children who watched violent TV were more inclined to show violent tendenc ies as adults. According to that study, â€Å"†¦men who were high TV-violence viewers as children were significantly more likely to have pushed, grabbed or shoved their spouses, to have responded to an insult by shoving a person, to have been convicted of a crime and to have committed a moving traffic violation. Such men, for example, had been convicted of crimes at over three times the rate of other men.†It also stated that, â€Å"Women who were high TV-violence viewers as children were more likely to have thrown something at their spouses, to have responded to someone who made them mad by shoving, punching, beating or choking the person, to have committed some type of criminal act, and to have committed a moving traffic violation. Such women, for example, reported having punched, beaten or choked another adult at over four times the rate of other women. † The study also reported that the said violence was glorified by being black and white.The â€Å"good guysâ €  were okay to shoot the â€Å"bad guys,† resulting in a happy ending. This leads to children trying to be the good guys, by resulting in violence instead of working or talking the problem out. Another problem is that the â€Å"bad guys† have little to no back-story, with usually nothing more than a nickname to identify them with. Most of these problems base off the fact that children under 8 cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality.Which covers another topic not censored enough. In conclusion, television is a sinister vehicle for bad habits of all sorts. How can you prevent this from happening to you and your families? The answer is simple: limit TV time to two hours a day. One might be reluctant to do so, but look what the old telly can and will do to America. As Nicholas Johnson said, â€Å"All television is educational television. The question is: what is it teaching? † .

Narcissistic society Essay Example

Narcissistic society Essay Example Narcissistic society Paper Narcissistic society Paper Probably most of the people know the myth of Narcissus and about the dangers of falling in love with you. Narcissism commonly is used as a synonym of egotisms and excessive self-importance. In physiological terms egotism and narcissism can be different things, and narcissism springs from an opposite relationship with the self: not self-involvement, but disconnection with oneself. In other words, the key to understand the myth of Narcissus is not that he fell in love him himself, but that he failed to recognize himself in his own reflection. The world of a narcissist is a mirror; he/she spends the life trying to reach the ideal-self, the beautiful image that hides the true feelings of loneliness and internal emptiness. The modern narcissist seeks those reflections in television, Internet, magazines etc. Television and some of the reality shows give an image of idyllic participant, beautiful, charming, powerful and free to do whatever he/she wants.[5] Nowadays, narcissistic behaviour is so obvious that we see it everywhere in our culture. It is even alarming that we live in an age where narcissistic behaviour is so evident. Ironically, one of the best ways for a narcissist to show himself/herself at the moment is reality TV and we (society) initially like narcissists more because of their exploitative behaviour. Reality shows are perfect for them, because of their arrogant behaviour, self-confident and showy personalities. In 2000 the reality programming shows exploded and many TV channels as well as mainstream networks created a shows like Big Brother, The Simple Life, Survivor and much more. There are many other different types of shows and mostly all of them share one characteristic: they exploit narcissistic behaviour for dramatic effect.[6] In a competition type of shows like The X Factor, American Idol, Hell’s Kitchen, The Apprentice, Top Model, etc. the participants do everything for supremacy and financial awards. It is debatable if their talent has much to do with their win, but it is certain that they get a reward for being ruthless, exploitative, authoritarian, and self-sufficient. It is almost impossible to imagine anyone without a heavy reserve of narcissism carrying on after a dressing-down from one of his or her acerbic judges.[7] Show like Top Model focus on body image, following the contestants as they struggle over and over with their weight and appearance. Since of so much â€Å"stress† the participants usually give the audience bad behaviour, when they break down or on the contrary scheme conspire to grab every advantage of it. It is known that almost none of the scenes of the show are filmed when nothing is happening; the camera usually appears when there is a drama. These shows invite the audience to indulge it’s own narcissistic feelings of superiority, whether by jeering at the TV screen or by posting a commentary on the shows’ websites[8]. Dating competition shows like The Bachelor or Joe Millionaire combine all of the previous shows qualities with more emphasis of duplicity. The prize of this show is a Man, who is known to be very attractive, fascinating, and sometimes even vulnerable. On the television those types of figures become idealized even if in real life they are unsuccessful or egotistical, in other words full of narcissistic characteristics. The shows like The Simple Life, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica or Hogan Knows Best invite the audience to enter and to understand every day life of celebrities. The aim of these shows is to display celebrities being themselves, in other words, to document how narcissistic personalities cope with every day life. The viewers become grateful and don’t even pay the attention what is really happening in the show, because the â€Å"IT† celebrity gave an opportunity and flattered the viewers by letting them into their world. The biggest problem with this type of show is that the young viewers get confused with what is normal and what is not. In one of the episodes in the show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, Jessica asked a question: â€Å"Is this chicken what I have or is it fish? I know its tuna, but why than it says chicken? (Chicken of The Sea is a brand)†[9]. The episode and the question received hundreds of comments, public and media attention, not because it was an unintelligent question, but because the audience felt a connection with the protagonist. Since it received so many feedback Jessica made a public statement saying that she’s just a normal human who sometimes makes mistakes. The audience â€Å"went wild† because they felt that she’s just like them and by that time it didn’t matter that she is multimillionaire recording artist. According to that, the message that is told to the society seems to be one: don’t be ashamed of you are. The phrase that always is an answer to all misunderstandings. Most of the narcissistic qualities: extreme arrogance, sense of specialness, vanity, jealousy, and entitlement, appear in â€Å"diva shows† like My Super Sweet 16, Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The shows about the celebrities (who in reality are known for being famous just for being famous) let and show all the viewers, who ever dreamed of fame or wealth that it could be theirs simply by demanding it[10]. The participants are known as narcissists, which just let the viewers to become ones as well. The people who succeed on these shows appear to have little knowledge of education or hard work. Instead, they manipulate, act out while living their known fabulous lives.  The show Dr. 90210, The Swan or I Want a Famous Face, glorify the â€Å"improvement† of the body, by any means necessary. These shows might motivate some viewers to make some positive changes in their lives but in general it glories the narcissistic view of body image. However, all of these shows have one function, to entertain. Entertainment programs occupy a bigger part of our daily life, while reducing the attention that we give to news programs or documentaries. There is a greater tendency to choose this new type of television genre, because of its required minimum interpretation, appealing messages and easy understanding. The influence of these shows is massive and it is alarming because it makes narcissism seem completely normal. This narcissism bug has bitten young people, who live in this narcissistic society, and when asked what are your goals in life they answered: â€Å"becoming famous†.  Every man, however hopeless his pretensions may appear, has some project by which he hopes to rise to reputation; some art by which he imagines that the attention of the world will be attracted; some quality, good or bad, which discriminates him from the common herd of mortals, and by which others may be persuaded to love, or compelled to fear him.[11]

Art history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art history - Essay Example Each of them had a specific view on the role of art within society, as well as its purpose and techniques. This is why, in my paper, I will study the most important artistic movements, starting with the 1800s and leading my analysis up to nowadays in order to understand how the definition of art has changed over the past 200 years and how can the term â€Å"aesthetic† be used in relation to contemporary art. The late 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century were intellectually and culturally defined by the virtuous and rational Enlightenment movement. The ideas that it advocated were fueled from a renewed admiration for antiquity that sprung among intellectuals and artists at the time. This also triggered the development of the artistic movement called Neoclassicism, â€Å"which incorporated the subjects and styles of ancient art† (Kleiner 766). For Johann Joachim Winckelmann, the first modern art historian, the â€Å"discovery of the beauty of Greek art was not of merely antiquarian interest: it was of vital importance to the creation of new beauty in the present and future† (Prettejohn 32). ... Representative artists for this period are Jacques-Louis David and Angelica Kauffmann who favored subjects inspired from the Roman ancient history. However, towards the middle of the 19th century, beauty in art slips from its neoclassical simplicity and rational purity towards mystic and subjective grounds. Even David’s students, Antoine-Jean Gros, Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, although pursuing the study of ancient Greek and Roman art, started to manifest interest in new, unexplored subjects that were a deviation from the neoclassicist principles: â€Å"the realm of the exotic and the erotic† as well as â€Å"fictional narratives for the subjects of their paintings† (Kleiner 781). These artists eased in the transition from Neoclassicism to a new artistic movement, known as the Romantic movement. Romanticism promoted the freedom of imagination and shifted art towards a strong emphasis on feeling, intuition and emotion. While neocla ssical artists were concerned to transmit an idea in a simple, yet perfect form, the romantic artists aimed to convey dramatic emotion through powerful images. For romantics, beauty was not to be found at the surface of forms, but in the deep human imagination; they were driven towards the occult, the fantastic and the deep, unexplored craters of human unconsciousness. If Neoclassicism found its inspiration in Antiquity, Romanticism found it in the Middle Ages, also known as, the Dark Ages. Important romantic artists are William Blake, Eugene Delacroix and Francisco Goya who depicted historical, heroic or extraordinary characters that were living an almost theatrical experience on the canvas. This Romantic explosion in emotion and

The Role of Retail Industry towards the Economic Advancement of the Essay - 1

The Role of Retail Industry towards the Economic Advancement of the Country - Essay Example The researcher states that very often, the extent to which individual companies can experience growth is very much dependent on the strategic management policies that are used to run these organizations. By strategic management policy, reference is being made to the use of key decision making processes that ensure that the companies come to terms with the selection of best strategies, policies, principles, and action plans that focus directly on their competitive growth. One such industry where the kind of strategic management used is very important in determining the extent of competitiveness is the retail industry. This is because as the days go by, there continue to be more and more new openings within the industry, calling for the need of individual organizations to strategize their ways out to becoming competitive. The selected industry for the study is the retail industry. This is the industry that is responsible for the sale of goods and services directly to the end user, who is the customer. This means that retailers do not go through such production processes as manufacturing and logistics but find a means of directly receiving out to the customer with finished products and services from manufacturers. Retailing has been a core part of the economic composition of the country for several years. This is because, since time immemorial, people have had the need to make purchases of products and services to meet their needs and wants. Very often though, the means of going directly to the manufacturer is not there due to such limitations as transportation and distribution channel. It is in such instances that retailers become very important to the ordinary consumer and the nation at large by meeting the consumer at the point of his or her need. One unique feature of the retail industry is that it is found in almost every corner of the country, and has very limited restrictions in the form of market penetration.

Christian Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Christian Ethics - Essay Example (MacIntyre 1981, 169-89) In his usage, practices are socially established activities that lead those who participate in them to appreciate certain things as goods and to internalize standards f excellence in achieving them. Practices are done for their own sake, such as friendship, not for additional ends, such as practicing free throws in basketball. Martha Nussbaum recommends the engaged reading f literature as a practice that expands moral perception and empathy. This skill is a necessary component f humanistic education, even for lawyers and scientists. (Nussbaum 1997, 85-112) Diana Fritz Cates argues that the practice f committed friendship trains desires and moral vision in the virtue f compassion. The willingness to engage others, even strangers, in their suffering gains added meaning as a practice within a Christian frame f reference. Maria Antonaccio describes recent attention to "practices" as conscious efforts at moral formation. (Antoncaccio 1998, 69-92) She distinguishes between an "existential" model f askesis advocated by Pierre Hadot's study f Stoic sources, a "therapeutic" model in Nussbaum, and an "aesthetic" approach in Michel Foucault. Antonaccio doubts that these attempts to ground moral development in practical exercises can succeed while their authors refuse to consider a normative theory f human nature and moral ideals. Although theories f human nature or development are unpopular in an era that stresses particularity and pluralism, she writes that "some form f theoretical reflection is necessary in order to judge what form f therapy' human beings need, and to assess critically the processes f formation already underway." Some writings on practices use a faith tradition to specify a normative view f human nature that guides moral and spiritual development. Spiritual practices are being recognized as central to Christian moral formation. Dorothy C. Bass edited a collection f essays on 12 central Christian practices, such as hospitality, keeping Sabbath, and forgiveness, that shape the mind and heart in the Christian way f life. With Craig Dykstra she writes that "when we see some f our ordinary activities as Christian practices, we come to perceive how our daily lives are all tangled up with the things God is doing in the world." Catherine M. Wallace analyzes the virtue f fidelity as a constitutive element f the practice f marriage. Fidelity has more than instrumental value in keeping a marriage intact; more importantly, it does something to the spouses by training their desires and reshaping their identities over time. (Kotva 1997, 272-90) From the perspective f evangelical Christianity, Brad J. Kallenberg writes: "Christianity cannot be explained or understood without reference to a distinctive cluster f practices. In order to participate in the tradition called Christianity one must necessarily participate in these practices." (Kallenberg 1997, 7-29) He highlights certain practices f community moral formation: witness, worship, works f mercy, discernment, and discipleship. Reinhard Hutter points out that Luther redefined the marks f the Church to be practices. There is an

Woman in Gothic Art Essay Example for Free

Woman in Gothic Art Essay When I look at the painting of an anonymous gothic woman created by a yet anonymous artist, the most prominent emotion that I feel is wonder. I think about the peculiar way that the woman is dressed and the facial features that her painter had given her. I know of current gothic art and gothic apparel yet these do not seem to match this particular painting. I believe that the artist wants to tell me something about the woman; it could be her attitude, her position in society, and some other things that were the norm during the times that the painting was drawn. It could be that the artist drew the perception of the woman during a particular point in time for a particular society. That is the primary area that I would like to investigate. I would like to discover what can be drawn from the painting that could be attributed to gothic literature, history, or art that existed during the era when the painting was supposedly created.

China and the Central African Republic

China and the Central African Republic I-Introduction Central African Republic is a landlocked country bordered in the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, in the north by Chad, Sudan in the east and Cameroon in the west. It gained its independence in August 13th 1960 and Bangui is the capital. The two official languages are French and Sango. Francois is Yangonvouda-Bozize current the President took the power during a coup in March 2003 [The Economist US (2005)]. Since its independence, the Central African Republic has been destabilized and further impoverished due to a cycle of political-military uprisings and violence [HAC, (2011); UNICEF, (2008); The Economist, (2008)]. Constitutional order was restored in 2005[UNICEF, (2008)]; however, the overall situation until now in the country remains volatile, marked by tensions among and within political parties, a precarious socio-economic situation, deteriorating humanitarian conditions and insecurity in the north of the country due to activities of rebel and criminal groups [UNICEF, (2008)]. The United Nations implemented a Peace-building Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA), in an attempt to promote peace and stability in the country and reduce cross-border insecurity [UNICEF, (2008)]; This was carried out to encourage national dialogue and reconciliation and furthermore to help the Central African Republic enact military reforms, implement human rights policies, train civilian police, and disarm, demobilize and reintegrate former fighters. Besides that, the CAR is surrounded by countries like Chad, Sudan and DRC, which have been destabilized for a long time by civil wars. These lead many refugees to seek for shelter in CAR [The Economist, (2005)].All those characteristics create a volatile political situation and an uncertain climate for foreign investment. The CAR is blessed with many natural resources such as diamonds, timber, uranium, oil, iron, gold and hydropower [Africa.com, (2008)].However, it is still rated among the poorest countries in the world. Its economy is disadvantaged due to its landlocked position, which isolates it from foreign suppliers and markets and contributes to high import prices. It has the potential to become a major agricultural product exporter. It also has hydroelectric potential that could be developed for export to neighboring countries that have power shortages. The relations between China and the CAR have evolved saw tooth since the early 60s. On several occasions, the CAR broke and re-established its ties with the People Republic of China. Since the arrival in power of President Bozize, it seems that the CAR and China are enjoying steady and smooth relations. Yet the country is still facing to challenges regarding to its socio-economic situation. Nothing is so much said nor written about China and the Central African Republic. What is really going on between the two countries? China has invested in it, especially in terms of infrastructure. Does the government gain from it? What about the population? Is CAR really benefited from that relation? In what extent China can help the CAR to come out from the cycle of poverty? II-Central African Republic (C.A.R): 2.1Facts and figures According to the United Nations Human Development Index, the CAR now ranks 172 out of 177 least developed countries in the world [UNDP,(2006)]. Two-thirds of the population live under the line of poverty, less than half are literate, and the average life expectancy hovers around 40 years, resulting in a very young population with almost fifty percent under the age of 18, and only four percent aged 60 and over[UNDP, (2006)]. The CAR is really affected by AIDS that is why the life expectancy is constantly falling and dropped below 40 according to the UNDP Report on Human Development 2006. Per capita income is USD 456. POPULATION 4,422,000 SIZE 622,984 km ² CAPITAL CITY Bangui LANGUAGES French and Sango (officials languages);TRIBAL LANGUAGES LARGEST CITIES Bangui and Bimbo RELIGION 35% Tribal beliefs, 25% Protestant, 25% Catholic, 15% Muslim MONETARY UNIT Franc NATURAL RESOURCES Diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, hydropower AGRICULTURE Cotton, coffee, tobacco, cassava, yams, millet, corn, banana; timber EXPORT COMMODITIES diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco IMPORT COMMODITIES food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals INDUSTRY Gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles 2.2 Political and economic situations The CAR is blessed with natural resources to use and develop in order to come out of its cycle of poverty. However, three decades of mismanagement, from the 60s when it gained its independence until 1993 which seen the organization democratic elections for the first time, most of the time under military rule and one decade of chronic unrest and political fights (1993- 2003) led the country to bankruptcy [International Crisis Group, (2007)]. Francois Bozize gained the power in March 2003 by a coup and overthrown Ange-Felix Patasse [International Crisis Group, (2007)]. Due to the chronic instability since 10 years this makes very difficult for CARs governments to follow-up a long term economic development strategy that is why the country is currently facing a lack of modern transportation network which represents the chokepoint for the development of its economy. For instance, the length to reach Bangui the capital city is about 12 to 14 days of river transportation [CAR, (2009)]. Why is CARs economy always under threat of strangulation? Geographically, the CAR is trapped in an unstable triangle and surrounded by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Chad that which are destroyed by many years of civil wars [IMF, (2010); The Economist, (2008); UNHCR, (2000)]. Furthermore, shipment arrivals are often delayed or canceled because of rebels attacks [HAC, (2011)] that are causing so much trouble in the region. The nation of CAR is principally agrarian [International Crisis Group, (2007)]. In 2003, agriculture accounted for 60.8% of the countrys GDP [UNCTAD, (2005)]; crops primarily including cotton, food crops such as cassava, yams, bananas, maize; coffee and tobacco. In 2004, the agricultural labour force accounted for 69% [UNCTAD, (2005)]. The population of CAR is engaged in subsistence farming with 56% attributed to the agricultural sector in 2006. In 2002, timber accounted for about 30% of export earnings. The CAR is blessed with a huge unexploited natural resources in the form of uranium, gold, diamonds and others minerals [Investment Climate Report, (1995)]. In 2010, its main exports were diamonds, cotton, timber, coffee and tobacco. Diamonds are the main natural resources being currently developed [Investment Climate Report, (1995)]: in 2002, the CAR was able to export 50% of its diamonds earnings [Crisis Group Africa, (2010)]. In 2003 and 2006, industry contributed for respectively 24.9% and 15% for the latter of the countrys GDP; breweries, diamond mining and sawmill represent the bulk of the sector. Due to the oversized government bureaucracy and its landlocked position, services accounted only for 29% of GDP in 2006. The same year, its main importer of goods was France and represented for 17.6% and they mainly exports goods toward Belgium (40.4%) [Investment Climate Report, (1995); UNCTD. (2005)]. In 2000, the percentage of population with access to electricity accounted for 5% only [UNCTAD, (2005)]. The CAR really lack of electricity supply. The main and only hydroelectric plants are based in Boali. Mostly, fuel supplies are transported in via the Ubangui River or trucked through Cameroon, resulting in frequent shortages of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel. The countrys transportation and communication network is limited; it does not possess a railroad, however it has only 650 kilometers of paved road. It does not possess any domestic air service, except charters, so very limited internationally. Furthermore, commercial traffic on the Ubangui River is very rough even impossible from December to May or June, due to ongoing conflicts in the region that sometimes prevented shipments from moving between Kinshasa (capital of DRC) and Bangui. The telephone system functions, albeit imperfectly. The CAR possesses only one television station that has been built since the independence, an d four radio stationsare currently operating in the country. Numerous newspapers and pamphlets are published on a regular basis, and at least one company has begun providing Internet service. In terms of economic, the C.A.R. has made slow progress; its budget and external trade are deficiency due to many constraints like the poor infrastructure that it is facing, economic mismanagement and scarce private investment, as well as a limited tax base and adverse external conditions have led the country to a desperate situation. Its debt burden is considerable, as well as its per capita gross national product (GNP). The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have implemented some structural and interest-free credits as well to support investments in the agriculture, livestock, and transportation sectors, unfortunately these have had limited impact. The World Bank and IMF are now encouraging the government to concentrate exclusively on implementing much-needed economic reforms to jumpstart the economy and defining its fundamental priorities with the aim of alleviating poverty. As a result, many of the state-owned business entities have been privatized and limited e fforts have been made to standardize and simplify labor and investment codes and to address problems of corruption. The C.A.R. Government has adopted the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) Charter of Investment, and is in the process of adopting a new labor code. Furthermore the CAR received debt relief in June 2009 by the World Bank and the IMF [IMF, (2010)].It reached the final completion-point stage of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative [IMF, (2010)]. Since its independence, the CAR has been unstable and endured several coups; David Dacko ended the Bokassa era in a coup in 1979 [International Crisis Group, (2007)]. David Dacko was overthrown by a coup led by the General Andre Kolingba two years later. For the first time, he allowed multi-party presidential elections in 1993 and was defeated in the first round by his successor Ange-Felix Patasse. However, 1997 the discontent of unpaid soldiers resulted in a successive wave of strikes and uprisings from the latter [International Crisis Group, (2007)]. . The same year the French troop pulled out and Paris financed a group of French-speaking African countries to create a peacekeeping force. This leads to the creation of the UN Mission to the Central African Republic, or Minurca [International Crisis Group, (2008)]. In 1999 Ange-Felix Patasse won the elections a second time however there were allegations of electoral fraud. He went into exile in Togo after being overthrown in a coup in 2003 by General Bozize the current president of the CAR. The legacy of years of unrest has generated an illegal weapons proliferation across the CAR. Rebels armed groups are active in the volatile north. The unrest has displaced tens of thousands of Central Africans; many of them have crossed the border into Chad. Under Bozize era, some progress towards ending the conflict was made in 2008, when peace talks led to an agreement committing two of the main rebel groups to disarm [IMF,(2010)]. The process culminated with the creation of a national unity government incorporating two rebel leaders in early 2009. 2.3 A Modest recovery Since 2004 the Central African Republic has been able to achieve a modest economic growth [IMF, (2010)]; firstly, it gained full debt relief from the IMF and the World Bank in June 2009. Secondly it concluded a current Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility programme in June 2010. This successfully led to the achievement of a three-year programme with the IMF especially after the success of the Emergency Post-Conflict Assistance Programs. Furthermore, the CARs government implemented a macroeconomic management policies and necessary structural reforms that led to a modest recovery from the economic shock in 2009. The government worked hard to further strengthen the credibility of public financial management, enhance public infrastructure, and intensify foreign donors and the private sector investment climate [US department, (2010)] as well. Since President Bozize leads the CAR some encouraging result has been noticed by the Internationals institutions like IMF or World Bank. The CARs government understood that it was its priority to restore security and peace in the country. The government established what it called the â€Å"inclusive political dialogue† that gathered the political opposition and the government together to seek for security and peace for the country. That initiative was successful in the extent that it was part of the demobilization, the disarmament and reintegration program which led to the smooth conduct of the elections in 2010 [IMF, (2010)]. In terms of building infrastructure and climate investment the CARs government has a lot to do in order to unlock the countrys economic situation. The government has no other choice than on the one hand relying on foreign partners and on the other hand must engage coherent and filmy policies over the long term to come out of its cycle of poverty [IMF, (2010)]. III- Chinese engagement with the CAR 3.1- The political relations AT many occasions the CAR cut off and resumed its diplomatic relations with the PRC and Taiwan. The diplomatic ties between China and the Central African Republic experienced ups and downs: In 1962, the CAR recognized Taiwan as part of Chinas territory and established for the first time diplomatic ties with the island. Two years later, it broke off its diplomatic link with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China. The CAR resumed diplomatic ties Taiwan third times. Leaders of both side exchanged high levelcontacts. These underline the importance a state attaches to its relations with another. 3.2 Trade and Economic Relations In November 2000, China and Central Africa Republic signed an agreement on trade, economic and technical cooperation [Chinese Foreign Ministry, (2006)]. In August 2004, both countries signed a bilateral cooperation agreement in fields such as energy, infrastructure and agriculture[Holslag, (2006)]. Today, China is an important commercial partner for the CAR.In 2002, trade volume between both nations accounted for US$ 1.944 million with US$ 0.687 stemming from Chinas export and US$ 1.257 million from the Chinas import. The CAR mainly exports timber and cotton to China and imports principally footwear, textiles and electrical and mechanical products from China [Chinese Foreign Ministry, (2006)]. China has been an active investor in the Central African Republic, especially in construction, and has been involved in a number of joint cooperative ventures with the government, covering health, agriculture, stock-breeding, communications and trade .It undertook numerous projects in CAR and built for instance the Boali agricultural technological station, a training center for straw-bamboo weaving handcrafts, the new stadium, a clinic in the presidential house, the Bangui hospital and agricultural project, the extension work of the Pingpo Radio Transmitting Station, etc[Chinese Foreign Ministry, (2006)]. During his visit in China in 2009, President Francois Bozize called on China to invest in its country 3.3 Exchanges in other fields After signing a joint communiquà © in August 20th, China and the CAR signed in November 1976 an agreement on sending Chinese medical teams to Central Africa Republic. In June 1980 both countries signed an agreement on cultural cooperation and renewed it in June 1998 look for the number of students in China. Since 1997, China has begun to accept Central African students for study and on the job training. Today both parties acknowledge the necessity for the CAR to enhance its self-development ability as well as its local Human Resources training IV- China- CAR: Why the slow progress? One wonders what is happening in Central African Republic as the country is blessed with natural resources but still ranking as one the poorest in the world. International news portrays it as a â€Å"phantom state† [African report, (2007)]. Since the resuming of bilateral cooperation with China in 1998, the relation is experiencing smoothly and slowly evolution. In 2009, during a high level visit to China President Francois Bozize spoke to his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and expressly called for Chinese investment in its country [BBC, (2009); AFP, (2009); China consulate, (2011)]. China is now an important economic partner for the CAR [BBC, (2009)]. However in an article published in 2009, the BBC wrote that the â€Å"CAR is a much less valuable economic partner to China†. Considering that statement one wonders whether China really considers the CAR as a less valuable partner. How the Chinese governments perceive the CAR? How does the CAR perceive the Chinese involvement in the country? The CARs government welcomes the Chinese aid in spite the political instability in the country, especially in the north [African Report, (2007)].However, China doesnt deter to invest in it by building the new 20.000 seats-stadium, schools, hospitals, etc. Regarding to that assistance, can it be stated that the CAR is â€Å"a much less valuable† for China? The CARs situation is peculiar and really needs from the scholars, journalist, central African leaders, the civil society, all the stakeholders as well, further attention.