Death of a Salesman Characters

The characters of Death of a Salesman consist of the Loman family, comprised of Willy, Linda, Biff and Happy; their neighbor Charley and his successful son Bernard; Willy’s employer Howard Wagner; and the â€Å"Woman in Boston,† with whom Willy had an affair. They are all urban dwellers save for Ben, Willy’s brother, who  lives in the jungle. Willy Loman The protagonist of the play, Willy Loman is a 62-year-old salesman who lives in Brooklyn but is assigned to the New England region, so he is on the road for five days out of the week. He places great emphasis on his work and the values associated with it. He relates friends and people he admires with professional and personal aspirations. He wants to be as successful as Ben and as well-liked as David Singleman—which explains his lewd humor. A failed salesman, he fears the present but romanticizes the past, where his mind constantly wanders in the play’s time switches. He is alienated from Biff, his eldest son, and this mirrors the alienation he feels in respect to the world at large. Willy Loman is prone to contradictory statements. For example, he reprimands Biff for being lazy twice, but then he admiringly says his son is not lazy. Similarly, on one occasion he says a man should have few words, only to then course-correct by saying that, since life is short, jokes are in order, then concluding that he jokes too much. This speech and thought pattern reflects his conflicting values and lack of control. It’s a franticness that can be traced back to the fact that he cannot fulfil the ideals he is devoted to. Biff The Lomans’ eldest son, Biff is a once promising high school athlete who ended up dropping out of school and has been living intermittently as a drifter, a farmer, and an occasional thief. Biff rejects his father and his values due to their encounter in Boston, where he discovers his affair with the Woman. As if to demonstrate the worthlessness of his father’s real values, he carries some of the lessons his father taught him to an extreme—as a boy, he was encouraged to steal lumber, and, as an adult, he continues stealing. And while he refuses to follow the path his father hoped he would pursue, namely get a university education and have a business, he still seeks parental approval. Biff’s actions, while off-kilter, parody the adventurous nature of business enterprises. Happy He is the younger, less-favored son who eventually makes enough money to move out of his parents’ house and get a bachelor pad. He tries harder than Biff to be like his father, hoping to be loved by him. He claims to want a girl just like the one his dear old dad married, and exaggerates his professional achievements the way his father used to do. He also mimics his father’s speech patterns, as in his line â€Å"Don’t try honey, try hard.†Ã‚   On one level, Happy understands his father (a poor salesman, he is â€Å"sometimes†¦a sweet personality†); on another, he fails to learn from his fathers mistaken values. Happy replaces marriage with one night stands. Like his father, he experiences a sense of alienation. Despite a profusion of women, which the audience both hears about and witnesses in a scene, he claims to be lonely, even saying that he keeps â€Å"knockin’ them over and it doesn’t mean anything.† This statement mirrors his father’s later assertion that the Woman in Boston means nothing, but while Willy has a real emotional commitment to his wife Linda, Happy doesn’t even have a family to sustain him. In the set of values portrayed in the play, this makes him a deterioration from his father.   Linda   Willy Loman’s wife, Linda is his foundation and support. She tries to make their two sons treat their father decently  and gives him encouragement and reassurance. However, her attitude does not indicate passivity or stupidity, and she is far from a doormat when her sons fail their duties to their father. She is not as deluded about reality as Willy is, and wonders whether Bill Oliver will remember Biff.  Were she to nag Willy to face reality, that might result in his emulating his father and abandoning the family. Linda’s personality emerges  on three occasions when Willy is absent. In the first, she asserts that, despite his mediocrity as a businessman and as a man, he is a human being in crisis who deserves attention. She notes that his business associates do not accord him recognition and neither do his sons, for whose benefit he worked. Then she pleads his case as a father, chastising her sons for having deserted him as they would not have a stranger. Finally, she eulogizes a husband she loves, and her incomprehension as to why he ended his life does not imply her stupidity. She was aware of something the audience was not let in on: the last time she saw Willy, he was happy because Biff loved him.   Charley Charley, Willys neighbor, is a kind and successful businessman who could afford to give Willy $50 a week for a long time and to offer him a job. Unlike Willy, he is not an idealist and, pragmatically, advises him to forget about Biff and not take his failures and grudges too hard. Thats easy enough for you to say, replies Willy. The compassionate Charley retorts, That aint easy for me to say. Charley also has a successful son, Bernard, a former nerd whom Willy used to mock, in stark contrast with Willy’s unsuccessful sons.   Howard Wagner Willy’s employer, he is a doting father of two children, and, like Willy, a product of the current society. As a businessman, he is not so kind. Before the play begins, he downgraded Willy from a salaried position to only working on commission. Ben Ben is a symbol of the ruthless, self-made millionaire who made his fortune in â€Å"the jungle.† He likes to repeat the sentence â€Å"when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich!† He is solely seen from Willy’s viewpoint. The Woman in Boston Like Ben, the Woman in Boston is only seen from Willy’s viewpoint, but we learn that she is as lonely as Willy. When he tries to force her out of the room, she expresses feelings of anger and humiliation.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - 716 Words

In the novel, Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, depicts the struggles between upper class, middle class, and poor, migrant workers which show how natural human greed and selfishness amongst those with sustainable income increases tension between the separate classes. Steinbeck also uses the empathetic views shared amongst those in the same situations and how it gives them a want to help each other survive. The rich are wasteful with things they are unable to profit from; they cannot stand the poor nor the thought of the stagnation of their company. They are unable to accept a large consistent profit; the business itself is not the monster that begins to die from a constant profit but the greedy humans behind it. The rich would rather burn and dump their products than give them away. These men know that they have caused the problem with their lust for more money even though they have a constant and sustainable income as is. Those owning land or factories would rather destroy home, t ake away the livelihood of entire families, than to use one dollar more than necessary. These men are indirectly killing those they employ. The greed and want for easier increase their lucre. Steinbeck says, â€Å"When the monster stops growing it dies.† (Steinbeck 44). In this part of the book a representative is telling families they are being evicted from their shares of the land in order to increase profits because one man on a tractor can do more than a few families and he costs less. These menShow MoreRelatedThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck Essay1622 Words   |  7 Pages The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck, widely viewed as one of the most finest and powerful American writer, born to a middle-class family in 1902 in the Salinas Valley of California. Steinbeck is a writer who often spoke for the people. The Grapes of Wrath is a great movie, published in 1939, filled with many universal truths and views on human nature and society, especially where class is concerned. In the article, John Steinbeck The Grapes a wrath: A Call to Action says, â€Å"Steinbeck’s novel showcasedRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1075 Words   |  5 PagesKirsten Lloyd Mr. Eldridge AP Junior English 21 August 2014 Grapes of Wrath â€Å"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.† (Seneca), In the 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the reader accompanies the Joad family as they struggle to escape the crippling Dust Bowl of the mid- 1930’s. In hopes of establishing a new life for themselves after being forced off their land the family embark on a journey from Oklahoma to California in search of fruitful crops and steady work alongRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1563 Words   |  7 Pages John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, depicts a migrant farming family in the 1930s. During this time, life revolved around the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, making circumstances difficult for almost everyone involved, especially those who had little. This time of drought and despair caused people to lose hope in everything they’ve ever known, even themselves, but those who did not, put their hope in the â€Å"promised land† of California. Here, the grass was thought to be truly greenerRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1189 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† Shortly after being released John Steinbeck’s book â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† was banned because many critics viewed the novel as promoting communist propaganda, or socialist ideas. The ideas that many of these critics point to is Steinbeck’s depiction of the Big Banks/ Businesses as monsters, the comparison of Government camps to a utopia in contrast of the makeshift â€Å"Hoovervilles,† and the theme of the community before the individual, In his novel â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† John SteinbeckRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1093 Words   |  5 Pages In John Steinbeck s The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad and his family are forced from their home during the 1930’s Oklahoma Dust Bowl and set out for California along with thousands of others in search of jobs, land, and hope for a brighter future. The Grapes of Wrath is Steinbeck’s way to expound about the injustice and hardship of real migrants during the Depression-era. H e utilizes accurate factual information, somber imagery, and creates pathos, allowing readers connections to the Joad’s plightRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1190 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath April 14th, 1939, John Steinbeck published the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The novel became an immediate best seller, with selling over 428,900 copies. Steinbeck, who lived through both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, sought to bring attention to how families of Oklahoma outdid these disasters. Steinbeck focuses on families of Oklahoma, including the Joads family, who reside on a farm. The Joad family is tested with hardship when life for them on their farm takesRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck702 Words   |  3 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s use of the intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath helps weave the reader’s sympathy of the Joad family into a more broad sympathy for the migrant farmers as a whole, in the hopes that the readers would then be compelled to act upon what they have read. During the Great Depression, people had a big disconnect about what was happening in various parts of the country. People often struggle to find sympathy for events when they can’t even visualize a person who is suffering throughRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck2144 Words   |  9 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath is a well-known beloved novel of American Literature, written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. Whoever said a road is just a road has not read The Grapes of Wrath. From the time we read when Tom Joad, novel’s protagonist, returns home after four years in prison; the meaning of roads changed. Route 66, also known as the mother road the road of flight, was a lifeline road, which allowed thousands of families to pursue their hopes and dreams. This road is also the road thatRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck1014 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, was first written and later published in the 1939. Fr om the time of its publication to date, the exemplary yet a simple book has seen Steinbeck win a number of highly coveted awards including Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and later on Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. Set at the time of the Great Depression, the book most remarkably gives a descriptive account of the Oklahoma based sharecropper Joad’ poor family in the light of economic hardship, homelessnessRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1064 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath, originated from a John Steinbeck’s book, a legendary film that focus on a major point of American history. The story follows the Joad family on their journey to California trying to survive the hardships. This film, focus on the social problems of America like the Dust bowl, The Great Depression, and industrialism. The Grapes of Wrath was filmed in a journalistic-documentary style, which displayed the realism of the epidemic in the thirties. The thirties the period The Grapes

Management Communication Business Case Analysis

Question: Discuss about theManagement Communicationfor Business Case Analysis. Answer: The Qantas Airlines has faced a significant communication challenge after the airline corporation has decided to launch a PR campaign via Twitter. Under the hashtag #QantasLuxury, the organisers have urged the participants to share the luxury in-flight experience. During the critical condition of Qantas, the memo has been written to you advising how to deal with the current troublesome scenario. The PR campaign has turned into a worst case scenario as the customers have shared a series of negative comments throughout the social media campaign (Pride, 2017). On the basis of the evidence, the study will evaluate the issues to describe what has gone wrong during the social media PR campaign that has fuelled such as negative response from the target demographics. Other than the customers, the issues including engine failures of aircraft, better bargaining contact experience of the unions, and other negative aspects of the business have poured in heavily. Evidently, by creating a media ca mpaign, the company can regain the lost glory in the target market. Meanwhile, the future actions, factors to be considered in future PR campaigns, and communication plan have been analysed for long-term business sustainability and public relations (Scott, Jacka, 2011). Identified Issues During the launch of #QantasLuxury campaign, some of the management tactics have gone wrong, to say the least. First of all, operation miscommunication has become one of the greatest factors leading to such negative environment in the social media. For instance, as the negative comments have poured in during the contest, the management has made the mockery of the comments by termed the tweets as creative (Seijts, Bigus, 2012). Lading to the event, more and more participants have come into the scene to share the negative externalities and experience of the airline services. Secondly, the campaign has been misdirected by the organisers as the management has failed to understand the message of the audience in the social media. By misinterpreting the meaning of the comments of the target audience, the management has failed to justify their reputation. Meanwhile, significant communication should have been introduced to stop the grievances of the customers and other stakeholders (Aula, 2010). However, the mockery of the comments have created more negative attitude of the target audience. Finally, lack of stakeholders engagement in the social media PR campaign has turned the positives into negatives. During the PR campaign of Qantas Airlines via Twitter, the senior executives should have defended the allegations made against the company. At the initiation stage of the controversial PR campaign, stakeholders participation has been instrumental for success of any campaign (Seijts, Bigus, 2012). In this particular case, no substantial efforts have been made by the executive members to defend the activities. Recommendations to Fix the Situation By considering the above issues, Qantas can take necessary actions to improve its PR activities. Firstly, it is important for Qantas to answer the questions of the public in place of raising a question for the people. The first step to increase the satisfaction level of the customers is to know them well and observe what they feel about the company (Kalsnes, 2016). However, knowing the audiences is the key strategy to develop community relations and improve the reputation of the firm (Hutchison, 2009). Hence, it has been recommended to launch a PR campaign to answer the questions of the people that will help Qantas to know their customers and the facts that are disliked by the public. Secondly, Qantas must take social media campaign on a serious note and focus on active participation of the stakeholders. The employee engagement and proper answer to the queries of the customers will influence them to react positively. The active participation of the employees and narration of the succ ess stories will help the company to seek success with the public campaign. Therefore, the management is recommended to focus on the employee engagement by developing a team using training programmes to conduct PR activities over the social media, which is quite important for the success of the PR campaign. Factors to be Considered In the case of using social media for any business promotion, the timing of the campaign is quite crucial for the success of the PR activity. The management must see that the PR campaign is launched with a narration of the success stories to develop a positive image among the target audiences (Sivek, 2010). During the time of negative externalities and adverse market scenario, high priced PR campaigns and online campaigns should be avoided. As a result of the status, the perfect timing to launch a PR campaign should be set based on environmental influence such as view of stakeholders and other aspects in business (Kalsnes, 2016). Alternatively, social media campaigns should be dealt by the professional social media managers. For instance, employees must be trained and hired for a particular online based PR campaign so that the comments, views and posts of the target audience can be handled with efficiency. In this way, the success of PR campaign can be achieved on a regular basis (He ller Baird, Parasnis, 2011). Communication Plan The communication plan has been recommended to you to conduct the social media PR campaign in the underlying table: Communication Plan 1.Timing On the middle of the month (15th to 20th of the month) 2.Audience Stakeholder: Customers, Employees, Government Agencies and Media Organisation 3.Sender CEO and Marketing Department 4.Key Message Qantas is always happy to serve the community. But, there are some chances of technical faults that will be dealt on a serious note in the future. Therefore, the theme must focus on asking apology from the customers and answer their questions to collect their feedbacks (Pride, 2017). Additionally, the new social media campaign must focus on storytelling and narrate the success stories of the firm to influence people to react in a positive manner. 5.Desired Outcome Active participation of the employees as well as public and positive feedback in terms of customer satisfaction. 6.Medium Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Along with that, press release over newspaper and television. 7.Materials Positive response to the feedback of the customers and success stories of the company to influence people to give positive feedback (Pride, 2017). 8.Frequency Monthly or after every two months to know the progress of the company to mitigate the issues. By considering the above discussion, the management of Qantas has lacked active participation of the stakeholders resulting in a tragic failure of the PR campaign. On the other hand, the miscommunication and misinterpretation of the comments have jointly become the primary issues for the social media campaign. Hence, the company needs to improve its communication plan and develop adequate strategy to avoid such incidents in the future. The management must focus on promptly answering the queries of the customers and narrate success stories to influence the public to respond in a positive manner. Furthermore, the active participation of the stakeholders is required to seek success with the future social media campaign. Conclusively, the above plan can be effectively used to mitigate the current issue and conduct PR activities over the social media in the upcoming future. Hence, it is an honour to recommend the selected plan to you for managing the issues successfully. References Aula, P. (2010). Social media, reputation risk and ambient publicity management.Strategy Leadership,38(6), 43-49. Heller Baird, C., Parasnis, G. (2011). From social media to social customer relationship management.Strategy Leadership,39(5), 30-37. Hutchison, C. (2009). Social support: factors to consider when designing studies that measure social support.Journal Of Advanced Nursing,29(6), 1520-1526. Kalsnes, B. (2016). The Social Media Paradox Explained: Comparing Political Parties Facebook Strategy Versus Practice.Social Media + Society,2(2). Pride, W. (2017).Foundations of business(1st ed.). New york: Cengage learning. Scott, P., Jacka, J. (2011).Auditing social media(1st ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Seijts, J., Bigus, P. (2012). Qantas Airlines: Twitter Nosedive, 1-6. Sivek, S. (2010). Social Media Under Social Control.Electronic News,4(3), 146-164.

Navy Core Values Essay Example

Navy Core Values Paper Moralityust always abide by an uncompromising code of integrity, taking responsibility for our actions and keeping our word. We shall earn respect up and down the chain of command. Be honest and truthful in our dealings with each other, and with those outside the Navy. Accordingly, we shall conduct ourselves in the highest ethical manner in all relationships with peers, superiors and subordinates. Commitment is the day-to-day duty of every man and woman in the United States Navy to come together as a team to improve the quality of our work, our people and ourselves. Courage allows us to meet all challenges while adhering to a higher standard of personal conduct and decency Make decisions in the best interest of the Navy and the nation, without regard to personal consequences. We are always expected to do the right thing. Courage is the value that gives us the strength, both morally and mentally to do the right thing even in the face of adversity or temptation. When we say we will support and defend, we are promising to meet the demands of our profession and the mission when it is hazardous, demanding or otherwise difficult. From the very beginning of naval service, certain key principles or core values have carried on to today. They consist of three basic principles, HONOR, COURAGE AND COMMITMENT. Those three words are the backbone of every man and woman, officer or enlisted who has served or is serving in the United States Navy. Values are defined as ideals, beliefs, customs, or principles that a person holds dear. Values are learned and picked up throughout our lives. We will write a custom essay sample on Navy Core Values specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Navy Core Values specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Navy Core Values specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We learn values from our family, friends, church, school, community, and country. Our values that we have learned throughout life will affect our attitudes and behavior in all that we do. Be loyal to our nation, ensuring the resources entrusted to us are used in an honest, careful and efficient way. Members of the United States Navy have stood ready to protect our nation and our freedom for well over two hundred years. We must be faithful to our Core Values of Honor, Courage and Commitment as our abiding duty and privilege.

Imperfection free essay sample

When I was little, I played with Barbie dolls like a lot of other girls my age. I wondered why she was so popular, though, why every little girl wanted one so badly. Now at seventeen, I have come to the realization that people compare perfection to those dolls. Barbie is blonde, skinny, pretty and plastic. She has no feelings or emotions. She can be anything you want her to be. You can play, pose, and dress her up. So is Barbie perfect? What really is perfect? Who sets the standards on what is perfect and what isnt? Should we let go of ourselves and let society decide on how we act and look? We try so hard to be something that is unrealistic. Instead, what we need to understand is that we are all perfect with our imperfections, and that flaws make everybody unique. The media and society are responsible for the obsession over perfection. We will write a custom essay sample on Imperfection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People want to be accepted; They want things to be perfect in every aspect of their lives. People who are unhappy aspire to be perfect because they dont want their lives to lack any essential elements. For example, we associate happiness with material things when we really should be focused on ourselves and doing what we can to better our relationships with ourselves and others. The only way we can be happy in a life obsessed with control and superiority is to understand that perfection is not achievable, it is only something that we should use as a guideline and to strive for our best. The standards that I set for myself will never be reached. I dont think Im being negative, just realistic. Therefore, my idea of perfection is having flaws. I enjoy being imperfect; Im stubborn, moody at times, and overly self conscious. I get nervous easily and Im sarcastic; I cannot dance or play sports; my waist is not a size zero, and my skin is as white as snow. But these flaws are the little things about me that make me stand out from everyone else. And even though I have flaws there are things that I genuinely like about myself. I enjoy laughing and smiling a lot, I try to give advice when needed, and I am a good listener. Even though I am not athletic, I excel in music. I can identify the good qualities in myself to stay positive. I have accomplished self love and self acceptance and have realized that perfection is only a goal to be worked toward and not to be succeeded. I can accept that nobody else is perfect, not even Barbie. I can overcome the fact that I am not perfect, and do not ever want to be. I can stand out from the crowd and be different.

Profile of beaches Essay Example

Profile of beaches Essay Example Profile of beaches Essay Profile of beaches Essay Introduction General Introduction The universe s coastlines, spliting the land from the sea, are geological environments which are alone in their composing and the physical procedure act uponing them. The bulk of these coastlines have beaches made up of loose deposits like crushed rock, sand, or clay that are continuously being acted upon by moving ridges, currents and air currents, redefining their form without break. Nevertheless, in malice of the assorted moving ridge climes that prevail around the universe and the difference in the coastline composing, the nature and behaviour of the beaches are often really similar. The air currents blowing over immense extents of oceans provide the necessary energy and impulse to moving ridges. This is accumulated energy is dispersed in the breaker zone and the breakage of moving ridges in this zone is mostly responsible for the formation of turbulency, which traps and suspends the deposits from the beach. Therefore the beach profile form is due to the action of moving ridges and currents at the shoreline. The moving ridges besides form nearshore currents that transport the suspended deposits alongshore or crossshore. Nearshore currents can travel tremendous measures of deposits along the shoreline and in the cross shore waies in volumes every bit big as 100s of 1000s of three-dimensional metres of sand per twelvemonth in some parts of the universe. Longshore currents are formed by moving ridges that break neither perpendicularly nor parallel to the shoreline and flow in the way comparable to the wave way. Many times, longshore current turns seaward to go rip current which carry deposit offshore. This motion of deposit is termed as the litteral impetus and the measure of deposit set in gesture along the seashore is the littoral conveyance. During a twelvemonth, wave environment alterations and so does the conveyance waies. But there is a dominant way of the deposit conveyance that prev ails at most coastlines. The way that is coinciding with this dominant conveyance way is known as downdrift and updrift is the opposite way. The cross shore conveyance is besides caused by moving ridge or air current induced average cross shore flows and is chiefly responsible for the presence of sand bars and other beach profile alterations. These profile alterations are normally slow, on the order of old ages in continuance or can happen quickly during storms, on the order of hours. The profile of beaches is one characteristic of coastal countries that are frequently studied and analysed. These cross subdivisions through coastlines give a better thought as to the alterations happening over clip at one point on the seashore, either in the form or size of a beach. The survey of a figure of profiles from the different points can garner informations about the motion of deposit along a seashore and to compare one country from another. Data collected can be plotted as a graph to bring forth the physical representative of the form of the beach and can besides be analysed statistically. Major beach eroding occurs during big storms. These storms besides stir the sand from the deeper deepnesss and convey it towards the breaker zone. However, some beaches have sound pumps with over capacity and are capable of self fix during bad times. But if this ego fix mechanism becomes damaged, beaches are more reactive to endure conditions and clime rhythms. Beach eroding of Westhampton Beach ( USA ) over a period of 40 old ages is shown in the diagram below. This tendency is about similar for img: Typical beach erosionmany beaches all over the universe. While promontories and drops erode, beaches are able to impede the action of moving ridges on them therefore doing themselves a formidable defence against the choler of the sea. Its constituents of ego fix are: ( 1 ) Drying of beach sand because of withdrawing tide and by air current and sunlight ; ( 2 ) Blowing of sand inland by sea air current ; ( 3 ) Storage of sand in the dunes. Therefore a beach is able to hive away sand and grow during favourable meteoric conditions. During bad conditions conditions, beaches erode and lie flatter. The ocean s degree was about 120 m lower than today as the expiration of the last ice age blocked in the mountain and the polar ice caps. At that clip the beaches were near to the boundary line of the Continental shelf. When the clime started warming, the sea degree rose and moved the beaches landwards along with its sand. The ocean s degree took some 4000 twelvemonth to lift and this procedure was over about 6000 old ages ago. Description of Mauritius Coastal Zone. Mauritius is a little island province covering 1865 km2 of land. It is situated at latitude 200 South and longitude 580 East, around 1,242 stat mis off the South East seashore of Africa. The coastline of Mauritius is 322 kilometer in length, is bordered by fringing coral reefs which confine a lagoon country of 243km2 and has the above 93 stat mis ( 150km ) of white flaxen beaches. The state is invariably air currents throughout the twelvemonth, except for short periods in summer months ( November to April ) when tropical storms approach the island. These air currents are stronger in winter ( May to October ) due to the presence of strong anticyclones go throughing near to Mauritius. The island besides has protected bays and composure lagunas which have enabled the development of fishing and touristry. Marine and coastal resources are one of the chief pillar to the national economic system. In 2000 the population of Mauritius was about 1.14 million and had a Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) of Rs101.7 billion ( Central Statistics Office, as reported in Halcrow 2003 ) . The touristry scheme ( Deloitte A ; Touche 2002 ) sees a growing from the existent 9,000 hotels suites to around 20,000 in 2020. The coastal zones have witnessed a rapid encouragement in development over the past old ages and have been extensively exploited for assorted activities. This is due to the enlargement in tourer reachings, lifting from 103000 in 1977 to 656450 in 2000. Coral sand remotion ( 800,000 tonnes/yr ) and sewage discharge in the lagunas mean that some beaches and lagunas have been badly impacted. Furthermore there is the absence of a proper planning with regard to coastal development and unequal enforcement have resulted in building of edifices everyplace and constructions such as breakwaters and br eakwaters along the seashore. Thus the coastal zone has become under terrible emphasis. Description of the 3 coastal sites chosen Blue Bay the bay with its nice deep blue colour in the sou-east of Mauritius. The colourss of the sea are improbably powerful and consist of a assortment of many different blues. The Blue Bay has a really nice public beach which is absolutely suited for swimming and loosen uping. Blue Bay, every bit good as the general country in the south and south-east is non so much touristically tapped. That is why the beach of Blue Bay is really quiet during the hebdomad. On weekends, nevertheless, one has the feeling that the half population of Mauritus pilgrims journeies here to pass some nice free yearss at seaboard. They are besides really quiet at the weekends. Blue Bay is peculiarly celebrated for its snorkeling trips. Since 1997, a 353-hectare country which is located in the sea merely in forepart of the public beach is appointed as the first and until now the lone Marine Park in Mauritius. The grounds for the foundation are the unusual and alone coral gardens, which are situated here. The marine ecosystem provides a rare beauty with its many different species of vegetations and zoologies. These are particularly the corals, which are in an improbably good status. Overall a figure of approximately 72 different corals and 32 different species of fishes are founded in this country. The corals are sometimes even up to 800 old ages old. The public beach of St Felix is another beautiful beach of Mauritius. St. Felix is located besides in the South between the towns of Belle Ombre and Soulliac. Actually St Felix has even two public beaches ; nevertheless, the 2nd beach from the way of Le Morne is much more beautiful. To acquire at that place you have to go on the route after the way mark to the public beach of St Felix a small spot until you reach a traffic circle where you have to take the 3rd issue. The beach is fantastic, the exceptionally white sand, which flows into the turquoise viridity of the Indian Ocean of Mauritius, gives a fantastic contrast to the verdant trees of the back land. The beach of St Felix is really lonely and offers an first-class chance to chill out and loosen up. However, a little disadvantage from the beach of St Felix in Mauritius is that bathing is debatable. First the land of the laguna is covered with corals in which one or the other fish from the household of the extremely toxic rock fishes can be founded. Second the current can be rather strong and should non be sneezed. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Purpose The purpose of this survey is to give an history of the spacial and temporal alterations in beach profile informations for the country of St Felix, Gris Gris and Blue Bay and to function as a baseline for farther research on coastal eroding for these 3 beaches. Aims This independent survey has two chief aims: To turn out what alterations in beach profile form has occurred on a spacial graduated table, along the length of St Felix, Gris Gris and Blue Bay and to bring forth a description study of these alterations. To determine what alterations in St Felix, Gris Gris and Blue Bay beach profile s form have occurred on a temporal graduated table and to supply a longitudinal and descriptive study of these alterations. Methodology The Emery board method which was developed by the celebrated coastal scientist, K.O Ernery, is the simplest technique to mensurate a beach profile. The setup consists of two bets which are connected by a rope of known length ( 5 M or 10 M ) as shown in figure 1.4 This length initiates the measurings interval along the profile for single information points. Each interest has a measurement graduated table running from 0 at the top, down to the underside. When the beach is inclining downwards towards the sea, the perceiver positions across the top of the interest confronting the sea to the degree of the skyline and calculates the distance ( a ) from the top of the board lying towards the land to the position afforded. On the contrary, if the beach is inclining upward off from the shore, so ( a ) is determined on the seaward board and the screening is with the skyline of the inland board. The deliberate distance ( a ) must be equal to the distance ( B ) even if the beach has either ris en or dropped within the horizontal distance between the bets ( Komar, 1998 ) . This attack has the advantages of holding cheap and light equipment which can be easy transported to hanker study sites for rapid studies, and provides really accurate informations for beach profiles. Fieldwork After holding selected the site for the beach profile measuring when geting at the beach, the first work is to tag a baseline ( a line in the sand which runs analogue to the shoreline ) . Measurement of beach profile ( lifts ) will be carried out along the baseline at specific intervals. These intervals will be labeled as the horizontal distance ( along the coastline ) ( ten ) . A landward surveyor, a offshore surveyor and a information recording equipment will be required to transport out the study. The landward surveyor is appointed for keeping the landward board, sing over the offshore board towards the skyline and shouting out the measuring ( centimeter ) to the informations recording equipment. The latter must observe down these measurings in an organized mode which includes the horizontal distance ( x ) of lift ( a ) and a cumulative alteration in all lifts for one profile measuring. The offshore board and do certain that the rope is flat between the 2 bets when extended by traveling the cringle up or down. Cross-shore information points of lifts are measured at the specific sampling intervals determined by the length of the rope when to the full extended, get downing at the landward extent of the base. If the beach is broad, more than 5 cross shore informations points should be collected. Datas Analysis A cumulative perpendicular lifts ( y-axis ) v/s the horizontal place ( x-axis ) must be plotted utilizing the beach profiles informations recorded. The existent beach profile will be revealed. If the horizontal and perpendicular graduated tables are equal, the beach profile may non look to be thrilling ( about like a horizontal line ) . If that is the instance, a technique called vertical hyperbole is used, ( to change perpendicular graduated table by a known factor e.g a factor of 5 or 10 ) . This technique is chiefly used by geographers, geologists and map makers. LITERATURE REVIEW A immense sum of informations refering several facets of beach profile informations exists around the universe. Sing measuring of beach profiles, Delgado and Lloyd ( 2004 ) elaborated one of the simplest technique of mensurating beach profiles in their paper ; explicating the method, and its pros and cons. The set-up is light and simple, can be conducted by one individual entirely, does non necessitate sighting of the skyline and can run in different conditions conditions. The lone equipment needed is a horizontal and perpendicular rod attached sheer to each other and, a graduated standing pole from which measurings can be taken. Besides systematic mistakes ( somewhat bent rods ) can be reduced by standardization on a level surface. This technique has been used in assorted locations and consequences have shown that mistakes associated with the Delgado and Lloyd method have an norm of 0.024m with respects to 50 m long profiles and a preciseness of 0.014 m when used by a individual pro filer. When compared to the usage of electronic methods ( transits ) to transport out the same study, the DL method shows a preciseness of 99.76 % . In malice of indicating out the truth of this method with regard to the beginnings of instrumented mistakes, Emery ( 1961 ) did non take into history the influence of the belongingss of different deposit surfaces on his method. Krause G ( 2004 ) showed that this consequence can non be disregarded as it can better the overall truth of the information. Furthermore it was proved that Emery method is sensitive to systematic mistakes introduced ( little divergences between the graduated tables of the 2 measuring poles ) . In order to accomplish 90 % truth with mistakes introduced, the minimal beach incline should non drop below 125 centimeter for a 100 m long profile. Increased trying spacing from 2 m to 10 m in order to speed up the study and cut down mistakes was deemed inacceptable if sampling intervals is in the order of hebdomads or months. Cooper et Al ( 2000 ) laid accent on the fact that coastal monitoring informations sets should be up-to-date and accurate because these informati ons will enable a better designation and apprehension of alterations happening at the shoreline. As shown above, the Emery method holds both because it is accurate on a dynamic beach. With added alterations to the original method, this technique is best suited for a good beach profile measuring.

Poverty and Social Exclusion of Refugees and Asylum Seekers Essay

Poverty and Social Exclusion of Refugees and Asylum Seekers - Essay Example This discussion is on the poverty and social exclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in United Kingdom. The refugees and the asylum seekers is the community of those human beings which has migrated from their home land and settle down in some another country. Poverty and social exclusion is the major problem among these people. Before actually discussing about the problem of the poverty and social exclusion lets discuss about the term poverty and social exclusion. Poverty can be defined in the following way. Poverty researchers commonly define poverty â€Å"as having insufficient resources to meet socially recognized needs and to participate in the wider society. Other definition is set up by UK government is that poverty means ‘lack of income and access to good quality health, education and housing, and the quality of local environment’   Thus in UK the person is called poor if his total income is less than 60% of the national average. The term poverty is divided in to two different categories, first is pathological poverty and second is structural poverty. Pathological poverty is that type of poverty which has to face the person because of his characteristic or his attitude and his approach. If the person is not able to grasp any skill necessary for employment or if he or she has chosen some wrong path in the life he has to face poverty. Pathological poverty is individual oriented and it is totally individual and not the society who is responsible for the poverty. Structural poverty is that types of poverty in which the social factors are responsible for the poverty of the people. It is the poverty of the entire community and not a particular person.

Literature Review for Concept Analysis Dissertation

Literature Review for Concept Analysis - Dissertation Example This is the premise in which exercise became an inevitable element for sustaining a healthy life. The changes that happened in the society were also reflected in the psychological and moral realm of lives as well. Thoughts about rights and power also emerged out of leisure and the question that who are the owners of leisure, and who commands it, arose. Though Oxford Dictionaries Online has offered several definitions for the term, ‘exercise’, I will explore the following two definitions in this concept analysis, a) â€Å"activity requiring physical effort, carried out especially to sustain or improve health and fitness,† †¦[and b)]†¦ â€Å"the use or application of a faculty, right, or process† (Oxford Dictionaries Online, 2010). The first definition stresses the meaning of exercise as a physical activity while, the second one views exercise as the fulfillment of a duty and as the claiming of a right. Taking these two definitions are taken as the yardsticks to understand the importance of education, this analysis envisages to find out how exercise attains a valuable place in the three areas of knowledge, namely, theology, psychology, and nursing. Exercise in theology In a democratic society, an individual has several rights and powers, the exercise of which is supposed to be the foundation of the democratic system itself. Whenever the exercise of any such right or power is denied, the foundations of democracy feel threatened. And this is why the people of many nations around the globe had to fight prolonged battles to be able to exercise these powers and rights. For example, in America, the people felt that â€Å"the right to vote was denied for so long to so many that we cannot afford to ignore any impediment to its exercise† (Grey, 2005). In the theological realm also, there are a set of such rights and powers, which follow the democratic rights but also give rise to many contentious issues as well. For example, Pos t (1995) has observed that â€Å"free exercise is justifiably overridden to promote public health- for example, medical treatment is required to minimize the spread of contagious disease or to benefit minors, even if religious belief is offended† (p.22). Though Post (1995) has reminded, â€Å"the free exercise clause of the First Amendment is central to American public life,† from a nurse’s point of view, situations may arise when a patient wants to exercise his/her right to refuse treatment and the nurse and the system in which he/she works are compelled to use authority and power to prevent that (p. 22). This is particularly important because, just as any other freedom, the freedom to exercise one’s religion also has limits and can be overridden if public health is at risk of being jeopardized (Post, 1995). Taking into consideration these two opposite yet justifiable positions, nurses have to be aware that a patient has the right to refuse or seek treat ment based on their religion and when the right to this free exercise is dishonored, it should be examined and justified. Post (1995) has discussed a legal case in which religion, law, and medicine clash. The article is based on the true story of Baby K, a baby born with anencephaly. The mother, who believes in the sanctity-of-life principle, wants Baby K kept on a ventilator; because of her faith, she believes that a person’

English-language learning experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English-language learning experience - Essay Example For instance, beginning at the junior high-level students were required to wear school uniforms that consisted of navy blue slacks and a button-down shirt with an emblem of my school’s name Iwaki Koukou on the front. Other regulations consisted of restricting hair length and how much money you could spend on snacks. I even recall having a teacher confront me because my socks weren’t regulation colors. The school week ran from Monday-Saturday and only included a month off for summer break. The large emphasis on regulation and education, with students attending school nearly year round, and the popularity of after-school lessons, resulted in many of my classmates losing interests in lessons and a notable majority skipping school altogether. The strict guidelines weren’t confined to only student conduct but also permeated the nature of lessons and the ultimate goals for education. Differing from the United States, entrance to Japanese high schools are determined on an acceptable basis and it seemed that many of my courses in middle school were geared towards cramming in as much information as possible so students would pass their entrance examinations. The English-language textbook we used was called New Horizon and it focused on grammar and vocabulary lessons, with different characters from around the world – there was a Canadian and an Australian in the book who would converse with Japanese learners. It contained a different lesson for each of the three years of chugakko.

Lebanese Arabic Conversational

Lebanese Arabic Conversational Question 1: Describe a â€Å"conversational routine† from a language other than English (but not a greeting). Include some detail on how it may vary and the situations in which it is appropriate. Then discuss in some depth how this routine reflects cultural assumptions or values. Language: the Mirror of Cultural Values Introduction Having a deep faith that culture is the way of life of people or in other words what crafts their â€Å"lifestyle,† beliefs, customs and practices, a person attains that the language articulated by the people possess culture embedded traits learnt since childhood. That is why language is a very essential component in culture because it reflects the important cultural assumptions and values of a society. Lebanese is a language with a rich vocabulary that includes a large number of cultural keywords; these key words are words that reflect cultural values, beliefs and even history. Therefore this paper will be focusing and accessing a particular Lebanese Arabic conversational routine, where one can learn about a particular culture by studying its language, moreover clearly noticing the presence of cultural assumptions and values in it. Cultures Impression on Language Language is highly influenced by the culture of the speaker and they seem inseparable. Language is what Kramsch and Widdowson () say â€Å"expresses cultural reality†¦. made up of signs that in them have cultural value †¦. Speakers view their language as a symbol of their social identity.† Thus I depend on their quote that â€Å"language symbolizes cultural reality† Being aware that culture is a very complex issue, with many different definitions. Defining culture is far beyond the aim of this paper, but for this purpose it will suffice to quote a few definitions to point to the main elements of the relevant senses of the word here in this essay. Culture is defined by Frow and Morris (1993 cited in June 2002 Center for cultural research) as the â€Å"the whole way of life of a social group †¦.. it is a network of representations texts, images, talk, codes of behavior and narrative structures †¦. shaping every aspect of social life.† Another usage in the Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary stressing the social aspect of culture and defines it as 5 a/b:â€Å"the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations b:the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also :the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time.† Considering the above, cultures language reflects the things that are important in that culture and judging on Sapirs (1956 cited in wikepedia) hypothesis that culture is â€Å"to a large extent built upon the language habits of the group,† below I will give a simple introduction to the Lebanese culture in order to explain the culture embedded language . Lebanese Background Lebanon has accumulated thousands of years of culture in its 1042 m2 of land because of hundreds of empires having passed by its lands and with each passing the people grasped the essence of their knowledge. Also its people were migrating to western countries because of political upheavals and the Civil War. Affirming this Dr Mora () declares that cultural values are formed from â€Å"environmental adaptations, historical factors, social and economic evolutions and contact with other cultural groups.† It would need a more in depth study of the Lebanese culture. Nevertheless, here is a rough and ready introduction to some of there customs/cultural norms. As indicated in Khalidi and Mcllorys Culture Dictionary (2003), Lebanon is a small country that has its basis on religion. It is made up of Christians, Muslims, and Armenian and their various factions. Hence it is made up of many communities and all in all has 18 recognized dominant religions and despite 4000 years of occupation we arent wiped of the map (Medley 2007). Depending on experience and Medley (2007), Lebanese people are extremely sociable people in streets and at home. Also, they are identified as a â€Å"collectivistic culture† (based on Triandas definition cited in Neuliep 2000a) due to religious facets (Ayyash 2001) and because you are never alone in your burdens. Emphasizing that every one knows everyone, we convey closeness, respect and conciliation through physical touching unlike the West (Ronowiez 1995 and Wierzbicka 2003) and we tend to treat all unrelated people as family because to us family is the â€Å"nucleus of culture.† So you can be addressed by the strange taxi man at the airport as â€Å"uncle.† Proclaiming the sensibility of warmth and kindness are the most striking features in our country and especially in our language because our vocabulary is ample with thanks and blessings reflecting the blessings of God. Looking at it from this religious angle, the Lebanese tend to be like this because they are to be judged on their behaviors later in the Afterlife. Looking into another matter, it should be noted that the Arabic language Fos ha is used in legal matters, parliamentary issues, news reports, biblical references and the Quran and official speeches etc. because the language was closely linked with Islam in the past. This supports and is based on what Bessley (1998) stated, â€Å"many language communities adopt their standard orthography more or less by historical accident.† On the contrary, most Lebanese use a modern Lebanese dialect in daily conversations, bulletin boards, shop titles, internet chatting etc. and dont speak the language they write, which dramatically differs from Fos ha (Medley 2007). Below I will demonstrate in the conversational routine per se this modern spoken Lebanese vernacular. Conversational Routines In the field of linguistics the term routine refers to a â€Å"formulaic utterance† used in certain ordinary situations (greetings, parting, thanks, apologizes etc.) that can be as short as an utterance to as long as a phrase (UNE Course notes). Upon this definition, then one can state that a conversational routine is when a certain word or phrase is commonly used and soon becomes a habit. And as time goes, more and more of these routines are thought up and applied. In every culture, there are several, but the actual number is too great to be counted. The Lebanese culture has allowed the use of many conversational routines. Some examples are: Yaani = I mean Ya aami = Uncle or hey Yii ya allah = Oh! My God Mashi = ok or walking Ya zalameh = Yo! Man Yalla = coming or ok! Inshallah = hopefully Habiibii = lover or my beloved Shoo = what These are all words and phrases used in peoples daily lives and on a regular basis. Integrating conversational routines such as these and others helps reveal the Lebanese â€Å"ethnic and hybrid† identity stated by Tabar (2007). Succeeding this, I will exemplify the conversational routine â€Å"Walla† in its different contexts/meanings in five different dialogues and uncover its impinging religious and cultural elements. Other conversational routines are also used here, but I will stress on one to be concise. Note that I have attempted to Romanize the Lebanese Arabic into English phonetics instead of Arabic scripts to represent the Lebanese vernacular of Arabic and the abbreviations below imply the following: First Speaker (S1) and Second Speaker (S2). 1st usage: S1: â€Å"Laykee habiib sheftee shou sar la Hilda? Ya haram, rahet aala al mestashfa.† (Honey, Did you see what happened to Hilda? Poor Hilda, She was hospitalized.) S2: â€Å"Shoo, Walla! Leish? shou sar?† (What? Really! Why? What happened?) 2nd usage: S1: â€Å"Khalast darssak, ya sabii?† (Did you finish your studies boy? S2: â€Å"Walla, drasset kolou.† (I swear by God, I finished all my studies.) 3rd usage: An incident where a child accidentally falls and the observer says: â€Å"Wa-allah yehmeek† meaning ‘And God protect you. 4th usage: S1: â€Å"Btekhidinee aala al souk?† (Will you take me shopping or to the mall?) S2: â€Å"Walla, inshallah aaboukra.† (I promise, hopefully tomorrow.) 5th usage: When someone is hosting you with a drink or appetizer and you refuse shyly by saying: â€Å"La wallah† meaning â€Å"No thank you.† I have demonstrated from personal experience the usages of â€Å"Walla† as: ‘Really, ‘I swear, ‘I promise, ‘God protect, and ‘No thanks and there are many more functions. Equally interesting and stimulating, Peeters (2002) reviewed Traversos (2002) analysis of the word ‘Walla in the spoken Arabic. In her line of research, she examines how it â€Å"underscores the complexity of the relationship between language and cultures† and shows not only what Arabic grammarians see as a â€Å"corroboration device i.e. emphatic marker meaning ‘by God but â€Å"operating as a grammaticalized discourse particle comparable to the English particle such as ‘really and ‘truly (Wierzbecka cited in Peeters 2002.) Peeters (2002) adds that it is a â€Å"key word† like Wierzbeckas ‘a la` â€Å"because of it frequent use and its cultural specificity† (cited in Peeters 2002.) Similarly to Tabars (2007) study of the word ‘Habiib it has a common core with ‘Walla that is they both refer to a form of bonding between the speakers â€Å"on a basis of ethnicity or religion.† This theory also applies that when Arab origins use these terms they reveal a sense of â€Å"closeness† illustrating the ethnical element and friendship/family nature of the Lebanese Arab cultures. Overall, a conversational routine can be used everywhere. It doesnt exactly have a specific place to be put in, but a clue on how to use them according to the Lebanese would be that most express exclamations, surprises, frustrations, anger etc. and if not, then their second most common use would be to fill up a place where you have nothing to say or when you are trying to think of something to say. Rationalizing on what Thorton (1988:26 cited in Language and Cultures) proposed then we should not ask â€Å"what culture is but what culture does† to our language. In conclusion, this paper bought to light that the cultural norms of the interlocutors language are exposed through it. And that this intertwined relationship between language and culture aimed to point that they largely depend on each other to reflect and determine the cultural assumptions and values of a specific social culture in order to address and build a better understanding world for all.

Essay --

Michael Naoum Professor Gurfien INBS 250-04 12 December 2013 Exports vs. Imports Exports and imports may seem like two simple words throughout the English language. Many individuals understand exports and imports as straightforward concepts that are used on an everyday basis. However, these terms have more personality then the normal dictionary definition that the average person abides by. Exports and imports have a weighty impact on the consumer and the economy around them. Currently, the world is changing into a global economy this means, that every countries economy has an impact on another. For example, if the United States economy were to collapse, this would have a large effect on the Chinese economy due to the fact that, exports and imports play a large role in this. This may be a hard concept to grasp but topics such as, effects on economy, effect of exchange rates and the effect of inflation and interest rates are areas which when explained, will clear up most grey areas for the average individual. To begin, gross domestic product is a key concept to understand which invo...

“Death” Comparison Essay Essay

Editors play influential roles in literature. They can easily alter the overall atmosphere of literature or change the message behind it. Different versions of the poem â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz†¦Ã¢â‚¬  by Emily Dickinson demonstrate different caesura, capitalization and word usage. The 1955 edition by Thomas H. Johnson and the original version by Emily Dickinson portray almost identical ideas and emphasis through limited alteration of caesura and word capitalization in relation to death as somewhat unimportant event. Caesura is one of the most crucial elements in classic English poetry. It can either change the pace or the atmosphere of the work. Emily Dickinson uses caesura in her poem â€Å"Dying† to demonstrate death as a slow and unspiritual event. Both the 1955 edition and the original edition share the same style of caesura from the start to the end. In the original version, Dickinson uses a vast number of hyphens between sentences. For example, the first two sentences of the poem, â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz-when/ I died-†, depicts how the author uses hyphens between every phrase to portray short breaths of a dying individual. The author uses short breathed pace of the poem to describe the narrator’s slow process of death and nonspiritual side of death. In addition, the author implies how death does not contain any kind of sudden or spiritual endings. In the 1955 edition, Johnson places caesuras in almost identical places to preserve the original work’s perception of death. As a result, the 1955 edition successfully displays images of a dying narrator and the short paced poet structure. With the same style of caesura, the 1955 edition brings out the original version’s idea about death being a slow yet nonspiritual everyday occurrence. Often poets use capitalization as a tool to emphasize specific words. Two versions of the poem â€Å"Dying† capitalize overlapping words to express equal emphasis. In the original version of the poem Emily Dickinson constantly  focuses on incoherent words such as â€Å"room† and â€Å"fly.† The author uses emphasis on the room to create an illusion of an isolated space. Dickinson utilize this illusion introduce the emptiness of death. The constant capitalization of the word â€Å"fly† causes readers’ attention to move away from the dying narrator. This ironic emphasis on the fly, transforms this serious theme called death into something that is minor and insignificant. Two versions of the poem, the 1955 edition and the original edition, have minor difference in their capitalization style; the only difference is the capitalization of the word â€Å"around.† In the 1955 edition, Johnson capitalizes the words â€Å"fly† and â€Å"room† throughout the poem. As a result of this capitalization Johnson successfully creates an atmosphere that is identical to the original version. Johnson also inherits Dickinson’s original intention to minimize the importance of death and to make something miniscule, a fly, as the center of attention. The 1955 edition shares an incredible amount of similarities with the original version; the style of caesura and the capitalization of specific words. The 1955 edition places hyphens in the exact same places to preserve the original version’s ideas about death being a slow natural process. In addition, both of the 1955 edition and the original version emphasize significant words such as â€Å"fly and â€Å"room† to represent the insignificance of death, rather than portraying death as a major event in human lives. Bibliography â€Å"I Heard a Fly Buzz – When I Died – (591).† By Emily Dickinson : The Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. .

Free Essays on The Fall Of Civilization, Roman

The fall of Civilization, Roman One of the most important reasons for the fall of Rome was the economy. There were many economic problems in Rome. I’ll first start with the prisoners of war or the lack there of. When Emperor Hadrian drew the boundaries and said Rome could grow no more in 121 AD, the empire lost one of the three largest sources of income, prisoners of war. Another major source of income was trade. Rome acted like the middleman in trade between the provinces. The provinces were told what to produce, and they produced it, sold it to Rome, who would then sell it to the other provinces for a higher price. But when the provinces became more and more independent, they cut out the middleman all together. So in that action the provinces were taking one of Rome’s largest sources of income. The third economic source for Rome was taxes. As the two other sources of income began to disappear, the Rome government raised the taxes for the people of Rome. The taxes skyrocketed and the plebeians, Rome ’s everyday average poor people who made up almost all of Rome, started to revolt. The next reason for the decline of Rome was that the people neighboring Rome like Germany and Persia grew increasingly hostile toward the Romans. They despised them for their earlier patriotism and for the fact that while Rome was growing, they kept taking their land. These neighbors became more sophisticated as they grew out of barbarism. Soon these people became Rome’s enemies. Another reason for Rome’s decline was the decay of the upper class or the patricians. I don’t know for sure what happed to them. It was probably numerous things including lead poising from the lead pipes, inbreeding, and them only looking for there own pleasure and not the good of the empire. They were the leaders of the country and with them only caring about themselves and not looking toward making Rome a better place they played a large role in the decline of Ro... Free Essays on The Fall Of Civilization, Roman Free Essays on The Fall Of Civilization, Roman The fall of Civilization, Roman One of the most important reasons for the fall of Rome was the economy. There were many economic problems in Rome. I’ll first start with the prisoners of war or the lack there of. When Emperor Hadrian drew the boundaries and said Rome could grow no more in 121 AD, the empire lost one of the three largest sources of income, prisoners of war. Another major source of income was trade. Rome acted like the middleman in trade between the provinces. The provinces were told what to produce, and they produced it, sold it to Rome, who would then sell it to the other provinces for a higher price. But when the provinces became more and more independent, they cut out the middleman all together. So in that action the provinces were taking one of Rome’s largest sources of income. The third economic source for Rome was taxes. As the two other sources of income began to disappear, the Rome government raised the taxes for the people of Rome. The taxes skyrocketed and the plebeians, Rome ’s everyday average poor people who made up almost all of Rome, started to revolt. The next reason for the decline of Rome was that the people neighboring Rome like Germany and Persia grew increasingly hostile toward the Romans. They despised them for their earlier patriotism and for the fact that while Rome was growing, they kept taking their land. These neighbors became more sophisticated as they grew out of barbarism. Soon these people became Rome’s enemies. Another reason for Rome’s decline was the decay of the upper class or the patricians. I don’t know for sure what happed to them. It was probably numerous things including lead poising from the lead pipes, inbreeding, and them only looking for there own pleasure and not the good of the empire. They were the leaders of the country and with them only caring about themselves and not looking toward making Rome a better place they played a large role in the decline of Ro...

The Present Tense of Verbs in English Grammar

The Present Tense of Verbs in English Grammar In English grammar, a present tense is a form of the  verb  occurring in the current moment that is represented by either the base form  or the -s  inflection  of  the third-person singular, contrasting with the past and future tenses. The present tense may also refer to an action or event that is ongoing or that takes place at the present moment. However, because the present tense in English can also be used to express a range of other meanings- including references to the past and future events, depending on the context- it is sometimes described as being unmarked for time.   The basic form of the present indicative is commonly  known as the simple present. Other verbal constructions referred to as present include the present progressive  as in are laughing, the present perfect  as in have laughed, and the present perfect progressive  as in have been laughing.   Functions of the Present Tense There are six common ways to use the present tense in English, though the most common function is to designate an action that is occurring at the time of speaking or writing like she lives in the house or to indicate habitual actions like I run every morning, and in some cases may be used to express general truths like time flies, scientific knowledge like light travels, and when referring to texts like Shakespeare says a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II note in the third edition of The Scribner Handbook for Writers that present tense also has some special rules for their usage, especially when indicating future time wherein they must be used with time expressions like we travel to Italy next week and Michael returns in the morning. Many authors and literary scholars have also noticed a recent trend in literary works to be written in the hipper present tense, whereas most works of great literature are written in the past tense. This is because modern literature relies on the use of the present tense to convey a sense of urgency and relevance to the text. The Four Present Tenses There are four unique forms of the present tense that can be used in English grammar: simple present, present progressive, present perfect, and present perfect progressive. The simple present is the most common form, used primarily to express facts and habits, detail the action of scheduled future events and to tell stories in a more compelling and engaging manner than past tense entails. In the present progressive sentences, a linking verb is often attached to the present progressive verb to indicate events that are ongoing in the present, such as I am searching or he is going while the present perfect tense is used to define actions that began in the past but are still ongoing like I have gone or he has searched. Finally, the present perfect progressive form is used to indicate a continuous activity that started in the past and is still ongoing or has recently been completed as in I have been searching or he has been depending on you.

Why the European Union developed a range of equality policies and Essay

Why the European Union developed a range of equality policies and enacted some strong workplace equality legislation - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that ever since 1957, when gender-based inequality was pledged to be abolished from workplaces in the European Union through the Treaty of Rome, Europeans have seen many changes occur in the field of workplace equality policies. Recently, the European Union again reemphasized upon this aspect of equality in the workplace and modified the workplace equality legislation to give everyone a fair chance in performing at their jobs while the reasons for this move is pretty obvious, exact tenets of the approach used by the European Union are hard to emulate in other countries due to the complexity of clauses presented in the legislation. In order to understand this, we must delve into the details of the changes brought in by the European Union recently. For a country to grow and experience financial and economic prosperity, it is very important that each and every individual in the community has a role to play in contributing towards the infrastru cture of the country. For this to happen, any individual located in any part if the European Union should ideally have all the chances to take up a job he desires and serve the country using his specific skillsets. It was this ideology that prompted the government to set up such legislation initially. In due course of time, several amendments came up to reduce gender bias and racist discriminations in the workplace. Amongst prominent incidents that led to the further upheaval of the policies in this legislation, we find the following to be of utmost importance and to have led to anti-discrimination laws to be more completely defined in recent times. Roma History: Surprisingly a lot of schools in different parts of the European Union had students of Romanian backgrounds, most of whom were victims of discrimination whether at school or in society. Children abused at workplaces were also found in these rehabilitation schools. This observation and the plight of descendants of Gypsies br ought out the need to abolish discrimination at elementary levels, by introducing laws that governed much more than just racial discrimination in the workplace.

Globalization and the gains from international trade Essay - 2

Globalization and the gains from international trade - Essay Example n controlling trade is still enormous and many governments are increasingly accepting it as the norm rather than the exception (Tung and Henry, 2009). Debates in recent times centre whether globalization is diminishing trade or increasing it. Questions have been raised on the state the traditional roles and national governments sovereignty play over trade, and the effects that these portend in promoting fairness or inequality among countries. Others have zeroed on the balance of trade and trade payments the less developed countries, the developing countries vis-Ã  -vis the developed world, and the focus on the glaring policy intervention differences between the global north and the global south. This paper states at the outset that: Whereas globalization has been touching on every aspect of society today, scholars and thinkers alike have not agreed on a universal single definition of the term. Instead, a number of definitions, conceptualizations, and perspectives exist depending on which lens one views the concept. In Kemp’s world, the gains must be examined within the confluence of world tarries such that no country in the pedestal of globalization would be worse off than in the smaller customs union (Kemp, 1987). Kemp (1987) observes that the phenomenon of globalization has been extensively used in the world, specifically in admired discourses and policy issues. For him, globalization is a term that describes ways in which the world is progressively more interrelated, organized, and interdependent through a set of socially reinforced processes that is controlled by customs. These processes include among others, integration of markets, nation states and technologies to a scale that is aiding individuals, corporations and distinct governments to access and ‘navigate’ the world much more, more rapidly, much deeper an by less costly methods (Kemp and Wong, 1995). Kemp further characterizes the global economy and trade as that which is based on spread and

Do Multinational Corporations Exploit the Developing World Term Paper

Do Multinational Corporations Exploit the Developing World - Term Paper Example To most parts of the developing world, 'Capitalism' is a mantra that is probably one of the surest ways of achieving economic stability not just for the individual, but also for the country as a whole. "The essence of capitalist exchange is to proceed from money to money by way of commodity and end up with more money than one had at the outset." (Raymond Aron 1967). Does this sound quite lop-sided Well, to a person or a firm who has decided to bet his last dollar on making it big in a country that is not his own, there is every cause to make the most of what can be got? Over a period of time, one will be able to assess and evaluate the quantity and quality of the resources that are available in this new country. However one-sided the argument of a capitalist may seem to be, there is no doubt that expansion of any firm involves certain losses, the pinch of which is usually felt by the developing world. There is this constant rat-race for economic prosperity, marked by large-scale trad e-offs that are more often than not, worth the reward, over a period of time. To the capitalist, this is the essence of success, a tangible measure of progress. There is no doubt that Communism as an ism has all but disappeared from the present day world. In spite of this, there are remnants of this ideology which are very powerful in many parts of the world even today. When one talks about the rights of the worker or the son of the soil for that matter, there is this overriding imperative to take care of his needs before all developmental issues are even thought of. There is always the fear that the advent of multinational corporations would first exploit workers and then alienate them in their own homelands. A fear that has taken root in many parts of the world today, sparking off protests against the entry of multinational firms into a country. As opposed to indigenous firms that are aimed at taking care of the land and labor without exploiting any resource, socialists believe that the entry of multinationals will spell the beginning of the end as far as economic independence is concerned.  

Causes of the English Civil War Essay Example for Free

Causes of the English Civil War Essay Charles I came to the throne in 1625 after the death of his father, James I. His reign maintained some similarities with his father’s reign. For instance, both Charles and James had very little money and both of them believed firmly in the Divine Origin of Kingship1. During his reign, many events took place which led to the English Civil War in 1642 and which ended up with the public execution of Charles I. This essay will discuss and deal with the different factors that gave rise to the English Civil War. As was said above, one of the main problems of Charles’ reign was the lack of money and, undoubtedly, this was a good reason for a civil war. Everything started when the Parliament asked Charles to go to war with the Catholics in Spain. Charles did not have the needed money to face this war and so he asked for taxes, the taxes were not enough and the war was impossible. This outraged the MPs but they knew that Charles would then call them back for help. Parliament did not like Charles because they thought he spent money only on his favourites so the King himself would have to find a way to make money. Charles tried several things such as enforcing taxes known as â€Å"ship money†2, selling monopolies and titles; he also created a â€Å"Court of Star Chamber† which was composed by 1 The divine origin of kingship: According to this doctrine, since only God can judge an unjust king, the king can do no wrong. (Definition provided by http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Divine_Right_of_Kings.html) 2 Nonparliamentary tax first levied in medieval times by the English crown on coastal cities and counties for naval defense in time of war. (Definition provided by http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540944/ship-money) officials of the crown and which main purpose was to fine people heavily so as to raise money. As there was not a jury, this â€Å"court† would obviously fulfill his expectations. Parliament was really angry for the illegal situation, so Charles decided to dissolve it. The reign continued for eleven years without a Parliament. He called a Parliament again just because he needed money. The Covenanters expressed their desire to invade England and Charles did not have the sufficient money to fight them. The Parliament refused to give him money from the taxes and Charles dissolved it again. Eventually, as he was forced to pay a determined sum of money to the Scots, he called a Parliament again. He was destroyed economically. Undoubtedly, Charles’ poor economic manage and his bad decisions were closely related to the outbreak of the civil war. Another crucial cause was religion. These quarrels began when Charles married to Henrietta Maria who was a French Catholic. Having a Catholic as a Queen was not accepted at all by English people, especially by the Puritans. Things went worse when the King made William Laud the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633. The Archbishop modified many things in the Church. For instance, beatifying the Church and bringing back robes for priests, statues and stained-glass windows. Laud also attempted to impose the English Prayer Book3 in Scotland. As Scotland was a Puritan (Presbytarian) country, they rioted against this â€Å"Too Catholic† Prayer Book and a group of Scots, the Covenanter’s, decided to invade England as it was mentioned in the previous paragraph. After putting Laud on trial, the Parliament found him guilty. 3 A book which stated how services should be run (Definition provided by http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-london/A622937) Another major cause which led to the civil war was Charles’ personality. It may seem not a fundamental cause comparing it with the above mentioned ones. Nonetheless, his way of thinking, his bad decisions, his conflicts with the MPs, his wife’s influence and his contradictory and inconsistent reign also contributed to the outbreak of the civil war. During Charles’ reign, a distinction between a Short Parliament and a Long Parliament can be made. The Short Parliament was called in 1640 by the King because the Scots rebelled and due to his bad financial situation, he needed to levy a tax to deal with them (only with the Parliament’s consent could he do it). This parliament was summoned after eleven years of dissolution. Even though such dissolution was not constitutional, it was one of the King’s prerogatives. The MPs met the gentry and expressed their feeling of indignation to them. Harbottle Grimston and John Pym led a catalogue of complaints. On May 5th in the same year, Charles dissolved the Parliament again blaming â€Å"the malicious cunning of some few seditious affected men†. Finally, Charles came to an agreement with the Scots of paying them  £850 a day. On the other hand, the Long Parliament was summoned from November 3rd 1640 for thirteen years. Charles needed funds for the daily payment and for a final settlement with the Scots. In this Parliament, 493MPs were elected; most of them were from the County Faction4. Parliament sent both Strafford and Laud to the Tower accusing them of bad influence on the King. Charles tried to calm things down signing Strafford’s death warrant, passing a bill that allowed for Parliament not to be dissolved without its own consent, a bill making ship money illegal and other bills that taken together demolished the framework of prerogative government. 4 MPs who tried to represent the views of the landowners. (Definition provided by http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-london/A622937) The Irish rebelled in 1641 because of their King’s death. Definitely, the execution of Strafford had not been a good choice. John Pym issued the Militia Bill and the Grand Remonstrance5 . Subsequently, Charles decided to arrest him and his ringleaders, he tried to arrest five MPs but as they had been previously warned, Charles could not find them. As this was considered a breach of Parliamentary privileges by MPs, it just made things worse between them. And it was on 22nd August when the civil war started. To conclude, it cannot be stated that the most important cause of the English Civil War was unfair taxation because, as was described, there were many factors which created a tense relationship between Parliament and the King. Unfair taxation was a really important cause. However, it was not the only possible factor. Religious, financial and management issues played an important role as well. People who surrounded the King also took an essential part in this big conflict. It also has to be recognized that when Charles came to the throne, things were not in good conditions. Neither his father nor Charles could manage their reigns properly. A civil war could not have been avoided unless Charles would have changed his mind and way of thinking but as he was born with a belief in the Divine Origin of Kingship and did not have much knowledge about kingships, it would have been very difficult to achieve. 5 It listed all the things Charles had done wrong in his reign, suggested less power for bishops, and said that Parliament should have power over the Church and the appointment of Royal ministers. (Definition provided by http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-london/A622937)

The Hamlet Paradigm Essay -- English Literature Essays

The Hamlet Paradigm Central Question of the Play How does an individual react when he develops an obsession with destroying the powerful force ruling his country, yet risks experiencing psychological estrangement, occurring at multiple levels within himself, if he attempts to destroy that force? This is the central question that Shakespeare explores in his play Hamlet, which is a character study of an individual harboring just such an obsession, entailing just such a risk. Introduction That Hamlet is obsessed with destroying the powerful force ruling his country (Claudius) is plainly evident in the play. But while this obsession initiates Hamlet’s behavior, it is his additional realization, that he risks psychological estrangement occurring on multiple levels as a result of trying to carry out his obsession, that shapes his behavior into the form that the audience sees, one that seems bizarre and incomprehensible. The Nature of Hamlet’s Obsession The reasons for Hamlet’s obsession with exacting revenge against Claudius are fairly straightforward. The ghost of Hamlet Sr. informed Hamlet that Claudius killed Hamlet Sr. and thus usurped him from his throne. In doing so, he emasculated Hamlet by robbing him of his central role model of masculinity, namely his father. He also committed the moral and political sin of regicide, and the familial sin of killing his brother and subsequently sleeping with his wife. Claudius also deprived Hamlet of his rightful kingship, since Hamlet was second in line after Hamlet Sr. In addition, Hamlet now knows that his love of his mother is corrupted since she is affectionate towards his emasculating enemy. The Nature of Hamlet’s Risk of Psychological Estrangement In attempting to kill Claudius, Hamlet risks enduring estrangement occurring within his self at multiple psychological levels. There are primarily five such levels of estrangement: 1. Religious estrangement: Hamlet feels self-actualized from following basic religious principles of living. This is shown by his lamentation that the everlasting had fixed his cannon against self-slaughter, thus preventing Hamlet from committing suicide at a time when he felt like doing so. If Hamlet were to kill Claudius, he would be violating a central religious principle against murdering another human being. This would make him feel guilt at having violat... ...esire to extract revenge against Claudius, is also actively looking for ways to relieve himself of the psychological pain that harboring his obsession causes him, even if seeking psychological refuge in such ways might mean giving up on the endeavor altogether. 11) That Hamlet’s awareness, of the high risk of personal estrangement that he faces from his endeavor to extract revenge, is for him a source of great stress. 12) That the ignorance of his people of Claudius’ crime and their discomfort at knowing it may cause them to commit the morally double-standard act of rejecting Hamlet and supporting Claudius. 13) That despite his fear of rejection by his countrymen, Hamlet still has the capacity to take out on them the anger he feels against them for potentially or actually committing this double-standard act. Virtually every scene or element in the play relates to these themes. In other words, the purpose of Hamlet is simply to delineate and comment upon an individual’s psychological response to feeling the rare type of obsession that Hamlet feels in the play.. The above themes are phenomena associated with that response, or with Shakespeare’s model of that response.

Analyse the key features of Virtue Ethics Essay

Virtue ethics is a custom which goes back to Plato and Aristotle; it is also known as aretaic ethics, from the Greek word arà ªte meaning excellence or virtue. There are a number of key features to virtue ethics, one of the most significant being that it is an agent-centered theory rather than act-centered theory. Therefore it asks the questions ‘What sort of person ought I to be?’ rather than ‘How ought I to act’. The concept does not focus on actions being right or wrong, but on how to be a good/virtuous person. Virtue ethics was re-examined and redeveloped in the twentieth century by philosophers such as G.E.M. Anscombe. Plato proposed that virtue ethics centers around the achievement of man’s highest good, which involves the right cultivation of his soul and the harmonious well-being of his life, otherwise known as eudaimonia. Additionally, Cardinal virtues are a vital feature to the proposal of virtue ethics, examples are: temperance, courage, prudence and justice. These Plato seemed to consider central virtues and that, when these virtues are in balance, a person’s actions will be good. However, there was not much agreement among the Greek philosophers about which virtues were central, and Aristotle gives a very different account of the virtues. Aristotle highlighted a significant feature to the theory as he sought to give an account of the structure of morality and explained, in his book Nicomachean Ethics, that the point of engaging in ethics is to become ‘good’. Here, Aristotle differentiates between things which are good as means and things which are good as ends. Additionally, Anscombe argues that eudaimonia is the highest good because we desire it for its own sake, and not just as a means to anything else at all. Other good things, such a justice, are desired because they lead to a good life, whereas good living itself is not wanted for anything which it might lead to; it is inherently worth having. Aristotle, highlighting another feature of the ethic, suggests that human well-being and human flourishing is a life characterized by the virtues. However, this good human life is one  lived in harmony and co-operation with other people, since Aristotle saw people as not only rational beings but also as social beings. We live in groups and he saw the well-being of the group as more important than that of a single member. Moreover, Aristotle believed that the best way to achieve eudaimonia was to develop and exercise qualities that are most productive for living in a society. Extremes of behavior, such as being too timid at one extreme or too assertive at the other, are unhelpful to society. This led Aristotle to create a crucial feature of virtue ethics, what he called the Golden Mean, which can be explained as: striking the right balance between extremes. Each extreme he called a ‘vice’, and the midway point where the right balance is struck he called a ‘virtue’. However, the mean is not the same of everything and depends on circumstance – you need to apply phronesis to decide on the right course of action on each situation. Aristotle was convinced that virtue is something which we acquire and not something which we have when we are born; different people are not inherently good or bad, but become good or bad according to the habits they develop in themselves. Therefore, Aristotle highlighted a key feature in the ethic that it is not enough to have the know-how or even the habit of behaving as the virtuous person does, the actions are not as important as the character, and therefore the virtuous behavior must be done with the right motivation, as the virtuous person would do them. In the twentieth century there was a revival of interest in virtue ethics by philosophers who were unhappy with act-centered ethical theories. Stressing key features to the theory, modern versions of virtue ethics argue that the assessment of a person’s character is an important aspect to our ethical thought and needs to be included in any ethical theory. In 1958 G.E.M. Anscombe published a paper called ‘Modern Moral Philosophy’ where she argued that the concept of moral rules and of moral obligations is flawed. She attacked the traditions of Utilitarianism and of Kant, which both set out principles for people to follow and which look at the morality of different actions, rather than at the character of the person. Anscombe argued that the idea that we have obligations to keep rules makes no sense unless people believe in God. Without any absolute law-giver, there is no sense in following laws in ethics. She saw that ethical systems which try to establish rules even after the idea of God has been abandoned are incoherent, not recognizing that their basis depends on belief which many people no longer hold. For Anscombe, the way forward is to revive the concept of human ‘flourishing’, eudaimonia, which does not depend on any notion of God. Philippa Foot attempted to modernise Aristotle’s virtue ethics while still keeping the Aristotelian understanding of character and virtue. She recognises the significant features to the ethic, such as the importance of the person’s own reasoning in the practice of virtue, claims that the virtues benefit the individual by leading to flourishing and stresses that the virtuous person does far more than conform to the conventions of society. Foot argues that a virtue does not operate as a virtue when turned to a bad end. Virtues are good for us and also help us to correct harmful human passions and temptations. Additionally, in his book After Virtue, Alasdair Macintyre claims that ethical theories have simple resulted in ethical disagreements. The result if this, he suggests, is that people do not think there are any moral truths and consider one opinion to be as good as any other opinion. Macintyre argues that most people’s attitudes today are based on emotivism. Macintyre added a vital feature to the ethic, as he wanted to restore the idea that morality should be seen in terms of human purpose, but he thought it would not be possible to restore Aristotle’s theory of function and so he attempted to make human function, and so human virtue, depend on community. According to virtue ethics, morality is not found in actions or in duties, but in the person performing the actions, the ‘agent’. Thus morality should focus on the person, and not necessarily on the choices they make in their moral behavior. The theory concentrates on being, rather than doing, and this crucial feature results in the contrasts with other forms of ethics,  which aim to show how to discover the right course of action. Although the system is based on ideals, it is no unrealistic, because it looks to actual examples of virtuous people, such as Martin Luther King or Jesus; it can therefore be seen to have attainable targets. It’s aim is to achieve something which people genuinely want, eudaimonia, rather than being based on arguably incoherent ideas about the after-life. Evaluate the extent to which virtue ethics can withstand criticism. Virtue ethics encompasses all aspects of life rather than particular actions. It sees every moment as the possibility for acquiring or developing virtue. Virtue ethics provides an alternative route for drawing on the tradition of moral philosophy in a way that’s a different from the natural law approach. It’s an alternative ethical model that fits Christian ethics and also reaches beyond religious ethics. However, some Christians may argue that, in modern society, the extent of the relevance of the ethic can be considered insignificant as it focuses on the fundamental issues of what it means to be human, rather than looking for rules. Therefore, virtue ethics does not pretend to be able to tell us what a good person would do in every situation but encourages us to be more like such a person so that we will not need an ethical theory to make our decisions for us. This asset strengthens the theory, possibly increasing the extent to which it can withstand criticism as it stresses the importance of character, providing the example: someone who helps the poor out of compassion does seem to be morally superior to someone who does it out of duty. Multiple criticisms have been voiced about the theory and many have reduced the degree to which the concept is valued in modern day society. For example, one criticism leveled against virtue theory is that it is far from replacing the arguments about moral duty and moral absolutes, it ultimately depends on them. Walter Schaller, in his works, argues that moral virtues have only ‘instrumental or derivative value’. Virtue ethics relies on the concept of duty and the idea that there are moral norms or absolutes. This point undermines the significance of virtue theory, as Macintyre was trying to get away from the arguments about duty and moral actions. On the other hand, Robert Louden criticises the theory by questioning how virtue ethics can be applied to moral dilemmas. He argued that virtue ethics does not help people facing a crisis because it does not give any clear rules for action, for example what is the virtuous response to abortion? Virtue ethics does not provide any concrete answers and only says it is a matter for the practical wisdom of the person facing the situation. However, some Christians may argue that this statement can be counteracted as a strength of the theory as a lack of concrete answers allows personal choice and freedom to decide what is morally virtuous, increasing it’s ability to withstand criticism. Louden also points out that it is difficult to decide who is virtuous, as acts which appear virtuous on the outside may not necessarily have good motives and vice versa. Nevertheless, virtue ethics counteracts this criticism as it, as a theory, enables us to integrate many aspects of life, such as our social responsibilities, into our ethical reflection; it looks at what makes life valuable rather than looking at what is right or wrong. It does not reject our emotions but includes them, and so is more in-tune with how people naturally react to an ethical dilemma. It relates our ethical choices to the bigger picture. Additionally, it has been argued that virtue ethics does not seem to have room for basic concepts such as rights and obligations. This therefore reduces the theory’s ability to withstand the criticisms proposed of it and thus reducing how relevant the theory is. As a theory of ethics is seems incapable of dealing with big issues – virtue ethics does not always have a view about what makes an act right or wrong. It is vague, therefore it is hard to make decisions. Moreover, the theory counteracts the criticisms aimed at it through the use of examples of virtuous people. Virtue ethics stresses the importance of motivating people to want to be good. Shows how we acquire and learn virtues by intimidating others. Examples of these virtuous people are Martin Luther  King and Jesus who both fought for supreme happiness for society. Conversely, criticisms have been constantly weakening the theory through questions such as ‘What is happiness?’ and ‘Does Aristotle’s supreme happiness exist?’. It has been argued that virtue ethics depends on some final end which gives shape to our lives – there may not be one and being virtuous may not effect it anyway. These factors significantly weaken the extent to which the theory has survived criticism especially as the ethic seems to praise some virtues that Christians might see as immoral, such as soldiers fighting unjust wars may be courageous but that doesn’t make them morally good. However, the theory has also been vitally strengthened for modern society through its acceptability of bias behavior in favor of friends and family, unlike utilitarianism or Kant, which see impartiality as important. The relevance of the concept is also supported through it’s avoidance of following a formula, such as utilitarianism: ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’, to work out what we ought to do and focuses instead on the kind of person we ought to be. Therefore it is a more practical way of making a decision easily. Overall, even though the criticisms of the theory are vital in reducing the extent to which it is valued in this present day, the strengths of the theory provide society with an ethical guideline as to how to be and what makes a virtuous person.