Huck Finns Identity essays

Huck Finn's Identity essays Identity is that which sets us apart from each other. Everyone must find his or her own personal identity. This is a process through which one discovers who they are and why they are the way they are. One of many themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the search for identity. In Twains novel, Huck finds Jims identity and in the process he discovers his own. At first, Jims identity is presented plainly to Huckleberry as a stereotypical black slave. Jim is filled with superstition that appears to be a reflection of the ignorance that develops from a life of slavery. Slaves are supposed to be emotionless, yet he exhibits many emotions typically restricted to whites at the time. Huck sees this in him and gradually he starts to believe that Jim is more white underneath. Jim, Huck later realizes, is a heroic figure in a world consisting of liars, cheats, and scoundrels. Jim always does the right thing if he can; he always feels empathy for others even if those people show no such emotions for him. The incident at the end of the novel when he saves Tom and risks what he believes to be his own freedom is a case in point. This further sparks Huckleberrys notion that Jim is just as good as any man, if not in some cases better. With this realization, the reader can see Huck slowly letting go what society has taught him and choosing his own identity. To some extent Huckleberry cannot grasp Jims complete identity. There are some things that Huckleberry is oblivious to in the sense that he is only a child. One quality that Huck fails to identify is how much Jim is like a father. Jim is the leader during the travel down the river. He is the one who knows all the signs of weather; it is he who makes their journey a success. An example being when Jim throws rags over the corpse on the houseboat to protect Huck from seeing it. Jim's maturity is displayed by his reaction to the in...

14 Ways to Write Better in High School

14 Ways to Write Better in High School Whether youre putting together a research paper for class, posting a blog, composing your SAT essay or brainstorming for your college admissions essay, you just kind of need to know how to write. And sometimes, high school kids really struggle to get the words from their brain onto paper. But really, writing is not all that tricky. You should not break out in a cold sweat when your teacher announces an essay exam. You can write better in six minutes if you just use some of these tips to help you get the ideas that flow so easily from your mouth to do the same thing from your fingertips. Read on for 14 ways to write better essays, blogs, papers, the works! 1. Read Cereal Boxes Yep, cereal boxes, magazines, blogs, novels, the newspaper, ads, e-zines, you name it. If it has words, read it. Good writing will challenge you to up your game, and bad writing will help you learn what not to do. A variety of reading materials can influence you in subtle ways, too. Ads are often perfect examples of succinct, persuasive text. The newspaper will show you how to hook a reader in a few lines. A novel can teach you how to incorporate dialogue seamlessly into your essay. Blogs are great for demonstrating an authors voice. So, if its there, and youve got a second, read it. 2. Start a Blog/Journal Good writers write. A lot. Start a blog (maybe even a teen blog?) and advertise it all over Facebook and Twitter if youre interested in feedback. Start a blog and keep it quiet if youre not. Keep a journal. Report on things happening in your life/around school/ around your home. Try to solve daily problems with quick, one-paragraph solutions. Get started on some really unique creative writing prompts. Practice. Youll get better. 3. Open Up a Can of Worms Dont be afraid to get a little risky. Go against the grain. Shake things up. Tear apart the poems you find meaningless on your next essay. Research a touchy political subject like immigration, abortion, gun control, capital punishment, and unions. Blog about topics that generate real, heartfelt, impassioned discussion. You dont have to write about hummingbirds just because your teacher loves them. 4. To Thine Own Self Be True Stick with your own voice. Nothing sounds faker than a high school essay with words like alas and evermore sprinkled throughout, especially when the author is a skater kid from Fresno. Use your own wit, tone, and vernacular. Yes, you should adjust your tone and level of formality based on the writing situation (blog vs. research paper), but you dont have to become a different person just to put together your college admissions essay. Theyll like you better if youre you. 5. Avoid Redundancy Just drop the word nice from your vocabulary. It doesnt really mean anything. Same goes for good. There are thirty-seven better ways to say what you mean. Busy as a bee, sly as a fox, and hungry as a wolf belong in country songs, not in your ACT essay. 6. Keep Your Audience in Mind This goes back to adjusting your tone and level of formality based on the writing situation. If youre writing to gain entrance to your first choice for college, then perhaps youd better not talk about that time you made it to second base with your love interest. Your teacher is not interested in your sticker collection, and the readers on your blog dont care about the stellar research project you put together on the migratory habits of emperor penguins. Writing is one part marketing. Remember that if you want to be a better writer! 7. Go To the Dark Side Just for the heck of it, allow yourself to consider the possibility that the opposite opinion is actually correct. Write your next essay defending the 180 of your thought processes. If youre a Coke person, go Pepsi. Cat lover? Defend dogs. Catholic? Figure out what the Protestants are talking about. By exploring a different set of beliefs, you open up your brain to endless creativity, and maybe garner some fodder for your next debate, too. 8. Make It Real Boring writing doesnt use the senses. If your writing assignment is to report on the local parade and you fail to mention the shrieking kids, dripping chocolate ice cream cones, and rat-tat-tatting from the marching bands snare drum, then youve failed. You need to make whatever youre writing about come alive to your reader. If they werent there, put them on that street with the parade. Youll be a better writer for it! 9. Give People Goosebumps Good writing will make people feel something. Tie something concrete – relatable –to the existential. Instead of talking about justice as a vague idea, tie the word, judgment, to the sound the gavel makes as it hits the judges desk. Tie the word, sadness, to a young mother lying on her husbands freshly dug grave. Tie the word, joy to a dog careening around the yard when it sees its owner after two long years at war. Make your readers cry or laugh out loud at the coffee shop. Ticked off. Make them feel and theyll wanna come back for more. 10. Write Creatively When Youre Sleepy Sometimes, the inspiration bug bites when youre all strung-out from being up too late. Your mind opens up a bit when youre tired, so youre more likely to shut down the robot-I-am-in-control portion of your brain and listen to the whisper of the muses. Give it a whirl the next time youre struggling to get out of the gate on your take-home essay. 11. Edit When Youre Fully Rested Sometimes those late-night muses steer your writing vessel directly into a rocky shoreline, so dont make the mistake of calling your work done at 3:00 AM. Heck, no. Make time the next day, after a long, satisfying rest, to edit all of those ramblings and misspelled words. 12. Enter Writing Contests Not everyone is brave enough to enter a writing contest, and thats just silly. If you want to become a better writer, find some free writing contests for teenagers online and submit everything you wouldnt be embarrassed to see plastered all over the Internet. Often, contests come with editing or feedback, which can really help you improve. Give it a shot. 13. Dive Into Nonfiction Not all good writers write poetry, plays, scripts, and novels. Many of the most successful writers out there stick to nonfiction. They write memoirs, magazine articles, newspaper articles, blogs, personal essays, biographies, and advertisements. Give nonfiction a shot. Try describing the last five minutes of your day with startling clarity. Take the latest news report and write a two-paragraph description of the events as if you were there. Find the coolest person you know and write your next essay about his or her childhood. Write a two-word ad for the best pair of shoes in your closet. Try it – most of the good writers do!

LR growth, Economic Fluctuations, US Stabilization Policy Term Paper

LR growth, Economic Fluctuations, US Stabilization Policy - Term Paper Example In addition, inadequate financial institutions, political instability, high level of risk, and dictatorship in governance like showcased by Zimbabwe inhibit economic development. The above discussed factors inhibit capital inflows into the developing countries. This offers an explanation why the developing world will never economically develop as compared to the developed economies. Lastly, the policies of these countries discourage domestic saving, thus lowering the rate of capital accumulation. The reduced domestic savings leads to low level of investment. thus reduced level of capital stock in the countries. An increase in the level of savings increases the total output in the short-run, but in the long run it increases the ratio of capital to labor thus leading to decrease in returns on capital. This in turn results to capital outflow instead of inflow. Economic Fluctuations The phrase business cycles refer to economic cycles or fluctuations that are experienced by economic activ ity of a certain state. There two main theories that have been propagated to explain how business cycles work; New Keynesian and the real business cycle theory, these two theories differ a lot as discussed below. New Keynesian models New Keynesian models view, business cycles as reflection of a possibility of the economy being in equilibrium in the short run where such points of equilibrium are above or below the full employment level. Therefore, when the economy is operating below the full employment level, then unemployment arises. New Keynesian economist believes business cycles results from fluctuations of effective demand. Effective demand can be classified as consumption demand and investment demand that is amount resources demand for consumption and for... The researcher states that from the discussion, that was presented in this term paper, it cannot be disputed that the differences in levels of capital stock between the developed countries like USA and the Western Europe and developing countries in the sub-Saharan Africa leads to differences in economic development. In this paper, the researcher aims to consider countries like Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Kenya and Somali to compare the level of economic development in these countries to that of USA and Western Europe. The actions of these countries’ national governments determine level of capital inflows that these countries experience. In these sub –Saharan countries, they often experience political unrest that happened in Kenya in the year 2007/2008. These areas are also war prone, such as the 1994 Rwanda genocide and the civil war currently in Somali. In addition, inadequate financial institutions, political instability, high level of risk, and dictatorship in governance inhib it economic development. The factors, that were discussed in this term paper inhibit capital inflows into the developing countries. This offers an explanation why the developing world will never economically develop as compared to the developed economies. Although, opponents of the measures presented in this paper, argue that the amount of money in circulation will increase thus eroding the value of the domestic currency. It is concluded that such measures will trigger investments that will offset effects of increase in money supply.

Steps for Investment Strategy for Stock Market Essay - 3

Steps for Investment Strategy for Stock Market - Essay Example As the capital market is very volatile and requires very efficient and effective strategies for making investments in stock market. The stock markets are highly uncertain, and it is difficult to predict. Therefore, the chances of loss are higher without proper investment plan. This paper will attempt to present an argumentative discussion on the investment strategy for a stock market. In regard to trading strategies in the stock market, many have argued against the stock investment by claiming it as a zero-sum game as there is an equal number of winners and losers. The stock market is highly volatile and to take a winners’ position is quite challenging. An efficient trading strategy can make gains in bullish as well as in the bearish market. The following figure presents volatility of the FTSE for the last forty years. The most of investors who faced great loses due to investments in the stock market are mainly caused by their lack of knowledge and lack of general awareness. In fact, many investors having very limited knowledge regarding stock investments tend to face losses from the stock market investments and their investment behavior mainly driven by behavioral finance. The investors often make the investment based on their behavior which is mainly driven by unconventional market behavior. For example, investors should buy a stock when it comes to its lower boundary and sells just before it is supposed to fall. However, generally, investors do the opposite and face losses. However, there are also certain factors that must be taken into consideration, and the entire investment should follow systematic steps.  

Management and Leadership Essay Example for Free

Management and Leadership Essay Management and leadership are considered synonymous, but actually they are two different words. Management is defined as, The art, manner or practice of managing, handling supervision or control whereas leadership is defined as, The ability to: express a vision, influence others to achieve results, encourage team cooperation, and be an example. Leadership is getting others to want to do things. Leadership is intimately tied up with motivating and influencing others. Managers are administrators who write business plans, set budgets, monitor progress, solve problems and facilitate meetings. A manager achieves authority and position through experience, understanding, time and loyalty. Managers have subordinates but a leader has followers. A leader can be a manager, but a manager is not necessarily a leader. The leader of the work group may emerge informally as the choice of the group. If a manager is able to influence people to achieve the goals of the organization, without using his or her formal authority to do so, then the manager is demonstrating leadership. As put by Faye Wattle ton, The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.Organizational CultureAccording to Websters New Collegiate Dictionary culture is the integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thought, speech, action, and artifacts and depends on mans capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.Organization culture is a system of shared beliefs and values that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its memebers .It includes routine, behaviors, norms, dominant values and a feeling or climate conveyed..The pupose and function of this culture is to help foster internal integration, bring staff members from all levels of the organization much closer together and enhance their performance. A companys culture determines a lot of the organizations behavior. A culture may be strong (having a dramatic influence over an individuals behavior) or weak (having a relatively low impact on behavior).A strong culture is a coherent set of beliefs, values, assumptions, and practices embraced by most members of the organization. It fosters motivation, commitment, identity, solidarity, and sameness, which, in turn, facilitates internal integration and coordination. An understanding of organizational culture and how to transform it is crucially important for managers and leaders to achieve strategic outcomes. The position of strategic leaders in an organization assists them to see the dynamics of their organizational culture and attain the essence of strategic success through positive transformation. Effective managers recognize that replacing a long term culture of traditional values with one that embodies the competitive values needed in the future can take years. But the rewards of that effort will be an organization much more effective and responsive to its environmental challenges and opportunities.(Bateman Snell, 2007)Organizational Culture at Southwest AirlinesSouthwest Airlines was founded in 1971 as a low-cost regional air carrier. The companys mission stated on its website truly reflects its positive and healthy organizational culture. We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.Southwest Airlines has consistently been successful in terms of profitability, good employee and union relations, and customer satisfaction at a time when most airline carriers are struggling in all these areas. Central to the companys success is a culture of flexibility, family-orientation, and fun. They believe in, The way you treat and reward employees is one part of your companys culture. Culture is the companys way of life. It is how the business functions, operates, handles stress and reinforces its staff. It is the companys general attitude toward the world. Southwest has built a reputation as a fun, light-hearted and irreverent airline with a happy staff. It is said that Southwests biggest hiring criterion is whether an applicant smiles during his or her interview. Southwest feels it can train anyone to do the job, but it cannot teach a person to have a positive attitude. Southwest Airlines has recognized that smiling staff members can  handle negative issues skillfully and still satisfy their customers. Southwest is also identified as the early leader of worker responsibility. The company limits emphasis on the formal organizational structure. At Southwest, decision making is the process which is done by management/worker committees. Leadership meetings are taped and shared with employees. The researchers learned that productivity could be maximized when employees felt as though their needs were being considered by receiving attention for their work. This phenomenon became known as the Hawthorne Effect. It is as true today as it was during the last century that paying attention to our human assets produces tremendous results. Southwest Airlines has learned to capitalize on the principles of the Hawthorne Effect. Southwest Airlines has consistently remained at the top of its industry, while placing a rigorous focus on employees feedback and needs. Southwest seeks to share the companys success with its employees. The airline achieved high levels of employee satisfaction and was included in the Fortune magazines list of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for three years in a row. Southwests no-layoff response to September 11 was a reminder to its employees of the organizations tradition of caring for its people. When asked to comment on this, an official explained, Its part of our culture. Weve always said well do whatever we can to take care of our people. So thats what weve tried to do. Many analysts feel that the remarkable performance of Southwest is because of its ability to build and sustain relationships characterized by shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect between employees. Southwests organizational culture was shaped by Kellehers leadership. Kellehers personality had a strong influence on the culture of Southwest, which symbolizes his spontaneity, energy and competitiveness. Southwests culture had three themes: love, fun and efficiency. Kelleher treated all the employees as a lovely and loving family. Southwest attempts to promote a close-knit, supportive and enduring family-like culture. The Company initiated various measures to foster intimacy and informality among employees. Southwest encouraged its people to  conduct business in a loving manner. Employees are expected to care about people and act in ways that affirm their dignity and worth. Instead of decorating the wall of its headquarters with paintings, the company hung photographs of its employees taking part at company events, news clippings, letters, articles and advertisements. Southwests organizational culture encourages employees to be innovative, to communicate, understand and care, be devoted to customer service and most importantly to be an Individual. It maintains its success due to employee education, much of which takes place in Southwest Airlines festive learning center: the University for People. Southwest sees learning as a never-ending process. University for People trainers, known as facilitators, build a foundation for an ongoing learning environment through a supervisory leadership class called Leadership Southwest Style, which utilizes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® (MBTI ®) assessment for self discovery. At Southwest Airlines, management wants employees to feel comfortable, reflecting its philosophy that an employee who is comfortable can think more freely and creatively. Regular celebrations bring employees together. These include Spirit Parties, Culture parties, and weekly Deck Parties at headquarters. Activities at these events include talent shows, dance contests, limbo contests, karaoke, and famous person look-alike themes. The Culture Committee welcomes new employees with a New Hire Welcome Kit, which includes a bag, tee-shirt, badge holder, pen, and welcome letter. Southwest Airlines is an excellent example of social invention that helps people discover their true capabilities. The social environment combines humor with responsibility. Employees work in teams without outside supervision. At job interviews, along with other self-development attitude, the prospective employee must show a sense of humor. The company recognizes the key to its culture is The Spirit of LUV. Their commitment to hire people with the capacity to love and serve others has yielded a bountiful harvest of loyalty and money. Hence it shows a very well combination of management and leadership. Key concepts of organizational culture at Southwest Airlines †¢Encourage to assume ownership †¢Hire for life †¢Trust their decisions†¢Give employees  immediate access to critical information. †¢They have the power to make adjustments and to fix significant problems quickly. Results achieved through these concepts†¢On-time arrivals, proper baggage handling, and customer complaints are communicated on a weekly basis. †¢Everyone is focused on customer service and making Southwest a success which allows them to expand outside of assigned responsibilitiesStrategies that organizational managers and leaders can use to create and maintain healthy organizational cultureMotivation Management Leaders must have coaching skills, not control skills. Motivated people have goals and seek ways to achieve them. Efficiency is the result of motivated employees. The self motivated employees assume responsibility for their tasks. It creates an environment where workers trust management and management trust workers. Continuous Learning Opportunity Motivation is associated with the desire to learn. Without it, motivation dies. Most businesses operate with a wide knowledge gap between worker and management. All through history this has been the policy, it is job security for leadership. Today, efficiency requires workers to assume responsibility and this requires the narrowing of the knowledge gap. This is achieved by empowering workers. A strong organizational culture and an approach to learning that encompasses more than just training classes can create an organization that learns and improves upon its past successes. When change occurs, organizations with a learning culture and a focus on organizational development can surpass even their own expectations. ConclusionTo sum up, leadership is essentially related to a persons skills, abilities and scope of influence and management is a theory and a way of doing business. The managers who truly exercise the four functions of management; planning, organizing, leading and controlling, to accomplish their organizational goals are also true leadersAs time and requirements of  an organization change, there is always a need to change managerial functions. Managers at all levels must anticipate and adapt to changes. In any ordinary but expanding organization the next future change might be to restructure the organization. Technology is bringing a change in leadership styles. The command-and-control leadership methods of the last century are extremely inefficient in the fast changing technology world. Motivating environments are needed on the front-line with people who assume responsibility and exercise leadership. To attract and keep this type of person, the work environment must inspire and exploit employee capabilities. References Bateman, Thomas S. Snell Scott A. (2007). Management: Leading and collaborating in acompetitive world. (Seventh edition), Ch-2 12 pgs 66- 69 393-383Southwest Airline webpage. Retrieved on April 20, 2007 from www.southwestairlines.comSouthwest Airlines. Retrieved on April 19, 2007 from www.caseplace.orgFrazee, Bonnie (Nov, 2006).Organizational Behavior and the Learning Process. Retrieved onApril19, 2007 from www.innovativelearning.com

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining :: essays research papers

My mind was all muddled up and everything went topsy-turvy inside it. Yet, I remained still and silent. No one would ever imagine how I was feeling. There wasn't the cool atmosphere around me, nor the usual tranquility outside. My heart was pounding fast. I could hear the voice of my doctor saying that I had cancer and I could only live for a month. My heart was simply ripped apart. I could not believe it at first, but I knew I had to. After all these wonderful years and enthralling moments, I finally have to face God's greatest challenge. My mind wasn't as messy as before anymore and I couldn't even think of what to think. It seemed as if I had nothing to worry about, nothing to do, nothing to say. I was trapped inside this room waiting for the Grim Reaper to reap my innocent soul. Day by day, I remained silent in my bed thinking of nothing but my imminent death. I never spoke, consumed anything, nor stood up. I was totally weak. I was literally dying. I woke up suddenly one day, I had been disturbed by the sound of the television someone had switched on. I heard a soft sweet voice coming out of the TV later. It was a little girl's voice but wasn't a distinct one. I could only hear a word, which was the last word of her mesmerising speech. And that was "Live!" Live. Just as simple as that, "Live". Live, it kept ringing in my head for the next few hours. I never expected I would get addicted to thinking this word over and over. I forced my dry mouth to open. It was like trying to pull open a lift stuck on the highest floor, and it ached too. I desperately told myself to refrain from the pain and just rip the door of the lift apart. Aaargh! It was futile. Totally, extremely hopeless. Again, my heart sank. As I recalled the word, "Live", I forced myself to open my mouth and utter that petty word. I tried very hard indeed. And yes, I made it. I merely blurted out that word, "live"! I was emotionally filled with joy. I could hardly believe it,those lazy days of lying in my bed doing nothing had been counteracted by a simple word, "live"! I knew I had to regain my joyful and enthusiastic spirit, so I started off with stretching my legs and arms.

Four Great Revolutions in Philosophy Essay

Throughout the history of the universe, there have been revolutions that shaped the history of the world. However, none have had such a great impact as the four great revolutions in thought and religion. Included, are the philosophy of China, religion in India, religion of the Jews, and Greek Philosophy. They all have many things in common, but each are unique as well. The four great revolutions occurred in or near original river valley systems, and they were all born through a crisis. Each of the reformations is responsible for much of the cultural history of the world, because once the cultural pattern was set, it endured. Finally, it all began when people started to question their existence. When the, relatively speaking, â€Å"modern† philosophy of the east was created, China was going through a crisis. New territorial states were replacing the traditional city-states. Peasant armies with new technology were replacing old nobility. The old etiquette and old rituals were crumbling. People yearned for a new, peaceful society. Thus, Confucianism was born. Confucius was born in 551 BCE in northeast China. He was educated and was a member of the lower-nobility. When Confucius was young, his father died, so he knew what it was like to be without. Confucius didn’t believe in an afterlife, and in the Analects, he was quoted as saying, â€Å"How can you understand death if you cannot understand life?† Later in life, he became a traveling teacher, trying to persuade rulers to buy his ideas to return society back to the times of the Chou Dynasty, where everyone in society had a role to play. These roles consisted of five relationships: Ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, older brother to younger brother, and friend to friend. Confucius believed that if everyone stood to their position, society would be in harmony. However, when the well-being of a society depends on individuals living up to their responsibilities, things can go wrong fairly quickly. It became obvious that returning to the Chou Dynasty was impossible. By the time Confucius died, in 479 BCE, he was unable to find a ruler to accept his  teachings, but one thing made sense to the people. The ability to have a good government is dependent on the appointment of good men. This is evident in American society today when we elect a new President every four years. Another revolution took place about fifty years earlier in India. In 600 BCE, India had a priest-centered, cult dominated upper-class that controlled society. They had elaborate animal sacrifices, and believed in magic. In an attempt to bring more people into participation, a group called the Upanishads began to propose meditation on the meaning of ritual. They had two main emphases: 1) Knowledge was over ritual and immortality was escaping afterlife, and 2) â€Å"From the unreal, lead me to the real. From death, lead me to immortality,† which reverts the emphasis back to knowledge. Gods were merely a part of the total scheme. The Upanishads believed that life was a never-ending cycle between life and death. Life after death was known as samsara. The key to resolving samsara is karma (work or action) in which the goal is to have more good deed than bad deeds. There were two basic ways to achieve this goal. First, one sought to maximize good, and minimize bad. Second, a person should seek liberation from existence, escaping all karmic effects. This, when followed out completely, resulted in escaping action itself. This brings us to the Jains. An Indian man named Mahavira found and taught â€Å"the way† to save the soul from its karmic bonds. Jains believed that there is no beginning or end to existence. They believed that the universe was alive and had infinite souls that were all trapped in samsara. Words and deeds have a reaction, and one must take care of everything. Mahavira’s focus was to eliminate evil thought and act that was especially harmful of others. He isolated himself for twelve years, meditating, until he found true enlightenment. When thinking of â€Å"enlightened ones,† many would think of Buddha. Buddhism was â€Å"India’s greatest contribution to religion.† Siddhartha Gautama is the most renowned Buddha. He was born in 566 BCE into an upper-class, if not noble, family. As Siddhartha grew older, he began to think about aging, sickness,  and death. He was disgusted by his sensual desires and sensual pleasures he obtained from the material world, so he set out to find an end to the endless cycle of existence. It is said that Siddhartha Gautama sat under a Bodh tree, smoked, meditated, and found the answer. He then devoted the rest of his life to teaching others his findings, known as The Middle Path. The Middle Path is the core to Buddhist faith and practice, and begins with Four Noble Truths: 1) All of life is suffering, 2) The source of suffering is desiring, 3) The cessation of desiring is the way to end suffering, and 4) The path to the end is eight-fold. The fourth truth is not just metaphorically speaking. The Eight-Fold Path consists of the following: Right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The emphasis on Buddhism was compassion. The goal, through The Four Noble Truths, was to attain nirvana (extinguishing all karmic bonds). To succeed in this, one had to give up many things, so there were very few willing to make the sacrifice. There was no deity. If one just stopped wanting, he or she would stop suffering. Now we come to the first big difference in thought and religion; the religion of the Jews. The Hebrews tried to create a monotheistic life from a polytheistic society. They believed that there was one universal creator/sustainer of the universe, and that was God. All things were linked to God’s â€Å"divine plan.† There were two central ideas to Judaism. First, significance of history on the divine plan. Second, the idea of God (justice and goodness). God was righteous, so he expected humans to be also. He demanded moral behavior. God’s â€Å"divine plan† included a man named Abraham, who is considered the patriarch of the Jews, Christians and Muslims. Abraham made a covenant with God that if Abraham and all of his children would worship God alone, then God would protect them. The final Great Revolution took a central â€Å"god† and threw in many different  gods. Greek Philosophy offered different approaches and answers to the same concerns as original monotheists. The Greeks were logical. They looked at the universe as a whole. They investigated cures for sicknesses and didn’t rely solely on the gods for healing. During the mid-fifth century BCE, an influential debate began with professional teachers, called Sophists. They received pay for teaching persuasion and rhetoric, which were very highly valued in Ancient Athenian Society. Sophists preached on the nature of the polis (city-state). This was when the crisis began. All philosophers were concerned that everything was falling apart, because of outsiders. The Sophists argued that the law was in accordance with nature. If everyone followed the law, the polis would be fine and protected. This sounds much like Confucius’ idealistic belief that people could just stay in one role and be happy in that relationship. It is quite obvious that there have been revolutions that shaped the history of the world. However, none have had such a great impact as the four great revolutions in thought and religion. Included, are the philosophy of China, religion in India, religion of the Jews, and Greek Philosophy. They all have many things in common, but each are unique as well. The four great revolutions occurred in or near original river valley systems, and they were all born through a crisis. Each of the reformations is responsible for much of the cultural history of the world, because once the cultural pattern was set, it endured. Finally, it all began when people started to question their existence.

Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation Essay

Martin Luther is credited for starting the Protestant Reformation by declaring the corruption he saw in the Roman Catholic Church. By standing firm in his faith and openly going against the church, he’s able to get the people thinking for themselves and discovering the truth of their leaders and religion. Martin Luther was born November 10, 1483 in Eislenben, Germany, to copper miner Hans and peasant Margaretha Luder. Living in poverty, his father is set on Luther becoming a lawyer for higher income and family honor. In 1501, he enrolled at Master of Arts in Erford, and received his Bachelor’s degree in 1502 and Master’s in 1505. He then enrolled to the law school. In 1505, he’s caught in a thunderstorm and asks God for deliverance. Since he lived through the fright, he then devotes himself to God, dropping out of law school and joining the monastery, although against his father’s orders. While searching for personal salvation, Luther took his spiritual growth very seriously and often times punished himself. He spent most hours praying and confessing. Through this, he began to notice his frequent and awful sins. He was told to follow after academics which he then taught theology at the University of Wittenberg. On October 18, 1512, he is given a Doctorate in Theology. In 1513, he studied Psalm 22 and gained enlightenment. He realized, as Paul said, â€Å"The just will live by faith,† and that salvation comes with solely faith and not religious works or practices. Luther’s knowledge of the Scriptures and his analytical mind caused him to see the power-hungry church leaders’ corruption. A major issue Luther saw was the selling of indulgences which were ways to get people of the church to pay for prayers and salvation. The Roman Catholic Church used these indulgences to put fear into their followers and money into their own pockets. Along with that complaint and others, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door on October 31, 1517. Within two weeks, the news of his rebellion spread through Germany and throughout Europe in two months. The Johannes Gutenberg Printing Press played a vital role in this expansion. Within days, many copies of the news was made and sent out. This gave the people of the church and of the nations concrete evidence of their leaders’  corruption. Soon, the fear of the people faded and so did the church’s power. In 1520, Luther is threatened with excommunication from the church. In January of 1520 he is excommunicated and named as a heretic. In April of 1521, the Diet of Worms met and Luther is questioned about his act. He is told to recant but he refuses to do so unless the Scriptures would have him do otherwise. In 1522, Luther translates the New Testament to German where again, the printing press made it available to society. He also formed his own church, Lutheranism, and teaches his practices and gains followers. On June 13, 1525, he married former nun Katharina von Bora and went on to have six children together. As time goes on, he gains many health problems and dies at the age of 62 on February 18, 1546. Through personal enlightenment and rebellion, Martin Luther started the transformation of the Christian church and many of its practices today. By refusing the deception of the church, he leads a revolt against the church and sets the example of strong, unshakable faith. Luther’s impact on religion didn’t stop in the 1500s, and is still standing firm and modeling the religion of society now.

A Close Reading and Analysis of Top Hat (1935) essays

A Close Reading and Analysis of Top Hat (1935) essays Top Hat is one of the all time great musicals of the 1930s, and is the epitome of the RKO productions of the time and of the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It had a familiar cast and plot structure, Astaire as an entertainer who stumbles upon love, which called for many to consider it as simply a remake of their earlier film The Gay Divorcee (1934). It was one of the nine films that Astaire and Rogers made for RKO and was probably the best, if not the most successful in financial terms. It is a fully integrated musical, it flows from action and dialogue to the numbers with complete ease, this is unlike arrogated musicals such as Gold Diggers of 1933 (1932). The narrative structure of the films all followed a similar path; we see a recycling of the theme of a romantic young couple and their exploits, which lead to their falling in love usually paired up with older couple that usher in the comedy and misunderstandings as we have seen in Top Hat with Fred and Ginger alongside the Horace and Madge characters. A second structure seen is that of a young comic couple and their pairing with a similarly aged couple who are an opposite of them. Like most of the Astaire and Rogers films it is also a comedy and uses many generic traditions to achieve the comic goal. The film begins in London with Fred arriving to perform in a show, we are placed in a gentlemans club that is a full on satire of the upper class. The young, stylish, excitable American surrounded by a group of stuffy old men whose need for silence is laughable. We then move onto the hotel, which brings a number of familiar stereotypes, the design is of an art deco style. Lavish white on white sets were a constant in these films, most were shot during the depression of the 1930s so the theme of escapism was popular. The view of a utopian society was often portrayed through extravagant...

20 Evocative French Words

20 Evocative French Words 20 Evocative French Words 20 Evocative French Words By Mark Nichol English has borrowed words from other languages indiscriminately, and has done so for hundreds of years. Often, this happens even when a perfectly sound native or imported synonym already exists, but sometimes the new term gains its footing because it expresses a concept better than an existing term, or conveys a connotation or nuance no other single word or phrase does. But speakers and writers of English don’t always use the word as it is intended, leading to semantic drift. In the interests of preserving the purity of some highly evocative terms, here are twenty such words acquired from French: 1. Bà ªte noir (literally, â€Å"black beast†): someone to whom one is averse 2. Cachet (â€Å"seal†): originally, a seal or mark of approval; now, also (and primarily) used in a figurative sense meaning â€Å"prestige† (though it has additional meanings in philately, or stamp collecting) 3. Calque (â€Å"copy†): a literal translation of a word or phrase into one language from another, as in French-to-English vers libre (â€Å"free verse†) or English-to-French seconde main (â€Å"second hand†) 4. Dà ©tente (â€Å"relaxation†): an easing of political tensions; specifically, the thawing of the Cold War during the 1970s 5. Élan (â€Å"rush, impetus†): high spirit or enthusiasm 6. Ennui (â€Å"annoyance†): annoyance or boredom 7. Fà ªte (â€Å"feast, festival†): a celebration, or to celebrate 8. Haute couture (â€Å"high fashion†): High-quality custom tailoring, referring either to specific garments or to the industry; sometimes called simply couture 9. Lagniappe (from yapay, â€Å"to increase,† from the native South American language Quecha, by way of American Spanish and Louisiana French): a merchant’s small gift to a customer; in general usage, a modest bonus 10. Malaise (â€Å"discomfort†): a feeling of poor mental or physical health, or a sense of cultural unease 11. Mà ©tier (â€Å"work, ministry†): a type of work or other activity at which one excels 12. Panache (â€Å"small wing,† from Latin through Italian): flair or flamboyance 13. Parvenu (â€Å"new arrival†): an upwardly mobile newcomer to a socioeconomic class (synonym: â€Å"nouveau riche, or â€Å"newly rich†); the term is pejorative 14. Patois (â€Å"native or local speech†): a nonstandard dialect, especially the speech of uneducated or provincial speakers, or a jargon 15. Raconteur (â€Å"one who recounts†): a storyteller, or anyone skilled at relating anecdotes 16. Riposte (â€Å"retort†): originally the name of a fencer’s offensive response to an attack; now, also refers to the verbal equivalent, either spoken or written 17. Rouà © (literally, â€Å"broken on the wheel†): a hedonistic man (synonyms: libertine, rake); not to be confused with roux, a word for a flour-and-fat mixture used as a thickener 18. Sang-froid (literally, â€Å"cold blood†): self-possession under pressure 19. Savant (â€Å"one who knows,† from savoir, â€Å"to know†): a learned person, especially a specialist; also a shortening of â€Å"idiot savant,† a clinical term for a mentally disabled person with anomalous skill or ability in one area of learning, or a casual term for someone whose knowledge is almost exclusively in one subject 20. Timbre (â€Å"quality of a sound†): the particular characteristics of a musical note or other sound Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†7 Patterns of Sentence StructureUsing "May" in a Question

Principles of second language learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Principles of second language learning - Essay Example A second language will always help you when you are traveling as you will not have problems in finding places and communication with people. It can help in a job as a person can communicate with another person who does not know the language you speak. Methods used for removing the wrong perceptions from the mind of students and then giving them a thorough understanding of the actual thing, so that they can have a better understanding of the concepts. Methods used for memorizing information and then retrieving it when needed, by breaking down words. For example breaking down the word ‘together’ into three parts ‘to’ ‘get’ ‘her’ to ease the learning process. Making a person think or showing him the meaning of different gestures to overcome his deficiencies in a language. Explaining the person what different gestures mean for different cultures and nations. I would implement this strategy, as leaning through this strategy is much easier and the students would have a better understanding of the words of the second language they are learning. For example when a word is broken down into smaller words it is easier to remember it. Another benefit is that the breaking down of the word helps the student learn the broken down words also as they usually do have a meaning. This learning style is simple and easy for a teacher to teach as well. A very important and good way to make people remember things is by showing them pictures, and this is a part of this learning strategy. This is the major reason of selecting this learning strategy as pictures are easier to memorize as compared to written material. This strategy is also useful to implement as people coming from different culture and norms who speak different language have different perceptions of the second language they are learning. Some times these perceptions are correct but a lot of perceptions are wrong as well.

What do You expect will be The Character of the 21st Century Essay

What do You expect will be The Character of the 21st Century - Essay Example This has all come to be in the present century, and the damage all this groups have caused is visible. There exists examples of drug groups becoming successful because of the network type of organizational setting. ‘All these licit and illicit social groupings have in common the network form of organization—hallmarks of which include minimal central control and great connectivity’ (Of networks and nations, 1). All this illicit groups have grown to be successful and result to many misunderstandings and problems in the world because of the networking type of organization2. Though its undisputed that the network type of organization has made improvements in the world like in sectors such as human rights activists groups, they have done more damage than good. Despite the fact that it has a lot of negative effects, networks cannot be left out in the development of a country if it is to grow and rise in everything. The solution to all this is accepting hat we cannot liv e without networks and instead of using it to build more destruction to the country, we can use it for the wellbeing of society3. We can use it to build the economy and invent better ways of developing the country instead of looking at the present benefits while there lie deeper and long term damaging effects. An example is of America and how its network supports existence of nuclear weapons. They do not look at the long term effects hat state the fact that once this weapons are used on various countries, they are the ones who still use funds to help the affected countries. The short term effect is that the weapons help in case of an attack from any enemy while another fact is that other terrorism units will get hold of them and use them in causing a lot of destruction. All this point out to the fact that the 21st century is bound to have a lot of chaos at the turn at which everything is taking. John J. Mearsheim involves in the 21st century struggle for power amongst each other for various alleged reasons. He talks of the belief that most states who lead have great military power 4. Most states believe that once one is a super power, she must have some superficial powers that none can surpass; hence she cannot be attacked by any enemy at all. States aim at controlling all the wealth in the world and since they believe I the fact that power goes hand in hand with control, they struggle for the top slot in leadership. The issue about arsenal superiority is core in the struggle for the world’s to leadership slot. Most countries believe the fact that once they are the top country, they get the advantage of having enough resources of making the most superior weapons which prevent any threats of attack from any nations which grow to fear them5. Therefore, they get to protect their citizens very efficiently and comfortably. They also consider the fact that they will acquire most land once they rise to superiority; hence the fact that they end up fighting for the top slot of superiority. Having noted the importance with which nations in the 21st century take superiority, it is evident that they apply any skills to be at the top. Most of these methods are destructive; hence, end up causing confusion everywhere. The first method they consider fit to gain power is through war. Most countries believe that when they wage a war and win it, they gain superiority over all other nations. This was as the case during the cold war. The fact they fail to comprehend is the that when they w