Covering the full semester of learning Critical Thinking Term Paper

Covering the full semester of learning Critical Thinking - Term Paper Example Life is understood through the perceptions people hold about how events take place, why they take place, and how much control they had over how they came to pass. Covey (2004) describes an event called a paradigm shift, which means that the way in which life is perceived shifts towards a new idea of how life can work. A paradigm shift happens when the way in which life is perceived is shifted to a new understanding. This initial concept created its own paradigm shift for me as I began to see how life could be approached in different ways from which I had originally believed. Through learning more about what Covey (2004) presented, I began to think that possibilities were broader and more available than what I originally perceived as my own limitations. Knowledge creates new ideas and transforms the way in which something is put into context with beliefs about the world. Learning, then, is the conduit through which knowledge can create meaningful change. One can say that multiple inte lligences define how that learning is achieved and perceived. The understanding that intelligence comes in many forms supports the many levels of perception that exist (Gardner, 1983). Change comes then from how personal intelligences perceive and receive knowledge and utilizes it towards meaningful change. The way in which the individual approaches life can be seen through the centers on which they focus their lives. Covey (2004) describes the center by first stating that it is not necessarily an easy place to identify. The center of one’s life is defined by what is important, which is usually what provides security and guidance. Wisdom and power are not always derived from that center, but should be sought as a part of how one centers their life in order to elevate the nature of how life is lived. The center of one’s life can be a bad place too, which shadows every move they make and keeps them bound by rules they have defined, but may not be from a place of truth. E piphanies and centers can come simultaneously at times. In reading the book Left to tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan holocaust, Immaculee Llibagiza (2008) I discovered that Immaculee found faith in the midst of a threat against her life. Her shift occurs as she takes her life from a place of fear to that of a place of faith in which she believed that God would keep her from harm. Her fears were so strong that they had been the center of her life, but in finding that she believed that God would hold her from harm, she shifted the center of her thoughts from fear to faith. How we see the center of our life and how our habits support that center creates effectiveness or ineffectiveness in achieving goals and outcomes. Habits, Covey (2004) writes, are â€Å"the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire†, which in the case of Llibagiza (2008) were no longer relevant to war time existence. Her daily habits and the knowledge and skill with which she existed were not a par t of the new existence of living in daily fear and hiding. She had to shed all of her old habits and form new ones that matched her environment. Between the concepts of habit that Covey (2004) explains and the disruption that Llibagiza (2008), it is clear that habits often must be changed to promote survival, but

The Coffee Company Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Coffee Company Report - Essay Example Out of the 5 running stores, two are not able to generate any profit and the managers believe that this is because of the locations of the stores. One of the partners suggested consulting a marketing research firm however, the other partners think of it as a costly endeavor. The concept of using GIS technology for combining the business information with the demographic data for assessing the proper location for the stores is also being considered by the business partners. However, balancing the financial issues with the strategic planning problem is a complex process for the firm which urged the partners to cancel the bespoke software development and other IT projects of The Coffee Company.  Ã‚   Based on the given case, the partners of The Coffee Company have selected two options for generating their profit earning process. The first option is to focus on the relocation of the two stores that are not operating in a profitable manner and the second option is to improve the customer service process of the concerned stores for increasing the volume of customer footfalls. In the words of Reid and Hinkley (2006), the location of a business house has a major influence on the operational and strategic decision-making process of a firm. Newby (2009) specified that factors such as consumer convenience, the presence of target consumers, market competition, transpiration for procurement of resources, demography and cultural background can the help the business in assessing the contribution of a location for business sustainability.  Changing the location of the stores for The Coffee Company has to be conducted based on proper information that would allow them to make quick decisions and implement them.  

Poter Five Forces Essay Example for Free

Poter Five Forces Essay The environment analysis of Coca-cola industry can be done as :Buyers There are many companies to buy the soft drink products. The companies that purchase cold drink includes Fast food franchises, food store, convenience stores and vendings. Generally, the individual buyers for small retails do not have pressure on coca-cola industry. But, the large retailers like: Wal-Mart have pressure or bargainin power on the coca cola because of it’s large order quantity. But again , the bargaining power of the buyers is lessened because of the loyalty of the end consumers towards coca-cola. Substitutes Generally, there are many substitues of coca-cola. It includes water, coffee, tea, fresh juices, etc. Coca-cola is able to counter it’s substitutes through brand equity, advertisment and easy availability. Coca-cola has been spending a huge budget on it’s advertisment with different concepts and it is also easily available in almost every corner of the world. They also began to produce these substitutes (eg:- pepsi) on their own to tap into that segment of the market. Barrier to entry The barrier to entry in the cold drink industry is fairly high. The franchising agreement with the existing bottling companies prohibit bottler’s from taking a new soft drink companies. Even though there is the entry of any new soft drink company in the market, it would not be of any threat for coca-cola company. Suppliers The main ingredents of soft drink are carbonate water, phodphoric acind , sweetner and caffeine. The suppliers of these ingredents are not concentrated or differentiated. Many suppliers can be available easily. If a new soft drink company enters the market, it would be very easy for a new soft drink company to find a supplier willing to sell these ingredents to them. Rivalry Talking about today’s context , the main competitor of coca-cola is pepsi. These both soft drink is able to survive in the market giving throat to throat competition to each other. Both have their own marketing concepts, advertisment concepts and stategies. The slogan of coca-coal is â€Å"Open Happiness† which generally focuses on togetherness and spreading happiness. Likewise, other soda brands that became famous was Dr. Pepper because of it’s unique flavour. Thus, in this way the environment analysis on coca-cola can be done through â€Å"Poter’s Five Forces Model†.

Role of Teacher Essay Example for Free

Role of Teacher Essay Introduction Quality of education is a relative and dynamic term varying from contexts to contexts and time to time. In a changing world driven by technological advancements, quality defined yesterday may not be valid today or tomorrow. Therefore, it is essential to discuss the concept and define and redefine quality of education with the passage of time. Quality of education is desirable even in countries where all the children are enrolled in schools for basic education because education has to allow all students to enhance their potentials in cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. Most of the policy makers overlook qualitative aspects of education instead they focus on quantitative aspects of it. Links between qualitative aspects of education and society are strong and so is important teacher’s role in bridging the two in a way that students can play effective role in society. 2. Quality education includes but not limited to: healthy learners; healthy environment; healthy content; healthy process; and healthy outcome. Since access to education has been a major problem in SAARC Region, quality of education provided is also emerging as a major challenge. High dropout rates in most of the member states also neutralise the effect of growing enrolment in primary education. Several policy initiatives have been taken in this regard but in the absence of well developed school-based process there is a considerable distance to go before achieving quality education for all. Additionally, different segments of societies undergo different educational experiences causing social stratification which is an unhealthy sign for the communities in the region. 3. Improving quality of education has always been emphasized alongside education for all at national, regional and international forums such as the World. Education Forum in Dakar held in 2000. Similarly various articles of the Convention of the Right of the Child highlight the right of everyone not only to get education but education of high quality. All the declarations by the international communities and goals set by United Nations regarding education also emphasize quality of education provided to the masses which can only be achieved through effective teaching and learning process, regularity and punctuality of students and their long stay in schools. 2 4. Teachers play crucial role in imparting quality of education. They are the role models and have greater impacts on the personality development of students. Education is a unique activity and the relationship between teachers and students can not be undermined for achieving quality of education. All that needed is to bring about educational reforms to allow well educated teachers to improve and develop their work in the classroom. 5. Teacher quality mostly determines quality of education in an educational setting. Some of the teacher quality dimensions include: 1) Command on the subject matter; 2) Pedagogical skills; 3) Reflective attitude and critical thinking ability; 4) Professional commitment and dedication; 5) Administrative skills; 6) Effective communication skills; 7) Greater flexibility; and 8) Respect for pluralism and diversity. The purpose is not to confuse teachers with so many roles and responsibilities but to make them aware of the prerequisites which they need to effectively accomplish this moral activity. 6. Knowledge of what has been in the field of quality education worldwide and regionally will provide a useful background for policy makers, midlevel functionaries and ultimately the teachers to improve the educational standards in the region. Providing only access to educational facility without quality will not suffice the need to get productive citizens and capable human capital. Quality has to be an integral part of the whole educational process. The workshop titled â€Å"Improving the Quality of  Education: Role of Teachers in Achieving Quality in Education in South Asia†, being organized in Bangladesh by the SAARC Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) Islamabad, will give an opportunity to the participants to share their experiences and knowledge with the experts of the field to improve their understanding of teacher’s role in achieving quality of education. The workshop will assess the best practices in the achievement of quality education within the region and globally that will have implications for future educational initiatives in South Asia. Objectives of the Workshop 7. The main objective of the workshop is to explore the current situation of quality of education with respect to teacher’s role and develop strategies to improve quality of education in future. More specifically participants will: i. ii. iii. Discuss country specific information and statistics during country report presentations; Discus the best practices on providing quality of education regionally and worldwide; identify the areas where teachers can play effective roles in promoting quality education in the region; SAARC Human Resource Development Centre, Islamabad Pakistan 3 iv. v. vi. Analyze the effectiveness of teacher education programmes in the region; Evaluate the progress made by member states in achieving quality of education; and Suggest modalities for teachers, policymakers and other stakeholders to achieve quality of education in SAARC Member States. In this regard the workshop specifically seeks to answer the following questions in a SAARC countries’ educational scenario: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ What are the policies in place to improve quality of education and what type of policies would be required to respond to the combined challenge of expanded access and quality improvement of education? What new skills are demanded of teachers to better perform their duties towards improving quality of education? What roles school administrators can play in preparing teachers to cope with the challenge of quality of education? How can the training of teachers be improved? Why is the teaching profession not attracting the best candidates and what could be done in this regard? Approach 8. The workshop will be interactive and participatory in discussing concepts and sharing of ideas. Experts from SAARC Member States will make presentations on various aspects while discussion will take the agenda forward. The environment thus created will be participant friendly in all respects. There will be a number of facilitators explaining themes, highlighting the connections, theories and practices related to quality of education and role of teachers in it. Groups may prepare their reports and present their findings before the participants. The SHRDC will prepare the workshop report later on. Methodology 9. To achieve the workshop objectives, a number of methodologies will be used including lectures and demonstrations, peer work and group work. Resource Persons will arrange activities according to the nature and requirement of their respective themes to make the topics comprehensive and interesting for the participants. After each presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session in which participants will ask questions and/or give their inputs in relation to the topic under discussion. Emphasis will also be given to the group work in which participants are expected to come up with SAARC specific suggestions and recommendations about teacher’s role in achieving quality of education in the region. SAARC Human Resource Development Centre, Islamabad Pakistan 4 Expected Outcome of the workshop 10. It is expected that participants will develop replicable template models of teacher training and suggest modalities for achieving quality of education in the SAARC member states. Suggesting such models of teacher preparation for achieving quality of education would be the most desirable outcome. As a group of professionals they are expected to come up with particular suggestions and recommendations on the theme. Participants 11. About 28 participants (3 participants each from Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and 7 from Bangladesh) are expected to attend the workshop. Participants’ profiles include the following: a) Mid-level policymakers/functionaries, trainers/professionals, teachers from government, semi-government organizations and NGOs working in the field of Education specially those who are working at the grass root levels; b) Researchers and scholars; and  c) Civil society, NGOs, Donor and Private Sector Representatives. Logistic Support: 12. Free boarding and lodging will be provided to the participants/Resource Persons. Moreover, pick drop service will also be provided. Date and Duration 13. The workshop is of three days duration w. e. f. December 26-28, 2011. Venue of the Workshop 14. Institute of Educational Development, BRAC University, RD. 2, House 113/A, Niketon, Gulshan 1, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Contact Persons Mr. Rehmat Wali Khan (Focal Person), Education Officer SHRDC, Islamabad Ph: +92-51-9255387, Cell: +92-344-2312524 E-mail: [emailprotected] com SAARC Human Resource Development Centre, Islamabad Pakistan 5 Dr. Erum Mariam (Focal Point in Bangladesh), Director, Institute of Educational Development, BRAC University, RD. 2, House 113/A, Niketon, Gulshan 1, Dhaka Ph: 880 2 9881265 Ext. 2212 Email: erum. [emailprotected] net Dr. Riffat Aysha Anis, Director SHRDC, Islamabad Ph: +92-51-9255159, Fax: +92-51-9255160 SAARC Human Resource Development Centre, Islamabad Pakistan.

Religious Justifications For Terrorism Produce More Terrorist Acts Politics Essay

Religious Justifications For Terrorism Produce More Terrorist Acts Politics Essay Terror is violence or threat of violence perpetrated by private individuals or small groups from the hegemonic strata against members of negative reference groups and that enjoys the tacit approval if not active participation of members of the security forces. A terrorist is an individual who carries out or threatens to carryout acts of terror, for hire or not for hire. The act of harming or killing others, who are direct enemies or innocent victims, may be for monetary gain, gain of group principle, gain of personal principle, or any combination. Terrorism is an international problem with new terrorists groups emerging all over the world and the governments had little success to resolve the issues in which terrorism is used. Religious terrorism has become a tool for the political terrorism in the modern world. Religious terrorists are more dangerous than the national terrorists as they target mostly the people than a nation. It is referred to holy or sacred terror and confined not only to Islam but also includes Jews in Israel, Sikh terrorists in India and few other groups in United States. History shows that people have involved in violence to promote their religious belief. Thus religious belief and willingness of people to die for their religion has lead to many wars for centuries. Islamic terrorism dominates the world in the 21st century and caused many deadly acts in the world. Most of the religious terrorists group fight for the Islamic belief and act violently against the people who dont believe Islam. Some of the main religious terrorists groups are listed below. Al-Qaeda is the worlds most dangerous terrorists group and a major threat for United States. They were responsible for the attacks on world trade centre, Khobar Tower residence In Saudi, Bali bombings, U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and many more violent acts throughout the world. Islamic terrorism also caused serious problems in India. Destruction of Babri Masjid caused many serious problems in India. Hindus destroyed the Mosque because the location of the building was the birth place of Lord Ram and this is root cause for the further terrorist acts in India. This essay argues that the religious justifications for terrorism cause more terrorists acts with Al-Qaeda and Lashkar-E-Toiba taken as an example for religious terrorists group. There are different religions in the world with different ideologies formed around governments. Extremists in the religion provoke the people to act violently and cause terrorism in a society. Many terrorists actions are committed in the name of religion, but no religion sponsor the act of terrorism. Ramzi Ahmad Yousef, Islamic terrorist was involved in much violence and responsible for the World Trade Centre bombing. This incident would later turn out to not be the only attack on the World Trade Centre. Many Islamic militants act individually and it is hard to trace them because not every member of the Islamic faith is a terrorist. Religious belief and its justification resulted in many terrorists attacks in India, Unites States, Israel and Kenya. India and Israel faced more problems and terrorist activities continue to grow killing thousands of innocent people every year. The principle of Religious terrorist is that their violent acts from feelings of rage and hatred reinforced by their belief system. Thus the terrorists groups justify their violence in the name of god and they are the followers of God. But all terrorist groups and countries argue that their enemy are evil, corrupt, uncivilized, and subhuman and that it is only through violence that peace and prosperity for all begin. Americas done this to justify the invasion and attacks on Iraq. Al Qaeda has done this to justify their terrorist attacks on Unites States and England. In return, terrorists act will continue to justify for some reasons and result in massive terrorism acts. Hafiz Saeed, a Islam Scholar, stated that the purpose of Jihad is to carry out a sustained struggle for Islam dominance in the world and to eliminate all evil forces. He considers India, Israel and United States to be his major enemies and has threatened to launch Fidayeen (suicide squad) attacks on American interests too. THE ROLE OF ISLAM IN TERRORISM: Militant Islamic Beliefs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Jihad (holy war) Ø ¬Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ÃƒËœÃƒËœÃ‚ ¯ is the revolutionary struggle to seize power of the good of all humanity and in the last resort an armed struggle. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Universal Jihad against the modern Jahiliyyah Ø ¬ÃƒËœÃƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  ÃƒËœÃ‚ © (ignorant barbarism) is required. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Western governments contain the possibility of evil, oppression, and tyranny. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Democracy (in which the people usurp Gods rule) is Jahiliyyah. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ All westernized forms of government usurp Gods authority. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Secular so-called Muslim rulers have departed from God and Gods law. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Muslims are duty-bound to overthrow every corrupt secular dictator. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Jihad against corrupt Muslim rulers is necessary..(ISLAM-EID PAPER) AL-QAEDA-THE ISLAMIC TERRORIST GROUP The origins of Al Qaeda are rooted in the Afghanistan resistance to the Russian invasion from 1979 to 1989. Osama, belong to millionaire family moved to Afghan in 1980s to unite Muslims. In 1992, he aimed to attack United States and argued that they not only supported Israel but also kept Arab regimes in power that did not follow Islamic beliefs. In 1998, Al-Qaeda joined with Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the leaders of the group published a fatwa which states Ruling to kill Americans and their allies. Their role is to kill all Americans and spread Islam through out the world. There is no rule in the Quran to kill the people but the extremists convince the act in the name of the religion. In the book Messages to the world where Osama states, What are we calling you to? The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam. It is the religion of the Unity of God, sincerity, the best of manners, righteousness, mercy, honour, purity, and piety. It is the religion of showing kindness to other s, establishing justice between them. His statements strongly prove that he wants to threaten the non believers of Islam and expel the westerners and non Muslims from his region. He used terrorism as a tool and religion as a reason to achieve his goal. Even many Muslims were killed in the world trade centre attack and Osama justified by saying that they are not Muslims and a real Muslim should not stay long in the land of infidels. AL-QAEDA MOTIVATES OTHER TERRORIST GROUPS: Al-Qaedas terrorists activities includes hijacking, bombing, suicide attacks, kidnapping and assassinations. They target mostly public buildings, embassies, modern Muslim monuments so they can make a powerful impact among the public. Former CIA Director George J. Tenet states, Osama Bin Ladens organization and other terrorist groups are placing increased emphasis on developing surrogates to carry out attacks in an effort to avoid detection. Al-Qaedas activities motivate many Muslim terrorists organization to perform terrorist attacks. Like Egyptian Islamic Jihad has linked to Al-Qaeda has grown in to a big group and has operative locations in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Europe. Sunni Muslim extremists have grown and have their presence in North Africa, Palestine, Pakistan and Central Asia. The state government sponsor those people to perform terrorists acts against United States. Some of the major Al-Qaedas attacks linked to car bombings in Saudi Arabia and Kenya, Bali bombing s, US embassy bombings, attacks on World Trade centre and Pentagon. Osama said Al-Qaida decided to destroy World Trade Centre and listed several factors that motivated the attack, including frustration over the American policies. He said Israels bombing attacks on Beirut in 1982 gave him the idea of hijacking the flights. Al-Qaeda proved their strength by these attacks and thus many terrorists organizations acted violently with the support of Al-Qaeda. ISLAMIC TERRORISM IN INDIA: India is a Hindu populated country and Muslims were minority. The extremists in the country decided to secularize and act against the minority Muslims. Many actions were taken against Indian Muslims including the elimination of Muslim education system of Madrassas. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh implemented policies for cow protection against the beef eating Muslims. This further angered the Muslim community in India and several communities were formed to act against the Indian government. Extremism amongst the Hindu community is explained or justified by the existence of Muslim extremism, especially as allegedly exported by Pakistan. Babri Masjid mosque was first constructed by Emperor Babar in Ayodhya and was destroyed on December 6, 1992 by Hindu nationalists which followed by waves of violence in India. The minority Muslims were beaten, Killed and their houses were set fired. The issue started in 1527 when Babar defeated the Hindu King, destroying the temple and constructed a mosque in Ayodhya. During the British rule in 1853, a riot broke out between Hindus and Muslims and the British government erected a fence dividing the worship area. In 1949, both the communities moved the court claiming ownership of the land and signed a petition on 1950. The solution for the verdict was announced on October 2010. During the period innocent Hindus and Muslims faced many problems as the extremists performed many riots. Riots around India caused the death of 2000 Muslims and were severe in Mumbai organised by Shiva Sena, a regional Hindu extremists. MUSLIM REACTIONS FOR THE BABRI MASJID ISSUE: Muslim community increasingly tended to react by violent and politically inspired action that meets the terrorism. The terrorism actions are generated from Kashmir and speeded through out the country. Following the destruction of the Mosque, the Muslim extremists targeted Mumbai and bombed the city in several places. It was the worst terrorists act in India killing 257 people and 1000 were injured. Muslim terrorist, Dawood Ibrahim was suspected for the Mumbai attack. He was claimed to be assisted by Pakistans ISI and explosives were provided to him. But Ibrahim has never been brought to trial; however the bombings were certainly conducted by the Indian Muslims and provoked other Muslims in India to act against Hindus. Indian Muslims also performed many alleged actions by bombing trains and attacks on Hindu political buildings. The religious extremists began to act violently throughout the country and the Hindu-Muslim controversy soon began to the International concentration. According to B. Raman, a former additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, the Jihadi terrorism has been forming since Ayodhya issue, not only in Mumbai but also in other states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. India focussed only in Kashmir terrorism and did not pay attention to the terrorism that threatens other regions of India. Three major terrorists group namely Lashkar-e-Toiba(LeT), Ahl-e-hadith and Students Islamic Movement of India(SIMI) has emerged and waged many terrorists attacks in India. LASHKAR-E-TOIBA(LeT) A THREAT TO INDIA: (Mumbai paper) LeT was announced as a terrorists group by the Indian government as they attacked India in the name of Muslim religion. India came fourth next to Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan in terms of casualties of terrorist attack. LeT, meaning army of the pure has been active since 1993. In 1990s it was argued that LeT was funded by ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) and PIA (Pakistan Intelligence Service). In return LeT should kill Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir and to train Muslim extremists on Indian soil. But Pakistans government has repeatedly denied allegations of supporting terrorism. Until it was banned in Pakistan in 2002, LeT claimed responsibility for many attacks. In 2000, three people were killed during the attack at Delhis Red Fort, Srinagar airport attack in 2001 killing five people and an attack against Indian border security forces in 2002 killing four people. In 2008, LeT used Ajmal Kasab and team to wage attacks in Mumbai which killed almost 170 people and some 300 were wounded. The motivation of the attack was purely religious and to provoke conflicts between Hindus and Muslims. Hussain Haqqani, Pakistans ambassador to Washington stated that LeT is one of the most significant terrorist groups. Why are we waging jihad, is the title for LeTs agenda and it includes the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India. They argue that India, Israel and United States are existential enemies of Islam and seek to create a unity among the Muslim countries that surround Pakistan. LeT justifies its ideology by the Quranic verse stated, You are obligated to f ight even though it is something you do not like. Conclusion; The al Qaeda network has not been alone in the religious assault on the secular state. In the last fifteen years of the post-Cold War world, religion seems to have been connected with violence everywhere: from the World Trade Center bombings to suicide attacks in Israel and Palestine; assassinations in India, Israel, Egypt, and Algeria; nerve gas in the Tokyo subways; abortion clinic killings in Florida; and the bombing of Oklahoma Citys federal building. What unites these disparate acts of violence is their perpetrators hatred of the global reach of the modern secular state.( e scholar ship paper) REFERENCE LIST Ackerman F, Goodwin NR Dougherty L  The Political Economy Of Inequality.  Washington: Island Press; 2000. Bartels LM   Unequal Democracy.  Princeton: Princeton University Press; 2008. Burtless, G. Jencks, C. (2003).  American Inequality and Its Consequences.  Washington: The Brookings Institution. Card, D. (2009), Immigration and Inequality,  Economists View,  Feb 23. Deardorff, A. V. (1998),  Technology, Trade, and Increasing Inequality: Does the Cause Matter for the Cure?,  The University of Michigan, Michigan. Gandhy OH Baron J  Inequality : Its All in the Way You Look at It.  : Sage Publications; 1998. Gordon JB Dewà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ becker   Unresolved Issues in the Rise of American Inequality.  Washington: ; 2007. Kluegal JR Smith ER  Beliefs About Inequality.  Newyork: Aldine De Gruyter; 1986. Neckerman, K. M. Torche, F. (2007).  Inequality: Causes and Consequences.  Newyork: 1Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy. Rosenthal, S. (2009), Inequality: The Root Source of Sickness in America,dissidentvoice,  Nov 3,. .

Strong Versus Weak Characters in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness :: Conrad Heart Darkness

Strong Versus Weak Characters in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness One of the central tragedies of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is the insanity of Mr. Kurtz. How could a man who seemed so good, so stable, suddenly become so mentally lacking? Through the deterioration of Kurtz’s personality and Marlow’s response to his breakdown, Conrad explores the elements of strong versus weak characters. Conrad introduces Kurtz as the archetypal European. French mother, English father, educated all over the continent- he’s strikingly average. By making him so normal Kurtz can serve as a model for all mankind- if it happened to this guy, who’s to say it couldn’t happen to anyone? At first Kurtz runs the inner station with common sense and justice (or what was considered justice during colonization), but before too long his character begins to spiral inward. Because of his over bearing personality, the Africans begin to look to Kurtz as a sort of god, and he begins to work with the idea. Had this occurred in society, he would have been checked: â€Å"Kurtz, stop being so silly.† But! In the jungle no one is there to keep him within societal boundaries- and the immense power he has begins to take hold of him. Kurtz is folding further and further into himself. The perfect example of this is the pamphlet Kurtz wrote. It seems that, though his actions say differently, when he is in the act of writing- something he learned in the civilized world- he can still function. He can still perform the, what is considered a solely human, trait of consciously thinking about and considering his own actions. Even when he talks about the pamphlet- he knows he wrote something and that it was good and important. Finally however, he writes at the bottom, â€Å"exterminate the brutes,† and the old Kurtz is gone. The once normal Kurtz has become a megalomaniac. Consider the shrunken heads put up around his house. It is feasible to think that perhaps a savage would do something like that as a warning to anyone who might stop by. Even in the horror- there is logic to it. But- Kurtz has them facing toward his house. This has no reasonable explanation, except that Kurtz has lost his mind. Conrad describes the scene almost as though Kurtz has them set up out there to look at, to talk to from time to time. His unchecked power of the natives takes away his human ability to reason and leaves an empty Kurtz-shaped hull.

Homers Iliad Essay -- Art Tool of Warfare Papers

Homer's Iliad The Iliad is an epic of death. It is a tale of conflict, batle, agony, and horific mutilation. Honor and glory are atained through warfare. The great shield of Achiles stands out in this context because it depicts the glories of an orderly, functioning, productive civilization. This depiction of life stands in stark contrast to the scenes of death that constitute a large portion of the narative. An examination of the shield of Achiles in Homer’s Iliad reveals many ideas in conflict: love and honor, the pleasures of life versus a heroic death, free wil and destiny. By viewing the shield as an element of contradistinction—that is to define it on the basis of contrast—one can se that the shield symbolicaly unifies the entire poem. Achiles’ shield is the mechanism through which the poet presents a tool of warfare as a reflection of civilization; explores the concept, structure, and nature of the universe; and examines the role of art in society. I. A Reflection of Civlization on a Tool of Warfare In the epic tradtion, the arming of wariors for batle holds particular significance. The description of a warior’s armor tels much about the individual character of the warior and about the values of the society of which he is part. The Iliad contains many such arming scenes which take the simple description of armor and transform it into a more expansive and iluminating portrait of ancient Greek mentality. When compared with one another, these descriptions of armor reveal some basic distinctions that make the shield of Achiles of utmost importance. As noted by Atchity in Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory, the armor of Paris is described in book thre in a conventional and most undistinguishe... ...ch contradictions. Art is the medium through which humans explore life’s great questions and test its boundaries. Armed with the belief that ordered civlization wil prevail, the artist—poet, metalworker, painter, actor—is fre to enter into the batle of ideals. Works Cited Atchity, Kenneth John. Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory. Carbondale, IL: Southern Ilinois Univ., 1978. Becker, Andrew Sprague. The Shield of Achiles and the Poetics of Ekphrasis. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Litlefield, 1995. Duethorn, Guenter A. Achiles’ Shield and the Structure of the Iliad. Amherst, MA: Amherst Colege, 1962. Edwards, Mark W. The Iliad: A Commentary. Vol. V: books 17–20. G.S. Kirk gen. ed. Cambridge, MA: 1995. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Richmond Latimore. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago, 1961. Keats, John. â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn.† 4 Oct. 2003 < htp://www.poets.org/poems/>. Homer's Iliad Essay -- Art Tool of Warfare Papers Homer's Iliad The Iliad is an epic of death. It is a tale of conflict, batle, agony, and horific mutilation. Honor and glory are atained through warfare. The great shield of Achiles stands out in this context because it depicts the glories of an orderly, functioning, productive civilization. This depiction of life stands in stark contrast to the scenes of death that constitute a large portion of the narative. An examination of the shield of Achiles in Homer’s Iliad reveals many ideas in conflict: love and honor, the pleasures of life versus a heroic death, free wil and destiny. By viewing the shield as an element of contradistinction—that is to define it on the basis of contrast—one can se that the shield symbolicaly unifies the entire poem. Achiles’ shield is the mechanism through which the poet presents a tool of warfare as a reflection of civilization; explores the concept, structure, and nature of the universe; and examines the role of art in society. I. A Reflection of Civlization on a Tool of Warfare In the epic tradtion, the arming of wariors for batle holds particular significance. The description of a warior’s armor tels much about the individual character of the warior and about the values of the society of which he is part. The Iliad contains many such arming scenes which take the simple description of armor and transform it into a more expansive and iluminating portrait of ancient Greek mentality. When compared with one another, these descriptions of armor reveal some basic distinctions that make the shield of Achiles of utmost importance. As noted by Atchity in Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory, the armor of Paris is described in book thre in a conventional and most undistinguishe... ...ch contradictions. Art is the medium through which humans explore life’s great questions and test its boundaries. Armed with the belief that ordered civlization wil prevail, the artist—poet, metalworker, painter, actor—is fre to enter into the batle of ideals. Works Cited Atchity, Kenneth John. Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory. Carbondale, IL: Southern Ilinois Univ., 1978. Becker, Andrew Sprague. The Shield of Achiles and the Poetics of Ekphrasis. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Litlefield, 1995. Duethorn, Guenter A. Achiles’ Shield and the Structure of the Iliad. Amherst, MA: Amherst Colege, 1962. Edwards, Mark W. The Iliad: A Commentary. Vol. V: books 17–20. G.S. Kirk gen. ed. Cambridge, MA: 1995. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Richmond Latimore. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago, 1961. Keats, John. â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn.† 4 Oct. 2003 < htp://www.poets.org/poems/>.