Thursday, September 19, 2019
Exodus and the Ethics of Labor Essay -- Social Issues, Oppression
Oppression is something that has been repeated throughout history all over the world. Whether it was the oppression of Black Americans during the Jim Crow period or the oppression of Jews in Nazi Germany during World War II, oppression is an unethical act that humanity has not yet moved past. Looking to the Bible as a source of Christian ethics in terms of how to fight oppression and promote equality brings to attention how God intended His people to be treated, especially the poor and the helpless. The book of Exodus is a primary guide for what the ethics of labor ought to be in the work force to avoid oppression. One might reference the story of the Israelites in the book of Exodus. The Israelites are under the thumb of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians that force them into slave labor. The grueling and overly strenuous labor conditions in which the Israelites are put under is comparable to the labor conditions that the employees of slaughterhouses are forced to endure today, as illus trated by Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. By comparing these two labor conditions, the reader is able to apply the Biblical ethics found in Exodus to modern times. â€Å"Knocker, Sticker, Shackler, Rumper, First Legger, Knuckle Dropper,†these are just a few of the positions the workers at a slaughterhouse get assigned to. Simply reading the names of the above job positions induces a sense of nausea and hints at the inherent brutality that these positions demand (Schlosser, 172). Because the weight and size of cows is unpredictable, most of the labor in the slaughterhouse must be done by hand. On the kill floor of a slaughterhouse, workers are forced to slice cattle into halves with a power saw â€Å"as though they were two-by-fours,†(Schlosser, 170). Wo... ...is people to be free and live and work under ethical and just conditions. Jesus preaches that as long as the Israelites follow his commandments, they will be â€Å"treasured among all people†and that they will live in a â€Å"land of milk and honey,†(Exodus 3:8). Unlike the unethical laws that the Pharaoh forced upon the Israelites, Jesus’s commandments are moral and promote the common good of the whole community. The Bible says in Exodus 1:12, â€Å"But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.†This provides hope the workers in the slaughterhouses whom are still forced to work under unsafe conditions today. The workers must become collectively active and speak up and fight for their right to an ethical work environment. Ultimately, the minorities and immigrants will become the majority, and the â€Å"dictators†of the world will be forced to step down.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
The Hidden Agenda of the News Media Essay -- TV Television Newspapers
The Hidden Agenda of the News Media People use many different sources in order to gain knowledge about current events. In America, historically, mass media and television have been the most dominant sources for information. Over the last decade, internet-based news sites and talk-radio shows have emerged as viable alternatives to the traditional media. While, obviously, the latest forms of news media are very different from their â€Å"elder†counterparts regarding the conveyance of the information, they share some of the same issues regarding the reporting of the news. News coverage can be, and usually is, influenced by many factors including, but not limited to: personal political ideology, religion, culture, and economics. The â€Å"inner†influences of political ideology, cultural values, and religion are not limited to the writer or reporter of a story. Editors, managers, and owners are also subjected to these pressures, in addition to the need to turn a profit, and, therefore, also influe nce the reporting of the news. Because of these influences, the final product is rarely an objective reporting of the facts. News sources convey their subjectivity, sometimes subtly, other times blatantly, through many methods. Listeners, readers, and viewers of all media should consume all information with a grain of salt. The goal of this paper is to take one single news topic, somehow related to the United States, and see how it is treated, or â€Å"spun†, by two different foreign news sources. Although I could have chosen a topic related to the American presence in the Middle East, I chose instead to look for a topic that might be treated with subtle subjectivity: the cancellation of three of pop star Madonna’s concerts in Israe... ...ans. On the other hand, the Arutz SHEVA story is blatantly subjective, almost to the point of becoming propaganda. Freund’s attempt to link the Palestinian Authority to terrorist threats is very apparent, and considering the information found on the Opinion page, it is obvious why. Arutz SHEVA appears to be written by religious conservatives and nationalists, and intended for an audience of the same mindset. Both, the Arutz SHEVA article and, to a lesser extent, the AP story, are examples of how terms, phrases, and emphasis can be used to â€Å"spin†a news topic to convey your message. My analysis of these two stories supports the argument for consumers to take all information with a grain of salt. Works Cited The Straits Times, http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,252771-230000,00.html? Arutz SHEVA, http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=62927
Financial Analysis Essay -- essays research papers
Financial Accounting MidTerm I.     Debit vs. Credit A.     Debit Debit = left side of T-account On the Balance Sheet a debit indicates: 1.     An increase in an asset 2.     A decrease in a liability 3.     A decrease in shareholders’ equity item B.     Credit Credit = Right side of T-account On the Balance Sheet a credit indicates: 1.     A decrease in an asset 2.     An increase in a liability 3.     An increase in shareholders’ equity item ** HINT** - Identify two components of each transaction: 1.) what did you get; 2.) where did it come from. The debit is what you got, and the credit is the source of the item you received. For instance, let’s imagine that you purchase a computer with your credit card. Since the computer is what you received it’s going to result in a debit to the asset account for your computer. The credit will be applied to the credit card liability account for the same amount. II.     What accounts Increase/Decrease with debits and credits      Account Type     Debit      Credit Balance Sheet     Assets      Increase     Decrease Balance Sheet     Liabilities     Decrease     Increase Balance Sheet     Owner’s Equity     Decrease     Increase Income Statement     Revenue     Decrease     Increase Income Statement     Cost of goods sold     Increase     Decrease Income Statement     Expenses     Increase     Decrease III.     Typical Accounts A.     Assets Cash     Marketable Securities Accounts receivable      Notes receivable Interest Receivable  &nb... ...ccounts decrease cash and appear with negative signs. 2) Step 2: Classify the change in each balance sheet account as an operating, or investing, or financing activity and enter it in the appropriate column of the work sheet using the same sign as the first column. 3.) Step 3: Sum the entries in the Operations, Investing, and Financing Columns and net the 3 sums to ensure that they equal the net change in cash. ***Things to Remember*** In T-accounts the balance are as follows:      Asset: balance on the left      Liability: balance on the right      Stockholders’ equity: balance on the right Balance Sheet is written as follows:      Assets      Liabilities      Stockholders’ equity Income Statement is written as follows:      Sales      Other Revenue      Cost of Goods Sold      Expenses      Net Income Statement of Cash Flows (Indirect Method) is written as follows: Operations Investing Financing
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Analysis and Comparison of Iranian and American Management; the Cultural Dimensions and Values Essay
This report is aimed to represent a brief description of the Iranian management values today and compare the results with a developed country like Unites State. First it will give a description of some of the characteristics of Iran management and culture, then it is tried to categorize these characteristic base on Hofstede’s Dimensions (1980) (power distance, avoiding uncertainty, masculinity/femininity, individualism/collectivism) and Flower’s dimensions, Flower 1975, (tribalistic, egocentric, conformist, manipulative, sociocentric, existential). In the next step will be presenting of relative information about United State and at the end the comparison between the results. Most parts of this report is focused on Iran management. IRAN The name ‘‘Iran’’ was used as early as the third century BC by a ruler who described his empire as Iran-shahr and himself as the ‘‘King of Kings’’. The country is highly diverse from every point of view, especially in topography and climate. The population of Iran is estimated at some 70 million, 12 million of which live in the capital Tehran and its suburbs. The official language of Iran is Persian (Farsi) which is an Indo-European language derived from Sanskrit. The country has one of the world’s most diverse ethnic groups ever assembled in one country: Persian (56 per cent), Turk (Azari) (24 per cent), Gilaki (8 per cent), Kurd (8 per cent), Lur, Baluch, Arab and Turkaman. The religious groups are Shiite Muslim, Sunni Muslim, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Bahaii. At the present, Iran is an Islamic republic, ruled according to a constitution providing for executive, legislative and judicial branches. The political system comprises both elected and un-elected institutions. Iran’s economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil, large enterprises, village agriculture, small-scale private trading and service ventures. All large industries and the majority of medium-scale enterprises are run by the public institutions particularly the foundations which were set up during the revolution. These entities own some 20 per cent of the country’s assets, and contribute 10 per cent of GDP (Khajehpour, 2000), however, they are generally mismanaged. Management in Iran Iranian management today is interesting firstly because the country is slowly opening up to the West after two decades of ignorance on the part of Westerners as to sides of life in Iran other than the political and religious aspects. Up till quite recently, the political discourse was dominated by the belligerent official language and images of mobs demonstrating in the streets against â€Å"the devils in the West†. Now after twenty years of austere clerical regime, the reform movement is gradually gaining momentum, especially among young people who have not known life before the Revolution. Secondly Iranian management is interesting because most people confound Iranians with Arabs, believing that what they learn about Arab countries is also valid for Iran, and this obviously is a misunderstanding. We begin our discussion with bringing some insights into Iranian society and its culture. Based on Hofstede’s findings (1980) Iran is classified in near Eastern cluster including Turkey and Greece. A more recent research found that Iran is part of the South Asian cultural cluster consisting of such countries as India, Thailand and Malaysia (Javidan and Dastmalchian, 2003). For a newcomer these findings may seem very different from the image of Iran as a predominant Islamic/Middle-Eastern country which is often confused with its neighbours. The point is that as a country situated in the Middle East, Iran has many commonalities with its neighbour Muslim countries; however, due to its unique historical, linguistic and racial identities it has a different and unique culture. Collectivism A very fundamental issue in every society is the priority given to interests of individuals versus those of collectivity. Hofstede (1980) views an individualistic society as one in which beliefs and behaviours are determined by the individual; whereas in a collectivistic society the attitudes are determined by loyalty towards one’s group. The manifestations of collectivism and social networking are very common in Iranian management. Personal connections and informal channels seem more practical, whereas formal systems, official institutions and procedures are considered less efficient and even bothering. As a direct result, Iranian society tends to perate rather on the basis of personal relationships among people, than on the basis of impersonal and mechanised institutions. The use of informal channels may imply bending rules and taking advantages to which one is not formally entitled. The popular Persian term for this practice and other forms of nepotism and favouritism is Partibazi, which is a common practice in Iranian organizations. For instance, it would not be unusual for Iranian managers to hire a relative or acquaintance for a job vacancy, even though they could easily employ a more competent but unknown worker. Collectivism has also a significant influence on the communication. An outcome of collectivism is the implicit and high-context communication in Iranian culture. Iranians from an early age learn to be careful about what they say and are advised to use an indirect language for expressing their intentions (Javidan and Dastmalchian, 2003). Persian language and literature are full of nuances and metaphors which should be interpreted in their context and cannot be taken at face value. A particular and very common form of indirect language in Iranian culture is Taarof which can be translated literally as politeness, but has a much more profound significance. In fact, Taarof implies a wide range of complicated and highly polite expressions/behaviours, which should not be interpreted literally. This kind of context-bound communication is very common in Iranian organizations in both written and oral forms. Power distance This orientation concerns the extent to which the less powerful members of a society expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. This orientation concerns the extent to which the less powerful members of a society expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. Results from Yeganeh and Zhan(2007) about ‘‘hierarchy’’ reflect the high degree of hierarchical distance among Iranian managers. Hofstede (1980) considers these characteristic as power distance in his research. The antecedents of this high hierarchical distance are deeply rooted in many aspects of Iranian mythology, history, politics, religion and family structure. Manifestations of high degree of hierarchical distance are various and numerous in Iranian management. A very clear example is the over-centralization of the capital Tehran. Despite the diversity and largeness of country, all administrative bodies and decision-makings are concentrated in the capital and other provinces should obey the resolutions. Other examples include top-down management, authoritarian decision-making (Javidan and Dastmalchian, 2003) and hierarchical structure of reward systems. For instance, there is considerable gap between compensation packages intended for people working at the top of organization and those working at entry levels. Managers consider it normal that people at higher levels have more privileges than those at lower levels. An outcome of hierarchical distance, combined with effects of collectivism and family-orientation is the dominance of paternalism in Iranian organizations, which is encouraged also by Islamic virtues. Schramm-Nielsen and Faradonbeh (2002) reported that Iranian employees expected superiors to help them in a variety of issues such as financial problems, wedding expenses, purchasing of new homes, illness in the family, education of children and even marital disputes. Past-orientation Results from Yeganeh and Zhan (2007) indicate Iranian managers tend to be past- rather than future-oriented. The orientation toward past may be crystallized in honouring indigenous managerial styles and their underlying foundations. After the revolution of 1979, there was much emphasis on substitution of modern/western management by traditional/Islamic work-related principles. Therefore, Iranian executives were urged to realign their managerial styles and practices to religious, social and political values of revolutionary ideology. Not surprisingly, most of these managerial styles were not based on rationality and progress, but on old-fashioned and obsolete views which were not efficient and practical. The past orientation can be manifested also in terms of neglecting plans or setting short-time horizon and also relative high uncertainty avoidance. High uncertainty avoidance means that members of the society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity and thus support beliefs that promise certainty and conformity. Activity orientation (being versus doing) According to Yeganeh and Zhan(2007) , ‘‘Activity Orientation’’ corresponds to masculinity dimension as described by Hofstede (1980). It is argued that in a ‘‘Doing’’ culture, people tend to view work activities as core to their existence, and they attach much importance to achievement and hard work. In contrast, in ‘‘Being’’ cultures peace of mind is cherished and emphasis is placed on immediate and unplanned actions. In reality, it is possible to witness demonstration of both ‘‘Being’’ and ‘‘Doing’’ orientations in Iranian society. For instance, a good deal of Persian literature is devoted to peace of mind, pleasure and frugality. Moreover, affected by Islamic culture, Iranians tend to view the world as an ephemeral step which does not worth hard work and which should be considered as a transitional phase toward eternal life and salvation. While these manifestations correspond to ‘‘Being’’ orientation, Iranians are known also for ‘‘Masculine’’ qualities such as individual achiever (Javidan and Dastmalchian, 2003), militant, hard-working and efficient. Bargaining Whereas doing business always means trying to negotiate the best deal in terms of price and related conditions anywhere in the world, this does not normally in the Western world extend to everyday little purchases. The bargaining represents a tradition that goes back thousands of years. According to this tradition the choice of dealer or business relation is an important one. The tradition is also that you bargain with your usual suppliers. The Western custom of shopping around for the best price and the best conditions is not well accepted. The obvious reason is that it breaks with the golden rule of trust. It takes time to build up a relationship based on trust, and so you need to have a long-term strategy and a lot of patience. Uncertainty avoidance High uncertainty avoidance means that members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity and thus support beliefs that promise certainty and conformity (Daft 2003). According to Ali and Amirshahi (2002) results, the primary values of Iranian Managers are conformist. Flower’s dimensions Based on a research by Alishahi (2002) which was conducted through istributing twenty-two hundred questionnaires to a random sample of Iranian managers, the primary values of Iranian managers are conformist, sociocentric. Indeed, the outer-directed values (conformist, sociocentric, and tribalistic) are relatively dominant. This result may have its roots in the political and cultural reality. Since the Islamic revolution, Islamic values have been propagated. The emphasis has been on achievement and human dignity and on societal causes, rather than on personal material gains, in alleviating internal problems. Both dimensions reinforce conformity and sociocentric attitudes without discounting the existential outlook and personal growth. The Islamic regime constantly reminds the public about the outside threat and the need to sacrifice personal gains for the sake of society. In addition, the core philosophy of the regime is that the poor and unfortunate segments of the society must have access to political and economic opportunities. It should be mentioned too that the current Islamic regime condones both conformity and sociocentric outlooks. In an era of transition, managers may seek to avoid uncertainty by going along with the public pronouncements of the regime. Nevertheless, certain values differ across some variables, such as size of organization, ownership, managerial position, and father’s occupation. For example, manipulative managers were found in larger organizations and in the private sector. A typical manipulative manager relies on building a network of friends and supporters, and on careful political manoeuvres. Large corporations in Iran were public or had been nationalized after the revolution. Both have experienced profound restructuring in terms of power distribution and economic partnership. Perhaps this situation created opportunities for a new allegiance to seize power and gain influence. Sociocentric value is found among lower-level managers and those with peasant, working class, and clergy origins. Those with working and lower class origins, therefore, may have developed an awareness of the enormous social differences, and may nurture the feeling of belonging to â€Å"social classes†that have little or nothing in common with upper social classes. Perhaps this in turn creates a commitment to humanistic and community causes and strengthens the desire for a just society. United State management American culture is characterized by high individualism with loosely knit social frameworks. In individualistic societies, people are supposed to take care of themselves and their immediate families. Since individualism is high in the United States, work and accomplishments are viewed as person-centred. Thus, issues of individual meritocracy and perceptions of fairness are likely to be more pronounced among American employees. Materialism, according to Abdu K. (2004), conveys the idea that being affluent, prosperous and rich should be encouraged and suggests that a certain product or service will make the user well off. However, the simplistic approach, like in the USA, conveys the â€Å"just enough idea,†which emphasizes ego needs and self-actualization, rather than just material comfort. Pluralism refers to the degree to which national culture fosters simultaneous coexistence of different ethnic groups with strong identities. In a low pluralism culture, minority groups are completely absorbed by the dominant culture. The minority groups either completely replace their identities with those of the dominant culture, or retain weaker cultural linkages with the dominant cultural group. High pluralism on the other hand characterizes simultaneous coexistence of diverse ethnic groups with strong identities. Both Iranian and American culture is non-pluralistic or ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism means that people have a tendency to regard their own culture as superior and to downgrade other cultures. In both countries cultural differences are unified into a coherent, universal work culture. Diverse groups are absorbed into the mainstream work culture to create uniform work norms, beliefs and values. In such a non-pluralistic culture, minority communities have weak identities and legitimacy. Thus, the in-group–out-group ideology may not be as prominent in non-pluralistic cultures as in pluralistic culture. Rather than compete with minority cultures, the dominant culture aims at absorbing the minority cultures. Ethnocentrism within a country makes it difficult for foreign firms to operate. Based on a research by Alishahi (2002), prevailing dominant values in the U. S. are, (egocentric, manipulative, and existential; 60% inner-directed). United state is characterized by low power distance a relatively high tolerance for uncertainty and emphasizes shared power and authority, with team members working on a variety of problems without formal guidelines, rules, and structure. Many workers in Iran expect organizations to be hierarchy.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Compare and contrast Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe with Golding’s Lord of the Flies Essay
This essay will compare the two novels, Robinson Crusoe and Lord of the Flies, to see how each author reflected the point of view of society at the time that they lived in. The nature of civilisation will be viewed from their two different perspectives. Daniel Defoe published Robinson Crusoe in 1719; William Golding published Lord of the Flies in 1954. Both novels are the first fiction works of their respective authors and they deal with the issue of being deprived of the surroundings of the civilisation that they are used to. The former is about a man, shipwrecked repeatedly, and how he survives in the face of slavery and savagery. The latter concerns a group of schoolchildren whose plane crashes onto an island after a nuclear war breaks out and explains how they cope and change as time wears on with no sign of a rescue. Although the subject matter of these two books is similar on the surface, there is a contrast in the way the two authors represent civilisation. Daniel Defoe was a novelist, journalist, businessman and spy. He defended William of Orange and Mary’s rise to the throne. He attacked the Church of England in his book The Shortest Way with Dissenters and he was fined and imprisoned, but after his release he became a spy for the government. He did not begin writing until he was almost sixty. The Robinson Crusoe narrative was inspired by the actual experience of Alexander Selkirk on the island of Juan Fernandez from 1704 to 1709. Defoe wrote for the middle and lower classes and his realism and sentimentalism pleased them. At the time Britain was at the beginning of its Empire building phase and was entering a ‘Golden Age.’ After the union with Scotland in 1707, internal trade prospered in this, the largest customs-free area in Western Europe. The aristocracy and upper middle class that controlled Parliament also controlled the principal trading and banking companies, so that the growth of new enterprises was more rapid than anywhere else in Europe. The gradual control of the seas, the establishment of trading posts in exotic lands, and the policy of taking overseas territories as booty from successful wars enabled Britain to gain commercial benefits and to build the world’s largest empire. Inside Britain, the Industrial Revolution was under way. New countries were seen as lands of opportunity and resource; many people emigrated to make their fortune in tobacco growing or gold mining etc. There was a general air of optimism concerning mankind’s future and when Crusoe is shipwrecked – the only survivor on an unknown island – he fights for survival not only in the physical sense but also in the sense that he fights for his belief that civilisation would conquer all difficulties. The main character of Defoe’s book is Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe wanted to go to sea and explore rather than follow his father’s wishes and practise law; as it says on the first page: â€Å"My father†¦design’d me for the Law; but I would be satisfied with nothing but going to Sea.†Robinson Crusoe repeatedly went out to sea, even though after each expedition he always vowed to go home and stay on land. Eventually he was shipwrecked on an island and this is where the main narrative of the story begins. In this book he retains a strong sense of civilisation. This is shown after he rescues a savage from other savages who were about to eat him. He called him Friday after the day that he had met him, immediately taught him English and what his morals were: â€Å"†¦I likewise taught him to say Master, and then let him know, that was to be my name†¦I would give him Cloaths.†Crusoe also warned Friday off cannibalism and when he later rescues a Spaniard and Friday’s father from savages, he thought he had an example of society: â€Å"How like a King I looked†¦ The whole country was my own†¦property; so that I had undoubted Right of Dominion†¦My people were perfectly subjugated: I was absolute Lord and Law-giver.†Order is brought out of chaos by civilisation. The Lord of the Flies, on the other hand, was written when the Cold War was under way, nuclear tensions were high and people were nervous and fearful about the future of mankind. The story reflects Golding’s thoughts about civilisation – what in his view it was really like when the coating was stripped away. The story begins with the aeroplane crashing and the group of schoolchildren forming a semblance of a society with a democratically appointed leader. However as the narrative progresses, civilisation slowly falls apart; the main group of boys become savages and lives are taken. The book ends with all sense of civilisation being lost and the main character running for his life. Eventually civilisation is restored in the form of a Royal Navy cruiser, after spotting the signal that the boys initially lit, coming to rescue them. The main character in Lord of the Flies is named Ralph and this story starts with another boy and him discussing what happened to the plane that they were in. After finding more children and no adults he called a meeting where he said, â€Å"Seems to me that we ought to have a chief to decide things.†This shows he had some views on the need for planning. Jack, another boy, also had some sense of civilisation: â€Å"After all, we’re not savages. We’re English; and the English are best at everything.†This is ironic, as later on he is the one to break all the rules and become the chief of the savages. Eventually they came to a disagreement over a signal they had lit to try and attract rescue ships. Ralph wanted to keep it going, but the other children wanted to hunt animals. The group acted like a savage tribe and eventually chooses to abandon civilised living: one of Ralph’s friends, Piggy, offers the choice: â€Å"Which is better – to be a pack of painted niggers like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is? †¦ Which is better – to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill? †¦ Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?†The group then killed him and Ralph was running for his life. He represents a leader of a democratic society, which soon collapsed. â€Å"One chanced nothing! What could they do? Beat him? So what? Kill him? A stick sharpened at both ends.†At the end, when an officer from the rescue ship asks him who was in charge, he declared himself the leader again knowing that no one would dare challenge him in the face of civilisation protected by power. Ralph had no power in the story to protect his civilisation. Power lay with those who had the weapons. In Robinson Crusoe human freedom, based on reason, is seen to be a higher way of living in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Defoe notes the presence of religious differences and uses the situation to express his belief that freedom of belief should overrule religious bigotry: â€Å"We had but three Subjects, and they were of three different Religions. My man Friday was a Protestant, his Father was a Pagan and a Cannibal, and the Spaniard was a Papist: however, I allow’d Liberty of Conscience throughout my Dominions.†The opposite is true in Lord of the Flies as the group degenerates from civilised English schoolboys to primitive hunters only interested in the hunt and the kill. A pig’s head on a pole represents religion in this story, similar to a totem pole that the native Americans and other similar tribal people used. This represents a relapse to a less ‘reasonable’ form of existence. Lord of the Flies is similar to Animal Farm by George Orwell, in that the impression of civilisation disappears and chaos reigns as they overthrow the person in control and all the order that goes with it. By contrast, Robinson Crusoe is similar in outlook to The Swiss Family Robinson (Johann Wyss) in that both retain an optimistic outlook even after they have been shipwrecked on the island. In both of the above books they find and make living areas, they capture wild animals to make a farm and they both are religious. A further modern example of the ‘Castaway’ plot is in TV shows like ‘Big Brother’ or other situations where a group of people is stranded in an area and has to adapt to keep any semblance of control. The pressure seems to affect the group and behaviour is altered compared with what is normally seen in public society. The overall feel of Robinson Crusoe’s plot is optimistic – reflecting the times that Defoe lived in. Rene Descartes, a philosopher of the period, believed in the power of human spirit and reason over the force of nature. He said that ‘True knowledge must come from human reason alone. Defoe uses pirates and savages to symbolise a more primitive and uncontrolled force and uses Crusoe’s triumph over them to illustrate human spirit. Lord of the Flies, however, is pessimistic: all semblance of civilised society is stripped away. The two world wars undermined to ability of human beings to interact and use reason. Advances in society and technology had destroyed faith in rationalism and a belief grew that if left to our own devices, humans would in essence revert to animals. In the former novel the main character was on his own and it was only later did he have any company. There was no pressure on him to change into a savage and he could keep to the way he was wi thout anything to transform him. Lord of the Flies, however, portrays children like a pack of wolves, with the most influential ones being the leaders. When one of them started to backslide into savagery, he took the rest with him. William Golding essentially believes that all humans are evil inside, but it is just that civilisation puts pressure on you to keep in place and if it were not for the controls present in civilised society, we would all be like the savage group. â€Å"There was no Piggy to talk sense. There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch.†The Navy officer who arrived to take them back to the waiting ship said, â€Å"I should have thought that a pack of British boys would have been able to put up a better show than that.†Robinson Crusoe, on the other hand, arrived home with Friday (his servant) and immediately wanted to set sail again for South America. â€Å"My true friend the widow earnestly diswaded me from it, and so far prevail’d with me, that for almost seven years she prevented my running abroad.†This shows that he still had an adventurous spirit and was willing to go out again confident that he would be able to cope with any troubles. Both stories show that civilisation needs controls before it is effective; rules need to be enforced and reason alone may not be enough to ensure survival. Crusoe may not have survived without his gun and Ralph had nothing to protect himself with when the symbol of civilisation (the conch) was broken. In spite of this similarity, Defoe’s book presents a positive outlook for the future of humanity as civilisation spread across the globe, whereas Golding’s work suggested that the weapon would be used not to support civilisation, but to destroy it. Both reflect the world view of their times.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
An Accident from My Memory Essay
The cold numb feeling was freezing every part of me as I sat quietly inside the car that was twirling in the middle of the highway. Sitting there and patiently waiting for the airbag to explode and cover me as if it was my moms arms took some fear out of me but my body still shivered as if there would be no tomorrow. Even though its been almost four years, I can still recall that day as clear as crystal, yet most of me wished it would just turn into thin air and disappear. As I sit still today, I think of what would have happened to me if I had lost a loved one in that incident. That night made me realize about two important concepts in life. First, to respect what we have and make the best of our time because we never know when life can take it all away and second, to respect nature because when nature prevails itself, it can either kill us or save us. My hands were shivering as I went to go lock my front door, as I was turning the key I felt a large breeze of air pushing me back as if god himself did not want me to leave. As I moved towards the car I felt as if something was weird, it seemed as if I had a dà ©jà vu but I assumed that it was because of the fact that I did not eat anything the entire day. Slowly I opened the door to the car and sat in the front seat, as I sat down I heard a man on the radio saying that today would be the best day we are going to experience the entire winter, hearing that made everyone glad as we left towards Ottawa. With time we realized that the experience we were going to have is not going to be the best but the worst. As time passed we headed towards Ottawa, leaving the house behind and not knowing what to expect next. While blasting the music in the car I thought about how great this weekend would be and how much fun were going to have with the beautiful weather. At first everything seemed to be perfect as my dad was cruising along the smooth pavement at 110 km/hr but then things begun to change when the car started making a very soft yet annoying sound, hearing the sound my dad pulled over. Being on the side of the highway and staring out the window amazed me because I saw hundreds of cars going by every second. Watching the cars fly by fascinated me but at the same time they also terrorized me, while I sat still I thought about how one of the car might crash into our and destroy us all, thinking that I fell asleep. As I was sleeping I felt someone tapping my shoulder. The feeling of that tapping on the shoulder made me get up and as I looked over I saw my dad standing still saying wake up Ankit, wake up. Hearing the sound I woke up and as I looked up at the sky I saw total darkness and I noticed that I had been sleeping for three hours. As I walked towards Pizza Hut to eat I felt small water drops falling on my head and hands, at first I thought it was a small drizzle of snow that would stop in a few minutes but later I figured that the snow would get worse. As we finished eating we saw large amounts of snow falling on the road and making the roads more slippery. As I walked back to the car I looked into my moms eyes and noticed that there had been something frightening she saw, perhaps it was the large amounts of snow, I thought. Disregarding the snow we kept going and driving at high speeds towards Ottawa. At first everything seemed so beautiful because the pellets of snow slowly fell upon one another but with time they started getting bigger and bigger just like the terror in my moms eyes. Giving my mom sympathy and telling her we are going to make it to Ottawa safely helped her to calm down but there was still some terror that I could see. Talking to my mom surely made her feel better but at the same time it distracted my dad. When my dad had gotten distracted he lost his controls on the car which caused it to go out of control and twirl around in the middle of the highway. Luckily, when the car was twirling in the middle of the highway there was not a lot of traffic so the ones behind the car had stopped. However, other cars on the side of the highway kept going; as I stood in the front seat tightly gripping my belt I thought to myself that I would never see a tomorrow. As the car slid I looked at my family because they were the last people I would see before the airbag would explode and take me far away from this planet. My nerves were popping out of my skin as I held the grip tightly. Looking out the front window and watching cars drive by scared me even more because I knew if any one of those cars were to crash into ours then our chances of survival would be very low. As I sat still in the car I thought about how I would die, would it be in the hospital or would it be a simple death. At that moment my thoughts were not very positive and all that went through my mind was one question. Would I live or die? But believing in myself I decided to face my fear and bring back my senses just like my dad. Once my dad had gotten his senses back he had shifted the car into lower gear and pressed on the break frequently which eventually made the car stop. My dads consciousness gave me a second life and made me learn some important concepts that I would have never understood if I hadnt been a part of that incident. As time passed my wounds healed but the incident left me with a scar that may never be removed. Now that I look at my car I can recall those exact moments that made me more fearless. I have now learned that people should never challenge nature because nature can easily make a dramatic change and kill us all. Biography: http://www.projo.com/extra/2006/midlives/pages/week3/bina.htm
Saturday, September 14, 2019
The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ethan had Chloe, was holding her tightly in his arms like a parody of a lover's embrace. Matt moaned deep in his throat and strained toward her, but he couldn't move, couldn't even open his mouth to shout. Chloe's large brown eyes were fixed on his, and they were fil ed with terror. As Ethan bent his head to her neck, Matt held her gaze and tried to send Chloe a comforting message with his eyes. It's okay, Chloe, he thought. Please, it won't hurt for long. Be strong. Chloe whimpered, frozen, her eyes on Matt's as if his steady gaze was the only thing keeping her from fal ing to pieces. Keeping his eyes on hers and his breathing slow, Matt tried to emanate calmness, tried to soothe Chloe, as his mind worked frantical y. Including Ethan, there were fifteen Vitales. Al of them vampires. The other Vitales were watching quietly from behind the altar, letting Ethan take the lead and sire the pledges. The bodies of four of the pledges lay at Ethan's feet now. They'd be out of the picture for several hours at least, their bodies going through the transition that would take them from corpses to vampires. Including Matt and Chloe, there were six pledges left. The longer Matt waited to fight back, the worse the odds would get. But what could Matt do? If only he could break this involuntary stil ness, if only he weren't a helpless prisoner. He tried again to move, this time focusing al his strength on lifting his right arm. His muscles tensed with effort, but after about thirty seconds of trying, he stopped in disgust. He was exhausting himself, and he wasn't moving an inch. Whatever held him was strong. But if he could figure out a way to get free, then he'd be able to grab a torch from the wal , maybe. Beneath his robe, his pocket knife weighed heavily in his pants pocket. Vampires burned. Cutting off their heads would kil them. If he could just hold the vampires off long enough to pul Chloe and whichever other pledges he could grab out of the room, then he could come back later with reinforcements and fight them with a chance at winning. But if he couldn't break this spel or compulsion that was holding him in place, any plan he came up with would be useless. Ethan raised his head from Chloe's neck, his long sharp teeth pul ing out of her throat, and licked gently at the red blood trickling from the wound in her neck. â€Å"I know, sweetheart,†he murmured, â€Å"but it's only for a moment. And then we'l live forever.†Chloe's eyes glazed over and fluttered shut, but she was stil breathing, stil alive. There was stil a chance for her. At Ethan's feet, Anna stirred and moaned. As Matt watched in horror, her eyes snapped open, and she looked up at Ethan, her expression confused but adoring. No! Matt thought. It's too soon! As if he had caught the thought, Ethan turned to Matt and winked. â€Å"The herbs in the mixture you al drank worked to thin your blood and speed up your metabolism,†he said, his voice as casual and friendly as if they were chatting in the cafeteria. â€Å"I wasn't sure if it would work, but it looks like it does. Makes the transition go a lot faster.†His smile widened. â€Å"I'm a biochem major, you know.†Ethan's mouth was smeared with blood, and Matt shuddered but couldn't look away from the golden eyes that held his. It's possible, Matt thought for the first time, that I might not survive this. His stomach rol ed with nausea. He real y didn't want to become a vampire. If the newly transformed pledges were waking up so soon, the already slim odds would quickly become impossible. New vampires, he remembered from Elena's transformation back in the winter, awoke vicious, unreasoning, hungry, and fanatical y committed to the vampire who had changed them. Ethan lowered his head to bite at Chloe's neck again, as Anna climbed to her feet with a fluid, inhuman grace. On the other side of the altar, Stuart was now beginning to stir, one long leg shifting restlessly against the dark wood of the floor. His throat burning with unvoiced sobs of frustration, Matt felt his last flame of hope begin to flicker and die. There was no escape. Suddenly, the door at the far end of the chamber burst inward, and Stefan swept in. Ethan looked up in surprise, but before he or the other vampires could move, Stefan flew across the chamber and ripped Chloe from Ethan's arms. She fel flat in front of the altar, blood running down her neck. Matt couldn't tel if she was stil breathing, stil clinging to life as a human, or not. Stefan grabbed Ethan by his long robe and slammed him against the wal . He shook the curly-haired vampire as easily as a dog might shake a rat. For a moment, the terrible fear that held Matt in its grip loosened. Stefan knew what was happening, Stefan had found him. Stefan would save them al . The other Vitales were racing toward Stefan now as he struggled with Ethan, their long robes flowing behind them as they smoothly came forward, moving as one. Stefan was without a doubt much stronger than any of them. He flung a black-clad female vampire – the one who had handed him the goblet, Matt thought – away from him easily, and she sailed across the chamber as if she was no heavier than a rag dol , landing in a crumpled heap against the opposite wal . Smiling viciously, Stefan tore at the throat of another with his teeth, and she fel to the ground and lay stil . But there were so many of them, and only one of Stefan. After just a few minutes of watching the fight, Matt could see that it was hopeless, and his heart sank. Stefan was much older, and much stronger, than any other vampire in the room, but together they outweighed him. The tide of the battle was turning, and they were overwhelming him through the sheer strength of their numbers. Ethan was free of him now, straightening his robes, and four of the Vitale vampires, working together, pinned Stefan's arms behind him. Anna, her eyes shining, snapped at him viciously. Ethan grabbed a torch from the wal behind him and eyed Stefan speculatively, absently licking at the blood on the back of his hand. â€Å"You had your chance, Stefan,†he said, smiling. Stefan stopped struggling and hung limp between the vampires holding his arms. â€Å"Wait,†he said, looking up at Ethan. â€Å"You wanted me to join you. You begged me to join you. Do you stil want me?†Ethan tilted his head thoughtful y, his golden eyes bright. â€Å"I do,†he said. â€Å"But what can you tel me that'l make me believe you want to join us?†Stefan licked his lips. â€Å"Let Matt go. If you let him leave safely, I'l stay in his place.†He paused. â€Å"On my honor.†â€Å"Done,†Ethan said immediately. He flicked his fingers in the air without taking his eyes from Stefan, and Matt staggered, suddenly released from the compulsion that had held him in place. Matt sucked in one long breath and then ran straight for the altar and Chloe. Maybe it wasn't too late. He could stil save her. â€Å"Stop.†Ethan's voice cracked commandingly across the room. Matt froze in place, once again unable to move. Ethan glared at him. â€Å"You do not help. You do not fight,†he said coldly. â€Å"You go.†Matt looked imploringly at Stefan. Surely he wasn't just supposed to leave, to abandon Chloe and Stefan and the others to the Vitale vampires. Stefan gazed back at him, his features rigid. â€Å"Sorry, Matt,†he said flatly. â€Å"The one thing I've learned over the years is that sometimes you have to surrender. The best thing you can do now is just leave. I'l be okay.†And then, jarringly intrusive and sudden in Matt's head was Stefan's voice. Damon, he said fiercely. Get Damon. Matt gulped and, as Ethan's compulsion released him once more, nodded slowly, trying to look defeated while stil signaling to Stefan with his eyes that his message had been received. He couldn't look at the other pledges. No matter how much he hurried, some or al of them would die before he returned. Maybe Stefan would be able to save some of them. Maybe. Maybe he would be able to save Chloe. His heart pounding with terror, his head spinning with fear, Matt ran for the exit and for help. He didn't look back.
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