Positive And Negative Effects Of The Massachusetts Health...

Introduction Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, there has been a continuous debate about the effects it will have on the United States economy. Many people argue that expanding insurance coverage for all people will create crippling cost burdens for the economy and taxpayers. While others believe that the ACA will in fact give the economy a much-needed boost. In 2006 as a measure to improve overall healthcare, the state of Massachusetts implemented the Health Care Insurance Reform Act. This paper looks at the positive and negative effects of the Massachusetts Health Care Insurance Reform Act (MHRA). Using a literature review of public health studies ranging from 2009-2012, I argue that there are both positive and negative effects of the Massachusetts Health Care Insurance Reform. While the Massachusetts Reform increased health insurance coverage for all citizens and decreased the number of uninsured citizens accessing emergency rooms, it also did very little to de crease already existing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities among minorities and whites in the state of Massachusetts. Understanding the Massachusetts Health Care Insurance Reform Act may help in the goal of trying to achieve near-universal healthcare. This paper provides an understanding of the missing pieces in the Massachusetts Health Care Insurance Reform Act and constitutes a starting place from which to understand the Affordable Care Act. Literature Review TheShow MoreRelatedHealth Insurance Exchange Essay1290 Words   |  6 Pagesimplemented.   Discuss one positive and one negative effect that this policy has  had or will have on your field. America is about to make major changes in the country’s health care system. The goal of the Affordable Care Act is reduction of the number of uninsured individuals and health care expenses. Some call the reform unconstitutional, some fear inefficient implementation will lead to the opposite of the anticipated health care cost reduction. According to Kaiser Health Tracking Poll 29% of AmericansRead MoreImproving Access Of Healthcare1156 Words   |  5 Pagesthe United States, health insurance expansion and market reforms have focused on increasing the access of healthcare. For instance the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 focuses on the expansion of affordable quality health care to millions of uninsured. The act requires that all Americans purchase a private health care plan or enroll in a government funded insurance program. The often repeated argument in favor of expanding health care coverage is that itRead MoreEssay about Health Care Reform1520 Words   |  7 PagesBackground Universal Health Care System One of the most long-standing health care systems was originated in Germany in 1889 by Otto von Bismarck’s social legislation. Its included bills were the Health Insurance Bill 1883, Old Age and Disability Insurance Bill of 1889, and Accident Insurance Bill of 1883. The National Insurance Act of 1911 in Britain covered most people employed. It also financed dependents if families had contributed for at least five years. This coverage lasted whether familiesRead MoreUniversal Healthcare: The Wrong Type of Change Essay1825 Words   |  8 PagesHealthcare professionals want only to provide the best care and comfort for their patients. 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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010. The Act is a daring attempt by President Barack Obama to reform the healthcare system in the United States. The new healthcare reform act is historical because of its scope and size. Opponents to the healthcare act state it is an attempt to increase the size and power of the federal governmentRead MorePolicy Perspective of Childhood Obesity Essay2871 Words   |  12 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY Childhood obesity has reared itself as a hot-button issue in the United States – perhaps among them most salient public health challenges of our generation. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years (CDC), and in only rare exceptions does the evidence point to any foreseeable decline in such an aggressive trend. In terms of policy perspective, childhood obesity features three important characteristics of worthwhileRead MoreCost/Benefit Analysis of Cigarette Smoking2774 Words   |  12 Pagesfar beyond the price of cigarettes alone. Smokers also pay with their health, life, and finances. Alongside the great cost to smokers, they enjoy benefits to the same degree. The total cost of smoking not only effects smokers, but society as well. The externalities from smoking are both negative and positive. Society bears the burden of the negative externalities, or social costs, both physically and monetarily. The positiv e externalities, or social benefits, play a significant economic role inRead MoreHealth Care Reform: The New Definition of Socialism Essay2483 Words   |  10 PagesHealth Care Reform: The New Definition of Socialism. â€Å"In 2007 nearly fifty-million Americans did not have health insurance, while another twenty-five million were underinsured†. (Health CS). The United States one of the most powerful countries in the world where a national health care system is nonexistent because there is no financial accountability. Politics, money and bureaucracy have left Americans with doubt, confusion and the worries on how to pay for health coverage. United States should

Warlord †Creative Writing Free Essays

â€Å"Half a year before you were born, a great battle was fought and many brave men lost their lives. Your father led his army of seven thousand men into battle, they were fighting the evil Rovonaga. It was a lost cause right from the start, only three thousand of the seven were trained warriors, the rest ordinary men trying to save their homes. We will write a custom essay sample on Warlord – Creative Writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now The odds were four to one as Rovonaga had a force twenty-eight thousand strong, including five thousand cavalry and five thousand archers, each extremely well trained in what they did. It was said every archer could pierce an apple at four hundred yards. The other eighteen thousand were fully armoured samurai with swords so sharp they could cut a human torso clean in half. Our men fought bravely, but the outcome was inevitable, they lost and with it the land. Rovonaga gave no mercy, he murdered every last man until a river of blood flowed. Your father was killed last, they hung him from a tree at the top of a hill so everyone could see him. His body was left there and nobody ever took it down, it slowly decomposed over time and nothing is left, except the rope, which still hangs as a symbol to show what happens if you get in Rovonaga’s way. That is how your father died son, he died an honourable man. A brave man, like your father, may die, but cowards do not live at all. † Akechi remembered when his mother told him that story when he was six years old. That same night Rovonaga’s soldiers broke into their house, tied Akechi to a chair and made him watch as his mum was slowly tortured to death. He managed to break free and run from Yalu, a large province in Japan where he lived. When he was young he remembered his mother telling him what Yalu used to be like before Rovonaga took over. He pictured the image in his head now, a beautiful, free place. Miles upon miles of fields, covered in crops. The warm sun beaming down giving colour and growth to all. The place was alive with animals of every kind, freely running here and there. Butterflies filled the air and birds the sky as rabbits roamed the ground. Farmers tended to their crops happily, at one with the creatures. She said the air smelt so fresh and every breath was like new life rushing into you. The highest hill was covered with trees, its top barely visible. Flowers flourished in-between each tree and she said it was like walking through paradise. No sounds, except those of animals, no smell, except that of freshness. He remembered she once told him she climbed a tree on top of the hill. When she reached the top she was in the clouds, like being in heaven. She never climbed it again as she thought it was so holy it was only meant to be visited by God. Akechi desperately wanted to see this land, as it should be. Then he remembered what it was like before left. Chitu Village lay at the centre of Yalu, this was where Rovonaga lived. It was basically a huge palace for him and his generals. Not a nice place, an ugly place, too big and covered in statues of eerie creatures. Small men with horns and great, giant goblins on top of towers. Surrounding his palace was where his soldiers lived, another ugly place, but luxury compared to outside of Chitu. In the six and a half years Rovonaga had been in Yalu, he had sucked the life out of everything. The people were treated like slaves, only kept alive to serve Rovonaga and his soldiers. They grew all the crops, harvested them yet at the end they saw none of them. They were lucky if they got a meal a day and many died of starvation and exhaustion. The hill where the trees once grew and the flowers flourished was now where a big, black iron gate stood, the only way in or out of Yalu. Walls soared high all around the border, covered with spikes, just as much to keep people in as out. It was a huge prison and the people were prisoners in their own homes. All animals had fled, their habitats destroyed and no life lived inside of these walls. The land was suffocated and the air heavy. People breathed unwillingly, they only did because they knew they had to. Although the sun shone it appeared colourless and so did the land, everything black and white. The dead were not cared for and bodies lay here and there, some fresh others half decomposed. People did not live, they were merely bodies, without souls or spirits, all doing the same routine everyday. Nobody smiled, nobody laughed and most people did not even talk. Guards watched and drove the people on, whipping, beating and killing. When he was six Akechi escaped. He found a small gap in-between the land and the bottom of the wall. He dug furiously, earth flying out behind him. He heard guards coming and so surged on. The gap was now just big enough for him to get through, he did and he had made it, he was free. He ran and ran that night, too scared to stop, tears blurring his vision. Most of the way he cried for his mother, but she was never coming back. By sheer fortune he had run to the coast. There he saw a small trading vessel lying in the harbour. He sneaked upon board and hid himself inside a box. Inside he collapsed from exhaustion and slept for hours. He was in such a deep sleep he did not even know the boat had set sail. The boat took him to China and there he spent the next twenty years of his life. A family took him in and he was raised as if he were one of their own. He joined the Chinese army and with his father’s spirit and his intelligence he rose higher. He became general of the whole of South-East China and many people looked up to him. He was a fine leader and a great strategist. He also became well known for his excellence with the blade. Like his father before him, Akechi was a true samurai warrior. Rovonaga became bored with hid palace life and one day he ordered his troops to got o Chinese ports and burn any ships they saw. He wanted a war, and a war he would get. The Chinese government reacted straight away and ordered Akechi to take his men over to Japan and crush Rovonaga. Akechi rallied his men and they boarded their ships. Under his command Akechi had ten thousand samurai, six thousand archers and two thousand cavalry. A total force of eighteen thousand, but he was outnumbered by Rovonaga’s force. They landed in the same port Akechi had fled from twenty years ago. There the army camped and stayed for the night. The next day was spent unloading the ships and gathering provisions. That night they marched until they were just three miles from the walls of Yalu. Akechi’s plan was one which relied on the element of surprise. He planned to camp for that day and attack at dawn of the next. Armour was strapped on, swords worn and bows carried. He gathered his troops together and told them this. â€Å"I know we are outnumbered in total force, but we will win. We will catch our enemy by surprise and overthrow them. We have more archers and this is a great advantage. Also I am sure you are all thinking that we cannot get past the Walls of Yalu. We will use ladders to get over, rams to smash the gate, any means possible. Have you thought the people of Yalu may help. When they see what is happening they will rise and rebel. Giving us time and maybe letting us in. Be brave all of you. Someone once told me: a brave man may die, but cowards do not live at all. Which one are you, I know my men and all of you are the first. Come on lets march on to victory. † Just as he planned Akechi attacked at dawn. He ordered his archers to fire, and his men to go and ram the gate. A storm of arrows went over the walls, many hitting targets. Ladders went up and men climbed over. Rovonaga quickly rallied his troops and sent them to meet this onslaught. The gate held and could not be breeched, men fell from the ladders and Rovonaga was winning, there was simply no way in. The solid iron gate could only be opened from the inside. The people in Yalu did do what Akechi had hoped, they rebelled and fought the soldiers. This gave Akechi some time, in which he thought and planned. The gap in the wall where he had escaped, it was just around the corner. He had a plan, a trap. He sent his foot soldiers to go down the hill and stay there, he did the same with his cavalry and archers. He took about a thousand men and five hundred archers around to the gap. There he ordered his archers to give covery fire and keep the enemy’s heads down, and with his thousand men he ordered them to dig, but slowly. As he had hoped Rovonaga had seen them do this and assumed it was the whole army. He could not get to them, but he could not afford to let them in. So he chose to go and meet them. The gate opened and first out was Rovonaga and his five thousand cavalry, they galloped around the side to meet the army at the gap. As did the eighteen thousand men that followed. His archers stayed on top of the wall firing down upon Akechi and his men. The men did not see the main bulk of the army at the bottom of the hill, and the trap was set. The gates were left open and three thousand of Akechi’s archers and a thousand of his foot soldiers went inside. Here they killed any remaining soldiers and all of the archers. Then Akechi’s men did what Rovonaga’s archers were doing and fired upon the enemy below. Meanwhile the cavalry and the remaining two thousand five hundred archers and eight thousand foot soldiers went to meet Rovonaga’s force. They attacked the rear and the cavalry charged and chopped the men to pieces. The archers were very effective against Rovonaga’s cavalry and foot soldiers, and severely weakened both. The samurai soldiers cam in to finish the fight off. Rovonaga surrendered and Akechi had won. His men were spared as was he. Rovonaga and his men were kept in prison for the rest of their lives and things slowly returned to normal. The walls were torn down as was the place and the great iron gate. Colour returned to Yalu and so did life. New trees were planted, animals returned and over the years things became increasingly better. Akechi retired from the Chinese army and became ruler of Yalu which China gave back to Japan. Life went on better than ever. Akechi was a great ruler and his people loved him, a true warlord. How to cite Warlord – Creative Writing, Papers

2 Way Comunication Essay Research Paper 2Way free essay sample

2 Way Comunication Essay, Research Paper 2-Way Communication Once a company has a web site, the possibilities are endless. As outlined in the old subdivision, a company website has the ability to make a market of consumers or sellers that may be out of its physical range. Not merely does it hold the ability to relay unbounded sums of information, but it can besides supply a vehicle of communicating to the remainder of the universe. Any individual can log onto a company web site and happen links to electronic mail ( e-mail ) or bulletins, possibly even a # 8220 ; chat # 8221 ; country, an country where persons can talk to each other unrecorded via computing machine. By leting this type of entree to the populace, companies can greatly spread out their concern. Electronic mail is going the preferable vehicle of communicating for about anyone of the technological epoch. A company whose web site provides links to e-mail immediately reduces the figure of phone calls and letters into their office. Customers no longer hold to wait on the phone or spend clip composing letters to reach a service representative. With a to the full functional company website, service representatives are # 8220 ; merely a chink off # 8221 ; . Customers can relay any inquiries, concerns, or jobs through electronic mail. Companies can turn to issues in a short clip frame, hence increasing the quality of service. Customers will have responses faster than the conventional mail system ( besides known as # 8220 ; snail mail # 8221 ; ) and can avoid the defeat of being on the phone for hours on terminal. A company that utilizes e-mail efficaciously immediately realizes an addition in production. Not merely can companies supply better service to current patronage, they can make a whole new market of consumers worldwide ; possible consumers have entree to representatives of companies they would non hold otherwise. Aside from supplying enhanced services to their clients, using electronic mail is an efficient manner to pass on between sections and maximise intra-office correspondence. E-mails give an employer the ability to administer messages to an limitless figure of employees without go forthing his or her desk. There is no demand for touchable press releases, memos, circulars, or such. There is no easier manner to immediately present a fifty-page study to legion receivers than by attaching the file to an e-mail message. The greatest advantage to electronic mail is that it is virtually free. There are no envelopes or casts required. The demand for paperwork is minimized to publishing a transcript of the e-mail when required and registering it in its several topographic point. Imagine the money a company can salvage if it did non hold to engage people to open mail or answer phones! Electronic mail is merely one signifier of communicating available on company web sites. Many besides offer electronic bulletin boards, which can be used to post company reappraisal, occupation gaps, and approaching events. It is another signifier of electronic communicating that enhances a company # 8217 ; s web site. Companies can supply bulletin boards as a forum where consumers can interchange thoughts. Kraft Foods, Inc. , the shapers of Jell-O, Kool-Aid, and Maxwell House, provide an country on their web site where consumers can post their ain formulas to portion with other website visitants. OnHealth.com provides an country in their web site where visitants can beg advice on wellness or household related issues from other visitants. Companies can besides profit from utilizing electronic bulletins. Employers can log on and see what visitants to their web sites have to state. It gives them an indifferent locale into consumer concerns, awards, and general petitions. There is no better manner to cognize how your clients feel than to have direct feedback. Not merely can employers post company information and approaching events for their clients, but they can besides post information, such as intra-office occupation poster, for their employees. Employees can utilize the bulletin board in the same manner that clients do. Many company websites besides sponsor confab forums, used to convey a battalion of people together from all corners of the Earth to discourse company-related issues. A confab forum is an electronic version of a conference call. Several people can log into a chat country and keep a treatment by merely identifying in responses. An advantage to keeping confab forums is that companies can link with multiple contacts at existent clip. Anyone who has mandate to the site can log on and see the confab without going an active participant. Alternatively, anyone who has mandate can besides fall in the confab. If companies offered a opportunity for their clients to talk in a similar forum, they would be able to happen out precisely what their concerns were. On-line Minutess The Internet continues to turn at a dramatic rate, with the figure of planetary users now est imated at 195 million – 4.64 % of the world’s population. A major tendency within this growing is the addition in electronic commercialism, with 1999 seeing grosss from Internet shopping grow by 150 % and concern to consumer electronic commercialism bring forthing about $ 12 billion. By 2004 analyst predict that more than 56 per centum of concern worldwide will be on-line ( Rosario, 1 ) . A web site on the World Wide Web allows a company to sell its merchandises or services to this turning market. New methods allow for secure and wholly confidential minutess over the web. Maximizing the usage of the Internet for finishing on-line minutess can salvage a company clip and money. With the rapid progresss in engineering, the capableness to carry on all facets of the concern dealing on the Internet has emerged as a feasible option to making concern in the customary method. # 8220 ; Cost nest eggs are derived through mechanization of administrative undertakings, client keeping by cognizing clients # 8217 ; profiles kept on a database accessible by any employee, velocity in supply procurance, and company leaders being able to do real-time determinations with Windowss into the whole endeavor, anyplace, anytime, # 8221 ; said Oracle Systems # 8217 ; Michael La ( Low, 12 ) . Making our web site more than merely an information site, but a web site that offers clients the ability to carry on existent clip minutess, would make merely this. The key to carry oning minutess over the Internet frailty more traditional methods is simplifying the clients telling process. Simplification must be accomplished while still giving the client the feeling that their demands are being met. Simplification must besides non sacrifice security concerns for the clients. If these conditions are met, the client will believe that the streamlined ordination service is really a more convenient method of carry oning concern. Simplifying the ordering process to include everything the client could perchance necessitate is the first measure. With all the merchandises a company offers, every bit good a often asked inquiries about the company # 8217 ; s services, and a direct nexus to reaching the company for any farther inquiries, all the demands of the client are answered. Here is where the service part comes in. All of the other stairss are in topographic point now the existent minutess take topographic point. The dealing can take topographic point over many different formats. All these formats will hold strong encoding in common. Depending on what it is the company wants to sell and whom they want to sell it to, will find the type of package to utilize for this intent. Secure Socket Layers or SSL is the anchor of any unafraid dealing ; SSL should be used as the bottom degree of security nevertheless, non entirely. For the occasional client who would take to utilize his or her recognition card there is Secure Electronic Transaction or SET. For business-to-business minutess where the both parties are familiar with each other, Public Key Infrastructure or PKI is an option. Many companies at this clip us Secure Socket Layers as their lone agencies of procuring minutess. This is put on the lining fiddling by on-line stealers and plagiarists. Secure Socket Layers is a footing to construct upon with farther encoding, for a erstwhile dealing it would be safe plenty, but with a company making volumes of concern more security is needed, like Secure Electronic Transaction or Public Key Infrastructure. The Secure Electronic Transaction protocol, launched in 1996, is a common proficient criterion designed to protect payment card purchases over the Internet ( Setco, 1 ) . Secure Electronic Transaction is non a package bundle, but alternatively an industry criterion set up by taking recognition card sellers, Visa and Master Card, to guarantee on-line minutess. Secure Electronic Transaction gives recognition card purchases made over the cyberspace excess beds of security that would guarantee the clients data security at all times. In fact security would be higher than that of a traditional brick and howitzer concern, since no existent people would see the recognition card Numberss. Companies that desire more than merely procure recognition card minutess there are other methods of encoding for all the information they transfer, such as Public Key Infrastructure. Public Key Infrastructure would be particularly beneficially for carry oning business-to-business minutess. Public Key Infrastructure is basically a digital signature that is structurally attached to an electronic papers. The digital signature encases the papers or file with a bed of security that follows the papers. Digitally subscribing e-documents and files provides cogent evidence of individuality of the person who created the papers and at the same clip binds the papers to him, thereby forestalling that single from denying association with such a papers or file at any point in the hereafter.

The monster and Victor Essay Example

The monster and Victor Essay Throughout the novel it becomes apparent the Frankenstein is a morally weak person. His creation kills Frankensteins younger brother, William, and Justine Moritz, a young girl adopted into the Frankenstein household, is blamed for the murder. Although Frankenstein knows Justine is innocent, he doesnt come forward because he fears no one would believe him. His courage does not match his arrogance and his grandiose ideas of himself. He might feel bad that Justine would have to hang, but he isnt brave enough to do anything about it. I was firmly convinced in my own mind that Justine, and indeed every human being, was guiltless of this murder. p. 62 Towards the end of the novel, many changes, somewhat ironic, become apparent. Firstly is the transformation of Victor Frankenstein from a happy, innocent and bright little boy with a loving family and a contented childhood to a guilt-ridden man, obsessed by his work. He becomes despondent, and at times suicidal, not to mention homicidal. By the end of the novel Frankenstein is ill beyond cure and so traumatised from his lifelong battle with his creation that he has little strength to recount his tale to a his friend, Robert Walton. The Monster has murdered most of his family, and those left of his family are distant from him. Another ironic change to Frankenstein is that at the start of the novel he is so obsessed with the creation of a super human being that he gives up everything else in his life to focus on this work. We will write a custom essay sample on The monster and Victor specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The monster and Victor specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The monster and Victor specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Then, through the rest of the novel, Frankenstein becomes possessed with destroying his creation, because of the wrong it has done to him. Although Frankenstein realises that he has made a mistake, and regrets bringing the being to life and recognising that he has ventured beyond the acceptable boundaries of science, by the end of the novel, when he is with his friend Walton on a boat in the Arctic, hunting down the monster, he urges them forward even though they will probably die, showing that he never really learned his lesson that sometimes there is point when you should stop, even if it is possible to go on. This ice is not made of such stuff as your hearts may be; it is mutable and cannot withstand you if you say that it shall not. p. 164 In contrast, his friend Walton is more sensible and concerned about the lives of the seamen and does not want to go on. Alas! yes; I cannot withstand their demands. I cannot lead them unwillingly to danger, and I must return p. 165 He is taking responsibility for his crew; something that Frankenstein could never to do. Walton learns that you have to consider other peoples lives and feelings before trying to achieve your own goal. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein hardly ever thinks about other peoples feelings, whether it is his creation, his father, Justine, or Walton and his crew. Frankensteins Creation The second main character of the story is Frankensteins creation. His creation is also a complex character and it is through him that Shelley deals with issues of identity, prejudice and responsibility. Frankenstein doesnt give his creation a name, something that denies the Monster an identity. This implies that the Monster is not unique or an individual, which at first denies him a real existence. Frankenstein calls the creature various names such as It showing he doesnt regard the creation as having a soul, Monster, Wretch which are both derogatory terms implying monstrosity and Daemon implying he is naturally evil or even possessed by an evil spirit. Ultimately, Frankenstein implies that the being belongs in Hell. From this, the Monster starts to believe he truly is a fiend and actually a fallen angel but refuses to accept that it is his own fault and warns Frankenstein to take responsibility for his actions. One night the creature takes refuge in a small hovel adjacent to a cottage. In the morning, he discovers that he can see into the cottage through a crack in the wall. Observing his neighbours for an extended period of time, the monster notices that they often seem unhappy, though he is unsure why. He eventually realizes, however, that their despair results from their poverty, to which he has been contributing by surreptitiously stealing their food. Torn by his guilty conscience, he stops stealing their food and does what he can to reduce their hardship, gathering wood at night to leave at the door for their use. Vowing to learn their language he acquires a basic knowledge of the language, including the names of the young man and woman, Felix and Agatha. Unobserved and well protected from the elements, he grows increasingly affectionate toward his unwitting hosts. The monsters growing understanding of the social significance of family is connected to his sense of otherness and solitude. The cottagers devotion to each other underscores Victors total abandonment of the monster; ironically, observing their kindness actually causes the monster to suffer, as he realizes how truly alone, and how far from being the recipient of such kindness, he is. This lack of interaction with others, in addition to his namelessness, compounds the monsters woeful lack of social identity. Formerly a mysterious, grotesque, completely physical being, the monster gradually becomes a verbal, emotional, sensitive, almost human figure that communicates his past to his creator, Victor Frankenstein in eloquent and moving terms. But, far from seeing the monsters humanity beneath his grotesque appearance Victor just fears him more. Before, it was the monsters physical strength, endurance, and apparent ill will that made him such a threat; now, it is his intellect. The monster clearly understands his position in the world, the tragedy of his existence and abandonment by his creator, and is out to seek either redress or revenge. For the first time, Victor starts to realize that what he has created is not merely the scientific product of an experiment on dead matter but an actual living being with needs and wants. While Victor curses the monster as a demon, the monster responds to Victors coarseness with surprising sensitivity, proving him an educated, emotional, exquisitely human being. For the reader, whose experience with the monsters ugliness is second-hand, it is easy to identify the human sensitivity within him and sympathize with his plight, especially in light of Victors relentless contempt for him. The gap between the monster and Victor, and between the monster and human beings in general, is thus narrowed. One of the ways in which the monster demonstrates his eloquence is by alluding to John Miltons Paradise Lost, one of the books he reads while living in the peasants hovel. The first of these allusions occurs in these chapters, when the monster tries to convince Victor to listen to his story. He entreats Victor: Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel. P. 73 By comparing Victor to God, the monster heaps responsibility for his evil actions upon Victor, scolding him for his neglectful failure to provide a nourishing environment. In this part of the novel, the Monster starts to question his own existence, after reading work of literature. This shows he is now intelligent and philosophical. In contrast to this, Frankenstein takes life for granted. Without a real identity, the Monster needs more information about himself. He is self-aware, which is the main quality that separates the Monster from animals. This is unlike Frankenstein who has little self-awareness. My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them. P. 99 The Monster also questions why humans are always the victimised ones, and why he is always the perpetrator. He is bemoaning mans narrow-mindedness and injustice. While everyone else has rejected and committed crimes against him, he is still the one to be prosecuted. He then talks of the innocent people he has killed, and begins to feel remorse for his deeds: You hate me; but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself This shows his guilt for what he has done, in contrast with Frankenstein who never seems to learn his lesson and never shows remorse. The Monster requests a partner from Frankenstein, a basic request and a basic counterbalance to the immense loneliness the Monster feels. What I ask of you is reasonable and moderate; I demand a creature of another sex and it shall content me. Oh! my creator, make me happy do not deny me my request! This shows the Monster is very realistic compared to Frankenstein and also that he desires someone that will accept him for who/what he really is. This is compared to Frankensteins ideas which are God-like in proportion. Through out the novel the two main characters take on reversed roles. The monster starts to hate Victor because he has no one to relate to and so tries to make Victor feel the pain of his loneliness and so kills anyone close to Victor, finally killing Victors new wife and indirectly Victors father, who dies a few days later, of the shock. Like the monster, Frankenstein finds himself utterly alone in the world, but instead of pity for his creation, he just feels hatred and with his hatred he soon takes on very inhumanity of which he accuses the monster. He becomes very ill by his worry and obsession and follows the monster to the barren Arctic north to track him down to murder him, just as the monster has murdered his loved ones. There he meets his friend Walton who helps him search for the monster. They become trapped in ice and Victor, knowing that he is near death, urges his friend Walton to carry on their search. Frankenstein dies and Walton finds the monster crying over his creator. The monster tells Walton of his sufferings and how he regrets killing people and now that his creator is dead, the only person he ever related to, he, too, is ready to die so he leaves for the Northern ice. This open ending leaves the questions in the mind of the reader to ponder. 1) Through the character of Victor Frankenstein, we are invited to ask what makes us human and what are our limits. 2) Through the character of the monster, we are left asking, was he Adam or Satan? Was he a victim or a criminal? And so what does it mean to be human?

buy custom Drink Healthy Corporation essay

buy custom Drink Healthy Corporation essay The target audience for this proposal is high schools students and this is so because of many reasons. To begin with, most high school students are at their adolescent stage, and most of them consume a lot of food and drinks. They therefore purchase lots of these foods and beverages from different people; some of these might be a potential danger to their health. A study published in 2005 showed that high school children in the United States consume a lot of light soft drinks. The study put the consumption frequency of these drinks at 82% (Vereecken, 2005). Secondly, high school students have the knowledge and an understanding of their health. This is because most district high schools always recommend that their students take a compulsory course on health matter before their graduation. Undertaking such an exercise in schools will give these students a chance to put the theory they learn in health classes into practice. Such practice is meant to equip the students with even more kno w-how on healthy eating habits which should be improved and maintained even into adulthood (Vereecken, 2005). Another reason for choosing high school is that rapid growth takes place during adolescence, and the bodily features acquired during adolescence always determine the future wellbeing of an individual. Therefore, it is important to povide healthy foods to students and inform them on healthy matters so that their body parts develop in a healthy manner (Vereecken, 2005). Lastly, high school students often interact with various individuals; one will find that they have friends in school, their family members and many other social places. This means that if they are educated on healthy eating habits, they are most likely able to pass this information to many other individuals who will indirectly benefit in this project. Our proposal would be unique as we would provide stands and mobile shops around the school. We will also provide training services during public and athletic events in the school. Job Opportunities for Students Providing job opportunities equips them with knowledge and gives them an opportunity to practice what they have learnt. It also ensures that they act responsibly on the tasks they are allocated and this ensures that they are conscious of what they indulge in. Job opportunities also improve the students capability to help others and learn from them. Just like college students gain real world knowledge while going on internship program, high school students can learn to gain similar knowledge while working during athletic events or even public events that have been organized by schools in the district. Havving job training can assist students to learn how to manage their time and events and provide them with a perspective of how they have to prepare themselves for their future professional life. Statistics on Obesity Obesity among teenagers is the leading health problem in the United States of America. A report by the Institute of Medicine indicates that over 8 million children over 6 years have obesity, of these 14% are overweight (TT, 2009). This number continues to enlarge with time. What is even more alarming is the fact that adolescents with obesity always maintain this problem into adulthood. This means that in the future health of most Americans will be at risk, and there might be no role models to teach children and the adolescents on healthy eating habits (TT, 2009). Teenagers that have obese problems face a lot of challenges in social places such as schools. There is a discrimination which is distressing to these students, and this eventually results to stress and low self-esteem among teenagers. These teenagers may never get a chance to improve their status. The major causes of obesity are unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical practice. Teenagers and their parents should ensure that they indulge in physical practice and consume healthy foods in order to avoid obesity (TT, 2009). Buy custom Drink Healthy Corporation essay

Ostrich Facts

Ostrich Facts The sole member of its order of birds, the ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the tallest and heaviest living bird. Though flightless, ostriches, which are native to Africa, can sprint at speeds of up to 45 mph and jog for extended distances at a sustained pace of 30 mph. Ostriches  have the largest eyes of any living terrestrial vertebrate, and their  3-pound eggs  are the largest produced by any living bird. In addition to all this, the male ostrich is one of the few birds on Earth to possess a functioning penis. Fast Facts: The Ostrich Scientific Name: Struthio camelusCommon Names: The common ostrichBasic Animal Group: BirdSize: 5 feet 7  inches tall to 6 feet 7 inches tallWeight: 200–300 poundsLifespan: 40–50 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Africa, including deserts, semi-arid plains, savannas, and open woodlandsPopulation: UnknownConservation Status:  Vulnerable Description Ostriches  are the largest birds alive today, with adults weighing between 200 to 300 pounds. Adult males attain a height of up to 6 feet 7 inches tall; females are slightly smaller. Their immense body size and small wings make them incapable of flying. Ostriches have a remarkable tolerance to heat, withstanding temperatures up to 132 degrees Fahrenheit without much stress. Ostriches have been domesticated for only about 150 years, and are truly only partly domesticated, or, rather, are only domesticated for a short period of their lives. Ostriches belong to a clan (but not order) of flightless birds known as the ratites. Ratites have smooth breastbones lacking keels, the bone structures to which flight muscles would normally be attached. Other birds classified as ratites include cassowaries, kiwis, moas, and emus. Habitat and Range Ostriches live in Africa and thrive in a wide variety of habitats, including deserts, semi-arid plains, savannas, and open woodlands. During their five-month breeding season, these flightless  birds form flocks of five to 50 individuals, often intermingling with grazing mammals such as zebras and antelopes. When breeding season is over, this larger flock breaks down into small groups of two to five birds that care for the newborn hatchlings. Diet and Behavior Ostriches are omnivores, and thus eat mostly plant material, though at times they may also feed on insects and small vertebrates. Although they prefer plants- particularly roots, seeds, and leaves- they also eat locusts, lizards, snakes, and rodents. They have even been known to eat sand and pebbles, which helps them grind up their food inside their gizzard, a small pouch where food is crushed and ripped up before it reaches the stomach.   Ostriches dont need to drink water; they get all the water they need from the plants they eat. However, they will drink if they come across a watering hole. Reproduction and Offspring Male ostriches are called cocks or roosters, and females are called hens. A group of ostriches is called a flock. Flocks can consist of up to 100 birds, though most have 10 members, according to the San Diego Zoo. The group has a dominant male and a dominant female and several other females. Lone males come and go during mating season. Ostriches lay 3-pound eggs, which measure some 6 inches in length and 5 inches in diameter, making them the title of largest egg produced by any living bird. Males and females sit on the eggs until they hatch, between 42 and 46 days.  Male and female ostriches share the responsibility of raising their young. Ostrich offspring are larger than any other bird baby. At birth, chicks can be as big as chickens. rontav/Getty Images Conservation Status According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, ostriches are considered to be vulnerable and their population is declining, though their population is unknown. The Somali ostrich, in particular, is thought to be in rapid decline. The San Diego Zoo notes that although not threatened, the ostrich requires strict protection and farming to conserve the remaining wild populations. Sources Bradford, Alina. â€Å"Ostrich Facts: The Worlds Largest Bird.†Ã‚  LiveScience, Purch, 17 Sept. 2014.â€Å"Ostrich.†Ã‚  San Diego Zoo Global Animals and Plants.â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions.†Ã‚  Frequently Asked Questions - American Ostrich Association.â€Å"The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.†Ã‚  IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Delta Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Delta Airlines - Essay Example By 1953, Delta Airlines had expanded into the Southeast and were now serving the citizens and the southern airlines (Fojt, 2006). It took time for them to expand to the Northeast but by the early 1970s, all this was implemented (Partsch & Wellens, 2009). In 1956, they installed radars in all their aircrafts and later launched the Convair 880 jet service in 1960. The most significant strategy that Delta Airline undertook was merging with the Western Air Lines in 1986 that was hubbed in Salt Lake City. For the reason that Delta Airline’s management treated their employees well, they enjoyed amicable relations regarding their labor and a number of union contracts. There was high productivity, high work morale and excellent service that kept customers coming back and sticking to their services. In 1996, the motivated workers made an effort and dug from their pockets to but the company a jet. In 1997, Delta airlines introduced the Boeing 777s and became the first to board more than a hundred million passengers in one year. More advancement was made in the next year when they lay the foundation to include the first international cargo alliance with Swiss Cargo. They also installed automatic defibrillators on all their aircrafts. In 2003, Delta airlines became the first airline in America to provide pre-recorded audio information regarding flights at the gate (Katel, 2008). In 2005, the company filed for reorganization that is provided under chapter eleven of the bankruptcy code of the United States. In the same year, they started more expansions with more routes to the Caribbean and Latin American routes. After the expansions, the management decided to go into Africa and first invested on the Southern African side with flights to Dakar and Johannesburg South Africa. They were able to reemerge from bankruptcy in 2007 after they defeated the takeover by the US Airways. Delta merged with

The Acceptable Thing about the Evaluation Meeting Case Study - 44

The Acceptable Thing about the Evaluation Meeting - Case Study Example More importantly, Armstrong (2010) stated that evaluations are essential for the development of the employees. This is because, by highlighting the weaknesses of employees, they will initiate actions that will make them improve on these areas of weaknesses. Â  The first inappropriate thing about the evaluation meeting was that it was conducted before the employee had an opportunity to evaluate himself personally, and according to Sandler and Keefe (2003), this act denied the employee an opportunity to reflect upon himself and become accountable for his own actions. In this regard, the manager should have conducted the evaluation meeting after the employee had the opportunity to evaluate himself and identify his own areas strengths and weaknesses. Â  The second inappropriate thing about the evaluation meeting is that it was conducted six weeks after the actual deadline when the company is supposed to conduct an evaluation of the employees. In this regard, it is suggested that the evaluation should have been carried out during the actual dates when the exercise is usually scheduled to take place. Â  Thirdly, the employee was not prepared for the meeting and therefore, he was unable to come up with defenses or justifications on the criticisms that were leveled against him. In this regard, it is suggested that the manager should have given the employee enough time to prepare before conducting the evaluation. Â  

Teaching grammar Essay Example for Free

Teaching grammar Essay The question to teach or not to teach grammar has always been present for no clear answer could ever be provided; both sides, the advocates and opponents of teaching grammar, keep producing evidence to buttress their own views towards this issue. The former believe that grammar is an important component in language teaching, whereas the latter believe that language can be learnt holistically through the context without explicit instruction. What motivated me to address this question, whether grammar is important in second language teaching, is the claim of some ioneer linguists, Krashen for example mentioned in Ellis, 1985: 230, who maintain that learned knowledge can not convert into acquired knowledge and that consciousness raising of grammar is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition for mastery of another language. I was taught English in a country where English is a foreign language and I was taught explicit grammar throughout all of my study stages. I can assert that the teaching of grammar could be of great support especially when interacted with communicative context even in later years. I can still retain rules that help me speak properly and accurately and I can claim by now that all the grammatical knowledge I learned in my study years has already converted into acquired knowledge. It is beyond doubt that ignoring such rules would be an obstacle in forming and uttering the simplest sentences in English. Native speakers of English, even when they have not studied grammar, can form accurate grammatical sentences because they unconsciously internalize grammar rules while they are growing up. There is a general consensus among learning theorists, educational psychologists, and teaching professionals that language is a rule-governed behaviour and it is a rule-bound system in both standard and non-standard varieties and in both spoken and written modes (Brindley, 1996: 224). Cook, 2001: 19 states that grammar is considered by many linguists the central area of language around which other areas such as pronunciation and vocabulary revolve.

Why is Nancy such an important character in the novel Oliver Twist? :: English Literature

Why is Nancy such an important character in the novel Oliver Twist? There are many reasons Nancy’s character is such an important one in the novel. One of these reasons is that when you first see her you are told that she wears a lot of make up and that she has a great deal of hair and she is ‘not very tidy about her shoes and stockings’. At that time this was not a respectable way to dress for a young, respectable woman, so it gives you the idea that she is a prostitute .At this moment you think that she is just a low- life woman trying to make a living. Even though most people would recognise Nancy for what she is, Oliver does not and thinks of her as a nice lady. This tells you that Oliver is meant to be innocent and does not have a clue on what is going on around him. Slowly as the story starts to develop, you get the idea that Nancy has another, more caring, side to her. You find out about this side on page 142 where she says to Bill Sikes that he’ll have to go through her if he wants to attack Oliver with his dog, Bullseye. At this point she also says to Bill that she doesn’t care if he splits her head against the wall but she still won’t get out of his way. This tells you that she is caring and does not want Oliver to suffer. Nancy feels sorry for Oliver because she recognises his innocence and does not want him to get involved in the criminal underworld as she did. She is reminded of how she got involved in the criminal underworld at such a young age and does not want Oliver to waste his life as she did. When this happens the reader starts to feel a bit sorry for Nancy. Nancy also helps to develop the story. It could have ended when Oliver meets Mr.Brownlow but Nancy kidnaps him, allowing the story to progress. After kidnapping him, she tries to reunite Oliver with Rose Maylie so this also helps the plot. By this stage of the story, Nancy’s life is near its end so Charles Dickens begins to build up sympathy towards Nancy. He does this by writing up a cruel end to her life. It starts with the Jew, Fagin, employing Noah Claypole (whom Fagin knows as Bolter) to go and spy on Nancy. Throughout the story, Dickens uses the word ‘Jew’ when referring to Fagin. This tells you that the anti-Semitic nature of the British does

How Going to College Becomes a Process of Unlearning Essay

This was my reaction after reading Jorge Bacobo’s college uneducation. How can you ever imagine that going to college becomes a process of unlearning? Just look at this scenario. For all of your life, you have dreamed of entering college and you have spent a total of 10 years in elementary and high school to prepare yourself and only to find out that once you stepped in this institution, it becomes a different world all of a sudden. The ideal bubble that pops out of your mind suddenly bursts and you came to realize that after reading a selection in your GE class, all of your efforts have become useless. You, yes you unknowingly is a victim of college uneducation. How ironic, right? How could you ever waste your time memorizing the book and all the principles of sciences only to find out that after an exam is finished, you tend to forget everything? How come you have forgotten your existence here on earth and disregarded the most important thing of the world called life because you are preoccupied of all the assignments, thesis, lab reports, quizzes and exams? How did education evolved to memorization and book worship? How come you cannot answer a simple question without relying on Google or your Encyclopedia? How come you have become a slave of technology instead of you using it? I repeat, how ironic this is. It is a slap in the face because it is the truth. Now, do you call yourself educated? So this is college uneducation – a word unrecognized by Microsoft Word, a newly-discovered term by an author through his observations of what have become of the college students nowadays. Book worship. This is a very rampant activity of the students nowadays. When you ask someone a question, one answers like a robot controlled by the book he has read. This starts the death of critical thinking and sound mind reasoning. Our professor in our Genetics class even worsens this scenario. It is understood that everything we learn in our major subjects must have a r eference and everything we speak in the class should be quoted from an author. However, how can we become educated when everything seems to be a copy paste of the things we ourselves have not experienced? The book answers it all. Then if you become unstoppable saying your answer, confident of what you are saying, the professors says, â€Å"From where did you get that? Who is the author of that?† So this is how books became the students’ gods, worshipping them overnight and forgetting them everything all at once? Professional philistinism. For me, this is like programming the students of what they are to become – specialists in their own fields resulting to narrowing their entire lives to overspecialization. Maybe our professors can be blamed for this since instead of inflicting to us the core values of our existence in this planet, such as realizing how to achieve higher thinking and deep feeling, and appreciating the aesthetic refinement and intellectual pursuits, we are being confined to set our hearts in becoming specialists. As a Fisheries student, we focus on all the areas of the fish beginning from its genetic constitution until how it behaves in migration so that it can be caught by the fish farmers to lay the fish on our plates for food. Our professors keep on saying that one day, one of us will become an expert of this and that and so we have to really study hard on our field. As a result, we end up being slaves of our profession and remain ignorant on the artistic and cultural values around us. Jading dullness of modern life. Unlike the old education, the new generation education does not anymore cultivate the heart. We cannot control the release of the new iPhone or iPad in the market so as we cannot control how the new education brought about by modernity evolves into a way in which forgets how beautiful this world is. Everyone is addicted to Facebook posting their selfies, hashtagging, tweeting on Twitter, uploading a video in Instragram and the like. All assignments can be done by copy-pasting, and getting information from the cannot-be-trusted Wikipedia; and just by one single click, you thought you already have found what you have been looking for. All the formula, equations, scientific names and essays appear on screen which your brain refuses to digest. How easy. How convenient. How fast it is do what you call research. However, can your laptop release nectar which invites the colorful butterflies to come around? How can’t anyone appreciate the rainforests of Miag ao and the rich culture it has? You have to ask yourself: when was the last time you jogged in the campus, breathing in the freshest of the air, taking in the singing silence of the salty air of the OWL waters, or ran barefoot on the grasses of fishbukid? This should have been what education is also all about but now it seems that everyone is a failure. Misguided zeal. Our passion has shifted into a direction that beclouds our vision of the broader perspectives of life as a result of continually pushing ourselves to highly specialized training. How can we be effective in demonstrating the life formulas after we graduate if even now when we are still in college, we have not fully crossed the advanced line of human thinking? Our professor in our Statistics class always allows us to open our notes on the formulas during exams since according to him, if we will be working, reality is that we will still look at our books as a basis. However, there are no books for life formulas just like statistics. Life is not all about standardizing the solutions but rather mastering ourselves alone because no one knows us that well except ourselves. The author’s ideal college student is the wise individual who has unveiled the mysteries of his life, the one who is happy of his existence, has a sense of patriotism, is simple but knows how to defend his virtues without relying on the complexities of rules. On the other hand, honestly, my ideal vision of an Iskolar ng Bayan is someone who is a critical thinker. An Isko also knows how to interpret graphs and charts in literatures when he is told to do so. He envisions his future landing a job to help his fellowmen. Finally, an ideal Iskolar ng Bayan has an overwhelmin g love for his country. Maybe it is not too late to add Bacobo’s ideal college student to my list. A well-rounded education does not only deal with the truths and facts the books and our teachers offer. Art and philosophy is also important because only in art do we find the values of beauty which enables us to appreciate life and human existence as a whole. Philosophy should never be taken for granted since even if we are asked of any question, at least we are able to defend ourselves and prove that we really are educated. In the end, it is not about what we learn or how much we learn, but it is always about the process of how we learn and apply it to real life scenarios because common sense is not always common anymore. Honestly, I dominantly agree with the author for the reason that college students are nowadays really uneducated according to the context he presented. However, there are still a few individuals who do not possess such kind of thinking. And of course, I would not want to allow myself to be called UNEDUCATED. #

Bad Parenting or Child Abuse?

Dear Editor, I am writing in the relation of your article â€Å"Bad Parenting or Child Abuse†. I think it is a good idea for Connor McCreadie to be taken away from his family because he is such an unhealthy child and he needs to change his lifestyle before it gives him harm. This article tells me that it is bad parenting because Connor’s mother has a lack of discipline and a lack of effort for her child.He should be taken away because he needs to become a much healthier child and the Child Protection Authorities can help with this issue. The Child Protection Authorities can help with this issue by teaching Connor how to eat right and making him exercise more. If he doesn’t get taken away, he could gain more weight and lose his life, or he can harm himself or commit suicide because of all the teasing and bullying he gets. If his Mother doesn’t want him to be taken away, she should change how she feeds and looks after Connor.Connor’s Mother could chan ge their lifestyle by getting much healthier food, making Connor try to eat fruits and vegetables, making him exercise more and not letting Connor eat/snack every 20 minutes. This would really help them and make Connor a much healthier child. This article would really help parents who have obese or unhealthy children. Parents who have obese or unhealthy children have the risk of losing them. Some children are so unhealthy they could lose their lives, and some even commit suicide or harm themselves because they get teased or bullied. You’re sincerely, Tay Tates

The Journey of Life Essays - Ageing, Gerontology, Demography

The Journey of Life Essays - Ageing, Gerontology, Demography Five-page paper comparing Haber and Gratton with Cole is due. Think in terms of argument, sources, and methods. Essay (5 pages) on two works on American aging is due on March 3 (10%). You will have the opportunity to rewrite this paper (as long as the original draft is submitted on the due date). Revisions will be due one week after I bring graded first drafts to class. Grades on the two drafts will be averaged SUMMARY The Journey of Life is both a cultural history of aging and a contribution to public dialogue about the meaning and significance of later life. The core of the book shows how central texts and images of Northern middle-class culture, first in Europe and then in America, created and sustained specifically modern images of the life course between the Reformation and World War I. During this long period, secular, scientific and individualist tendencies steadily eroded ancient and medieval understandings of aging as a mysterious part of the eternal order of things. In the last quarter of the twentieth century, however, postmodern images of life's journey offer a renewed awareness of the spiritual dimensions of later life and new opportunities for growth in an aging society. 1Aging in the Western tradition: cultural origins of the modern life course 2The aging pilgrim's progress in the New World 3'Death without order': the late Calvinist ideal of aging Part IIThe Dualism of Aging in Victorian America 4Antebellum revivals and Victorian morals: the ideological origins of ageism 5Popular health reform and the legitimation of longevity, 1830-1870 6Aging, popular art, and Romantic religion in mid-Victorian culture 7In a different voice: self-help and the ideal of 'civilized' old age, 1850-1910 Part IIIScience and the Ideal of Normal Aging 8The aging of 'civilized' morality: the fixed period versus prolongevity, 1870-1925 9Toward the scientific management of aging: the formative literature of gerontology and geriatrics, 1890-1930 10The prophecy of Senescence: G. Stanley Hall and the reconstruction of old age Epilogue: beyond dualism and control - reflections on aging in postmodern culture In humanistic fashion, Cole attempts to explore the "historical shoreline of later life, charting its cultural forms and sounding their depths," ultimately arriving at reflections on aging in "postmodern culture." Cole uses this history to probe deeply into the depictions of aging and the aged, their "meaning," and the perceptions they suggest. He is at his best when analyzing the cultural biases of a science that emerged to explain and manage old age. Although he calls upon a wide array of sources to present stimulating and insightful interpretations, Cole focuses on the Western tradition; room still remains for cross-cultural questions from anthropologists and folklorists. Cole, an associate professor at the University of Texas, here explores the evolution of societal attitudes toward aging, gender and familial ideals from antiquity to the present, discussing both political and philosophical influences. He devotes a major portion of this excellent and accessible scholarly study to examining a wide variety of religious beliefs, many of which envision life as a spiritual pilgrimage. However, with the rise of secular individualism, today's ``scientific management'' of aging has prolonged the life span, Cole observes, and liberated older men and women of many burdens and duties. On the other hand, he contends, the elderly have been deprived of their traditional cultural roles, special functions and positions in society. Furthermore, he notes, with a youth-oriented culture that tends to consider aging a chronic disease, the spiritual aspects of growing old and of death as natural parts of the life cycle have been slighted. Illustrations. (Jan.) (c) Copyrigh t PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved This work challenges the assumption of value-free studies of aging and offers a critical evaluation of the meanings of aging in American society. Deftly interweaving religion, economics, gender, health trends, and science, Cole documents the period from the Reformation to post-World War I. Tracing the decline of religious values, the rise of the economic pressures of individualism, and the reliance on scientific management of health, he offers new insights into patterns of behavior. Ian J. Wharton HIST 4003- Aging In World History March 3rd 2016 Paper #1 In The Journey of Life by Thomas R. Cole, Cole looks at the changing outlook on aging over the course of history, but never askes questions on it. An argument he makes however is that we need

The 7 Base Units of the Metric System

The 7 Base Units of the Metric System The metric system is a framework of units of measurement that has grown from its 1874 birth in a diplomatic treaty to the more modern General Conference on Weights and Measures, or CGPM (Conferà ©rence Gà ©nà ©rale des Poids et Measures). The modern system is properly called the International System of Units, or SI, an abbreviation from the French Le Systà ¨me International dUnità ©s. Today, most people use the names metric and SI interchangeably. The 7 Base Metric Units The metric system is the main system of measurement units used in science. Each unit is considered to be dimensionally independent of the others. These dimensions are measurements of length, mass, time, electric current, temperature, amount of a substance, and luminous intensity. Here are definitions of the seven base units: Length: Meter (m) The meter is the metric unit of length. Its defined as the length of the path light travels in a vacuum during 1/299,792,458 of a second.Mass: Kilogram (kg) The kilogram is the metric unit of mass. Its the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram: a standard platinum/iridium 1 kg mass housed near Paris at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM).Time: Second (s) The basic unit of time is the second. The second is defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 oscillations of radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of cesium-133.Electric current: Ampere (A) The basic unit of electric current is the ampere. The ampere is defined as the constant current that, if maintained in two infinitely long straight parallel conductors with a negligible circular cross-section and placed 1 m apart in a vacuum, would produce a force between the conductors equal to 2 x 10-7 newtons per meter of length.Temperature: Kelvin (K) The Kelvin is the unit of thermodynamic temperature. It is the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water. The Kelvin scale is an absolute scale, so there is no degree.​ Amount of a Substance: Mole (mol) The mole is defined as the amount of a substance that contains as many entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilograms of carbon-12. When the mole unit is used, the entities must be specified. For example, the entities may be atoms, molecules, ions, electrons, cows, houses, or anything else.Luminous Intensity: candela (cd) The unit of luminous intensity, or light, is the candela. The candela is the luminous intensity, in a given direction, of a source emitting monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 x 1012 hertz with radiant intensity in that direction of 1/683 watt per steradian. These definitions are actually methods to realize the unit. Each realization was created with a unique, sound theoretical base to generate reproducible and accurate results. Other Important Metric Units In addition to the seven base units, other metric units are commonly used: Liter (L) While the metric unit of volume is the cubic meter, m3, the most commonly used unit is the liter. A liter is equal in volume to one cubic decimeter, dm 3, which is a cube that is 0.1 m on each side.Angstrom (Ã…) One angstrom equals 10-8 cm or 10-10 m. Named for Anders Jonas Ã…ngstrom, the unit is used to measure the chemical bond length and electromagnetic radiation wavelength.Cubic centimeter (cm3) A cubic centimeter is a common unit  used to measure solid volume. The corresponding unit for liquid volume is the milliliter (mL), which is equal to one cubic centimeter.

Happiness and the Limits of Satisfaction Research Paper

Happiness and the Limits of Satisfaction - Research Paper Example I think increased choice does not make us happy, and therefore, individual choices should not be paternalistically restricted because happiness is not the highest aim of human conduct. There are those actions which add to pleasurable activities that cannot be taken as always right. Moral virtue does not imply end of life since life can continue with unhappiness, misery, and inactivity. Therefore, moral virtues are gained by behaving virtuously but they can be damaged by either defect or excess. People are free to determine what type of self they will have, what type of people they will be. For instance, people are free to be frivolous or serious, selfish or selfless (Ignacio 67). The most significant thing is that at least one should be in a position to maintain the goal of maximal self-determination as a desirable moral and psychological state. Hence, a fully self-determined person is one that is unconstrained by biology, social constructions or by habit. Such a person will operate without constraints, which in turn enables him or her to make choices in the world to maximize his or her preferences in maintaining tenets of rational choice (Mike 42). Happiness is the central core of living, which depends entirely on cultivation of virtues. Playing the mean is the way of cultivating virtues that includes moral virtues for the attainment of individual happiness. Playing the mean is the virtue between two extreme excesses and deficiency. For instance, exercising the act of justice in getting too little or getting too much. Therefore, human beings make choices depending on the circumstances that surround them by choosing on one option and neglecting the other. The task of ethics or tenets of rational choice were to come up with the highest and the best good that is found in human life. Thus, all human activities always aim at some recognized higher end that we always consider as good. Most activities that human beings incur in life are a

Do we have a moral obligation to vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Do we have a moral obligation to vote - Essay Example Based on the idea of individual morality, an act can be defined as rational if its expected costs do not exceed its expected benefits as defined by the individual making the decision. The expected costs of voting would include travel expenses as well as time spent researching the candidates and updating a voter’s registration card. It can be deduced then that the expected costs of voting are quite small. The outcome of having voted could result in the winning of either the candidate one has voted for or another candidate altogether. It is easy to decide not to vote as one single vote is almost irrelevant compared to millions of other votes; but if everyone adopted this viewpoint then no one would vote and we might end up living in a dictatorship form of government where the people have no say at all. So, it can be said that voting may cost an individual (even though the cost is rather miniscule) more then the expected benefit, as the individual can argue that their vote will n ever make a difference among all the other votes but the cost though small, is certain. This however, is from an individual’s perspective as opposed to looking at a group of people or the entire country. It may be theoretically irrational for an individual to waste time and money voting as the outcome of the election will not balance on their vote, but the individual votes of a group of people suddenly becomes rational as the cost remains small to each individual but the election outcome in the group’s favor will be beneficial. From a consequentiality’s perspective, the goal is to act in the most moral way to bring about positive consequences for a group as a whole. This clearly means that voting is certainly the moral thing to do for the majority and outweighs the minimal costs to individuals. Critically speaking however, it can also be said that moral responsibility is attached to individuals and their actions so seeking the best possible outcome should also

Mayan Family Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mayan Family Structure - Essay Example The Mayan dialect comprises 69 languages within five sub-families of Ch'ol-Tzotzil, Huastecan, Yucatecan, Chujean-Kanjobal, and Quichean-Memean sects. At the height of their prosperity they lived in cities that actually used to be religious centers and open country-sides. Their administrative system was effective and resourceful although their social and religious practices were sometimes brutal. (Mayan Family) The Mayan community is spread far and wide in pockets of different countries like Mexico, Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Chiapas, Gautemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. However, they are distinct from each other in their unique way they dress and communicate. The Mayan language is spoken as the first language in some communities whereas Spanish is the first language with others. The Mayan family structure today is just about like any other regular family structure in the world. They work, play, study, live together and plan their lives as a family unit and for their descendants. They live in their own countries and proudly hold on to their native tongue although a lot of them also speak Spanish, the language commonly spoke in majority of the people in the region. However, as a community, they are backward and still need help to improve their lot in education and business. They have a rich culture and tradition to speak of. They have wonderful history and heritage to share with people from all over the globe. They have rich natural sources and abilities to compare and compete with the best in the world, and brilliant ideas and hopes to join the rest of the human community in the race for better standards of living for themselves and others. (History of the Mayan Agency) Family Structure of the ancient times Specific information about the family structure as a unit is not forthcoming probably because the Mayan language family itself is divided into five sub-families. These sub-families are dispersed in different countries in South America, viz. Gautemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and South Mexico. The largest populations are found in Mexico in the states of Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Chiapas. The culture and social life of the Mayan harks back to ancient times as far back as 1500 BC. It was a prosperous and militant civilization that observed religious rituals on barbaric lines and depended on thriving economy. There was a big gap in the way of living between the ruling class and the common man. The king, his family, courtiers, priests, palace guard and servants enjoyed a better standard of living in comparison to the society at large. The Mayans practiced caste system rigidly. There was no way anyone could move over from a lower caste to upper caste or from one caste to another. The caste system much like other social and economic practices was inherited and passed on to the next generation without question. Nonetheless, the higher castes enjoyed the privilege of moving down the ladder. No one stopped the royal class from mixing with their less privileged citizens if it suited their position or tastes. There is nothing to show that such alliances were consigned to the flames or death squad. Also besides sacrificial

Saint Andrew The Apostle Theology Religion Essay

Saint Andrew The Apostle Theology Religion Essay Saint Andrew the Apostle is known by all of Christianity as one of Jesus closest friends. Saint Andrews symbol is shown all over the world in Europe, Scotland, and even in United States history. Saint Andrew the Apostle is the patron saint of Scotland with an interesting story behind it. Saint Andrew the Apostle is also known as the first apostle, so his life was tough and very interesting to think about (Jones). No one knows when Saint Andrew was born, but it was in the early first century A.D. Saint Andrew died in the mid-first century A.D. Saint Andrews feast day is November 30 (Jones). Saint Andrew was crucified on a saltire cross or X shaped cross, and is considered a martyr. Saint Andrew was the first of the twelve Apostles, and his brother was Peter. His trade was a fisherman (Hoever 483). Also, because Saint Andrew was the first Apostle, his feast day is placed on, or the closest date to, the first Sunday of advent and the new church year (Kiefer). Saint Andrew is not mentioned a lot in the book, Acts of the Apostles, because he was mostly gone, travelling and spreading the good news to the world at the time (Roberts). Saint Andrew was a follower of Saint John the Baptist and younger brother of Saint Peter. When John said, Behold the Lamb of God, Andrew immediately knew what he meant and left everything to follow Jesus (Roberts). Saint Andrew was there when Jesus fed five-thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish. In fact he was the one who brought the boy with the food to Jesus. Saint Andrew also spoke Greek, so he translated Greek peoples words who wanted to talk to Jesus (Kiefer). It has been said that after Jesus death, Saint Andrew preached in Asia Minor. When Saint Andrew was to be crucified in Patras, Greece, he begged to be crucified in a different position than Jesus. He felt that he was unworthy to die the same way as Jesus did (Hoever 483). Saint Andrew is the patron saint of many things. Saint Andrew is the patron saint against fever, against gout, against neck pain, against sore throats, and against whooping cough. He is also the patron saint of   anglers, boatmen, butchers, farm workers, fish dealers, fish mongers, fishermen, happy marriages, maidens, mariners, miners, old maids, pregnant women, sail makers, sailors, single lay women, singers, spinsters, textile workers, unmarried women, water carriers, women who wish to become mothers, Knights of the Golden Fleece, Spanish armed forces, University of Patras, Austria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Bithynia, Asia Minor, five cities in Belgium, four cities in England, five cities in France, sixteen cities in Germany, Achaia/  Greece, Patras/  Greece, twelve cities in Italy, Luqa/ Malta, Hattem/  Netherlands, Manila/  Philippines, Saint Andrews/  Scotland, Encinasola,  Huelva/  Spain, and San Andreas/  Cali fornia (Jones). After Saint Andrews death when Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, became the emperor around the year 308, he ordered for Saint Andrews remains to be put in a church in Constantinople. Saint Regulus, the person bringing Saint Andrews remains to Rome, was told by an angel to take his remains north, far away from Rome. He ended up creating the settlement of Saint Andrew in what is today known as parts of Scotland and Russia. Saint Andrews remains are currently residing in a church in Patras, Greece. Saint Andrew was actually never canonized! Canonization never existed until the twelfth century A.D. (Jones). There was also a gospel of Andrew written, but it was denied to be recognized by the church and was lost (Ferguson 50). Saint Andrew has not been known for a specific miracle, but Pictish King Angus prayed to the saints to help him in a battle that he would probably not win. He looked into the blue sky and saw a white saltire or X in the sky as he went into battle, and came out as the victor. Later King Angus made Saint Andrew the patron Saint of Scotland. Saint Andrew has been known to help maidens find their husbands if you pray to him on his feast day, November 30. Also Saint Andrew has been known to repair your voice to help singers (Jones). The saltire is Saint Andrews symbol; it is a diagonal X. This is Saint Andrews symbol because he died on the cross in this position. The saltire can be found all over the world. It can be found in Scotlands current flag showing what King Angus saw. You can find it in Great Britains flag under the cross. You can find it in an American Social Studies textbook. The Confederate flag purposely put it there in honor of Saint Andrew and Saint Patrick! The saltire is all over the world, you just have to find it (Kiefer). There are many reasons why I chose Saint Andrew the Apostle. One of the reasons I chose Saint Andrew the Apostle is because we have the same name and I thought that was kind of cool. I also chose Saint Andrew the Apostle because I knew I could find information on him and I knew that he was one of Jesus closest friends. I also thought that it was cool that he died on a saltire, not a cross. Another reason I chose St. Andrew the Apostle is that he died for his faith. I love how much faith he had in Jesus, and even when he died, he died loving Jesus and God. I do wish that I could have the strength and love for God as much as he did. This is why I love Saint Andrew the Apostle and admire him so much. I hope that after you read this essay, if or when you see Scotlands flag youll know Saint Andrew is the reason for the flags pattern.

State of War :: essays research papers

Our Current State Of War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A â€Å"State of War† is a period when two nations, parties, or even individuals are in open and armed conflict with each other. But how does this come about, and how would John Locke and President George W. Bush feel about how it is that a state of war originates? What actions must take place for war to exist? Is there a period of time that must be spent deliberating the possibility of entering into a state of war to determine its necessity? Is there even a choice in the mater, or is it born in all of human kind as a sort of character trait, which must at times be expressed. If a state of war is inevitable, should the support of others be established, and at what moment in this conflict does it become apparent that a state of war has just been entered into? Is this idea of â€Å"State of War† similar or different when comparing the writing of John Locke, with the actions of President Bush? To understand how it is that a state of war comes about we must know what it is. John Locke defines a state of war saying, â€Å"I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction†¦and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him.† (Ch 3 sec. 16, â€Å"Two Treatises of Government†) This gives a reasonable idea about what war is, when it is necessary to enter into a state of war, and how it is that it can be entered into. Locke is saying that war is a response to a threat. A threat can be a physical attack, or a verbal declaration to harm. The attack, or evidence of intent to harm is then reason enough for a state or war to be declared. With this understood and given the current state of war between Iraq and the United States can it be said, based on Locke’s statement, that George W. Bush had reason enough to enter into a state of war with Iraq? In a speech made to the American Enterprise Institute President Bush said, â€Å"In Iraq a dictator is building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilized world – and we will not allow it.† The development of these weapons could be interpreted as a threat, and a threat against the civilized world would justify an interest in a state of war.

Amusement Parks Essay

At Six Flags on Friday July 19, 2013 a woman was riding the Texas Giant rollercoaster when she fell out of her restraints. Carmen Brown, a witness, says that the woman had asked the staff to check her restraints shortly before the ride was starting. The gentleman that she had asked asked the woman if she heard the restraints click, the woman responded saying it didn’t sound like everyone else’s. The gentleman then, nonchalantly, told her that as long as it clicked it was okay. Nothing else was ever done to ensure the woman’s restraints were secure. Some witnesses have reported that as the rollercoaster was making a turn the woman was thrown out. The name of the victim and any further information has not been released. It is suspected that the woman was with her son. When the train had returned from the ride, it was reported that two people were shouting, one was screaming â€Å"My mom† â€Å"My mom†. The rollercoaster staff parked the train far enough away from the platform so no one was allowed get off of the train. www.dallasnews.com Due to the traumatic experience and people fearing the safety of the rides at Six Flags, the company will probably lose a good portion of money because people will not want or continue going to their park. This accident has caused an unexpected economic change in not only Six Flags but in all other amusement parks as well. Society will now have this negative view on amusement parks which means, for a little while at least, they will not want to go to the parks. This will cause the parks income to decline which can be very bad for the company, especially for Six Flags, who declared bankruptcy in 2009. When society loses trust in something they will usually pull back their economic support, leaving companies with fewer customers. It is important that companies and organizations remember that they have to keep the customer happy and safe. If not they will no longer have any customers. The majority of the people that witnessed the tragic event of the woman falling to her death due to a mechanical issue will probably no longer return to the park and they will likely have a large influence on their friends and family to not trust the park as well.

A Cultural Criticism Of Kite Runner by Khaled Hoesseini Essay

How high could a kite fly?: a cultural criticism of Kite Runner by Khaled Hoesseini   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a saying that cultural contacts sometimes bring the worst of two cultures. It could be true but it also an illusion because of unchanging thinking on the relationship between people.   And culture is all about relationship of people. What happens when people from different ethnic background and religions are caught up in cascading events in a changing world? What if the culture which binds or more accurate divides people is essentially ancient and has remain unchanged through the years, generation after, generation.   And what happens if the â€Å"now’s† world politics suddenly has suddenly broken the spell and subjected people to reality. This is the basic motif or thematic thread of the Kite Runner. See more: Foot Binding In China essay A novel set in Afghanistan, an ancient land, of ancient culture in the the 1960s up the 1980s when the Taliban came into power in Afghanistan, the Kite Runner chronicles a strange friendship between two people from different ethnicity, religion and socio-economic status. It is a study of contrasts as told by the main character Amir. To understand Amir and the characters set in a mosaic of contrasting and sometimes sharp contrast is to understand the cultural milieu of the ancient culture of Afghanistan based on Islam. This is no easy thing to do because of the matter of point of view. In the case of the Kite Runner or perhaps in any narrative, there are two point of views.   The point of view of the author and the point of â€Å"culture† as to the events and characters being described by the author. In the Kite Runner, the point of view is definitely modern – the narrative is excellent as shown by the superb weaving of the textual logic and the plot contemporary. The plot and characters As told by Amir, the story revolves around his friendship with Hassan the son of Amir’s father’s servant. It tells a story of betrayal, redemption and finally escape to freedom. Amir is Pashtoon and Hassan is Hazara. Pashtoon and Hazara are two of the ethnic groups in Afghanistan. From the novel, it appeared that the Hazara is discriminated upon or looked down on as revealed in the the following passage when Amir and Hassan are growing up:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One day, we were walking from my father’s house to Cinema Zainab for a new Iranian  movie, taking the shortcut through the military barracks near Istiqlal Middle School-Baba  had forbidden us to take that shortcut, but he was in Pakistan with Rahim Khan at the time.  We hopped the fence that surrounded the barracks, skipped over a little creek, and broke into  the open dirt field where old, abandoned tanks collected dust. A group of soldiers huddled  in the shade of one of those tanks, smoking cigarettes and playing cards. One of them saw  us, elbowed the guy next to him, and called Hassan.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hey, you!† he said. â€Å"I know you.†Ã‚  We had never seen him before. He was a squatty man with a shaved head and black stubble  on his face. The way he grinned at us, leered, scared me. â€Å"Just keep walking,† I muttered to Hassan. (Kite Runner, p 6-7)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"You! The Hazara! Look at me when I’m talking to you!† the soldier barked He handed  his cigarette to the guy next to him, made a circle with the thumb and index finger of one  hand. Poked the middle finger of his other hand through the circle. Poked it in and out.  In and out. â€Å"I knew your mother, did you know that? I knew her real good. I took her from behind by that creek over there.†Ã‚  The soldiers laughed. One of them made a squealing sound. I told Hassan to keep walking,  keep walking.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What a tight little sugary cunt she had!† (Kite Runner, p 6-7) This passage revealed a lot on the circumstances surrounding the two friends. Hassan was called by a soldier, â€Å"Hazara† and specifically pointed at Hassan just to taunt him, telling him that his mother is prostitute. From this passage, the two lads are simply out to watch an Iranian movie partaking of what little leisure their culture has to offer when they are confronted by the soldiers.   It is understandable that Amir could not defend his friend and hence he took evasive action.   It also showed the meek character of Hassan. The characterization of Amir and Hassan is set early in the novel. The circumstances of their births are telling of the subjugation and desperation of an ethnic group. The contrast is revealed in this passage:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was in that small shack that Hassan’s mother, Sanaubar, gave birth to him one cold winter day in 1964. While his mother hemorrhaged to death during childbirth, Hassan lost his less than a week after he was born. Lost her to a fate most Afghans considered far worse than death. She ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancer. (Kite Runner, p 6-7)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both Amir and Hassan lost their mothers upon birth with Amir’s mother dying of hemorrhage giving birth while Hassan was born with not much problem as implied by the quick recovery of his mother. But she ran away apparently not wanting the responsibility of raising a child. This passage is revealing of the harsh reality of Hazara woman and how harsh her reaction could be as depicted in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"the moment Sanaubar had given birth to Hassan. It had been a simple enough affair. No obstetricians, no anesthesiologists, no fancy monitoring devices. Just Sanaubar lying on a stained, naked mattress with Ali and a midwife helping her. She hadn’t needed much help at all, because, even in birth, Hassan was true to his nature: He was incapable of hurting anyone. A few grunts, a couple of pushes, and out came Hassan. Out he came smiling. As confided to a neighbor’s servant by the garrulous midwife, who had then in turn told anyone who would listen, Sanaubar had taken one glance at the baby in Ali’s arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter. â€Å"There,† she had said. â€Å"Now you have your own idiot child to do all your smiling for you!† She had refused to even hold Hassan, and just five days later, she was gone.† (Kite Runner, p 9-10)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This early in the novel, how the characters would develop has already been foretold. The novel’s author, included the phrase â€Å"true his nature, incapable of hurting anyone† in referring to Hassan. A gentle soul, helpless and innocent amid the torrid racial, economic and political cauldron that is Afghanistan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethnic intolerance is a pervading theme in Kite Runner and there are many scenes showing this. In another passage, Hassan was taunted and called him â€Å"flat-nosed† referring to the physical features of Hassan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is interesting to point out, that this tale is in the point of view of Amir, a Pashtoon, an ethnic group which Amir found out later that his people have subjugated the Hazaras. This is the turning point of Amir’s understanding of Hassan and critical to the development of the novel and Amir’s actions much later in the book. The passage reflects the contrast between Amir and Hassan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Then one  day, I was in Baba’s study, looking through his stuff, when I found one of my mother’s old  history books. It was written by an Iranian named Khorami. I blew the dust off it, sneaked it  into bed with me that night, and was stunned to find an entire chapter on Hazara history. An  entire chapter dedicated to Hassan’s people! In it, I read that my people, the Pashtoons, had  persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras. It said the Hazaras had tried to rise against the  Pashtoons in the nineteenth century, but the Pashtoons had â€Å"quelled them with unspeakable  violence.  (Kite Runner, p 9) This is no easy revelation to a child. Difficult to grasp the extent of racial tension and subjugation, of a horrendous history separating him from a childhood friend, almost a bond brother if not a loyal servant. This as mentioned earlier is the difficult part. Is Amir, undergoing a change as a benevolent master or into egalitarian person? The climactic culmination of the this relationship is portrayed in the kite contest wherein Hassan is the kite runner of Amir. Take note that the relationship of master-servant did not change so are the dreams of children. Winning contests or making a name to make someone happy. In this case, Amir wants to impress his father so he joined the contest. In one part of the novel is this passage showing that the relationship is still is master and servant. This is important in the understanding the construct of the Kite Runner. Finally, I had my kite in hand. I wrapped the loose string that had collected at my feet around the spool, shook a few more hands, and trotted home. When I reached the wroughtiron gates, Ali was waiting on the other side. He stuck his hand through the bars. â€Å"Congratulations,† he said. 1 gave him my kite and spool, shook his hand. â€Å"Tashakor, Ali jan.† â€Å"I was praying for you the whole time.† â€Å"Then keep praying. We’re not done yet.† (Kite Runner, p 67)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ali, here is the father of Hassan, note Amir’s dialogue: â€Å"I gave him my kite and spool, shook his hand.† It is plainly, a lad in confidence talking to a servant, as if saying, here take care of this will you? Like what Batman would have done with Alfred after a caper. â€Å"Here Alfred, take care of my boomerang will you?† The following passage shows the blissful innocence in triumph.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I hurried back to the street. I didn’t ask Ali about Baba. I didn’t want to see him yet. In my head, I had it all planned: I’d make a grand entrance, a hero, prized trophy in my bloodied hands. Heads would turn and eyes would lock†¦ Then the old warrior would walk to the young one, embrace   him, acknowledge his Worthiness. (Kite Runner, p 67)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The prize trophy being referred here is a blue kit which Amir won. Hassan is tasked to recover the prize in a kite war. But succeeding events in an otherwise happy occasion of winning which Amir wanted to share with Hassan is not allowed by the author and the illusion of a champion in kiting as clashed with reality is painted squarely by Hosseini when Hassan was violated by Assef, the nemesis of Amir who would figure as the dark symbol of the grim world of Afghanistan at the rise of the Talibans in the 80’s. The sexual violation or rape of Hassan, perhaps symbolizes the subjugation by use of powerful force over another. In one scene, perhaps to zero in on a contradiction in Afghan culture, Hosseini weaved this passage describing Amir as he looks for Hassan shortly after the kite contest and shortly before witnessing the violation of Hassan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By the time I reached the marketplace a few blocks away, from the Haji Yaghoub Mosque, the mullahbellowed azan, calling for the faithful to unroll their rugs and bow their heads west in prayer. Hassan never missed any of the five daily prayers. Even when we were out playing, he’d excuse himself, draw water from the well in the yard, wash up, and disappear into the hut. He’d come out a few minutes later, smiling, find me sitting against the wall or perched on a tree. He was going to miss prayer tonight, though, because of me. (Kite Runner, p 68)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Here in this passage, Hassan is picture as a devotee of Haj Yaghoub Mosque, religious, true to his faith innocent. A simple child devoted to a friend performing for him the task of a kite runner. He performed his task and recovered the blue kite of Amir but was intercepted by Assef.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amir saw the whole episode but did nothing.   Here is a symbolic twist in the novel.   The incapacity of Amir to act to protect not only Hassan but himself. As we noted earlier, Amir is both a master and a friend of Hassan in terms of relationships, cultural and personal. As a master, he backed down to the superior force of Assef and friends, he knows he could not win so he whimpers just watching. As a friend, he suffered internally at the sight of the violation.   The illusion of triumph in the kite contest shattered. When kites are let loose The resolution of the tale of ethnic strife Kite Runner is framed by the author in the succeeding generation. It would be the redemption of Amir, when he rescued Hassan’s child who was taken captive by Assef who became a Taliban official. Amir was able to escape to California with his wife and Hassan’s child. Hassan was revealed to have been killed by the Taliban. As far as handling the themes of conflict and its resolution, the Kite Runner showed us symbolically, how change is almost impossible in an ancient setting.   It would take perhaps generation after generation to a society more tolerant of each other’s differences.   The novel is rich in symbols. The kite is highly symbolic, there is a thread that keeps it afloat, there is the wind. Cutting loose has significant meaning as when Amir decides to escape to California. The kite of Amir has crossed the continents, from the ancient to the modern or post modern California. We are then left with one question, authenticity. It is not the objective of this paper to analyze what is Afghan culture and conflicts which tearing the country apart in flare ups of violence, we could only view the novel as woven by the author. Though in many ways, ethnic or racial discrimination has been a plague of mankind, and even stable techno-scientific economies has their share of racial disharmony and bigotry. Apartheid was just recently abolished in South Africa and there are racial and ethnic strifes in Eastern Europe. What Kite Runner did is to open our eyes to such problems and maybe in the future, youthful dreams would come true. Reference Hosseini, Khaled,   Kite Runner http://rahapen.org/RAHA_Literary_criticism_safar_hanifi2.htm (1 of 8)5/6/2006 1:30:29 PM RAHA PEN: A quick glance on Novel† The Kite Runnner† WIKEPEDIA.com