Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Aristotle s Five Ways Of The Existence Of God - 1354 Words

The existence of God, or a divine being, has been a metaphysical subject that has been contemplated since thousands of years by ancient philosophers such as Thales, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and many more. Medieval philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas, who is most famously known for combining principles of faith and reason into a philosophy known as Thomism. The â€Å"five ways† of proofing the existence of God, which is Article three, of Question 2, of part I, of his â€Å"Summa Theologià ¦Ã¢â‚¬ , gives five different ways of proofing the existence of God. In this essay, the five ways of Aquinas will be explained. The first way of proofing the existence of God is an argument based on motion. Aquinas notes that our senses aware us that things in our environment are in motion. Something that is motionless, would be considered to have potentiality of motion. This means that potentially it could be put into motion. On the other hand, something in motion would be considered to have actuality of motion. Things that have potentiality of motion, can be put into motion by something else that has actuality of motion. To illustrate, a pool ball that is motionless has potential motion. The moment the cue stick hits the ball, its potentiality of motion becomes actuality of motion, that is because the cue stick had actuality of motion in first place. This means that actuality is needed to change potentiality into actuality. However, Aquinas then notes that things cannot change its own potentiality intoShow MoreRelatedAre There Any Immoral Religions Or Any Moral Atheists?1204 Words   |  5 Pagescomprehend ing the nature of any other type of philosophical discipline. Many of the philosophers in the past believed in the existence of a Mighty being who is in control of everything. In the same breath, Aristotle and Aquinas believed that God took care of everything, and only living a virtuous life guaranteed to be like Him. On some issues, Aquinas supported Aristotle s thinking, while in others he differed intensely. To achieve this goal, an array of intellectual and ethical virtues enables anRead MoreThe Five Ways Of Proving God s Existence790 Words   |  4 PagesEdward Tajchman Intro to Philosophy 29 October 2014 Reflections on The Essay, The Five Ways of Proving God s Existence, by Thomas Aquinas Aquinas proposes that there are five ways of proving the existence of god. The first way is motion. Things in motion are not put in motion of their own accord, so they must have been put in motion by another force. This takes a thing from potentiality into the realm of actuality. Because this thing cannot be the mover and also the thing being moved, another forceRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas And The Catholic Church1682 Words   |  7 Pages Luther Vs Aquinas Nick Pascuzzi TH 3000 Dr. Campbell 11/21/2016 â€Æ' St. Thomas Aquinas, was born near Naples, Italy, in 1225. Educated in the Dominican Order in Paris and Cologne, he devoted his life to the knowledge of God. He died in 1274, was canonized in 1323. In 1567 he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church (NCE 14:13-29). Martin Luther, was born on the 10th of November in 1483 in the Holy Roman Empire. He was baptized as Catholic, but he became a significant figure inRead MoreThe Existence Of God : An Argument881 Words   |  4 PagesThe Existence of God The philosophical arguments presented in this document are not of religious text, nor scientific observation or established fact. Rather the premise of this God proof is bring together and share the various theories on which other God proofs have established foundations. I have heard it quoted that â€Å"Philosophy goes where hard science can t, or won t. Philosophers have a license to.† Therefore, with this in mind, I attest that it is more than problematic to construct anRead MoreThe Bible Is The Best Gift God Essay1225 Words   |  5 PagesThe Bible, although written by man is God s word to the world. The unity showed in the bible over such a long period of time, and over multiple continents is proof that it was written by something more than just a mere human, and that it was instead written by someone with divine power. The bible’s timeline spans centuries, but the impact that the bible has will continue indefinitely. Although there are millions of believers th ere is also almost an equal amount of skeptics. Because no physical evidenceRead MoreSir Thomas Aquinas And William Paley s Argument On The Existence Of God1176 Words   |  5 Pagesarguments for the existence of God. Aquinas defines God as omnibenevolent (all good) for his argument, and he continues in â€Å"The Five Ways† to present arguments to prove God’s existence (Rosen et al. 11). Paley, on the other hand, primarily defines God as a designer worthy of our admiration for his work (Rosen et al. 27). During class discussion, defining God involved three major qualities: omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence. Both Aquinas and Paley are attempting to prove the existence of the (Christian)Read MoreThe Media And Its Popularity933 Words   |  4 PagesMan has always asked about nature’s existence and how did it come to be. Did the origin of life accidentally come into being, or was it the artwork of a more majestic being? Or did the self. existing God gi ve nature the trigger and everything else came in an orderly manner? These types of questions are not new to humanity. Predated philosophers since the times of Plato and Aristotle, around 300.400 BC, have already asked themselves about their existence. On the other side, theologians have alwaysRead MoreThe Argument For The Existence Of God1411 Words   |  6 PagesMy paper scrutinizes numerous logical disputes for and alongside the presence of God. I shall argue that there’s no adequate evidence or inclusive arguments for the existence of God. It is grounded on the views of certain great philosophers and scientists of all of mankind. Generally speaking for myself, I would correspond to have faith that there is â€Å"God†. Regrettably, it’s awfully well-defined that the being built up on insightful faith is no longer a suitable custom to shadow. During the courseRead MoreMontaigne and Augustine1359 Words   |  6 Pagesregards to Montaigne s statement on page 23 in Apology for Raymond Sebond, I would deduce that he was using the metaphor of nature and natural tendencies in opposition to man s vain, self-seeking faà §ade that displaces God the creator. Montaigne s statement appears to (on the surface at least) value mans naturalistic tendencies and graces in a much better light than our own vain-striving presumptions that claim that our competent utterances hold the very answers to the right way in which to conductRead MoreTragedy : The Soul Of Tragedy940 Words   |  4 Pagespurpose. Using the term soul, most would say, is very religious. The soul is the apex of our being; our very existence is d ependent on our souls tactfulness. Tragedy some assume only happens to a certain type of person. Aristotle explains a tragedy can only happen to that of a ‘good person’, for if something bad were to happen to a bad person society wouldn’t relate to it as a tragedy. Aristotle writes, â€Å"For our pity is excited by misfortunes undeservedly suffered, and our terror by some resemblance

Monday, December 16, 2019

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 1 Free Essays

string(43) " a yellow MEN AT WORK sign attached to it\." Statistics show that most mortals sell their souls for five reasons: sex, money, power, revenge, and love. In that order. I suppose I should have been reassured, then, that I was out here assisting with numero uno, but the whole situation just made me feel†¦ well, sleazy. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Blues CHAPTER 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now And coming from me, that was something. Maybe I just can’t empathize anymore, I mused. It’s been too long. When I was a virgin, people still believed swans could impregnate girls. Nearby, Hugh waited patiently for me to overcome my reticence. He stuffed his hands into well-pressed khakis, leaning his large frame against his Lexus. â€Å"I don’t see what the big deal is. You do this all the time.† That wasn’t exactly true, but we both knew what he meant. Ignoring him, I instead made a great show of studying my surroundings, not that that improved my mood. The suburbs always dragged me down. Identical houses. Perfect lawns. Far too many SUVs. Somewhere in the night, a dog refused to stop yapping. â€Å"I don’t do this, † I said finally. â€Å"Even I have standards.† Hugh snorted, expressing his opinion of my standards. â€Å"Okay, if it makes you feel better, don’t think of this in terms of damnation. Think of it as a charity case.† â€Å"A charity case?† â€Å"Sure.† He pulled out his Pocket PC, looking briskly businesslike, despite the unorthodox setting. Not that I should have been surprised. Hugh was a professional imp, a master at getting mortals to sell their souls, an expert in contracts and legal loopholes that would have made any lawyer wince in envy. He was also my friend. It sort of gave new meaning to the With friends like these†¦ adage. â€Å"Listen to these stats,† he continued. â€Å"Martin Miller. Male, of course. Caucasian. Nonpracticing Lutheran. Works over at a game store in the mall. Lives in the basement here – his parents’ house.† â€Å"Jesus.† â€Å"Told you.† â€Å"Charity or no, it still seems so†¦ extreme. How old is he again?† â€Å"Thirty-four.† † Ew.† â€Å"Exactly. If you were that old and hadn’t gotten any, you might seek desperate measures too.† He glanced down at his watch. â€Å"So are you going to do this or not?† No doubt I was keeping Hugh from a date with some hot woman half his age – by which I meant, of course, the age Hugh looked. In reality, he was pushing a century. I set my purse on the ground and gave him a warning glance. â€Å"You owe me.† â€Å"I do,† he conceded. This wasn’t my usual gig, thank goodness. The imp normally â€Å"outsourced† this kind of thing but had run into some kind of scheduling problem tonight. I couldn’t imagine who he normally got to do this. I started toward the house, but he stopped me. â€Å"Georgina?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"There’s†¦ one other thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned back around, not liking the tone in his voice. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"He, um, sort of had a special request.† I raised an eyebrow and waited. â€Å"You see, uh, he’s really into the whole, like, evil thing. You know, figures if he sold his soul to the devil – so to speak – then he should lose his virginity to a, I don’t know, demoness or something.† I swear, even the dog stopped barking at that. â€Å"You’re joking.† Hugh didn’t respond. â€Å"I’m not a – no. No way am I going to – â€Å" â€Å"Come on, Georgina. It’s nothing. A flourish. Smoke and mirrors. Please? Just do this for me?† He turned wistful, cajoling. Hard to resist. Like I said, he was good at his job. â€Å"I’m really in a tight spot†¦ if you could help me out here†¦ it would mean so much†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I groaned, unable to refuse the pathetic look on his broad face. â€Å"If anyone finds out about this – â€Å" â€Å"My lips are sealed.† He actually had the audacity to make a sealing motion. Bending down, resigned, I unfastened the straps on my shoes. â€Å"What are you doing?† he asked. â€Å"These are my favorite Bruno Maglis. I don’t want them absorbed when I change.† â€Å"Yeah, but†¦ you can just shape-shift them back.† â€Å"They won’t be the same.† â€Å"They will. You can make them anything you want. This is just silly.† â€Å"Look,† I demanded, â€Å"do you want to stand out here arguing shoes, or do you want me to go make a man of your virgin?† Hugh clamped his mouth shut and gestured toward the house. I padded away in the grass, the blades tickling my bare feet. The back patio leading to the basement was open, just as Hugh had promised. I let myself into the sleeping house, hoping they didn’t have a dog, blearily wondering how I’d reached this low point in my existence. Adjusting to the darkness, my eyes soon discerned the features of a comfortable, middle-class family room: sofa, television, bookshelves. A stairwell rose to the left, and a hallway veered to the right. I turned down the hall, letting my appearance shape-shift as I walked. The sensation was so familiar, so second nature to me, that I didn’t even need to see my exterior to know what was happening. My petite frame grew taller, the slim build still staying slim but taking on a leaner, harder edge. My skin paled to death white, leaving no memory of its faint tan. The hair, already to my midback, stayed the same length but darkened to jet black, the fine waviness turning straight and coarse. My breasts – impressive by most standards – became larger still, rivaling those of the comic book heroines this guy had undoubtedly grown up with. As for my outfit†¦ well, away went the cute Banana Republic slacks and blouse. Thigh-high black leather boots appeared on my legs, paired with a matching halter top and a skirt I never could have bent over in. Spiky wings, horns, and a whip completed the package. â€Å"Oh Lord,† I muttered, accidentally taking in the whole effect in a small decorative mirror. I hoped none of the local demonesses ever found about this. They were really quite classy. Turning from the taunting mirror, I stared down the hall at my destination: a closed door with a yellow MEN AT WORK sign attached to it. You read "Succubus Blues CHAPTER 1" in category "Essay examples" I thought I could hear the faint sounds of a video game bleeping from beyond, though such noises silenced immediately when I knocked. A moment later, the door opened, and I stood facing a five-foot-eight guy with shoulder-length, dirty blond hair rapidly receding on top. A large, hairy belly peeped out from underneath his Homer Simpson T-shirt, and he held a bag of potato chips in one hand. The bag dropped to the floor when he saw me. â€Å"Martin Miller?† â€Å"Y-yes,† he gasped out. I cracked the whip. â€Å"You ready to play with me?† Exactly six minutes later, I left the Miller residence. Apparently thirty-four years doesn’t do much for one’s stamina. â€Å"Whoa, that was fast,† Hugh noted, seeing me walk across the front yard. He was leaning against the car again, smoking a cigarette. â€Å"No shit. Got another one of those?† He grinned and handed over his own cigarette, giving me a once-over. â€Å"Would you be offended if I said the wings kind of get me hot?† I took the cigarette, narrowing my eyes at him as I inhaled. A quick check ascertained no one else was around, and I shape-shifted back to my usual form. â€Å"You owe me big,† I reminded him, putting the shoes back on. â€Å"I know. Of course, some might argue you owe me. You got a nice fix from it. Better than you’re used to.† I couldn’t deny that, but I didn’t have to feel good about it either. Poor Martin. Geek or no, committing his soul to eternal damnation was a helluva price to pay for six minutes. â€Å"You wanna get a drink?† Hugh offered. â€Å"No, it’s too late. I’m going home. Got a book to read.† â€Å"Ah, of course. When’s the big day?† â€Å"Tomorrow,† I proclaimed. The imp chuckled at my hero worship. â€Å"He just writes mainstream fiction, you know. He’s hardly Nietzsche or Thoreau.† â€Å"Hey, one doesn’t have to be surreal or transcendental to be a great writer. I should know; I’ve seen a few over the years.† Hugh grunted at my imperious air, giving me a mock bow. â€Å"Far be it from me to argue with a lady about her age.† I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then walked two blocks to where I had parked. I was unlocking the car door when I felt it: the warm, tingling feeling indicative of another immortal nearby. Vampire, I registered, only a millisecond before he appeared beside me. Damn, they moved fast. â€Å"Georgina, my belle, my sweet succubus, my goddess of delight,† he intoned, placing his hands over his heart dramatically. Great. Just what I needed. Duane was quite possibly the most obnoxious immortal I’d ever met. He kept his blond hair shaved to a close buzz, and as usual, he demonstrated terrible taste in both fashion and deodorant. â€Å"Go away, Duane. I have nothing to say to you.† â€Å"Oh come on,† he crooned, his hand snaking out to hold the door as I tried to open it. â€Å"Even you can’t play coy this time. Look at you. You’re positively glowing. Good hunting, eh?† I scowled at the reference to Martin’s life energy, knowing it must be wreathing me. Obstinately, I tried to pry my door open against Duane’s hold. No luck. â€Å"He’ll be out for days, from the looks of it,† the vampire added, peering at me closely. â€Å"Still, I imagine whoever he was enjoyed the ride – both on you and to hell.† He gave me a lazy smile, just barely revealing his pointed teeth. â€Å"He must have been someone pretty good for you to look as hot as you do now. What happened? I thought you only fucked the scum of the earth. The real assholes.† â€Å"Change of policy. I didn’t want to give you false hope.† He shook his head appreciatively. â€Å"Oh Georgina, you never disappoint – you and your witticisms. But then, I’ve always found whores know how to make good use of their mouths, on or off the job.† â€Å"Let go,† I snapped, tugging harder at the door. â€Å"Why the hurry? I have a right to know what you and the imp were doing over here. The Eastside is my turf.† â€Å"We don’t have to abide by your ‘turf rules, and you know it.† â€Å"Still, common courtesy dictates when you’re in the neighborhood – literally, in this case – you at least say hello. Besides, how come we never hang out? You owe me some quality time. You spend enough time with those other losers.† The losers he referred to were my friends and the only decent vampires I’d ever met. Most vampires – like Duane – were arrogant, devoid of social skills, and obsessed with territoriality. Not unlike a lot of mortal men I’d met. â€Å"If you don’t let me go, you’re going to learn a whole new definition of ‘common courtesy.'† Okay, it was a stupid, faux action-movie line, but it was the best I could come up with on the spot. I made my voice sound as menacing as possible, but it was pure bravado, and he knew it. Succubi were gifted with charisma and shape-shifting; vampires had super strength and speed. What this meant was that one of us mingled better at parties, and the other could break a man’s wrist with a handshake. â€Å"Are you actually threatening me?† He ran a playful hand along my cheek, making the hairs on my neck stand on end – in a bad way. I squirmed. â€Å"That’s adorable. And kind of arousing. I actually think I’d like to see you on the offensive. Maybe if you’d just behave like a good girl – ow !You little bitch!† With both of his hands occupied, I had seized my window of opportunity. A quick burst of shape-shifting, and sharp, three-inch claws appeared on my right hand. I swiped them across his cheek. His superior reflexes didn’t let me get very far with the gesture, but I did draw blood before he gripped my wrist and slammed it against the car. â€Å"What’s the matter? Not offensive enough for you?† I managed through my pain. More bad movie lines. â€Å"Cute, Georgina. Very cute. We’ll see how cute you are by the time I – â€Å" Headlights glimmered in the night as a car turned the corner on the next block and headed toward us. In that split second, I could see the indecision on Duane’s face. Our t §?e- §?t §?e would undoubtedly be noticed by the driver. While Duane could easily kill an intervening mortal – hell, it was what he did for a living – having the kill linked to his harassment of me would not look good to our superiors. Even an asshole like Duane would think twice before stirring up that kind of paperwork. â€Å"We aren’t finished,† he hissed, releasing my wrist. â€Å"Oh, I think we are.† I could feel braver now that salvation was on the way. â€Å"The next time you come near me’s going to be the last.† â€Å"I’m quaking in terror,† he simpered. His eyes gleamed once in the darkness, and then he was gone, moving off into the night just as the car drove past. Thank God for whatever liaison or ice cream run had pulled that driver out tonight. Not wasting any more time, I got into my car and drove off, anxious to be back in the city. I tried to ignore the shaking of my hands on the wheel, but the truth of the matter was, Duane terrified me. I had told him off plenty of times in the presence of my immortal friends, but taking him on alone on a dark street was an entirely different matter, especially since all my threats had been empty ones. I actually abhorred violence in all its forms. I suppose this came from living through periods of history fraught with levels of cruelty and brutality no one in the modern world could even comprehend. People like to say we live in violent times now, but they have no idea. Sure, there had been a certain satisfaction centuries ago in seeing a rapist castrated swiftly and promptly for his crimes, without endless courtroom drama or an early release for â€Å"good behavior.† Unfortunately, those who deal in revenge and vigilantism rarely know where to draw the line, so I’d take the bureaucracy of the modern judicial system any day. Thinking back to how I’d presumed the fortuitous driver was on an ice cream run, I decided a little dessert would do me some good too. Once I was safely back in Seattle, I stopped in a 24-hour grocery store, discovering some marketing mastermind had created tiramisu-flavored ice cream. Tiramisu and ice cream. The ingenuity of mortals never failed to amaze me. As I was about to pay, I passed a display of flowers. They were cheap and a little tattered, but I watched as a young man came in and nervously scanned them over. At last he selected some autumn-colored mums and carried them off. My eyes followed him wistfully, half-jealous of whatever girl would be getting those. As Duane had noted, I usually fed off losers, guys I didn’t have to feel guilty about hurting or rendering unconscious for a few days. Those kind did not send flowers and usually avoided most romantic gestures altogether. As for the guys who did send flowers, well, I avoided them. For their own good. That was out of character for a succubus, but I was too jaded to care about propriety anymore. Feeling sad and lonely, I picked up a bouquet of red carnations for myself and paid for it and the ice cream. When I arrived home, my phone was ringing. Setting down my goods, I glanced at the Caller-ID. Caller unknown. â€Å"My lord and master,† I answered. â€Å"What a perfect ending to a perfect night.† â€Å"Save your quips, Georgie. Why were you fucking with Duane?† â€Å"Jerome, I – what?† â€Å"He just called. Said you were unduly hassling him.† â€Å"Hassling? Him?† Outrage surged inside me. â€Å"He started it! He came up to me and – â€Å" â€Å"Did you hit him?† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Did you?† I sighed. Jerome was the archdemon of the greater Seattle hierarchy of evil, as well as my supervisor. It was his job to manage all of us, make sure we did our duties, and keep us in line. Like any lazy demon, however, he preferred we create as little work for him as possible. His annoyance was almost palpable through the phone line. â€Å"I did sort of hit him. Actually, it was more of a swipe.† â€Å"I see. A swipe. And did you threaten him too?† â€Å"Well, yes, I guess, if you want to argue semantics, but Jerome, come on! He’s a vampire. I can’t touch him. You know that.† The archdemon hesitated, apparently considering the outcome of me going head-to-head with Duane. I must have lost in the hypothetical battle because I heard Jerome exhale a moment later. â€Å"Yes. I suppose. But don’t provoke him anymore. I’ve got enough to work on right now without you children having catfights.† â€Å"Since when do you work?† Children indeed. â€Å"Good night, Georgie. Don’t tangle with Duane again.† The phone disconnected. Demons weren’t big on small talk. I hung up, feeling highly offended. I couldn’t believe Duane had tattled on me and then made me out to be the bad guy. Worse, Jerome seemed to have believed it. At least at first. That probably hurt me most of all because, my slacker-succubus habits aside, I’d always enjoyed a kind of indulgent, teacher’s pet role with the archdemon. Seeking consolation, I carried the ice cream off to my bedroom, shedding my clothes for a loose nightshirt. Aubrey, my cat, stood up from where she’d been sleeping at the foot of my bed and stretched. Solid white save for some black smudges on her forehead, she squinted green eyes at me in greeting. â€Å"I can’t go to bed,† I told her, stifling a yawn. â€Å"I have to read first.† I curled up with the pint and my book, recalling again how I’d finally be meeting my favorite author at the signing tomorrow. Seth Mortensen’s writing always spoke to me, awakening something inside I hadn’t even known was asleep. His current book, The Glasgow Pact, couldn’t ease the guilt I felt over what had happened with Martin, but it filled an aching emptiness in me nonetheless. I marveled that mortals, living so short a time, could create such wonderful things. â€Å"I never created anything when I was a mortal,† I told Aubrey when I’d finished five pages. She rubbed against me, purring sympathetically, and I had just enough presence of mind to put the ice cream away before collapsing back into bed and falling asleep. How to cite Succubus Blues CHAPTER 1, Essay examples

Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Debates Of Their Lives Essay Research free essay sample

The Debates Of Their Lifes Essay, Research Paper The Debate of Their Lifes Many people enjoy runing because it is loosen uping, merriment or besides a agency of endurance. Through out the old ages, though, runing has become a unsafe event for has been around for centuries and has about brought about the extinction many species of giants ( Whaling 2 ) . Many states have hunted giants in the past but now there are merely a few whaling states, one being Japan ( Lemonick 42 ) . Japan, ignoring the prohibition, are now runing minke giants because they feel there is a sufficient sum of this species ( Watch 20 ) . After many old ages Japan still insists on go oning to run giants but many organisations are opposing this for the simple fact that the giants are in danger of going extinct. Whaling has been around for centuries ( Lemonick 44 ) and grounds shows that whaling has perchance been around since prehistoric times ( Whaling 1 ) . The earliest record of whaling by states with organized concerns is dated around 875 ( Whaling 1 ) . During this clip Japan has gained much wealth from whaling and continues runing certain species of giants ( Whaling 1 ) . Japan and other states ab initio hunted giants from dinghies but by 1870 mill ships were introduced and by 1925 a giant could be wholly laid on the deck of a ship ( Whaling 1 ) . The first method of capturing giants was utilizing manus held spears and hand-thrown harpoons ( Whaling 2 ) . By 1731, though, engineering advanced and a gun was devised that was able to hit the harpoons alternatively of throwing them ( Whaling 2 ) . For centuries whalers were limited to a certain figure of giants because of the handiness of giants and the trouble in happening and catching them ( Whaling 2 ) . As many species of giants evolved and states were still invariably runing them, the IWC ( International Whaling Commission ) had to do certain ordinances. By 1949, the committee regulated whaling by ( 1 ) puting geographical restrictions, ( 2 ) forbiding the pickings of certain species such as the Arctic right and bluish giants, ( 3 ) establishing regulations for safeguarding immature giants and female s with suckling calves, and ( 4 ) restricting the operations of mill ships and shore Stationss ( Whaling 2 ) . Now the few thousand minke giants has increased even more with an estimated 800,000 minke giants populating in the South-polar Waterss and northern seas ( Nickerson A7 ) . Japan requested that they be allowed to catch 3,000 minkes, but the IWC turned their petition down ( Nickerson A7 ) . Japan s Institute of Cetacean Research is allowed to catch 330 minke entirely for research each twelvemonth ( Watanbe A2 ) . After they are used for research, the eat ends up being sold or cooked in whale meat eating houses ( Nickerson A8 ) . Since giants have been over-hunted for old ages the IWC had to set a prohibition on whaling ( Lemonick 44 ) . Japan is one of the largest states that Hunts giants ( Watanbe A3 ) . In a 1992 Gallup Poll, 54.7 % of Japans population back up the thought of runing nonendangered giants for nutrient. This per centum is more than double of the U.S. per centum, 26.3 % ( Watanbe A3 ) . The lone other state with more people than Japan in back uping the Hunt is Norway with 62.7 % ( Watanbe A3 ) . Japan is really defeated that the IWC will non raise the prohibition against whaling because they feel it is acceptable to run nonendangered giants, such as the minke ( Watch 20 ) . One specific country in Japan that is enduring in because of this prohibition is Taiji ( Nickerson A7 ) . For 400 old ages, work forces of Taiji have hunted giants for nutrient and other utilizations such as lamp oil and adult females s dress girdles ( Nickerson A7 ) . Whales represent 26 % of the meat in Japan ( Nickerson A7 ) . One concerned whaler, Yoji Kita quoted, For a hapless town like ours, a return to whaling is a inquiry of life or decease ( Nickerson A7 ) . This prohibition against whaling has stripped Taiji of it s most of import industry, seting many whalers out of work ( Watanbe A2 ) . Some have moved to angling but say it is non the same as whaling ( Watanbe A3 ) . Shoya Fyono said, Whaling is a batch more profitable # 8230 ; You could do 10 million hankering ( $ 88,000 ) working merely three or four months a twelvemonth. with fishing, you work all twelvemonth, six yearss a hebdomad and draw in merely 5 million hankerings ( Watanbe A3 ) . Japan argues the fact that they should be allowed to run the minke giants, at least, because there are a big measure of them ( Lemonick 44 ) . They understand the thought of a prohibition on certain species of giants, but they feel that it is incorrect that they are banned from runing minke giants ( Lemonick 44 ) . An observer supported this impression, Cipher wants to run the big giants any longer because they threatened. But the statement that whales must therefore non be hunted at all is like stating that because on strain of hog is on the brink of deceasing out cipher should eat porc ( Lemonick 44 ) . Japan feels that this prohibition was imposed against them merely because of the emotion felt for the animals and non for rational scientific discipline ( Lemonick 42 ) . Japan besides feels that the prohibition is impacting a tradition that began with their ascendants for at least 1,000 old ages ( Nickerson A7 ) . Wataru Kohama says, Since age 17, I have hunted the giant # 8230 ; Whaling has been my life as it was the life of my male parent and gramps and many, many ascendants before them. Now our manner of life is being destroyed ( Nickerson A7 ) . Japan fights difficult against the prohibition on whaling. They are organizing an confederation with Africa to stop the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ( CITES ) protection for the giants. In return, Japan would back up the down listing of the African elephant and its valuable tusk ( Collapse 17 ) . Nipponese feel they are being singles out because of their eating wonts and pattern of a culinary lip service ( Nickerson A8 ) . Kita Taiji s manager of be aftering defends this statement by stating, Americans condemn whaling while butchering 1000000s of cattles to be put between the staff of life of their Large Macs†¦ It s non a resource job. There are plentifulness of minkes, and we are non seeking to reap many. But Americans make us villains merely because they dislike our eating habits†¦ It s merely another signifier of Japan-bashing ( Nickerson A8 ) . Japan is seeking so difficult to let go of this prohibition that they are even fighting to happen economic options to whaling. They have built a whaling museum that attracts more than 300,000 visitants each twelvemonth ( Nickerson A8 ) . Japan hopes to acquire rid of this prohibition so that they can maintain their traditional manner of life alive ( Nickerson A8 ) . There are many grounds that the giants become endangered. One is the environment that the giants live in. It has been greatly disrupted by fishermen who catch the nutrient the giants eat ( Lemonick 44 ) . Bruce McKay provinces, Over angling straight deprives giants and mahimahis of nutrient # 8230 ; That increases the emphasis on an animate being. It besides makes them more susceptible to disease and cut down their capableness to reproduce ( Deep 40 ) . With fishermen striping the giants of the nutrient and Japan still runing giants it makes it even more hard for the giants to retrieve and reproduce organize the heavy losingss. Many organisations argue that Japan should non be allowed to run giants because the organisations do non desire the giants to go endangered if they are non already ( Lemonick 45 ) . Japan s whaling for scientific research has expanded from 330 giants killed in 1992 to 540 in 1997. That is near to trebling. Japan eliminated 21 minkes entirely in 1993 and doubled that with 425 killed in 1996 ( Collapse 16 ) . This twelvemonth Japan intends to kill 580 minkes but Greenpeace and the IWC program to set an terminal to this or at least cut down the sum of giants hunted to a minimum ( Collapse 16 ) ( Watanbe A2 ) . The IWC estimated tat there are 760,000 minkes in the Antarctic. The IWC feels that it is acceptable for Japan to run the minkes, but they want to set a bound on the figure of minkes Japan can run so that the minkes will non be in hazard of going endangered like many of the other species of giants ( Watanbe A2 ) . Michael Tillman says, The U.S. is absolutely willing to let our ain Eskimos to catch and eat bowhead giants. These are particular people with particular subsistence and cultural needs # 8230 ; What we object to, and what the universe community objects to, is the commercial usage of whaling. Is it necessary for giants to be caught so they can be sold at expensive eating houses in large metropoliss in the universe? Just because a marine resource exists doesn t mean it should be exploited ( Watanbe A2-A3 ) . There are exclusions that the IWC made in order for Japan to go on to run giants, but the IWC feels that Japan is killing the giants for other grounds than merely scientific research. They fear this may do Japan to desire to run more than the bound ( Watanbe A3 ) . Another ground organisations feel Japan should halt hunting giants is because people feel giants are fantastic and intelligent animals. The sounds giants make to pass on to other giants and their resistless expressions pull many witnesss to fish tanks and subject Parkss where some are held. A Green-peace spokeswoman said, Killing giants is a moral every bit good as ecological issue # 8230 ; Whaling is a barbarian title. And the Japanese are the universe s No. 1 plunderer of the environment. They have already ignored the whaling prohibition with their alleged scientific expeditions. They are avaricious, ecological plagiarists ( Nickerson A8 ) . Environmental groups feel that because the giants are such fantastic animals, they deserve the protection merely like people ( Nickerson A8 ) . More and more giants suffer the effects of being hunted and killed by Nipponese whalers. With Japan ignoring the prohibition against them, it is more likely that commercial whaling will go on to boom and kill many guiltless giants ( Collapse 17 ) . If Japan does non cut down the sum of giants it kills, Clinton may hold to take a base against Japan ( Let 46 ) . He has two options, 1 ) he can censor Nipponese fishing vass from U.S. Waterss or 2 ) would be to curtail imports of Nipponese fish merchandises ( Let 46 ) . Hunting can be fun and restful, but when it is taken excessively far as to extinguish the whole being of a animal, certain action must be taken to halt it from go oning. With Japan destined to raise the prohibition against them, conservationists can merely trust to halt Japan from devouring so many giants. Plants Cited Collapse of the Whaling Ban. Green Peace Quarterly. Spring 1997: 16+ . Deep Trouble. Discover. January 1993: 39+ . Lemonick, Michael D. The Hunt, The Furor. Environment. 2 August 1993: 42+ Let Them Eat Beef. Time. 22 February 1988: 46 Nicherson, Colin. In Japan, Saving giants means losing a life style. Globe. 21 June 1991: A7+ Watanabe, Teresa. Japan Is Set for a Whale of a Fight. Times. 20 April 1993: A2+ Whatch Out, Whales! Time. 13 July 1992: 20 Whaling. Funk and Wagnails New Encyclopedia. 1995 erectile dysfunction

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Waiting for Godot Persuasive Essay Example For Students

Waiting for Godot Persuasive Essay Going to see Joseph Chaikins production of Waiting for Godot at Seven Stages in Atlanta, I found myself wondering what effect the directors own divine aphasia would have on the fundamental sounds of this cornerstone of contemporary theatre. Chaikin has long had a love hate relationship with Becketts work. While hes been repeatedly drawn to it as actor and director, he has usually found himself enervated after the work, and at times questioned the morality of producing nihilistic texts in a society where hope is already a rare commodity. One walks out with a little less, he once said about the audiences experience of Endgame. We will write a custom essay on Waiting for Godot Persuasive specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The Seven Stages Godot (which traveled to The Hague as part of the International Samuel Beckett Festival in April) is a traditional one. The usual suspects are there: the tree, the mound, a boy, two pairs of men in bowlers trapped in the performance of endless clown acts. Chaikin has always been concerned with Becketts musicality, and has stuck closely, although not blindly, to the authors score. The result is the most accessible Godot I have seen, one that, like Becketts own directorial work, sacrifices neither humor nor nihilism at the others expense. At the heart of this production is Del Hamiltons Didi. Hamilton, Seven Stages artistic director, makes Didi into an agnostic Holy Fool, whether he is daintily hopping over Luckys rope or deciding that Tell him that you saw me is a sufficient report to Godot. This Didi is obviously aware that the fix is on when the Boy returns at the end of the second act. As the lights fade, and They do not move, Hamilton casts his eyes heavenward, a gesture that both pleads for deliverance and reveals the endurance of a contemporary Prometheus. Didi is the true protagonist of this Godot, carrying the burden of memory through Becketts wasteland. Next to him, Don Finneys Gogo is a live-action cartoon, blissfully forgetful of all thats come before, although the gesture that marks his response to Were waiting for Godot (right forefinger in the air, with a smile to the audience) seems increasingly less confident. This is a production of Godot extremely aware of the audience. Chaikin has always stressed the vaudeville aspects of Beckett and the mutual awareness between actor and audience: The characters in his Godot inhabit a liminal space between performer and character. Is it Didi or Del Hamilton who implores the audience Will this night never end? After Luckys (Rick Rogers) surprisingly lovely dance no hard stool this is greeted with applause, is it Didi, Gogo and Pozzo glaring at the audience until the applause stops, or Hamilton, Finney and John Purcell? While this sort of thing could descend into mugging, it doesnt, because the actors in Godot, especially Hamilton and Rogers, maintain contact with that sense of astonishment Chaikin calls for in his book The Presence of the Actor. As a result, Waiting for Godot possesses the wise innocence that has characterized Chaikins best work through his career. This wise innocence is the productions great strength. Becketts form has lost much of its original novelty after 40 years. The urge to break down our sense of familiarity with Beckett lies behind many conceptual productions. Compared with MTV, Holly Hughes or Nicholson Baker, Godot seems almost conventionally narrative. Chaikin takes the opposite tack. He revitalizes our experience of Godot by acknowledging the familiarity. His Gogo and Didi inhabit the world we consciously live in, whether our personal Godot is God, love, a sane society or merely faith in politics (writing this, the headline Waiting for Perot on the national edition of the Washington Post is a reminder how much Beckett permeates our collective self-image). .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 , .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .postImageUrl , .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 , .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8:hover , .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8:visited , .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8:active { border:0!important; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8:active , .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8 .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uacf58e5f096ab297006635b2973317f8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Alien nation: an interview with the playwright EssayThis is not a perfect production some of the turns lack a definite end, as if the characters have just stopped, rather than been abandoned by their own thoughts, and Finney and Purcell occasionally push too hard but it is one capable of giving power and energy and faith, as Athol Fugard wrote of Beckett. Or, to paraphrase Chaikin, one walks out of Waiting for Godot with a little more.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

chinas dynastic cycle essays

chinas dynastic cycle essays China went through dynastic, imperial rule, Western and Japanese encroachments on its sovereignty and territories, nascent national unification under Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek, and a successful Communist revolution since 1949 that drove the KMT forces under Chiang to Taiwan. Mao unified China as never before as the worlds largest Communist state but plunged her into economic disaster through his economic experiments and a cultural revolution. After Maos death in 1976, Deng Xiaopings ascendancy and economic reforms enabled China to finally achieve her economic great leap forward into self-sustaining economic growth at the highest levels in the world. Dengs successors have continued with the economic reforms and instituted some political reforms under the one country, two systems paradigm, exemplified lately by Hongkongs becoming a Special Autonomous Region. Chinas economic and military might worries a number of her Asian neighbors. Hongkong under British rule was one of the earliest newly industrialized economies, or so-called Tiger economies, in East Asia. Pro-democracy dissidents were crushed at Tienamen Square in Beijing in 1989, but the underground democracy movement is alive. The democratic opening in Hongkong, now a Special Autonomous Region, and the dramatic example of democracy on Taiwan demonstrate the advantages of matching economic freedom with political freedom. With external moral support and pressure, the home-grown democracy movement awaits the crucial support of a faction of the national leadership to gain momentum for political liberalization. Like Mao, Deng looked back into China's past for ideas. He chose to extricate the State from a portion of the agriculture sector that it had never - before Mao - been involved in, by giving peasants control over some of what they planted and marketed. Deng's early reforms restored markets in non-staple food ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Origins of the Spanish Abbreviation Vd. for Usted

Origins of the Spanish Abbreviation Vd. for Usted To understand why usted is abbreviated as Vd.we need a quick lesson in the etymology  of the word, and the story of that pronoun also answers another question about Spanish, namely why the second-person pronoun usted  (those used when talking to somebody to refer to that person) uses third-person verbs (those used to refer to someone other than the speaker and listener). Why Usted Is Abbreviated Usted had its origins during the colonial era, where it was common to address nobility and other people held in esteem (or people who thought they were held in esteem) as vuestra merced, meaning your mercy. Vuestra merced was used in much the same way as your honor is used in English today, with third-person verbs, i.e., we say your honor is rather than your honor are. It began as an extremely formal type of address, eventually becoming the standard way of addressing people in higher positions as well as persons who arent friends or family. As is often the case with much-used terms, vuestra merced became shortened over the centuries. It changed to vuesarced to vusarced and eventually to vusted, which you may still hear, especially among older speakers, in some regions. Vd. was adopted as an abbreviation for that word or earlier forms and remains in use today, although Ud. is more common. Spanish speakers tend to soften their consonants, so vusted eventually gave way to todays usted (which in some areas has its last letter softened so it sounds like ustà ©). Like the earlier vuestra merced, it still uses third-person verbs (i.e., usted es for the formal you are but tà º eres for the familiar/informal you are). As all living languages do, Spanish continues to change, and these days usted itself is being heard less often. In a change that has its parallels in English, much Spanish usage is becoming more informal or egalitarian. Whereas at one time, strangers were frequently addressed as usted, it is common in some areas, especially among younger people, for peers to immediately address each other as tà º. On the other hand, there are areas in which usted is used even among family members, and others where vos is preferred over tà º for family or close friends.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Social Welfare Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Social Welfare Policies - Essay Example The study is to explore the origins of public welfare policy created specifically for mother-only families. At first, the Government of Chicago initiated the largest mothers' pension program in the United States in 1911. Evolving alongside movements for industrial justice and women's suffrage, the mothers' pension movement hoped to provide "justice for mothers" and protection from life's insecurities. However, local politics and public finance derailed the policy, and most women were required to earn. Widows were more likely to receive pensions than deserted women and unwed mothers. And African-American mothers were routinely excluded because they were proven breadwinners yet did not compete with white men for jobs. Ultimately, the once-uniform commitment to protect motherhood faltered on the criteria of individual support and wage-earning became a major component of the policy (Goodwin). On the other hand, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), commonly known as welfare , is the monthly cash assistance program for poor families with children under age 18. A family of three (mother and two children) may qualify for TANF if their gross income is below $784 a month and assets are worth less than $1,000 (TANF, 2000). This revealing study shows how assumptions about single mothers' roles have traditionally shaped public policy and sheds new light on the ongoing controversy of welfare reform. Mothers' Pension Policy and TANF Mothers' pension system is a magnificent addition to the vast scholarly literature on women and the welfare state. There are some analysis of the compromises and contradictions that plagued mothers' pensions from the beginning provides a much-needed historical perspective on the current welfare mess (Goodwin, 1997). Where most previous scholars have examined the motivations, ideology, and political organization that made possible the enactment of mothers' pensions laws in the 1910s, Gender and the Politics of Welfare Reform is the first monograph to analyze their implementation at the local level. Chicago had the largest pension program in Illinois, the first state to enact a mothers' pension law. The 1911 Funds to Parents Act, which permitted counties to provide cash (as opposed to in-kind) assistance for poor parents to raise children in their own homes, set a new direction in social policy by distinguishing pensions from poor relief. In the same way, the TANF is only for low-incom e families include those with children who: Lack the support of one or both parents because of a parent's absence, disability, unemployment, or underemployment. Are less than 18 years old (they may be 18 if attending school and are expected to graduate before age 19). Are U.S. citizens or legally admitted residents of the United States. Live in Texas with a parent or close relative. Unfortunately, political opposition and fiscal constraints worked to limited the new program almost immediately. In keeping with other recent scholars, it is the matter consideration that how mothers' pensions developed as a component of women's rights (Ladd-Taylor, 1998). However, unlike Theda Skocpol, who stresses the role maternalist women's organizations

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Publics Fear of Crime and Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Publics Fear of Crime and Media - Essay Example Common media refer televisions, radios, telephones and newspapers. The media are powerful way of getting messages across to citizens, and some 95% of it is reportedly the prime source for all types of information ("Fear of Crime, " John Howard Society, 1999). Media are always involved with audience participation, hence they have various effects on the public viewers (Krippendorff, 1986). Channels and forms. Media are regarded as channels of communication through which messages flow. They are a form of communication produced by a few people for the consumption of many people (Mass Literacy, 1996). In mass media, there are two main categories: print media and electronic media. Their content may overlap, but they differ in their delivery method and the subject area they cover (Krippendorff, 1986). Print media disseminate printed matter. Examples are newspapers, periodicals, magazines, books, newsletters, advertising, memos, and business forms ("Print media," APT, 2007). Public press are the ones responsible for the gathering and publishing in newspaper forms or magazines ("Print media," Farlex, 2007). Electronic media, on the other hand, include television, radio, internet, CD-ROMs, DVD, and other mediums of information transmission not printed in papers. They are most found in the data management, communication networks, Internet and World Wide Web subjects ("Electronic media," Business Dictionary.Com, 2007). Comparing these two media, print media are more likely to be described as factual, while electronic media are more on visual aids to convey information. One of the forms where people get direct news information in electronic media is through television and radio news reporting. In print media, the news information is readily made available () Newsreporting and its Nature News is often reported by various mediums, such as newspapers, television, radio programs, and now in modern practice, in wires services and the websites (Stephens, 2007). Commonly these days, people get their information about crime from the major source which is the media, particularly more on news reporting. Carole Rich, author of Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method (2000) cited five traditional categories generally employed for news reporting. These are: understanding the news, collecting information, constructing stories, understanding media issues, and applying the techniques. Without any of these, a failure to convey news information might take place. Societies seemingly revolve around news information. This is usually what set people's mood upon their daily routine, as means of awareness to the happenings around them for their security (Stephens, 2007). Commonly, news must contain the answers for who, what, when, where, why, and how question of a certain news that people rely on media people to provide them updates on issues within their area, even to international concerns (Fuller, 1996). This suggests that for any possible perception of the viewers to the news information, media people inevitably partake in it. Evidences Shaping Public's Fear of Crime Media companies' interest comes first before viewers' security. Some psychological studies conducted had formulated the theory that mass media affect how their audiences think and behave (Potter 1999). This is because

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Family Movie Essay Example for Free

Family Movie Essay Mrs. Doubtfire is a movie about something that almost every American family faces, divorce. The film stars Sally Field and Robin Williams as parents with conflicting parenting styles and beliefs, who end up divorcing with a bloody battle for the children’s custody. The children are thrown into this mess and the movie showcases how each of them deal with the divorce. Lydia is the rebellious preteen who doesn’t understand why the family dynamic has to change. Chris, the younger brother is the athletic member of the family. Natalie is the small wide eyed child who is still trying to comprehend why daddy doesn’t live at home anymore. The theme of the movie centers around many parenting and family questions such as: How does one properly raise children? Is there really one single parenting style that works? Is it really possible for divorcing parents to set aside their differences for the sake of the children? It is a glimpse into how differently a father would raise his children if given a chance to do so without interference or boundaries. It reminds us that once parents learn to listen to each other instead of fighting with each other during divorce proceedings they will finally come around to doing what is best for their children. The movie introduces the viewers to the changing dynamic of the American family. Mothers are no longer stay at home moms who simply tend to children and cook meals. These days women like Miranda Hillard (Sally Field) are career driven heads of industries. It is also not uncommon these days to find a stay at home dad like Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams). The problem with this situation is that even though mothers bring home the bacon, they are still expected to come home and perform their wifely and motherly duties. Something that society has not once, throughout the history or marriages expected from the husband and father. Such a situation indeed takes its toll on any marriage and weakens the foundation of the family For fathers who are forced to stay home to care for the children, such a move is taken as an insult to their manhood and makes him feel dominated in the process. Let’s face it, men still find it insulting to take orders from a woman, even if that woman happens to be his wife or the mother of his children. In such a situation, the man will rebel the only way he knows how. By playing the good cop, bad cop game with the children. As you watch the  movie you are exposed to two highly different parenting styles. The mother’s rigid parenting style that is meant to instill discipline in the children and the laid back relationship between the father and the three children. Not to say that one style is better than the other but the truth is that, when children are in the middle of their parent’s divorce, they definitely need structure and balance to keep them focused and centered on their own lives and their attention deviated from the chaos brought on by divorce. In such situations, it would help if the parents could agree on how the children will be cared for and what their day to day routine will consist of. Once Mrs. Doubtfire is introduced to the family unit everyone seems to take something away from the experience. The children especially, they are able to convey their feelings and emotions to her as well as the father who is hiding in t he old woman’s costume. The mother, Hillary, also confides in Mrs. Doubtfire about her divorce and how she felt about her ex-husband. This type of communication was healthy for all members of the family including the father even though he was not really being himself. Once the movie hits the turning point and the cat is out of the bag sort of speaks, the children as well as Hillary are very sad to have lost their nanny. As she has become part of the family in just a short amount of time. They mourn the loss of here as if she actually died. But when they find out that Mrs. Doubtfire was there father the children become ecstatic and are overjoyed to see him. The mother is reluctant to communicate with the father after the great lengths he went through to see his children and also after what she had confided in Mrs. Doubtfire who she just found out was her ex-husband. But in the end the divorce worked out for the best and everybody grew as a result of the ensuing changes that they faced. The father was able to get a job and also was able to set up visitation services to see his children and the mother was able to find new love in a new man. This movie is just one of the pioneers in witnessing divorce and the many tolls it can take not only on the couple but the children and also their friends and family. With a little bit of comedy they were able to keep the audience entertained but also tell their story of divorce and how each person was able to deal with the issue.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Property Rights of Women in Nineteenth-Century England :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Property Rights of Women in Nineteenth-Century England      Ã‚   The property rights of women during most of the nineteenth century were dependent upon their marital status. Once women married, their property rights were governed by English common law, which required that the property women took into a marriage, or acquired subsequently, be legally absorbed by their husbands. Furthermore, married women could not make wills or dispose of any property without their husbands' consent. Marital separation, whether initiated by the husband or wife, usually left the women economically destitute, as the law offered them no rights to marital property. Once married, the only legal avenue through which women could reclaim property was widowhood. Women who never married maintained control over all their property, including their inheritance. These women could own freehold land and had complete control of property disposal. The notoriety of the 1836 Caroline Norton Case highlighted the injustice of women's property rights and influenced p arliamentary debates to reform property laws. The women's movement generated the support which eventually resulted in the passage of the Married Women's Property Law in 1882. England's mid-nineteenth century focus on married women's property rights culminated in the transformation of the subordinate legal status of married women.    The property owned by women in Victorian England was usually inherited from fathers. To protect the status of their daughters, most fathers included them in the distribution of the patrimony, however, the type of property inherited by sons and daughters differed. Amy Louise Erickson notes that "Fathers normally gave their daughters shares comparable in value with those of their brothers, although girls usually inherited personal property and boys more often inherited real property" (19). The more valuable real property inherited by the sons refers to freehold land, which is the actual land. Personal property referred to copyhold land, which was usually a mansion and its land held by a lord at will, and leasehold land, which was leased to individuals for life. Therefore, copyhold and leasehold land were legally secured for the life of the tenant or longer, depending on the agreement. Real property also included clothing, jewelry, household furniture, food, and all moveable goods. However, social customs held that household property and equipment belonged to the women.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Expressionism in Death of Salesman Essay

From the opening flute notes to their final reprise, Miller’s musical themes express the competing influences in Willy Loman’s mind. Once established, the themes need only be sounded to evoke certain time frames, emotions, and values. The first sounds of the drama, the flute notes â€Å"small and fine,† represent the grass, trees, and horizon – objects of Willy’s (and Biff’s) longing that are tellingly absent from the overshadowed home on which the curtain rises. This melody plays on as Willy makes his first appearance, although, as Miller tells us, â€Å"[h]e hears but is not aware of it† (12). Through this music we are thus given our first sense of Willy’s estrangement not only from nature itself but from his own deepest nature. As Act I unfolds, the flute is linked to Willy’s father, who, we are told, made flutes and sold them during the family’s early wanderings. The father’s theme, â€Å"a high, rollic king tune,† is differentiated from the small and fine melody of the natural landscape (49). This distinction is fitting, for the father is a salesman as well as an explorer; he embodies the conflicting values that are destroying his son’s life. The father’s tune shares a family likeness with Ben’s â€Å"idyllic† (133) music. This false theme, like Ben himself, is associated finally with death. Ben’s theme is first sounded, after all, only after Willy expresses his exhaustion (44). It is heard again after Willy is fired in Act II. This time the music precedes Ben’s entrance. It is heard in the distance, then closer, just as Willy’s thoughts of suicide, once repressed, now come closer at the loss of his job. And Willy’s first words to Ben when he finally appears are the ambiguous â€Å"how did you do it?† (84). When Ben’s idyllic melody plays for the third and final time it is in â€Å"accents of dread† (133), for Ben reinforces Willy’s wrongheaded thought of suicide to bankroll Biff. The father’s and Ben’s themes, representing selling (out) and abandonment, are thus in opposition to the small and fine theme of nature that begins and ends the play. A whistling motif elaborates this essential conflict. Whistling is often done by those contentedly at work. It frequently also accompanies outdoor activities. A whistler in an office would be a distraction. Biff Loman likes to whistle, thus reinforcing his ties to nature rather than to the business environment. But Happy seeks to stifle Biff’s true voice: HAPPY . . . Bob Harrison said you were tops, and then you go and do some damn fool thing like whistling whole songs in the elevator like a comedian. BIFF, against Happy. So what? I like to whistle sometimes. HAPPY. You don t raise a guy to a responsible job who whistles in elevator! (60) This conversation reverberates ironically when Howard Wagner plays Willy a recording of his daughter whistling Roll out the Barrel† just before Willy asks for an advance and a New York job (77). Whistling, presumably, is all right if you are the boss or the boss’s daughter, but not if you are an employee. The barrel will not be rolled out for Willy or Biff Loman. Willy’s conflicting desires to work in sales and to do outdoor, independent work are complicated by another longing, that of sexual desire, which is expressed through the â€Å"raw, sensuous music† that accompanies The Woman’s appearances on stage (116, 37). It is this music of sexual desire, I suggest, that â€Å"insinuates itself† as the first leaves cover the house in Act 1.5 It is heard just before Willy – reliving a past conversation – offers this ironic warning to Biff: â€Å"Just wan na be careful with those girls, Biff, that’s all. Don’t make any promises. No promises of any kind† (27). This raw theme of sexual desire contrasts with Linda Loman’s theme: the maternal hum of a soft lullaby that becomes a â€Å"desperate but monotonous† hum at the end of Act I (69). Linda’s monotonous drone, in turn, contrasts with the â€Å"gay and bright† music, the boys’ theme, which opens Act II. This theme is associated with the â€Å"great times† (127) Willy remembers with his sons – before his adultery is discovered. Like the high, rollicking theme of Willy’s father and like Ben’s idyllic melody, this gay and bright music is ultimately associated with the false dream of materialistic success. The boys theme is first heard when Willy tells Ben that he and the boys will get rich in Brooklyn (87). It sounds again when Willy implores Ben, â€Å"[H]ow do we get back to all the great times?† (127). In his final moments of life, Willy Loman is shown struggling with his furies: â€Å"sounds, faces, voices, seem to be swarming in upon him† (136). Suddenly, however, the â€Å"faint and high† music enters, representing the false dreams of all the â€Å"low† men. This false tune ends Willy’s struggle with his competing voices. It drowns out the other voices, rising in intensity â€Å"almost to an unbearable scream† as Willy rushes off in pursuit. And just as the travail of Moby Dick ends with the ongoing flow of the waves, nature, in the form of the flute’s small and fine refrain, persists – despite the tragedy we have witnessed. Sets In the introduction to his Collected Plays, Miller acknowledges that the first image of Salesman that occurred to him was of an enormous face the height of the proscenium arch; the face would appear and then open up. â€Å"We would see the inside of a man’s head,† he explains. â€Å"In fact, The Inside of His Head was the first title. It was conceived half in laughter, (60) for the inside of his head was a mass of contradictions† (23). By the time Miller had completed Salesman, however, he had found a more subtle plays correlative for the giant head; a transparent setting. â€Å"The entire setting is wholly, or, in some places, partially transparent,† Miller insists in his set description (11). By substituting a transparent setting for a bisected head, Miller invited the audience to examine the social context as well as the individual organism. Productions that eschew transparent scenery eschew the nuances of this invitation. The transparent lines of the L oman home allow the audience physically to sense the city pressures that are destroying Willy. â€Å"We are aware of towering, angular shapes behind [Willy’s house], surrounding it on all sides. The roofline of the house is one-dimensional; under and over it we see the apartment buildings† (11-12). Wherever Willy Loman looks are these encroaching buildings, and wherever we look as well. Willy’s subjective vision is expressed also in the home’s furnishings, which are deliberately partial. The furnishings indicated are only those of importance to Willy Loman. That Willy’s kitchen has a table with three chairs instead of four reveals both Linda Loman’s unequal status in the family and Willy’s obsession with his boys. At the end of Act I, Willy goes to his small refrigerator for life-sustaining milk (cf. Brecht’s parallel use of milk in Galileo). Later, however, we learn that this repository of nourishment, like Willy himself, has broken down. That Willy Loman’s bedroom contains only a bed, a straight chair, and a shelf holding Biff’s silver athletic trophy also telegraphs much about the man and his family. Linda Loman has no object of her own in her bedroom. Willy Loman also travels light. He has nothing of substance to sustain him. His vanity is devoted to adolescent competition. Chairs ultimately become surrogates for people in Death of a Salesman as first a kitchen chair becomes Biff in Willy’s conflicted mind (28) and then an office chair becomes Willy’s deceased boss, Frank Wagner (82). In, perhaps, a subtle bow to Georg Kaiser’s Gas I and Gas II, Miller’s gas heater glows when Willy thinks of death. The scrim that veils the primping Woman and the screen hiding the restaurant where two women will be seduced suggest Willy Loman’s repression of sexuality. Lighting Expressionism has done more than any other movement to develop the expressive powers of stage lighting. The German expressionists used light to create a strong sense of mood and to isolate characters in a void. By contrasting light and shadow, and by employing extreme side, overhead, and rear lighting angles, they established the nightmarish atmosphere in which many of their plays took place. The original Kazan Salesman made use of more lights than were used even in Broadway musicals (Timebends 190). At the end of act 1, Biff comes downstage â€Å"into a golden pool of light† as Willy recalls the day of the city baseball championship when Biff was â€Å"[l]ike a young God. Hercules – something like that. And the sun, the sun all around him.† The pool of light both establishes the moment as one of Willy’s memories and suggests how he has inflated the past, given it mythic dimension. The lighting also functions to instill a sense of irony in the audience, fo r the golden light glows on undiminished as Willy exclaims, â€Å"A star like that, magnificent, can never really fade away!† We know that Biff’s star faded, even before it had a chance to shine, and even as Willy speaks these words, the light on him begins to fade (68). That Willy’s thoughts turn immediately from this golden vision of his son to his own suicide is indicated by the â€Å"blue flame† of the gas heater that begins immediately to glow through the wall – a foreshadowing of Willy’s desire to gild his son through his own demise. Productions that omit either the golden pool of light or the glowing gas heater withhold this foreshadowing of Willy’s final deed. Similarly, productions that omit the lights on the empty chairs miss the chance to reveal the potency of Willy’s fantasies. Perhaps even more important, the gas heater’s flame at the end of Act I recalls the â€Å"angry glow of orange† surrounding Willy’s house at the play’s beginning (11). Both join with the â€Å"red glow† rising from the hotel room and the restaurant to give a felt sense of Willy’s twice articulated cry: â€Å"The woods are burning!†¦There’s a big blaze going on all around† (41, 107). Without these sensory clues, audiences may fail to appreciate the desperation of Willy’s state. Characters and Costumes Miller employs expressionistic technique when he allows his characters to split into younger versions of themselves to represent Willy’s memories. Young Biff’s letter sweater and football signal his age reversion, yet they also move in the direction of social type. The Woman also is an expressionistic type, the play’s only generic character other than the marvelously individualized salesman. Miller’s greatest expressionistic creations, however, are Ben and Willy Loman. In his Paris Review interview, Miller acknowledged that he purposely refused to give Ben any character, â€Å"because for Willy he has no character – which is, psychologically, expressionist because so many memories come back with a simple tag on them: somebody represents a threat to you, or a promise† (Theater Essays 272). Clearly Ben represents a promise to Willy Loman. It is the promise of material success, but it is also the promise of death.6 We might consider Uncle Ben to be the ghost of Ben, for we learn that Ben has recently died in Africa. Since Miller never discloses the cause of Ben’s death, he may be a suicide himself. His idyllic melody, as I have noted, becomes finally a death march. In Willy’s last moments, the contrapuntal voices of Linda and Ben vie with each other, but Willy moves inexorably toward Ben. Alluding to Africa, and perhaps also to the River Styx, Ben looks at his watch and says, â€Å"The boat. We’ll be late† as he moves slowly into the darkness (135). Willy Loman, needless to say, is Miller’s brilliant demonstration that expressionistic techniques can express inner as well as outer forces, that expressionism can be used to create â€Å"felt,† humane character. The music, setting, and lighting of Salesman all function to express the world inside Willy Loman’s head, a world in which social and personal values meet and merge and struggle for integration. As Miller writes in the introduction to his Collected Plays: [The play’s] expressionistic elements were consciously used as such, but since the approach to Willy Loman’s characterization was consistently and rigorously subjective, the audience would not ever be aware – if I could help it – that they were witnessing the use of a technique which had until then created only coldness, objectivity, and a highly styled sort of play. (39) In 1983, when Miller arrived in Beijing to direct the first Chinese production of Death of a Salesman, he was pleased to find that the Chinese had created a mirror image of the original transparent set. Seeing this set, and observing that the kitchen was furnished with only a refrigerator, table, and two (not even three) chairs, Miller felt â€Å"a wonderful boost† to his morale (Salesman in Beijing 3-4). Teachers and directors might offer a similar boost by giving full weight to the expressionistic moments in Death of a Salesman. For directors, achieving such moments may be technically demanding, but they should not be abandoned simply because they are challenging.7 Similarly, the expressionistic devices should not be considered too obvious for postmodern taste. In truth, the expressionism in Salesman is not intrusive. Its very refinement of German expressionism lies in its subtlety, in its delicate balance with the realistic moments in the drama. This ever-shifting tension between realism and expressionism allows us to feel the interpenetration of outer and inner forces within the human psyche. The expressionistic devices also elevate Willy’s suffering, for they place it in the context of the natural order. To excise the expressionism is to diminish the rich chord that is Miller’s drama

Saturday, November 9, 2019

British Colonialism & the Kikuyu Resistance

Colonisation appears to invariably cause conflict. Even where the proto-indigenous population is totally eliminated or absorbed, as in South Africa and Canada, and supplanted by new aboriginals (Canada) or settlers (South Africa), conflict will ensue as either new colonists arrive (Canada) or another wave of settlement arrives and collides (South Africa). The point might be, colonialism ends in violence. It enervates one group to fight the other, no matter the odds. Colonialism must adapt to a new reality for peace to arrive.Much like the North American aboriginal experience, two major shifts occurred in the late 19th century Kikuyu area of Africa. First, a mass outbreak of epidemics took a catastrophic toll its the indigenous population. Then, the ensuing famine forced the devastated populations to vacate the areas they had traditionally farmed. These favourably fertile lands, coined as the White Highlands, became the focal point for British colonialism in Kenya. Parliament then enc ouraged its subjects (i. e.British citizens, East-European Jews, and United South African Boers) to settle the recently acquired land, marketing it as a â€Å"paradise lost†. This marked the second, more influential and important shift in Kenyan society: an influx of white-foreigners. Kikuyu resistance was limited and sporadic, as they ‘lacked a cohesive organized administration’, suppressed by the British colonials as ‘an assault on public order. Violence was sporadic and limited. The East African Protectorate did not command sufficient importance in London politics, and thus received little attention.In 1902, the East African Protectorate acquired fertile lands around Lake Victoria marking the beginning of railway expansion. The completion of the Mombasa-Victoria railway in 1903 shifted London’s perception on the importance of its newly acquired African land. Subsequently, with significant Parliamentary encouragement, European settlement surged int o the East African Protectorate. Although seemingly a principle tenet of colonialism, the last priority of the settlers seemed to be the working of the land that they had acquired.Rather, they opted for cheap local labour, namely the Kikuyu, to work their plantation ‘cash crops’. Soon, London issued a sequence of edicts, laws, and policies to â€Å"encourage local support†. This ‘general policy’ removed the native Kikuyu from their traditionally perceived lands, and forced them either into remote and infertile reservations or semi-urban communities where they constituted a source of inexpensive labour. Such repressive policies were regarded as appropriate actions on the basis of racial supremacy, and therefore justifiable in the eyes of white-settlers, if executed within that perception of fairness.The locals were black, and perceived by whites as un-equal humans. In their eyes, the natives had no inherent right to the land and certainly it was widel y-held by the colonists that they, the kikuyu, didn’t utilize it efficiently anyway. During the 1920s, Kenya’s white society reached a politically critical mass. British administration recognized its increasing affluence and influence. Consequently, London decisively established Kenya (named after the great mountain) as a colony, thereby trapping its indigenous population within a colonial system.They could not get rid of it and instead faced two options: be put to work as virtually another domestic animal, or be forced into a remote reservation. *Despite social repression, a relatively small number of Kikuyu were educated through established Missionary schools. Soon enough, this educated minority realized that the people were being ruled for and by European settlers. Natives were prohibited from cultivating the colony’s primary cash crop, or able to own land in ancestrally-farmed areas. Administratively held to low-wages, natives required ‘settler-control led passbooks’ to travel freely.In light of these, and other, discriminatory state-sponsored practices, the Kikuyu Central Organization was formed. However, the evolution of the Kikuyu’s political and intellectual state was fought and opposed at every turn. During a 1920 peaceful protest over the arrest and exile of one of its leaders, uniformed police and settlers fired upon the Kikuyu Central Organization’s street gathering. This incident cemented the white’s discriminatory view of the natives, and further exacerbated the fear amongst the Kikuyu people. In 1925, London ruled that 150,000 Kikuyu â€Å"squatters† had no traditional ownership rights in settler areas, effectively eliminating the Kikuyu’s surviving economic and legal defenses. *Furthermore, the Kenya Land Commission of 1934 affirmed European title rights to virtually all fertile land within the colony. While the consequences were not immediate, they became increasingly visible as the Kikuyu population’s growth surged, creating severe overcrowding within reserve confines. The inverse relationship between power and population became apparent during the Second World War; when Kenya’s native opulation numbered 4. 3 million, while the white-settlers remained at around 25,000. There was no real cohesive political structure – a British appointee governed the colony. Despite a native population of over four million Kikuyu, the white minority completely dominated all colonial life. Aside from serving in the British Colonial Army and as reservation ‘chiefs’ and administrators appointed to enforce British rule, the natives were completely exempt from all colonial practices. In this context, the colonial administration justified the expulsion of close to one hundred thousand local Kikuyu from the â€Å"white areas†.With nearly every acre of fertile land expropriated for whites-only usage, the Kikuyu had only the overcrowded re servations, or equally destitute urban center ‘shantytowns’. Increasingly, the Kikuyu suffered economic and social deprivation, creating a politically explosive situation. The ensuing, increasing dissidence amongst the Kikuyu prompted the British authorities to criminalize the Kikuyu Central Association in 1940. Under the ruse of â€Å"a wartime security measure†, British colonialism destroyed the Kikuyu’s only peaceful means of expressing grievances, further exacerbating racial tensions within the colony.The collapse of Hitler’s Third Reich brought to light the ultimate horrors of ethnic supremacy. International revulsion at Nazi Germany’s actions subsequently evoked condemnation for the colonial repression of blacks. Consequently, colonial authorities decriminalized Kikuyu representation, allowing for the creation of the Kenyan African Union. This new organization sought recognition as a real political party, advocating the removal of discr iminatory state practices. With only a handful of committed men as its primary leadership, it’s beginning was unpromising.Changing the names, locations, and dates in this sequence would probably read as any other generic history of African colonial resistance. Similar to other African insurgencies, the violence was scattered and sporadic, with a notable vendetta against the white-foreign oppression. What happened in Kenya, however, was distinctively a Kikuyu issue. Increasingly, large numbers of Kikuyu sought methods to organize themselves for strong political advocacy. ( The Kikuyu found neither justice nor substance in nationalism, religion, or Communism.Instead, the Kikuyu linked cultural traditions with the symbolism of ceremonial oath-taking, to encourage social and political unity. Unbeknownst to its membership, this practice effectively gave rise to an informal sense of nationhood within the Kikuyu people. Like all insurgencies The Emergency began modestly, starting in 1950 with only a group of a dozen young activists from the Kenyan African Union. Increasingly frustrated with ineffective bargaining with the whites, this group, the self-proclaimed Kiambaa Parliament, took the baby steps of resistance organization.The ensuing war between the natives, settlers and colonial authorities, which engulfed Kenyan society from 1952-1960, was indisputably brutal, archaic, and oppressive, during which only thirty-two European settlers and less than two hundred police and militia were killed. Why, then, did such a relatively small number of colonial deaths prompt such a blood-chilling rhetoric? Firstly, many of the insurgents were former ‘employees’ of the white-settlers who, while considering the majority of colonial settlers to be severe and even cruel, also considered many as kindly and caring, and were therefore loyal to their previous employers.In the eyes of the whites, â€Å"Jeeves had taken to the Jungle†. That these apparently lo yal employees should revolt against their employers represented â€Å"the ultimate treachery; biting the hand that fed you†. To settlers, this act was all the evidence they needed to vilify the natives, cementing the racial stereotypes in mind. Secondly, the white settlers lacked a thorough understanding of the Kikuyu insurgent’s cohesion. The movement’s lack of nationalism or commitment to a religion or ideology, which gave other insurgencies a unity, evoked fury from the settlers.The Kikuyu’s leaders created unity through cultural traditions (i. e. ceremonial oath-taking), which was perceived by the settlers as ‘black magic’ or ‘witchcraft’. While the terms used would have been very different to the locals, the natives agreed with the resulting terror. The aforementioned ceremonial ‘oathing’ was designed to vilify normal behavioural codes, and psychologically ‘mark’ its taker. Participants transcended normative mental barriers that had constricted their actions, presumably making the participant emerge as a new person, a revolutionary; an itungati.New members were forced to commit acts, sometimes brutal and disturbing acts, to solidify commitment to the cause and the rebel brotherhood. Militants were thus altered into a different person, associated with other, similarly-changed members, within an organization from which it was extremely difficult, if not suicidal, to withdraw membership. The Mau Mau revolt certainly had grounds to take root. The South African and European settlers had appropriated all the land, land that the 1. 5 million Kikuyu perceived as their national patrimony.Converted into cheap market labour to work the lands, the Kikuyu were no more valuable to settlers than serfs to a lord. They had no civil rights to speak of, and were subjected to arbitrary state violence at the hands of militia and police. No effective say was allocated to Kikuyu in their own tribal affairs, let alone Kenyan affairs. Furthermore, while other African countries were moving closer towards freedom, Kenya was seemingly slipping further into white-minority control, as was happening in South African and Southern Rhodesia.Even when British authorities loosened the reigns on their colonies, it was only the white settlers who benefitted, not the natives. Therefore, the Kikuyu felt alienated in their cause and had no hope for improvement; instead, they feared the some twenty-five thousand whites who dominated them. Settlers were horrified to see their standard of living challenged, and demanded massive and indiscriminate suppression of â€Å"the savages†. The response was certainly to their liking. Sir Evelyn Baring, the newly-appointed colonial governor, found that his staff knew little to nothing about what had disaffected those Kikuyu who joined the Mau Mau revolt.Consultation with the British appointed Kikuyu chiefs served little purpose and, in a sense, exacer bated the situation. The chiefs simply vocalized what they felt that the British authorities wanted to hear, maintaining and protecting their own positions. However, Baring accepted uncritically the notion of illegitimacy behind the Kikuyu movement, concluding that â€Å"if you don’t get Kenyatta and those around him and shut them up somehow or other we are in a terrible, hopeless position†* Initially, it seemed as though the British government had fallen into the ‘counterinsurgency trap’, meeting increasing danger with increasing force.However, it was soon realized that force alone would ultimately fail, co-incidentally around the same time London parliament found the conflict â€Å"prohibitively expensive†. A new strategy focused on ‘rehabilitation’ that would not rely entirely on violence and oppression, but which nevertheless failed to recognize the key issue, the rule of Kenya by foreigners. British authorities looked over at Malay a for a ready â€Å"school† of â€Å"proper counterinsurgency†. Its colony had been combatting against a mainly ethnic Chinese rebellion since 1948*.However much other colonial models of counterinsurgency taught lessons, the Malaysian principle would fail in Kenya. Regarded as â€Å"irredeemable Communists†, British Malaysian authorities deported thousands of ethnic Chinese detainees as â€Å"foreigners†. It was impossible, however, to exile even the most committed Mau Mau Kikuyu as a â€Å"non-Kenyan foreigner†. Furthermore, the fervent hate of the Malays for the Chinese, who were far more intrusive and oppressive than the British, could not be replicated in Kenya since everyone was Kikuyu.Instead, Kenyan colonial policy reflected tactics deemed suitable to the local issues, internment camps coupled with robust grilling. British authorities decided that, above all else, information was needed on the Kikuyu resistance. Strategically, authorities so ught an understanding as to why the Kikuyu supported the Mau Mau resistance; tactically, they sought who supported and supplied them. The process of grilling (i. e. interrogation under torture) provided authorities with information that was extorted through force.Once all they could glean was gathered from them, the remaining guerrillas (many died under examination) were placed within the internment camps, out of touch with the active resistance movement. Purely out of luck rather than strategy, did colonial authorities managed to apprehend the charismatic figurehead of the guerrilla movement, in January 1945: Waruhiu Itote. Intensive interrogation revealed all that the authorities wanted to know. Itote revealed everything from his headquarters location, to the support organization, to the size and structure of his guerrilla army.They were revealed to have less than half the fighting capability that the British had thought (i. e. around several thousand fighters, only), and seriousl y underequipped with a pitiful arsenal of weapons (e. g. 361 bolt action rifles/shotguns, 1 hand grenade, & 1,230 ‘homemade weapons’). Surprisingly, much like Tito’s partisans, the Mau Mau had constructed a factory to manufacture and repair the rudimentary weapons they had stolen or created, all while receiving absolutely no external support. Despite the new-found intelligence, the British authorities were at a loss.Like all sensible guerrillas, Mau Maus fighters fled when at a disadvantage. The advantages of advanced aircraft and highly mobilized ground forces were negated by the Mau Mau ability to hide in the forests around Mount Kenya. Lacking progress, authorities pushed Itote to pursue peace negotiations, but gained no ground as neither party trusted the other. Instead colonial authorities utilized the hiatus to identify supporters, arresting over a thousand Kikuyu and beginning a massive detention campaign immediately after talks broke down. Effectively, Br itish authorities imprisoned the entire Kikuyu urban population.Entire villages were de-populated; virtually every Kikuyu male was separated from his wife and children. Over thirty thousand people were plucked from their homes. Ultimately, the British authorities â€Å"packed up† close to 150,000 Kikuyu into interment camps. On a more ‘practical’ level colonial authority sought to encourage loyalty to the state by promising land to those who fought against the Mau Mau. Yet the insurgency did not cease. It became clear to the British authorities that two main problems had been greatly overlooked: the issue of land, and the ceremonial oath.In response, authorities created three separate answers for, what they perceived, as three separate problems. Firstly, to find a way to release the Kikuyu from their oaths of resistance, secondly, to meet the desperate hunger for land amongst the Kikuyu, and finally, to bring forward an acceptable leader to replace the militant I tote. The bitterest issue amongst the Kikuyu was the appropriation of tribal land. Coupled with the post-First World War population explosion, it turned large numbers of Kikuyu into landless labourers.Furthermore, the social policy implemented during the 1930s swelled the population. Those unlucky â€Å"white highlanders† would have no hope of finding land anywhere in the already overcrowded â€Å"cultivable leftovers†. Indeed with such bleak options available, large numbers flocked into urban centers. The surge of slums, particularly in Nairobi, housed the idle landless farmers who had no skill or trade to sustain their living. If Kenya wanted to achieve a lasting peace, this problem had to be addressed promptly.However, ruling authorities (under settler pressure) adamantly refused to â€Å"reward† Kikuyu rebels by the appropriation of land for them from the colonists, and instead proposed increasing current land productivity. Given contemporary fiscal, technol ogical, and social restraints, the proposed policy had the effect of furthering the wealth of the white landowners without addressing the problem of the landless poor. As a result of colonial resistance to large-scale land distribution, over one million Kikuyu were packed into, Kenya’s version of, government-run villages. An improvisation on the ontemporary fortified village program run by the British in Malaya, the inhabitants regarded them as vile prison camps, almost a step down from the internment camps. Even assuming that these villages were acceptable, the land assigned to them was of poor quality, leaving the only source of fertile farming land within the white community. Ultimately, however, reluctant colonial authorities agreed on the repurchase of settler land for native use. From a more military perspective, colonial authorities agreed the second step would be to stop, or at the very least diminish, the impact of the ceremonial-oaths being taken.Seeking to remedy t he issue of zealous commitment, the colonial government commissioned Louis Leakey to create â€Å"un-oathing ceremony†. Renowned for his anthropological work, Leakey’s perception was that Christianity was the greatest counterinsurgency tactic available. He promptly created a program for rehabilitation. With a strong understanding of the Kikuyu’s culture, Leakey knew full well that such a ceremony could remove the moral commitment of many Mau Mau rank –and-file. For the time it was certainly a radical approach to counterinsurgency strategy, and was the most effective application devised.Under this program of rehabilitation over repression, colonial authorities encouraged defection. However this program was far from infallible. Those who opted out were left with long-term imprisonment, or hanging. Ultimately, after a token trial for the suspected Mau Mau sympathizers, colonial authorities hanged a gruesome tally of 1,090 Kikuyu. Such a number reflects upon its oppressive implementers, that justice under British colonial rule in Kenya â€Å"was a blunt, brutal and unsophisticated instrument of oppression†. (p. 122) Conclusively, the white settlers lost their ‘dirty war’.Ultimately, no military or security forces can recreate the pre-insurgency situation. Killing sympathizers and soldiers, hanging the leadership, and interning masses of innocent people creates an uncontrollable socio-political situation. London would no longer condone the actions of the Kenyan white minority. Parliament only saw a dwindling treasury, diminishing international prestige, and no substantial progress towards a solution. So, in 1959, the conservative government sought a tabla-rasa and began dismantling the legal framework of the Kenyan police-state.Finally, the tables had turned, and the white supremacists’ world shattered. The white settlers would be forced to sell their lands now that Kenyans had been given majority rule and open land franchise. The 1961 national reconciliation begun by Jomo Kenyatta, paved the way for independence in 1963. It was the actions of Kenyatta which subdued the Mau Mau rebels. With strong support from London, Kenyatta was able to give the people what they cried for, what the Mau Mau fought for, and what all nations ultimately desire: independence.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

BOB

BOB The effectiveness of leaders depend on how appropriate leadership style is to the situation in which they operate. Given that the effectiveness of a leader depends on the situation, it naturally follows that certain leadership behaviors will be effective of ineffective in certain situations. BOB's International Entertainment Conglomerate, although for the most part a financially successful organization, is an organization that is ran by ineffective leaders.This case study will attempt to derive a solution to the many problems cited in the case. Although there are numerous problems, many of these if not all can be resolved through the implementation of several key concepts to be explained in greater detail.All organizations are occasionally confronted with problems that need to be solved. Unlike a decision-making process which centers its energy on selecting the best alternative from several choices, the intention of the problem-solving process is to find the root cause of a problem, or in the case of BOB's , the problems.Michael PhelpsThis distinction is crucial, as we tend to lump decision making and problem-solving together, and treat them much the same way, when in fact they are distinct processes.In an attempt to solve the problems, it is vital that we restate many of the problems that BOB's has had to endure and is currently confronted with. BOB's is an International Entertainment Conglomerate consisting of, bars, opera houses, and ballet houses. My role in this organization is that of Regional Vice President of Operations. Under me, I have three operation managers. Each are in charge with overseeing either the bars, ballets, or operas within my region. Each operations manager has reporting to them, district managers who then in turn, have facility mangers underneath them. The facility managers are supported by their own respective staff members.The current situation has...