?Considering a Social Dilemma in Practice: Using a Code of Ethics to Inform Decision Making

Abstract Social dilemmas have the potential to define an entire population, leading to the need to assess and understand the implications associated with trends. This study uses the social trap of carbon fuel pollution to illustrate the manner and means of defection and cooperation that are possible in order to create progress. This research will be of use to any person researching social science and the need to build on a fundamental level. 1. Introduction Found in every society, culture and region, the common definition for a social dilemma is held to be an instance where there is the potential for individual gain at the cost of the larger group (Baqlliet et al., 2013). In a very real sense, this environment is created in order for an individual to profit from selfishness; however, if everyone chooses this alternative, the entire group stands to lose, indicating a win or nothing social condition. McCarter et al. (2011) argue that issues begin to arise as too many of the target population choose the negative option preferring the sense of immediate satisfaction over the group’s long-term interests. This outlines a sense of non-committal on the part of the population, speaking to the tendency to put off social experiences and dilemmas that often take various forms across a wide variety for fields and disciplines. With illustrations of social issues including climate change, pollution as well as human overpopulation, there is a fu ndamental platform that must be achieved in order to effectively identify and correct errant or negative trends. This study addresses the question of the social dilemma of fossil fuel consumption.Argued to be a commonly experienced social trap found in the use of carbon fuels in the environment day-to-day social operations (Chen et al., 2012). A social trap is created when there is a drive to experience and create immediate rewards as opposed to waiting to offset the potential negative, leaving much of the defining nature of the experience to the individual. Carbon pollution and the burning of fossil fuels creates the social dilemma by creating and fundamentally building a infrastructure around behavior patterns that have produced rewards in the short term, or current and past generations, but clearly hold a diminishing return when considered in context with the future and larger environmental picture (Khachatryan et al, 2013). The elements of a condition that create social traps are identified as reinforces that tend to build a stronger pattern of behavior in small cases yet, serves to punis h larger instances. In this case defection is defined as the unbridaled consumption of fossil fuels, with the cooperative social position being defined as an on going effort to reduce that very same use of carbon fueld. In a short term capacity, carbon fuels and combustion engines have transformed technology and the way of life for an entire civilization, yet, the use of the technology without restraint has enabled negative consequences to arise. In short it is the short term gain for society that serves to encourage the use of the carbon fuels, yet the long term price in terms of negative environment impact and loss of wildlife and natural resources becomes consequential. 2. Analysis Social issues cross boundaries to impact every science and branch of study (Sagiv et al., 2011). With this recognition, there are wide ranges of theories that have the potential to apply to this social trap/dilemma of employing carbon fuels in day to day activities. Leading among many researchers is the economic game theory, or expected utility theory (McCarter et al., 2011). This approach argues that any person is a rational actor that is solely motivated to make the most of their personal positions, or utility in terms of a person’s economic self-interest. In this instance the short term gains of employing polluting technology are seemingly insignificant in the face of day to day travel needs (Balleiet et al., 2013). With a willful form of defection, there is the sense of putting off the payment for future generations, leaving many of the population that seeks a cooperative solution with little recourse. According to the Game theory, there is much more likely for socially non-cooperative outcome, simply due to the ease of use and social acceptance, despite the documented negative instances related to the collection and consumption of these resources. Many social dilemmas evoke conflict amongst moral values, making the correct choice less clear to decipher (Banks, 2006). Banks has implied how decision making about another’s welfare can frequently involve issues which are both personal and painful, thus judgements will need to be made which are ethical and promote human welfare (Banks, 2012). In knowledge of this, it is crucial to have proper justification for actions and in-actions. A second relevant theory of Utilitarianism has been developed by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832): ‘Utilitarianism incorporates how actions have consequences, which should balance advantages and disadvantages, relatively within a certain course of action,’ (Parrott 2010, p. 54). When putting this principal into action it is acceptable for one person to suffer, if this translates to a greater number of people being happy. Two existing principles pertain to the theory of utilitarianism, and these are justice and utility. Understanding the p rinciple of justice can be captured in respect for equality and fairness, everyone’s happiness should be considered with the same weight. Utility as a principal infers the greatest good for everyone. However, both of these principles can clash if the minority of people are unhappy. Beauchamp and Childress (2001) have outlined the principal of justice: which accounts for distribution of fair benefits, risks and costs; this encapsulates the notion that similar cases should be treated similarly. In a clinical role it is regarded as being within the job role to effectively ‘assess the whole situation, while working for outcomes while considering everyone’s best interests’ (Banks 2012). Yet, each individual in the society has the option to disagree, and therefore defect from the effort, weakening the end results. An alternative complimentary approach is Virtue ethics and the theory of this principal investigates individual character. A persons ‘virtue ethics’ are thought to be guided and developed through their personal beliefs, and this process is said to determine overall character. As an approach Virtue ethics are carried out ‘according to which the basic judgments in ethics are judgments about character’ (Statman, 1997, p. 7). This argument indicates that a person could be co-operative by appealing to their better nature, rather than depending on the satisfaction of their immediate desires. It is recognised that issues of an ethical nature will often be embedded in personal responsibility or relationships. Linking the fight for a long term, environmentally balanced and healthy society with the need to provide a better future for the next generations, there is evidence that substantial progress can be made for the co-operative efforts (McCarter et al., 2011). A further area of social science that applies to this case is referred to as Radical often recognized as ‘critical’ or ‘activist’ work (McCarter et al., 2011). Within this radical position the viewpoint taken is of a transformational approach, where concerns are placed on the transformation of society as this will benefit those who are most oppressed, or those suffering in adverse environmental conditions, in comparison to focusing on the individual profit, or day to day consumers (Hill, 2010). In addition, McIntyre (1982) as cited in Payne (2004) determined radical approaches and criticisms being that; traditionally, social work can lower complex social problems and turn them into individual psychological ones, while potentially cutting off service users from contact to others who have similar problems. Yet, in in the case of pollution and using offered technology seems to translate to creating isolation between workers and those who need the service 3. Reducing Defection Among the many possible solutions to decreasing defections and increasing possible cooperation is the option of motivational solutions (Khachatryan et al., 2013). Providing opportunities for mutual gain, both in the short and long term, creates an incentive for long term, effective cooperation and progress. There components of a must be assessed in order to create a reduced or improved environment (McCarter et al., 2011): Individualism or the presence of the tendency for a person to act selfishly Competition or the capacity to measure outcomes relative to others The opportunity for cooperation In this case is seems possible to incorporate all three elements into an effective anti-defection strategy. Emphasizing the positive aspects of using alternative fuels has the potential to inspire the individual to work outside the acceptable social net by not using fossil fuels. Furthermore, the creation of a competitive form of reporting would serve to build a measureable means for people to assess their own efforts, as well as that of others. The first two are pro-self-approaches while the third is considered a prosocial orientation (Chen et al., 2012). Prosocial and pro-self-persons react differently when faced with a similar situation, making the need to find a solution that can bridge the gap between them critical. Prosocial views often concern themselves with the moral implications, thereby seek out cooperation. This can be seen in this context as the drive to harvest less from a common resource, thereby reducing overall dependency and negative consequences. Strategic solutions also have the potential to increase cooperation and reduce defections in the social dilemma of carbon fuel pollution (Ballet et al., 2013). This is an approach that uses interactions to create an environment of cooperation as the society uses a Tit for tat strategy. This approach seems to be present in the current discourse about carbon pollution with many consumers making a cooperative move, while at the same moment mirroring decisions of the partner. TFT applies to this dilemma in that it is a real-world strategy that has a proven record of success, thereby inciting many consumers to take part in the effort. These forms of structural changes alter the game by modifying the social dilemma or removing the issue completely. In this case a reduction in consumption has the potential to move on completely from the carbon fuel based system. Furthermore, research on conservation repeatedly illustrates that incentives are effective in decreasing consumption of resource s as well as the adoption of renewable resources (Chen et al., 2012). Many case studies illustrate that cooperation is based on various factors, including the ability to monitor the situation in order to punish defectors leading to an external structure that opts to cooperate and self-organise with the inherent ability to communicate and share in order to effectively resolve social delimmas. 4. Conclusion In conlusion, when evaluating the strengths the social dilemma of using carbon fuels, the need of the day to day consumer must be considered in the light of long term cost. Using a cooperative approach that serves to provide incentives and alternatives to possible defectors serves to enhance the underlying effort and add impact to the arguments that desire cooperation. Overall, it is certain that the core of the burden translates to effective planning while accounting for the present situation. With many possible solutions, this study has illustrated that following a radical approach could lead to empowerment of the service user, enable individuals to overcome social stigma attached to the pollution issue as educate them with skills needed to be independent in future. In the end, in order to encourage cooperation there needs to be a viable alternative that makes sense on a day to day basis as well as being affordable to the common person. Lacking a comprehensive strategy will only e ncourage those that resist change to depend on the technology of the past in order to face the challenges of the future. 5. References Balliet, D., & Ferris, D. (2013). Ostracism and prosocial behavior: A social dilemma perspective.Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 120(2), 298-308. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2012.04.004 Banks, S. & Gallagher, A. (2009). Ethics in professional life: virtues for health and social care. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Banks, S. (2012). Ethics and Values in Social Work. (fourth edition). Basingstoke & New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2001). Principles of biomedical ethics. Oxford university press. Beckett, C. (2007). The reality principle: Realism as an ethical obligation. Ethics and Social Welfare, 1(3), 269-281. Beckett, C. (2012). Values and ethics in social work. Sage. Chen, X., Szolnoki, A., & Perc, M. (2012). Risk-driven migration and the collective-risk social dilemma. Physical Review E, 86(3). doi:10.1103/physreve.86.036101 Clifford, D., & Burke, B. (2008).Anti-oppressive ethics and values in social work. Palgrave Macmillan. Darwall, S. (1995). The British Moralists and the Internal’Ought’: 1640-1740. Cambridge University Press. Dolgoff, R., Loewenberg, F. M., & Harrington, D. (2009). Ethical issues for social work practice. Derlega, V., & Grzelak, J. (1982). Cooperation and helping behavior. New York: Academic Press. Hill, L. (2010). Radical indecision: Barthes, Blanchot, Derrida, and the future of criticism. Johnson, R. (2008). Kant’s moral philosophy. Khachatryan, H., Joireman, J., & Casavant, K. (2013). Relating values and consideration of future and immediate consequences to consumer preference for biofuels: A three-dimensional social dilemma analysis. Journal Of Environmental Psychology, 34, 97-108. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.01.001 McCarter, M., Mahoney, J., & Northcraft, G. (2011). TESTING THE WATERS: USING COLLECTIVE REAL OPTIONS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL DILEMMA OF STRATEGIC ALLIANCES. Academy Of Management Review, 36(4), 621-640. doi:10.5465/amr.2011.65554629 Parrott, L. (2010). Values and ethics in social work practice. SAGE. Payne, G., & Payne, J. (2004).Key concepts in social research. Sage. Saleebey, D. (1996). The strengths perspective in social work practice: Extensions and cautions. Social work, 41(3), 296-305. Statman, D. (1997). Virtue ethics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Sagiv, L., Sverdlik, N., & Schwarz, N. (2011). To compete or to cooperateValues’ impact on perception and action in social dilemma games. Eur. J. Soc. Psychol., 41(1), 64-77. doi:10.1002/ejsp.729 Thompson, N. (2007). Power and empowerment. Russell House Pub. Wilson, K. (2008). Social work: An introduction to contemporary practice. Pearson Education. Wilson, K., Ruch, G., Lymbery, M., & Cooper, A. (2008). Social work. Essex: Pearson.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-nine

THE EVENTS THAT FOLLOWED were a blur. Sonya might have kept spirit's touch at bay, but it didn't matter. I was still in shock, still unable to think. They put me in the front seat, as far from Victor as possible. Dimitri drove us somewhere–I didn't pay much attention–where he and Sonya disposed of the body. They didn't say what they did, only that it was â€Å"taken care of.' I didn't ask for details. After that, we were back and headed toward Court. Sonya and Dimitri tossed around options on what to do when we got there. Seeing as no one had yet cleared my name, the current plan was that Sonya would have to escort Jill into Court. Jill asked if she could call her parents to let them know she was okay, but Dimitri felt that was a security risk. Sonya said she'd try to reach Emily in a dream, which made Jill feel a little better. I coped during the drive by checking in on Lissa. Focusing on her took me away from the horrible guilt and emptiness I felt, the horror at what I'd done to Victor. When I was with Lissa, I wasn't me, and just then, that was my greatest desire. I didn't want to be me. But things weren't perfect for her either. Like always, a number of issues were weighing her down. She felt close–so, so close–to unraveling who had killed Tatiana. The answer seemed within her grasp, if only she could reach just a little farther. The guardians had dragged Joe the janitor in, and after a fair amount of coercion–they had methods that didn't require magical compulsion–he'd admitted to having seen the twisted-handed Moroi in my building on the night of the murder. No amount of pushing would get Joe to admit he had been paid off–by either the man or Daniella. The most he'd admit was that he might have been â€Å"a little off' in his times that night. It was by no means hard evidence to save me. Lissa had Ambrose's letter too, which had subtly threatened Tatiana. The writer had opposed the age law for being soft, disapproved of Tatiana's endorsement of spirit, and resented the secret training sessions. The letter might have been perfectly polite, but whoever penned it had had a serious grudge against the queen. That supported the political motive theories. Of course, there were still lots of personal motives for the murder too. The sordid mess with Ambrose, Blake, and the women involved pegged any of them as the murderer. Daniella Ivashkov being on that list was a constant point of stress for Lissa, and she dared not breathe a word to Adrian. The saving grace there was that Daniella's bribery had been to get Adrian out of trouble–not solidify my guilt. The unknown Moroi had funded that bribe. Surely, if she had killed Tatiana, Daniella would have paid for both of Joe's lies. And of course, there was the last test pressing against Lissa's mind. The riddle. The riddle that seemed to have so many answers–and yet, none at all.What must a queen possess in order to truly rule her people? In some ways, it was more difficult than the other tests. Those had had a hands-on component, so to speak. This? This was her own intellect. No fire to build. No fear to look in the eye. She hated that she took the riddle so seriously too. She didn't need its stress, not with everything else going on. Life would have been simpler if she'd kept treating the trials simply as a scam to buy us time. The Court was continually swelling with those who had come to see the election, and more and more of them–much to her disbelief–were throwing their support behind her. She could hardly walk anywhere without people calling out about â€Å"the Dragon' or â€Å"Alexandra reborn.' Word of her attack had gotten out too, which seemed to have fueled her supporters even more. But, of course, Lissa still had plenty of opposition. The biggest case against her was the same old legal one: that she wouldn't be eligible for votes when the time came. Another mark against her was her age. She was too young, her opponents said. Who would want a child on the throne? But Lissa's admirers wouldn't hear any of it. They kept citing young Alexandra's rule and the miracles Lissa had wrought with her healing. Age was irrelevant. The Moroi needed young blood, they cried. They also demanded the voting laws be changed. Unsurprisingly, her opponents also kept bringing up the fact that she was tied to a queen-killing murderer. I'd have thought that would have been the biggest issue in her candidacy, but she'd been so convincing about how I'd shocked and betrayed her that many felt her being queen would actually right the wrong I'd committed. She'd used bits of compulsion whenever the topic came up, which also went a long way in making others think she was now completely dissociated from me. â€Å"I'm so tired of this,' Lissa told Christian, back in her room. She'd sought escape there and was lying on her bed in his arms. My mom was there, on guard. â€Å"This queen thing was a horrible idea.' Christian stroked her hair. â€Å"It's not. Abe said the election will be delayed because of the uproar. And no matter how much you complain, I know you're proud you made it this far.' It was true. The chalice test had cut the nominees in half. Only five remained. Ariana Szelsky was one of them, as was Daniella's cousin, Rufus Tarus. Lissa was the third, with Marcus Lazar and Marie Conta rounding out the group. Ronald Ozera hadn't made it through. My mother spoke up. â€Å"I've never seen anything like this–it's incredible how much support you're getting. The Council and other royals are under no obligations to change the law. But the mob's loud †¦ and gaining the love of â€Å"commoners' could benefit certain royals. Standing by your claim to run would certainly reflect well on a couple families that are out of favor. What's holding them back is the thought that you might actually win. So they'll just keep arguing and arguing.' Lissa stiffened. â€Å"Winning †¦ that's not really possible, is it? Ariana's got it sealed †¦ right?' Winning had never been a part of this crazy plan, and now, with so few candidates, the pressure was even greater to get Ariana on the throne. As far as Lissa was concerned, the other candidates showed no promise of improving Moroi life. Ariana had to win. â€Å"I'd say so,' said Janine. There was pride in her voice, seeing how close she was to the Szelsky family. â€Å"Ariana's brilliant and competent, and most people know it. She'd treat dhampirs fairly–more so than some of the other candidates. She's already spoken about reversing the age law.' The thought of worse laws oppressing the dhampirs made Lissa's stomach sink. â€Å"God, I hope she wins. We can't have anything else go wrong.' A knock at the door snapped my mom into full guardian mode until Lissa said, â€Å"It's Adrian.' â€Å"Well,' muttered Christian, â€Å"at least his timing's better than usual.' Sure enough, my boyfriend entered, wreathed in his now usual scent of smoke and liquor. True, his vices were the least of my concerns, but it kept bugging me that he needed me to be there in person to enforce his good behavior. It reminded me of when he said I was his strength. â€Å"Get up, guys,' he said. He looked very pleased with himself. â€Å"We've got a visit to pay.' Lissa sat up, puzzled. â€Å"What are you talking about?' â€Å"I am not hanging out with Blake Lazar again,' warned Christian. â€Å"You and me both,' said Adrian. â€Å"I've got someone better. And more attractive. Remember how you were wondering how close Serena was to Grant? Well, looks like you can ask her yourself. I found her. And yes, you're welcome.' A frown crossed my mother's face. â€Å"Last I heard, Serena had been sent away to teach at a school. One on the east coast, I think.' After the Strigoi attack that had killed Grant and several others, the guardians had decided to pull Serena from active bodyguard duty for a while. She'd been the only guardian to survive. â€Å"She is, but since it's summer, they brought her back to help with election crowd control. She's working the front gates.' Lissa and Christian exchanged looks. â€Å"We have to talk to her,' said Lissa excitedly. â€Å"She might have known who Grant was secretly teaching.' â€Å"That doesn't mean one of them killed Tatiana,' warned my mother. Lissa nodded. â€Å"No, but there's a connection, if Ambrose's letter is right. She's there now? At the gates?' â€Å"Yup,' said Adrian. â€Å"And we probably don't even need to buy her a drink.' â€Å"Then let's go.' Lissa stood and reached for her shoes. â€Å"Are you sure?' asked Christian. â€Å"You know what's waiting out there.' Lissa hesitated. It was late at â€Å"night' for Moroi, but that didn't mean everyone was in bed–especially at the gates, which was always jam-packed with people lately. Clearing my name was too important, Lissa decided. â€Å"Yeah. Let's do it.' With my mother leading the way, my friends made their way to the Court's entrance. (The â€Å"door' that Abe had made had been patched up.) The Court was surrounded in high, multicolored stone walls that helped further the human image that this was actually an elite school. Wrought iron gates at the entrance stood open, but a group of guardians blocked the road leading into Court grounds. Normally, only two guardians would have manned the booth at the gate. The extra numbers were both for greater interrogation of cars and for crowd control. Spectators lined the road's sides, watching the arriving cars as though they were at a red carpet premiere. Janine knew a roundabout way that avoided some people–but not all. â€Å"Don't cringe,' Christian told Lissa as they passed a particularly vocal group, which had noticed her. â€Å"You're a queenly nominee. Act like it. You deserve this. You're the last Dragomir. A daughter of royalty.' Lissa gave him a brief, astonished look, surprised to hear the fierceness in his voice– and that he clearly believed his words. Straightening up, she turned toward her fans, smiling and waving back, which excited them that much more. Take this seriously, she reminded herself. Don't disgrace our history. In the end, getting through the crowd to the gate proved easier than getting time alone with Serena. The guardians were swamped and insisted on keeping Serena for screening, but my mom had a quick conversation with the guardian in charge. She reminded him of Lissa's importance and offered to stand in for Serena for a few minutes. Serena had long since healed from the Strigoi attack. She was my age, blond-haired and pretty. She was clearly surprised to see her former charge. â€Å"Princess,' she said, maintaining formalities. â€Å"How can I help you?' Lissa pulled Serena away from the cluster of guardians speaking to the Moroi drivers lined up at the gate. â€Å"You can call me Lissa. You know that. You taught me to stab pillows, after all.' Serena gave her a small smile. â€Å"Things have changed. You might be our next queen.' Lissa grimaced. â€Å"Unlikely.' Especially since I have no clue how to solve that riddle, she thought. â€Å"But I do need your help. You and Grant spent a lot of time together †¦ did he ever mention training Moroi for Tatiana? Like, secret combat sessions?' Serena's face gave the answer away, and she averted her eyes. â€Å"I'm not supposed to talk about that. He wasn't even supposed to tell me.' Lissa gripped the young guardian's arm in excitement, making Serena flinch. â€Å"You have to tell me what you know. Anything. Who he was training †¦ how they felt about it †¦ who was successful. Anything.' Serena paled. â€Å"I can't,' she whispered. â€Å"It was done in secret. On the queen's orders.' â€Å"My aunt's dead,' said Adrian bluntly. â€Å"And you said yourself you might be talking to the future queen.' This earned a glare from Lissa. Serena hesitated, then took a deep breath. â€Å"I can pull together a list of names. I might not remember all of them, though. And I have no clue how well they were doing–only that a lot resented it. Grant felt like Tatiana had purposely picked those most unwilling.' Lissa squeezed her hand. â€Å"Thank you. Thank you so much.' Serena still looked pained at giving up the secret information. They come first didn't always work when your loyalties were split. â€Å"I'll have to get it to you later, though. They need me here.' Serena returned to her post, bringing my mother back to Lissa. As for me, I returned to my own reality in the car, which had come to a stop. I blinked to clear my eyes and take in our surroundings. Another hotel. We should have had gold member status by now. â€Å"What's going on?' â€Å"We're stopping,' said Dimitri. â€Å"You need to rest.' â€Å"No, I don't. We need to keep going to Court. We need to get Jill there in time for the elections.' Our initial goal in finding Jill had been to give Lissa voting power. It had since occurred to us that if Lissa running was mucking up the elections, the surprise appearance of her sister would likely create just as much sensation and disbelief. A genetic test would clear up any doubts and give Lissa her voting power, but the initial confusion would buy us more of the time we so badly needed to find the murderer. In spite of the random evidence my friends kept turning up, they still had no substantial theories on a culprit. Dimitri gave me a don't lie to me look. â€Å"You were just with Lissa. Are the elections actually happening yet?' â€Å"No,' I admitted. â€Å"Then you're getting some rest.' â€Å"I'm fine,' I snapped. But those fools wouldn't listen to me. Checking in was complicated because none of us had a credit card, and it wasn't the hotel's policy to take a cash deposit. Sonya compelled the desk clerk into thinking it was their policy, and before long, we had booked two adjoining rooms. â€Å"Let me talk to her alone,' Dimitri murmured to Sonya. â€Å"I can handle it.' â€Å"Be careful,' Sonya warned. â€Å"She's fragile.' â€Å"You guys, I'm right here!' I exclaimed. Sonya took Jill's arm and guided her into one of the rooms. â€Å"Come on, let's order room service.' Dimitri opened the other door and looked at me expectantly. With a sigh, I followed and sat on the bed, my arms crossed. The room was a hundred times nicer than the one in West Virginia. â€Å"Can we order room service?' He pulled up a chair and sat opposite me, only a couple feet away. â€Å"We need to talk about what happened with Victor.' â€Å"There's nothing to talk about,' I said bleakly. The dark feelings I'd been shoving back during the drive suddenly fell upon me. They smothered me. I felt more claustrophobic than when I'd been in the cell. Guilt was its own prison. â€Å"I really am the murderer everyone says I am. It doesn't matter that it was Victor. I killed him in cold blood.' â€Å"That was hardly cold blood.' â€Å"The hell it wasn't!' I cried, feeling tears spring to my eyes. â€Å"The plan was to subdue him and Robert so we could free Jill. Subdue. Victor wasn't a threat to me. He was an old man, for God's sake.' â€Å"He seemed like a threat,' said Dimitri. His calmness was the counter to my growing hysteria, as usual. â€Å"He was using his magic.' I shook my head, burying my face in my hands. â€Å"It wasn't going to kill me. He probably couldn't have even kept it up much longer. I could have waited it out or escaped. Hell, I did escape! But instead of capturing him, I slammed him against a concrete wall! He was no match for me. An old man. I killed an old man. Yeah, maybe he was a scheming, corrupt old man, but I didn't want him dead. I wanted him locked up again. I wanted him to spend the rest of his life in prison, living with his crimes. Living, Dimitri.' It seemed strange that I'd feel this way, considering how much I hated Victor. But it was true: it hadn't been a fair fight. I'd acted without thinking. My training had always been about defense and striking out against monsters. Honor had never really come up, but suddenly, it meant a lot to me. â€Å"There was no honor in what I did to him.' â€Å"Sonya said it wasn't your fault.' Dimitri's voice was still gentle, which somehow made me feel worse. I wished he'd chastise me, confirming the guilt I felt. I wanted him to be my critical instructor. â€Å"She said it was a backlash of spirit.' â€Å"It was†¦ .' I paused, recalling the haze of that fight as best I could. â€Å"I never really understood what Lissa experienced in her worst moments until then. I just looked at Victor †¦ and I saw everything evil in the world–an evil I had to stop. He was bad, but he didn't deserve that. He never stood a chance.' Honor, I kept thinking. What honor is there in that? â€Å"You aren't listening, Rose. It wasn't your fault. Spirit's a powerful magic we barely understand. And its dark edge †¦ well, we know it's capable of terrible things. Things that can't be controlled.' I lifted my eyes to his. â€Å"I should have been stronger than it.' There it was. The thought behind all my guilt, all these horrible emotions. â€Å"I should have been stronger than it. I was weak.' Dimitri's reassuring words didn't come so quickly. â€Å"You aren't invincible,' he said at last. â€Å"No one expects you to be.' â€Å"I do. What I did †¦' I swallowed. â€Å"What I did was unforgivable.' His eyes widened in shock. â€Å"That †¦ that's crazy, Rose. You can't punish yourself for something you had no power over.' â€Å"Yeah? Then why are you still–‘ I stopped because I'd been about to accuse Dimitri of continuing to punish himself. Except †¦ he no longer was. Did he feel guilt for what he'd done as a Strigoi? I was certain of it. Sonya had admitted as much. But somewhere in this journey, he had taken control of his life again, bit by bit. She'd told me that, but only now did I truly understand. â€Å"When?' I asked. â€Å"When did it change? When did you realize you could keep living– even after all that guilt?' â€Å"I'm not sure.' If the question surprised him, he hid it. His eyes were locked with mine, but they weren't quite focused on me. The puzzle occupied him. â€Å"In bits, really. When Lissa and Abe first came to me about breaking you out, I was ready to do it because she asked me to. Then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was personal too. I couldn't stand the thought of you locked in a cell, being cut off from the world. It wasn't right. No one should live like that, and it occurred to me that I was doing the same–by choice. I was cutting myself off from the world with guilt and self-punishment. I had a second chance to live, and I was throwing it away.' I was still in turmoil, still raging and full of grief, but his story kept me quiet and transfixed. Hearing him pour his heart out was a rare opportunity. â€Å"You heard me talk about this before,' he continued. â€Å"About my goal to appreciate life's little details. And the more we continued on our journey, the more I remembered who I was. Not just a fighter. Fighting is easy. It's why we fight that matters, and in the alley that night with Donovan †¦' He shuddered. â€Å"That was the moment I could have crossed over into someone who fights just to senselessly kill–but you pulled me back, Rose. That was the turning point. You saved me †¦ just as Lissa saved me with the stake. I knew then that in order to leave the Strigoi part of me behind, I had to fight through to be what theyaren't. I had to embrace what they reject: beauty, love, honor.' Right then, I was two people. One was overjoyed. Hearing him talk like that, realizing he was fighting his demons and close to victory †¦ well, I nearly wept with joy. It was what I'd wanted for him for so long. At the same time, his inspiring words only reminded me how far I'd fallen. My sorrow and self-pity took over again. â€Å"Then you should understand,' I said bitterly. â€Å"You just said it: honor. It matters. We both know it does. I've lost mine. I lost it out there in the parking lot when I killed an innocent.' â€Å"And I've killed hundreds,' he said flatly. â€Å"People much more innocent than Victor Dashkov.' â€Å"It's not the same! You couldn't help it!' My feelings exploded to the surface again. â€Å"Why are we repeating the same things over and over?' â€Å"Because they aren't sinking in! You couldn't help it either.' His patience was cracking. â€Å"Feel guilty. Mourn this. But move on. Don't let it destroy you. Forgive yourself.' I leapt to my feet, catching him by surprise. I leaned down, putting us face to face. â€Å"Forgive myself? That's what you want? You of all people?' Words seemed to escape him. I think it had to do with my proximity. He managed a nod. â€Å"Then tell me this. You say you moved past the guilt, decided to revel in life and all that. I get it. But have you, in your heart, really forgiven yourself? I told you a long time ago that I forgave you for everything in Siberia, but what about you? Have you done it?' â€Å"I just said–‘ â€Å"No. It's not the same. You're telling me to forgive myself and move on. But you won't do it yourself. You're a hypocrite, comrade. We're either both guilty or both innocent. Pick.' He rose as well, looking down at me from that lofty height. â€Å"It's not that simple.' I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to be intimidated. â€Å"It is that simple. We're the same! Even Sonya says we are. We've always been the same, and we're both acting the same stupid way now. We hold ourselves up to a higher standard than everyone else.' Dimitri frowned. â€Å"I–Sonya? What does she have to do with any of this?' â€Å"She said our auras match. She said we light up around each other. She says it means you still love me and that we're in sync, and †¦' I sighed and turned away, wandering across the room. â€Å"I don't know. I shouldn't have mentioned it. We shouldn't buy into this aura stuff when it comes from magic users who are already half-insane.' I reached the window and leaned my forehead against the cool glass, trying to decide what to do. Forgive myself. Could I? A small city sprawled before me, though I'd lost track of where we were. Cars and people moved below, souls out living their lives. I took a deep breath. The image of Victor on the asphalt was going to stay with me for a long, long time. I had done something horrible, even if my intentions were good, but everyone was right: I hadn't been myself. Did that change what had happened? Would that bring Victor back? No. And honestly, I didn't know how I would move past what I'd done, how I'd shake the bloody images in my head. I just knew I had to go on. â€Å"If I let this stop me,' I murmured, â€Å"if I do nothing †¦ then that's the greater evil. I'll do more good by surviving. By continuing to fight and protect others.' â€Å"What are you saying?' asked Dimitri. â€Å"I'm saying †¦ I forgive myself. That doesn't make everything perfect, but it's a start.' My fingertip traced the line of a tiny crack in the glass's surface. â€Å"Who knows? Maybe that outburst in the parking lot let out some of the darkness Sonya says is in my aura. Skeptic that I am, I have to give her some points. She was right that I was at a breaking point, that all I needed was a spark.' â€Å"She was right about something else too,' Dimitri said after a long pause. My back was to him, but there was a strange quality to his voice that made me turn around. â€Å"What's that?' I asked. â€Å"That I do still love you.' With that one sentence, everything in the universe changed. Time slowed to one heartbeat. The world became his eyes, his voice. This wasn't happening. It wasn't real. None of it could be real. It felt like a spirit dream. I resisted the urge to close my eyes and see if I'd wake up moments later. No. No matter how unbelievable it all seemed, this was no dream. This was real. This was life. This was flesh and blood. â€Å"Since †¦ since when?' I finally managed to ask. â€Å"Since †¦ forever.' His tone implied the answer was obvious. â€Å"I denied it when I was restored. I had no room for anything in my heart except guilt. I especially felt guilty about you–what I'd done–and I pushed you away. I put up a wall to keep you safe. It worked for a while–until my heart finally started accepting other emotions. And it all came back. Everything I felt for you. It had never left; it was just hidden from me until I was ready. And again †¦ that alley was the turning point. I looked at you †¦ saw your goodness, your hope, and your faith. Those are what make you beautiful. So, so beautiful.' â€Å"So it wasn't my hair,' I said, unsure how I was even capable of making a joke at a time like this. â€Å"No,' he said gently. â€Å"Your hair was beautiful too. All of you. You were amazing when we first met, and somehow, inexplicably, you've come even farther. You've always been pure, raw energy, and now you control it. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met, and I'm glad to have had that love for you in my life. I regret losing it.' He grew pensive. â€Å"I would give anything–anything–in the world to go back and change history. To run into your arms after Lissa brought me back. To have a life with you. It's too late, of course, but I've accepted it.' â€Å"Why †¦ why is it too late?' Dimitri's eyes grew sad. â€Å"Because of Adrian. Because you've moved on. No, listen,' he said, cutting off my protests. â€Å"You were right to do that after how I treated you. And more than anything else, I want you to be happy once we clear your name and get Jill recognized. You said yourself that Adrian makes you happy. You said you love him.' â€Å"But †¦ you just said you love me. That you want to be with me.' My words seemed clumsy, unworthy of his eloquence. â€Å"And I told you: I'm not going to pursue another man's girlfriend. You want to talk honor? There it is in its purest form.' I walked toward him, each step ramping up the tension around us. Dimitri kept saying the alley was his turning point. For me? It was now. I stood on the precipice of something that would change my life. For the last week, I'd done a very good job of detaching myself from anything romantic with Dimitri. And yet †¦ had I? What was love, really? Flowers, chocolate, and poetry? Or was it something else? Was it being able to finish someone's jokes? Was it having absolute faith that someone was there at your back? Was it knowing someone so well that they instantly understood why you did the things you did–and shared those same beliefs? All week, I'd claimed my love for Dimitri was fading. In reality, it had been growing more and more. I hadn't even realized it was happening. I had been re-establishing our old rapport, strengthening the connection. Reaffirming that of all the people in the world–even Lissa–Dimitri was the only one who truly gotme. I'd meant it: I loved Adrian. It was hard to imagine life without him, but my other words at the Mastranos' had betrayed me: I have fun with him. Now, you should have fun with the one you love, but that shouldn't have been what first came to mind. I should have said, We strengthen each other. Or, He makes me want to be a better person. Perhaps most importantly: He understands me perfectly. But none of that was true, so I hadn't said those things. I'd sought Adrian for comfort. His familiarity and humor were an important part of my world. And if he was in danger? I'd throw my life before his, just as I would for Lissa. Yet, I didn't inspire him, not really. He was trying. He did want to be a better person, but at this moment in his life, his motivations were more about impressing others–about impressing me. It wasn't for himself. That didn't make him bad or weak, but it made me his crutch. He would get past that, I was certain. He would eventually come into his own and be an amazing man, but he wasn't at that point of self-discovery yet. I was. I stood in front of Dimitri now, looking into those dark eyes again, the eyes I loved so much. I placed my hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating strong and steady–and maybe a bit faster than normal. Warmth spread through my fingertips. He reached up and caught hold of my wrists but didn't push me away. The lines of that gorgeous face looked strained as he fought some inner conflict, but now that I knew–now that I knew for sure–I could see his love for me. Love mingled with desire. It was so, so obvious. â€Å"You should have told me,' I said. â€Å"You should have told me this a long time ago. I love you. I've never stopped loving you. You have to know that.' His breath caught when I said I love you, and I could see his internal struggle for control become an all-out war. â€Å"It wouldn't have made any difference. Not with Adrian involved,' he said. The fingers around my hand tightened slightly as though he really might push me away this time. He didn't. â€Å"I mean it. I won't be that guy, Rose. I won't be that man who takes someone else's woman. Now, please. Let go. Don't make this any more difficult.' I ignored the request. If he'd wanted to get away from me, he could have. I splayed my fingers, touching more of his chest, drinking in the feel of that warm contact I'd missed for so long. â€Å"I don't belong to him,' I said in a low voice, pushing close to Dimitri and tilting my head back so that I could see his face clearly. So much emotion, so much conflict as his heart tried to decide right from wrong. Being pressed against him felt like †¦ completion. Sonya had said no couple could share one aura or one soul, but ours weren't meant to be apart. They fit together like a puzzle, two individuals making something greater than themselves. â€Å"I don't belong to anyone. I make my own choices.' â€Å"And you're with Adrian,' said Dimitri. â€Å"But I was meant for you.' And that did it. Any pretense of control or reason either of us possessed melted away. The walls crumbled, and everything we'd been holding back from each other came rushing out. I reached up, pulling us together for a kiss–a kiss he didn't let go this time. A kiss I didn't end by punching him. His arms encircled me as he lifted me onto the bed, one hand soon sliding along my hip and down to my leg, already half-bare, thanks to that poor tattered dress. Every nerve in my body lit up, and I felt that desire returned in him–and then some. After a world of death, he seemed to appreciate love more. Not only that, he needed it. He needed life. He needed me–not just physically, but in the same way my heart and soul always cried out for him. What we did then, as our clothes came off and we brought our bodies together became more than just lust–even though there was plenty of that too. Being with him after so long, after everything we'd endured †¦ it was like coming home. Like finally being where–with whom–I belonged. My world, my heart †¦ they'd shattered when I lost him. But as he looked at me, as his lips spoke my name and ran along my skin †¦ I knew those pieces could come back together. And I knew, with absolute certainty, that waiting for this–for my second time having sex–had been the right thing to do. Anyone else, any other time †¦ it would have been wrong. When we finished, it was like we still couldn't get close enough. We held each other tightly, our limbs entwined, as though maybe closing the distance now would make up for the distance that had been between us for so long. I closed my eyes, my senses flooded with him, and sighed dreamily. â€Å"I'm glad you gave in. I'm glad your self-control isn't as strong as mine.' This made him laugh, and I felt it rumble through his chest. â€Å"Roza, my self-control is ten times stronger than yours.' I opened my eyes, shifting to look into his. I brushed his hair back and smiled, certain my heart would expand and expand until there was nothing left of me. â€Å"Oh yeah? That's not the impression I just got.' â€Å"Wait until next time,' he warned. â€Å"I'll do things that'll make you lose control within seconds.' That comment was just asking for a witty Rose Hathaway quip. It also made my blood burn, which was why we were both surprised when I abruptly said, â€Å"There may not be a next time.' Dimitri's hand, tracing the shape of my shoulder, froze. â€Å"What? Why?' â€Å"We have a couple of things to do before this happens again.' â€Å"Adrian,' he guessed. I nodded. â€Å"And that's my problem, so put your honor-able thoughts aside. I have to face him and answer for this. I will. And you †¦' I couldn't believe what I was about to say. I couldn't believe I meant it. â€Å"You still have to forgive yourself if we're going to be together.' His puzzled expression turned to pain. â€Å"Rose–‘ â€Å"I'm serious.' I met his eyes unflinchingly. â€Å"You have to forgive yourself. For real. Everyone else has. If you can't, then you can't go on either. We can't.' It was one of the biggest gambles of my life. Once, I would have run to him without question, ignoring our problems, overjoyed just to be with him. Now †¦ after everything I'd been through, I'd changed. I loved him. I loved him so much, and I wanted him. But it was because of the strength of that love that I had to do this. If were going to be together, we had to do it the right way. Sex had been amazing, but it wasn't a magical cure for everything. Damn. Somewhere along the way, I'd picked up common sense. I still intended to confront Adrian. And if Dimitri wouldn't do what I asked, I really would walk away. I'd lose both men, but it was better to be alone with my self-respect than be in the wrong relationship. â€Å"I don't know,' Dimitri said at last. â€Å"I don't know if I can †¦ if I'm ready.' â€Å"Decide soon then,' I said. â€Å"You don't have to right this second, but eventually †¦' I didn't push the topic after that. For now, I would let it go, though I knew he would hold onto it and grasp its importance. I knew I was right to stand by it too. He couldn't be happy with me if he wasn't happy with himself. It occurred to me then, as I stood up for myself and what I needed, that our old teacher-student roles were gone forever. Now we really were equals. I rested my head on his chest and felt him relax. We'd bask in this moment, if only for a little longer. Sonya had said we needed â€Å"rest,' making me think we still had some time here before the ticking clock drove us back to Court. As Dimitri and I continued to keep close to one another, I found myself actually wanting to sleep. I was exhausted from the fight–which, I realized, had taken a very unexpected turn. My guilt and despair over Victor and the explosion of spirit had taken their toll too, no matter the healing locket still around my neck. And yes, I thought with a small smile, I was simply exhausted from what Dimitri and I had just done. It was kind of nice to use my body for something that didn't result in serious injury for a change. I fell asleep in his embrace, blackness wrapping around me as warmly as his arms. It should have been that simple. It should have been peaceful, happy rest. But as usual, I wasn't that lucky. A spirit dream pulled me from the enveloping depths of sleep, and for half a second, I thought maybe Robert Doru had come for me to take revenge for his brother's death. But, no. No vindictive Dashkov. Instead, I found myself staring into a pair of emerald- green eyes. Adrian.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Psychological Contract

Advantages and Disadvantages of Psychological Contract Outline and critically evaluate the concept of the ‘psychological contract’. Why is an understanding of the psychological contract considered to be important to the management of the contemporary employment relationship? The concept of psychological contract Introductions There are two kinds of contracts which are the formal, written economic contract as well as the euqally important, informal and unwritten psychological contract. It’s all about how people think they should be treated. Both involve rights, obligations and expectations on the part of employer and the employee. The key feature of the word ‘contracts’ is exchange in term of reward or the effort that employee puts in etc. For instance, the level of effort which employee puts in or employee’s perception can be affected by how they are being treated by the organization. A quite large research literature on the psychological contract has been produced in only a short time with the ke y players being, in the United States, Denise Rousseau (Rousseau, 1995, 2001), Schein (1980) etc. Although much of the interest in the psychological contract is recent, its roots go back a long time, it having originally been discussed by Argyris (1960). History The concept of a â€Å"psychological contract† was first coined by Argyris (1960); it refers to employer and employee expectations of the employment relationship as well as represents the mutual beliefs, perceptions and informal obligations between an employer and an employee. Expanding the concept of the contract was Schein (1980). According to Schien it may be defined as an†Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦unwritten set of expectations operating at all times between every member of an organization and the various managers and others in that organization.† More recently Rousseau and her co- workers (Robinson and Rousseau, 1994) have suggested a more specific definition of the psychological contract. According to them, the psychological contract is characterised not only by expectations, but by promissory and reciprocal obligations. When these obligations are broken, they produce more emotional and extreme reactions than weaker expectations produce feelings of disappointment. Broken obligations lead to feelings of anger and reassessment of the individual’s relationships with the organization. Content The term psychology is derived from the Greek, meaning ‘mind, spirit or soul’ and contract is that the expectations concern non- tangible, psychological issues. There are significant elements of all definitions of the psychological contract include: 1.3.1 integration of beliefs, values, expectations and aspirations of employer and employee, the beliefs of implicit promises and obligations are included, the level to which these are perceived to be met or violated and the level of trust within the relationship. 1.3.2 All the expectations must not be made explicit. It could be the implici t deal between employers and employees. Fairness and good faith are involved. 1.3.3 An significant feacture of the concept is it can be repeatedly re-negotiated, changing with an individual’s, and an organisation’s, expectations, and in shifting economic and social contexts. Yet, a snapshot of one point in time was only provided thus capturing only one stage in this social process. 1.3.4 Because it is based on individual perceptions individuals in the same organisation or job may perceive different psychological contracts, which will, in turn, influence the ways in which they perceive organisational events for instance redundancies or developing or modifying a flexitime system.

How does this form fit with the characteristics of the Romantic period Essay

How does this form fit with the characteristics of the Romantic period (refer to Chapter 22 in the text) - Essay Example Long composite orchestral work, is one progress that leads to the development of a poetic inspiration, creates the doldrums, or even suggests a panorama. This case is quite similar with the romantic composers now as it was in the olden days (Hoffer 173). In romanticism, there are two aspects that are evident in romantic art. One of it is the expression of feelings. Most of the writers who participated in multi-movement words wanted just to express their feelings. The characteristics accountable for romance in music according to chapter 22 of this document are quite similar to the ones used in the present world composing. The characteristic of writing and message sent via this poetic song is quite similar to the olden day’s invention. The usage of romantic sceneries in most of the composing art of this song is what used to happen in the olden days (Hoffer 174). In one way or the other difference between the arts of composing is quite different in comparison what chapter 22 of the document provided states (Hoffer

Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial Management - Essay Example The data provided herewith were taken from sources of good repute. They unanimously illustrate the leadership of DIS in its sector and industry, and they altogether declare that DIS is a strategic buy at its current price range. Prospects for the US economy remains bleak as indicators currently report no improvement since the year 2007 when the downturn first set in. Since 2006, GDP has been decreasing year-on-year and all other economic variables have depicted the same economically bleak scenario. In 2008, the annual averages of the benchmark treasury rates and the federal fund rates have been lowered to 1.37 and 1.92, respectively, while the unemployment rate increased to 7.2%. In March 2009, the benchmark treasury rate and the federal fund rate were as low as 0.21 and 0.18, respectively, while the unemployment rate increased further to 8.5%. It should not be surprising that the series of disasters in the economic arena dealt a heavy blow to the overall investors' confidence in the financial markets. In the year 2008, the market indices took such drastic plunges that badly damaged the market valuation of listed companies - Dow Jones decreased by 35%, S&P 500 decreased by 39%, and NASDAQ decreased by 42%. The first quarter of the year 2009 further lowered Dow Jones to 7,608.92, S&P 500 to 797.87 and NASDAQ to 1528.59. (AOL Website) Despite the turmoil in the economy and in the financial markets, Walt Disney Company (DIS) has managed to do very well in 2008. Next to Time Warner Inc. (TWX), DIS is the second largest multimedia conglomerate in the world in terms of assets. It is into the production of movies, music, and television shows, the publishing of its renowned materials and the operation of its well-frequented theme parks. While shares of its holding company are traded in NYSE, Disneyland Corporation's subsidiaries are variously traded in the Buenos Aires stock market and in European bourses such as XETRA, Berlin, Stuttgart, Paris, Munich, Hanover, London and Paris. (Yahoo! Finance) Since January 2000, Robert A. Iger has been the company's President and Chief Executive Officer. (2008 Walt Disney Co Annual Report) Under his efficient leadership, DIS has come up with sales amounting to $37.8 billion and with a net income of $4.4 billion in 2008 - an impressive feat in the light of the prevailing economic scenario. DIS has over 150,000 employees and has assets worth over $64.9 billion as of the year-end of 2008. As of 01 May 2009, DIS has market capitalization amounting to over $40.73 billion. (Yahoo! Finance) Compared to its competitors, DIS also has done a lot better in the stock market. Comparing their 2008 year-end prices with their 2006 year-end prices, losses were computed at 33% for DIS, 73% for CBS Corporation (CBS), 56% for News Corporation (NWS), and 53% for (TWX). Their respective closing prices as of the end of April 2009 were

Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Response paper - Essay Example The American citizens realize that the increased profit pressures are moving the press away from sensitive and controversial issues. These issues may critic on features of corporate America resulting to reduced sales. Thus, the media agendas receive direction from the government and business interests. The citizens are highly becoming aware that the media they are receiving is of lower quality filled with propaganda. The citizens also now understand that the media is a form of support or manipulation tool for the powerful. It also understands that the media consistently fails in its role of delivering true information to the masses. The distrust of media has grown quite extensively over the past five years in many American citizens (In Ward 2013 p. 67). Regulations limiting media products from entering a domestic market include import quotas, immigration rules, foreign ownership regulations, foreign exchange remittances and custom duties. This occurs to protect local industries from foreign competition. However, as times change the trade barriers undergo lessening in an effort to increase trade. If these barriers in the future receive lifting, the media products would flow freely between countries. This unlimited flow of entertainment and information would enhance media globalization. The transport of people and goods keeps improving. Over the years, it keeps getting affordable and reliable. These improvements will facilitate quick and easy transportation of media products to people across the world in the future. These improvements will facilitate growth of global media since the products will be easily accessible. Technology keeps evolving. It keeps reducing geographical distance while allowing for larger volumes of communication. With new developments, the speed of communication keeps increasing. Technology evolvements keep making communication and access of information easier and flexible. Thus, in the future these new

Homicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Homicide - Essay Example However, Daly and Wilson state ‘we lose the conceptual unity of intention that was the rationale for including attempted murders by defining homicide in this way’ (1988:14). Richards (1999) provides a clearer definition of homicide and refers to it as the interpersonal assaults and other acts directed against another person (e.g. poisoning) that occur outside the context of warfare, which prove fatal. This definition is supported by The Law Commission (TLC) who indicate homicide as ‘the unlawful killing of a human being by another human being’ (2005: 3). Homicide offences include murder, manslaughter and infanticide. In England and Wales, the structure of law concerning homicide centres on two broad offences; murder and manslaughter (TLC, 2005). Murder is classed as the most serious form of homicide, and has traditionally been associated with pre-meditated thought on the part of the perpetrator. However, TLC (2005) states that there doesn’t have to be an intention to kill or even a pre-meditated intention to kill to class a person guilty of committing murder. The Homicide Act (1957) introduced the concept of conviction for manslaughter and a person can be convicted of committing manslaughter rather than murder if they intentionally kill a person as a result of losing self-control through being provoked or if a ‘reasonable person’ would have reacted in the same way. ... nlawful killings whose offender intended to cause harm unlawful killings whose offender realised their actions involved unjustified risk of causing death but went ahead with their actions offender provoked, diminished responsibility or duress Manslaughter Comprises unlawful killings where the offender ; kills through conduct that is gross neglect (involuntary) kills though intending to cause harm (voluntary) How is Homicide Reported by Police Statistics? Richards (1999) claims that homicide is one of the few crimes that really get under-reported, and so homicide rates reasonably provide accurate measures of crime levels. However, it is also important to note that how government data counts homicide rates varies between Scotland and England and Wales. In Scotland for example, a single offence is counted for each act of homicide, regardless of the number of victims or offenders, e.g. Lockerbie in 1988 is closed as one act of homicide, rather than 270. In England and Wales however, each act of homicide is counted as an individual act. Richards (1999) also notes that a homicide case is generally presented in official statistics in the year in which the police record it. This however isn’t always the year in which the crime in committed, or when the accused is brought to trial, or when the suspect is either found guilty or innocent of homicide. During the past 50 years Parliament has barely touched the law of murder (TLC, 2005). The irregularity that exists in the way a person is convicted (as either murder or manslaughter) has resulted in seriously flawed homicide laws, which lack proper structure to convict people appropriately. However, police statistics relating to homicide rates do provide a number of useful information. For example, they let us measure murder and

Influence of Integration Managerial Accounting Skills on Small and Essay - 1

Influence of Integration Managerial Accounting Skills on Small and Medium Enterprises Business toward the Success and Growth of SMEs in Thailand - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that SME has always been a very important aspect of the growth of national economies. Therefore, it becomes quite necessary to maintain the stability of the SME. The past evidence has the given enough of the significant contributions made by these SME toward the growth of an economy. The concentration of the SME within an economy is very higher and they face the completion from other SME’s and multinational enterprises. Therefore, maintaining a sustainable SME is the quite challenging task that requires a very effective integration managerial accounting skills. Besides, Thailand is rapidly developing the nation and in this regard, Thai SMEs have played a very vital role. Thai Government also strives to impose effective policies for SME developments. However, the government keeps trying to bring economic prosperity through SME development. On the other, the growth of SME also depends on the managerial skills of accounting and others. Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has identified the accounting skill set that includes analysis, strategy, risk, planning, and communication. In context to the rapid development of the Thai economy, the role of managerial practices in the growth of SME should be assessed for future of development. SMEs are exposed to a number of risks and challenges due to their vulnerable nature and size. The primary aim of the managerial practices in to overcome these challenge. Therefore, in order to present the theoretical background relating to this topic, the necessary theories that must be explained are managerial accounting skills like costing systems, risk management, budgeting, performance evaluation, financial communication and information for decision making and strategic analysis. Based on the core management accounting skills that include five major aspects i.e. financial communication and information, performance evaluation, risk management, and financial planning four hypotheses are framed and these are given.

Profile about the life and beliefs of Amanpreet Gill, a young girl who Essay

Profile about the life and beliefs of Amanpreet Gill, a young girl who was Born West Bengel, India - Essay Example Years back, Gill and her family went to visit her uncle in Punjab and her younger brother was viciously attacked by her uncle’s dog. This incident traumatized her and left her with a very bad taste in her mouth about dogs. Each country has got its own culture and traditions. According to the traditions of Gill’s people, when a visitor visits a home, residents of that home are supposed to anoint the door through which the visitor entered the homestead. This is supposed to welcome good spirits that the visitor came with into the home. They do this because according they believe that visitors are forms of good spirits that come to bless a home. Gill’s dad was not an educated man, neither was he academic in nature. However, this did not hither him from encouraging Gill to partake English and other English related courses. Gill took this encouragement seriously and due to her positive attitude, she performed well in her English papers. Interestingly, whenever Gill sat an exam, the teacher would award her 19 ? points out of the total of 20 points. This was very irritating to Gill since she would be forced to write another better composition. One of the most interesting experiences for Gill while in class was when they were having reading sessions. She enjoyed reading and would always express what she was reading on her face. For instance, if the character in the book was angry or scared, she would portray this on her face, creating clear images of the character in the minds of her classmates. Gill also enjoyed reading since her teacher always told her class that the more one reads, the more one became knowledgeable and expounded on the vocabulary prowess. This was a tip Gill took seriously and spent every opportunity she got to read and read out loud, something that contributed to her strong command of English. Besides being good in class, Gill took part in other curricular activities. She took part in card making competitions, and painting sessi ons. Gill also made use of her expertise in essay writing and took part in essay writing competitions. She took part in one particular essay writing competition where she was youngest in the group. The topic of the essays that they were supposed to write was â€Å"An event that happened to a younger sibling.† Gill wrote of an incident where her brother had put peanuts in her food and she had an allergic reaction after eating the food. Gill won the competition for her well written piece and her school was recognized as an award-winning school when it came to essay writing. The school won first prize, thanks to Gills well placed efforts. Gill still works hard because she wants to maintain her high G.P.A. of 4.0. Her dad always told her that getting to the top is very easy. The task is remaining at the top and maintaining the high standard. This has always served as a motivating factor for Gill and she always goes an extra mile to make sure that she maintains her good writing sk ills and her command of English. In addition to that, Gill works hard to ensure that she completes her core requirements so she will always have an advantage over her colleagues. This has helped her confidence in her abilities, another reason for her exemplary excellent performance in all activities that she takes to, besides academic work. Gill’s dream career is to be a Registered Nurse. Her aunt, who is also a nurse, has greatly influenced Gill’s decision to be a nurse. Gill has therefore taken special interest in what her aunt does saying that she wants to know everything that it takes for one to be a successful aunt. Gill, being a very ambitious girl, wants to practice her nursing skills in Dallas, Baylor. One thing that Gill believes in is that attaining personal goals makes a

Book Report Two Old Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Book Report Two Old Women - Essay Example The author was looking for a very remote and intimidating environment to base the tale of two old women. The environment was very well selected and established. It is the part of the novel that depicted difficulty in the whole book. Apart from the difficult and intimidating environment, the story of survival and perseverance would be of no logic. The timing of the novel was very crucial and the author did an exceptional job in the timing of her book. It is the olden times of the novel that gave the tale logic in terms of few and scattered communities of people. It is also in the olden days that cannibals existed and held so much significant to people (pp. 98). In the novel cannibals were a feared lot. It also with the migrations made by characters in the novel made the timing of the tale exceptional. Apart from the setting of the novel, it is with great appreciation that I would recommend the novel to the modern society. In the novel, there was the depiction of laziness as a weakness. By strength, will and hard work that the two old women managed to survive during winter. This is a challenge to individuals who may use their weaknesses to avoid responsibility and seek attention. In my opinion, this fact created the most significant part of the novel. The choice of the vice by the author was exceptional. The author also focuses on society ties, betrayal and expectations. In the novel, the two old women were betrayed since they could not fulfill the tribe’s expectations of fitness (pp. 76). The authors mind was relating the struggles by the old population and the society reaction to their old age. At the conclusion of the novel the author expresses the apologetic feeling of the tribe when they found out the two women were still alive. This is a depiction of regret when we do not do the right thing. In the modern day society the novel still hold significance since we witness large numbers of old

Biology, How Body Shape Affects Heat Loss Essay Example for Free

Biology, How Body Shape Affects Heat Loss Essay Introduction Small organisms have a surface area that is large enough, compared with their volume. As a results they lose heat rapidly when the environmental temperature is lower than their body temperature. However when the animal gets bigger their volume increases at a larger rate than their surface area, so the surface to volume ratio decreases. Adaptations help organisms to survive in their habitats. Adaptations can be structural, behavioral and physiological. Cold resistant organisms evolved in various ways to cope with very low temperatures. Some animals hibernate, take shelter or migrate to warmer countries. Others, such as Antarctic seals have warm fur and a thick layer of fat for insulation. Antarctic seals are adapted to live in the sea and on the land. They’re big mammals which can survive in the cold and are adapted to not lose heat. For example in comparison to their bodies their heads are really small which decreases the heat loss. Also they have a large and thick layers of fats which insulated the animal on land and in water. Their fur is another characteristic that helps the seal to stay warm. The seal’s black skin reduces heat loss as it absorbs light from the sun and it does not reflect it. Another example of Antarctic animals is a penguin. They have a compact shape, low surface area to volume ratio to reduce heat loss. They also have very thick specialized feathers and a layer of fat which is used for insulation. An example of an animal which lives in hot environment is a desert tortoise. They can be active during the day or the mornings and evenings, it all depends on the temperature. They burrow under the sand to protect themselves from extreme hot temperatures. They can survive without water for nearly a year, they are able to obtain water from their diet as well. They can withdraw their head, legs, and tail into the shell providing themselves protection against other animals, mainly predators. Another example could be the fennec fox. They have large ears, which are 15cm long, those help the fox to lose heat on hot days in the desert. This fox is the only carnivore living in the Sahara desert, and they’re able to survive without free water. They kidneys are adapted to limit water loss. Their burrowing lifestyle helps t decrease the water loss. The thick fur helps insulate them from the cold deserts nights. They sandy fur helps to reflect the heat, and also provides excellent camouflage. The thick fur on the soles of their feet insulates against the hot sand of the desert. Hypothesis: As the surface area of the beakers will increase the time taken to lose the heat from 50 to 40 degrees will decrease. Method: Equipment required: 3 different size beakers like shown in Figure 1, thermometer, timer, ruler and measuring cylinder. 1. Pour 50ml of hot water in one of the beakers, it has to be above 50 degrees. 2. Place the thermometer into the beaker with the hot water in it. Check the temperature, if it’s above 50 degrees wait until it gets to 50. If it’s under 40, heat the water again. 3. As soon as the temperature it’s at 50 degrees, switch on the timer and wait until it gets to 40 degrees. Record the time. 4. Before pouring the water away measure the height of the to the point where the water reaches and the diameter, so the surface area can be calculated. 5. Repeat the entire experiment for each beaker.

Lifestyle and Sustainability Essay Example for Free

Lifestyle and Sustainability Essay Lifestyle and Sustainability are two different concepts combined together to describe how people should live nowadays. With the matters like the advancement of modern technology, environmental degradation, and pollution, we now consider the best ways to live our lives without jeopardizing our environment and the future generations. Now, we’re concerned not only about living in comfort and ease, but also about the sustainability of the world we live in, of our environment and our resources. Lifestyle is defined as a way of life, the manner by which a person lives. It involves various behaviors and practices regarding one’s social relations, consumption, entertainment, and fashion. These behaviors and practices are composed of various habits, conventional modes of action, and reasoned actions. Simply put, lifestyle is one’s style of living: it is very personal and depends on the person who lives it. In relation to lifestyle, we come across the concept of sustainability, which literally means to sustain or the ability to maintain certain processes or state. Nowadays, sustainability is often connected to how we human beings live. Concerns about the environment, pollution, and shortage of resources have driven us to apply sustainability in every aspect of our lives (Sustainability Reporting Program, 2004). We think of sustainable ways to build our homes, use our natural resources, dress up, and grow our food. Somehow, we have connected sustainability with how we live, and it is now considered as a lifestyle. One important aspect of a sustainable lifestyle is food consumption, and in relation to that, we come across the concern of sustainable means of growing our foods. An important issue is brought up when we talk about sustainable means of growing food, and that is the use of pesticides. We are all familiar about pesticides, because it is the conventional means of eradicating the pests in our homes, properties, plants and crops. However, the use of certain pesticides is deemed as un-sustainable because of the health risks they carry with them (EurActiv, 2008). It can also affect other organisms in the environment aside from the pests that they kill. To better understand pesticides, we need to know more about them, including the history, benefits, types, and other aspects as well. Pesticides have been used several thousand years ago, being utilized by humans to protect their crops and plants from pests (Medline Plus, 2009). One of the first known pesticides used was sulfur dusting in Sumeria. In later centuries, mad used toxic chemicals like arsenic, mercury and lead to kill pests. Natural pesticides were also used, like nicotine sulfate extracts from tobacco leaves, pyrethrum from chrysanthemums, and rotenone from the roots of tropical vegetables. These pesticides benefited man in several ways. The first, and possibly the most common reason for pesticide use are for the protection of crops. Pesticides contain potent chemical ingredients which kill or deter insects and other pests that consume and destroy man’s crops. Another application of pesticides is disease control, regulating or controlling the organisms which are considered harmful to health. A good example is the use of pesticides to kill mosquitoes which are known carriers of deadly diseases like dengue fever, west Nile virus, and malaria. Insecticides are also used in killing parasites like fleas and ticks in bigger animals like horses and cattle. It is also used to kill termites that can cause structural damage to our homes and dwellings. Overall, pesticides are used in variety of ways, all for the benefit of humans. We can classify pesticides into two major types, chemical or synthetically prepared pesticide, and biological or biochemical pesticide. We are more familiar with chemical pesticides because they’re the conventional pesticides. These are made from various chemical components, like the ones mentioned earlier. This type of pesticide is easier to produce because of the abundance of their chemical components, and is more potent and is more effective when it comes to killing the pests. The downside of this type however, is that it has harmful implications to the environment and to human health. The other type of pesticide is the biological or biochemical pesticide. This type is produced from plant extracts which can deter or kill insects. The biological pesticides use the natural enemies of certain plant pests. Other insects and spiders are used because they prey on these pests, regulating their population naturally. References: EurActiv. (2008). Pesticides: Tough negotiations ahead as MEPs back bans Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. euractiv. com/en/sustainability/pesticides-tough-negotiations-ahead-meps-back-bans/article-176936 Medline Plus. (2009). Pesticides Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/pesticides. html Sustainability Reporting Program. (2004). Pollutants, Sustainability, Health, and Environment. Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. sustreport. org/issues/health_env_pollut. html

Great Gatsby And Death Of A Salesman English Literature Essay

Great Gatsby And Death Of A Salesman English Literature Essay Marxism is an ideology that was theorised by Karl Marx that is based on the social and economic processes of class formation in a capitalist society. According to Marx there are two classes namely the bourgeoisie and proletariat. The bourgeoisie or ruling class own and control the means of production. They monopolise the political power and put laws in place in order to protect and further their interests. In this way the beliefs and values will reflect and legitimate their rule. Whereas, the proletariat or working class are dispossessed from making their own livelihood, but are forced to sell their labour for survival. If the dominant classs power is accepted as legitimate by the working class, this is known as false consciousness (Longurst, Smith, Bagnall, Crawford Ogborn, 2008). This ideology became the basis of analysing literature, known as Marxist criticism. Marxist critics approach to literature is based on sociological influences, which means that the texts are the result of whichever historical, economic as well as cultural circumstances they were created in. Texts from whichever epoch reveal the dominate classs ideology, thus making them subjective. (Potter, 2010) The Great Gatsby is a novel written by Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. The novel focuses on the lives of the dominant class of a western capitalistic society and how they are shaped by this lifestyle. On the other hand, Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller in 1949. The novel focuses on the life of a family of proletariats and how they are impacted by the bourgeoisies in society. The Great Gatsby does not focus on both economic classes. Instead it focuses on different groups of the dominant class, namely old money and the nouveau riche and as a result this novel reflects the dominant ideology. Although the working class is mentioned, they are ignored for the most part. Old money is represented by East Egg, West Egg represents the nouveau riche and the working class is represented by the Valley of Ashes. The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, is part of the nouveau riche who lives in West Egg. Jay Gatsby moves from being the son of shiftless and unsuccessful farm people (1994 p.105) to becoming the owner of a huge West Egg mansion with a marble swimming pool and over forty acres of lawn and garden (1994 p.11), this shows the possibilities offered by the American dream. Gatsby earns his money through illegal means, which places him in the new money category, and as a result he flaunts by throwing extravagant parties and buying expensive cars. Another reason Gatsby flaunts is to get the attention and win the affection of Daisy, thus treating her as a commodity (Tyson, 2006). Old money, on the other hand, has had money for generations, so they do not flaunt. Old money, people like Tom and Daisy, look down on the nouveau riche, because they got rich quick and, because they are threatening the status quo. Myrtle and George Wilson are working class characters but they have aspirations to move to the upper class. George wants to achieve this through his business. Whereas, Myrtle has an affair with Tom in the hopes that he will eventually marrying her. Both the Wilsons are commodified by the bourgeoisie and disillusioned by the American dream. Myrtles murder is a perfect example of how the bourgeoisie do not suffer the consequences of their actions, because they have money, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and let other people clean up the mess they made (1994 p.186). One person attends Gatsbys funeral, demonstrating that his attainment of the American dream was only an illusion. Death of a Salesman is also a text that reflects the dominant ideology, but in this case the play is written from the point of view of the working class. Although the dominant class has an effect on the main characters they are largely ignored in the play. Willy Loman, the protagonist, is a worn out travelling salesman on the point of a breakdown. But Willy still believes in the capitalist values and has passed on the hopes of success onto his son Biff. Disillusioned by the dominant ideology, Willy is blind to its destructiveness and is fixated with his plans for Biff. Biff, however, has no intentions in following the plans his father has set out for him and intends to pursue a different path, one that Miller associates with socialist society. His lack of drive to follow conventional success is teaching him, not that he is useless, and but that the business world might not be for him and that he is better off without it. He is trying to understand himself and discover his true identi ty. In the beginning of the play, he was not sure of himself and as a result returned home in an attempt to fulfil his fathers dream. Happy, Willy other son, has a good job and would like to go further. He also has uncertainties about his career but has no way to replace it. (Swets Zeitlinger, 1994) The scene in which Howard, Willys young boss, fires Willy is a perfect example of the logic of the capitalist economic instrument. Willy, in an attempt to avoid failure, appeals to Howards conscience, reminding him the he has been a loyal and long term worker for the company, but to no avail. Although Howard is Willys friend and neighbour, he is a business man and abides by the law of profit making first, business is business (2000 p.63), which is absolute in the capitalist business world. Willy refuses a job offer by Charley because he feels its charity and would destroy his image of himself as a self-reliant individual. Willy failure and Biff similar fate makes Willy reject his son. This shows how capitalist value can distort and destroy a meaningful relationship between father and son. (Swets Zeitlinger, 1994) Willy decides to commit suicide in the hopes that his life insurance payment will enable Biff to rise in the world. But, Biff becomes the only one in the play to understand the destructive nature of capitalist values and pities his father, exclaiming: I cant bear to look at his face! (2000 p.115) Both texts show how in a capitalist society money gives power and those who have money control the power of society. As well as in western capitalist society the upper will inevitably oppress the working class and that the American dream is both an illusion and elusive. This essay has discussed how the two texts differ socioeconomically, using a Marxist criticism approach. Specific reference has been made to Marxism and how it relates to Marxist criticism, the context of both texts by focusing on the time periods as well as how the characters lived. This essay has also looked at the socioeconomic context of The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman.

Movie Essay -- essays research papers

THE STUDY OF FILM   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A person puts on a front for the public to view. Often there are two sides to a person. One does not always see the other side of a person. In the films: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Unusual Suspect, Fight Club, and Persona let us view the other side of one. The film leads one on with using clues, hints, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Each film has some kind of a surprise ending. By using these foreshadowing techniques, it helps the ending seem believable. It makes the ending seem like everything fits. At the beginning of each film they each start off by examining each person, and taking a look at what is really going on in their head.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the film The Talented Mr. Ripley, Thomas Ripley is uncomfortable with himself and begins a journey by living his life through the people around him. Ripley moves out to Europe on a quest to find Dickey Greenthumbs and bring him back to the United States. Tom goes out there to only find a person living the life that he would want to live. Tom becomes very jealous and ends up moving in with Dickey and lives the same life as he does. Tom becomes jealous of a secret affair that Dickey had and does away with her life. It comes to a point where that Dickey no longer wants Tom around anymore. Tom is crushed by this and kills Dickey. Tom would only where one set of clothing and when he was living his own life. Tom obsessed with his life and decided to actually transform and become that person. Tom with drew money from his bank account. Tom takes off his glasses and comes his hair and dresses just like Dickey would. Tom becomes convinced that he is actually Dickey. When one of Dickeys friends starts to stumble onto what Tom is doing, Tom does away with his life . Tom sees nothing wrong with this. Dickey wore two rings that never came off his fingers. He goes on to kill his gay friend and thinks that he is dickey at all time. The rings represented his life, and when Tom wore the rings he became Dickey. When Tom Ripley killed Dickey in the movie it happened at in the water. Water is usually in a movie when a significant change is about to occur in ones life. From that point on is Tom changed and became Dickey. Towards the end of the film tom is once again looking out into the water along with his gay friend. This when his girlfriend of when he wa... ... Brad Pitt and that was him that started and created fight club. It was the same deal with Norman Bates in Psycho. He comes too the conclusion that the only way to get Brad Pitt out of his head was to shoot himself in the head. Edward could not deal with the other part of himself, so this was the only way out for him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Persona is a film which all of these other films were based from. It starts with a nurse and its patient. For some reason the nurse and the patient look very similar giving a hint to what is to come at the end. The patient is a mute while the nurse it trying to help her with her friends. Along the way the nurse discovers that she has problems of her own. The film uses a lot of close up shots. These shots compare the two girls together. As the nurse tries to help the patient she starts to realize that she needs help herself. The two girls seem to have more in common then they originally thought. The two girls didn’t resemble one another for no reason, but as you find out in the ending that the two girls are in fact the same girl. Along the way there are many clues that these two girls just don’t look and share some of the same qualities.

The Racial Contract Essay -- essays research papers

In The Racial Contract, it is argued that contemporary structures of white domination in the United States operate by means of an epistemology of ignorance for white people. White people inadvertently suffer from cognitive dysfunctions such that they cannot understand the racially (and racistly) structured world in which they live and, indeed, helped create. For Mills, while no person of any race is self-transparent, becoming a white person entails a particularly extreme form of self-opacity regarding issues of race that corresponds with a conspicuously bad or offensive misunderstanding of the world. Recently with the invasion of Iraq, the president has proven that white people believe that they are correct when that in any given conflict it must quell the conflict through force rather than understanding of the predicament. It must be astonishing to a lot of white Bush supporters to learn that the horrible conditions in Iraq would only be made worse when a foreign country whose lead er represents Christian ideals (which aren’t the prevailing consensus in Iraq), believes that Iraqis people need another conflicting force in a country ravaged by extreme racism. Because of the racialized moral psychology created by the racial contract, white people are ironically often unable to see race and racism. Although Mills does not make use of psychoanalysis, his work suggests both how and why psychoanalytic theory can be of help to critical race theory’s project of examining race for the purpose of challenging racism and white privilege. While the white cognitive dysfunction described by Mills sometimes operates preconsciously, his concept of the epistemology of ignorance also points to the vast pools of human thought inaccessible to consciousness, and thus unconscious. This refers not to a mere gap or empty space; rather, it is something that is actively, dynamically produced, and which stubbornly maintains its existence. This means that as unconscious entity, racism’s effectiveness is found in its ability to perpetuate itself as something invisible and unknowable. Most race theories that omit the unconscious operations of race and ra cism touches on only the tip of the iceberg that is white privilege. This is not to say that white privilege is only psychical. But the importance of the economic, political, geographical, and other aspects of white privilege should not le... ...stood, yet it was made illegal to possess. The fear of white Americans losing their jobs was a major contributing factor and unconsciously, people of Hispanic descent had become the perfect â€Å"scapegoat† for the irrational paranoia that existed during the time period. It is not a coincidence that the majority of people in the correctional system are black, but there is the hope that through the knowledge and respect of one another those grievous acts that divide people into skin color, race, ethnicity, and religion can find a common ground. Common ground as in laws that everyone can agree on, not just what the majority decrees as being justice. There isn’t any government that can achieve this because of the seemingly infinite amount of strife in the world which causes people to become refugees and flee to strange countries. The only way that I can perceive the extinction of unconscious racism is the development of science which can prevent hardships. A common enemy has historically been known to bring people together, whether that enemy is a shortage of food or lack of resources, the most basic needs of freedom and liberty bind all men together with a goal in a positive direction.

Medieval Piety Essay -- essays research papers

Religion in the Middle Ages takes on a character all of its own as it is lived out differently in the lives of medieval men and women spanning from ordinary laity to vehement devotees. Though it is difficult to identify what the average faith consists of in the Middle Ages, the life told of a radical devotee in The Book of Margery Kempe provides insight to the highly intense version of medieval paths of approaching Christ. Another medieval religious text, The Cloud of Unknowing, provides a record of approaching the same Christ. I will explore the consistencies and inconsistencies of both ways to approach Christ and religious fulfillment during the Middle Ages combined with the motivations to do so on the basis of both texts. A central component of medieval religion that is evident in even the slightest dissection of the life of Margery Kempe or the directed discipline from the author advising contemplation is an unmistakable desire for religious experience. Even among married men and women who are occupied with family responsibilities, lay people during this time such as we see in the life of Margery herself are seeking more intense religious ways of living. Margery, as the example, lived with her husband with whom she had fourteen children. Growing up influenced by the church, her spirituality came to a heightened level when she and her Jesus began having actual communication with one another. While the church was catalyzing religious experience in medieval communities, upon the realization of direct mystical connection with Christ in the lives of people such as Margery, the desire for the inward search for spiritual satisfaction spread. Another tendency of those practicing religion in the Middle Ages is to take Jesus' words from the Bible to a new literal level affecting medieval lifestyles across the board. Where monks and nuns had typically been the only observers of chastity, fasting, and poverty, laity began to observe these life practices as well. In Margery Kempe's life, this apodictic understanding of Jesus' biblically recorded or spoken words is evident among her commitment to make vows of chastity, her desire to embark on long pilgrimages, and her steps of unquestionable obedience as she advances on her spiritual journey. The absolute submission of Margery and the dedication to perfect contemplation in The Cloud of Unknowing which warns, â€Å"†¦y... ...Jesus commands to Margery the contrary saying on one occasion â€Å"†¦go again to her husband and pray him to grant her what she desired† (Windeatt, 59). Margery lived well aware of her desires and, though they often caused temporary conflict such as her chastity, did not neglect herself to such extremes as hiding the desires of her heart or the absence of knowledge. Similarly of the two texts, the practice of contemplation suggests that one comes to know God on the basis of both intellect and emotions. Margery clearly understands this emotional tie to the divine in her relation to the passion of both Christ and Mary and her sufferings on the behalf of them both. Though most probably did not practice their faith as devoutly as Margery Kempe, the central concerns of her life coupled with the practices taught in The Cloud of Unknowing reveal a faith that is defining of Medieval Christianity. Both texts act as a mirror reflecting the Middle Ages and come down to a same key ingredient: desire. Never has there been a time like the Middle Ages where the prevalent desire to physically and emotionally experience the truths of religion was so widespread and evident in the lives of Christians.

Waiting for Godot

â€Å"Waiting For Godot† is a play by Samuel Beckett in which the two main characters Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot. Both men talk like they know who he is but also agree that if they were to see Godot they wouldn't recognize him. The play isn't one that I like but I do like the message that I perceived. In my opinion the play is about finding what makes you, you; finding what you live for and finding God. â€Å"Waiting For Godot† takes place in a desolate area where the two men, Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree. Vladimir, one of the main characters also goes by the nickname Didi given to him by Estragon. Didi seems to be more mature than his friend. Estragon or Gogo, has a poor memory and looks to Didi for help and protection. Pozzo is a blind man who passes by the two men but later doesn't recall meeting them. Pozzo has a slave named Lucky, although he's a slave he's entertaining and smart. Later in the play he becomes ignorant. There is also a boy who comes each night to inform Didi and Gogo that Godot will not be coming but every night insists he hasn't come the night before. Lastly, Godot who never appears in the play although he's being waited for. Through out the play Vladimir and Estragon just wait by a tree for Godot, a few people pass through and although Godot fails to appear the men still wait in fear that they might miss him. This play is also a product of the Absurdist movement. The belief of the theater of the absurd is that without God human existence is meaningless. In these plays it's mostly irrational and illogical communication. Man acts like a puppet, they have no meaning and are controlled by an invisible outside force. Godot is the outside force controlling what Vladimir and Estragon do because they sit and wait for him. There is no plot change and not much action in the play, it's mostly conversation about random thoughts or actions. In my opinion I believe the play is boring, but the message portrayed is interesting. The reason the play is dull is because each character has no meaning. The whole play is basically conversation and nothing happens. Then again a lot of good messages come out of a whole lot of nothing. Didi and Gogo are simply two men and because they do not have Godot in their lives they are merely just two men. They have no meaning and the message in the play is that you have to find who you are, what you live for, and mostly that without God life has no meaning. In the play â€Å"Waiting For Godot†, Godot portrays God. Although you can not see God, it's believed that he's an invisible force or soul that is always there. In the theater of the absurd it says without God life is meaningless. In this play Godot or God never shows up, therefore a sign that God isn't there and their lives were pointless and were being controlled by this false belief. If Godot would have been there Didi and Gogo's waiting would have been for a reason. Samuel Beckett's play â€Å"Waiting For Godot† is a product of the Absurdist movement. The two main characters are waiting the whole time for Godot also thought of as God. Vladimir and Estagon have no meaning in their lives because Godot never shows up. None of the characters know where they belong in life or who they really are because each character changes from on extreme to the other. Didi and Gogo are being controlled by the unknown which only proves how important believing in something is, although it can't be seen. The main point and meaning in this play is that without God, mankind is nothing. Waiting for Godot â€Å"Waiting For Godot† is a play by Samuel Beckett in which the two main characters Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot. Both men talk like they know who he is but also agree that if they were to see Godot they wouldn't recognize him. The play isn't one that I like but I do like the message that I perceived. In my opinion the play is about finding what makes you, you; finding what you live for and finding God. â€Å"Waiting For Godot† takes place in a desolate area where the two men, Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree. Vladimir, one of the main characters also goes by the nickname Didi given to him by Estragon. Didi seems to be more mature than his friend. Estragon or Gogo, has a poor memory and looks to Didi for help and protection. Pozzo is a blind man who passes by the two men but later doesn't recall meeting them. Pozzo has a slave named Lucky, although he's a slave he's entertaining and smart. Later in the play he becomes ignorant. There is also a boy who comes each night to inform Didi and Gogo that Godot will not be coming but every night insists he hasn't come the night before. Lastly, Godot who never appears in the play although he's being waited for. Through out the play Vladimir and Estragon just wait by a tree for Godot, a few people pass through and although Godot fails to appear the men still wait in fear that they might miss him. This play is also a product of the Absurdist movement. The belief of the theater of the absurd is that without God human existence is meaningless. In these plays it's mostly irrational and illogical communication. Man acts like a puppet, they have no meaning and are controlled by an invisible outside force. Godot is the outside force controlling what Vladimir and Estragon do because they sit and wait for him. There is no plot change and not much action in the play, it's mostly conversation about random thoughts or actions. In my opinion I believe the play is boring, but the message portrayed is interesting. The reason the play is dull is because each character has no meaning. The whole play is basically conversation and nothing happens. Then again a lot of good messages come out of a whole lot of nothing. Didi and Gogo are simply two men and because they do not have Godot in their lives they are merely just two men. They have no meaning and the message in the play is that you have to find who you are, what you live for, and mostly that without God life has no meaning. In the play â€Å"Waiting For Godot†, Godot portrays God. Although you can not see God, it's believed that he's an invisible force or soul that is always there. In the theater of the absurd it says without God life is meaningless. In this play Godot or God never shows up, therefore a sign that God isn't there and their lives were pointless and were being controlled by this false belief. If Godot would have been there Didi and Gogo's waiting would have been for a reason. Samuel Beckett's play â€Å"Waiting For Godot† is a product of the Absurdist movement. The two main characters are waiting the whole time for Godot also thought of as God. Vladimir and Estagon have no meaning in their lives because Godot never shows up. None of the characters know where they belong in life or who they really are because each character changes from on extreme to the other. Didi and Gogo are being controlled by the unknown which only proves how important believing in something is, although it can't be seen. The main point and meaning in this play is that without God, mankind is nothing.