Maternal Mortality in India Essay

According to the World Health Organization, a â€Å"maternal death† is defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration or site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or the management, but not from accidental or incidental cause. Maternal mortality is not only related to the health-care provided by a country, but also to the country’s socio-economic and cultural aspects, in which women are usually at a great disadvantage. Most maternal deaths are avoidable and should be avoided. This essay discusses the relation between high literacy rates and low mortality rates in different states in India. The Office of the Registrar General, India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs compiled a Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India for the years 2007-2009 using the Sample Registration System (SRS). This Special Bulletin was published in June, 2011 and shows that the number of states that have realized the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) set by the United Nations have gone up three against one. One of the main goals was to reduce the Maternal Mortality Rate to 200 maternal deaths per lakh of live births by the year 2007 and to 109 maternal deaths per lakh of live births by the year 2015. In order to understand the changes more appropriately, the states in India have been categorized into three main groups. The first group was called the â€Å"Empowered Action Group† (EAG) states consisting of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Assam. The second group consisted of the â€Å"Southern† states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The third and final group consisted of â€Å"Other† states which included the remaining states and Union Territories. The Maternal Mortality Ratio is shown to have declined from 254 in 2004-2006 to 212 in 2007-2009. As per the data in the Special Bulletin, the Maternal Mortality Rate for each group of states is calculated by dividing the total Sample Female Population of each group by the total number of Maternal Deaths per group. The survey shows that Maternal Mortality Rate in the EAG states is much higher than in the other two groups, with Assam having the lowest Maternal Mortality Rate within the group. Although there have been advancements in the health-care provided to mothers and new-borns, illiteracy and inaccessible health-care in the rural areas of our country (India), illiteracy and inadequate health-care are the main factors resulting in maternal deaths. Other factors are usually medical-related problems, which are also avoidable most of the time. According to another survey conducted by Chryssa McAlister and Thomas F.  Baskett which was published in their article â€Å"Female Education and Maternal Mortality†, statistics show that the Maternal Mortality Rate is higher in those countries in which the male population has a higher percentage of literacy and education. In this case, women who are not educated or literate tend to have low self-esteem and feel unconfident. This is because education and literacy is directly related to the status of a woman, her decision-making powers, her age at the time of marriage and most importantly, her ability to demand and access adequate medical health services. In a Press Note released on 19 May 2010 by the Press Information Bureau on â€Å"Education in India 2007-2008: Participation and Expenditure† conducted by the National Sample Survey Organization, the states included in the â€Å"Empowered Action Group† (excluding Assam) are said to have a low literacy rate, whereas the states included in the â€Å"Southern† and â€Å"Other† groups are said to have a higher literacy and education percentage. This information collaborates with the theory of McAlister and Baskett in saying that the Maternal Mortality Rate is lower in areas having a lower rate of literacy and education of the female population, as compared to the educated male population percentage. In conclusion, women who are uneducated or illiterate have been proven to be more prone to maternal mortality at the time of pregnancy due to lack of confidence, status and decision-making abilities. Therefore, states in our country which have high rates of maternal mortality should concentrate on educating their female population in order to reduce deaths at the time of child-birth.

Mass Communications

In the past 10 years, mass communications underwent perhaps one of the most profound revolutions in their history, matched perhaps by the arrival of the telegraph and the telephone. Technology changes affect who we reach and in what ways. They also affect our entertainment and the way we spend free time. The most notable change has certainly been the Internet. Its vast online spaces have made tons of information easily available to masses of people who previously would find difficult and costly to obtain information of similar quality from other sources. In this way, the Internet democratized communication between people, making writing cheaper through e-mail and making voice connections more accessible through Internet telephony and programs like Skype. I regularly use Skype and e-mail to reach my relatives in other countries, and this makes our communication much easier. The use of online communication has also provided people with immense opportunities to address large audiences without considerable expense of starting one’s own media project. To make a site that will deliver content and the author’s news to large groups of people is very easy and inexpensive. This helps overcome the problem of freedom of speech that many saw in the world where media were owned and governed by rich tycoons. The critics of such freedom noted that it did not provide for â€Å"freedom of expression† of those who are not commercial film producers or media barons† (Iyer, 2004). Today, one can air political or social views without investing a lot of money. Blogs are yet another way to make one’s views known to a group of people and make an online community, getting new friends. In 2005, Business Week reported that â€Å"there are some 9 million blogs out there, with 40,000 new ones popping up each day† (Baker, Green, 2005). I tried once to start a diary at LiveJournal.com, but soon got tired of writing there and could not find many people to read my writing. I believe myself to be a slow adopter, although when technical improvements in communication get popular, I do begin to use them. References Baker, S., & Green, H. (2005, May). Blogs Will Change Your Business. Business Week. Retrieved August 29, 2006 College of Communication, the University of Texas at Austin. Thoughts about the Future of Advertising. A White Paper by the Faculty, Department of Advertising. Retrieved August 29, 2006, from http://www.ciadvertising.org/studies/reports/future/whitepap.html Iyer, V. R. (2004, July). ‘Culture Cops' and the mass media. Retrieved August 29, 2006, from http://www.indiatogether.org/2004/jul/med-copmedia.htm   

The Influence of Ferlinghetti

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's father died before he was born, and his mother was placed in an insane asylum. He was left to be cared for by relatives, and eventually foster parents. Lawrence was ten years old when the stock market crashed October of 1929, which led to the Great Depression. He was twenty when World War II began in September of 1939. Serving as a Lieutenant Commander of the Navy during the war eventually exposed him to the traumatic effects of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. He explained how anyone who was able to witness the aftermath â€Å"would suddenly realize that they'd been kept in the dark by the United States government as to what atomic bombs can do. † (nndb. com) This event changed Ferlinghetti. He became one of the key people of the Beat movement. The Beat poets â€Å"rebelled against what they saw as their country’s social conformity, political repression, and prevailing materialism† (868, Ann Charters). His City Lights bookshop â€Å"was an early gathering place of the Beats, and the publishing arm of City Lights was the first to print the Beats' books of poetry† (biography. om). Although he was not always recognized as a core member of the young group of poets, his poems often contained remarks that had the potential to transform other peoples’ views. Through three of his poems, he influenced change by protesting the repression in society, the violence in war, and the injustices of the United States Gover nment. Ferlinghetti finds popular culture unsettling, and expresses his view of society in his poem, â€Å"The World is a Beautiful Place†. He hopes that people will recognize what they have become, and long for individuality and change. Our Name Brand society / is prey to / [its] men of distinction† refers to how our society is constantly trying to keep up with the latest trends and what is popular at the moment. And the men of distinction are the ring-leaders in a sense; they are the advertisers, the market researchers, and often the trend setters. They quickly learn what to market, how to market, and who to market to. Most people are afraid to step out of the box in fear that they would not be accepted by the majority, and be left on the outskirts of mainstream society. Thus, the â€Å"Name Brand† society can be viewed as being a slave to the â€Å"Men of distinction†, and unable to break away. He goes on to show his disapproval of pop culture in another poem titled â€Å"I Am Waiting†. He writes, â€Å"I am waiting / to see God on television / piped onto church altars / if only they can find / the right channel / to tune in on. † Society today is heavily influenced by mass media and advertisements. Ferlinghetti realizes that America no longer contains the core Christian values that the country was built upon, because all their energy has been absorbed by advertisers, trends, and constant consumerism. The mention of how people would not even be able to find the right channel if God were on television means that he believes society is too deeply absorbed into popular culture that it would be almost impossible to break away at this point. He challenges society to change their ways. The capitalization of the word â€Å"God† is used in syntax. â€Å"Lowercasing God† in certain cases can be seen as â€Å"An attempt to obscure the reference to God† (ncsu. edu). Ferlinghetti chooses to capitalize God because of the context in which he uses the word. He tries to allude to the Christian faith, because of the fact that this country was established as one nation under God. If he had not capitalized the word, the meaning may have been lost. Additionally, war is something that Ferlinghetti speaks out against often in his poems, especially after witnessing its devastating power first-hand. In â€Å"I am waiting†, Ferlinghetti is â€Å"Waiting / for the Age of Anxiety / to drop dead†. The words â€Å"Age† and â€Å"Anxiety† are capitalized because he makes a reference to another poem. The Age of Anxiety is an eclogue by Wystan Hugh Auden that captures the imagination of the cultural moment during World War II, and is about a man’s quest to find his identity in the middle of it all (press. princeton. edu). Ferlinghetti refers to that man’s concern of not being able to find his identity. He realizes that in a war-torn world, full of violence and injustice, it is difficult to find self-identity because people are expected to focus on their country, rather than themselves; Ferlinghetti feels there is no use in trying to find something that he strongly believes no longer exists. Thus he is waiting for it to drop dead. â€Å"The world is a beautiful place/ to be born into/ if you don’t mind some people dying/ all the time† is a stanza from â€Å"The World is a Beautiful Place†. Being a Commander during World War II, he witnessed the destruction the war caused. He saw people get killed, and injured constantly. Ferlinghetti gained the courage to speak out against war, which influenced change; he set an example to others by being the change. In the preceding excerpt from â€Å"The World is a Beautiful Place†, Ferlinghetti not only juxtaposes beauty with death, but also birth with death. This creates a more powerful contrast to the word death, which is a direct result of the war he refers to in the stanza. Irony is a central theme in the poem. The title â€Å"The World is a Beautiful Place† is ironic because the majority of the poem portrays the world as a place full of negative experiences and tragedies. Also, Ferlinghetti separates the words â€Å"All the time† on its own line, allowing readers to easily understand that the poet is trying to stress that people are constantly surrounded by death when in war, which is another reason he calls for an end to it. In â€Å"A Tentative Description of a Dinner to Promote the Impeachment of President Eisenhower†, Ferlinghetti shows his disapproval for not only President Eisenhower, but for all US Presidents that came after Franklin D. Roosevelt. Harry S. Truman, who took Roosevelt’s place after his death in 1945, was known for corruption. He ignored scientists’ warnings of how the radiation from the atomic bombs in Japan would cause severe health and environmental issues for generations. Also, republicans claimed that he â€Å"condoned and covertly supported corruption among members of the White House staff and within government departments† throughout his presidency (presidentprofiles. com). President Eisenhower was in office when the United States became more seriously involved with the Vietnam War, which is often remembered as one of the most controversial wars in US history. At the end of the poem, Ferlinghetti writes â€Å"After every soul was seated / and waited for the symbolic mushroom cloud soup to be served / and keynote speeches to begin / the president himself came in / and said / we resign†. The mushroom cloud is a direct reference to the mushroom cloud that resulted from the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, which Ferlinghetti saw the aftermath of. By placing the fictional storyline in this order, he proposes an alternative sequence of events; Instead of announcing that the bombs were going to be dropped, President Truman should have stepped back from the plan and figured out a better solution, especially since official surveys soon after World War II ended proved â€Å"the atomic bombs were unnecessary† (nytimes. com). Ferlinghetti wanted more Americans to notice what is regularly overlooked by most. By calling out these Presidents in his poem, he caused change by making people take more note of the Government’s wrongdoing. In the same poem, Ferlinghetti writes about how â€Å"No invitations had to be sent out / for the great testimonial dinner / except to politicians / whose respected names wouldn’t lend weight / to the projects / but who did not come anyway. † He refers to how politicians in general often avoid answering questions, or fail to give clear responses to questions that the public may have. Even when given the opportunity to justify their actions or claims, politicians have a tendency to avoid doing so, in fear of causing any sort of conflict. The poem â€Å"A Tentative Description of a Dinner to Promote the Impeachment of President Eisenhower† has literary elements that play an important part in the meaning of the text. The title is tentative because the story is not true, but the message can be easily interpreted offensive or vulgar. The poem was written in 1958, while President Eisenhower was still in office. He may have been hesitant to put out a poem that mentioned impeaching the current President. The syntax that Ferlinghetti chose to use for certain parts of the poem allows the reader to imagine the setting more clearly. The imagery of the poem makes the reader feel as though he or she is in the room, sitting at the table, and waiting for their meal, which makes the story that much more believable. Ferlinghetti also uses repetition of the phrase â€Å"except peace†. He uses those words to promote peace, and to show how peace could have been a more sensible choice as opposed to turning to the bombs to end the war. Its repetition shows that Ferlinghetti sees peace as the answer to most issues. The word â€Å"except† could also be interpreted as â€Å"accept†. Because he is a pacifist, he encourages people to accept the idea of peace, rather than to turn the the fastest solution, as President Truman did when he ordered the bombs to be dropped. Evidently, Lawrence Ferlinghetti was born into an era where change was needed. The aftermath of World War II had greatly influenced him as a writer, and encouraged him speak out against what he saw in mainstream society, war, and the Government through his writing. He clearly had a lasting social impact. His poem â€Å"A Tentative Description of a Dinner to Promote the Impeachment of President Eisenhower† was so influential, it â€Å"Inspired Lorenzo Milan [An American writer and activist] to begin building community radio stations† (youtube. com), which allows people to speak their minds as Ferlinghetti so often did. Ferlinghetti is now 92, and amazingly â€Å"still writes and works in his City Lights bookstore, which is still at the same location, and still publishes affordable paperbacks by struggling authors† (nndb. com).

Quality Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quality Control - Essay Example The above example also shows the fact that there are certain parameters which can be used to measure or identify the quality level of a certain product. These are called as ‘Quality Characteristics’ by Mitra (6). These characteristics may include the aesthetics of the product, its durability, cost, utilization factor etc. 1.1. History of Quality: The sense of maintaining the quality of products and services has been existent since times immemorial. The early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans maintained quality standards in their buildings, structures, artifacts, utensils etc. The term ‘quality’ itself is however relatively newer. During the early days of industrial revolution, the need of maintaining quality in the production industry recognized but not emphasized. As a result no special workforce was designated to check the quality control. Instead, the foreman or the supervisor was the person responsible for the quality of product being made. Hence it was entir ely on his discretion what efforts he puts in order to maintain the quality standards. As the industries grew in size and the strength of personnel reporting to a particular supervisor increased in size, it became impossible for the supervisor to check the quality of each unit produced at the industry. The task of maintaining the quality was then assigned to quality inspectors. ... This moved the engineers and mathematicians to develop statistical methods of quality control. Walter Shewhart, in 1924, proposed his quality control charts which aimed at controlling the features of a product through statistical methods (Mitra 3). In 1929 he formed ‘Joint Committee for the Development of Statistical Applications in Engineering and Manufacturing’ with the support of American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM), American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME), American Statistical Association (ASA) and Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS). The committee made efforts to promote the principles of statistical quality control in the industries. The use of statistical methods in the quality control procedures gained wide acceptance in the days of World War II. Good quality machinery was vital for the armies to win battles hence quality control was essential. But large amount of weapons and machinery supplies has to be produced and every single unit cou ld not be checked for quality assurance. Hence powerful statistical methods were required for ensuring quality in industries. The rules of Sampling gained were widely accepted and implemented. The American Society of Quality Control was established in 1946 to standardize the quality control procedures 1.2. Quality Control and Six Sigma: Six Sigma is a technique used to measure the degree to which a process conforms to the consumer needs. It is based on the number of units produced that comply with the quality standards set by the organization or demanded by the customers. The method was developed by Motorola Corporation in 1986. Six Sigma basically focuses

Cold War era Presidents Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cold War era Presidents - Coursework Example Issues that we consider to be at the core of the United States democratic experiment, like individual freedom, were trumped by the political realities of the Cold War whenever the two came into conflict. Sadly, they came into conflict more than we might like. On the one hand, we can accept the idea that Soviet-style communism was not a source of or way of providing real freedom. The Soviets were authoritarian and controlling, and the centrally-planned structure of the Soviet system was often enforced with violence, as well as with harsh, politically motivated punishments. In this sense, the fight against communism, whether it involved funding Afghani fighters resisting Soviet occupation, or fighting the North Koreans, or embargoing Cuba, can all be seen as effort to promote freedom abroad by curtailing and containing the spread of such a vicious and draconian form of communism. On the other hand, Cold War Presidents tended to make decisions that were so committed to fighting the spre ad of communism that they often sacrificed the freedom of many to do so. This happened both domestically and in foreign policy. On the domestic front, many core civil rights issues were left to droop, creating an uncomfortable proximity between the message America was trying to transmit abroad and the reality of freedom and equality at home.

The Effect of Media Violence On Youths Research Proposal

The Effect of Media Violence On Youths - Research Proposal Example In the year 1998, one of the faculty members of Simon Fraser University carried out a study on the teens that were interested in watching violent media. (Bryant, pp. 23-25) The results of that study showed that such media made twenty-five percent of teens addicted to it. In addition, all those teens showed great changes in their behavior, which was not in a positive manner. Furthermore, a number of studies have shown that worse academic results are shown by the youth that watch violent media according to the National Institute on Media and Family. (Gentile, pp. 39-41) It is indicated by the researches that violent media is preferred by more than seventy-five percent of teens in the United States that are interested in watching television and other available mediums. One of the schools in Texas carried out a study of adolescents that watch violent media, and it found out that teachers complained of frequent arguments from such students. In some cases, these adolescents were even involved in physical fights with their teachers and classmates that is a major concern of the schools, as well as, the parents. In specific, studies have shown that gender does not play a major role in the behavioral changes after watching violent media, which is another major topic related to the effects of violent media on youth that is not discussed in this paper. In another study, it was observed that eighty percent of adolescent girls that were involved in watching violent media argued with their teachers and classmates, as compared with the eighty-three percent of boys in the same category. Thus, it shows that gender does not play any role in such case. (Krug, pp. 45-46) The advent of violent media has prompted the researchers to go into the details of this medium of entertainment. In popular media, the topic of violence is quite controversial, as different people have provided different interpretations regarding

Academe plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Academe plan - Essay Example the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) serve to determine positions that are most suitable for an individual in various areas be it academic, leisure or professional activities. Using the results from these reports, one is able to identify areas where they have a higher chance of success. One of the issues that should be observed when dealing with the choice of a career path is the past influences that may play a part in the final decision. This could be because of the experience that an individual underwent in these times (whether positive or negative) and the overall effect that such experiences could have on a person’s mindset. There are a number of past influences that could be considered in this case such as the external factors that played a role in enhancing the level of attractiveness of a particular position as well as the resulting outcomes that fell into place at the end of that particular experience (Hooley, 2012). A combination of these influences could play a large role in the final decision that is made by an individual. In this case, in particular, some of the past influences that can be considered would be the careers that older individuals had around me as well as the smaller part time positions that were occupied on occasion during weekends and school holidays. Other past influences deal with the nature of the work that was available as well as the level of enjoyment that one was able to achieve from taking part in such activities. In this case, this would mostly deal with positions that were largely socially interactive of financially attractive in terms of remuneration, which had a positive impact on the level of enjoyment that was to be had at that particular point in time. There are a number of results that one can use to obtain the best possible career path that is available to them using the two reports. These results will be based on a number of elements that arise from the design of the Strong Interest Inventory and the MBTI. These

Business plan - how a bank can penetrate Bulgaria's market Research Paper

Business plan - how a bank can penetrate Bulgaria's market - Research Paper Example Bulgaria has been able to attract a significant level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the year 2001. The financial Crisis that hit Bulgaria market in the year 2007-2010 marked an economic decline of up to 5.5% in the year 2009. Fortunately, the country regained a positive growth of close to 0.2 % in the year 2010, contrary to the rest of Balkan Countries (Lapteacru, 85). The country operates using one of the most stable currencies in Eastern Europe the Lev termed Leva when in plural form. The currency is pegged with the Euro with a prevailing rate of 1.95583in every Euro. Bulgarian strongest sectors include the energy, metallurgy, machine building, mining, agriculture and tourism. The primary exports from the industries include steel and iron, machinery and refined fuel, and clothing. The major obstacles towards foreign investment and economic growth involve inadequate R&D funding coupled with the development policies with unclear definition. The European and international ma rkets also experiences lower levels of competition and productivity. In the year 2012, the Bulgarian GDP attained a nominal of $ 50.78 billion, with $ 103.15 billion (PPP) in the same year. This marked a growth of 0.8% with a nominal of $ 6, 903. The GD per capita ranked at $ 14, 020 (PPP) with 5.6% in Agriculture, 31.1% in Industry and 63.2% in service. In the year 2012, inflation rate was experienced at 3%, with a population of 215 living under the poverty line by the year 2011. The Gini Co efficient ranked 28.2 in the year 2007 (Bulgarian - American Credit Bank AD 1200). The sources of wealth Top company profiles by name, revenue/profit, and ownership Lukoil Neftochim Bourgas locates at B urgas, Bulgaria. Lukoil acts as the chief oil refinery company in Bulgaria and South East Europe. The ownership of the company lies under Russian Oil giant LUKOIL. The refinery accounts for close to 7% of Bulgaria’s GDP, AND 25% in revenue to the state budget. LNB remains the chief produc er and supplier handling liquid fuel and related materials including petrochemicals and polymers in the country, and remains the leading company in the line of petroleum related products in Europe. The company provides a minimum of 8,500 Bulgarians with employment opportunities (Elenkov and Petkova 4). SWOT more geared towards Bulgarian economy as a whole rather than Private Wealth market Strengths A better part of the Bulgarian communist period concentrated on heavy industry despite the fact that biochemical and computer products came in play as valuable products in the year 1980. Since Bulgarian market relied on the Soviet market, the culmination soviet market coupled with the Warsaw Pact resulted into a major crisis that hit the country in the year 1990s. The first growth noted in the year 2000 has seen gradual but progressive growth the early 2000. Individual manufacturing industries’ performance appears uneven. The industry that experienced loss and has not been able to catch up with the Western Europe market includes food and tobacco processing companies. The textile industries experienced a decline in the mid-1990s, but since the year 2000 the clothing exports has experienced a steady growth (Erd?nc 78). The Bulgarian economy has experienced stability in the macroeconomic environment with low direct taxes over the years. The fiscal policy of the country also tends to have a significant element of

E-Procurement Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

E-Procurement - Literature review Example Usual methods of procurement have lots of paper work processing, which requires a huge amount of money and time. E-procurement has reduced this work largely. E-procurement is a chief element of B2B ecommerce and it can be used in markets and industries in wide range. Business organizations buy many products of diverse varieties, ranging from paper clips to computer systems and from steel to equipments. They buy raw material inputs, which directly go in manufacturing process and the raw materials that need some repairing and maintenance before going into manufacturing process. There are thousands of other items purchased by an organization and keeping their receipts in record is very necessary for organizations to maintain professionalism. The main driver of e-procurement is cost-reduction attained from competencies resulting in less staff time spent in looking for and ordering products and integrating deliveries with invoices. Savings also take place with automatic corroboration of p re approved expenditure budgets for individuals or organizations leading to less time necessary for processing each order (Turban, pp.251-252, 2010). Automatic ordering, delivery, confirmations, payment, and inventory information diminish paper work, costs of paper-based ordering forms, storage space for credentials, records, and better information management. Indirect benefits of e-procurement include a shorter cycle time between order and use of supplies, greater suppleness in ordering products from different suppliers, amplified buyer productivity, and lower prices through product standardization and union of buyers (Havaldar, pp.379-382, 2010). Benefits to buyers of e-procurement include gain from improved pricing of goods and services, cost savings in the running of procurement processes, merger of buyer's sub entities into a single buying unit, and minimized costs through purchasing aggregation for some items. Other intangible benefits include enhancement in operations support , employee efficiency, evident purchasing behavior of business partners and supplier performance. Decline in procurement-to-pay cycle time and costs associated with outsourcing procurement and it helps maintaining smooth procurement operations. It also causes huge savings in invoice, finance, goods insurance, and delivery (Gay, Charlesworth & Esen, pp.474-475, 2007). Conversely, suppliers benefit from lower managerial costs, use of standard online catalogues that can be quickly updated with new product information, more effectual targeting, and access to a wider range of buyers (Babin & Weiss, pp.89-91, 2009). Additionally, lower inventory and warehousing costs are also the advantages of suppliers. Other opportunities contain lesser advertising, selling and service costs, extended product and service offerings, enhanced cash flow through better inventory returns and accounts receivables, a more thorough anticipation about a buyer's purchasing needs, and immediate responsiveness to a buyer's needs (N, pp.28-29, 2004). Nevertheless, for each e-marketplace contributor, the benefits will differ according to the contributor’s position. As buyers go for e- procurement, suppliers may not have any other option rather than joining in. The majority of suppliers are also buyers; therefore, net result is an increased involvement in e-procurement. E-procurement offers benefits in many

Readers Interest in The Crucible Essay Example for Free

Readers Interest in The Crucible Essay The Crucible takes place in Salem, a small town in seventeenth century Massachusetts, where religion, fear and hysteria ultimately lead to the famous witchcraft trials in 1692. At the time The Crucible was produced, Senator Joseph McCarthy was in power as the chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Due to relative events and the paranoid hunting of pro-communists, The Crucible is seen to be a metaphor for the McCarthy era. Throughout The Crucible, Miller employs several techniques and writing styles to create tension and suspense and to stimulate the audiences interest. The most important reason why The Crucible retains the interest of the audience is because the plot maintains a slow burning, yet consistent pace. Act one is a prime example of how information is released gradually and atmospherically. The very start of the play leaves us oblivious to what has happened, with Parris praying over his inert daughter. This is a great method to grab the audiences attention immediately as we are in the dark right from the start, and naturally are curious about what has happened. As the act progresses, patches of information are revealed, but the uncertainty and contradiction present engages the audience as they are forced to decipher for themselves the truth; at one point Abigail is denying all charges profusely: We did dance, uncle, and when you leaped out of the bush so suddenly, Betty was frightened and then she fainted. And theres the whole of it. However, later, as other charges are brought about, she concedes to them. This way the story keeps momentum as well as suspense. Act 2 employs the same technique to maintain tension when Mary Warren comes home and the information in reference to the court is informed to us. Acts 3 and 4 stay true to this structure and a good example is in act 4 when John Proctor is undecided over his confession, whether or not to sign it- No, it is not the same! What others say and what I sign to is not the same! The audience is on tenterhooks, hoping he will sign (or perhaps not, in some cases). Another main element to The Crucible, which engrosses the audience, is the technique of dramatic irony. In The Crucibles case, dramatic irony is where the audience is aware of something in the play that not all of the characters are. In The Crucible the dramatic irony is that we know that there is no witchcraft, and that Abigail and her friends are pretending, but most of the other characters believe it, or at least take advantage of it. Some of the characters must be left ignorant in order to form a basis to the theme of hysteria and madness, but the idea of dramatic irony is so that it creates the ironic and incredulous situations, and involves the audience more proactively as they know what is going on. In act 1 we think that the girls lies will be dismissed as they seem to us so ridiculous, but in Act 2 the true impact of the situation starts to take shape as information of arrests and trials is revealed. By Act 3 the original accusations have manifested into sheer madness which we, as the audience, can see, but the characters cannot. Act 4 does not utilize the tool quite as much as by then Abigail and her peers have unofficially been exposed. The dramatic irony concerning the presence of witchcraft helps to emphasise the theme of hysterical behaviour which, in that respect, has a larger impact on the audience and produces more interesting scenarios from the audiences 0point of view. Another example of dramatic irony is during Act 3 when Elizabeth Proctor is asked to explain to the court her reasons for dismissing Abigail as her servant, unaware that John had just admitted his affair with her. This scene is perhaps the tensest in the entire play as the fate of Salem rested on Elizabeth confirming that Proctor was an adulterer. However, she lies and tells the court Proctor was not a lecher, not wanting to get him into trouble. Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell This is said by Reverend Hale as he too is trying to stop this insanity, and the audience is also frustrated with the situation. Which is one of the key emotions that dramatic irony provokes to sustain the audiences attention- frustration. Our hopes that the situation will be resolved and our almost angry views to some of the characters ignorance involves us in the plot and helps to share what John Proctor and some of the other characters must be feeling. In order to maintain the suspense and atmosphere in-between acts, Miller makes sure to end the first 3 acts with suspense and cliff-hangers and Act 4 with a big finale. In the ultimate scenes of Act 1, the tension created throughout the start of the play reaches its climax with Abigail and the other Girls accusing various Salem citizens of witchcraft to relieve themselves of attention. Miller has chosen a fantastic way to draw the Act to an unmistakeable close but still retaining the interest of the reader; it draws the events of the night together, satisfying the reader in one element, but has at the same time unleashed a larger and more complex crisis upon Salem, rousing the inquisitive eagerness experienced right from the very start of the play. Act 2 also ends dramatically with Elizabeths arrest after Abigail utilizes Marys poppet to frame Elizabeth. As in Act 1, it draws the nights events to a satisfying climax with Elizabeths arrest, but also leaves the reader expectant of Act 3s events with Proctor and Mary planning to expose Abigail. My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me! This powerful sentence from Proctor gives the audience hope for Elizabeth and, at the same time, makes sure the audience knows that dramatic events are yet to come. Additional to suspense-filled endings, Miller employs the use of time lapses in-between acts in order to maintain the pace. Between both Acts 1 and 2, and Acts 3 and 4, there is a significant time jump. This way it stops the plot from appearing too dragged out and makes sure that the suspense doesnt die down so the audiences interest is still at its peak.

History of terrorism

History of terrorism Terrorist acts or the threat of such action have been in existence for centuries. Historical examples of terrorist events can be traced, in writing, to biblical times; the Romans were known to have both practiced and been the recipients of terrorist activities. (Carr, 2003). The earliest known organizations that exhibited aspects of modern terrorism were the Zealots of Judea, and the Sicarri, theand Jewish groups active during the Roman occupation of the first century Middle East. The preferential weapon of the Sicarri (literally, Dagger Men) was the sica, a short dagger which they used it for murdering those those (mainly Jews) they believed to be traitorsy deemed apostate and, thus, selected for execution.The Zealots, who generally targeted Romans and Greeks, gave the modern term Zealot, one translation of which is a fanatical partisan.. (Merriam-Webster, 1984). Such killings usually took place in daylight and in front of witnesses, with the perpetrators using such acts to send a message to the Roman authorities and the Jews who collaborated with them. This tactic was adopted by subsequent generation of groups which are now known as terrorists. The Assassins, also deemed as a terrorist organization, were an eleventh century offshoot of a Shia Muslim sect known as the Ismailis.They also perhaps also recognized the significance of high publicity as do contemporary terrorists. Like the Zealots-Sicarri, the Assassins were also given to stabbing their victims (generally politicians or clerics who refused to adopt the purified version of Islam they were forcibly spreading) (Bugress, 2003; Rapaport, 1965). The term Assassin (from where the modern term assassination is derived) literally meant hashish eater- , -which is in reference to the ritualistic drug-taking, they were perhaps falsely rumored to indulge in prior to undertaking their murderous missions. (Bugress, 2003; Rapaport, 1965). Often, the Assassins deeds were carried out at religious sites on holy days a tactic intended to publicize their cause and incite others to it.Similar to the numerous religiously motivated terrorists nowadays, they also looked at their deaths on such actions as sacrificial. Even though both the Zealots and the Assassins operated in the past, they are relevant today: First as forerunners of modern terrorists in aspects of motivation, organization, targeting, and goals. Second ly, although both were eventual failures, the fact that they are remembered hundreds of years later, demonstrates the deep psychological impact they caused. Sacrifice was also a central element of the killings carried out by the Thugees (from which the word thug is derived). They were the followers of an Indian religious cult which ritually strangled their victims (usually travelers chosen at random) as an offering to the Hindu goddess of terror and destruction, Kali. In this case, the intent was to terrify the victim (a vital consideration in the Thugee ritual) rather than influencing any external audience. The Thugees were active from the seventh until the mid-nineteenth centuries. They were known to have committed as many as one million murders. Perhaps they were the last example of religiously-inspired terrorism until the phenomenon re-emerged a little over 20 years ago. According to David Rapport, Before the 19th century, religion provided the only acceptable justifications for terror. (Robespierre, 2009). Probably all holy texts (not just the Quran) have been conveniently interpreted to justify violence against others. Robiespierre described terror as the emanation of virtue. An additional tendency at the end of 19th century was the ever-increasing wave of nationalism throughout the world, which incorporated the nation (the identity of the citizens) and the political state. Simultaneously, the states began to stress upon the national identities of the citizens who were conquered or colonized, much like the Jews during the period of Zealots who either chose to integrate or fight back. Over the last several decades, the most well-known, Irish nationalistic struggle has still been unresolved. Nationalism, similar to Communism was the most ideological force of the 20th century. (Burgess, 2003). Nationalists and Anarchists The English word terrorism comes from the regime de la terreur that prevailed in France from 1793-94. In the beginning it was a device of the state, and was intended to strengthen the authority of the new-found radical government, shielding it from elements thought to be subversive. Always value-laden, terrorism was, initially, a positive term. The French revolutionary leader, Maximilien Robespierre, viewed it as vital if the new French Republic was to survive its infancy, and proclaimed in 1794 that: Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible; it is therefore an emanation of virtue; it is not so much a special principle as it is a consequence of the general principle of democracy applied to our countrys most urgent needs.(Hoffman, 1988). Under such rationalization, some 40,000 people were executed by guillotine, a fate Robespierre and his top lieutenants would themselves suffered. In the meantime terrorism started to take negative undertones which it carries today. (AltThough the terrorists themselves do not consider themselves to be unconstructive or harmful to society). Edmund Burk, who demonized the French revolutionary practitioners, made the term popular in English writings. As a result of the French Revolution,new distinct concepts of nationalism and citizenship were evolved, which also led to the development of a new form of primary secular terrorism. The Italian revolutionary Carlo Pisacanes theory of the propaganda of the deed, which recognized the utility of terrorism to deliver a message to an audience other than the target, and draw attention and support to a cause was a hallmark to this new form of terrorism. (Laqueur, 1999). Pisacanes thesis was first put into practice by the Narodnaya Volya (NV), which was not in itself new and would probably have been recognizable to the Zealots-Sicarri and the Assassins. In 1878, a Russian populist group, (which was described as to Peoples Will) was formed to be in opposition to the Tzars regime. The groups most famous decisive action was the assassination of Alexander II inon 1 March 1881, which also effectively sealed their fate by incurring bringing upon themselves, the full wrath of the Tsarist regime. Unlike most other terrorist groups, the Volya went to great lengths to avoid innocent deaths, carefully choosing their targets; usually state officials who symbolized the regime. Often compromising operations rather than causing what would today be termed collateral damage. It is also called bluecalled blue on blue by the military. Volya actions inspired radicals in different places. Anarchist terrorist groups were particularly enamored by the example set by the Russian populist Volya. Nationalist groupslike the ones in the Balkans and Ireland decided to resort to terrorism to meet their goals. As the 19th century gave way to the 20th century, terrorists attacks were carried out as far as India, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire. Two US presidents and a succession of other world leaders were victims of assassination by various radical elements often affiliated to groups but operating without their explicit knowledge or support. 9 (Stern, 2001). As in Europe , terrorism arrived on American shoresalso arrived in America before the twentieth century Not only were Anarchists active in America throughoutall through the 1880s, but during the American Civil War;, had seen acts deserving of the name, committed on both sidesAnarchists as were also instrumental in the formation of the Ku Klux Klan to fight the reconstruction effort which followed. (Hoffman, 1988). Terrorism and the State Sponsored Terrorism Long before the outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914, what would later be termed as state-sponsored terrorism had already started to manifest itself in Europe. For instance, many officials in the Serbian government and military were involved in supporting, training and providing arms to the various Balkan groups which were active prior to the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand inon 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo; an act carried out by an activist from one such group, the Young Bosnians credited with setting in progress the chain of events which led to the war itself. (Guelke, 1998). Similarly, the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO) survived largely because it became for all intents and purposes a tool of the Bulgarian government, and was used mainly against Yugoslavia as well as against domestic enemies. ( Walter Laqueur )that it became for all intents and purposes a tool of the Bulgarian government, and was used mainly against Yugoslavia as well as against domesti c enemies. Such examples clearly illustrate that state-sponsored terrorism is not a new phenomenon. The events in 1930s led to a fresh wave of political assassinations which justified the word terrorism. This led to proposals at the League of Nations for conventions to prevent and punish terrorism as well as to the establishment of an international criminal court (neither of which came to being as they were overshadowed by the events which eventually led to World War II).12 (Volkan, 1997). Simultaneously, in between years of war, state terrorism increased; a reference to the oppressive measures imposed by various totalitarian regimes, particularly in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Stalinist Russia. While terror from above, from the states ruling elite, was the predominant form of terror from Roman times through the French Revolution up to the present, even in the twentieth century, terror from above, such as the Hitlers Holocaust, Stalins purges, Pol Pots Killing Fields, the Rwandan massacres, and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, has clearly claimed many more lives than the terror exerted from below. (Volkan, 1997). In the beginning of twentieth century, the term terrorism started to become synonymous with terror acts from below that attempt to disrupt, overthrow, or simply express rage against the existing political order. 14(Reich, 1990).Generally, academics agree that modern terrorism from below first surfaced as an identifiably notable entity with the emergence of the Narodnaya Volya (the Peoples Will) in Russia, at the close of the nineteenth century. This particular group harboured intellectual ideologies, and they believed that by creating an institution of the state, they could ferment a revolution to completely cleanse the existing system. They tried to accomplish this by terrorist acts such as assassinating numerous Tsarist officials, including, in 1881, the Tsar Alexander II himself. (Parry, 1976).Even though they possessed an enduring hatred for their victims, this group showed remorse and regret for their actions, inflicting self-torture and beatings as punishment for taking the liv es of their victims. In fact, they were so concerned, selective and meticulous about only killing their intended victim that if their target was accompanied by a family member, or if there was a danger that innocents might be killed, they would call off the attack and wait for a better situation to present itself. (Laqueur, 2001). But they continued their actions because they comprehended that, political terror is unavoidable, moral and effective and that organized terror movements are the preferred alternative to a blind, witless insurrection of dumb people. (Ivianski, 1987). More recently, other governments, such as those of military dictatorships which ruled some South American countries in recent years, or the regimes in Zimbabwe, have also been open to charges of using such methods as instruments of state. Some commentators, such as Bruce Hoffman, argue that, such usages are generally termed terror in order to distinguish that phenomenon from terrorism, which is understood to be violence committed by non-state entities. (Hoffman, 1988). However not everyone agrees that terrorism should be considered a non-governmental undertaking. For instance, Jessica Stern insists that states in deliberately bombarding civilians as a means of demoralizing enemy, states have indeed resorted to terrorism. According to Stern, such instances include not only the Allied strategic bombing campaigns of World War II, andbut the American dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the Pacific phase of that conflict. (Stern, 2003). This issue remains controversial, with individuals such as the World War II British Air Chief Bomber Harris was simultaneously defended and despised for his belief in the utility and morality of strategic bombing. It bears similarity to the modern-day concept of collateral damage. Terrorism Sincesince World War II In By contrast, the predominanceprevalence of non-state groups active in the terrorism that emerged in the wake of World War II is less arguable. The immediate focus onfor such activitiesty primarily mainly shifted from Europe itself to various colonies in the continents.Across the Middle East Asia and Africa, emerging nationalist movements resisted European attempts to resume colonial business as usual after the defeat of the coalition Axis powers.As the colonialists had been recently expelled from or subjugated in their overseas empires by the Japanese, it provided psychological support to such indigenous uprisings by dispelling the myth of European invincibility. Often, these nationalist and anti-colonial groups conducted guerilla warfare, which differed from terrorism mainly in that it tended towards larger bodies of irregulars operating along more along towards military lines than their terrorist partners in the other regions.Similarly in China and Indochina, such forces conducted insurgencies against the Kuomintang regime and the French colonial government respectively. In other places, like the Algeria, campaigns were fought, in both rural and urban areas, using guerilla warfare, for independence from French rule Struggle for independence against British and French rule also took place in Kenya, Malaysia, Cyprus and Palestine. (Both the French and the British bore the brunt of this new wave of terrorism, a consequence of their large pre-war empires). These struggles were conducted by groups who can more readily be described now as terrorist. These groups quickly learned to exploit the mushrooming globalization of the worlds media. According to Hoffman: They were first to recognize the publicity value inherent in terrorism and to choreograph their violence for an audience far beyond the immediate geographical loci of their respective struggles. (Hoffman, 1988). Furthermore, in some cases (such as in Algeria, Cyprus, Kenya and Israel) terrorism perhaps helped such organizations in the successful realization of their goals. As such these nationalist and anti-colonial groups are notable for any wider understanding of terrorism. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, terrorist numbers swelledincreased to include not only nationalists, but also those motivated by ethnic and ideological considerations. Nationalists groupslike the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and its several affiliates came into existence. Moreover, other groups mushroomed such as the Basque ETA and the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The IRA also comprised of organizations such as the Italian Red Brigade, and the Red Army faction in Germany (then West Germany). With As with the emergence of modern terrorism almost a century earlier, the United States couldwas not remain immune from this latest wave of terrorism, although there the identity-crisis-driven motivations of the white middle-class Weathermen starkly contrasted with the ghetto-bred malcontent of the Black Panther Movement. (Lacqueur, 2001). Many of the terrorist groups of this period readily adopted methods that would allow them to publicize their goals and accomplishments internationally.The Palestinians were among one of the well-known groups who pioneered the hijacking of a jet airliner as a mode of operation and publicity. One such group, Black September, staged what was (until the terrorist attack of 9/11, 2001) perhaps the greatest terrorist publicity coup then seen, with the seizure and murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games.Such incidents resulted in the Palestinian groups providing the inspiration, in some cases, mentorship and training, for many of the new generation of terrorists organizations. Most of these organizations today have reduced their operations or ceased to exist altogether, whileothers, such as the Palestinian, Northern Irish and Spanish Basque groups, motivated by more enduring causes, remain active today, although some of them now have made moves towards political rather than terrorist methods.Meanwhile, by the mid-1980s, state-sponsored terrorism re-emerged, the catalyst for the series of attacks against American and other Western targets in the Middle East. Countries such as Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria came to the forefront came to be supposedly believed to be the main sponsors of terrorism as a popular belief. Falling into a related category were those countries, such as North Korea, who directly participated in covert acts of what could be described as terrorism.[xviii] (Guelke, 1998). In the recent years the re-emergence of the religiously inspired terrorist attacks are common. But the state-sponsored terrorism remains a concern of the international community today (especially its Western constituents), although it has been somewhat overshadowed. The latest manifestation of this trend began in 1979, when the revolution that transformed Iran into an Islamic republic; the West blamed Iran to use and support terrorism as a means of propagating its ideals beyond its own borders. (Hoffman, 1988). Very soon the trend had spread to places as far as Japan and the United States, and to other major world religions as well as many minor cults. Sarin gas used in Tokyo subway attack in 1995 may not have been the first breach of the psychological barrier in the use of toxic/chemical agents becausesmallpox-infected clothing was used by the Pilgrim Fathers against the indigenous tribes of North America. Also, plague-infected bodies were launched into besieged cities and used to pollute water supplies in the fourteenth century. The same year Oklahoma bombing took place in USA. At this stage, the complex mix of motivations included religion. But it was the 9/11 al Qaeda attack which made the world realize, particularly the United States, just how risky this latest transformation had become. Contemporary Terrorism At present, terrorism influences events on the international level to a degree which was not previously achieved. This was primarily the outcome of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 on the World Trade Center, which destroyed the symbolic Twin Towers; and threatened the Pentagon. It thus dented the stronghold of America. Most Americans came to believe that an unmatched era of terrorism had erupted and the world had changed forever. Some observers of the event even believed that the daring, yet tragic, events of this particular day should be considered as an epochal moment in the history of the world. (24) (Carr, 2002). Soon after 9/11, US President George Bush declared the start of a Global War on Terrorists: an open-ended war with an undefined terminal objective. In a speech to the Congress, he committed all resources at his disposal, every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, and every necessary weapon of war (Bertrand, S, 2003) to defeating Am ericas newest adversary in that nations first war of the twenty-first century. (26)(Mandelbaum, 2001).However, for most people in the world, terrorism was not new and these events, while spectacular and disturbing, did not constitute the dawn of a new era in terrorist activities. On the contrary, the attack became a continuous and developing reality for the world, which was present in different forms for centuries. Hence, for most of the world, terrorism was familiar and acceptable as an additional form of traditional warfare. (Henrichon, 2003). Still, for most North Americans and many other Western observers, the radical novelty of the 9/11 terrorist attacks represented a new form of terrorism for the 21st century. (Deschenes, 2003). Since then, in the United States at least, terrorism has largely been equated to the threat posed by al Qaeda, a threat inflamed not only by the spectacular and deadly nature of the 9/11 attacks themselves, but by the fear that future strikes might be even more deadly and perhaps employ weapons of mass destruction. The worldwide threat of terrorism by al Qaeda and its franchises, to a large extent remained egocentric, and were seen as the rhetoric of the US administration concerning a so-called Global War against Terrorism. This was far from unique, considering the implications that al Qaeda in fact intended to start a global revolution. For instance the general public of countries such as Colombia or Northern Ireland that had long faced terrorism was more preoccupied with when and where the next FARC REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF COLOMBIA ( FARC or FARC-EP, is a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia. They have fought in the ongoing Colombian Civil War for more than 40 years)or Real Irish Republican Army attacks would occur rather than where the next al Qaeda hit will descend. Thus, the above reflections indicate, terrorism goes beyond al Qaeda, which it not only predates but will also outlive. Hence if terrorism is to be tackled efficiently, any consideration of handling it must be seen beyond the threat which is presently posed by this particular organization. Consequently, without a broad-based approach, this threat of terrorism will not only be difficult to resolve, but may become uncontrollable. The Evolution of Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century Terrorism is continuously changing. While at the surface it remains the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fearit is fast becoming a major strategic tool of the opposing forces. In the twenty-first century, it has become the most predominant irregular warfare strategy. It is easily adaptable to changes in facilities available to the terrorists, in order to operate, acquire finances, and evolve new capabilities; thereby developing a different relationship with the world at large. Two major events in the first half of the twentieth century predisposed the nature of present-day conflicts. The effects of two World Wars inflamed passions and hopes of nationalists throughout the world, and severely damaged the legitimacy of the international order and governments. During the earlier decades of the twentieth century nationalism and radical political ideologies were the major developmental forces acting upon terrorism. After World War I the Treaty of Versailles redrew the map of Europe by breaking up the Austro-Hungarian Empire and thus created new nations. It recognized the rule of self-determination for nationalities and ethnic groups. The minorities and ethnicities not receiving recognition to campaign for independence or autonomy were thus encouraged. Nevertheless, in most cases self-determination was limited to European nations and ethnic groups and deprived the others, especially the colonial assets of the major European powers, creating bitterness and setting the stage for the long conflicts of the anti-colonial period. The Arab nationalists particularly felt that they were betrayed. Believing they were promised post-war independence, they were doubly disappointed: first when the French and British were given authority over their lands; and then especially when the British allowed Zionist immigration into Palestine in keeping with a promise contained in the Balfour Declaration. In the last two decades, terrorists have committed tremendously violent acts for so-called political or religious reasons. Their political ideologies range from the extreme left to the extreme right. For example, the far left can consist of groups such as Marxists and Leninists who propose a revolution of workers led by revolutionary elite. On the distant right, one finds dictatorships which typically believe in an amalgamation of state and business leadership. Consequently, all Arabs have been united in their opposition to the State of Israel and to the Western Powers, particularly the United States. The Western world feel f eels equally a sense of guilt and remorse for the treatment of the Jews during the Second World War. (Berman, 2003). Consequently, the Western powers, under the patronage of the United Nations, have championed the Israeli right to a homeland at the expense of the Palestinians. (Hoffman, 1988). On the other hand, equally important has been the growth of Wahhabism in the Arab World. The indignation of the Wahhabis was initially directed, not against Western and colonial sources, but against those practitioners of Islam whom they believed were degrading and betraying the religion from within. The Wahhabi sect became true Islamic zealots who sought to eliminate anything or anyone who failed to meet the strict standards of their belief of purity and Islamic authenticity. (Hoffman, 1988). Even though initially a creation of eighteenth century Arabian Islam, Wahhabism has flourished because of its association with the ruling parties in most Arab countries. These particular regimes were ins talled by the Western powers when the various countries were created, because these particular Arab leaders had either granted the European powers with legitimacy during their colonial rule of the region; or had supported the Allied armies during the two World Wars. Under the old Arab system, social injustice and power were limited. However, with the new structure of states, the oil wealth, and the prevalence of modern communications, the inequality gap has been widened and the discrepancies have become much more obvious.Hence, lacking any other outlet, new and growing discontents find expression in religious extremist movements (Hoffman, 1988), like the so called Islamic Fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist groups like Al Qaeda. In contrast, for the Palestinian movements, which had concentrated and limited their efforts in the Middle East against Israel and for the repossession and recreation of an independent Palestinian state, these new organizations have a worldwide r each. Their supporters believe that the remedy for all of the ills of modernization is to return to true Islam. This thought process, included the abolition of all laws and social borrowings from the West and the restoration of the Islamic Holy Law, the Sharia (Berman, 2003). Their aim was not only to remove the Western intruders from their homelands; they also wanted to transport their message through violent means into the heart of the Western nations, especially the hegemonic United States, their most dangerous enemies, as they see it, are the false and renegade Muslims who rule the countries of the Islamic world and who have imported and imposed infidel ways on Muslim peoples. (Lewis, 2003). In addition to the traditional terrorist groups, the nationalists, and the religious, the 1980s and 1990s also saw a growth of terrorist groups with a variety of motivations, such as narco-terrorists, eco-terrorists, anti-abortionists, and animal liberationists. Some terrorists were simply m otivated by common criminal activities. (Laqueur, 1999). Religious inspired terrorism has a universal theoretical basis. The patterns of religious violence of the Sikhs could be exactly that of Irish Catholics; or Shiite Muslims in Palestine; or a fundamentalist Christian bomber of abortion clinics in the United States. (Juergensmeyer, 2001). Special interest groups include people on the radical fringe of many legitimate causes; e.g., people who use terrorism to uphold antiabortion views, animal rights, and radical environmentalism. These groups consider that violence is morally justified to achieve their objectives. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of Cold War in the early 1990s, the features of international terrorism took on a new face. The changing geopolitical situation, following the end of the East-West conflicts, a third radical concept has evolved in the form of twentieth century terrorism. There was no Soviet Union, no Warsaw Pact, no Cold War, and no consensus on what came next. (Lacqueur, 1999). However, it was now clear that the Soviets were no longer available to provide financial support or ammunitions to terrorist organizations or to their sponsoring states. (Bell, 1999).However, instead of retreating into their own nationalistic or religious cocoons, some of these terrorist groups adapted and evolved into truly global transnational organizations. As a result, counter terrorist organizations are not confronting a specific state, nor are they confined to their old norms of understanding and operations. In addition, todays terrorist groups are very well-financed. (Kushner, 1998). Such transnational groups no longer rely on handouts from sponsoring states, but, instead, have developed exceptional methods of gaining and handling their financial resources. Today robbery and ransom are replaced by high-tech criminal businesses, such as growing drugs; fine processing and distribution operations; and, finally, money laundering through legitimate businesses. (Combs, 2003). The modern terrorist is also very well-trained and well-educated. They have not only learnt from their past experiences, but also from military and criminal training methods, and integrated them into their own training programs. The former independence and isolation of many terrorist groups has given way to complex, multilayered, transnational organizational structur es, resembling the corporate hierarchy of a multinational corporation. Lastly and most significantly, todays terrorist groups are said to have access to the knowledge of highly sensitive destructive weapons; and have the ability to use Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), such as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weaponry, although use of this type of armaments is still abhorrent to many terrorists. (Schweitzer, 1998). The use of terror has, throughout history, been known as an effective technique to achieve political, criminal, religious and ideological aims. The underlying objective to use the terror was aptly captured by the fourth century BC Chinese strategist, Sun Tzu, kill one, frighten ten thousand. The Anatomy of Terror (Sinclair, 2003) indicates that history is replete with examples of the use of terror in the pursuit of religious aims (e.g. the massacres by the Crusaders); material aims (e.g. the Stranglers of Southern India who terrorized road travellers, and the Mafia); quasi-moral, and ideological aims (e.g. General Bedfords supremacist Ku Klux Klan and the Shining Path); state and political aims (e.g. the Tzarist Okrhana and the Nazi Geheime Staatspolizei); and in the current context, religio-political aims (e.g. Al Qaeda and Hamas). Terror is easier to define than terrorism. Over 100 definitions of terrorism have been evolved. Sinclair gave interesting examples of the early use of biological and chemical agents as means of inducing fear and terror. These include the use of poison gas by the Spartans during the siege of Plataea in 428 BC; the use of smallpox infected materials by the Pilgrim Fathers from England to conquer the indigenous population

Isolation as the Root of Hamlets Torment Essay -- Essays on Shakespear

Isolation as the Root of Hamlet's Torment Does Hamlet stand alone? Does this magnate of English literature hold any bond of fellowship with those around him, or does he forge through his quandaries of indecision, inaction and retribution in solitude? Though the young Dane interacts with Shakespeare's entire slate of characters, most of his discourse lies beneath a cloud of sarcasm, double meaning and contempt. As each member of Claudius' royal court offers their thickly veiled and highly motivated speech Hamlet retreats further and further into the muddled depths of his conflict-stricken mind. Death by a father, betrayal by a mother, scorn by a lover and abhorrence by an uncle leave the hero with no place to turn, perhaps creating a sense of isolation painful enough to push him towards the brink of madness.   Ã‚  Ã‚   With the supporting cast of detractors circled around him, Claudius clearly constitutes the core of Hamlet's opposition. The king's animosity towards Hamlet spreads to the rest of his entourage in the same way that his refusal to mourn his brother's passing left only the prince in black attire and dark-eyed grief. Claudius and the others each make weakly shrouded attempts to gain Hamlet's support, but the deafening falsity of their gestures leaves little doubt about their true sentiments. The first appearance of King and nephew together begins with the disingenuous greeting, "But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son-" (1.2, 64) to which Hamlet sardonically retorts, "A little more than kin, and less than kind!" (1.2, 65).   Ã‚  Ã‚   This initial encounter between the two men reveals a sea of mutual hostilities and as a broker of the king's will, Polonius parallels such an antagonism. The advisor's first meeting with Haml... ...is inaction. The tragic hero walks a very lonely role, and this seclusion probably deserves a mention in literature's eternal search for the roots of his torment. With words more sage than he realizes, Polonius condenses Hamlet's entire struggle into a single poignant idea: "The origin and commencement of his grief / Sprung from neglected love" (3.1, 180-181). Polonius and Laertes derail Ophelia's tenderness, and Claudius' persuasion steals the heart of Gertrude. A unanimous lack of mourning scoffs at Hamlet's deep esteem for his fallen father and even the companionship of his childhood friends succumbs to Claudius' menacing demands. The end result is a huge gulf between ally and adversary, a gulf that ultimately plummeted Hamlet to the depths of psychological torment. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Longman,1997.

Caring Moments Essay -- essays research papers

CARING MOMENTS The caring project our group chose involved taking a test. We felt test day was an unusually stressful event for everyone. We wanted to come up with a caring way that would help to alleviate some stress on our fellow students, the faculty, and ourselves. We decided to hand out peppermint candy on test day to help stimulate brain function. we felt this might help us all do well. We also talked to everyone and wished them well on the test which was a good way to help relieve stress. It also gave us an opportunity to meet some of our fellow students that we had never met before and it helped to ease the stress we all were under. We also passed out the peppermints to the faculty as they needed a stress reliever on test day too. They have to keep everybody under control and start the test at the appropriate time. We all felt like we were helping our fellow students through a stressful time. Shannon felt good inside knowing that the peppermint might help someone do better on the test than they might normally do. It made her feel wonderful inside seeing everyone talking to one another and enjoying the moment. Kristi felt we were giving out a caring part of ourselves every time someone took a piece a candy. Barbara felt pride in knowing she got a smile out of the students. She felt good knowing the words of encouragement, to each individual student, took a stressful moment and eased the tension. Kristi had a caring moment when a fellow student gave her a small gift. Kristi would carry a pink, â€Å"hello kitty† coffee cup with her to lecture every day. A classmate always complimented her on her cup each time she brought it. One day before a test her classmate handed her a pink, â€Å"hello kitty† pencil. The classmate said she was out and saw the pencil and it reminded her of Kristi. She bought it and gave it to Kristi.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This made Kristi feel very special and important. Kristi and the classmate never have a chance to talk outside of class. However, Kristi will always remember her classmate and have a special place in her heart for her, because of this gesture. Every time Kristi sees this classmate it brings a smile to her face. She feels warm inside knowing that someone thought enough of her to perform such a kind act.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our group has decided to implement several caring ges... ...ow the health care team is interested in them as individuals and they are not just a body being patched up to be sent home. They need to know that their concerns and what they are going through matters to the health care team. Showing compassion and caring to the patient will build a positive, trusting relationship that will ultimately benefit both the patient and the team. The nurse needs to know that she has support form her colleagues as well, and that she is not alone. If she feels burnout with no moral support, it will begin to affect her job. This attitude will have a negative impact on her client as well as the other staff members. Just one negative non-caring act will affect everyone around her. However, if just one nurse shows a caring moment, big or small, to a colleague, it can change the atmosphere into a caring one which will radiate all the way to the patient. Caring is the gel that keeps the health care team working together. Everyone from the doctor to housekeepin g needs each other. Without the caring element they would all be doing their own thing and the team would fall apart. Therefore caring for each other is an essential step towards a positive nursing career.

Love and Death in The Epic of Gilgamesh Essay -- Epic Gilgamesh

Love and Death in The Epic of Gilgamesh Abstract: The most interesting stories invariably are about love and death. These two themes underlie the Epic of Gilgamesh, a mythic tale of the quest for immortality. Gilgamesh, profoundly affected by the death of his friend Enkidu at the hands of the gods, questions the injustice of life. Finding no answer, he of course tries to change—indeed, eliminate—the question by seeking immortality. The following essay examines Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s relationship, and the effect of Enkidu’s death on Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh’s failure in the end attests the intertwining of love and death in a relationship. Woody Allen once stated, â€Å"It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.† Even the most stout-hearted soul would admit the truth of that statement. Death—like life—is a mystery. It is also a test. Acting as an immutable deadline, death forces us to confront its inevitable reality. But not everyone deals with it in the same way. Those who lack the strength to cope are consigned to a life of unconquerable fear and insecurity and are the stuff of tragedy. Others, however, do succeed in attaining a measure of immortality, though the journey is long and difficult. These are the culture-makers of society: its painters, composers, and poets. Their common link is the warrior spirit, the part of them that struggles, succeeds...and struggles some more. The Epic of Gilgamesh reflects this spirit of the warrior. Although Enkidu’s death indicates that mortals seemingly are at the mercy of the gods and death is inevitable, Gilgamesh nonetheless embarks on a quest for godhood: Enkidu has to die so Gilgamesh can live. Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s friendship prefigures G... ...venture onto the stone walls of Uruk. The irony is that the story is about his failure rather than success. His quest started when he realized â€Å"[he had] not established [his] name stamped on bricks as...destiny decreed† (70). He presumably thought his story would be one success after another, victories of strength and fury. How ironic that his tale is of the failure to find immortality, a quest prompted by Enkidu’s death. But as irony takes another twist, his failure is also a success. Gilgamesh learns, one presumes, that although death inevitably comes, one must attempt to foil its icy grasp. That is why Enkidu must die for Gilgamesh to live: his death launches Gilgamesh toward a hopeless task, one that results in a valuable lesson set in stone for all to see. And the stone still stands. Reference The Epic of Gilgamesh. London: Penguin Books, 1972.

Bag of Bones AUTHOR’S NOTE

To an extent, this novel deals with the legal aspects of child custody in the State of Maine. I asked for help in understanding this subject from my friend Warren Silver, who is a fine attorney. Warren guided me carefully, and along the way he also told me about a quaint old device called the Stenomask, which I immediately appropriated for my own fell purposes. If I've made procedural mistakes in the story which follows, blame me, not my legal resource. Warren also asked me–rather plaintively if I could maybe put a ‘good' lawyer in my book. All I can say is that I did my best in that regard. Thanks to my son Owen for technical support in Woodstock, New York, and to my friend (and fellow Rock Bottom Remainder) Ridley Pearson for technical support in Ketchum, Idaho. Thanks to Pam Dorman for her sympathetic and perceptive reading of the first draft. Thanks to Chuck Verrill for a monumental editing job–your personal best, Chuck. Thanks to Susan Moldow, Nan Graham, Jack Roman s, and Carolyn Reidy at Scribner for care and feeding. And thanks to Tabby, who was there for me again when things got hard. I love you, hon. S.K. Yes, Bartleby, stay there behind your screen, thought I; I shall persecute you no more; you are harmless and noiseless as any of these old chairs; in short, I never feel so private as when I know you are here. ‘Bartleby' HERMAN MELVILLE Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . . As I stood there, hushed and still, I could swear that the house was not an empty shell but lived and breathed as it had lived before. Rebecca DAPHNE DU MAURIER Mars is heaven. RAY BRADBURY

Principles of supporting change in a business environment Essay

Unit four: Principles of supporting change in a business environment Assessment You should use this file to complete your Assessment. †¢ The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk †¢ Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly †¢ When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference †¢ Then, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Please note that this Assessment document has 3 pages and is made up of 3 Sections. Name: MARIUS LUCIAN DAN Section 1 – Understand why change happens in a business environment 1. Explain why change happens in a business environment. You should include at least three reasons in your answer. In today business world the only things that is consistent is â€Å"change†. Change is natural and essential in a business. The change can came from inside or from outside the business. When external driving forces influence the business we have reactive changes and when internal forces affects the business we call them proactive changes. External driving forces are those kind of things, situation, events that occur outside of the company and are by and large beyond of the control of the business. Examples of external driving forces are: financial crises, changing government lows and regulations, political interference, competitions etc. Examples of internal driving forces which can create proactive changes are: upgrading the office software, introducing new technology, launching a new product on the market etc. The reasons for change can be: political (changes in government and government policy); economic (economic growth, interest rates, level of unemployment); social (changes such as ageing population, cultural issues such as attitudes to work, health, religion); technological; legal; environmental (effects of global warming, concerns over protecting the environment). Whatever are internal or external forces, one thing is certain: the change will occur. A business must adapt to all this changes, be flexible and willing to respond to them in appropriate way. Without change your internal/external customers will not stay satisfied with the service/s they receive; the company will not be able to meet its targets/objectives and consequently for some companies there will no longer be the need for the business to exist. Section 2 – Understand the purpose of supporting change in a business environment 1. Identify the main reasons for reviewing working methods, products and / or services in a business environment. The reason of reviewing working methods, products and services, is to ensure that the business will develop and to aid the organisation’s continuous improvement, which enhances the organisation’s competitive position, allowing it to adapt to change when needed. In a business environment nothing remains the same and therefore it is likely that there will be continual review of its working methods, products or services to ensure that they are still be suitable and efficient. A company will want to review its services and products, so that it keeps up to date with the expectations of its customers. This will ensure the company to be competitive and/or meet its targets/objectives. A change to a service or product offered by the company could mean that related procedures need to be reviewed to ensure they are still relevant. In most businesses there is a continual process of reviewing the working methods or services and making changes to improve them, followed by a review of this changes and then making further amendments as needed. 2. When a business is going through change: a) Describe the different types of support that people may need. Some people adapt to change very well and others don’t. Where as some people thrive on the challenge of something new, others may worry about it and can become very negative. If team members feel valued and well supported during a change, they are more likely to adapt quickly and be more open to accept what need to be done. Good communication can really help people accept a change more easily and quicker. The person implementing a change will hopefully give everyone plenty of info and also get everyone involved as a team to help make decisions Training and time are also important support measures that people will need to adapt during a change. Not everyone will be able to change over night. They may take time to learn how to complete something new and also need training to be able to do so. Other ways of supporting the team can be: mentoring, coaching, giving and receiving constructive feedback as well as advice on employment issues and pay and conditions. All this support can be provided through different methods, like one-to-one sessions, delegating work tasks, work shadowing, job sharing, team briefings and trade union meetings. b) Explain the benefits of working with others. Working with others really helps to keep a positive outlook to changes. Working together as a team will provide the support and collective knowledge which will help when change may become more challenging. As mentioned before, people often adapt to change better if there is a strong informal input. It is important to remember that to support and work with colleagues effectively you will need to keep a positive outlook. Moaning and continual criticism of what you are doing will not support others at all. Working with others can have a lot of benefits like: finding out what is happening and what is going to change, as well as sharing workloads, learning and experience. By encouraging others to develop their knowledge and skills, as well as maintaining a personal network of contacts, helps to motivate each other. Section 3 – Understand how to respond to change in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with): a) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in working methods. A positive response to changes in working methods is important, so as to support not only the company but also colleagues in adapting to this changes. In my current position working as a care officer, the use of a Diary Handover sheet was introduced, to improve better communication between staff, as well as better documentation of events/issues that occurred each day. Prior to this, staff passed noted to each other, which could easily get lost and did not document clearly each day’s occurrences for management to follow. This forced me and my colleagues to record occurrences in formal way. If I opposed the change, colleagues and management would not find relevant information from my shift and could create confusion and waste their time in investigating occurrences which not recorded. b) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in products or services. If I did not respond positively to new products or services, it could to lead to conflict with managers trying to improve the service or product and be perceived by customers in a negative light. It could also create delays and create confusion amongst colleagues, if the change did not move forward. c) Identify ways of responding positively to change. The first positive action you can take is to look at the way you view change. Think of the change as an opportunity to gain new skills, improve your working procedures and even achieve career progression. Also, have willingness to learn new skills and procedures and to teach others. Attend any training available with a positive attitude, the more knowledge you have the easier you will find doing something new. Support colleagues if they are struggling, this is a great opportunity to demonstrate different skills to your colleagues. Don’t get drawn into negative conversations, this will not make you or others feel good about the situation. Think of ways to move forward, seek support from a manager or colleague if you think you need it. Even now my company is at the risk of being closed down because the county council wants to save money and cut social services, I went today to a training about Translating and interpreting languages and cultures in working with people from different backgrounds. And that’s because must go on and I want to keep myself positive and constructive. Once you have completed all 3 Sections of this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Chapter study guide quiz

Articles of confederation These were documents that basically made the 13 colonies separated from KGB and established the US as a confederation Northwest ordinances This was an act of the confederation of the US that stated that the US would continue expansion towards the west Nationalist They preferred strong central government Goals of nationalists: To have their country united under THEIR nation's rule – not to be ruled by some foreign king, Like In many cases.To be able to maintain their own culture, with their win unique national values and customs and not have other cultures forced upon them. To speak their national language. To celebrate and honor their national artists and heroes, their special traditions and holidays, to show the pride of being (whatever nation they are). Instead of saying, â€Å"Oh, I'm from this and that kingdom of this and that king† people would say â€Å"l am French/Hungarian/lateral/whatever†, and be proud of who they are and Ident ify with their nationality, not allowing other nations to press on them and control them at least not without a fight and an attempt of resistance. ; A of yahoo answers Shays rebellion Farmers got mad at government for not passing stay laws Virginia plan Proposed by Randolph and made more open by James Madison Made the three branches of government to keep checks within the republican government to make sure no one had to fear that tyranny or abuse of power was possible 3/5 compromise The three fifths compromise made 3/5 slaves in to every states head count It was later added with this that slave trade would continue for 20 years This was very important to people in the southGeorge mason, a slave owner, spoke passionately about not keeping slaves Electoral college Electoral college were people ho voted on behalf of the state for the new president Came with rules for ties and other situation Constitution Was changed because it supported the rich and more high society people Revolution ary leaders apposed It too so It was changed Nationalists changed to the name federalists Which made the state governments strong The Judiciary act Tariff Bill of rights Hamilton' economic plan Whiskey rebellion The battle of fallen timbers George Washington's farewell address John Jays treaty James Madison

Opposites and Paradoxes in King Lear Essay

The sequence of oppositional characters and motifs in the play bring about in the audience a sense of the corruption of principles that beset the protagonists of the play. With this sense of opposition comes a strong sense of the duality within the play seemingly centred on the Epodoclean theory of a â€Å"world governed by the contrary forces of love and hate. Though this is not unusual for a stage production, McAlindon believes that when the bond of opposites that constitutes the natural order of â€Å"revolt against limit and fly to extremes. † This can be seen in the characters foremost as the sons of Gloucester as well as the daughters of Lear are directly opposed to each other. Indeed it is in the internal nature of Lear that this is focused most powerfully as his beliefs in love and kindnesses are offset by the egocentric and chloric feelings that dwell within his heart. It is mainly from the character and fate of Lear that the true extent of the breakdown of nature can be seen as within the space of two weeks he has sunk from kingship to a world of destitution and poverty as he suffers at â€Å"th’ extreme verge† in his relationship with his family. What is most tragic in relation to Lear though is his rediscovery of Cordelia before the heart wrenching death she endures as he is thrown from the heights of grief before his heart gives way under the strain of ecstatic joy. But while the emotional converses that Lear endures are tremendously powerful they are not the only matters in opposition throughout the play. There can be seen in the various settings of the play a number of thematic oppositions, with the most apparent being the contrast between the nocturnal and gloomy castle of Gloucester as opposed to the serene Dover fields where Father and daughter are reunited, where love opposes strife. Indeed there are a great number of inversions that apply a new number of possible thoughts to the understanding of the play. Lear’s sufferings are completely opposed to the more typical tragedies of the Shakespearean era where there was a distinct separation between the suffering of the social elite and â€Å"the low and the ludicrous† in the principal of the Senecan school of thought. In King Lear though it would appear to be the Saturnalism theories that prevail as the positions of the lowest are inverted with those of the highest, as Lear takes the place of his fool in declaring the unpalatable truths of the world in his madness, adopting a sense of tragedy in the manner in which this is done. There are none more demonstrative of inversions than the antonymic nominalism that occupy the play with the most pathetic being Gloucester’s praise of Goneril and Cornwall, whereby his loyalty to the king becomes â€Å"treason† whereas Edmund’s betrayal is described as a show of â€Å"loyalty. † But more than this it is a key illustration of the wickedness of protagonist such as Goneril who condemn â€Å"harmful mildness. † This sense of paradox is prevalent mostly in the evil party where it comes to signify a moral and social inversion of a rational order of things. In contrast to this a positive paradox comes to represent a renewal through destruction and a discovery though loss, most notably seen in the increase of France’s attraction for Cordelia following her rejection by Lear as she becomes an â€Å"unprized precious maid,† becoming â€Å"most choice, forsaken† as the isolation of â€Å"forsaken† seemingly highlighting the paradox. What is more is that a sense of pathos is granted through this as Lear’s misinterpretation of each one of his daughters and his reliance of the â€Å"wolfish† Regan and Goneril, as well as Gloucester’s miscomprehension of Edmund as being a â€Å"loyal and natural boy. The twin paradoxes that appear in the discovery of madness, characterised by Lear, and the discovery of vision in blindness are the most powerful in the development dignity undertaken by Lear and to an extent Gloucester in this play. McAlindon believes that of all the paradoxes it is the fact that th e tragedy develops around an inability â€Å"to contain the worst effects of a terrible eruption in nature,† and none is more terrible than the progressive failing of family links. The typical familial bond of mutual love and affection that is the ornerstone of most families is shockingly absent in King Lear though it is desperately craved by Lear himself. McAlindon believes that this style of bond involves love and justice as well as that it â€Å"predicates a glad and spontaneous performance of offices and responsibilities. † It is therefore bewildering that Edmund would break such a bond in such an anti-familial manner, undermining civilised society in the process, and comparisons can be drawn between him and Iago in his mistreatment of Claudius in Othello. Gloucester, however, can be seen to be as equally to blame for Edmund’s waywardness as his dreadful mistreatment of him, whose breeding is only acknowledged as Gloucester â€Å"often blushed,† and seems to be a victim of tragic causality as Edmund comes to believe that he owes everything to himself. The ancient Greek writers Plato and Aristotle believe that love creates emotional awareness and allows for the creation of just law. With this in mind the manner with which Lear treats the link between him and his daughters in such a material way shatters any sense of order or responsibility in his court with the dismissal of Cordelia and Kent becoming a satire of what passes for justice in society. If Plato’s theories are developed then it would seem that the main cause for injustice is a loss of human kindness and sympathy, explaining fully Edmund’s pathological hardness as his bastardy alienates him. In the same manner in which Edmund suffers a lack of acknowledgement, so too does Lear suffer the same fate, it is only through his mistreatment on the familial ties. McAlindon believes that Lear holds a heavy â€Å"dependence of personal identity on the bond† and it is his reliance on the bond as a material tie makes him a nobody after he divulges himself from his power and estate resulting in one of the most pathetic lines â€Å"I gave you all† separated from the cruelty of Regan. The greatest dignity is then conveyed onto those around him who still perceive the bond to be a union through love, and therefore still hold the same respect for Lear despite his failure to recognise them. The importance of a character understanding the treatment of time plays an integral part in the possibility of them being seen as a tragic figure. King Lear is a tragedy characteristic of its age, a tragedy of extreme and terrible violence, as there is a sense of the untimeliness of violence and destruction that rashness and impatience bring about. Most characteristic of this flaw is Lear as his kingdom implodes through his â€Å"hideous rashness† as he signals the unleashing of pitiless violence that culminates in the utterly pathetic death of Cordelia. He is ironically guilty too of being overly patient as there is an almost comic stichomythia between him and Kent portraying his unwillingness to accept facts. A parallel can be drawn with Gloucester in this as his impatience regarding the supposed traitor Edgar is both unjust and demonstrative of the nexus between time and justice as well as injustice and haste. Calculated swiftness becomes characteristic with the actions of the evil party and can be seen by Edmunds manipulation of Gloucester under the pretence of judicial behaviour as well as that of his brother as he acts â€Å"in cunning† and its placement a the beginning of the line illuminates its two meanings. In an extreme contrast the good party align themselves with time, adopting a policy of patience that is both dignified and tragic. Edgar is keen to wait for â€Å"the mature time† whilst Kent waits for the perfect moment to reveal himself to his master, however, it is his own personal tragedy that he never finds the right moment. This can be seen as a demonstration of a true heart as this is a play that appeals profoundly to the heart as much as it does to the mind. Emblematic of a noble heart is the manner in which a protagonist empathises and treats those around them and powerful contrasts can be seen between characters and their counterparts. Indeed the most powerful of these contrasts is between the â€Å"dog-hearted daughters† of Lear and Cordelia with the scenic juxtaposition of tranquil Dover and the castles and courts of Regan and Goneril a clear demonstration of this. To be truly tragic in King Lear a character possess a good heart and this is perfectly shown by the â€Å"marble hearted sisters† as opposed to Kent’s whose own heart is pierced by Lear’s rejection of Cordelia. Alongside the good characters Lear’s heart is true in its nature, though he seems to suffer the promethean anguish, with his heart replacing the traditional liver, culminating in his death which must be presumed as being from a broken heart. Compassionate love is the supreme value in the play and as discussed above beliefs and social morals come from love and therefore the heart. Conversely though a slighted heart can produce the most devastating fury and hatred through grief as not only does the heart present the duality of nature with the possibility for disunity and anarchy but in this same manner emphasizing the importance of patience. Therefore the presence of all the aforementioned undertones and subtle themes tragedy is both made distinctly more unattainable as well as becoming much more powerful in its nature, with pathos coming to play a key role in its development.