Definition and Examples of the Second Persona

Second persona is a term introduced by rhetorician Edwin Black (see below) to describe the role assumed by an audience in response to a speech or other text. Also called an implied auditor. The concept of the second persona is related to the concept of the implied audience. Examples and Observations We have learned to keep continuously before us the possibility, and in some cases the probability, that the author implied by the discourse is an artificial creation: a persona, but not necessarily a person. . . . What equally well solicits our attention is that there is a second persona also implied by a discourse, and that persona is its implied auditor. This notion is not a novel one, but its uses to criticism deserve more attention.In the classical theories of rhetoric the implied auditor--this second persona--is but cursorily treated. We are told that he is sometimes sitting in judgment of the past, sometimes of the present, and sometimes of the future, depending on whether the discourse is forensic, epideictic, or deliberative. We are informed too that a discourse may imply an elderly auditor or a youthful one. More recently we have learned that the second persona may be favorably or unfavorably disposed toward the thesis of the discourse, or he may have a neutral attitude towa rd it.These typologies have been presented as a way of classifying real audiences. They are what has been yielded when theorists focused on the relationship between a discourse and some specific group responding to it. . . .[B]ut even after one has noted of a discourse that it implies an auditor who is old, uncommitted, and sitting in judgment of the past, one has left to say--well, everything.Especially must we note what is important in characterizing personae. It is not age or temperament or even discrete attitude. It is ideology . . ..It is this perspective on ideology that may inform our attention to the auditor implied by the discourse. It seems a useful methodological assumption to hold that rhetorical discourses, either singly or cumulatively in a persuasive movement, will imply an auditor, and that in most cases the implication will be sufficiently suggestive as to enable the critic to link this implied auditor to an ideology.(Edwin Black, The Second Persona. The Quarterly J ournal of Speech, April 1970)The second persona means that the actual people making up the audience at the beginning of the speech take on another identity that the speaker convinces them to inhabit through the course of the speech itself. For example, if a speaker says, We, as concerned citizens, must act to take care of the environment, he is not only trying to get the audience to do something about the environment but also attempting to get them to identify themselves as concerned citizens.(William M. Keith and Christian O. Lundberg, The Essential Guide to Rhetoric. Bedord/St. Martins, 2008)The second persona relationship provides interpretative frameworks for making sense of the information enacted in communication. How that information is interpreted and acted on is likely to be the result of what receivers see as the intended second persona and whether they are willing or able to accept that persona and act from that point of view.(Robert L. Heath, Management of Corporate Comm unication. Routledge, 1994) Isaac Disraeli on the Role of the Reader [R]eaders must not imagine that all the pleasures of composition depend on the author; for there is something which a reader himself must bring to the book, that the book may please. . . . There is something in composition like the game of shuttlecock, where if the reader do not quickly rebound the feathered cock to the author, the game is destroyed, and the whole spirit of the work falls extinct.(Isaac Disraeli, On Reading. Literary Character of Men of Genius, 1800)

The Social Structures Of Women - 1038 Words

Data Set 1 Studies have suggested that students who sit closer to the front tend to be more successful (Cuseo, Fecas, Thompson). There is also evidence that fewer women than men make it to the most upper level careers (â€Å"Women in Leadership†). With this knowledge, I hypothesized that women sit on the back row more often than the front row. The social structures that cause women to keep from these careers may also cause them to sit farther back in class, being less engaged during school. Women at BYU especially are socially pressured to stay in the home, so they will likely respond to this and be less engaged in school rather than preparing for a career. I expect front row seating to be negatively correlated with females. I collected my data†¦show more content†¦The data carries some validity because it was taken in a class required by two majors, and the class contains both men and women. Validity is also provided because the people did not know that they were being observed, so the behavior I observed was unaffected by my data collection. I used column percentages to compare the variables and test for substantive significance. I used this test because both of my variables yielded categorical data. 53.6 percent of males chose to sit on the front row and 53.8 percent of females chose to as well. There is no difference between these values, so the data is not substantively significant. This test shows that in the class I observed, the choice to sit in the front or back rows is not affected by a person’s gender. I used the computer to run a Chi square test to determine statistical significance because both my dependent and independent variables were dichotomous. It was unnecessary to use comparison of means because both variables were dummy variables. I expect these variables to be positively correlated. The Chi square value of 0.987 yielded a p value of 0.3205, so I can reject the null hypothesis with only 68 percent confidence; therefore I fail to reject the null hypothesis. This means that gender is not a significant factor in seat choice. With more data the relationship could be tested more effectively and with more validity, but my research has been

Fresh Direct Case Study Essay Sample free essay sample

Please read the Fresh Direct ( C 19 ) instance analysis carefully and bring forth a instance analysis study following the instructions that are given in the Case Analysis study papers in Doc Sharing. Company NAME/WEBSITE/ INDUSTRY Fresh Direct/Freshdirect. com/Food and Grocery BACKGROUND/HISTORY Cofounder and former main executive officer Joseph Fedele was able to convey a wealth of experience in New York City’s nutrient industry to FreshDirect. FreshDirect offers on-line food market shopping and bringing service to more than 300 nothing codifications in Manhattan. Queens. Brooklyn. Nassau County. Riverdale. Westchester. choice countries of Staten Island. New Jersey. and parts of Connecticut. Fresh Direct is a company that allows you to order your nutrient online and acquire following twenty-four hours bringing. their moto is â€Å"Our Food is fresh. our clients are spoiled†¦ . . Order on the web today and acquire next-day bringing of the best nutrient at the best monetary value. precisely the manner you want it with 100 % satisfaction guaranteed. We will write a custom essay sample on Fresh Direct Case Study Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † The primary concern is to let clients to order their nutrient online and avoid traveling to a food market shop they can purchase anything they want on-line and you can hold it delivered to you house. Cardinal participants would be the people who launched the concern in 2001 Joseph Fedele and Jason Ackerman. Many companies have fallen online with the food market service and they boldly stated they were the â€Å"greatest manner to shop for food† this once more was a bold statement in many of these ironss have fallen. Company launched in 2001 and by 2011 you had to hold a order of 30 $ with a bringing fee associated with it. The company started to fall apart when the competition start to raise in the industry that is when they started offering local grown and organic but their were some Fieldss they merely couldn’t compete with. FreshDirect acquired the majority of its $ 100 million investing from several private beginnings. with a little part coming from the State of New York. Briefly describe the company in the instance survey. What is their primary concern. who were the officers or cardinal participants described in the instance survey? If the instance survey company is presently in concern. name the company’s current CEO. entire gross revenues and net income or loss for the last twelvemonth where information is available. Identify cardinal events or stages in the company’s history. Describe the public presentation of this company in the industry. Visit the company’s web site and usage hypertext transfer protocol: //finance. yokel. com and or some other fiscal hunt engine to happen this information. ( 25 points ) Grocery shopping with bringing services of fresh green goods merchandises delivered right to your door. The cofounder and former main executive officer is Joseph Fedele. SWOT ANALYSIS Using the information in the instance survey. execute a SWOT analysis on this company. Remember Strengths and Weaknesses are internal to the company. Opportunities and menaces lie outside of the company and are in the external environment. Sum up your cardinal points in a SWOT matrix. ( 25 points ) Strength Failing Opportunity Menace A competition for Fresh Direct is YourGrocer. YourGrocer created with a bulk-buying scheme. believing that clients would order big. economical measures of goods from the web site and the company would do place bringings in company trucks. strengths ( internal ) ( 3 ) failings ( internal ) chances ( external ) strengths/opportunities obvious natural precedences Has strong fiscal assets Powerful on-line food market trade name Advanced nutrient engineering with package system Strong relationship with local shops and distributers Approach is really advanced Excellent client service Warehouse had 12 separate temp zones Extreme high criterion for cleanness Refrigerated loaded trucks to keep†¦ weaknesses/opportunities potentially attractive options †¢ One of the biggest obstructions to the growing of on-line ordination of food markets had been the inability to position and touch nutrient. peculiarly fresh green goods and meat.†¢ This deficiency of control over placing the freshness of the nutrient caused major concerns for the clients. Merely basic consciousness. planning. and execution required to run into these challenges.Investing in these issues is by and large safe and necessary. Executive inquiry: â€Å"Are we decently informed and organized to cover with these issues. and are we certain there are no concealed surprises? † – and – â€Å"Since we are strong here. can any of these menaces be turned into chances? † weaknesses/threats potentially high hazard Appraisal of hazard crucial. Where hazard is low so we must disregard these issues and non be distracted by them.Where hazard is high we must measure capableness spreads and program to defend/avert in really specific controlled ways.Executive inquiry: â€Å"Have we accurately assessed the hazards of these issues. and where the hazards are high do we hold specific controlled dependable programs to avoid/avert/defend? † ANALYSIS VIA PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL Analyze the competitory environment by naming the menace of new entrants. the dickering power of purchasers. the dickering power of providers. the menace of replacement merchandises and services. and the strength of competition among rivals in the industry ( Chapter 2 ) . Sum up your cardinal points in a Figure. ( 25 points ) Scheme USED How does this company create and prolong a competitory advantage? What scheme was undertaken by this company? Were they successful? Can all companies use this scheme? How is the scheme affected by the life rhythm in the industry? Remember to cite Porter’s generic schemes identified in Chapter 5 of the text edition. ( 20 points ) Overall cost leading – Low cost place relation to a firm’s equals Manage relationships throughout the full value concatenation Differentiation – Create merchandises and/or services that are alone and valued Non-price properties for which clients will pay a premium Focus scheme – Narrow merchandise lines purchaser sections or targeted geographic marketsAttain advantages either through distinction or cost leading. THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FACING THIS COMPANY Can the company’s competitory advantage be sustained? How will that be accomplished? Where are they in the merchandise life rhythm? What is the company civilization like? Do they need to alter it? What jobs is this company holding and why? ( 20 points ) Product life rhythm Company civilization Identify jobs Course of action and scheme COURSE OF ACTION RECOMMENDED If you were in a place to rede this company. what scheme would you urge to prolong competitory advantage and achieve hereafter growing? Be specific and list the stairss the company should take for successful execution of your class of action. ( 20 points ) Opinion I found this instance survey to be really interesting and enlightening. I learned about the organisation and the jobs it presently faces. After analysing and making a SWOT analysis of the instance assist me to understand where it stands and ends of the company. There are many solutions I feel that will profitthis organisation. Mentions hypertext transfer protocol: //www. freshdirect. com/about/index. jsp ; jsessionid=HNYFQP7JLx22DchQ6vLm12gGrVb5P12tD7sH4TVYLnqnXX9pHNbT! -244301007! -408313503? siteAccessPage=aboutus A ; successPage=/index. jsp Dess. Strategic Management text and instances. 6th Edition. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions. 2012.

Taylorism And Management Essays - Organizational Behavior

Taylorism And Management Many people and companies have rejected the theory of scientific management that Frederic Taylor developed in the early 1900s because it wasnt working effectively for the companies. However as Rober Kanigel make clear in his biography of Frederick Taylor One Best Way the problem wasnt with the theory of scientific management , but with the Frederic Taylor and his attempts at managing his own theories. Frederic Taylor was an engineer, a perfectionist; he didnt have personality skills necessary to be an effective manager or leader. Someone how had these skills could manage a company well with his theory. What scientific management really is a complete method of creative problem solving and decision making. Many of the ideas in scientific management, like setting time goal and streamlining the workload are good ideas and are used presently in the work force. The primary objectives of scientific management are to maximize profit for the company, to use the fullest potential each employee and for prosperity for employees. To accomplish this people must exert themselves to their maximum potential every minute of the time at work. Still many of Taylors ideas did not work out because there he was too much like a robot and treated others like robots. He was inflexible, and failed to consider human emotions. For example he timed each person with a stopwatch and forced him or her to meet an inflexible and extreme time goal everyday no matter what. The job was not adjusted to meet the person but the person was forced to adjust to the job. Frederick Taylor wasnt capable of managing people under the scientific management theory the way he designed it. His use of the system eliminated the human aspect of the workplace, by treating people like machines. He described people as in capable of working in anything but what they were currently doing. Furthermore he doubled their work load and made them work at the most efficient pace that he conceived of and enforced this by timing people with a stop watch. His essential theory was: management decided what a fair day of work was and made all the decisions. The employees were only capable of doing manual work and were hired only for their manual labor. Scientific management the Taylor way was imperfect because he eliminated the human part. No one can manage other people efficiently if they treat them like machines. Positive implementation could have occurred if Taylor wasnt implementing and using it. Taylor did treat people like machines as he worked them as hard as possible, leaving them with no energy at the end of the day for leisure activities. His stop watch techniques making sure they met the time goals resulted in the feeling of a large amount of pressure. Taylors personality was of being a meticulous and Machiavellian, obsessive about details and overbearing. He was therefore one of the worst types of people to have as a manager is a very meticulous person as he was be very demanding and never pleased with the work. Taylor used what many people call a Theory X style of management, one that threats employees poorly and like machines. He assumed that people had of no initiative their own to work hard and were only capable of what they were during then and nothing else. To fully understand how poorly Taylor implemented his theory, one only needs to look at the companies he worked at; Bethlehem Steel is a prime example under Taylors management. Each task had an instruction card, which laid everything out in black and white and eliminated the need for the employees to think, and each task was figured out to the fraction of a second, which wore out employees faster than other systems this is not the life that people want to work for. While the Taylor system did pay more, employees did not feel that the money didnt compensated for the other problems that they endured. An example at the Link Belt Foundry of Bethlehem Steel the Taylor system resulted in long-standing piece rates being totally reconfigured many old timers, people with 20-30 years of tenure at the company, quit because of the strain and the furious pace at which

The Trail of Tears essays

The Trail of Tears essays More than 150 years ago, in 1839, the United States forced the Cherokee Nation West of the Mississippi River into what later would become the state of Oklahoma. The weather was unusually harsh that winter and the cold, the disease and the hunger cost the Cherokee Nation the lives of at least four thousand of the fifteen thousand people who traveled the thousand miles West (Perdue 93). Not only was the journey a very cruel and dangerous one for the Native Americans, but it also upset their tribal lives, particularly the tribal lives of the Cherokee women. This essay will focus on the position of the Cherokee woman in her tribe before and during the relocation West. Native American woman, particularly the Cherokee, lived and thrived in a matrilineal society long before the Europeans immigrated to North America. Traditionally Cherokee women had a voice in Cherokee government. They spoke freely in council, and the War Woman (or Beloved Woman) decided to the fate of captives (Perdue 94). The Cherokee men would live in houses that belonged to their wives and to their wifes family. Many tribal members believed that marriage gives no right to the husband over the property of his wife; and when they part she keeps the children and property belonging to them (Perdue 95). Even the fresh produce and other belongings of a Cherokee belonged to the women because they were the primary farmers. The Cherokee women owned their own fields and tended their own crops. The Cherokee women were also very adamant and vocal peacekeepers. In 1787, Benjamin Franklin received a letter from a Cherokee woman telling him that she had told her people to maintain peace with the white settlers. She had filled the peace pipe for the warriors and she enclosed some of the same tobacco for the United States Congress in order to unite symbolically her people and his in peace. She conti...

Example Sentences of the Verb Cut

Example Sentences of the Verb Cut You can cut your steak or you can cut through paper, but can you correctly use the irregular verb cut for each tense? This page provides example sentences of the verb cut in all tenses including active and passive forms, as well as conditional and modal forms. Test your understanding with the quiz at the end! All Tenses of Cut Base Form cut / Past Simple cut / Past Participle cut / Gerund cutting Present Simple I cut paper with those scissors. Present Simple Passive Paper is cut by John. Present Continuous He is cutting the figures out now. Present Continuous Passive The figures are being cut out now. Present Perfect Jack has cut out fifteen figures. Present Perfect Passive Fifteen figures have been cut out by John. Present Perfect Continuous I have been cutting out figures for the past twenty minutes. Past Simple He cut out twenty figures yesterday. Past Simple Passive Twenty figures were cut out yesterday. Past Continuous He was cutting the paper when she came into the room. Past Continuous Passive The paper was being cut when she came into the room. Past Perfect Jane had cut out the figures before they began the work on pasting. Past Perfect Passive The figures had been cut out before they began the work on pasting. Past Perfect Continuous They had been cutting out figures for two hours before they began the difficult work. Future (will) She will cut those out. Dont worry. Future (will) passive Those figures will be cut out by Jack. Future (going to) Jack is going to cut those figures out. Future (going to) passive Those figures are going to be cut out by Jack. Future Continuous We will be cutting figures out at two tomorrow afternoon. Future Perfect Jack will have cut out all the figures by the time we begin. Future Possibility Jennifer might cut class tomorrow. Real Conditional If she cuts class, the teacher will be angry. Unreal Conditional If she cut class, the teacher would be angry. Past Unreal Conditional If she had cut class, the teacher would have been angry. Present Modal You must cut these out before you begin. Past Modal Jack might have cut out those figures. Quiz: Conjugate With Cut Use the verb to cut to conjugate the following sentences. Quiz answers are below. In some cases, more than one answer may be correct. Fifteen figures _____ out by John.I _____ paper with those scissors.Jane _____ out the figures before they began the work on pasting.She ____ those out. Dont worry.He ____ out twenty figures yesterday.Jack will _____ out all the figures by the time we begin.If she _____ class, the teacher will be angry.The figures _____ out before they began the work on pasting.Paper _____ by John in our company.Jennifer _____ class tomorrow. You never know. Quiz Answers have been cutcuthad cutwill cutcuthave cutcutshad been cutis cutmight cut

Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Politics - Essay Example For one, expending tax payers’ money to sponsor such ends when America is still grappling with debt and is still reeling from the ravages of global economic recession betrays only the execution of misplaced priorities. Secondly, American schools are primarily supposed to be learning centers helping to inculcate life and professional skills among students. While a comprehensive learning curriculum should factor reproductive health, it should basically teach about reproductive health and leave the issuance of such services to the family institution (Coombs, 275). Again, the idea that (NYC) students under the age of 18 years can be provided with birth control pills and condoms without parents’ engagement is as preposterous as it is obnoxious. Parents ought to be involved or at least informed about underage students making such serious decisions. Finally and above all, such a move is tantamount to subtle consent to the idea that sexual restraint is impossible and it significantly but indirectly lowers the age of (sexual) consent. The best way of facilitating this change is forming a caucus that includes likeminded students, parents, members of the civil society and members of the Senate and Congress. The members of the Senate and Congress can then sponsor a bill seeking to reverse this policy. The barrier that will most likely be met is an opposition by other caucuses which are affiliated to Liberals or Democrats. As believers of free will, these liberal caucuses are likely to argue that the choice should be left to the underage (NYC)

Mcdonalds Organizational Analysis Research Paper

Mcdonalds Organizational Analysis - Research Paper Example McDonald Company was created in 1937by Richard and Maurice McDonald, at a tiny drive-in restaurant east of Pasadena, California (Tassiopoulos, 2008). It’s a multinational company with head offices in 52 countries. Its first franchise was in 1954 by a man known as Roy Kroc, who was given an exclusive deal to franchise McDonald in America. There are over 11,000 restaurants in over 60 countries serving 22million customers. McDonald Company has expanded that it is not only a hamburger company, but it has also become a real estate company (Tassiopoulos, 2008). Since 1954 McDonald has gained 22427 franchised units.McDonalds expansion outside the United States began in 1967, and â€Å"by the early 1990’s, it had 3,600 operations in 58 countries†. The company began with French fries, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and soft drinks. Over the years, the company has also introduced other products, with some being successful in the market and others lacking customer approval. Amo ng the successful products are the Fish sandwich, ready to eat salads, Chicken McNuggets, McFlurry desserts, and McMuffin, while those that lacked approval include the pasta, pizza, fajitas, fried chicken, McLean Deluxe sandwich, and the Deluxe and Arch Deluxe burgers (Julian, 2006).Technology has always been at the focal point of the McDonald’s company making it top among competitors, and giving it the ability to always provide quality products. The company has also been very aggressive in engaging in promotional activities.... Over the years, the company has also introduced other products, with some being successful in the market and others lacking customer approval. Among the successful products are the Fish sandwich, ready to eat salads, Chicken McNuggets, McFlurry desserts, and McMuffin, while those that lacked approval include the pasta, pizza, fajitas, fried chicken, McLean Deluxe sandwich, and the Deluxe and Arch Deluxe burgers (Julian, 2006). Technology has always been at the focal point of the McDonald’s company making it top among competitors, and giving it the ability to always provide quality products. The company has also been very aggressive in engaging in promotional activities aimed at marketing the products and expanding the market share(Julian, 2006). The company has maintained good values since its establishment, especially in protecting the environment. Julian points out that â€Å"one notable effort: wrapping hamburgers in paper instead of plastic resulted in a 90 percent decrea se in waste† (2006, p. 645). The diversity in the workforce of McDonald’s has been a great base to gaining and maintaining a huge and diverse customer base. People with disabilities, as well as those of all races and ethnicities are represented in the company. Equal representation of both genders has also been key in the company through a plan that it launched centuries ago known as the diversity strategy. Career development workshops mainly focusing on women, and diversity training has always been offered ever since the introduction of the strategy. According to Pride, Hughes, and Kapoor, â€Å"McDonald’s encourages the hiring and training of employees with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Hiring a diverse mix of employees helps

French Revolution Essay Example for Free

French Revolution Essay Modernity by itself is a very abstract concept which can be associated with all new experiences in history. It is largely temporal because what is modern today is the old or obsolete tomorrow. Modernity is said to be a logic of negation because it tends to give importance to the present over the past, and at the same time also frowns over the present with respect to the future. From a purely historical perspective however, the society which evolved in Europe after the French Revolution of 1789 can be termed as modern in so much so that there is a marked difference or break in the way of thinking, living and enterprise between the societies after and before the French Revolution. The evolution of the modern society was not a process that happened overnight. The roots of the modern society and its gradual evolution can be traced back to the beginning of the eighteenth century. In fact the period from that point in history to the French Revolution is termed as the period of intellectual Enlightenment when there was a radical change in philosophy, science, politics, arts and culture. It was on these new forms of knowledge that the foundation of the modern society or modernity was based. Defining the Traditional Many scholars have tried to analyze the basic or instinctive nature of human beings in attempts to track back how modernity could have affected the core individual. In his book Leviathan, Hobbes deduced that in an environment uninfluenced by artificial systems or in a ‘state of nature’ human beings would be war like and violent, and their lives would consequently be solitary, poor, brutish and short. Rousseau however contradicts Hobbes. He claims that humans are essentially benevolent by nature. He believed in the ‘noble savage’ or the concept that devoid of civilization human beings are essentially peaceful and egalitarian and live in harmony with the environment – an idea associated with Romanticism. Human beings have however lived in communities and formed societies since the very early ages. In what is now known as the ancient world or the world of classical pagan antiquity typical of the societies of Greece and Rome, the concept of the ‘new’ or ‘change’ was absent. Time, like the seasons, was supposed to move in cyclical order, repeating itself with regularity cycle after cycle with nothing new or changed to break away from the established order. The people were steeped in more superstitious and religious beliefs which ruled almost every aspect of their lives. Christianity brought about changes in the belief systems of the ancient world. Christianity postulated that time was linear, that it began from the birth of Jesus Christ and would end with the apocalypse and the second coming of Jesus. This was a linear concept of time that moved in a straight line and not in a cycle that kept coming back to the same point. The Foundations of Modernity It was during the Enlightenment period that the Christian concepts of time and history were secularized to give way to the modern approach to change and progress. There were many other basic changes during the Enlightenment. The key ideas which formed the basis of the enlightenment period were autonomy and emancipation, progress and the improvement of history and universalism. The development of scientific knowledge gave rise to religious skepticism. People were no longer willing to submit blindly to the dictates of ordained religion. In other words they attained emancipation from the shackles of religion that had governed almost all aspects of their lives. This emancipation led to autonomy of the individual. Individuals began to decide for themselves instead submitting to an external authority such as religion. The people now decided by themselves what kind of authority, rules and regulation would be good for them, and such authority must be natural and not supernatural. Enlightenment encouraged criticism. Enlightenment thinkers did not hold anything sacred and freely criticized, questioned, examined and challenged all dogmas and institutions in their search for betterment or progress. Thinkers such as Voltaire defended reason and rationalism against institutionalized superstition and tyranny. The belief that there could and should be a change for the better came to be a prominent characteristic of modernity. The critical attitude of enlightenment thinker to contemporary social and political institutions paved the way for scientific studies of political and social studies and subsequent evolution of better forms of such institutions. The scientific revolution during the period, culminating in the work of Isaac Newton, presented a very practical and objective view of the natural world to people at large, and science came to be regarded very highly. Scientific inquiry was gradually extended to cover new social, political and cultural areas. Such studies were oriented around the cause-and-effect approach of naturalism. Control of prejudice was also deemed to be essential to make them value free. Enlightenment thinking emphasized the importance of reason and rationality in organization and development of knowledge. The gradual development of the scientific temperament with a paradigm change from the qualitative to the quantitative is also very evident in Europe of the time. People came to believe that they could better their own lot through a more scientific and rational approach to everything. The concept of universalism which advocated that reason and science were applicable to all fields of study and that science laws, in particular, were universal, also grew roots during the period. People began to believe in change, development and progress – all basic tenets of modernity as we know it today. Autonomy to decide for their own good, gave the people the right to choose the form of authority that could lead them as a society or community towards a better future and progress. This opened the doors to the emergence of states with separate and legally defined spheres of jurisdiction. Thus we find that modernity represents a transformation – philosophical, scientific, social, political and cultural – at a definite time in history at a definite spatial location. This transformation also represents a continuum up to the present in so much so that its basic principles are inherent in the societies and nations of today. The period of enlightenment can be seen as one of transition from the ‘traditional’ to the ‘modern’ forms of society, from an age of blind beliefs to a new age of reason and rational. Different Perspectives on development of Modernity Different political and philosophical thinkers have however developed different, and sometimes contradicting, theories of the development of modernity. Friedrich Hegel and Karl Marx are two of the leading thinkers whose theories run counter to each other. For Hegel, the development of modernity was a dialectical process which was governed by the increasing self-consciousness of what he termed as the collective human ‘mind’ or ‘spirit’. According to Hegel, the dialectic process of development of the mind comprised three stages, with two initially contradicting positions synthesizing into a third reconciled position. Human beings live what Hegel called an ‘Ethical Life’ or in a social environment shaped by customs and traditions. This ethical life has three stages: the first is the family, which is dissolved in due course, the second is the ‘civil society’ that a person builds up as a result of his social interactions beyond the family and greater relations, and finally the third stage of the ‘state’ which Hegel defines as the highest form of social reason. For Hegel therefore, the formation of the modern state is the mark of modernity when human beings achieve the ultimate stage of social existence. Hegel believed as individuals or families, human beings are too selfish and self-centered co-exist in harmony and work for development. It is the state that is able to integrate the contradictions of different individuals, and not market forces. Since the state by itself is composed of political institutions, Hegel’s theory equates the development of the modern state or modern political institutions with modernity. Marx took a completely opposing view, when he asserted that material forces drive history. For him the state by itself is not an ideal entity for the integration of human beings into a cohesive whole for their development as a nation or a society. According to him it is the material forces comprising social and economic forces that drive history towards modernity. People engage in production for their means of subsistence, they bind together and form states for the sake of production. Different forms of productions create different class relations. It is to maximize production and gain the maximum benefits and advantages that people bond together in different classes in the form of the modern state. The different ways in which production is organized give rise to complex forms of social organization because a particular mode of production is an entire way of life for the people who are involved in it. For Marx social existence is not consciously determined by human beings, rather, it is the other way round: their social existence determines their consciousness. When there are contradictions between productive forces and the social relationships of production, class conflict arises. For Marx, therefore, modernity is defined by the state of social existence. Marx acknowledges that ‘capitalism has been the most productive mode of production, and it contains the most potential for the realization of human freedom’. This very dynamic characteristic of capitalism is born out of its destructiveness for all traditional social constraints such as religion, nation, family, sex, etc. But it is the same destructiveness and creativeness that creates the experience of modernity in Capitalism. This vital association between capitalism and modernity from none less that Marx himself establishes that the capitalism that evolved after the period of enlightenment in Europe has been acknowledged as the modern era of the period of modernity by Marx. Marx however states that capitalism is exploitative, and because it is exploitative, its full potential cannot be harnessed for the benefit of all. He therefore advocates communism which is a system of planned and conscious production by men and women of their won free will. This brings us to the question whether humanity has already passed through a stage of history that has been termed as modernity, and has moved on to the postmodern era (Mitchell, 2009). Another important point is regarding the placing of modernity. Modernity is understood to be a process that began and ended in Europe, and was later exported to other parts of the world. Thinkers like Marx tend to differ. He saw Capitalism emerge as a ‘rosy dawn’ not in England or the Netherlands but in the production trade and finance of the colonial system (Marx, 1967). Therefore, though the concept of modernity can be defined in various ways, it definitely refers to the process of evolution of the human mind and the society to a point where people were able to come together for their own advantage and benefit and work for unceasing development under a collectively formalized authority such as the nation state. It can also be state with a certain degree of assertiveness that the period from the beginning of the Eighteenth Century to the French Revolution in 1789 actually marked the period of active development of modernity in Europe. The concepts that were nurtured during the period bore fruit immediately afterwards in Europe and the West and later spread to the rest of the world. The world has continued since on very much the same basic principles but with far more advanced technologies and superior social, economic and political approaches. Influence of Modernity on Literature Modernity had a profound influence on literature. As people began to think differently, they also began to write differently. The modernist ideas of religious emancipation, autonomy, reliance on reason, rationality and science, and on development and progress began to find expression in the literature that developed even during the period of enlightenment and thereafter. This new form of literature came to be known as the Modernist Literature. Modernist literature tended to vent expression to the tendencies of modernity. Modernist literature, as also modernist art, took up cudgels against the old system of blind beliefs. Centering around the idea of individualism or the individual mind, modernist literature displayed mistrust of established institutions such as conventional forms of autocratic government and religion. It also tended not to believe in any absolute truths. Simmel (1903) gives an overview of the thematic concerns of Modernist Literature when he states that, â€Å"The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence in the face of overwhelming social forces, of historical heritage, of external culture, and of the technique of life. † Examples from two Greats A few examples of Modernist literature will serve to make its characteristics more clear. Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) is considered to be one of the early enlightenment thinkers whose literary works opened the avenues to the modern era. Known as the founder of modern philosophy and the father of modern mathematics, Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician and scientist whose influence has served to shape the beginnings of Modernist literature. In his famous work, The Discourse on Method, he presents the equally famous quotation ‘cogito ergo sum’ or ‘I think, therefore I am’, which about sums up the very principle of the basis of the modern era. â€Å"I observed that, whilst I thus wished to think that all was false, it was absolutely necessary that I, who thus thought, should be somewhat; and as I observed that this truth, I think, therefore I am (COGITO ERGO SUM), was so certain and of such evidence that no ground of doubt, however extravagant, could be alleged by the sceptics capable of shaking it, I concluded that I might, without scruple, accept it as the first principle of the philosophy of which I was in search† (Descartes, 1637). In this work, Descartes drew on ancients such as Sextus Emiricus to revive the idea of skepticism, and reached a truth that he found to be undeniable. â€Å"Descartes started his line of reasoning by doubting everything, so as to assess the world from a fresh perspective, clear of any preconceived notions. In other words, he rejected man’s reliance on God’s revealed word, placing his own intellect on a higher plain† (McCarter, 2006). David Hume (1711 – 1776) was a philosopher, economist and historian from Scotland, and was considered a notable personality both in western philosophy and of the Scottish Enlightenment movement. In his works, he had a way of projecting the errors of scepticism and naturalism, thus carving out a way for secular humanism. In his most famous work, ‘An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding’, Hume asserts that all human knowledge is imbibed through our senses. He argues that unless the source from which the impression of a certain entity is conveyed to our senses is identified, that entity cannot exist. The logic would nullify the existence of God, a soul or a self. â€Å"By the term impression, then, I mean all our more lively perceptions, when we hear, or see, or feel, or love, or hate, or desire, or will. And impressions are distinguished from ideas, which are the less lively perceptions, of which we are conscious, when we reflect on any of those sensations or movements above mentioned †¦It seems a proposition, which will not admit of much dispute, that all our ideas are nothing but copies of our impressions, or, in other words, that it is impossible for us to think of anything, which we have not antecedently felt, either by our external or internal senses†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dover Philosophical Classics, 2004) In the same work Hume also postulates two kinds of human reasoning – Relation of Ideas and Matters of Fact. The former involves abstract concepts such as of mathematics where deductive faculty is required, and the later is about empirical experiences which are inductive in nature. This postulate has come to be known as Hume’s Fork. Hume, along with his contemporaries of the Scottish Enlightenment, also proposed that the basis for principles of morals is to be sought in the utility that they tend to serve. This shows the questioning nature of modernist literature not only of religious but also of moral and social norms and values. A very visible influence of modernity is therefore seen in the works of Hume. Present-day Modernist Literature If modernity influenced literature, it also used literature to shift from a philosophical and theoretical domain into the practical lives of people. Modernity could infiltrate into the lives of people through literary works that defined and reiterated the legitimate new modes of classification. Old literary forms with traditional meanings attached to them were reworked, allowing readers to modify or contravene the older meanings. â€Å"This opening-up process allowed readers to glean new meanings that modified or contravened the older ones. In the course of these changes, words, forms, and institutions altered their meaning in British life: they, and the practices they comprised, referred differently†¦. modifying ‘reference potential’ in literature fed back into how readers responded to changes in life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rothstein, 2007) In art and literature, many critics view ‘modernism’ as a new trend in the field of art and literature, defined basically by stylistic and structural variations. They would not accept the fact that ‘modernism’, it is basic approach, was the principles of modernity rendered plausible in literature and art. Modernity has always tried to hold up the world in new perspectives. Similarly, modernist literature opens up the world in all its forms – theoretical, philosophical, aesthetical and political – for fresh scrutiny. Even in its present form, modernist literature attempts to break the objective world of the realist. â€Å"Modernist writing †¦ takes the reader into a world of unfamiliarity, a deep introspection, a cognitive thought-provoking experience, skepticism of religion, and openness to culture, technology, and innovation† (Melton, 2010). Modernist literature exhibits a fascination with the workings of the mind, and how reality is reflected by the mind. The questioning of life, with or without the presence of God, is another trademark of the philosophical and theoretical moorings of modernist literature. Charles Darwin’s work challenges God as the Creator and presents the process of natural selection in the survival of life. This led to modernist literature of time travel, of questioning the existence of individuals and the purpose of the universe. Modernism brought about a new openness in the areas of feminism, bisexuality, the family, and the mind. In the world of today, modernist literature still display much of the characteristics of the times in which it first took shape. A very important theme of modernist literature today is a feeling of being alone in the world – a feeling stemming from estrangement or alienation. Characters are often presented as being depressed or angry. A second common trait is that of being in doubt. â€Å"It may be disbelief in religion, in happiness, or simply a lack of purpose and doubt in the value of human life. Finally, a third theme that is prevalent is a search for the truth† (Foster, 2010). Then there is a third theme in which the alienated character is always in the search for truth and seeks answers to a plethora of questions relating to human subjectivity. In all these characteristics are to be found the same questioning nature, the same denouncement of blind beliefs and the same dependence on reason and rationality that the Eighteenth Century enlightenment thinkers had pursued. The character is alienated and estranged because he or she questions all that is deemed not right by his or her own mind; the character questions the beliefs of religion and other institutions which are not based on reasoning; and finally the character seeks answers and the truth. â€Å"Modernist literature encompasses the thematic fingerprints of a rebellious, questioning, disbelieving, meditative, and confident type of form, which was conceived out of a change in the belief of humanity, the mind, a God, and the self brought on by the shift from capitalism to an ever-increasing society of revolutionary changes† (Melton, 2010). References Descartes, R. , 1637, The Discourse on Methods. Dover Philosophical Classics, 2004, David Hume, An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, Dover Publications Inc. Foster, J. , 2010, Modernism in Literature and History, Available: http://www. helium. com/items/743749-modernism-in-literature-and-history Karl Marx, 1967, Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, 3 vols. , New York: International Publishers, 1:703. McCarter, J. , P. , 2006, Literature of the Modern Era, The Puritans’ Home School Curriculum. Melton, L. , 2010, Modernism in Literature and History, Available: http://www. helium. com/items/809291-modernism-in-literature-and-history Mitchell, T. , 2000, The Stage of Modernity, Available: http://www. ram-wan. net/restrepo/modernidad/the%20stage%20of%20modernity-mitchell. pdf Rothstein, E. , 2007, Gleaning Modernity, Earlier Eighteenth Century Literature and the Modernizing Process, Rosemont Publishing and Printing Corp. , Associated University Presses. Simmel, G. , 1093, The Metropolis and Mental Life.

Comparing Christopher Marlow’s Doctor Faustus and William Shakespeare’s

Desire for Knowledge and Power in Christopher Marlow’s Doctor Faustus and William Shakespeare’s Macbeth Plays written during the Renaissance often show how an individual is shaped by that person’s deepest ambitions, such as the desire to know, to rule, or to love, and how these aspirations can lead people down dramatic paths.   Christopher Marlow’s Doctor Faustus and William Shakespeare’s Macbeth both involve noble protagonists who are portrayed as true subjects -   tragic heroes; their selfhood is defined by their ambition and the decisions that they struggle with while attempting to reach their goals.   Knowledge and power are the key objects of their desires:   Faustus’ desire is intellectual, he seeks omniscience, and Macbeth wants to rule Scotland, absolutely and unconditionally.   The desires that Faustus and Macbeth follow lead them to keep striving after more and more.   Both protagonists embark on a classic Renaissance pursuit - the consummate desire for knowledge and power, and these plays depict the tragedies that can arise from over-r eaching toward those desires.   An example of over-reaching on the part of Doctor Faustus and Macbeth is that, to fulfill their ambition, both characters look to activities that go against the prominent religious beliefs of the time, and that were considered offenses to the Crown.   They engage in transgression through unorthodox disciplines such as witchcraft and black magic, and supernatural elements exist within each play that help to define both protagonists as human beings.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Prologue of Doctor Faustus presents the themes of transgressions and overreaching when the chorus says, â€Å"his waxen wings did mount above his reach† (Prologue.21).   This line alludes to the prover... ...beth as key figures to represent the tragic consequences that can result from over-reaching toward goals, and through their unorthodox endeavors to fulfill their personal desires, Faustus and Macbeth are defined as subjects with humanistic qualities.   Both protagonists attain heroic status by their tragic flaw – excessive ambition and determination to pursue what they have undertaken to the bitter end Works Cited Marlowe, Christopher Dr Faustus in ed. WB Worthen The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 2nd edn., Texas: Harcourt Brace 1996. Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. The British Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall 1999. Sources Consulted "William Shakespeare." BBC Homepage. Online. Available http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/culture/shakespeare.shtml. 26 Mar. 2004.

Bartolome de Las Casas

American Literature Massacre in the Indies Thesis: The brutal awakening portrayed by de Las Casas in his account allows us to see what really happened in the Indies and prove why Columbus and other explorers aren’t the heroes their cut out to be. Intro: The discovery of the â€Å"New World† is portrayed as a wonderful time by almost all Americans on Columbus Day each and every year. If people knew the true story about what really happened as accounted by Bartolome de Las Casas then there would be less celebrating and realization that we, as people, are idolizing a false hero. The brutal awakening portrayed by de Las Casas in his account allows us to see what really happened in the Indies and prove why Columbus and other explorers aren’t the heroes their cut out to be. Body: 1. When the â€Å"Christians† arrived to the Indies the Indians viewed them as people from Heaven and soon found out that they were anything but that. A. The amount of food the Christians consumed was unbelievable. For each Christian ate as much food in one day as thirty Indians in one month. B. After the Christians made there way through the villages to the nobles they acted in a way to be considered horrific. They made the rulers watch as they raped their wives with no thoughts of regret in the Christian officer’s minds. 2. It was not long when the Indians decided something needed to be done. They revolted against the Christians but there was no way they could match up to them because while they were using bow and arrows and tomahawks the Christians were using horses, swords and pikes. Brutal raids were implemented on all Indian villages and the Christians used cruel and unusual punishments against them. A. Everyone from pregnant women to children was targeted by these so called Christians. B. Bets were placed by the Christians to see who could cut an Indian’s head off with one swing of the pike as if it were a game. C. Children were taken from their mothers and thrown by their arms and legs into rivers and off the sides of mountains. D. Indians were burned alive in groups of thirteen in remembrance of â€Å"Our Redeemer and His twelve Apostles. E. The hands of some Indians were cut off and tied around their necks as the Christians told them to â€Å"Go now, carry the message,† into the mountains to other Indians who have fled. F. Nobles and Chiefs were treated differently by the Christians, for they were lashed onto a grid of rods and placed on forked sticks then slowly burned in a smoldering fire. One account recalled by de Casas showed four or fiv e nobles latched onto these grids slowly being burned. Their screams were so loud that they were disturbing the captain’s sleep so he ordered them to be strangled but the constable decided to disobey his orders and instead put a stick over their tongues so that they could not scream. 3. While many Indians lives were ended with appalling deaths others were captured and turned into slaves by the Spaniards. More than two million Indians were taken captive and were brought to the island of Puerto Rico to do hard labor. Bartolome de Las Casas American Literature Massacre in the Indies Thesis: The brutal awakening portrayed by de Las Casas in his account allows us to see what really happened in the Indies and prove why Columbus and other explorers aren’t the heroes their cut out to be. Intro: The discovery of the â€Å"New World† is portrayed as a wonderful time by almost all Americans on Columbus Day each and every year. If people knew the true story about what really happened as accounted by Bartolome de Las Casas then there would be less celebrating and realization that we, as people, are idolizing a false hero. The brutal awakening portrayed by de Las Casas in his account allows us to see what really happened in the Indies and prove why Columbus and other explorers aren’t the heroes their cut out to be. Body: 1. When the â€Å"Christians† arrived to the Indies the Indians viewed them as people from Heaven and soon found out that they were anything but that. A. The amount of food the Christians consumed was unbelievable. For each Christian ate as much food in one day as thirty Indians in one month. B. After the Christians made there way through the villages to the nobles they acted in a way to be considered horrific. They made the rulers watch as they raped their wives with no thoughts of regret in the Christian officer’s minds. 2. It was not long when the Indians decided something needed to be done. They revolted against the Christians but there was no way they could match up to them because while they were using bow and arrows and tomahawks the Christians were using horses, swords and pikes. Brutal raids were implemented on all Indian villages and the Christians used cruel and unusual punishments against them. A. Everyone from pregnant women to children was targeted by these so called Christians. B. Bets were placed by the Christians to see who could cut an Indian’s head off with one swing of the pike as if it were a game. C. Children were taken from their mothers and thrown by their arms and legs into rivers and off the sides of mountains. D. Indians were burned alive in groups of thirteen in remembrance of â€Å"Our Redeemer and His twelve Apostles. E. The hands of some Indians were cut off and tied around their necks as the Christians told them to â€Å"Go now, carry the message,† into the mountains to other Indians who have fled. F. Nobles and Chiefs were treated differently by the Christians, for they were lashed onto a grid of rods and placed on forked sticks then slowly burned in a smoldering fire. One account recalled by de Casas showed four or fiv e nobles latched onto these grids slowly being burned. Their screams were so loud that they were disturbing the captain’s sleep so he ordered them to be strangled but the constable decided to disobey his orders and instead put a stick over their tongues so that they could not scream. 3. While many Indians lives were ended with appalling deaths others were captured and turned into slaves by the Spaniards. More than two million Indians were taken captive and were brought to the island of Puerto Rico to do hard labor.

The interviews addressed buying attitudes

OBJECTIVE: Compulsive buying (uncontrolled urges to buy, with resulting significant adverse consequences) has been estimated to affect from 1. 8% to 16% of the adult U. S. population. To the authors’ knowledge, no study has used a large general population sample to estimate its prevalence. METHOD: The authors conducted a random sample, national household telephone survey in the spring and summer of 2004 and interviewed 2,513 adults.The interviews addressed buying attitudes and behaviors, their consequences, and the respondents’ financial and demographic data. The authors used a clinically validated screening instrument, the Compulsive Buying Scale, to classify respondents as either compulsive buyers or not. RESULTS: The rate of response was 56. 3%, which compares favorably with rates in federal national health surveys. The cooperation rate was 97. 6%. Respondents included a higher percentage of women and people ages 55 and older than the U.S. adult population. The estim ated point prevalence of compulsive buying among respondents was 5. 8% (by gender: 6. 0% for women, 5. 5% for men). The gender-adjusted prevalence rate was 5. 8%. Compared with other respondents, compulsive buyers were younger, and a greater proportion reported incomes under $50,000. They exhibited more maladaptive responses on most consumer behavior measures and were more than four times less likely to pay off credit card balances in full.CONCLUSIONS:A study using clinically valid interviews is needed to evaluate these results. The emotional and functional toll of compulsive buying and the frequency of comorbid psychiatric disorders suggest that studies of treatments and social interventions are warranted Source: American Journal of Psychiatry: http://ajp. psychiatryonline. org/cgi/content/abstract/163/10/1806

The Project for a New American Century essays

The Project for a New American Century essays The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) is a Washington based think tank formed in 1997. Current Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz is the ideological father of the group. Some other founding members are current Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Defense Policy Board chairman Richard Perle. William Kristol, famed conservative writer for The Weekly Standard, is also a co-founder of the group and its current chairman. Robert Kagan, Devon Gaffney Cross, Bruce P. Jackson and John R. Bolton serve as directors. Gary Schmitt is executive director of the Project (PNAC, 2000). The PNAC Statement of Principles, originally drafted and sent to President Bill Clinton in 1998, is signed by Cheney, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld, as well as by Eliot Abrams, Jeb Bush, President George W. Bush's special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, and many others. Of the original 18 signatories of this letter, 10 are now involved in the George W. Bush presidency(Pitt, 2003). Because of the number of original PNAC members currently holding office in the Bush Administration, it is safe to say the foreign policy of this presidency was drafted even before George Bush took office. PNAC's "Rebuilding America's Defenses" report issued in 2000 is the institutionalization of plans and ideologies that have been formulated for decades by the men currently running American government. On September 11th, 2001 the fellows from PNAC saw a door of opportunity open wide before them, and stormed right through it. Bush released on September 20, 2001 the "National Security Strategy of the United States of America." It is an ideological match to PNAC's "Rebuilding America's Defenses" report issued a year earlier. In many places, it uses exactly the same language to describe America's new place in the world (Pitt, 2003). A full year before the events of 9/11, it described the need for a new "Pearl Harbor" if the monumental policy...

How to Overcome Hardship and Be Successful [Video]

How to Overcome Hardship and Be Successful [Video] Life can be tough, with lots of roadblocks that stand in the way of your success. The majority of us go through life with our noses to the ground, grinding through one day after the next filled with to-dos. We’re always in a hurry. But what might happen to our state of mind if, just sometimes, we†¦ stopped. What if we looked up to appreciate the beauty of what lies around us every day without us even noticing it? Check out the following TED Talk by Gavin Pretor-Pinney on how you, too, can use what lies around us to calm the stress within.

Community Assessment - Prevention of Hypertensino in adult population Essay

Community Assessment - Prevention of Hypertensino in adult population - Essay Example The measurement of blood pressure is a complex topic, and there is also no exact differentiation between individuals ‘at risk’ from blood pressure-associated morbidity and mortality, and rest of the population. Adequate treatment of High Blood Pressure (HBP) with strict adherence to regimen, better prescribing and compliance, and regular follow-up is expected to reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular episodes. However, literature reviews suggest that healthcare outcomes and patient compliance are not up to the expected level due to several barriers to the successful diagnosis, treatment, and control of hypertension encountered by healthcare providers and lack of compliance by patients with hypertension. Research findings also suggest that there is disagreement among physicians regarding definitions of hypertension, and confusion over medications for BP control. As such, it is essential to maintain uniformity in research standards and clinical approaches to improve the quality of care for controlling patient’s blood pressure and introduce nurse-led blood pressure management initiative, to attain the goals of Healthy People as envisaged. Hypertension is prevalent in â€Å"28% of the US population and 35% of the African American population. However, only 1 in 4 patients with hypertension are controlled to a blood pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg.† (Wright et al, 2002, p.1636-1643). Cross-sectional analysis of national representative data by Wang & Wang (2004), conforming to new classification of blood pressure levels by Joint National Committee (JNC) on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure report (JNC 7 Report published in 2003), found that â€Å"elevated blood pressure is a serious problem in the United States. Approximately 60% of American adults have pre-hypertension or hypertension, and some population groups, such as African Americans, older people, low-socioeconomic-status groups, and overweight

International Business Management ( Final Project) Assignment

International Business Management ( Final Project) - Assignment Example The global expansion had increased their profit and market share in the global market; however, the company has also experienced numerous challenges in emerging markets like China. China was regarded as the second largest growing nation in the world during 2010, whose annual growth was above 10% (US-Pacific Rim International, Inc., 2010). This has attracted many companies especially, the retail companies, to expand their business in China so as to cater the needs of the world largest population. Despite the growing economy and lucrative business market, the foreign companies failed to continue a successful business in China because of various strategic issues (US-Pacific Rim International, Inc., 2010). The same situation was encountered by Tesco PLC who entered China through foreign direct investment in 2004. The reason for selecting China is that, many well known international brands such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco had to face a number of challenges and even failure due to a number of reasons; few of which is discussed in the report with respect to Tesco Plc. Therefore, it is quite interesting to know the fact behind the failure of Tesco plc to capture the Chinese market. Tesco Plc entered China during 2004 with the help of 50:50 ventures with local retailer Hymall. Nevertheless, soon after few years in 2006, the company bought another 40% of the venture (Tesco, 2015; Telegraph Media Group Limited, 2015). Tesco PLC in China employs around 21,000 employees and had opened more than 62 stores and has the goal of opening hundreds of stores so as to reach every corner of China during 2009. Analysts have depicted the fact that the Chinese market has the ability to become the largest country for the business of Tesco. Nevertheless, Tesco Plc had experienced a number of issues in China, which have forced them to close many stores in the past three years (Song, 2013). The main issue was related to the failure

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 14

Sociology - Essay Example The link between social class and educational attainment can be proved to exist if evidence is found for the existence of a relationship between ability and social class since good abilities are very essential for sound education, since good abilities are essential for sound education and learning. A person is gifted with good abilities by nature. Though practice makes a lot of difference but a practicing person can never be as sharp as the one who is mentally smart. Therefore, good abilities are in born and can not be developed. Secondly, it needs to be evaluated whether a social class is inherited or a higher social class is attainable through hard work or not. Thirdly, it needs to be clarified whether social class is needed to ensure sound educational attainment, or vice versa. It can be observed in the society that money can not buy everything. Many rich parents fail to educate their children despite getting them admitted in expensive schools. Many schools guarantee that they can educate students the best but the fact is that it is not true unless the students themselves take interest in their studies. On the other hand, we come across many cases where poor parents have succeeded in educating their children good enough to get them high posts and good salaries, and accordingly they social class of the children gets upgraded as compared to their parents. Thus, it is proved that money can not buy learning and a higher social status is quite attainable through hard work and luck. Expensive schools are not necessary for the attainment of good education. A mentally sharp and hard working person can get the highest level of education. All he / she needs is to be at the right place and the right time and a good luck. Education is not the property of the rich. Thu s, there is no significant relationship between social class and educational

Ethnic Conflict Essay Example for Free

Ethnic Conflict Essay 2. Discuss the effect that modernization has had on ethnic identification and ethnic conflict. The effect modernization has had on ethnic identification and ethnic conflict is not a great one. Early modernization theorists, who were quite optimistic about the positive effects of literacy, urbanization, and modern values, clearly underestimated the extent to which these factors might mobilize various ethnic groups and set them against each other (Handelman, 2011, p. 113). Modernization challenged traditional religious, national, and tribal identities by undercutting traditional ethnic practices and values. A huge part of current modernization is globalization, which pose an even greater challenge. The long-term effect of the expanding â€Å"world culture† advanced by globalization are not entirely clear (Handelman, 2011, p. 114). Globalized culture can create a backlash and increase tensions between neighboring communities as not everyone can ethically identify with each other. 3. What are some reasons that might explain why major civil strife related to ethnicity has declined in the last 10-15 years? Some reasons that might explain why major civil strife related to ethnicity has declined in the last 10-15 years are statecraft, constitutional arrangements and external intervention. In addition, the transition to a democratic government has aided in the decline. Faced with common critical environmental, social and economic matters for the previous 10 to 15 years, different ethnic groups came to what socialist have called a culture of accommodation. Accommodation is the practice which contradictory groups make a mindful attempt to make working arrangements with in them which then suspend the conflict and make their relations more acceptable and reduce wasteful energy.

Doctor Manette’s Role In A Tale of Two Cities :: A Tale of Two Cities

Doctor Manette’s Role in A Tale of Two Cities Introduction- Individual characters often exist as the heart of a novel. I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Tale of Two Cities evolved from Doctor Manette’s story A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Doctor Manette’s story II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Recalled to Life† A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Doctor Manette’s appearance B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His revival C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His relationship with his daughter III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Doctor Manette’s relapses A. His newfound strength IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Doctor Manette as a hero Conclusion- Doctor Manette as the nucleus of the novel. Individual characters often exist as the heart of the novel. They contain dynamic characteristics and occupy a central position in the novel. In A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens uses Doctor Manette as the core of his novel, Doctor Manette â€Å"is a worthy hero and a crucial piece in the puzzle†(Glancy 75). His personality and story thrusts him into the spotlight throughout the book. The novel revolves around his character. A Tale of Two Cities evolved from Doctor Manette’s story. He has witnessed the aftermath of a rape and assault committed by two twin nobles, the Evrà ©mondes, and is forbidden to speak of it; â€Å"†¦the things that you see here are things to be seen and not spoken of† (Dickens 325). But when Manette tries to report these crimes he is locked up in the Bastille. The novel is then built up through Doctor Manette’s cruel and unjustified imprisonment and the events following his release from prison(Lindsay 103). That is how he becomes the core of the novel. Upon the opening of the novel Dr. Manette is a weak and horrific man. He is a man â€Å"recalled to life† (Dickens 24) from an eighteen-year imprisonment and has the appearance of an aged man having white hair and a ragged face; â€Å"he is a ghost, the empty shell of a man† (Glancy 69). He is very confused, so confused he cannot recall any of his past or even remember his name. â€Å"The experience of oppressive misery has not merely twisted him†¦it has broken down the whole system of memory in his psyche† (Lindsay 104). He is a mere victim of the past. â€Å"Dr. Manette has been driven mad, broken and goaded into a destroying curse, by eighteen years of unjust imprisonment in the Bastille† (Johnson 30). He is too accustomed to imprisonment to be able to bear freedom, which was true of many prisoners during the Revolution. But he is resurrected at the sight of his daughter, who stimulates the memory of his wife with her â€Å"threads of gold†, or her golden hair.

David Wilson’s Speech on Darwin’s Cathedral Essay

The speaker, David Sloan Wilson, believes that societies function as single organisms, and morality and religion biologically and culturally evolved adaptations that enable human groups to function as single units rather than an assortment of individual unites. His lecture was a poor attempt to explain group selection, which is selection for a characteristic specifically because the characteristics enhance the reproductive success of the group as a whole, rather than solely the individual. The beginning of his lecture was not very helpful in proving anything; he merely quoted several phrases from scientists and read them to the audience. I wasn’t really sure where he was going at this point. Then, he went on to explain examples or should I say a lack of examples, which he considered to undergo group selection. He allegedly did some sort of experiment with chickens and their eggs. He tried to say that under group selection the experiment showed that there was an increased production of all the chickens’ eggs. However, within a group selection only certain individuals benefited. There was also some weird twist in this experiment, he tried selecting for the best individuals and then put them all together in one cage, and they got violent with each other and de-feathered each other, while at the same time he used the best group of chickens together in the same cage that produced the most eggs as a group. Then, he compared the group of the best selected individuals with the best group, and somehow he tried to prove his point. I don’t really think anyone was convinced except for himself. It seemed like the only thing he tested for was who works the best in a cage, because that situation would never occur in nature. Another example of group selection according to him had to do with bees. But, once again he was most likely wrong because it appears that bee’s act according to kin selection, which is selection for characteristics that enhance the fitness of the individual indirectly by enhancing the reproductive success of the individual’s relatives, because all bees are related. There is only one female queen bee and the rest are workers who  have no choice, but to work like slaves for the benefit of the queen and its relatives. Then, at the end of the lecture someone posed a question about how could he explain the endosymbiotic theory according to group selection, I think this question may have stumped him, because whatever he said didn’t seem very convincing , but yet he tried to defend his point, even though the endosymbiotic theory seems to explained by many as a mutualistic relationship. He also tried to explain group selection in relation to religion. He attempted to demonstrate how religions have enabled people to achieve, by working as a unit, what they could have never done alone. Apparently, he examined specific examples of religious culture from Calvinism to Balinese water temples in hopes that his group selection theory would be confirmed, and somehow he supposedly did verify this. But all in all, I think he needs to attain more believable concrete research, and then present experiments that will clearly prove his point without too much doubt. If he wants people to buy into his theory of group selection he really needs more data to back his theory up with because I wasn’t really impressed with what I saw, most of it was really confusing, hard to sit through, hard to believe, and didn’t make much sense. He cant simply prove group selection through theory alone he needs more empirical data, so that he can prove to people he is right, instead of trying to convince us through babbling on and on about nothing, but I do give him credit for his speech. His answers and conclusions may not be correct, but at least he is questioning and examining things like a good scientist should do. He is obviously a firm believer in himself, and did put forth some thought and effort in trying to prove his theory and he demonstrated some real courage by trying to go outside of his own field of evolutionary biology into matters of religion and trying to connect the two. Even though his book may not prove his theory of group selection, the controversial title should make him a lot of money. Group selection is selection for a characteristic specifically because the characteristics enhances the reproductive success of the group as a whole. Kin selection is selection for characteristics that enhance the fitness of the individual indirectly by enhancing the reproductive success of the individuals relatives.

20 Years Ago India Essay

Twenty years ago this weekend, three top Indian officials burned the midnight oil tearing up old import controls and preparing a package of economic reforms that would slowly lead to the booming India that is widely admired today, with growth of 8-9%, 300-350m people enjoying the benefits of a consumer economy, and businessmen operating internationally. But India seems to be in no mood to celebrate that momentous event, just as it wasn’t at India’s 50th anniversary of independence in 1997 when the feeling was downbeat. People then were unsure of what to celebrate, since so little had been achieved in terms of economic development, care for the poor, and industrial efficiency since the British left in 1947. Ten years later, that had changed because of the economic boom of the intervening years. But the 1997 mood is now back again. People are aware that, despite all the economic and business successes, 800m people are still desperately poor and under-nourished, with poor access to clean water and health and education services. Public infrastructure and services are crumbling, national security and defence preparedness is woefully inadequate, and governance is sliding into a greedy, corrupt and inefficient abyss with no bottom in sight. Popular contrasts of India’s elephant and China’s tiger economies are being trotted out in various articles and studies, as they have been for 20 years. But the contrast is simplistic because India has its tiger industries such as information technology (IT), autos, pharma, and mobile telecoms that have been spurred by entrepreneurial drive and technological change. There are also rapidly industrializing states – notably Gujarat and Tamil Nadu (despite its political corruption). These are taking the place of India’s earlier internationally lauded cities, Bangalore and Hyderabad, the capitals of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh that have been swamped by the greed and corruption of politicians and businessmen in areas such as land acquisition, mining and real estate. (The Karnataka chief minister is this week accused of facilitating multi-million dollar illegal mining). India’s blundering elephant is the government establishment that has refused over the past 20 years to change the way that the country is run. The 1991 whittling-down of the government’s role has not been followed through. The government still controls the mostly unreformed banking and defence sectors as well as the vast array of public sector industries and, in various ways, land useage and licensing, especially in the corrupt telecom sector. Such government controls skew development. When the current United Progressive Alliance (UPA) came to power in 2004, led by Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, reforms were initially held back by Communist-led Left Front that supported the government. Since the 2009 general election, reforms have been blocked by the disproportionate power of other coalition partners that have 20 or fewer MPs out of the coalition’s total of 262. The main problem however is that Sonia Gandhi, who heads the Congress Party, is not a firm enough believer in reforms to push Singh and his government into a tougher line, and Singh is too cautious. Consequently, a raft of reforms have been delayed including divestments of stakes in public sector businesses, increasing FDI in various sector such as defence, insurance and retail, and – most important of all – curbing subsidies. Montek Ahluwalia, whose Planning Commission is currently finalising a new five-year plan, argues that the future focus should be on three more urgent areas that would otherwise block economic progress – the use of energy and water, and urbanisation. These areas need changes of action by the central government, and even more by state governments, that has eluded India for the past 20 years. It is hard to see how India can tackle these issues, given that failure since 1991. People who are well off will of course do better, and the 300-350m people now enjoying varying levels of consumerism will increase in number and satisfaction. Companies will become more profitable and will become more internationally active. But social tensions will increase, with growing battles over the use of land and other scarce resources. Major reforms will be needed to reverse the trend of bad governance and corruption. It is an irony that, though the past 20 years began and now end with Manmohan Singh, he was neither in charge at the beginning, nor is he at the end. That is not a criticism, but in the early 1990s he could only do what he did courtesy of Narasimha Rao, and now he cannot do what he doesn’t do courtesy of Sonia Gandhi and the UPA’s coalition partners. Something surely needs to change.