Asian Americans as Model Minorities essays

Asian Americans as Model Minorities essays For 20 years, Asian Americans have been portrayed by the press and the media as a successful minority. Asian Americans are believed to benefit from astounding achievements in education, rising occupational statuses, increasing income, and are problem-fee in mental health and crime. The idea of Asian Americans as a model minority has become the central theme in media portrayal of Asian Americans since the middle 1960s. The term model minority is given to a minority group that exhibits middle class characteristics, and attains some measure of success on its own without special programs or welfare. Asian Americans are seen as a model minority because even though they have faced prejudice and discrimination by other racial groups, they have succeeded socially, economically, and educationally without resorting to political or violent disagreements with the majority race. The success of the minority is offered as proof that the American dream of equal opportunity is capable to those who conform and who are willing to work hard. Therefore, the term model minority really is a means (1) to control minority groups in society, (2) to validate and reinforce the values of the white majority, and (3) to inform other minority groups that they too could achieve success if they conform to the values and norms of the middle class. Statistics that support this model minority theory can be found in many areas, the first being education. Fifty percent of Asian Americans 25 and older hold a bachelors degree compared to twenty-nine percent of the white population. Many studies have used standardized tests and school records, such as SAT, GPA, and other measures to compare the academic performance of Asian American students with non-Asian American students. Several studies have indicated that the outstanding academic performance of Asian students might be attributed to their cultural ...

Notable Quotes from George Orwells Animal Farm

Notable Quotes from George Orwells Animal Farm George Orwells  influential, allegorical  novel  Animal Farm was published in 1945. In the novel, the overworked and mistreated animals on a farm all begin to follow the precepts of Animalism, rise up against the humans, take over the farm, and rename the place: Animal Farm. Here are a few quotes from this famous work. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 1THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.3. No animal shall wear clothes.4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.5. No animal shall drink alcohol.6. No animal shall kill any other animal.7. All animals are equal.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 2The animals were happy as they had never conceived it possible to be. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure, now that it was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves, not doled out to them by a grudging master.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 3I will work harder!- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 3FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 3It was given out that the animals there practiced cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was what came of rebelling against the laws o f Nature, Frederick and Pilkington said.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 4 I have no wish to take life, not even human life, repeated Boxer, and his eyes were full of tears.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 4Napoleon is always right.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 5All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 6The human beings did not hate Animal Farm any less now that it was prospering; indeed, they hated it more than ever.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 6They were always cold, and usually hungry as well.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 7If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip, all equal, each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 7 They had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes. Chapter 7Some of the animals remembered or thought they remembered that the Sixth Commandment decreed, No animal shall kill any other animal. And though no one cared to mention it in the hearing of the pigs or the dogs, it was felt that the killings which had taken place did not square with this.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 8Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out.- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 9 Study Guide Questions for study and discussion.General book club questions for Study and Discussion

Healthcare organization strategic plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Healthcare organization strategic plan - Essay Example The management of the healthcare facility should put in place mechanisms that will see the staff motivated to do their work successfully. This will result in quality and services being delivered to the patients thereby alleviating the suffering experienced by the patients. Motivated staff will always feel proud of being associated with the healthcare facility whereas non-motivated employees tend to look down upon their place of work (Kadis, 2009). The management should enhance empowerment among the staff. A member of the staff should feel free or at liberty to act in a manner that is beneficial to the healthcare facility. Empowerment result in self-confidence among the employees and this is what makes it easy to attainment the objectives stated in the mission of the healthcare facility (Gill, 1997). The management should put in place mechanisms that will see new skills imparted in the staff members. This will help in the achievement of the objectives aimed at ensuring quality healthcare is provide to the patients. The disease or ailments of the world keep on changing and so do the approaches used to avert or treat them. Efficient service delivery or treatment of such diseases calls for an educated and competent staff which should have been pre-trained on how to handle patients (Crawford, 2010). Involvement of the patients in the management processes is crucial for it ensures that the patient understands what is expected of him or her whenever he/she is in the facility and also what to expect from the staff of the facility. Cooperation between the management staff and patients results in best attainable standards in service delivery (Kadis, 2009). Any organization must strive to achieve the requirement of running the operations in terms of human resource availability. The quality of service delivery is highly dependent on both the quality and quantity of

Greece is finding it difficult to manage its public sector deficit as Essay

Greece is finding it difficult to manage its public sector deficit as a tool to improve its economy. What alternatives are open - Essay Example The figures 1a below shows the evolution of some key macroeconomic indicators for Greece from 2006 to 2010 Figure 1a GDP growth and Unemployment for Greece from 2006 – 2010 Source: IMF The Economic problems for Greece The macroeconomic problems for Greece are aplenty. The GDP is contracting and unemployment rising. Most importantly, its debt has been constantly increasing for the last many years and as of end 2010, it was 143% of its GDP (as shown in Figure 1b below) with current deficit at 13% of the GDP. The current financial mess in Greece came to the open when the newly elected government announced in October 2010 that its current deficit had been falsely reported for the last few years. This revelation led yields on Greek government bonds and interest rates for new credit to rise astronomically, meaning that it was no longer viable for Greece to raise money from the market to maintain the levels of government spending that it had been doing since many years. The key prior ity now for Greece to overcome its economic woes is to bring its debt to more sustainable levels with a first target of not more than 100% of GDP. Figure 1b Gross debt as percentage of GDP for Greece 2006 to 2010 Source: IMF Option for Greece to alleviate its economic woes The Greek economy enjoyed growth from 2003-2007 largely due to high government spending. Historically, public spending accounted for a large part (>40%) of the GDP. Since public spending is not a luxury that Greece enjoys anymore, it needs to bring the economy back to growth through other means with the top priority of bring debt levels down to instil investor confidence in Greece. Because Greece is a member of the EMU, it has no longer the option to devalue its currency (to help make exports more competitive) or to control its monetary policy that best suits its own economy (interest rates and inflation). Given this, Greece could consider exiting the EMU - by exiting the EMU and dropping the Euro as its currency, Greece would revert to its original currency, the Drachma. It would no longer be under the control of the ECB for its monetary policy and it can devalue its currency and let its exporters get the competitive advantage. However, this would bring largely negative effect on the investors in Greece and would affect the investment coming into Greece. The overall effect may be a little to no change in the GDP but a largely disgruntled EU. So, Greece must look at options (with staying in the EMU in mind) aimed at reducing its overall sovereign debt and improving the economy. The possibilities for Greece then are: a) Reduce sovereign debt by restructuring the debt Clearly, sovereign debt is the biggest economic problem for Greece today. It is at a highly unsustainable level of 143% of the GDP. This means that any new loans for Greece would come at very high interest rates. Now, Greece could either simply default on its debt or it could try to restructure its debt. A debt default would mean even lower investor confidence which may not be a very positive sign for Greece. It could however, try to restructure its debt by: 1) Extending the maturity of its debt 2) Reducing the face value of the debt 3) Combination of both 1 and 2 above Extending the mat

Environment, Crime, and Disease of Pakistan Essay Example for Free

Environment, Crime, and Disease of Pakistan Essay In 1947 Pakistan was granted a partition from British India and Pakistan was created. Since that date, Pakistan as a country has been facing a set of unique problems. Environment, crime and disease are issues that influence the lives of all people of Pakistan. Awareness, security and protection by Pakistan government is required if change is expected. Overpopulation and terrorism are two issues that must be addressed by the Pakistan’s government. Pakistan is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and the country is tainted by the terrorist acts, which take place every day. Pakistan’s current state and the issues of terrorism and population have significant influence on environment, crime, and disease within Pakistan. Overpopulation is defined as the state in which numbers exceed the ability to provide available resources. Overpopulation creates a long list of problems which includes but not limited to issues of; food shortage in the country because its resources are not sufficient to meet the needs of the people, issues of transportation resources that are not sufficient to provide better transport facilities to whole of the population. Overpopulation creates air, water and noise pollution in the environment and in this way, badly effects the environment and the health of the people of Pakistan. The ratio between the population and available resources cannot be ignored. Available resources will not be sufficient to meet the demand of rising population. The amount of waste produced by population will slow down the waste management programs leaving untreated waste and poor hygiene that will result in the spread of diseases. Overpopulation will make the spread of contagious diseases even easier. Health resources available will not be sufficient enough to cater to the needs of the huge population. Population issues of Pakistan and how this issue is affecting the environmental health and economical state of Pakistan is a real concern. Pakistan is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. According to the World Bank’s overview of Pakistan, â€Å"Pakistan has important strategic endowments and development potential. The country is located at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, China and the Middle East and is thus at the fulcrum of a regional market with a vast population, large and diverse resources, and untapped potential for trade. The increasing proportion of Pakistan’s working-age population provides the country with a potential demographic dividend but also with the critical challenge to provide adequate services and increase employment† (para. 1). If steps are taken the population of Pakistan can be beneficial to the development, growth, and economic state of the country. The government must promote and fund education awareness to the citizens of Pakistan. IRIN News reports in 2011, â€Å"According to official figures, the projected population for 2015 is 191 million, up from the current figure of 170 million, making it the sixth most populous nation on earth. By 2050 it is expected to climb into fourth place† (para 2). The percentage of Pakistani are of Islam faith and the religious beliefs are a factor in the growth rate. Unfortunately, the Muslim’s in Pakistan are led to believe that birth control is a heinous sin. It’s normal for men in the country to desire to father many children and to seek medical treatment if they cannot achieve this goal. In China, those couples who have more than one child lose their jobs and have to migrate to the rural areas to work in the fields. In Pakistan, modern education should be taught to the people that birth control is not forbidden by Islam. Until that happens, Pakistan’s population will go on increasing exponentially. There is another factor to consider when overpopulation is being analyzed within Pakistan. At independence in 1947, many refugees from India settled in urban areas of Pakistan. Years preceding the partition, a significant amount of the residents of Pakistan cities boarding India were immigrants. Some refugee colonies were eventually recognized as cities in their own right. People of India migrated from the Muslim minority provinces to Muslim majority provinces within Pakistan, seeking refuge. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports, â€Å"Pakistan hosts over 1.6 million registered Afghans, the largest and most protracted refugee population in the world† (para 1). The Pakistan government is trying to put processes in place to assist the refugees back to their original country of home. It is vital to the state of the country and all people living in Pakistan for the government and other assisting programs to continue to make progress concerning the population issue in Pakistan. Terrorism is another threat to Pakistan’s progress as a country. Terrorism crime is affecting the development of Pakistan and is a devastating issue to the people, safety, economy, and quality of life within Pakistan. The war on terror has affected Pakistan more than any other nation in the world. The World Bank reports, â€Å"Pakistan faces significant economic, governance and security challenges to achieve durable development outcomes. The persistence of conflict in the border areas and security challenges throughout the country is a reality that affects all aspects of life in Pakistan and impedes development. A range of governance and business environment indicators suggest that deep improvements in governance are needed to unleash Pakistans growth potential† (para 2). The civilians involved are traumatized by the fighting, violence, and discrimination. Human rights are being denied due to the continuous attacks and violence the terrorist afflict on the civilians wit hin Pakistan. This country would greatly benefit from a leader who can lead this country in its hour of crisis and make the population feel proud of their nationality. The major reason of increase in population and the terrorism in Pakistan is due to lack of education and government investment. Government should invest more money to educate people. Pakistan government must remain allies to those who will support the initiatives set in motion to establish a positive future for the country of Pakistan. The Pakistan government must make those who commit terrorist acts accountable and stand up for the victims. The country must strengthen the infrastructure of its military and security groups. Government of Pakistan should focus on improving economic governance, human development, social protection, security, and reducing the risk of conflict. Through these objectives the country’s ability to become a stronger country will increase. References IRIN News. (2011, January 18). PAKISTAN: Population growth rate adds to problems Retrieved from http://www.irinnews.org/Report/91656/PAKISTAN-Population-growth-rate-adds-to-problems Peter Blood, ed. Pakistan: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1994. Retrieved from http://countrystudies.us/pakistan/29.htm The UN Refugee Agency. (2013). Pakistan. Retrieved February 7, 2013, from http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e487016.html The World Bank. (nd). Pakistan. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/pakistan

Opposing Views of the Effectiveness of Monetary Policy Essay -- Econom

Opposing Views of the Effectiveness of Monetary Policy Monetary policy is a powerful governmental weapon which has historically proven that it is difficult to wield. This difficulty is one of the reasons why some economists doubt the effectiveness of monetary policy as a whole. These economists find that monetary policy is difficult to implement because of estimation problems and time lag problems, as well as cyclic effects. They also point out situations in which monetary policy may not work at all. On the other hand, some economists swear by monetary policy as one of the most influential economic tools. These economists show that controlling money supply in America is a relatively young idea, and is developing rapidly. They also attempt to show that money supply affects many variables in our economy, and that it is useful in more situations than the anti-monetary policy economists, Keynesian economists, would have us believe. To gauge the ineffectiveness of monetary policy some economists call our attention to the great depression. How could governmental monetarists allow one quarter of the country to be unemployed[1] or for one third of commercial banks to be put out of business by â€Å"bank panics?†[2] People who took part in these bank panics were not only taking out their â€Å"own† money, but were taking out possible loans for others (the amount they took out multiplied by the money multiplier) which eventually became 31% of the total money supply.[3] The economist best fit to use monetary policy would be able to tell the future, or at least provide a pretty good estimate. These estimates are very difficult when sometimes the results of policy actions are not seen for months to over a year. Corrections of these ... ...ed: Mishkin, F.S. The economics of Money, Banking, and Financial Markets. Sixth Edition. 2003. Schwartz, A.J. Money Supply. The Concise Encyclopedia of economics. The Library of economics and Liberty. Online: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/MoneySupply.html Meltzer, A.H. A Liquidity Trap? Online: http://www.gsia.cmu.edu/afs/andrew/gsia/meltzer/a_liquidity_trap.pdf Online: http://www.korpios.org/resurgent/Fed.htm What Role did the Fed Play in Causing the Great Depression? Ueda, K. Speech at Japan Society of Monetary economics. December, 2001. Online: http://www.boj.or.jp/en/press/koen072.htm#0202 Online: http://www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/amu/ucr/student/1997/Yee/depression.htm The Cause of the Great Depression in 1929. Online: http://www.shambhala.org/business/goldocean/causdep.html What Caused the Great Depression of the 1930’s?

Dixons Hrm Brief

Human Resource Management Functional Brief Dixons Group’s decision to reorientate the business around serving the customer has had far reaching implications for Human Resource Management (HRM). The emphasis on first-class customer service is intended to help Dixons differentiate itself from its online competitors. The decision to stress personal, face-to-face interactions is clearly something that online competitors will be unable to replicate and if this can be turned into a source of competitive advantage for the company then it represents a sound strategic move.The strategy does, however, hinge on Dixons being able to deliver this excellent customer service. The very face-to-face nature of service delivery means that it can only be provided through the employees of Dixons group which, in turn, means that human resource management is pivotal. This shift in emphasis is best illustrated by the two delivery drivers in the video of the customer plan who comment that when deliver ing goods ‘we shouldn’t just be saying â€Å"sign here† and then running off. We should give them [the customer] that experience’. http://www. dixonsretail. com/dixons/templates/modules/video. jsp) Aligning HRM strategy with this shift in business strategy has considerable implications for Dixons employees. With employee turnover at 15% – a low level for a retail organisation – the majority of employees affected by the change have spent time working under the previous system. This means that a significant amount of retraining is necessary to ensure that employees both know and are able to implement the new strategy.At the heart of the new strategy is the idea of solving problems for the customer. As Group Chief Executive, Sebastian James points out ‘When customers come in and say they want a television what they actually mean is that they want to do something – they want to watch the game, entertain the kids†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Traini ng Dixons staff to help solve the customers’ problems involves ensuring that they not merely have excellent product knowledge but also the know how to provide ancillary services around the product.Dixons achieves this through a mixture of techniques, for example workshops and e-learning. Techniques to help the employees remember the key features of particular products are also employed. Through a clear, customer orientated approach, Dixons hopes to be able to help solve their customers’ problems, rather than simply sell them a box. This training has cost Dixons a great deal of money, with all staff having been through at least three cycles of retraining.These efforts, however, appear to be bearing fruit with significantly improved customer advocacy measures. The percentage of customers who are ‘very likely to recommend’ Dixons has risen from 43% to 73% since 2010 (Dixons Annual Report and Accounts 2011/12, p. 9). The Dixons case illustrates how the alignme nt of business strategy with people strategy is important in achieving organisational objectives. The customer metrics appear to be improving and it will be interesting to see how this impacts on the financial performance of the business.

Samuel P. Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilization Review

Samuel P. Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilizations can be summarized as a snapshot of the current state of political affairs of the world through the lens of western civilization. Throughout the paper the author had made numerous hypotheses that stated while nation states will remain a powerful and formidable force in the foreseeable future, it is the non-visible boundaries of civilizations that will shape the future of conflicts and forge allies as well as adversaries. The author has drawn from history in creating his assumption that current and future conflicts will be founded on the basis of civilizations as opposed to kingdoms and emperors.Huntington had stated that with the rise of governments â€Å"for the people† that â€Å"†¦the  wars of the peoples had begun† signaling a major change in why mankind has waged warfare. As such, populations of each respective culture will more than likely form alliances with populations from their own civiliz ations and forge enemies with those they have no common ground with. The author doesn’t take the time to explain the â€Å"why† this phenomena is occurring but chooses to merely gloss over any underlying reasons it may be happing and instead reiterate that it is in fact occurring.Many assumptions are made throughout the paper by evidence of a lack of adequate sources for many hypotheses which would leave the reader to assume that what is said is merely â€Å"common knowledge†. The author glazes over major historical events which had demonstrated peoples from different cultures and civilizations working together towards economic benefit such as the Silk Road.1Persuasion of the TheoristSamuel P. Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilizations is persuasive in historical anecdotes and real world current events. Most of Huntington’s essay need not say anything more then what is already repeated on major media outlets around the world. The essay states what has long been opposed by the far left; namely, that people choose to interact, trade and form alliances with â€Å"like peoples†. It then, shouldn’t come as a surprise that the author needs to say little in order to sway an audience to his hypothesis by simply relating real world events such as rising nationalism in Russia2, Greece3 and France.One only has to look at the Anglo sphere of alliances in areas of conflict in the Middle East to find that Huntington’s persuasive argument is a narrative of real world events4. Non-Western nations that hope to transition into modern nations form alliances with Western nations but such alliances only serve to further destroy the credibility of the elites within those non-western countries. The elites are viewed simply as â€Å"puppets† of foreign interest.The rise of extremist organizations such as Hezbollah that have successfully achieved legitimacy through the democratic process of their respective nation st ates further proves that the will of the people in non-western countries is not to be â€Å"let into the club† so to speak, but to form their indepedent civilizations identity while modernizing their economies and infrastructure. Huntington’s essay was able to be persuasive due to how it presented historical  information in light of real world events but failed to mention historical periods that saw massive growth in economic trade and cross pollination of civilizations such as the silk road 6, Incense Road7 or even the lesser known Tea Horse Road 8.Threats, Challenges, and OpportunitiesSamuel P. Huntington’s essay can alternatively be summed up as a threat brief and the challenges it bears provide little opportunity for western nations to exploit economic ventures in developing nations. However, Huntington’s essay does provide a ray of light by illuminating the opportunities Western nations have to form and cultivate defense, economic and intellectual relationships within their own civilizations9. Hunting has shown that civilizations that are similar generally avoid conflicts in national security and economic trade while the reverse seems to only exacerbate the two.This presents a unique opportunity for western nations to carefully examine who they consider as allies and coalition partners while also providing incentives for rethinking our security strategy of disarmament while simultaneously attempting to dissuade developing nations from increasing their arsenals. When one begins to look at current events and policies through the lens of civilizations it becomes apparent that many of our previous alliances with those different from us had been doomed from the start as evidence by the low participation rates of countries from East Asia who only sent token forces for operations in OIF and OEF.One could easily support Hunting’s warning of working together with unlike civilizations by simply looking at the debacle of the Sout h Korea armed forces in Afghanistan and its failure to support US operations while despite US forces that had shed blood on their soil in order in conflicts past10.Analysis of the Future Operational EnvironmentIn reviewing Samuel P. Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilizations it is painfully obvious that our previous alliances had been formed on convenience rather than an introspective look into who â€Å"we† as Americans are and how our supposed allies view our relationships. Do our current noticeable dearth of allies view themselves as western nations, are they simply trying to â€Å"join the club† or are they simply biding their time until  they can switch alliances to a group that resembles their civilization and values more than we do?It is my opinion based upon token efforts from allies during wartime, combined with an eager willingness to negotiate with terrorist and non-state actors that our current slew of â€Å"allies† are a bigger threat than some of our enemies. If present conflicts dictate what future areas of concern will be, we should form stronger alliances with like minded civilizations that have already proven their dedication to our shared values such as Poland11, Georgia and former East Bloc countries that have taken similar stances against terrorism by deeds and not words.Based upon the technological advantage and intellectual innovation I would argue that the â€Å"where† US forces might deploy is irrelevant compared to â€Å"who† we might deploy with. Potential enemies to western interest will remain non-western countries for the foreseeable future and despite Russia’s growing nationalism and desire to increase its military strength it will remain an economic defunct nation susceptible to the effects of brain drain12 and disenfranchisement of its middle class.The issues and concerns of redefining our allies along the thread of a common civilization will greatly increase the complexi ty of logistics in military operations due to our geographic locations as compared to those of our advesaries. For example, due to past examples of cowardice; such as negotiating with terrorist, if the US would remove South Korea as an ally it would have increased logistical challenges in dealing with North Korea and China should tensions continue to escalate.One would be safe to assume that South Korea would naturally befriend China, a country with a history and civilization similar to its own, which would rule out the possibility of using such a former â€Å"friend† as a logistic hub for staging operations. However such friends have only proven to be costly relationships in the long lung which seldom paid dividends for services rendered unto them in their time of need. The Western way of warfare has been one of discipline and the leveraging of technology in order to gain tactical superiority over our enemies.As such, we should look to cultivate advanced technologies with na tions that share our civilizations culture and use the inherent technological innovations of these cultures to develop weapons systems that will give us the necessary edge to engage and destroy our enemies. By doing  so, western civilization such as the United States of America would not have to get into bed with nation states of civilizations much different than our own whose motives remain unclear and questionable.

Essay on Sophocles “Oedipus the King”Essay Writing Service

Essay on Sophocles â€Å"Oedipus the King†Essay Writing Service Essay on Sophocles â€Å"Oedipus the King† Essay on Sophocles â€Å"Oedipus the King†Among the Greek tragedies, there can probably be found something deeper and more elaborate, than â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles, but there is not a single one, in which the philosophical depth and tragic strength would be combined with such incomparable sophistication, noble grace and structural perfection. The image of a monstrous Sphinx with the face of a woman, wings, sharp claws, the body of a lion and mysteriously dangerous speech penetrates the whole tragedy as an incorporation of destiny and unknown future. The following research represents a critical analysis of the Sophocles’ tragedy, dealing with various issues raised in it. It gives a detailed analysis of different problems evoking throughout the tragedy on the basis of the existing research conducted by profound contemporary researchers.Human Conscience and DestinyThe problem of human Destiny that the humanity faced years ago had not been solved up to th ese days. The problem of the interrelation of human conscience and something mysterious and unknown is still under discussion. Different world religions tried to solve the problem of interrelation between the humanity and Destiny. The whole system of beliefs, rites and superstitions is simply a byproduct of the interaction between human conscience and the unknown (Martinez 15). According to the religious beliefs, the problem of unknown belongs to the sphere of human intuition, but cannot be solved as such. An attempt to explain irrational matters is an equation with multiple unknowns.In this regard, the destiny of Oedipus, a poor Cadmian king, is quite exemplary. His whole life is a continuous investigation of his own â€Å"crimes† and constant search of truth consisting of multisided local solvability. Various researchers define the destiny of Oedipus as an infernal machine that gradually adds more and more mechanisms of destruction of an innocent human being. This machine i s destiny that works despite the acts and wishes of a person. Destiny is first of all the inevitability that deprives a person of the right of choice. It is something like a zugzwang in the game of chess, when every compulsory move inevitably leads to failure (Segal 78)Oedipus, a newcomer from Corinth and a young hero immediately conquered Sphinx. He saved people from the deathly and truly intimidating allurement of the monster and solved its riddle. This is what he is like at the beginning of the tragedy. He is described as the savior of humanity from the dark forces of the Destiny, a hero of mind and will. The people believed that he would conquer the monster and he himself believed in his own strength. The people considered him a wise deity and he himself thinks so.However, Oedipus is a human being and nothing more. The victory of mind and will over Sphinx as a symbol of Destiny is temporary. Although, Sphinx ran away and left the people in peace, it pierced the heart of the hero and would soon once again give him unsolvable riddles. This is the core of the tragedy. Although Sphinx no longer exists, it is still inside the soul of its conqueror. It is more intimidating than any carnivorous animal as now he is elusive and bodiless just like a phantom. Sphinx is the mystery of life and every human conscience. The prophet Tiresias has a full right to mock the savior of people by saying that he should no save himself. Let him know who his mother and father are and what the meaning of life is. The meaning of life lies in the victory of his spirit over Destiny and victory of Destiny over spirit (Bloom 65). Let every human solve the riddle of their own origin. It would then seem that the meaning of life is a crime, horror and despair as will is nothing compared to the eternal law of necessity. The ancient and cruel monster won over its conqueror, outwitted the human mind and engaged him into the unlawful temptations.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Symbolism of the TragedyThe tragic image of the hero and savior of the people who fought against Sphinx as a riddle of its own origin and Destiny as a tempting spirit is an eternal image that is passed on from generation to generation. The hero and Destiny, will and necessity, mind and world mysteries all represent the true meaning of this religious, philosophic and in many ways symbolic tragedy. In fact, if it was not for symbolism, than what would be left? There would probably be left only a tragic contingency. From the contemporary point of view, Oedipus is not guilty as he was not aware that he was killing his father and would marry his own mother. Neither consciousness, nor will played any role in the murder of his father and incest. In fact, it was not a crime, but simply a tragedy and contamination of an innocent person diluted by the prophecy of deities.Oedipus was doomed to spiritual death not because he was guilty, but simply because he wanted to have more power than a hum an being can have and was too audacious to conquer the Destiny and ancient monster. The power of Oedipus turned into autocracy (Martinez 19). He placed himself over other people forgetting the essence of human nature. He mocked the prophecies of deities and wanted to become deity himself. Here, we can see no tragic contingency, but the very essence of life and the inevitability of the spiritual death of a hero, who believed in his own will, strength and â€Å"ego† when he faced the mystery of the world in the form of a womanlike monster with its eternal riddles.Artistic Mastery of the TragedyApart from the religious and philosophic meaning, the tragedy has a truly inexhaustible fiction attraction. It greatly differs from other Greek tragedies judging from the strength and mastery of the psychological analysis. It thus makes the tragedy resemble the European drama. The poet concentrates on a few horrible hours in the life of a hero without changing the setting and step by step shows all stages of the human existence starting from the highest point of beatitude and ending with the utmost tragedy. The hero becomes an outsider and a cursed criminal (Kallich 34). The king who has been a deity becomes a poor homeless stranger.The horror and attraction of this tragedy mainly lies in the inevitable and slow graduation, which leads to the solution of the mystery. Something as horrible as death gradually grows into a disaster that leads to the spiritual death of its victim. At the beginning of the tragedy, Oedipus has the utmost power and fame being worshipped by the people. Although the city faces the disastrous plague, nobody doubts that Oedipus would be able to win the hearts of the deities and that the conqueror of Sphinx would save the people from the new disaster. The first hint to suspicion is evident in the words of Tiresius. Oedipus is greatly irritated by the half-word of the prophet and this is when the conflict evokes. It is a dangerous knot that nobo dy can untangle.The last scene of Oedipus’ despair, his blindness, shame and cursedness is written with such strength and mercilessness of realism that horror and compassion experienced by the readers are mixed with aversion and disgust in our mind (Sophocles 128). However, the harmony is not ruined. The beauty overcomes horror and the last scenes of the tragedy are penetrated with the reconciling tenderness. Oedipus forgets himself, his pride and grief and thinks of his poor outcast children. Love gives makes the human will immortal and conquers the blind power of Destiny.Conclusionâ€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles is so deep and complex that focusing on certain problem that penetrates the tragedy inevitably leads to other issues. The critical analysis of this work is like untangling of a sweater, when by pulling one fiber the other two are revealed. In conclusion, it should be mentioned that the destinies of the three main heroes of the tragedy are closely connect ed with the feeling of fear. One hero was afraid of death, while the other was afraid of truth, and still other was intimidated by power. As a result, every one of them got just what they feared. The above research represents a critical analysis of such issues as Destiny and human being as well as the importance of symbolism in the tragedy. The research is based on the existing investigations of this ancient piece of writing, still revealing the personal viewpoint of its author. â€Å"Oedipus the King† is a true masterpiece that evokes a mixture of feelings in its readers. It has long become a classic writing whose fame will hardly ever fade away.

Pentaceratops - Facts and Figures

Pentaceratops - Facts and Figures Despite its impressive name (which means five-horned face), Pentaceratops really only had three genuine horns, two big ones over its eyes and a smaller one perched on the end of its snout. The two other protuberances were technically outgrowths of this dinosaurs cheekbones, rather than genuine horns, which probably didnt make much difference to any smaller dinosaurs that happened to get in Pentaceratops way. Name: Pentaceratops (Greek for five-horned face); pronounced PENT-ah-SER-ah-topsHabitat: Plains of western North AmericaHistorical Period: Late Cretaceous (75 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 20 feet long and 2-3 tonsDiet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Enormous bony frill on its head; two large horns above eyes About Pentaceratops A classic ceratopsian (horned face) dinosaur, Pentaceratops was closely related to the more famous, and more accurately named, Triceratops, although its closest relative was the equally large Utahceratops. (Technically, all of these dinosaurs are chasmosaurine, rather than centrosaurine, ceratopsians, meaning they share more characteristics with Chasmosaurus than with Centrosaurus.) From the tip of its beak to the top of its bony frill, Pentaceratops possessed one of the largest heads of any dinosaur that ever lived- about 10 feet long, give or take a few inches (its impossible to say for sure, but this otherwise peaceful plant-eater may have been the inspiration for the huge-headed, human-munching queen in the 1986 movie Aliens.) Until the recent discovery of  the evocatively named Titanoceratops, which was diagnosed from an existing skull previously attributed to Pentaceratops, this five-horned dinosaur was the only ceratopsian known to have lived in the environs of New Mexico toward the end of the Cretaceous period, 75 million years ago. Other ceratopsians, such as Coahuilaceratops, have been discovered as far south as Mexico. Why did Pentaceratops have such a huge noggin? The most likely explanation is sexual selection: at some point in the evolution of this dinosaur, huge, ornate heads became attractive to females, giving big-headed males the edge during mating season. Pentaceratops males probably butted each other with their horns and frills for mating supremacy; particularly well-endowed males may also have been recognized as herd alphas. Its possible that the unique horns and frill of Pentaceratops aided with intra-herd recognition, so, for example, a Pentaceratops juvenile wouldnt accidentally wander off with a passing group of Chasmosaurus! Unlike some other horned, frilled dinosaurs, Pentaceratops has a fairly straightforward fossil history. The initial remains (a skull and a piece of hipbone) were discovered in 1921 by Charles H. Sternberg, who continued plying this same New Mexico location over the next couple of years until he had collected enough specimens for his fellow paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn to erect the genus Pentaceratops. For nearly a century after its discovery, there was only one named genus of Pentaceratops. P. sternbergii, until a second, northern-dwelling species, P. aquilonius, was named by Nicholas Longrich of Yale University.

Civil Rights Movement111 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Civil Rights Movement111 - Essay Example The struggle for the basic right to be recognized as a citizen - more, as a human being, - began really during the years of slavery as is evidenced by the case Dred Scott vs. Sandford in 1857. However, as an organized movement it did not gain momentum until the pre- World War 1 years, beginning in 1905 with the formation of the Niagara Movement. For years after that, the Movement was restricted to the battleground of the courts, with only a few incidents threatening to lead to mass action. It was not till 1955, with the brutal murder of fifteen year old Emmett Till, that the black community as a whole was galvanized into action and forced the Southern states to accept integration and obtained the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The division of the Movement into these broad stages; first a period of quiet but steady legal battles followed by the transition into dramatic but nonviolent mass action is very noticeable when one follows the timeline of events. The reasons for this , I think, go back into the years of slavery and Reconstruction and it is impossible to understand the motivations and ramifications of the movement spanning World War 1 to the eighties without delving into the conditions prior to this era. The years of slavery left the majority of bla... Washington, who believed that by passive acceptance of the segregation and taking up non threatening pursuits like farming they would slowly be able to persuade the White South to accept them. It seems likely that the blacks had not yet developed the mass consciousness that is necessary to fight a battle of the proportions it later took on. The lack of education and exposure was a huge barrier to overcome at first; without any experience of other worlds many blacks did not realize that life could be significantly better This would change with time, notably during the First World War. Another hurdle, infinitely more difficult to overcome, was the 1896 Supreme Court ruling in Plessy vs. Ferguson that legalized segregation of facilities as long as they were equal. This led to the widespread abuse of the ruling in the south with facilities for blacks definitely inferior. Legally, they had no leg to stand on I fighting racism. It hampered the Movement considerably during the years up to 1 954. The development of the Movement was greatly helped by the Black Churches that were formed after segregation. The churches were more than a place for worship; they served as a political platform, as a social work organization. (Calhoun-Brown, A., 2000). It was here that they learned to survive as well as regained pride. The attitude of nonviolence that they brought to their protests later was probably a result of their church training. It was in 1905 that groups of people began to realize that the method of passive acceptance was getting them nowhere. W.E.B. DuBois, broke away from Washington and founded the Niagara Movement to fight for quality education and to end discrimination. The organization