Allegorical Garden of Eden in Sir Gawain and the Green...

Allegorical Garden of Eden in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Green helmet. Green body. Green blood. Such descriptions refer to a central character in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight--they depict the appearance of Bercilak as the Green Knight. The use of green is a reflection of Garden of Eden imagery in the poem that portrays the Green Knight as a tempter, a serpent, in the garden, Arthur’s court. In Genesis’ account of Eden, Adam and Eve live in a perfect, pure garden until the evil, green serpent successfully tempts them. When the serpent tells Eve that consuming fruit from the forbidden tree--the one God warned them not to eat from--will result in the same knowledge God holds, Eve convinces Adam to eat the apple. According to†¦show more content†¦During this feast, the knights and their guests eat lavishly and drink in excess--they have all the meat and mirth that one could devise (45) and celebrate In peerless pleasures . . . (50). The feast depicts a worldly paradise with knights who act as they desire, as Adam and Eve were allowed to in Genesis. However, Gawain’s garden in not without sin. The existence of sin is evident in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The sin in Gawain’s garden results from chivalry. The code of knighthood Gawain and other knights follow includes courage and loyalty to one’s lord. This courage and loyalty carries with it a sense of pride for the knights, pride that causes them to sin. Thus, Gawain fails to follow a life of purity, for as he follows the code of knighthood, he participates in Christian sin--murder, drunkenness, pride. For instance, when the Green Knight gives an offer to Arthur’s court to play the beheading game, he initially receives no volunteers. However, as Arthur attempts to participate, Gawain steps up and takes his place, for it is his role to be loyal and fight for his lord. This is evident when he states, My body, but for your [Arthur] blood, is barren of worth; / And for that this folly befits not a king, / And tis that I have asked it, it ought to be mine ( 357-359). This, then, leads him to sin, to c hop off another man’s head. Sin is evident even before the Green Knight’s entrance--the knights succumb to physical pleasures during the

Aristotle s Theory Of Virtue As A Mean - 1161 Words

In his work the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle posits the idea that many desirable characteristics, the virtues, are what he calls â€Å"means,† much like the concept of the average mean in mathematics. He states that these qualities are not extremes, but rather, the degree to which a given quality should be expressed so as to be virtuous falls somewhere between the extremes. He elaborates that specific locations of each mean are determined by their nature, that is, some virtues fall closer to one end of a spectrum than another end, and that from one individual situation to another, the specific location may change. Furthermore, Aristotle goes on to differentiate between a number of different subcategories of justice and describe how they connect to the theory of virtue as a mean. I assert that although Aristotle’s ideas are in some ways helpful, he fails to give a clear, adequate account of the true nature of justice, and fails as well to effectively connect it to his t heory of virtue as a mean. Instead, his description of justice is muddled and inconsistent with his theory of virtue as a mean, and he does not achieve the objectives he sets out for himself regarding connecting the two theories. To begin, I will attempt to briefly restate Aristotle’s description of justice, as given in Book V of the Nicomachean Ethics. He begins by setting a goal for himself: to establish â€Å"what kind of mean justice is, and what are the extremes between which the just is a mean†. He statesShow MoreRelatedSocrates And Aristotle s Life1491 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosopher Aristotle is widely thought to have said, The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. The earliest accounts of human history chronicle the struggle for survival against all odds. It is therefore remarkable that roughly 2400 years ago the question of virtue was raised, let alone contemplated at great length, form ing a foundation upon which Western philosophers build to the present day. Socrates and Aristotle were twoRead MoreAnalysis Of Aristotle s The Golden Mean 1109 Words   |  5 PagesPart 3 - Aristotle - The Golden Mean Aristotle was a greek philosopher that taught and stressed many important and revolutionary ideas/philosophies. He was born in 384 BC, and was a student of Plato, as well as founded/ taught at several academies. He wrote on diverse subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, logic, politics, government, and ethics. He contributed to almost every field of human knowledge in existence during his time, and he was the founder of many new fields. Aristotle was oneRead MoreAristotle s Theory Of Virtue Ethics1095 Words   |  5 Pageswhole.† ― Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics Ethics is the philosophical study of moral judgements (Solomon: 2010). Moral philosophy has long been dominated by two basic theories; deontology, inspired by Immanuel Kant, the eighteenth century philosopher and; utilitarianism or consequentialism, which derives its modern day instructions from eighteenth and nineteenth century philosophers Jeremey Bentham and J. S. Mills, respectively (Hursthouse:1999). Increasing dissatisfaction with these theories and theirRead MoreAristotle s Theory Of Happiness1651 Words   |  7 Pagessuffering finding sustainable happiness. Aristotle, in his work called Nicomachean Ethics, presents the concept that living a virtuous life will produce sustainable happiness for a lifetime. According to Aristotle, everything we do aims to some goods, or ends, and for him, the best good would be happiness. Additionally, he mentions that happiness is not easy to defined, some people are confused between happiness and other things. Besides, he also suggests that v irtue is essential for achieving happinessRead More Aristotle and the Doctrine of the Mean Essay1436 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle and the Doctrine of the Mean Aristotle seeks flourishing happiness in life. He believes that this can be achieved for each individual through the embracement of virtues. Aristotle believes that virtues are the mean of two vices. This is the basis of the Aristotelian â€Å"Doctrine of the Mean†. This paper will explore the basis of the Doctrine of the Mean, its connections to Eudaimonia, and its success or lack thereof. Eudaimonia is a Greek word whose meaningRead MoreRelativism : Cultural Relativism And Individual Relativism843 Words   |  4 Pagesrelativism stated that an action is right if that action consistent with the current, collective, cultural, consensus and the prevailing opinion of society. Cultural is the highest standard, and there is even no such thing is human rights if this theory is right. Cultural relativism is sometimes inappropriate in many aspects of our lives; for example: food, clothes or driving rules are not of the same kind within cultures. Similarly, individual relativism is when one person decides their own ethics;Read MoreThe Formations Of The Mankind System1568 Words   |  7 Pagesjustice, being on everyone s lips, is used so often that it may signify nearly anything. Though one of the main meanings given by modern people is the interchangeability of justice with the word â€Å"fairness†. Indeed, in any situation occurred in our everyday life we all want to be treated in a fair way, because we believe that we deserve equal and unbiased treatment - one should not be paid any less because of gender, one should not be judged more roughly because of one s skin color or one should notRead MoreEthical Theories Of Ethical Egoism993 Words   |  4 PagesEthical egoism is a consequentialist normative ethical theory. There are two forms of ethical egoism. The first is individual ethical egoism which states that I should act in ways that are in my own best interest. The second form is universal ethical egoism which states that everyone one should act in their own best interest. In both forms, individuals should only consider others interest to the extent that it benefits their own well-being. The determination of morality is based off whether or notRead MoreCultural Relativism : Moral And Immoral846 Words   |  4 Pagesrelativism stated that an action is right if that action consistent with the current, collective, cultural, consen sus and the prevailing opinion of society. Cultural is the highest standard, and there is even no such thing is human rights if this theory is right. Cultural relativism is sometimes inappropriate in many aspects of our lives; for example: food, clothes or driving rules are not of the same kind within cultures. Similarly, individual relativism is when one person decides their own ethics;Read MoreAristotle s Realism Philosophy And Philosophy1590 Words   |  7 PagesRealism is an educational philosophy; furthermore it is a teaching that stresses knowledge that develops from one s own senses.in my opinion this is great idea for educational philosphy, because it shows that sense deveolpement is the realest possible learning to have. Under this philosophy the idea exists that there is a real world not constructed by human minds, that can be known by one s own mind. It is through experiencing the world around everyone in which one learns the guiding principles and

Aztec Human Sacrifice †a Detached View Free Essays

string(47) " arrival at the exquisite truth of the matter\." In searching for a thesis for this paper, I was faced with a singular problem. With the ghastly subject of human sacrifice, what could possibly be argued and defended? During my reading and research, the stark and horrible reality of a butchered, battered, or burned human being slain in some grisly, weird ceremony for some equally weird gargoyle-like idol nearly caused me to choose another subject. Yet, years ago, when I read Gary Jennings’ novel Aztec, I was fascinated with his description of the Aztec’s sacrifice of prisoners during the dedication of the great pyramid in Tenochitlan: â€Å"The hearts of †¦ perhaps the first two hundred of them, were ceremoniously ladled into the mouths of Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli until the statues’ hollow insides could hold no more, and the stone lips of the two gods drooled and dribbled blood†¦ Those who have read Jennings’ novel know that the foregoing is but a mild example of some of the graphic barbarism he describes. We will write a custom essay sample on Aztec Human Sacrifice – a Detached View or any similar topic only for you Order Now During my first reading of that novel, I would have never believed that I could come to the conclusion of my thesis. My thesis is this: There appears to be an intolerable paradox between the barbarous religious practices and the rather high state of civilization in the Central Valley of Mexico. This paradox undoubtedly led the early Spanish missionaries to regard the conquered Indians as devil worshipers. However, I believe that it is possible to regard the Aztecs as civilized people who also happened to perform human sacrifice. They performed human sacrifice in reaction to their view of the world and how they cope within it. Maintaining those two opposing viewpoints requires an understanding and a detached view which may have more to do with the study of history than the study of human sacrifice. The Aztecs, of course, had no monopoly on the practice of human sacrifice. Earlier cultures (the Maya, the Toltecs and others) provided the cultural base for human sacrifice upon which the Aztecs took to new heights. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, excavations in Egypt and elsewhere in the ancient Middle East have revealed that â€Å"numerous servants were at times interred with the rest of the funerary equipment of a member of the royal family in order to provide that person with a retinue in the next life. The burning of children seems to have occurred in Assyrian and Canaanite religions and at various times among the Israelites. Rites among the ancient Greeks and Romans that involved the killing of animals may have originally involved human victims. † The Aztecs, as previously stated, took the practice to new heights. In 1487 (five years before Columbus arrived to the East and two years after Henry VII began the Tudor dynasty in England) the greatest orgy of bloodletting of human sacrifice occurred during the fierce rule of Ahuizotl. I have already quoted Gary Jennings’ description of the carnage, and I will quote one more passage to illustrate how the Aztecs in a ceremony lasting four days sacrificed at least 20,000 prisoners to their insatiable god Huitzilopochtli: â€Å"The prisoners endlessly ascended the right side of the pyramid’s staircase, while the gashed bodies of their predecessors tumbled and rolled down the left side, kicked along by junior priests stationed at intervals, and while the gutter between the stairs carried a continuous stream of blood which puddled out among the feet of the crowd in the plaza†¦ Although Jennings’ Aztec is, admittedly, a work of fiction, I have seen his descriptions corroborated elsewhere; for example, G. C. Vaillant’s The Aztecs of Mexico describes the scene: â€Å"†¦ At the start of the dedication, the captives stood in two rows, and (they) began the grisly work of tearing out the victim’s hearts†¦ † Returning to my thesis, how could the practice of human sacrifice be looked upon as anything less than barbaric, even to the point where Aztecs could be regarded as uncivilized? The answer, in my opinion, arises from their view of their creation, their position in the world, their relative importance therein, and how they were only holding on by a thread. If the Judeo-Christian God took only six days to create the heavens and earth (and rested on the seventh day), the Meso-American deity took awhile longer to get it right. The Aztecs believed that the sun and earth had been destroyed in a cataclysm and were regenerated four times. They believed that they were living in the fifth, and final, stage of creation, and (according to Meyer and Sherman’s The Course of Mexican History) â€Å"that in their age of their fifth sun, final destruction was imminent. † Meyer and Sherman also point out another interesting (and revealing) aspect of how the Aztecs regarded themselves in the cycle of their cosmology. The accepted view of â€Å"a natural cycle† was that humans occupied a rather lowly position in the food chain of the gods. The cycle held that since the sun and rain nourished plant life and sustained man, man should give sustenance to the sun and rain gods. One might infer from the foregoing view that the Aztecs placed a low value on human life. To add to the paradox of sacrifice versus civilization, the evidence is that the Aztecs regarded the individual human as â€Å"a most significant locus of the meditation of the human and divine. † In Aztecs – An Interpretation by Inga Clendenin, the author focuses in on the actual meaning of the word â€Å"sacrifice. In her analysis of the Nahuatl linguistic iterations covering the separate meanings of death and sacrifice, she (gradually) comes to the conclusion that Aztecs regarded sacrifice as a payment of the debt incurred and only fully extinguished by death, â€Å"†¦ when the earth lords would feed upon the bodies of men, as men had perforce fed upon them. † What I liked most about Inga Clenninden’s writings on the Aztec wa s her mixture of sometimes excruciating detailed scholarship (I had to have a dictionary handy at all times) along with her eventual arrival at the exquisite truth of the matter. You read "Aztec Human Sacrifice – a Detached View" in category "Papers" Concerning debt of humans to the gods she states the truth of the matter in two exquisitely perspicacious sentences: â€Å".. (T)he Mexica knew that all humans, unequal as they might be in human arrangements, participated in the same desperate plight: an involuntary debt to the earthly deities, contracted through the ingestion of the fruits of the earth†¦ It is that divine hunger which appears to underlay the gross feedings of undifferentiated mass killings. While everyone in Aztec society had the same debt, Aztec religion and its black-robed, blood-caked priests served to pay everyone’s daily dues for continuation in humanity’s last Tonatiuh yet a while longer. Through obeisance and observance of the needs of the pantheon of gods and with the complicity of the Aztec society at large (and often even with the active cooperation of the victims), the priests performed their killings, according to Clendinnen, openly and everywhere: â€Å"†¦ not only in the main temple precinct, but in the neighborhood temples and on the streets. The Aztecs believed that without human sacrifice and the offering of the most precious and sacred thing the human possessed (blood), the sun might not rise to make its way across the sky. This rather strange and naive belief was supported by a mythology in which Huitzilopochitli, their fierce bloodthirsty god played a central part. But first, an explanation of the Aztecs’ beliefs regarding the creation of their current age does shed some light on the role of sacrifice and Huitzilopochitli’s cult, which later ran rampant and reached its zenith in the sacrifice of 20,000 at the dedication of the temple in 1487. A succinct description of Meso-American mythology appears in The Daily Life of the Aztecs by Jacques Soustelle. The ancient Mexicans believed that the two parent gods lived at the summit of the world. Their â€Å"unending fruitfulness† produced all the gods, and from it all mankind was born. The sun was born when â€Å"the gods gathered in the twilight at Teotihuacan and a little leprous god â€Å"covered with boils,† threw himself into a huge brazier as a sacrifice and â€Å"rose from the blazing coals changed into a sun†¦ † This sun was motionless and it needed blood to move. So the gods â€Å"immolated themselves, and the sun, drawing life from their death began its course across the sky. † To keep the sun moving on its course, â€Å"so that the darkness should not overwhelm the world forever, it was necessary to feed it every day with its food, ‘the precious water’†¦ human blood. † Every time a priest fed the gods at the top of a pyramid, or in the local temple, the disaster that always threatened to fall upon the world was postponed once more. About the time of the Crusades in Europe, the Aztecs migrated from the west into the Valley of Mexico. They brought with them their strange hummingbird god Huitzilopochitli, who, according to Victor W. Vonhagen in his The Aztec Man and Tribe gave the Aztecs some rather sound advice: â€Å"†¦ wander, look for lands, avoid any large-scale fighting, send pioneers ahead, have them plant maize, when the harvest is ready, move up to it; keep me,†¦ always with you, carrying me like a banner, feed me on human hearts torn from the recently sacrificed. † †¦ all of which the Aztecs did. The mythology surrounding Huitzilopochitli’s origins was also revealing. The Aztecs believed themselves to be the â€Å"people of the sun. † This god’s fierce preeminence is surpassed only by the Aztec view of his mother Coatlicue. Victor Von Hagen describes the Aztec sculpture of this powerful and awesome goddess: â€Å"†¦ her head of twin serpents, her necklace of human hands and hearts, her arms claw-handed, and her skirt a mass of writhing serpents†¦ † The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochitli sprang alive and fierce from his mother to vanquish his brothers, the stars, and his sister, the moon who had conspired to kill his mother. Coatlique, an earth goddess, conceived him after having kept in her bosom a ball of hummingbird feathers (i. e. , the soul of a warrior) that fell from the sky. His brothers, the stars of the southern sky, and his sister, a moon goddess, decided to kill him, but he exterminated them with his weapon, the turquoise snake. The Aztecs followed the hummingbird’s twittering and became the dominant culture of a civilization that by the time Cortes and his group of scruffy adventurers landed in 1517 numbered in the millions. It is difficult to imagine an ancient, complex civilization like the Aztecs with a daily life that centered around the grisly practice of human sacrifice. The average Aztec only had to look at the stone idol of household god to be reminded of what nourished that particular deity. Deities other than Huitzilopochitli had their own feast days in the Aztec calendar and, accordingly, demanded their own sustenance. Slave children were drowned as an offering to the rain god Tlaloc. The fire god’s victims were given hashish and thrown into the blaze. Those who represented the god Xipe Totec were fastened to a frame, shot with arrows, and then had their corpse flayed (the priests dressed themselves in the skin representing the â€Å"new skin† of spring). Here we have the phenomenon of how the person being sacrificed was symbolically transfigured into the image of the god and his own temple. In most cases the victim was dressed up so as to represent the god who was being worshiped. Just as the gods of old had accepted death, the person reenacted and became that sacrifice. Moreover, according to Jaques Soustelle in The Daily Life of the Aztecs, â€Å"when ritual cannibalism was practiced on certain occasions, it was the god’s own flesh that the faithful ate in their bloody communion. † As the Aztec cycle continued and a shortage of â€Å"god food† occurred, the Aztec â€Å"Flowery Wars† replenished that supply. Militarism, elevated to a virtue, became ever intertwined with Aztec society. In fact, a warrior’s status was determined by the number of captives he delivered to the sacrificial altar. Whether as a battlefield casualty or ending up as a captive on the altar of an enemy tribe, this â€Å"flowery death† was desirable and noble, and a place in the clouds was reserved for that warrior. Returning one last time to Gary Jennings’ graphic description of the prisoner sacrifice on that day in 1487, when long lines of captives shuffled along the avenues toward Tenochitlan up the pyramid staircase towards the twin temples of Tlaloc and Huitzilopochitli: â€Å"†¦ any prisoners, however complacently they came to their fate, involuntarily emptied their bladders or bowels at the moment lying down under the knife. The priests – who†¦ had been clad in their usual vulturine black of robes, lank hair, and unwashed skin – had become moving clots of red and brown, or coagulated blood, dried mucus, and a plaster of excrement†¦ † It is indeed difficult to read of such gore and barbarism without relegating the Aztecs to the level normally r eserved for far less developed and organized societies. Although the Aztec period is considered by historians as not having reached the heights of civilizations of the classic period, it is clear that the Aztecs and the cultures of the Central Valley were sophisticated and well organized. There may have been as many as 30 million inhabitants of that area (although some scholars believe that count is somewhat exaggerated), and the breathtaking sight of Tenochtitlan must have impressed Cortes beyond words. The question remains: Does existence and abhorrent (to us) practice of human sacrifice disqualify the Aztecs from full membership in the â€Å"club† of civilizations? Apparently, the Spanish felt that the answer to the question was an unequivocal yes. The horror and disgust that newcomers must have felt may have helped the Spanish convince themselves that the native religion was another form of devil worship and provided subsequent justification for destroying their culture. Jaques Soustelle gets to the heart of the matter in The Daily Life of the Aztecs. He says that the Aztec practice of human sacrifice was a great factor in making the two religions which confronted one another totally irreconcilable. In the early battles, some conquistadores ended up as captives and sacrificial victims of the Aztecs themselves, and this practice lent a particularly remorseless attitude on each side of the struggle between the Aztecs and the Spanish invaders. If we can understand the motives and the religious and cultural perspective of the Spanish, who massacred, burnt, mutilated and tortured their conquered natives, it is likely that the definition of cruelty differs from culture to culture. It follows, therefore, that it is possible to use the same perspective towards human sacrifice on the part of the Aztecs. Works cited: Jennings, Gary, 1980, Aztec Von Hagen, Victor W. , 1958, The Aztec, Man and Tribe Vaillant, G. C. , 1944, The Aztecs of Mexico Clendinnen, Inga, 1991, Aztecs An Interpretation Meyer, Michael C. , and Sherman, William L. , 1995, The Course of Mexican History Pre-Columbian Civilizations: MESO-AMERICAN CIVILIZATION: Postclassic Period (900-1519): AZTEC CULTURE TO THE TIME OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST: Aztec religion. Britannica Online HUMAN SACRIFICE: Britannica Online XIPE TOTEC – Britannica Online â€Å"Tlaloc† Britannica Online. How to cite Aztec Human Sacrifice – a Detached View, Papers

Tupac Shakurs The Rose free essay sample

The Rose That Grew from Concrete, a collection of poems written by Outpace Shaker, Incorporates many different poems with many different topics and subjects. These Include love, death, dedication poems, and even governmental topics. There are many appealing poems throughout the collection, but I have a personal selection of poems that are my favorites. My favorite poem is Only 4 the Righteous, which is a poem which uses certain words that are informal, but Outpace explains them with a more personal meaning.For example, Lyrics full of knowledge truth and understanding/ Hobbies rapping is my only recreation/ retire u must be on some kind of medication/ why because Ill never loosen up my mimic grip (lines 6-9). It is my favorite poem because it helps to display his talent that is often overlooked by contemporary America. Also, my other favorite poems include The Rose That Grew from Concrete, which Is an autobiographical poem, If There Be Papal, and How Can We Be Free. We will write a custom essay sample on Tupac Shakurs The Rose or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Rose That Grew from Concrete Is one of my favorite poems because Outpace, In the poem, categorizes his life as a rose that rose from the concrete. This Is symbolic to living In poverty. Like the rose, Outpace had to struggle to survive. TLD u hear about the rose that grew from a crack/ In the concrete/ Proving natures laws wrong it learned to walk/ without having feet (p 3. Lines 1-4). If There Be Pain is a poem that was written to appeal to the emotions, and I like this poem because of personal reasons.If there be pain,] all u need to do/ is call on me 2 be with u. How Can We Be Free is a poem that is written in a sense of rhetoric to all African Americans. It is meant to Jog the mind and provide thought to why we always feel oppressed. There arent any poems that are unappealing to any way. I love Outpace as an artist, musician, and a poet. I can relate to a lot of his poems and they tend to appeal to the emotions. I would recommend this book to anyone who Is a fan of poetry with a diverse selection of topics and subjects.

Kosovo Essays - AlbaniaSerbia Relations, Kosovo War,

Kosovo Kosovo U.S. Involvement in Kosovo War has been waged in the Balkans for thousands of years. Yugoslavia has been divided, reunited, divided again, undergone wars and been through depressions. Each country within the Yugoslavia region has experienced hardships due to a failing economy, poor leadership, and civil wars. In the past few years, a major upheaval in the political structure and the disputes concerning land between the different religions and ethnicity's has caused a civil war. The country and ethnic group of this recent dispute is Serbia and Kosovo. The Albanian Kosovars want their independence from Serbia, while the Serbs consider Kosovo the location in which their cultural and ethnic identity is placed. The United States became involved in the Balkan conflict in the end of 1998 (Kosovo 1). U.S. involvement in Kosovo is making matters worse for the innocent people of Kosovo. Kosovo, a small area in the center of the former Yugoslavia, is playing an important role in the Balk an conflict. In the summer of 1998, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) decided to launch a guerilla warfare attack on Serbia in attempts to liberate themselves and gain their cultural rites. The President of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, is refusing to allow Kosovo to break away from Serbia without a fight. Kosovo is a site of great emotional significance to the Serbs; it is the site of a historic defeat by the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century. From this defeat, Kosovo became the cradle of Serbia's cultural and ethnic identity. Milosevic began an ethnic cleansing campaign in which he killed thousands of ethnic Albanians. NATO forces, as well as the United States, began stepping in in the winter of 1998. The United States made a cease-fire contract with Milosevic, which ended in the early months of 1999 (1). The United States believes that it is benefiting Kosovo by intervening. Many diplomats are saying that U.S. involvement in Kosovo is helping the Albanians because it is stopping th e ethnic cleansing by Milosevic. Another argument for U.S. involvement is that the air strikes against the Serbs will dampen their spirits and attacks against the Albanians. A third argument for U.S. involvement is that it will stop from drawing in other surrounding countries into the war. (1) The first argument for U.S. intervention is easily refuted. The U.S. diplomats believe that the U.S. is benefiting the situation in Kosovo by intervening. The US's main goal in Kosovo is to stop the ethnic cleansing conducted by Milosevic. The manner in which the U.S. is trying to resolve this conflict is wrong. The U.S. began bombing villages and towns in which ethnic Albanians live. This drove out the Albanians and forced them to immigrate to other countries. It seems that the United States believes that ethnic cleansing is wrong, but bombing innocent people is acceptable (Landlay 1). The Serbs are using the NATO air raids as a way to kill the ethnic Albanians. The Albanians are being used a s shields as the NATO forces bomb the Serbs. On one occasion, in the city of Kamena Glava, five hundred Albanian men were killed (Atrocity5). The Serbs are using NATO forces against what they are fighting for. U.S. involvement in Kosovo would be more welcomed if they weren't killing innocent people and instead, helping them come to a peaceful resolution between the two areas. However, the air strikes against Serbia are believed to be Clinton's goal for protecting U.S. investors and exporters. Although the humanitarian tragedies of Kosovo are in the foremost eye of the public, U.S. economic interests are in foremost eye of the government (Landlay 2). The second argument for U.S. intervention can also be refuted. Air strikes are proven to be ineffective in winning a war. This fact has been proven many times in other wars such as World War II and Vietnam. On the contrary, however, air strikes often stiffen the will to resist, as was the case in World War II with the German citizens. Th e Serbs, as history has predicted, have intensified their aggressions against the Kosovar Albanians. This has caused even more Albanians to flee from Kosovo. The Serbs spirits are far from becoming damp. If, once again, history prevails,

buy custom Arguments for Marijuana Legalization essay

buy custom Arguments for Marijuana Legalization essay Freedom The most primary and first reason as to why marijuana should be legalized is that each individual has the right to choose for themselves. From a philosophical perspective, people have the right to choice. The authorities have the right to regulate these choices only if the action of an individual endangers another person. Marijuana use is at the free will of a person and therefore restricting marijuana use is invading the right to choice. In addition, the authorities also have the right to restrict a person if his/her actions pose a considerable threat to that him/herself. However, this argument does not apply to marijuana use as it is far less hazardous as compared to other drugs which are legal such as tobacco and alcohol (Parloff 50). In addition, legalization will promote religious freedom. Similar to how Judaists and Christians use wine on some occasions, Rastafarians, Buddhists, and Hindus use marijuana on some occasions as part of religious and spiritual ceremonies. Legalization will therefore allow these religions to practice their ceremonies freely; this is conformance with the amendment that allows free exercise of religion in the American constitution. High cost of illegalizing marijuana use If marijuana was legalized, it would save the government a lot of effort and resources used in fighting marijuana. Considerable effort and resources are used in the prohibition of cultivation and use of the drug. For instance, thermal imaging devices are used to identify hot lighting, and examination of waste matter and trash. In addition, governments usually analyze purchases made with credit cards in attempting to trace purchases of hydroponic devices, and also examination of energy bills so as to identify usage trends of growers of marijuana. In America, states spend billions of dollars at all levels in their war on drugs. This money is spent in prosecuting individuals who are imprisoned, and the tax payers have to pay for their court costs, attorney fees, healthcare, housing, and food. These costs could save the governments a lot of money (Klein 3) Revenue from taxing marijuana The legalization of marijuana can yield a lot of revenue in terms of tax. The government will generate a lot of revenue which can be directed into more important causes. It is approximated that the cultivation of marijuana in California has the potential of yielding about $1.4 billion in taxes in this state alone. Additionally, this would have a positive economic impact as it would generate many jobs in advertising, marketing, packaging, and agriculture (Gieringer 46). Medicinal use of marijuana Marijuana has numerous medical benefits; importantly it is used by patients who are undergoing chemotherapy to alleviate pain and relieve nausea. It is also used by patients suffering from depression. Marijuana is also used to increase appetite for patients with AIDS. The failure of prohibition The prohibition of marijuana has failed because it does not in any way help a country; in fact it causes many problems. There has been no conclusive evidence to show that the ban on marijuana decreases its use, theories have even suggested that prohibition can even increase the use of marijuana. In spite of the efforts and resources used in prohibition, marijuana is becoming more potent, cheaper, and accessible. In American high schools, the drug is becoming very popular because it is readily available. Being illegal, it is even easier for students to get marijuana as opposed to getting alcohol, as alcohol is legal and this means that it is regulated for such students. An effective approach to reduce the consumption of drugs would be to concentrate on honest and open programs (Armentano, Tvert and Fox 196) Buy custom Arguments for Marijuana Legalization essay

Motivation, Stress, and Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Motivation, Stress, and Communication - Essay Example The goal-setting theory is applicable in the process of motivating my performance. In fact, this theory was established by Edwin Locke in the 1960s and deals with the formulation of goals and objectives (Lunenburg, 2001). On the other hand, the theory explains particular challenges, objectives and a feedback system that are applicable in supporting the improvement of performance. In this case, I will apply goals as guidance to determine efforts needed to achieve these objectives. Moreover, these objectives will increase my motivation to work, thus leading to increased productivity. However, there is the need for clarification of various issues that can be regarded as complex objectives and motivating factors in order to reduce chances of formulating vague or basic goals. Nevertheless, I will focus on setting realistic and challenging objectives, which can promote a feeling of pride and triumph after these objectives have been met. Therefore, challenging goals are a crucial reward, and there is a passion associated with achieving them. Despite this, there will be the need for appropriate feedback, which will guide my behaviors and contribute to increased performance. Seeking clarification, regulation of difficulties and attaining reputation are the purposes of feedback, and these will motivate me to work in a way that facilitates job satisfaction. Moreover, this offers a basis for evaluation in order to determine the extent to which objectives have been achieved and those that are yet to be achieved. ... On the other hand, the theory explains particular challenges, objectives and a feedback system that are applicable in supporting improvement of performance. In this case, I will apply goals as guidance to determine efforts needed to achieve these objectives. Moreover, these objectives will increase my motivation to work, thus leading to increased productivity. However, there is the need for clarification of various issues that can be regarded as complex objectives and motivating factors in order to reduce chances of formulating vague or basic goals. Therefore, the clarification in objectives contributes to an increased performance, and these goals are coupled with deadlines for completion in order to avoid delays and misunderstanding. Nevertheless, I will focus on setting realistic and challenging objectives, which can promote a feeling of pride and triumph after these objectives have been met. Therefore, challenging goals are a crucial reward, and there is a passion associated with achieving them. Despite this, there will be the need for appropriate feedback, which will guide my behaviors and contribute to increased performance. Seeking clarification, regulation of difficulties and attaining reputation are the purposes of feedback, and these will motivate me to work in a way that facilitates job satisfaction. Moreover, this offers a basis for evaluation in order to determine the extent to which objectives have been achieved and those that are yet to be achieved. I will also focus on reinforcing performance by facilitating sustenance of desired behaviors. In this case, there is the need for borrowing ideas from the reinforcement theory of motivation that was

Modern Judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Modern Judaism - Essay Example A second covenant was made some 450 years later when Moses led the Jews from slavery out of Egypt back to Cannon. It was during this exodus upon Mount Sinai that God told Moses the ten commandments, now contained in the Torah or Old Testament, the first five books of the Bible Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy . It was here upon Mount Sinai that saw the beginnings of the structured religion, Judaism. The religion of Judaism is ethical; when the Israelites accepted the ten commandments they committed to follow a religious code of law. The Torah contains 613 commandments from God which teaches them how to act and think about life and death. The religion of Judaism believes that God will judge people by their actions alone this leads to a fundamental difference between Christianity and Judaism. Christians believe that all humans are born with original sin and that this sin cannot be absolved by oneself but that the sacrificial death of Jesus was atonement for all humans' sins. Jews on the other hand do not believe in original sin but believe that all have good and bad in them and that they have the choice of moral actions, Jewish principles are that humans themselves decide how to act and it is their actions that will be their salvation in the face of temptation, whereas in Christianity even the thought of temptation is classed as a sin. 1 Judaism is monotheistic; there is only one god, in Christianity the idea of trintarianism exists, God the Father, God the Son an God the Holy Spirit. Whilst all three represent the one God Almighty in Judaism God cannot be divided. Whilst both religions share the books contained in the old testament many Jews see that Jesus replaced Jewish law. The New testament containing the Gospels and scriptures of Jesus' disciples is not believed or is part of the Hebrew Bible. Whilst Jews do not deny the existence of Jesus they do deny that he was the messiah as they argue he did not fulfill what the prophets had said he would. The coming of the messiah or the Moshiach is a belief held by all Jews however the belief is that when he comes there will be peace created on earth, Jesus was not on this earth in times of peace and there has never complete global been peace since his death. Jewish faith proclaims that every generation has a person born who could potentially be the moshiach but only if the time is right will that person become the messiah however if they die before their mission is completed then he has still yet to come. 2 http://www.jewfaq.org/moshiach.htm Moshiach: The Messiah 2. History and Background the Worldview (2 pages) a. Describe the origin or beginning of this religion/cult. b. What are the major believes of this religion/cult and how do they contrast with the beliefs of Christianity c. Be sure to address the beliefs of your chosen worldview concerning Jesus Christ, their concept of salvation, and how salvation is attained. Instructions: RESEARCH PAPER At the end of the fifth week, you are required to turn in an academic research paper. REQUIREMENTS for the PAPER 1. Length - The Paper should be AT LEAST 5 -7 pages of text (to meet the minimum the 5th page MUST be a full page). If your paper does not meet the 5 page minimum

On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion Essay

On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion - Essay Example Methods of induction have ranged from utilizing sharpened tools, herbal medicines and physical trauma. Opinions, both culturally and legally differ worldwide, with public debate over legal ramifications and ethics of abortion being a very emotive issue. Abortion and the debate ranging around it have birthed activism, debates and controversy in equal measure. It is in fact a norm for people to refer to themselves as pro-life or pro-choice. Personal beliefs touching on responsibility, morality, government role in public policy and religion all affect ones view on abortion. Mary-Anne Warren, an American philosopher, put forward in her article â€Å"On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion†, the perspective that abortion is acceptable morally. This paper seeks to delve into her article, especially her arguments and form an objection to her work. Warren begins her argument by debating how permissibility of abortion morally is dependent on whether the subject fetus is indeed a pers on. She argues that while a satisfactory defense of the right of a woman has to an abortion without proof of a fetus not being a human being is not satisfactorily possible, this difficulty in conclusion of a fetus’s status should not make it impossibility in the production of a solution to the moral status of the abortion problem (Warren 2). Pro-abortionists, due to not coming to grips with issues surrounding abortion, have had most of their arguments fall flat, failing to weaken traditional arguments on antiabortion. Their arguments are of two sorts, they either state that denial of a woman’s right to abortion is a deprivation of her rights to have control over her own body, or that deaths induced by illegal abortions, especially by poor women, is as a consequence of this law. This is obviously flawed since the fact that access restriction to abortion has such tragic side effects is not a pointer to the unjustified restrictions, as murder is still wrong. She cites J. Noonan saying, â€Å"The fundamental question in the long history of abortion is; how you determine the humanity of a human being?† (Warren 1). She goes on to argue that once the assumption of a fetus’ moral rights is allowed in full, the question of whether abortion is justifiable becomes a difficult and complex question. Warren seeks to push her abortion agenda via discussion of the five characteristics she believes are central to being a person. Warren tends to view persons as entities who have consciousness, self motivation, reasoning, communication capacity and presence of self awareness and self concepts (Warren 2). The first issue she tackles is the Definition of a human. She argues that â€Å"human† has two meanings, distinct but not easily distinguishable. Since killing of innocent humans is wrong and fetuses are an example of humans that are innocent, killing them is wrong. She shoots down this argument by claiming that the usage of human in similar se nse in both conclusions, whichever use is meant of the two, one of them begs questions. If used in two senses that are different, then the conclusion is still wrong (Warren 5). She claims that the presence of the human genome in fetuses does not point to it being morally human. Her second characteristic deals with the definition of moral community. She asks if it is indeed possible to establish if moral humanity can be sufficiently defined by genetic humanity. She describes the moral community as all people and only people, rather than all human beings and only human beings. Her argument continues to debate what characteristics enable any entity qualify for consideration as a person. She puts these characteristics down as consciousness and capacity to detect pain, acting out of self motivation,

Cybercrime Threat To E Commerce Information Technology Essay

Cybercrime Threat To E Commerce Information Technology Essay The growth of technology and the globalization of internet communication commerce have impacted significantly the way in which computer crimes are committed. However the widespread use of technology the internet for business transactions communications have exposed the industry to an increasing rate of cybercrime attacks. In this essay we analyze the security threats to e-commerce and look into the implications of cybercrime to online business. This essay also gives an overview of threat activity trends of the past years 2008-2009. Introduction Every era of business has yield new approaches and new ways of doing business. The internet has completely changed the way of doing business that the rules laid for corporate strategy from last 50 years have began to collapse. The role of internet has been vital and can be compared to that of the telephone. It is a technique for people to communicate with each other, a way for consumers to communicate with a service company without any human interference. The rapid growth of internet has opened many opportunities in every field in our daily life be it leisure, business, sports or education. However, internet also has its own disadvantages. One of the major disadvantages is cyber crime. It can be defined as illegal activity committed on the internet. There are several illegal activities that computer criminals carry out, i.e. e-mail spying, credit card fraud, spams, software piracy and others. In recent times companies have increasingly combine their systems with their vendors, suppliers customers. Thus, the risks they face increases. Companies prefer to shift toward self-service system within and among companies where they can get enormous opportunities for cost savings and other efficiencies in human resources, inventory, or billing. On the other side, this system makes the host companies increasingly vulnerable to security. Companies have become more conscious of maintaining their competitiveness and market leadership by giving more preference to e-commerce i.e. electronic way of doing business. The complexity of multinational companies, their reliance on technology, and the buildup interconnectivity among different system departments have led to the emergence of electronic-business: these are rapidly evolving developments that create widespread opportunities for theft, fraud, and other forms of exploitation by offenders both outside and inside and companies. The Definition of E-Commerce E-commerce deals with buying and selling of goods services by electronic means such as internet or other computer networks. E-commerce has captured the excitement and focus of todays emerging business. It is a paperless exchange of business information using electronic data interchange (EDI), electronic mail, electronic magazines, fax transmission and online fund transfer. It refers to online shopping, stock bond transactions, selling of software products, downloading (software, music, documents, applications etc) business to business transactions. Another example of e-commerce would be online banking, i.e. online bill payments, buying stocks, transferring funds from one account to another, and initiating wire payment to another country. Online shopping is widely famous as a part of e-commerce. Another hit business in the making over the vast world of internet is online shopping. This is done by companies that have the capacity to offer products to the public even if there are no actual shopping malls. Basically, the concept of e-commerce is all about using the internet to do business better and faster. Customers are given controlled access to company system and thus letting people serve themselves. As a result organizations are making a genuine online effort in integrating their website with the heart of business. In both regular commerce and e-commerce companies are always on the lookout for attracting potential buyers to their place of business. This is demonstrated by the organizations marketing tactics including advertising, word of mouth publicity etc. A companys website allows customers to find a good or service they desire. The customers pay accordingly and the product or service arrives at their doorstep a few days later. At such a high level of convenience more and more people are deserting high street shops to buy things on the Internet. This online shopping is essentially referred to be e-commerce. E-commerce sites mostly function in the same manner. Here customers search through lists and descriptions of products; they add items that they want to their Shopping Cart; they can remove unwanted items from their basket at any time; when they want to confirm their order, they click on a Checkout button; they must then enter their credit card details to pay for their order. Customers are then moved to a secure location to carry out online purchasing of their purchased order. To complete the transaction, they need to supply their shipping address and credit card number. E-commerce transactions generally take place through secure electronic connections and special merchant accounts for accepting payments. These are the fundamental processes of online shopping and online purchasing. Basically, the concept of e-commerce is all about using the internet to do business better and faster. The Definition of Cyber Crime Cyber crime can be defined as a crime committed over the internet by using computer as a tool or as a target. It is an illegal act committed by deception or misrepresentation by someone having a distinctive professional technical skill for the purpose of personal or professional gain or to gain an unfair advantage over other person. The rapid evolution of technology and internet among common masses has resulted in the growth of cyber crime. As business grows systems are becoming more and more sophisticated with less human interventions, although it is very important to monitor individual behaviors. Vulnerability to economic crime grows as organizations are still dependent on individuals as systems do not directly control. Lack of security enables criminals to disrupt the e-business process in several ways. Cyber criminals can be involved in denial of service attacks, fraudulent online applications for bank loans, extracting credit card information for resale or buying of more products etc. As internet has enabled doing business beyond or without borders it has become increasingly difficult to prevent investigate crimes. Like traditional crime, cybercrime can take many forms and can occur nearly anytime or anyplace. The only difference between traditional crime and cybercrime is that in cybercrime, computer or computer network are used to complete the crime, or is the target of the crime. The computer or device may be the agent of the crime, the co-coordinator of the crime, or the aim of the crime. The crime may take place on an individual computer or in addition to computers at other locations. Criminals committing cybercrime use a number of methods, depending on their skill-set and their goal. Cybercrime is, after all, merely crime with some sort of computer or cyber aspect. E-commerce threats The most significant issues of E-commerce threat are outlined as follows. Malware E-commerce operators have to be careful about worms, viruses other malicious software as they possess biggest threat to network systems. An infected system may affect the operations of the entire business services and may result in a revenue loss and may also possess the possible chances of identity thefts which happen to be of a greater concerned through customers perspective. An example of this was the Bugbear worm in September 2002; it had a keystroke logging capabilities which exposed the risk of capturing users personal details if a transaction was initiated from the infected system. A total of 28940 different malicious and potentially unwanted programs were detected on users computers in August 09. That is an increase of more than 8,000 on Julys figures and points to a significant increase in the number of in-the-wild threats. http://www.kaspersky.com/news?id=207575678 Denial-of-Service (DOS) It is the intentional breakage or blocking of legitimate access by unauthorized user by flooding the victim site with unwanted traffic. Perpetrators of DoS attacks typically target sites or services hosted on high-profile  web servers  such as banks,  credit card  payment gateways, and even  root name servers.  The most recent example was on 6th August 09 when millions of tweeter users were silenced by the DOS attacks which ultimately led to shutdown of Twitter for hours. Not only was the site down, but client applications that depend on the Twitter API could also not connect to the service, creating a complete Twitter blackout. Defacement An organizations website represents its E-business processes. It is always meant to convey the accurate information and to give the best impression to its users. Hence it is important to protect the site from vandalism unauthorized alteration of its content. Defacement have posed a significant threat to websites running unpatched Web server software, such websites have become a relatively easy target even for amateur hackers. The potential impact for an E-business could be greater for a site that is purely providing information services. For example, encountering a defaced site has the potential to cause lasting damages to the customers impression of the business, and in particular to the perception of its security. Datastreaming Datastreaming involves bulk theft of personal data (credit card details an individual) or groups hacking into specific systems which explicitly targets the E-commerce domain.

Examine and compare the ways in which Pat Barker in Regeneration and Es

Examine and compare the ways in which Pat Barker in Regeneration and Wilfred Owen in his poetry explore the nature of life in the trenches. Pat Barker and Wilfred Owen are both successful writers in delivering an insight into trench life from the perspective of a soldier, although in different ways. Owen, being a soldier himself, has had first hand experience of trench life and describes the pity of war, in that war is a waste of young, innocent lives, and the bitterness of the soldiers towards the people who do not have to fight. Whereas Barker recreates trench life through the nightmares, hallucinations and memories of the soldiers. Despite the fact that Barker is a modern woman writer she still manages to write a realistic view of the effects of war on soldiers. We forget that she would have had to do extensive research to get her information so detailed, especially as she combines real characters such as Graves and Sassoon, with her fictional creations. There are several themes explored in the work of both writers, the force of nature and the dangers in the trenches, explored in "Exposure." The hatred and bitterness towards shirkers explored in "The Dead Beat." The torment and terrible conditions that the soldiers had to put up with, in "Dulce Et Decorum Est," and how the soldiers began to think that it would be easier to end their lives in war than to live through another day of horror, explored in "Aterre." The title "Exposure" says enough about the dangers in the trenches, the risk of death and exposure to the enemy and exposure the natural elements. Owen describes the intensity of the "merciless iced east winds" that cut through the soldiers like a knife. Creating a vicious imagery of trench c... ...his poem "Wild with All Regrets" Owen describes how "here in this coffin of a bed," his regret is that after so much time being trapped in the trenches with so much time to just sit and think, it is only now that he appreciates life and how important it is. The comparison with "Regeneration" is that Prior, Sassoon and the others are still trapped and still have hours to think of what it is they have and are missing by being locked up in Craiglockhart. The work of both Barker and Owen captures the realism of what these soldiers actually went through, without actually trying to sugarcoat it for the audience back at home. We are able to understand a little better why the soldiers got so close in war and why they hated the civilians so much. I can say that after reading "Regeneration" and Wilfred Owens work I will never think about war in the same way again.