Monday, September 30, 2019

Justice and Vengeance in The Oresteia

In this paper, I suggest that the themes of justice and vengeance are reflected in a progressive movement throughout the trilogy. The never-ending cycle of revenge and vengeance was between not only mortals like Clytaemnestra and Orestes but also between gods for example Apollo and the Furies. The theme of justice and vengeance are important because the play reflects a movement from a time of savagery and revenge and a movement towards civilization and justice. B. Structure of Paper In this paper, I will examine how the themes of justice and vengeance are treated in the Oresteia.I will examine the progress of the trilogy from the savage cycle of bloodshed to a more civilized and justice oriented society. First I will take a look at the foreshadowing of doom in Agamemnon by the Chorus. Then, I will analyze how the cycle of bloodshed continues in the Libation Bearers. And lastly the change from cyclic bloodshed to peace and justice will be discussed through the last play the Furies. C. Body of Paper In the first play Agamemnon, we get the first glimpse of the oncoming fate in the house of Atreus.The sacrificial death of Iphigenia mentioned in Agamemnon 875 was the first spark that caused this cycle of bloodshed to begin and led to the death of the king. The following passage is the words of the chorus following the unfortunate murder of Agamemnon. â€Å"I dread the drumbeat thunder the heavy rains of blood will crush the house the first light rains are over- Justice brings new acts of agony, yes, on new grindstones Fate is grinding sharp the sword of Justice. † Agamemnon 1561-1565 This passage foreshadows not only the coming doom in the house of Atreus but also the intervention of the gods.The line â€Å"the first light rains are over-Justice brings new acts of agony† reflects that blood will no longer drizzle but pour from this house until justice is served. It is being implied that Agamemnon was only the first casualty and many are to come which w e later in the Libation Bearers realize is no one other than Clytaemestra and Aegisthus. The sharp grinding of the sword of justice by fate reflects the intervention of the gods who will help bring justice to those murdered. Apollo being the divine oracle that helps Orestes avenge his father’s death and the Furies seeking vengeance on maternal murder.This passage provides the best example of the basic theme of the Oresteia, seeking justice through vengeance. The idea of eye for an eye continues to be reflected through the next play the Libation Bearers. This passage also like the previous one can be considered to foreshadow the death of Clytaemestra and Aegisthus. â€Å"And the blood that Mother Earth consumes clots hard, it won’t seep through it breeds revenge and frenzy goes through the guilty, seething like infection, swarming through the brain. † Libation Bearers 66-69 This quote shows that bloodshed is appeased by only more bloodshed.The fact that blood clo ts hard rather than seeps through signifies that death is something that is not easily accepted in human nature it only induces more revenge. The seething like infection also indicates that this feeling of vengeance will only spread like wildfire until the urge is satisfied. Orestes, with the support of Apollo, is the one reflecting this urge of vengeance while his guilty mother and her lover are the ones to lose their blood next. Clytamestra’s death causes the Furies to hunt Orestes and seek justice for her which leads us to the last part of the trilogy.In Eumenides 485, Athena decides that the case between Orestes and the Furies should be judged by a jury of mortal men. The verdict set Orestes free which enraged the Furies but for their appeasement Athena offers a place in Athens for them which they eventually agree to. Thus the following passage helps us understand how the cycle of vengeance was concluded. â€Å"Come and sped beneath the earth by our awesome sacrifices, k eep destruction from the borders, bring prosperity home to Athens, triumph sailing in its wake. † The Eumenides 1015-1020This quote depicts what Aeschylus was advocating at the end of the Furies. This verse spoken by Athena indicates that justice has been served and no longer should cycles of bloodshed and revenge be at the forefront. Rather the people of Athens should focus on bettering their homeland together and live in peace and harmony. The destruction should be put to better use by conquering foreign lands. The alliance between Athena and the Furies is the triumph being referred to in the end and also indicates that similar achievements should continue to prosper.As we can see the themes of justice and vengeance are at the forefront in the play. The trilogy reflects a progressive movement from revenge to justice. The sacrificial death of Iphigenia was the root cause of conflict between Clytaemestra and Agamemnon and eventually the unceasing cycle of bloodshed. However, t he vengeance of Orestes and the Furies led to a final ruling that helped end the cycle. Although the house of Atreus was reduced to almost nothing through all the bloodshed the cycle helped erase the law of blood for blood and in turn peace and harmony were advocated. Justice and Vengeance in The Oresteia In this paper, I suggest that the themes of justice and vengeance are reflected in a progressive movement throughout the trilogy. The never-ending cycle of revenge and vengeance was between not only mortals like Clytaemnestra and Orestes but also between gods for example Apollo and the Furies. The theme of justice and vengeance are important because the play reflects a movement from a time of savagery and revenge and a movement towards civilization and justice.B. Structure of PaperIn this paper, I will examine how the themes of justice and vengeance are treated in the Oresteia. I will examine the progress of the trilogy from the savage cycle of bloodshed to a more civilized and justice oriented society. First I will take a look at the foreshadowing of doom in Agamemnon by the Chorus. Then, I will analyze how the cycle of bloodshed continues in the Libation Bearers. And lastly the change from cyclic bloodshed to peace and justice will be discussed through the last play the Furies.C. B ody of PaperIn the first play Agamemnon, we get the first glimpse of the oncoming fate in the house of Atreus. The sacrificial death of Iphigenia mentioned in Agamemnon 875 was the first spark that caused this cycle of bloodshed to begin and led to the death of the king. The following passage is the words of the chorus following the unfortunate murder of Agamemnon. â€Å"I dread the drumbeat thunder the heavy rains of blood will crush the house the first light rains are over- Justice brings new acts of agony, yes, on new grindstones Fate is grinding sharp the sword of Justice.†Agamemnon 1561-1565This passage foreshadows not only the coming doom in the house of Atreus but also the intervention of the gods. The line â€Å"the first light rains are over-Justice brings new acts of agony† reflects that blood will no longer drizzle but pour from this house until justice is served. It is being implied that Agamemnon was only the first casualty and many are to come which we la ter in the Libation Bearers realize is no one other than Clytaemestra and Aegisthus.The sharp grinding of the sword of justice by  fate reflects the intervention of the gods who will help bring justice to those murdered. Apollo being the divine oracle that helps Orestes avenge his father’s death and the Furies seeking vengeance on maternal murder. This passage provides the best example of the basic theme of the Oresteia, seeking justice through vengeance.The idea of eye for an eye continues to be reflected through the next play the Libation Bearers. This passage also like the previous one can be considered to foreshadow the death of Clytaemestra and Aegisthus. â€Å"And the blood that Mother Earth consumes clots hard, it won’t seep through it breeds revenge and frenzy goes through the guilty, seething like infection, swarming through the brain.†Libation Bearers 66-69This quote shows that bloodshed is appeased by only more bloodshed. The fact that blood clots h ard rather than seeps through signifies that death is something that is not easily accepted in human nature it only induces more revenge. The seething like infection also indicates that this feeling of vengeance will only spread like wildfire until the urge is satisfied. Orestes, with the support of Apollo, is the one reflecting this urge of vengeance while his guilty mother and her lover are the ones to lose their blood next. Clytamestra’s death causes the Furies to hunt Orestes and seek justice for her which leads us to the last part of the trilogy.In Eumenides 485, Athena decides that the case between Orestes and the Furies should be judged by a jury of mortal men. The verdict set Orestes free which enraged the Furies but for their appeasement Athena offers a place in Athens for them which they eventually agree to. Thus the following passage helps us understand how the cycle of vengeance was concluded. â€Å"Come and sped beneath the earth by our awesome sacrifices, keep destruction from the borders, bring prosperity home to Athens, triumph sailing in its wake.†The Eumenides 1015-1020This quote depicts what Aeschylus was advocating at the end of the Furies. This verse spoken by Athena indicates that justice has been served and no longer should cycles of bloodshed and revenge be at the forefront. Rather the people of Athens should focus on bettering their homeland together and live in peace and harmony. The destruction should be put to better use by  conquering foreign lands. The alliance between Athena and the Furies is the triumph being referred to in the end and also indicates that similar achievements should continue to prosper. As we can see the themes of justice and vengeance are at the forefront in the play. The trilogy reflects a progressive movement from revenge to justice.The sacrificial death of Iphigenia was the root cause of conflict between Clytaemestra and Agamemnon and eventually the unceasing cycle of bloodshed. However, the vengeance of Orestes and the Furies led to a final ruling that helped end the cycle. Although the house of Atreus was reduced to almost nothing through all the bloodshed the cycle helped erase the law of blood for blood and in turn peace and harmony were advocated.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

O great god-king Xerxes Essay

O great god-king Xerxes, I have heard that you are planning to launch a full-scale invasion of the Greek nations following on the steps of your father, Darius. I come here before you to attempt to dissuade you of your plans for Greece. As I am once a prominent citizen of one of the many city-states in the nation, it would do you well to listen to my advice as it contains extensive knowledge of what you are about to face if you push through with your plans. O King, barely ten years ago, your father Darius launched a similar invasion against the Greek city-states in retaliation to the Athenians’ aiding the Ionians in their revolt against his rule. Although it had been initially successful, the invasion was ultimately put to an end by his defeat during the Battle of Marathon. It could be worth noting that, despite the battle being a victory, it was a desperate attack by the Athenian army that caused the defeat of your father’s armed forces. Sparta, perhaps the state with the most powerful military in all of Greece, was absent from the battle and even then the Greeks scored a victory. Each city-state in Greece acts independently from each other. They are each governed by their respective rulers and are not influenced by the affairs of the other city-states. However, it is not impossible for each of them to call for aid to one another as evidenced by the Ionian call for aid during the previous war. Sartus was taken thanks to the aid provided by Athens, who had the major contribution in the allied army, and by Eretria. Sparta had chosen delay sending military aid as it had decided a full moon needed to pass before they do anything and were thus absent from the Battle of Marathon, where your father’s army was defeated utterly. Had Sparta’s forces been present, its superior military might compared to Athens would likely contribute to utter decimation of the Persian forces under your father’s command. However, even then, your father’s soldiers lost under the Greeks. If you attack now, O King, you risk provoking an even greater alliance that can now include Sparta, which is your most formidable enemy on the plains of Greece. The Spartans are a race that places utmost emphasis on military training and raising superior soldiers that have been tested in war. Furthermore, the Spartans will never participate and are not interested in any alliance that will not mean leadership to them. They can be a vain and arrogant nation but with the strength to back their vanity up. If you threaten the entire Greek country now, your Majesty, the major powers of the nation will definitely ally themselves with Sparta at the helm. With Spartan tactics and warriors at the vanguard, your army – no matter how great – will run into serious opposition which can result into an even greater demise than what has happened to your father’s forces in Marathon. As could be expected from any nation, the Greeks have devised battle tactics that are best suited to their terrain. They know their land; you can expect them to take advantage of that and lure your forces into a disadvantage in battle. With a possible alliance under Spartan leadership, the Greek can have a tactical and strategic advantage even if your army is greater in number. O Wise King, great wisdom it would be not to rely on the greater numbers of your armed host. The Greeks, especially the Spartans, will not be easily daunted. They have tactics that can be quite effective when employed in terrain which they know well. For example, your father Darius in Marathon faced a tactic called the phalanx. By definition, a Greek battle line deployed in a phalanx means there is equal strength in all sides of the battle formation. However, in Marathon, the Greek commander faced superior numbers but was able to modify the phalanx into an effective variant: he strengthened the wings of his battle formation while weakening the center. At first you would think that the Greeks were committing suicide and, indeed, the Greeks seemed to be at the point of desperation. However, stronger wings meant that the Greeks managed to hold off the wings of your father’s formations, holding them back and disabling them from reinforcing the center of King Darius’ battle lines. Thus, it was then that the Persian armies were surrounded and routed by the Greek army in Marathon. The results of the battle were horrific. Your father lost a sizable portion of his soldiers, sixty times more than what the Greeks lost in that same battle. A second Marathon is not the only thing that you should worry about in the conduct of battle in this planned invasion. A worse battle awaits your forces if you push through. In Greece, there is a place which we call the â€Å"Hot Gates† or Thermopylae. This place is a narrow pass bordered by a sheer cliff wall on one side, and the sea on the other side. This is a battleground ideal for the phalanx. In such a narrow pass, the phalanx will serve as a wedge that will drive through your attacking forces. The Greeks need only to strengthen their front lines with the rear guard merely pushing the front soldiers forward. In here, the superior numbers of your great army will definitely count for nothing. The Greeks, especially the Spartans and the Athenians, are aware of this pass; they will definitely use this to their advantage to hold off your army while a greater force amasses for retaliation. A Spartan-led phalanx could be as devastating as any phalanx, which had been proven by the Athenian tactics in Marathon. As you could see, Great King Xerxes, the sheer size of your army is both your strength and your liability. To support such a large host, you need a sizable navy to carry supplies back and forth. Your navy will be stretched thin supporting your great army; it will also have to endure against whatever naval counterattacks and offensives that the Greeks may launch against you. You could face a naval situation similar to Thermopylae in Salamis. It is a narrow channel, one which can reduce your navy into a bottleneck and reduce their effectiveness. The Greeks can pick your ships off one by one even if they may be smaller in size. Consider my wisdom in this matter, King Xerxes. I daresay that, even if you hold the greater number of forces, you would find it hard to manage them effectively at smaller levels. The Greeks, my former countrymen, are geniuses both in scholarship and in battle; your father Darius learnt that the hard way in the fields of Marathon under the Athenians alone. With a possible pan-Greek alliance – with the mighty Spartans leading – your forces face yet another humiliating defeat similar to Marathon, only this time you will be facing the combined might of all the city-states of Greece. Abandon this plan now, before this results to destruction of your mighty host. Sources: Wheeler, Kevin. (2001). â€Å"Ancient Greek Battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Artemisium and Salamis. † Retrieved November 30, 2008, from Ancient World Battles website: http://www. geocities. com/caesarkevin/battles/Greekbattles1. html Lendering, Jona. (2005). â€Å"Phalanx and Hoplites. † Retrieved November 30, 2008 from Livius. org website: http://www. livius. org/pha-phd/phalanx/phalanx. html Lopez, Vincent. (2008) â€Å"Shock Tactics on the Ancient Battlefield. † Retrieved November 30, 2008 from Armchair General website: http://www. armchairgeneral. com/shock-tactics-on-the-ancient-battlefield. htm/5 Stewart, Michael. â€Å"People, Places & Things: Xerxes I†, Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. Retrieved November 30, 2008 from Messagenet website: http://messagenet. com/myths/ppt/Xerxes_I_1. html Freedom44. (2004). â€Å"The First Persian War – Greek Wars. † Retrieved from Free Republic website: http://freerepublic. com/focus/f-news/1196577/posts

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Introduction of Econometric Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction of Econometric - Assignment Example The study aimed at determining the determinants of hourly pay (dependent variable). The estimated constant and coefficients had a p- value approximately equal to zero and therefore were statistically significant at 5% significant level. Secondly the model was found to be correctly specified with a probability F approximately equal to 0. However, R-squared equalled to 0.2571, implying that the model was not that good, as the explanatory variables , education and experience only accounted for 25.7% of all changes accruing to hour pay, worse though, they accounted for 25.56% when adjusted for degrees of freedom( adjusted R squared =0.2556). Given poor goodness of fit, it was hypothesized there was gender discrimination in hourly pay distribution, hence making gender an explanatory variable. As matter of fact, male hourly wages averaged higher than females’ (table 2). The implication is that men generally earnings are higher than women. The overall model remained significant (prob. F approximately equal to zero). Goodness of fit improved to 0.3042 and 0.3021 when adjusted for degrees of freedom. Although the constant tested not statistically different from zero (p-value 0.073) at 95% confidence level, the coefficients remained statistically significant and hence it was induced that holding education and experience constant, males earn 2.389 euros more than females per hour. The overall fitness of the model improved (R2 = 0.3160 and adjusted R2 = 0.3132), hence making it better than the previous. F-test maintained that the overall model was correctly specified and all coefficients as well as the constant were statistically different from zero with at 1% significance level. According to the estimated model, the reward for an extra year of experience was 0.5632 euros higher in male than in females, holding other variables constant. Secondly, ceteris paribus, females were rewarded 0.3903 euros less

Friday, September 27, 2019

Short Story Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Short Story - Term Paper Example The reason was that she broke up the guy with whom she spent five years of her life. Each person from her circle knew about their relationship, and she was afraid to answer the questions that what happened? How did it happen? Why did it happen? After having 2 cups of coffee and sitting for hours, Linda ordered some food. It was the place where She was used to coming with her ex-boyfriend on a regular basis. It was the reason due to which she was quiet and was trying to accept the fact that now she is alone. She wanted to be with that guy, but the situation and circumstances didn’t allow them to further continue the relationship. Suddenly, her friend came across and sat next to her and started asking about her life and her boyfriend Alex. When, Linda tells the whole story of her breakup to her friend, her friend says, â€Å"oh! It was not expected at all from both of you. You guys were so good with each other. You should have given him one more chance it might have worked out. But, I think if you are ok with it then enjoy as you are having fun here.† Linda had no answer, she suddenly started feeling regretful and then her friend moves to another table. She was there to forget about everything related to him an d wanted to live normal life with no regrets. But her friend just criticized her and it was very painful for Linda. Meanwhile, her ordered food arrives at her table, and she started eating that food. Then, one more friend saw her and come to her table asks her that why she has her food alone? Why her boyfriend is not here today? Why was she not coming here for many days? Linda again tells her breakup story and reasons to leave him, and she mentioned that she was depressed too. In response, her friend says, â€Å"It seems you are happy after the breakup, I hardly caught you this much dressed and accessorized you are looking pretty than before. It seems you are celebrating your breakup now and with this speed soon you will be with another guy.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Argument rehearsal for multiple realizability of mental states (contra Essay

Argument rehearsal for multiple realizability of mental states (contra the identity theory) - Essay Example This follows from property identity: if X = Y, you can’t have X without Y, or Y without X. For example, you can never ask for six bottles under the condition that you will not be given half a dozen bottles. This is because six is just the same as half a dozen. This is true of the identity of mental and physical states. For example, if the physical realization of pain is C-fiber firing, then it cannot be anything else but C-fiber firing. This is property identity theory. But the multiple realizibility of mental states opposes this claim. If pain is related to both C-fiber firing and D-fiber firing, you can have pain without C-fiber firing (given that you have D-fiber firing), and you can have pain without D-fiber firing (given that you have C-fiber firing). What this also implies is pain is not identical to either one – you cannot have six bottles without having half a dozen. Therefore, I ask myself the following question, is there valid reason to think that mental state s are in fact multiply realizable? I believe so. Alien beings are often conceived as having similar mental attributes to humans, albeit physically different. Intelligent beings develop the capacity to select advantageous mental states to sustain life force. For example, if I am unable to feel pain (which is a mental state), it won’t be possible for me to recognise any physical experience which is life threatening. Resultantly, I would cease to exist, thus failing to reproduce and pass on my legacy. Likewise, my cognitive capacities such as intuition and decision making abilities enhance my awareness about surroundings and help me do the right things at the right time. Without these traits, I wouldn’t have been able to sense danger and would expose myself to potentially harmful situations, which, again, would make me susceptible to extinction. Therefore, one can rationalise that an intelligent alien creature living somewhere in the universe would have

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Future of Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Future of Healthcare - Essay Example untries such as the United States have established public health care as an intervention to manage and control illnesses, injuries and other health disorders through disease surveillance, and encouragement of health behavior, environment and the society. It was intended to improve the accessibility of health services through private and public insurance health care provision to all Americans (AcademyHealth, 2011). Although introduction of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010 has addressed various challenges facing the health sector the reform has its share of challenges, risks, and opportunities for the people and the state. The drive to increase government involvement in health care administration in the United Stated State can be traced in 1912 following the presidential candidate on the Progressive Party ticket Theodore Roosevelt call for creation of a national health insurance scheme to replicate that of Germany (Emanuel, 2014). After the Great Depression, the proposal gained attention in 1932 when Wilbur Commission, a governmental panel observed that millions of American residents lacked access to affordable medical cover (AcademyHealth, 2011). They suggested a medical group practices and prepayment scheme where the group would contribute finances to cover the members. The intention was to provide every American with medical cover. However, the system experienced myriad challenges partly because of inadequate funds the state was facing and partly because the American Medical Association (AMA) failed to endorse government-run healthcare. These led to the failure of legislation to support the proposa l. Another attempt to provide a ten-year health care for all Americans was put across by President Harry Truman in 1945. However, the effort was thwarted by AMAs warning of the detriment of socializing medical care and subsequent opposition by the Congress (Brill, 2015). However, these proposals set the ground for subsequent political debates to

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

DRUGS AND ADDICTION ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DRUGS AND ADDICTION ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Manifestly, the quality of the social setting influences a person’s varieties. Thus, it accentuates the prominence of social factors for enhancing behaviors and addictions. The work provides explanation people’s perceptions and main motives that facilitate abuse of specific drugs based on sociological theories. Specific areas of interests include the symbolic interactionism, structural functional and conflict forces (Brent & Lewis 2013). Besides, genetic dynamics influence individuals worth and societys reactions. Structural functionalism Interprets society as a complex system whose components work together to stimulate stability and solidarity. Thus, positive or negative individuals’ appeals are products of order ultimate provisions or the absence respectively. Consequently, drug abuse is a reaction to the weak or deteriorating standards in the American society. Significant modernization presents complex structures and prompt social variations. In turn, shared morals and norms become indefinite and indistinguishable. To a wider context, the situation causes social instability, which is responsible for inconsistencies, and social strains that increase drug abuse. Likewise, contradiction between the American Government agencies, health care providers, and advertisers promotes drug use among citizens. For instance, the health care warn about dangers associated with the drugs, promoters venerate the use of drugs and the government subsidizes prices of other substances like tobacco and alcohol industries. Whether it is controlled substance or legal products, the drugs still exist for human consumption. In addition, culture fosters drug use for example toasting champagne with groom and bride. Conclusively, substance abuse results from lack of a strong links between the society and individuals. Social challenges also arise from individual’s interaction with peers. The symbolic interactionist

Monday, September 23, 2019

Napoleonic paintings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Napoleonic paintings - Essay Example The genre of this picture is history painting for it contains human figure besides representing the nature in its correct form. Moreover, the painting has a subject matter that is more significant to the viewer for instance; it reflects the history of the Napoleonic war era. Upright rectangular landscape elongated to feature other images of warring soldiers seen in the background. Besides the landscape is bear and has a climbing. The image is in dynamic energy, which is evident from the posture of the picture. Exaggerated moonlight achieved by the use of bright colours is evident intelligent use of brushwork to reveal the strong physiques of the horse, its rider, and propaganda words written on the ground.Through the little, natural, soft and direct light besides lack of shadow, the viewer is able to guess the time of the day. The viewer recognizes different obstacles or objects in the picture using varied colours ranging from bright to dark. The picture symbolises the Napoleon war e ra in whereby Jacques-Louis David uses the horse to cross to the war zone. The painting was done by Jacques-Louis David showing Bonaparte crossing the Alps waters in between 1800 and 1801 besides, which is an oil canvas done on a sheet measuring 260 by 221cm. The picture depicts a portrait painting in that the artist made the whole image to be the main or specific point of concern. It shows the full body of Bonaparte resulting to being a portrait painting. The artist uses an upright rectangular background that is enough.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Music for image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Music for image - Essay Example Numerous theories are used in the film, The Golden Age which takes into account background music into to create emotions and rhythm for the film. In most and other cases, the emotion and rhythm is not always noticeable since it creates a tone for emotions or feelings for the characters and images used in the film. Moreover, in the film, music is used to over shadow change in mood for images and characters. An example is that dissonant music can be integrated to signify an approaching change of scenery or situation which is not visible for menace or disaster. Composers who have greatly influenced my piece include John Adams and James MacMillan whom am utmost indebted for gleaning from a lot of small but crucial compositional ideas. Nevertheless, I have listen to music by other composers who have written for film.These include: John Williams and Michael Giacchino, Ennio Morricone, Malcolm Anold Joe Hisaishi amongst others. The Golden Age is a constantly changing film that heads towards a particular goal,much the same way a piece of minimalistic music flows rhythmically gradually reaching its goal.The purpose of all these is not to interfere with the quality of the film,but to accord the audience more enjoyment space as they experience the ethereal and atmospheric changes in the sound and image. Thus creating a more natural synchronies of these two elements. In the film the Golden Age, background music in the film is used to assist viewers to understand the different linking of the film like scenes, images and others. An example is that the film for example uses particular music for known characters or situations by repeating them at the start or commencement of the situation. Its main purposes in the film are that it reminds the audiences of the motifs or ideas used in the film and their actual meanings. The film sound in the Golden Age is also comprised of numerous conventions and innovations. An example is that it has become quiet

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Crucible Character Analyses of Abigail Williams Essay Example for Free

Crucible Character Analyses of Abigail Williams Essay The play Crucible is set in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692; the government is a theocracy. Hard work and church consume the majority of a Salem resident’s time. Within the community, there are regular disputes over land; but disagreement over land boundaries is not the only simmering situation that becomes out of control. Abigail, the orphaned niece to Reverend Parris, is cast out of the house of John and Elizabeth Proctor because of her part in the infidelity and adultery committed with John Proctor. Her uncle is suspicious of her hasty exit, and even more so when he discovers her dancing in the woods. In order to avoid punishment, Abigail claims to be victimised by evil, thus causing madness that spread like wildfire through Salem, claiming many innocent souls. Yet the one who escaped punishment, Abigail, is not innocent. However, her crime, invisible to the eyes of the judges, for whom faith had replaced psychology, is not to have trafficked with the Devil; it is, with truly diabolic determination, to have brought about the ruin of the woman she cannot forgive for being married to the one she loves. Throughout the play, the people of Salem are consumed by paranoia and fear. Abigail is able to prey on that fear, as well as every other humanly weakness, and with her cunning, she is able to bend others to do her will. With a combination of lies and threats, as well as her capability to take advantage of paranoia and hysteria, Abigail seems to be an untouchable antagonist. When first introduced to the antagonist, we develop sympathy for Abigail, enters a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with endless capacity for dissembling. We are told that she is strikingly beautiful which undoubtedly gives us a brief visual aid of her appearance, author Arthur miller may have chosen to tell us this to suggest she is seductive and he emphasises the fact that she is beautiful with a powerful adverb, strikingly. We then become aware that she is an orphan, this uses the readers emotions to develop some sympathy for abigail, one could also suggest that with out that adult, mature, and older figure to nurture and advise abigail, she has not only become very independent, but possibly unaware of morals which maybe be the reason for the heartless actions she makes to get her way. In addition we are told that she has an endless capacity of dissembling, she is able to hide her true emotions/feelings in all situations, this tells us that she is a deceitful, lier but very intelligent, resourceful and highly mischievous girl. Already without abigail actually speaking, her impression has twisted and turned but is a mainly negative view. In addition when interrogated about her where about and the events that took place the previous evening, we begin to see a ruthless character unfold, one can perceive Abigails talent in the area of villainy. She lies continuously in order to protect herself. She denies her role in the witchcraft as she is being questioned by Parris, But we never conjured spirits. Not soon after she also refuses to admit other events that took place. No one was naked! You mistake yourself, uncle!. It is obvious that Abigail is a compulsive liar. She sees no problem with concealing the truth and would use imperatives to manipulate people even her own family to ensure and change their thoughts and opinions. Abigail is known to some as a Jezebel figure, someone who is commonly associated with the devil and scheming. Abigail’s evil can be seen through her interactions with the other characters in the play; she threatens Betty and Mary Warren, â€Å"Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and i will a pointy reckoning that will shudder you† this shows a side to her that is devilish, threatening and in a way powerful, these threats are used to manipulate the other girls, to take part in her evil schemes only for her selfish gain.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Self-Reflection of a Teaching Project

Self-Reflection of a Teaching Project Self-reflection refers to an activity or process in which an experience is recalled, considered, and evaluated, usually in relation to a broader purpose. It is a response to past experience and involves conscious recall and examination of the experience as a basis for evaluation and decision-making and as a source for planning and action. Self reflection is a thinking process in which an individual seriously considers and thoughtfully judges prior experience of the self. The consecutive engagement in reflection commonly leads the self to generate a change in conceptual perspectives My brief experience in the project allows me to understand and appreciate the art of self-reflecting. Recording lessons seems to be pretty much the ultimate method of self-reflection. Reflecting back on ones performance during a lesson is a great way of detecting and investigating the strength and weaknesses of a lesson. From preparing, recording the lesson and finally analyzing the video recording, I have learned a great deal of skills through this project. There are several mistakes that could be avoided in this project. During the recording of the lesson, the classroom should be a proper classroom with no interruptions such as technician and group members moving around. Regarding the attire, the students should have been better dressed as what a formal class should be. The recording of the lesson could have been better if by using one camera only with only one cameraman. That way we could avoid the unnecessary classroom interruptions with too much cameraman moving around the class. I am determined now that self-reflection in teaching involves changes in the way we usually perceive teaching and our role in the process of teaching. Teachers who explore their own teaching through critical reflection develop changes in attitudes and awareness which they believe can benefit their professional growth as teachers, as well as improve the kind of support they provide their students. Self-reflection is a valuable tool for self-evaluation and professional growth. I believe that experience alone is insufficient for professional growth, but that experience coupled with reflection can be a powerful momentum for teacher development. Self-reflection involves moving beyond a primary concern with instructional techniques and â€Å"how to† questions and asking â€Å"what† and â€Å"why† questions that regard instructions and managerial techniques not as ends in themselves, but as part of broader educational purposes. Asking â€Å"what and why† questions give us a certain power over our teaching. We could claim that the degree of autonomy and responsibility we have in our work as teachers is determined by the level of control we can exercise over our actions. In reflecting on the above kind of questions, we begin to exercise control and open up the possibility of transforming our everyday classroom life. The process Ive gone through in completing this project allows me to assess my understanding of what being a reflective teacher really means. Ive learned that the method of recording a lesson for deeper analysis is the best way to uncover information about our own teaching techniques in a lesson, information that is inaccessible through other method of self-reflection. There are several things that could have been avoided or improved regarding this project. I felt that the lesson needs to be more formal, or as similar to how a day-to-day classroom would be. In that sense, the students would be more in the mood of formal learning. I would also recommend the use of only one cameraman, as to avoid any other visual interference of the video recording, such as another cameraman moving around trying to record the lesson. After carrying out and completing this project, I learned that being a teacher is not a simple task that one can just sit back and do their job relaxingly. A good teacher needs to be determined and committed to their work in improving their teaching techniques. Self-reflection is not something to be taken lightly. It is a very important aspect of the step toward improving ones quality as a professional teacher. I understand now that the process of self reflection after teaching practice activities enables student teachers to benefit threefold, firstly, by acquiring contextual knowledge about interpretation of classroom situations; secondly, by discerning essential criteria for substantial self reflection; and lastly, by developing emergency responses for unexpected teaching challenges.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay --

When should the Fed begin â€Å"its exit† from expansionary monetary policy? Or is this even the wrong question and should we instead be discussing further expansionary policy that can be conducted by the Fed? As Janet Yellen stated clearly in her recent testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, now is not the time for the Fed to begin â€Å"its exit† from expansionary monetary policy. Until inflation comes closer to the Fed target of 2 percent or the unemployment rate begins to steadily decline, the Fed should in fact be looking to further expansionary policy to give the economy all the help it can get. The current state of the U.S. economy in terms of unemployment, inflation and growth, allow this unique situation to be brought into light. The unemployment rate is in about three percentage points higher than it was seven years ago, before the start of the economic downturn. The employment-to-population ratio is about five percentage points lower, and it has not succeeded in recovering much since the trough of the recession. Furthermore, in a dataset compiled since 1948 the average unemployed person has been looking for work before the crisis was 22 weeks, in the aftermath of the recession of 1981-1982 (Mankiw). In the most recent recession, however, the average reached about 41 weeks and still stands at more than 36 weeks – an unprecedented number of long-term unemployment. The Fed, breaking from its historic emphasis on subduing inflation, has used inflation as a tool to solve the financial crisis and keep prices rising about 2 percent a year. Rising prices encourage consumption, increases profits, increases borrowing and investment spending. Yet despite this goal, inflation rose at an annual pace of 1.2 percent in August, just... ...useholds and businesses (consumption and investment) increases purchase of real estate, which increases the price of homes. Though increased housing prices and increased employment are both effects of expansionary monetary policy, higher housing prices do not necessarily benefit employment. Or in other words, higher housing prices do not directly benefit employment but are sometimes take to be a signal that employment is on the rise. On Wash’s point, he says that in some sense the Fed’s economic models have been â€Å"basically wrong for about 4 or 5 years.† By this he means that the models did not anticipate the crisis, or were imply incorrect during the past 4 or 5 years of the recession. The models do not take into account that policy response might be different, rather, they take into account a pattern of â€Å"snapping-back† to where they once were at a point in history.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Wife of Bath :: essays papers

The Wife of Bath The Wife of Bath:An Illusion of Reality When one thinks of marriage, the most common ideal is equality of control among man and woman. Chaucer incorporates two opposing viewpoints on marriage in The Canterbury Tales. The Wife of Baths tale, in which she says that one spouse, preferably the wife, must have mastery over the other. On the other hand, The Franklins tale disapproves of the Wife of Baths philosophy by saying that equality and trust are essential in holding a marriage together as expressed here: .... And to enhance the bliss of both of their lives. He freely gave his promise as a knight that he would never darken her delight by exercising his authority against her will or showing jealousy but would obey her in all with simple trust as any lover of a lady must...(427) Now, the question is, Can the typical reader find the Wife of Bath a trustworthy person. David Parker, a literary critic, believes that The Wife of Bath Should not be fully trusted, due to the contradictory things she said about her relationships with her five husbands in her prologue. With the first three husbands, the Wife was happy because she was married to wealthy men, but was unhappy because they were old and could not fulfill her sexual desires. On the other hand, with her last two husbands, the Wife got her sexual desires fulfilled, but theres a huge question mark about her mastery of her younger husbands. Her relationship with her fifth, and last husband, is a prime example of this contradiction. When John, her fifth husband, hit her it was apparent to the reader, and to me, that she wasnt in the very blissful marriage as seen here ...Then like a maddened lion, with a yell he started up and smote me on the head and down I fell upon the floor for dead. And when he saw how motionless I lay he was aghast and would have flown away, but in the end, I started coming to....(297) Here, its evident to me that the Wife was very submissive in this marriage and that her husband is the one who shows the mastery. What didnt surprise me at the end of her prologue was the fact that everything was sweet and rosy and that

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Japanese Occupation Affect Nationalism in Indonesia

Assess the impact of the Japanese Occupation on nationalism in Indonesia â€Å"Nationalism† is generally defined as the increasing desire in people to determine their identity, existence and destiny for themselves. For the Netherland Indies, nationalism movement can be traced back to around 1900, which finally led and gave rise to a new nation, Indonesia. Nonetheless, it is important to acknowledge that nationalism movement existed prior to the Japanese occupation and therefore should not be consider a turning point that altered the entire landscape of nationalist movement in Indonesia.In addition, the Japanese’s brutality and cruelty could have potentially hindered the progress of nationalism, as they were primary driven by their self-interest in war efforts. This paper will attempt to argue how the Japanese Occupation acts as a catalyst that sped up nationalist movement led by pre-war nationalist leaders in Indonesia, eventually paving the way for its independence. In the initial stage of the occupation, the Japanese was determined to exploit the resources and not make any political concessions to Indonesian nationalism.The first attempt at such mass propaganda without major Indonesian nationalist leaders turned out to be a comprehensive failure. From its launch in March 1942, the Triple A movement that consist of the slogan that Japan as the leader of Asia, the protector of Asia, and the light of Asia, did not gather much support from the local. In general, the Triple A movement did not achieve its objective as few Indonesian Nationalist leaders were involved and the propaganda was too heavy-handed even in those days of early occupation for the locals to take it seriously.Therefore, it was only because the Japanese needed the help of the locals to aid war efforts that led them to give political concessions to nationalist leaders. Having failed to get anywhere by making no concession to nationalism and with increasing new doubts among the Japane se about the outcome of the war, the Putera — Centre of People’s Power (Pusat Tenaga Rakjat) was formed in March 1943. The Japanese selected nationalist leaders who had been imprisoned or ignored by the Dutch.They were resigned to the fact if they were to rally the masses of Java, the Japanese would have to use the leading figures of pre-war nationalist movement such as Sukarno and Hatta. The Japanese implementation of a simplified Malay language, Bahasa Indonesia, to replace the 250 languages and dialects used in the Netherland Indies it became the main lingua franca which significant in fostering a common national identityWhen they first took control of Indonesia, the Japanese decided to ban the use of Dutch language with immediate effect.Throughout the country, the locals started to see themselves as true modern nations rather than a mixture of rival religions, languages, cultures and races. This greatly galvanise nationalist effort, as it was easier to reach out to masses comparer to before under the Dutch rule. Under the Japanese Occupation, political boards were formed and nationalism was encouraged by the new regime as the Japanese mobilized the whole population for the war effort. The Japanese utilized Sukarno, along with the other nationalists, in order to unite the Japanese and Indonesian causes.While the Japanese military authorities were wary of giving Indonesians too much license, they recognize that they could not maintain their position by force alone. Hence, The Japanese give positions of responsibility to nationalist leaders like Sukarno and Hatta who had previously been imprisoned by the Dutch, and afforded the nationalist movement new scope for development (Vickers, 2005). Even though the original intention behind this move was to achieve Japanese war aims, such opportunity was never allowed under the Dutch Colonial rule.Therefore, Sukarno who was enlisted by the Japanese to help them govern the country seized every opportunity to educate the masses and indoctrinate nationalist consciousness into the masses. Sukarno was a crucial figure that contributed to the rise of nationalism in Indonesia. His eloquence at political rallies was instrumental in spreading the message of freedom across a diverse Indonesia, galvanizing them to set aside their differences to united and oppose against their colonial masters.This can be reinforced by the account of Hideo Fujiyama, who decided to desert the Japanese Army and remain in Indonesia to fight along side the nationalist army. He was primary motivated by Sukarno as he recalled the reason that inspired him to make the decision was listening to Sukarno’s speech at a mass rally on September 19th, 1945 in Jakarta. He described Sukarno’s speech to be â€Å"so energetic and impressive† which resulted to him â€Å"being moved† and led him to join Indonesia nationalist movement military.Therefore, the Japanese Occupation gave Sukarno the platform to reach out to the masses as his eloquence and inflammatory speeches managed to convince them to participate in his nationalist movements. The Japanese administration gave nationalist’s opportunities to become involved in government in ways that they had never known before under the Dutch rule. These opportunities include the access to experience and connections, which were later proved to be highly effective.In particular, nationalist usually came to control many propaganda activities mounted by Japan, including publication and circulation of newspapers such as Sumatra Sinbu (Sumatra News), radio broadcasts, mass instructions, films and meetings. Under the networking and communication capacities offered by such propaganda bodies as BOMPA (Bodan Oentoek Membantu Pertahanan Asia- Bureau to Assist in the Defence of Asia) in East Sumatra, nationalists were able to develop and spread popular understanding of the idea of Indonesia through the layers of indigenous society.For the first time in decades, the masses, and not just alienated urban activists and intellectuals became continually engaged in political activity and thus, accelerated the fervor of nationalism throughout the country. The Japanese Military also help set up the formation of volunteer army, PETA (Pembela Tanah Air- Defenders of the Homeland) and provided the large number of officers and soldiers with military trainings and weapons. Few Indonesians had been given officer training by the Dutch, and they were always under the Dutch commanders.This military training was instrumental to nationalist movement as it allowed them to be better equipped in the battle with the colonial masters between 1946-1949 when the latter tried to return and reassert their authority. It was not only the military training in PETA, but also the specific ideological training in the institute which emphasis on discipline and loyalty to country that awakened the national consciousness of the young men who enlisted int o the volunteer army.Nonetheless, it is important to acknowledge that the Japanese who set up PETA had their own interest in mind as they were planning to use PETA for costal defence against allied troops. They knew the limitations of PETA, and understood that they were not able to withstand a full-scale allied onslaught. Therefore, PETA was used to delay the enemy’s advance by deploying along the coastline and obstructing an allied landing or harassing the rear wherever the allied troops might come, thus allowing time for the Japanese army to retreat.For that reason, PETA soldiers were distributed throughout the island and were requested to remain in respective region, where they had intimate knowledge of the terrain. At the end of the war in 1959, the Indonesian government had as many as 500,000-armed fighters at its disposal. Therefore, PETA greatly strengthened nationalism efforts and represented potentially the most effective legacy of the Japanese period in both ideolog ical and structural terms. This paved the way for the formation of the nationalist army after the Japanese Occupation to fight against the returning Dutch colonial master.However it is also important to acknowledge that the Japanese Occupation had detrimental effect on nationalism in Indonesia even though they allow political concession for nationalist leaders to reach out to the masses. As the Japanese were primary driven by self-interest, they were not willing to compromise war efforts in order to accommodate nationalist movements. This can be seen in their brutality towards locals, the deliberate fragmentation of Indonesia into three divisions and the Romushua program of forced labour.By splitting Indonesia into three jurisdictions to be controlled by different divisions of Japanese military forces, nationalism in Indonesia was greatly disjointed. The three divisions consist of Java who was controlled by the 16th Army, Sumatra under the 25th Army and the rest under the 2nd Southe rn fleet. These became various political units with tight Japanese control together with separate administration. The notion was to ensure that any nationalist aspiration from Java to the outer islands was strongly discouraged.As a result, political activities tumbled to an all time low as from March 1942, all political activities were disallowed and all existing associations were thus dissolved. This resulted to breaking the unifying development of Batavia as Indonesia’s centre, which the Netherlands had emplaced over the years and thus compromising the idea of Indonesia as a single nation. The Romusha program was a mandatory forced labour implemented by the Japanese to aid them in their war efforts. This initiative destroyed stability and order within Indonesia and greatly hampered nationalist movements.The Romusha normally consists of peasants from the poorer region of Central Java. They were forced by various means to contract themselves to work on military construction p rojects. Many of them were sent away from their homes such as Sumatra, and even away from their countries to Brunei, Siam and eastern islands. The Japanese often treated them with extreme brutality and cruelty. Even after the war, only a small handful out of the estimated 500,000 who were mobilized to work outside their hometown managed to return back home.Amongst these people were ordinary Javanese like Sarmann Praptowidjojo, who were forced to slave on the Burma railway. Originally from Surakarta, he had been a railway worker in Surabaya before being sent to Singapore and then on to Thailand to work on the railway, where he witnessed the destruction of the bridge on River Kwai. He and his fellow Javanese worker saw those around them dying initially at the rate of three a day, den five, then ten. Even though Savramn survived, he joining the thousands who did not return to Java after the war, preferring to marry and live in Bangkok.The Romusha program hinder the progress of national ism movement as almost every echelon of the Indonesia social class was forced to comply by the Japanese to assume responsibility for the program such as organizing recruitment at village level, by propagandizing at higher levels, or simply by doing nothing to obstruct the program. Village chef and district officers in charge of running the program compounded its effect by designating the Romusha service in rural society they dislike or fear. Despite the political concessions given to nationalist leaders, the Japanese treated the locals with great brutality.Apart from the Romusha program, there was a botched biological warfare experiment in 1944 carried out by the Japanese. Between 5000 to 10,000 men from a group of Romushua forced labourers held on the outskirts of Jakarta, awaiting shipment outside Java, died writhing in agony from injection of tetanus. Japanese scientist had prepared the lethal vaccines to see what their effects would be. This further reinforces the idea of Japane se brutality and cruelty towards the local. Therefore, we see how Romusha’s domino effect on the masses greatly hampered nationalist movement in Indonesia.Even though the Japanese provided military training and platforms for nationalist leaders to reach out to the masses, it is too sweeping to label the occupation ‘a turning point’ in the history of nationalism in Indonesia. This is the fact that nationalism movement such as the Indonesian Nation Party (PNI) existed way before World War II, and Japanese occupation merely provided nationalist leader a platform to reach out to the masses and this in turn strengthened the nationalist movements. Nationalist sentiments were already common in the 1930s despite the Dutch colonial master clamping down hard on nationalist leaders.A key moment which highlights the growth of nationalist consciousness came in 1928, when the the All Indonesian Youth Congress proclaimed its pledge, establishing goals of one national identity ( Indoneisan), one country (Indonesia) and one language (Bahasa Indonesia). The emergence of Indonesian Nation Party (PNI), led by the young and rising Sukarno was rapidly becoming one of the most powerful nationalist organization (Vaisutis, 2007). PNI brought all non-communist nationalist groups under its umbrella to unify them as one.Nonetheless, there were limitations on nationalist movement prior to the Japanese Occupation. First, the emphasis on unity for the sake of the struggle meant that almost no attention was devoted to discipline, creative and accommodative thinking about the form and content of the free Indonesian state which nationalist leaders wished to create. Second, the over-emphasis on unity, together with the fiercely competitive and highly personalized world of elite Indonesian politics, effectively meant that no serious efforts were made to build bridges and create political compromises.Thirdly, political leaders of the 1930s used strikes and revolutionary languag e to challenge Dutch rule but they did not have strong enough organizational vehicle to spread their actions. Once there was a problem in their individual nationalist group, there was no longer a sense that one was able to move in and out of various groups and body. People had to give their exclusive loyalties as members of parties. The consequence of this was a splintering of the nationalist effort.Nonetheless, the Dutch recognizes the potential influence and threat to their authority and subsequently jailed Sukarno in 1930. Therefore, we see how nationalism existed way before Japanese occupation, and nationalist leaders eventually seized the opportunity under the Japanese Occupation to spread nationalism throughout the country. In conclusion, this paper argues that Japanese Occupation acts as a catalyst that sped up nationalist movement led by pre-war nationalist leaders such as Sukarno that eventually paving the way for its independence.Prior to the Japanese Occupation, there was subsequent number of problems that hindered nationalist efforts as political parties were full of conflicts and disunited. In addition, the Dutch clamped down hard on radical leaders and would imprisoned or exile them from Indonesia. Therefore, it was due to the Japanese occupation that provided a platform for nationalist leaders to reach out to the masses. In addition, the Japanese provided political concessions and military training which were instrumental in later years with the Dutch.However, it is too myopic to label the Japanese Occupation as a turning point in the history of Indonesia’s nationalism. This is due to the fact that nationalism was already active with the formation of the PNI and other nationalist groups. Also, the Japanese Occupation had the potential to greatly hamper nationalist efforts with own self-interest if not for Sukarno skilful manipulation and eloquence that steer the masses towards his nationalist cause. Thus, this paper will reinforce the sta nd that Japanese Occupation act as a catalyst toward nationalism in Indonesia.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Economic Analysis of Anthem and Kaiser Permanente

Economic Analysis of Anthem and Kaiser Permanente Abstract This paper is an economic analysis of healthcare providers Anthem and Kaiser Permanente. Included will be information on competition, pricing and the effects of elasticity of demand has on both companies. Introduction One of the major concerns facing Americans today is the discussion of healthcare and how employers can afford to purchase healthcare for their employees. With the recent approval of President Barack Obama’s Healthcare Reform Bill, it has placed added pressure on both small and large business owners to provide insurance for their employees or be faced with tax penalties.The healthcare industry is an oligopoly meaning that there are few firms involved in the marketplace and they hold a substantial portion of the marketplace. They understand that their industry is interdependent and every decision or action made will have rippling affects on the other firms. They too will choose to make changes to keep their standing in the marketplace. In the healthcare industry, the two major companies are Anthem and Kaiser Permanente (Thomas & Maurice, 2011). Pricing & CompetitionWhen looking at companies that do business in oligopoly, there are many traits that they resemble. Their prices will remain relatively the same as their competitors, and lower then those companies that deal in a monopoly (www. yourdictionary. com). Both Anthem and Kaiser Permanente are highly competitive in their standings in the marketplace. Everything from their marketing efforts to their pricing is geared toward gaining a bigger share of the marketplace. Prices are one of the major differences between both companies.Prices for both companies are generated through underwriting and governed by community ratings. These ratings are surveys are conducted in the community where the companies serve to help determine the general health of their customers and potential risks. Premiums will be adjusted yearly based on the number o f claims filed and funds needed to continue the coverage of their customers (www. alliedquotes. com 2008). Although prices for treatments are generally the same, savings can be found through Kaiser Permanente because most of their services are done in one of their medical facilities.Game Theory & Elasticity of Demand The new mandate passed through congress requires employers and American citizens to have healthcare, the demand of elasticity has little play. Everyone has to have healthcare and therefore the demand will remain constant. The prices for specific plans may vary slightly causing customers to select Kaiser over Anthem so with healthcare it will show inelasticity because it is considered a necessity. In order for both firms to gain an edge in the marketplace and in their prices they will use game theory.Game theory is a tool used in decision making in which both firms or â€Å"players† try to win the biggest payoff, in this case more customers. Game theory used by Ka iser is ensuring they have more doctors in one location that can perform more services for their customers. By allowing their customers to save money from going to outside firms to perform additional test and to receive treatment, Kaiser offers all of its services in one location at a lower rate (Thomas & Maurice, 2011).For Anthem, they have many different locations and a customer will have to go to different doctors, make appointments, and wait to get scheduled before they are seen. This major difference is what makes Kaiser popular, the ease in which a customer can receive treatment. Profit The original concern from the public as it comes to healthcare is the cost of obtaining and sustaining healthcare. Many found that when faced with a major illness, they were either under-insured or simply could not afford the treatment. With the current healthcare changes, the prices will be lowered and more affordable.This makes the profits generated from selling healthcare plans less about ma ximizing profits for the industry and more towards suboptimal equilibrium with everyone generally making the same profit except for larger firms who can afford to spend more to generate interest in their firm. With suboptimal equilibrium all firms in the healthcare industry will generally choose to stay on a similar path as far as prices and profits. Firms will differ in profits, however, based off other factors like size of the firm and marketing efforts (Thomas & Maurice, 2011). Competition and the ConsumerWith every business, there will always be competition. Competition is great for customers because they will be the benefactors of the competing firms. Firms in the industry compete over coverage instead of price. Competition between firms will take place in advertisements on television and in the print media. Doctors will refer certain providers to their customers or they will choose to opt in to certain HMOs or choose to stay outside the network. Also firms that offer plans tha t cover more of the customers’ needs at the lowest rates will generally gain and retain more customers.Yet with a large firm like Anthem, their firm is widely known and they have larger budgets to continue their company’s growth in customers. Conclusion Americans are just now starting to understand the new implications of the Healthcare Reform. Addressing the needs of the American people and reducing the costs of healthcare and making sure all pay their share so the burden does not fall on the government is intended to help reduce the strain on the economy and make being healthy more affordable for the citizens of the United States.References: Oligopoly Examples. (n. d. ). In YourDictionary. com. Retrieved August 5, 2012, from http://examples. yourdictionary. com/oligopoly-examples. html Thomas, C. R. , & Maurice, S. C. (2011). Managerial economics (10th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Calculating Group Health Insurance. (2008, October). In Allied Quotes. com. Retrieved August 4, 2012, from http://www. alliedquotes. com/Resources/Group-Health- Insurance-Rates. html

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Power point presentation on racism Essay

Definition of Racism rac*ism n (1936) 1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race 2 : racial prejudice or discrimination Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary Segregation The separation of groups of people by custom or by law. It is often based on differences of race, religion, wealth, or culture. The first major challenges to racial segregation in Canada occurred in 1946 when Viola Desmond, a black businesswoman, refused to sit in the balcony of a New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, theater but instead sat downstairs, an area designated exclusively for whites. Viola Desmond’s action occurred nine years before Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama Causes of segregation Media examples of racism What is racism? The holding of derogatory social attitudes or cognitive beliefs towards members of a particular group on the account of their membership to that group What is racism? The ICERD (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination) defines racism as follows: â€Å"Any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise, on equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, or any other field of public life.† Social function of prejudice & racism Prejudice and racism may be a necessary means of creating scapegoats for individual or groups that feel threatened It may be due to socialization (e.g. authoritarian personality) It may be the animal instinct of territoriality and feral restraint. It may be mere bigotry and ignorance It may be egotism and inflexible ethnocentrism Elements of racism an underlying belief in the superiority of one race over another and its right to dominate. generalizing one group of people by believing in simplistic stereotypes of that group. affects every aspect of the lives of communities of colour: social, economic, political, health, etc. Elements of racism Prejudice: A preconceived, unreasonable judgement or opinion of people or situations. Where prejudice is negative it often results in harmful or unfavourable consequences for the victim Prejudice may have social & biological basis Stereotypes and their function Stereotypes are relatively fixed sets of oversimplified beliefs about people or events Stereotypes are often over generalisations about people and their assumed defining characteristics Social cognitive theories of prejudice & stereotyping Prejudice and discrimination may stem from the misuse of: 1)cognitive heuristics 2)categorisation and stereotyping of in-groups and out-groups 3)information processing and the inability to deal with complex data (need for shortcuts) Racism types Individual racism refers to the prejudicial beliefs and discriminatory behavior of individuals. Institutional racism refers to the policies that restrict the opportunities of minorities.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Endorsement Of Esol In The Educational System Of Institutions Essay

English for Speakers of Other Language or ESOL programs are considered one of the most important courses offered by learning institutions today whether on personal basis or through on-line teaching. In this manner, institutions are also encouraged handle ESOL programs to be able to meet the needs of a growing market of people who are expected to speak professional English. Hence, even business administrations are being invigorated to host an ESOL program even for their own employees alone. Many business administrators believe that this step of improvement would naturally bring their company great rewards especially with regards to being globally competitive. However, when it comes to the part of the learning institutions, taking this big step of adjustments towards providing adult students with professional business English basics may not be that easy to imply. Certainly, a certain level of motivation is needed to be able to meet this requirement of the growing market of people who are able to speak English as their second language. The utilization of the right motivation procedure is indeed the key to this factor of needed adjustments especially for the educators. ESOL students come form all ages and all races as well. This is the reason why teaching the said clients of education would not only require professional application of the standard teaching procedures, it also adds up the fact that there is a need for the educators to adjust with the people they are supposed to deal with during the class. They must be bale to recognize the existence of cultural diversity in the class. Thus, this means that the teachers should at least cater to the individual differences of the students as well. What motivation could be applied? Is there any way by which the educators could be moved to get along with the adjustments that are needed for the program? In this regard, the ESOL programs hosted in Toronto shall be examined in this paper. This is especially focused on how the educators were mainly encouraged to adjust themselves with the program and how the said motivations gave fine results for the educating processes of the said state. Problem Statement It has been mentioned earlier that there is a dire need of producing or formulating programs that suits the need of adults and young students as well to learn business English for them to be prepared in facing the real business world later on. Hence, the problem that is to be discussed in this paper is much related on the way that the educators were motivated to make the necessary adjustment for the said program applications. The following are among the questions to be answered: †¢ How could the educators be moved to take advantage of the current need of ‘producing’ students who are able to speak English as their Second Language, thus giving the business industries higher competencies in the future? †¢ How should the educators feel about the progressive teaching strategies that the program requires of them? †¢ Would there be progress in applying the necessary points of consideration in the said program, especially with regards to teaching strategies? These questions shall serve as guidelines for the author of this paper in completing the required data for this assignment. Review of Related Literature As mentioned earlier, it is indeed a certainty that the journals and books used by the author of this study is much related to the issue being discussed. The said journals are to be introduced herein. One of the basic factors of success in any organizational progress is the art of motivation. However, motivational procedures are not that easy to apply especially if the crowd to be dealt with is not that inclined or cooperative in the progress being implied in a specific organization. In this regard, Zoltan Dornyei talks about specific factors of concern especially on the part of the educators when they are dealing with their students. Here are some of the suggestions he mentions: †¢ Be leaders and become role models in class As the educators show their enthusiasm in teaching, the students too are able to have encouragement to learn the language with enthusiasm as well. †¢ Make the Classroom Environment Lively This could include the ability of the educators to encourage their students to speak out their ideas and their thoughts regarding the issues being discussed which should be of interest to the students depending on their age and their races. This would allow the students understand the language they are trying to learn while enjoying sharing their thoughts at the same time. †¢ Be Open to Suggestions from Students The fact that the students also want to have exposure to the language at a certain level, the educators should consider hearing what they want form the class to be able to help them participate more during discussions. This way, they could become more progressive with their studies as the classes continue. Discussions An ample amount of motivation in the Toronto ESOL program offerings have resulted in considerable successful final products. However, the question here is, how much motivation did it take before the educators were convinced to take on the challenges of teaching other races with the ESOL programs that has been formulated for the different institutions to include in their learning programs? Certainly, motivating people to take on the challenges of change is not an easy task. According to Andrew Duffy’s report on Canadian learning institutions, Canada’s failing of a number of students who are studying in the said country has been due to the fact that the seriousness upon the program that the students are ought to learn has not been realized much by the students themselves. As a result, educators handling this type of situation also loose their enthusiasm upon the application of the program, which they ought to offer to their students. This situation then called for much motivational processes on the part of the administrators of the learning institutions. The Motivational Procedures Specifically focusing on the institutions in Toronto, Canada, it has been reported that the staffing of ESOL teachers has been increased in a matter of time to be able to support the existing teaching force with the other educators that are needed to attend the needs of the students in Toronto. Notifying the educators on how to specifically help the students realize what they have to learn about their chosen courses have made so much difference for the reports which were once reported about Toronto. The Toronto Star reports that in a nationwide survey of some 9,000 high school dropouts in Canada, â€Å"three out of every 10 dropouts leave school because of boredom. † Good grades are no indicator that students will stay in school, as over 30 percent of those surveyed had high marks. Jim Livermore, vice president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation was not surprised. He stated: â€Å"Boredom is more of a factor today than it was 20 years ago because of television. To interest kids everything today has to be glitzy, high tech and showy. † Mr. Livermore feels that some of the brightest minds are not being challenged in school. He added that the â€Å"old way of teaching doesn’t work any more. Rather than lecture-style teaching, we have to get students more involved in learning. † Hence, it has been added in the motivational procedures the educators need to be educate themselves. This education includes teaching strategy enhancement as well as informing the teachers on the real need of the country of having English Speaking citizens. It has been stressed out that the production of students who are able to speak professional business English gives the country a greater chance of being globally competitive, as their employees become world class. Hence, the educators were able to realize the need for the said program. As a result, the educators were motivated to continuously assist their students to becoming highly competent when it comes to using the English language in a professional level. Results of Motivation After the motivational procedures have been implemented, fine results have been received by several Toronto learning institutions. Yes, the application of the learned strategies through the motivational programs, which were commenced, proved to be productive and successful for the students who were able to realize the need for them to progress on their own way. Certainly, it has been observed that much of the motivational tactics that the administrations used for these programs were indeed effective. The motivation that the teachers were able to gain during the training programs has directly affected the way the students view their need to learn their subjects. The fact that the teachers realized the need for the program in their place, the programs became much productive, able to give the students the ample training they need to be able to become competent enough in the usage of the English language. This then helps the Canadian employers to be more at ease as they hire students who were produced by the Toronto learning institutes. Conclusion With the details of ESOL development programs in Canada, specifically in Toronto, listed in this paper, it shows how much motivational procedures aimed towards the educators could contribute so much on the way the students progress in their studies. The effectiveness of the curriculum of English learning offered in institutions of education is highly based upon the enthusiasm of the educators to handle their classes while being able to meet the needs of each of their students. Indeed, teaching students with so much diversity among them is a great challenge to any educator in the learning industry. The consequences though of ample training and motivation with regards to the teaching strategies used by the educators is indeed fruitful and beneficial on the part of the students and the economic growth of the country basing from the competency of the employees produced by the institutions, regardless of the fact that they are native English speakers or not. In this manner, the certainties of the employers on the new graduates of learning institutions become stronger and the results of the job done by these students are much globally competitive as they re able to use the English language in professional applications. BIBLIOGRAPHY Internet Journal Sources: The Community Social Planning Council of Toronto. (2005). Community Voices, Perspectives and Priorities. http://72. 14. 253. 104/search? q=cache:LHaAxJemZSoJ:www. inclusivecities. ca/publication/reports/Toronto-ICC-Report. pdf+ESOL+in+Toronto+Canada+reports&hl=tl&gl=ph&ct=clnk&cd=6. (June 25, 2008). The 2003 Atkinson Fellowship In Public Policy. (2003). Class Struggles: Public Education and the New Canadian. http://www. atkinsonfoundation. ca/files/Duffyrev. pdf. (June 25, 2008). A. H. Maslow. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. http://www. advancedhiring. com/docs/theory_of_human_motivation. pdf. (June 25, 2008). Frederick Herzberg. (2006). Human Relations Contributors. http://www. accel-team. com/human_relations/hrels_05_herzberg. html. (June 25, 2008). Books: Don Dinkmeyer. (1995). Leadership By Encouragement. CRC Publishing Company. Zoltan Dornyei. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press. Lewis E. Losoncy. (2003). The Motivating Team Leader. DC Press. Barbara Burnaby. (1992). Socio-Political Aspects of ESOL in Canada. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. JoAnn Phillion. (2002). Narrative Inquiry in a Multicultural Landscape: Multicultural Teaching and Learning (Issues in Curriculum Theory, Policy, and Research). Ablex Publishing. Devon Woods. (1996). Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching: Beliefs, Decision-Making and Classroom Practice (Cambridge Applied Linguistics). Cambridge University Press. Craig Chaudron. (1998). Second Language Classrooms: Research on Teaching and Learning (Cambridge Applied Linguistics). Cambridge University Press. HYBELS. (2003). Communicating Effectively. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages Jere Brophy. (2004). Motivating Students to Learn (2nd Edition). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2nd edition. Irene M. A. Henley. (2004). Aviation Education and Training: Adult Learning Principles and Teaching Strategies. Ashgate Publishing Company. Ken Hultman. (2001). Balancing Individual and Organizational Values: Walking the Tightrope to Success. Pfeiffer; 1st edition. Ezdras Martinez. (1990). Management Theory and Practice. Rex Book Publishing Manila.

A triangulation approach Essay

Thomas had heard the same devastating story before. He knew what to expect or so he thought. He had seen the shattered lives, lost youth and the trail of broken dreams that had divided families and friends. Often it was the innocent bystanders most affected by such behaviour. The collateral damage was often so costly. But it was Thomas who would end up as Daniel’s target that day. Introduction All researchers have different beliefs and ways of viewing and interacting within their surroundings. As a result, the way in which research studies are conducted vary. However, there are certain standards and rules that guide a researcher’s actions and beliefs. Such standards or principles can be referred to as a paradigm. To gain a better understanding of why and how the researcher chose the methodological approach in this study, an initial discussion will be completed about the paradigm that best fits the focus of this study. Following a discussion about the research paradigm, the aim of this chapter is to discuss the research design and methodology utilised in this study. In order to describe the variety of research activities undertaken during this study, the data collection activities and associated analysis methods will be systematically discussed under four phases. For ease of discussion, the study activities will be described in the order in which the researcher completed them. The order of the study activities have been outlined in Figure 3. Research Paradigm According to Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts (2007, p. 5), a paradigm is â€Å"a broad view or perspective of something†. Additionally, Weaver and Olson’s (2006, p. 460) definition of paradigm reveals how research could be affected and guided by a certain paradigm by stating, â€Å"paradigms are patterns of beliefs and practices that regulate inquiry within a discipline by providing lenses, frames and processes through which investigation is accomplished†. Therefore, to clarify the researcher’s structure of inquiry and methodological choices, an exploration of the paradigm adopted for this study will be discussed prior to any discussion about the specific methodologies utilized in this study. This study utilised a triangulation approach to explore and guide the development and evaluation of a clinical forensic nursing educational package. The use of both the qualitative and quantitative methodologies was necessary to encompass the different aspects of forensic science and nursing’s holistic approach to patient care. According to Lynch (2006), providing forensic patient care requires objectivity and neutrality while attending to the various human dimensions of health and well-being. To address the diversity and complexity of such nursing and forensic issues, a mixed methodology was necessary. According to Weaver and Olson (2006), the paradigms most commonly utilised in nursing research are positivist, postpositivist, interpretive, and critical social theory. The quantitative methodology shares its philosophical foundation with the positivist paradigm (Weaver and Olson). The positivist paradigm arose from the philosophy identified as logical positivism and is based on rigid rules of logic and measurement, truth, absolute principles and prediction (Halcomb and Andrew, 2005; Cole, 2006; Weaver and Olson). The positivist philosophy argues that there is one objective reality. Therefore, as a consequence, valid research is demonstrated only by the degree of proof that can be corresponded to the phenomena that study results stand for (Hope and Waterman, 2003). In this study, such rigid principles lend themselves more to the scientific forensic aspects such as scientific knowledge, logic and measurement incorporated into this study (Weaver and Olson, 2006; Lynch, 2006). However, such inflexible beliefs did not have the capacity to accommodate the investigatory aspects of this study that dealt with the social and human experiences. As a result, qualitative methodologies were also incorporated  into the research design (see Table 3.1). The qualitative methodology shares its philosophical foundation with the interpretive paradigm which supports the view that there are many truths and multiple realities. This type of paradigm focuses the holistic perspective of the person and environment which is more congruent with the nursing discipline (Weaver and Olson, 2006). Additionally, the interpretive paradigm is associated more with methodological approaches that provide an opportunity for the voice, concerns and practices of research participants to be heard (Cole, 2006; Weaver and Olson). Cole further argues that qualitative researchers are â€Å"more concerned about uncovering knowledge about how people feel and think in the circumstances in which they find themselves, than making judgements about whether those thoughts and feelings are valid† (p. 26). Due to the complex nature of the research study, there was no single paradigm that could satisfactorily deal with all of the required methodological aspects. Therefore, the researcher found it necessary to combine the quantitative/positivist paradigm with the qualitative/interpretive paradigm. The blending of both paradigms provided the researcher with the ability to statistically analyse the scientific data whilst also recognizing the complex psychosocial and emotional factors that influence patient care issues. The discussion that follows will further elaborate and describe in detail how each paradigm and methodological approach was implemented in this study. Research Design In this descriptive study, qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques were used including; semi-structured interviews, chart audits, pre and post-test questionnaires, focus group interviews, and the researcher’s field notes of personal observations and conversations. Additionally, to provide a more complete and   multidimensional understanding of the issues, a triangulation methodology design was employed (Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts, 2007). In the section below, the discussion will be divided into two main headings; that of descriptive research and triangulation. Descriptive Research In order for the researcher to gain different perspectives and draw attention to different factors that affect forensic practice in Western Australia, descriptive research methods were employed in this study. According to Polit, Beck, and Hungler (2001, p. 180), descriptive methods are used when the researcher seeks to â€Å"describe, observe, and document a naturally occurring phenomenon which cannot readily be ascribed an objective value†. In other words, descriptive research deals with questions that look to explain what things are like and describe relationships but do not predict relationships between variables or the direction of the relationship. Depending on what is to be described, descriptive research can be very concrete or more abstract (DeVaus, 2002). At a concrete level, data collected is often strongly quantitative in nature (Polit, Beck, and Hungler, 2001). In this study, data will be collected in the form of participant demographics, chart audit data, monitoring of implementation tools, and data collected from the pre and post-test questionnaires. In addition, more abstract descriptive research, in the form of stakeholder interviews, was also included. According to Morse and Richards (2002), qualitative descriptive approaches are extremely helpful because evidence of experience and knowledge can be easily missed when quantitative methods are used. In this study, semi-structured interviews were incorporated into the study design because the researcher believed that open ended questions would be the most efficient way to collect data from stakeholder participants. Open ended questions are thought to allow an individual time and scope to discuss their perception and knowledge (Morse and Richards, 2002). DeVaus (2002) believes that descriptive research can play a key role in highlighting the  existence and extent of problems which can stimulate interventions and actions that lead to policy change. The intent of stakeholder interviews was to investigate and describe current forensic practices occurring in Western Australia. According to Taylor, Kerrmode and Roberts (2007), qualitative interviews attempt to â€Å"make meanings† from individual accounts and experiences. Forensic patients are usually treated in partnership by medical and legal professionals (Lynch, 2006). Therefore forensic and healthcare stakeholders who work in the field have the best ability to contribute, enhance links and increase the successful integration of services (Haddow, O’Donnell, and Heaney, 2007). The incorporation of stakeholders in this study was to enhance the understanding of the current issues and experiences confronting forensic and healthcare professionals working with and providing care to forensic patients. Triangulation Multiple triangulation methods were utilised in this descriptive study. Triangulation involves the application and combination of several research methodologies in one study (Schneider, Elliott, Lo-Biondo-Wood, and Haber, 2003; Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts, 2007). There are four common types of triangulation discussed within the literature including: data triangulation that involves time, space, and persons; investigator triangulation which uses multiple observers; theory triangulation that uses more than one theoretical perspective to interpret the study phenomenon; and methodological triangulation that involves using more than one methodological strategy during data collection. According to Halcomb and Andrew (2005), the use of multiple data sources and methods to cross-check and validate findings increase the depth and quality of the results and also provides valuable guidance to nursing practice. Triangulation provides in-depth data, increases the confidence in the research results as well as enables different dimensions of the problem to be considered (Barbour, 2001; Jones and Bugge, 2006). A combination of methods is thought by some to improve the consistency and accuracy of data by providing a more complete picture of the phenomenon (Roberts and Taylor,  2002; Halcomb and Andrew, 2005; Williams, Rittman, Boylstein, Faircloth, and Haijing, 2005; Jones and Bugge, 2006). Morse (1991) cited in Minichiello, Sullivan, Greenwood, and Axford, (1999, p. 258) believes that triangulation is a means by which the researcher is able to â€Å"capture a more complete and holistic portrait of the phenomena under study†. In this study, the researcher employed methodological, data, and unit of analysis triangulation. Each of these aspects of triangulation will be discussed individually below and study examples provided to help illustrate the concepts. Firstly, methodological triangulation will be explored which can be sub-divided into within and across-method triangulation (Schneider, et al., 2003; Halcomb and Andrew, 2005). Methodological triangulation Methodological triangulation, according to Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts (2007), involves using two or more research methods in one study at the level of data collection or design. Across-method triangulation involves combining research strategies usually qualitative and quantitative methods. Such an approach is common in nursing studies (Jones and Bugge, 2006; Halcomb and Andrew, 2005). In this study, for example, data from stakeholders interviews were utilised to reinforce and complement the data from quantitative chart audits because concepts mentioned by the stakeholders were checked during the chart audits. Complementary findings in a study make a more valid contribution to theory and knowledge development, enhance diversity, and enrich the understanding surrounding the study’s objectives and goals (Schneider, et al., 2003; Macnee and McCabe, 2008). Data triangulation Data triangulation can be described as the use of multiple sources of data to obtain differing views about a situation in a single study (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). For example, in this study, data was collected from various interviews, pre and post-test questionnaires and by reviewing nurse participant’s documentation within patient medical records. Multiple data  sources help validate the findings by exploring different views of the situation under investigation (Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts, 2007). Data triangulation can be divided into categories of time, space, and person (Roberts and Taylor). Time triangulation involves researchers collecting data at different points in time such as time of day; at different days of the week, or at different months of the year (Rinaldi, Carpenter, and Speziale, 2006). In this study, however, the goal was not to compare participant knowledge between shifts or from one month to the next. 46 Instead, the researcher was interested in evaluating an educational intervention over time. Therefore, for this study, only two types of data triangulation were utilised: space and person.  Space triangulation involves the collection of data from multiple sites (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). In this study, for example, data was collected from two hospitals emergency departments. Analysis from both sites helped evaluate the effectiveness of Phase III activities of this research and also increased the validity and strengthened the study (Begley, 1996; Halcomb and Andrew, 2005). Person triangulation implies that data was collected from more than one category of person (Roberts and Taylor, 2002; Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts, 2007). For example, in this study, participants included ED nurses as well as key forensic and healthcare stakeholders. The use of various legal and healthcare professionals provided greater insight into a variety of issues including: hospital administration, staffing, costing concerns; medical practices; Western Australian legal requirements and governmental policies; current evidentiary processes; as well as existing investigatory practices. Such data was utilised to support, supplement, and validate the information gained from published forensic material as well as the research data.

Friday, September 13, 2019

History of economic thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

History of economic thought - Essay Example Agricultural production also required the bigger number of workers if pursued in a highly organized manner, on a countrywide scale. Adam Smith (1776) in his The Wealth of Nations noted that it was this misconceived plan for economic development in Europe, which could have been initiated by private interests, that gave rise to widely divergent theories and schools of economic thought. Questions on the validity of an old development strategy became parent to new economic ideas and theories. Over time, these divergent ideas clashed on the multiple facets and problems of economic activity - labor, employment, capital, wages, production. But these conflicting views remarkably coincide on one bottomline: the need to distribute wealth equitably. Such is the case with the theses of Smith, Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes, three intellectuals who tinkered with economic law and sought to bring it into accord with the rapidly changing workplace. The three lived and worked a full century apart from each other but all three saw the same ineffectuality of economic systems everywhere to let the proceeds of industry and the land flow to the working class. Smith published his The Wealth of Nations in 1776. Marx came up with his Capital: A Critique of the Political Economy in 1867 which appeared to have been undertaken to refute Smith's views. Keynes followed with his The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money in 1936 which drew its own conclusions based on the two theories set forth by Smith and Marx.Smith represented the classical economist who looked up to the precept of laissez-faire, which believes that the economy works best when you leave it alone and just let the market forces work out solutions to such problems as uneven distribution of wealth. Marx stood at the opposite pole, the chief proponent of the classless society which calls for state interventions in the marketplace. Keynes was somewhere in between, moderating the two extreme views on how to ameliorate the conditions of the laboring class. Incidentally, both Marx and Keynes agreed that prolonged and persistent failure to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor is likely to cause social upheavals, even armed revolutions. Their views differed on everything else. In their times, Smith, Marx and Keynes saw and described the disfranchisement of the lowly workers and peasants in almost the same manner. Smith, quoting someone else, observed that "150 landlords own half of England while 12 controlled half of Scotland's soil." Marx: "The wealth of nation flows into a few people's pockets." Keynes shared that sentiment and added that this income disparity is especially pronounced in prosperous countries. He said: "This is the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty - the richer the community, the wider the gap between its potential and actual production, thus the more obvious and outrageous the effects of the economic system (on the poor)." Smith Economics The whole purpose of Smith's thesis was to improve the conditions of the lower ranks of people - the servants, workmen, laborers. Said he: "No society can flourish and be happy if the greater part