The Life Is Not Worth Living - 1502 Words

Throughout human history, we have always valued our freedom and have had wars just to defend it. Everyone loves to feel free and make his or her own choices but just how free are we? I believe we are only free as much as we think we are. In reality there are many reasons that keep us from being free like having a family or work or school. The word â€Å"free† is tricky when it comes to defining because there are many different types of freedom. Plato himself said â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living† {MLA format) and he said this for a reason because it could be applied to all the people from his time and every human living. We have different freedoms according to our lifestyle, decisions we make, and finally we are limited to our opportunities because of where we come from. Experiences demonstrates individuals in this country are not as free as they think because of circumstances and redetermined factors that goes on around us. Society has a large part on how we live our lives and what we are able to do and what we can not do. Like I stated, there are many forms of â€Å"freedom† so who determines that person is truly free from everything and everyone. Family is an example how that shapes a person s freedom. Maybe when a man is off from work, his idea of being free and getting away to relax is playing golf with his buddies instead of going home. From another person s point of view, that person might think that is not a way of being free that s just running away from hisShow MoreRelatedLife Is Worth Living?955 Words   |  4 PagesLife is worth living. So many things happen in a person’s life to make them smile, such as their family, friends or even other matters. The life of someone should never be taken away because life is a Paschal Mystery. For someone to end or give up their life, their opportunity to smile, or make someone else smile is so foolish. Sheen says on page 136 of ‘Life is Worth living’  "I tell you that if God in Heaven had not come down to this earth in the form of a man and given us the supreme example ofRead MoreLife Worth Living731 Words   |  3 PagesWhat makes life worth living? Is a difficult question to answer. The ways that we live our life have rippling effects on others around us, so it is imperative to make correct choices that make life worth living. Everyone in life also has different ideas of what makes life doable through hard difficult times were perseverance is needed, and that’s when we ask ourselves what makes life worth living?, without a doubt waking up every morning, family, and the future make life worth living. One of suchRead MoreThe Life Is Not Worth Living1356 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† Socrates certainly felt strongly about his beliefs as he was willing to die for them and eventually did. But was it really worth losing his life over? If so, will examining life make you happier? Life is worth examining, although doing so will not always make people happy. The question then is why is it worth examining? It is simple; the purpose of human beings is to grow to be better, something that cannot be achieved if we do not examine life. Even thoughRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1450 Words   |  6 PagesThe unexamined life is not worth living, quoted Socrates. It appears that, following his brilliant logic, the key to living philosophically is exactly how one interprets and scrutinizes their own life in a philosophical context. As with the nature of philosophy itself, living philosophically is also ambiguous, and it could very well be that one lives philosophically even if they do not necessarily realize it. Take, for instance, a person who questions why humans and all life forms must die;Read MoreUnexamined Life Not Worth Living For1300 Words   |  6 PagesUnexamined Life Not Worth Living For In this paper I will argue that Socrates is right about an unexamined life is no worth living for, however too much examination leads to the absurd and too little tends to keep you from obtaining knowledge, not being able to free your-self as humans are meant to be free. Socrates was a philosopher who believed that humans were meant to obtain all type of knowledge, and that such knowledge could only be achieved through examination. As Socrates stated â€Å"it is theRead MoreUnexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1851 Words   |  8 Pagesconvicted for impiety to the gods and for corrupting the youth because he had taught the young adults to question, he was given the opportunity to propose his own penalty. He refused to give up his mission as the one calling Athens to the examined way of life. He refused to leave Athens, if the condition were to be that he had to give up teaching. He summed up his defense in the following way: If I say that I cannot hold my peace (by giving up my mission) because that would be to disobey the godRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1344 Words   |  6 Pagesunexamined life is not worth living† Imagine living a life without change, development and growth. Imagine living a life without any consciousness of what life has to offer. As mind-boggling as this may sound, there are actually many people on this earth that have not taken the effort to know themselves. People should be able to fairly judge their lives. Man should be able to gain wisdom by the examinations of the deeds they’ve done to prepare for the future. Life is no longer worth living if a personRead MoreUnexamined Life Is Not Worth Living964 Words   |  4 Pagesthat â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living†. To understand this quote, we should know what a premise is in relation to his quote. A premise is using a statement to support an opinionated conclusion, for example, getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night lets you wake up not tired, proving that you should go to sleep early. So, what he means by an â€Å"unexamined life is not worth living† is that a life without being prod uctive or bettering yourself isn’t a life worth living because you don’t provideRead MoreEssay On Life Worth Living1290 Words   |  6 Pages Lives worth Living Survive and thrive. How we make our lives worth living is driven not just by our desire to be part of the human story expressed by the past but by our quest to create and connect our own stories to a seemingly unconstrained endless future. By reaching beyond our immediate circumstances and beyond realities that may not be of our own making, we can find a way to truly make our lives worth living and worth telling about. There are times in everyone’s life when it feels asRead MoreThe, The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1744 Words   |  7 Pages I wholeheartedly embrace the sentiments of Socrates when Plato stated in the Apology, â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† Upon reflection, and asking myself, what exactly does this mean, I feel as if my life has evolved full circle. I finally understand the meaning and purpose of my life – the myth I believe and know I should be living. This course has put a lot of things into perspective for me by putting my thoughts, experiences, and feelings into words and statements that prior to I could

The Bias Of Mass Media - 1034 Words

Argument toward certain topics began because the bias found in the mass media. According to University Wire, â€Å"[the media is the main reason why we’re]politically divided because the fundamental flaw in our mass media system is that we have two sides.† What two sides are we talking about? We’re talking about the democrats and republicans or in other words, liberal and conservative sides. Liberals are those who believe in changes and conservative are those who believe in traditional values. What is responsible for causing the nation to fall apart? Mass media. The three powerhouse in media are Fox News, MSNBC and CNN, they tend to be bias in their news reports. When the media give biased news, certain viewers tend to go along with what the†¦show more content†¦For example, in 1798, Americans argued over whether if the First Amendment banned the government from interfering with planned publication or if it should also punish critics for publishing lies to the people. Another example, is both the Democratic National Committee AKA DNC and Politico developed statements that Trump is an agent of a foreign power. â€Å"DNC claims that in the United States, we prize journalistic objectivity and criticize those who break it. Objectivity is when a person’s feelings or opinions are not influenced even though facts are shown or given to them. The people that breaks objectivity begins to develop a more subjective perspective. A subjective perspective is based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinion. A part of the public believes that the press is supposed to be objective. Although, objectivity is an outdated and harmful idea to many people within the field such as journalists and news reporters because it tends to censor the journalists, it leads to he-said-she-said coverage, favors the powerful and reinforces the status quo. The definition and practice of objectivity has altered over the years. Thomas Terry, a pro fessor of journalism and communication at Utah State University, says that reporters are trying not to offend their audience whether they are â€Å"Democratic and Republicans, wealthy and poor, immigrant and native -- you had to appeal to all of those.† Has anybodyShow MoreRelatedRacial Bias in the United States due to Mass Media Essay1865 Words   |  8 Pagesequality. All around the world, America is seen as a country of colors, yet mass media does not recognize that fact. Racial bias is a prevalent trend in today’s media, and white people are favored in comparison to any other race. Seemingly every aspect of mass media is soaked in bias. Oftentimes, this leaves out minorities and simultaneously caters to white people. To fully comprehend the extent of racial bias in media, one must become aware of several features that play into it. This includesRead MoreGreed and Mass Media1197 Words   |  5 PagesIn today’s society, more people use mass media sources such as Facebook, Twitter, (Internet users—21%) and major news corporations like Fox, CBS, and NBC, etc. (Television viewers—55%) for their information on politics and government (Saad). People have this information twenty-four hours a day, right at their fingertips. While these are quick and seemingly easy sources, they are not always the best choices because media companies are not always giving out information with the public’s best interestRead MoreThe Biases O f The Unconscious Mind1681 Words   |  7 Pagesthe difficulty of understanding the unconscious motivations of students was the major bias in this study, which reflects multiple motivations as a contradiction to the narrow focus on academic performance. Certainly, this shows a bias on the part of the clinical study on the part of the clinicians’ aka. Weyandt et al (2016) to adequately understand the motives for drug usage in this peered groups. This shows a bias of a priori presumptions in the study that were projected onto the clinical study asRead MoreMedia Coverage on Presidential Candidates 1194 Words   |  5 Pages Both campaign contributions and media coverage has significant power to determine the success of a presidential candidate, and each of them seems to be interconnected with each other. The media has the power of fast deliverance of information, reproducing to an audience of mass quantity, and ability to distort the candidates’ authenticity. Though it largely relies on the campaign contribution that gets the attention of the media. However, it is the media that is more important in determining theRead More Media Power and Media Bias Essay995 Words   |  4 Pages The powerful media barons have always altered broadcasts to achieve their personal or corporate agenda. What purpose does the media serve now? Measuring Bias on Television by Barrie Gunter has elaborated on the idea that news was originally set up to act as a national tool to stir thoughts. But is it? No! Is the media even enlightening the public now? After careful speculation of mass media and the communication world, I am under the impression that broadcasts have been used to entertain, frightenRead MoreMedia And Agenda Setting : Effects On The Public, Interest Group Leaders, And Public Policy1216 Words   |  5 PagesLomax Cook, Fay, et al. Media and Agenda Setting: Effects on the Public, Interest Group Leaders, Policy Makers, and Policy. The Public Opinion Quartely , vol. 47, no. 1, Spring 1983, pp. 16-35. JSTOR. Researchers analyzed the impact of the mass media on the general public, policy makers, interest group leaders, and public policy. Results indicated the media influenced views about issue importance among the general public and government policy makers. However, the change in public opinion regardingRead More Galactosemia Essay1563 Words   |  7 Pagesis very apparent in the theories presented by Laura Mulvey and Mimi White. They contend that mass media perpetuates sexism because media is ubiquitous, and the environment impacts human development. There is another side to this: that our environment does not completely define us. Just like a lactose-intolerant baby that would die in the absence of an environment that treated the natural disease, the media helps shape who we are, but does not completely define us. Mulvey says matter-of-factly theRead MoreEssay about Trial by Media1445 Words   |  6 PagesTrial by Media With 27 million newspapers bought and 99 percent of the adult population watching an average of 2 ½ hours of television every day, the British Media (mass media) has a massive audience. Since the 1920s, sociological research has been conducted on the basis of concerns about the potentially negative influence over the media consuming public. Early research conducted by the Payne Fund studies found that the mass media had a powerful effect over itsRead MoreProduct Of The Copycat Phenomenon949 Words   |  4 Pagessuicide becomes an issue or not. One thing that increases the amount of suicides is if the reporting media includes details about how that particular celebrity committed suicide. Nursing Standard states that: The pooled estimate indicated a change in suicide rates (suicides per 100,000 population) of 0.26 in the month after a celebrity suicide. The researchers also considered the impact of media coverage in different parts of the world: the effort of reporting a suicide by an entertainment celebrityRead MoreExplain The Effects Of Family On Ones Political Values1171 Words   |  5 Pagessocialization is and how it is important. Political socialization is the process where people tend to form their political opinions/beliefs. An individual s political beliefs might be shaped by things that one hears or sees at home, school, work, media etc. Political socialization is important because no democracy could thrive if people did not have different political beliefs, or share political beliefs. For instance, if everyone had different opinions, it would be difficult to reach agreements

Blade Runner Analysis Essay Example For Students

Blade Runner Analysis Essay Bladerunner: Humanity of Deckard Roy Batty Essay written by Roy Batty and Deckard are both able to show us what it means to be human. To whatextent do you agree? Through Blade Runner, we see an epic quest filled with meaning and symbolism applicableto the human condition. Replicants are basically human beings, except for the fact thatthey lack a history. As a consequence of this, perhaps, they also lack proper emotionalfaculties especially empathy. Empathy is the ability to place oneself in the position ofanother living being and understand that persons feelings. Blade runner promotes that empathy is the defining characteristics for humanity. Thereplicants, designed not to show any emotion, develop spiritually and emotionallythroughout the film. The characters in the movie, even the ones that were not human, had many humanisticand believable qualities. Many of them were able to feel love as well as hate. Although Deckard is supposedly human he at times shows less emotion than Roy. H eseems heartless and uncompassionate making himself look very unhuman. We see thatDeckard is possibly not human as well, but a replicant. He shows no compassion when hetells Rachel of her being a replicant with implants. In tears, Rachel sneaks out of Deckardsapartment and into the streets. The only time in which Deckard really shows emotion isaccomplished when Roy, forging Deckard through the fires of a harrowing battle, looksterrified knowing that he is going to die. Through this, Roy tries to communicate his lifeexperiences, and the importance of life before his own flame extinguishes explaining of thehorrors of their enslavement. Again, all of these human characteristics that the non-human characters showed makesthem more believable for the viewers. The whole definition of humanity is changed by itsinteraction with the Replicants. For the replicant Roy Batty it was obvious that that he felt strong emotions, perhaps evenlove for his fellow replicants. After Deckard killed Pris, R oy leaned over her and kissed hershowing that he had loved her. He also showed these feelings for Pris and Zhora breakingtwo of Deckards fingers, one for Pris and one for Zhora. Although this act seemed quiteinhuman, the motivation behind it seemed quite believable. He also demonstrates aninhumane role when he kills Tyrell but Tyrell is inhumane to create intelligent beings withsuch a limited life span displaying greed and manipulation. Batty also showed many human emotions as he talked of the horrors he had endured. Itwas obviously very difficult for him to take these nightmares as they affected him much inthe same way it would have affected any human. He also exhibited human qualities whenhe saved Deckard from falling off the building. Quote: Quite an experience to live in fear, isnt it? Thats what its like to live as a slave. At the last moment, Roy saves him by grabbing his wrist with the nail-impaled hand. Hedraws him up to the roof, and lays him down. Pris also shows human qua lities. Pris was very naive. She seemed to be the leastdeveloped of all of the Replicants and therefore was very much a follower. She also had acertain sort of innocence. Quote: Then were stupid, and well die! She says this after Batty tells of the deaths of their friends, which show that she is scaredand starting to get worried that shell die, she has feelings, and starts to panic. Towards the end of the movie it levels it up to see that both Batty and Deckard show usthe meaning of what it means to be alive. Roy Batty shows this by saving Deckard offalling off the building, sitting in front of Deckard releasing a dove to commemorate hisdeath that he most likely learned to accept and appreciate while Deckard demonstrates ahumane act when he hurries home to find Rachel, desperate to escape the city with herbefore someone in the Blade Runner unit finds them. As they leave Rachel knocks over theunicorn that was placed on the floor, symbolizing her escape from the Tyrell Corporation,whi ch only looked upon her as a replicant. Deckard fell in love with her as a human, andby doing so; she became human which inturn replaced Deckards cold-hearted contrast toa more humane replicant. Deckard joins Rachael in the elevator. He has found love with a replicant under the mostunlikely of circumstances. The elevator doors close on Deckard and Rachael as they leaveto escape the law. .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 , .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .postImageUrl , .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 , .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636:hover , .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636:visited , .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636:active { border:0!important; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636:active , .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636 .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4ca1b06ad0e425e85ea0128c6cf3d636:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur is dependent on a good Business Essay

Narrative Persuasive Essay Example For Students

Narrative Persuasive Essay Hello, I stated as I hopped through the door to my grandparents home without even a knock. My grandma looked up from the book she was reading in her cozy corner chair, Well, hello there Where is grandpa? I asked as I leaned down to brush my lips across the soft wrinkled cheek of my elderly grandma. Whos there? a familiar deep, rough voice sounded from the next room. Smiling I skipped through the kitchen and into a long dimly lit room filled with bookcases, couches, a dining room table and a grand piano. My grandpa, across the room, was surrounded by music stands and piles of sheet music. His trusty violin was in one hand and the long wooden bow with the horse hair strings, that I was always warned never to touch, was in the other. As I walked toward the figure across the room, I noticed his full head of snowy white hair glowing in the dark room. We will write a custom essay on Narrative Persuasive specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Over his short stocky body hung a green dress shirt and a fuzzy cardigan sweater. He wore slacks held up awkwardly by a belt allowing his small potbelly to hang over it. His face hardly showed the years of worry and stress, but his white bushy eyebrows and growing second chin showed his old age. His smile greeted me. As I drew close to him, his aging arms reached out and wrapped around my body pulling me into a warm loving hug. As he released me from the hug, I said, Grandpa, I learned a new song I want you to hear. I plopped down on the hard piano bench, and my fingers flowed over the keys. My foot pumped the cold pedal, and the room was magically filled with tones, one after another slowly warming the room. Looking up at my grandfathers soft, blue eyes I saw him crack a smile and nod with encouragement. Soon his violin found its way to its familiar spot between my grandpas shoulder and his unshaven chin. He swayed slightly as his arm moved the bow across the strings of the violin producing a harmony to the melody I was performing. With a long last note, we both dropped our hands to our sides allowing the music, which had just filled the room with its thick tone, to abruptly end. The room was left in a dead silence, frozen for a brief period of time, as we recovered from the intensity of the piece. Bending down, my grandfather laid his precious violin in its velvet lined case and took the spot next to me on the piano bench. Claps of an unseen audience came from the kitchen, both our eyes looked toward the cheerful light and the sounds of my grandmothers applause. As the claps faded away, his eyes turned toward mine. Awaiting his comments, my eyes were open wide. Excitement had filled my body because of the piece I had just performed and the fact that my grandfather had joined in. Good. But, play the middle section slower. Go ahead let me hear it, the music teacher was in his element. He began to direct me through my piece, measure by measure. His hand flew, waving a pencil along the sheet music opened in front of my face. With every mark, my heart sunk a little lower. Quickly I forgot the magic I had felt only minutes prior to the teaching session directed by my grandfather. Every piece had to be played to perfection. Okay, better, but lets hear it again. 1, 2, 3. .. My fingers lost their confidence. They began to miss the ivory key they were supposed to hit. My wrists that once stood tall, now fell and so did my once happy tone. Why did he have to ruin the magic? Why couldnt he just be happy with my playing instead of tearing it apart? I knew the answers. He wanted me to be the best I could. He had expectations and he knew I could meet them. .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 , .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .postImageUrl , .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 , .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5:hover , .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5:visited , .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5:active { border:0!important; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5:active , .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5 .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u38bd112e464471a21cb7d70714ed5ff5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Aristotle's Virtue Theory Essay He pushed until people broke, but he had a way of getting the very best out of them. My body began to quiver and water began to fill in the corners of my eyes. The notes in front of me became unclear and blurry as if raindrops were hitting the paper and smearing the ink together. I looked toward my grandpa, my eyes filled with a broken spirit and the unhappiness of not completely pleasing him. After what seemed like hours of work, my grandfather smiled, Okay now close your eyes. Think of the piece. See your fingers flowing over the keys. Think of the music, the tone, the rhythm. Put those beautiful fingers on that piano and play that piece for me once more. I opened my eyes, full of determination I began again. This time the music had a rich sound, one that made you want to get up and dance. In seconds the happy tone which had disappeared returned, filling the room with beautiful music. The tone was so thick that my grandma even appeared from the kitchen, making her way to the piano. My heart felt lighter as the frustration left me. My grandfathers eyes were slightly closed as he listened intently to the music I was producing. Here and there my fingers would miss their destination, but the magic took care of the mistakes, holding the listener in a state of awe. Then it was over. My grandfathers arms reached around my small body and pulled me close. That is the best I ever heard you play. You are getting so good. His lips puckered and he placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. My smile was from ear to ear. My heart was pounding and my fingers were quivering from the thrill of playing a piece so intensely. Holding tightly to my hand, we left the piano bench and walked across the dark room into the light of the kitchen. A loud ring broke the silence. Hello, my grandmother answered the phone. Looking to the clock on the wall I realized that it was almost dinnertime, and I knew my mom was calling wanting me to come home. Thanks for your help, grandpa. I stepped out of the warm house into the darkness and chill of the night. The evening breeze hit my small body, sending shivers up my back. I instantaneously missed the warm feeling of the house heated by the blazing kitchen stove. I hurried down the hill toward the warmth of my own house. As I walked the short distance, my eyes rested on the branches of the many evergreen trees along the path. My mind focused on my time with my grandfather. Under the roughness of the outside layers there is such gentleness. Hearing only harsh words I think he is mean, but actually he wants me to be the best I can be. His expectations are not unattainable, just high, and to reach them he pushes, but in the end the result is beautiful. A smile formed on my face again, and the skip returned to my step. Opening the door to my house the bright cheery light hit my face, I gleefully walked over to my little upright piano. Mom, listen to what grandpa did to my piece. Words/ Pages : 1,223 / 24

Religion in Octavia Butlers Parable of the Sower

The main reason why Octavia Butler’s 1993 dystopic novel Parable of the Sower is being commonly referred to, as such that represents a high literary value, is that the themes and motifs, contained in it, are discursively relevant. That is, they do reflect people’s anxieties, in regards to the challenges of a post-industrial living.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Religion in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of these challenges is the fact that, as time goes on; the religious appeal of Christianity to Americans continues to become ever more undermined. This simply could not be otherwise, because for even mildly intelligent people, the Biblical fables about Sun standing still in the sky, talking donkeys and Saint Mary becoming impregnated by the ‘holy ghost’ appear rather unconvincing, so say the least. The same can be said about the p rovisions of Christian morality, based upon the vicious assumption that there are ‘chosen people’, favored by God, on the one hand, and ‘infidels’ that will be eventually thrown into the ‘lake of fire’, on the other. At the same time, however, the overwhelming majority of Americans continue experiencing an urge to be spiritually guided. In its turn, this causes many people to think that there are now objective preconditions for the creation of a new religion, which would be both: thoroughly humanistic and conceptually consistent with an ongoing social, cultural and technological progress. This is what Butler’s novel is all about. In it, the author provided readers with an insight as to how religion and science could be successfully combined together – hence, creating a ‘spiritual product’, thoroughly adjusted to the challenges of modernity. Nevertheless, even though that, as it will be illustrated later, the fictious religion of Earthseed (described in the novel) is in fact scientifically legitimate, there are still a few discursive shortcomings to how the author went about reflecting upon this religion’s social implications. Probably the most important qualitative aspect of Butler’s novel is that, even though that its plot unravels in the dystopic future, readers nevertheless do emotionally relate to the characters’ experiences of living in the ‘godless’ universe.Advertising Looking for term paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After all, just as it happened to be the case with the novel’s main character Lauren Olamina, they do often experience the disturbing sensation that there is too much injustice and violence in this world. Such their sensation, of course, contradicts the Christian dogma there is all-loving and omnipotent God, who answers people’s prayers. Yet, as it was illustrated in the novel, it is not only due to the ‘classical’ God’s de facto absence that spiritually sensitive people find it hard to deal with the objective reality’s emanations, but also due to their own intellectual inflexibility. As Lauren noted: A lot of people seem to believe in a big-daddy-God or a big-cop-God or a big-king-God. They believe in a kind of super-person. A few believe God is another word for nature. (8) These Lauren’s words, of course, reveal her as a pantheist, who knew perfectly well that there is very little rationale in believing that God is an individual, capable of experiencing the human emotions of love, fear and anger: My God doesn’t love me or hate me or watch over me or know me at all, and I feel no love for or loyalty to my God. My God just is. (22) At the same time, however, it could not escape Lauren’s attention that there is an apparent order in the universe, which given the main characte r’s perceptual idealism, was causing her to consider the possibility that, even though there is no ‘big-daddy God’, the ‘divinity’ is still there. Lauren revealed the true nature of ‘divinity’ in what can be well defined as the ‘manifesto’ of her newly found quasi-religion of Earthseed: All that you touch, you Change. All that you change, Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change. (51)Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Religion in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What gives Lauren a particular credit, in this respect, is that the earlier mentioned theological provisions of Earthseed are fully consistent with the most recent breakthroughs in the fields of biology and physics. After all, today’s scientists are thoroughly aware of the fact that, while remaining in the state of a const ant transformation (due to the forces of gravity), the chaotically dispersed universe’s matter has a tendency to self-organize itself into complex structures. As one of the 20th century’s most prominent scientists Alan Turing pointed out: Chaotic substratum, although it may originally be quite homogeneous, may later develop a pattern or structure due to an instability of the homogeneous equilibrium, which is triggered off by random disturbances. (37) The full soundness of this statement can be well illustrated in relation to the grains of sand in the desert, which never cease self-organizing themselves into ripples, waves and dunes – quite contrary to the fact that these grains have no awareness of the shape they become a part of. This also explains the seemingly intelligent design of organic life-forms – this design comes as an ultimate result of a physical matter/energy, on the one hand, and the forces of gravity, on the other, continuing to interact fo r the duration of billions and billions of years. What it means is that there is indeed no God, in the traditional sense of this word. What causes the universe to be observably complex and even ‘intelligently designed’ to an extent, is the never-ending flow of energy from the universe’s ‘energetically rich’ regions to the ‘energetically poor’ ones, which will eventually result in the ‘energetic death’ of the universe – the so-called state of ‘universal entropy’. Nevertheless, even though that we are now well aware that there is no ‘big-daddy God’, we cannot help but to experience awe, while exposed to the wonders of the universe. This sensation of awe, on our part, is where the ‘divinity’ actually resides. Therefore, Lauren’s suggestion that God is Change is thoroughly valid – Change is what causes Complexity, and Complexity is what we commonly perceive in terms of God.Advertising Looking for term paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This, of course, implies that we should not seek God up in the sky, but rather within. The fact that we, as the representatives of Homo Sapiens species, have evolved to the point that we now understand the universe’s mechanics, without having to evoke the notion of ‘big-baddy God’, makes us nothing short of semi-gods ourselves. As such, we have the responsibility to act ethically – even in times when this undermines our chances of a physical survival. Hence, the Earthseed’s foremost ‘commandment’: The weak can overcome the strong if the weak persist. Persisting isn’t always safe, but it’s often necessary. (79) Apparently, Lauren knew that, in order to encourage people to behave in a socially appropriate manner, they should not be constantly reminded of the prospect of being sent to hell, on the account of their ‘sins’, but that they should instead be provided with incentives to remain fully aware of the behavi oral implications of their basic humanity. Nevertheless, as it was mentioned in the Introduction, Butler’s vision of the ‘future religion’ cannot be thought of as such that represents an indisputable truth-value. This is because; there are a number of good reasons to think that, even if Lauren did succeed in setting up the communities of ‘earthseeds’ across America, her newly founded ‘Church of Earthseed’ would not remain functional for too long. After all, throughout the course of the novel, Laura continues to position herself as a somewhat socially-withdrawn person, who believed that the pathway towards making people more gentle towards each other is being concerned with suppressing the truth about the fact, in the biological sense of this word, they are nothing but hairless primates. For example, Laura does not seem to understand that people’s endowment with the sense of greed cannot be dealt with mechanistically, because being primates; it is in our very nature to act selfishly. This is the reason why there are strongly defined Communist overtones to her concept of a ‘spiritually rich’ communal living. As Phillips noted: According to Lauren, the moral destiny of earthseed is ‘to take root among the stars’†¦ But this spiritual and political ideal is rendered impossible by a social order based on stark economic polarities. (304) Yet, according to the laws of nature, which define the qualitative dynamics in just about every human society, without ‘polarities’ (inequality), the continual flow of energy that enables Change, in the first place, would have been impossible. After all, the notion of equality is synonymous with the notion of entropy (chaos). In other words, the way in which Lauren went about conceptualizing how the communes of ‘earthseeds’ should operate, contradicted her own understanding of Change, as the driving force of ‘divinityâ €™. There is also another reason to think that the religion of Earthseed would have proven short-lived – while elaborating on the proper ways of a ‘spiritually rich’ living, Butler never ceased to promote the idea that, as compared to what it happened to be the case with men, women are better suited to act as the community’s leaders. This explains why Parable of the Sower has been traditionally referred to as an unmistakably feminist novel (Miller 337). Nevertheless, it does not take a scientist to understand that promoting philosophies that add to already existing tensions between the representatives of opposite genders can hardly be deemed socially productive. The fact that even today, the feminist movement continues to be strongly associated with the notion of mental deviation (which explains this movement’s marginal status), substantiates the validity of this suggestion. Thus, it will only be logical to conclude this paper by reinstating onc e again that there is indeed a good rationale in referring to Butler’s Parable of the Sower, as an intellectually enlightening novel. This is because, as it was shown earlier, Butler’s idea, as to what the ‘future religion’ should be all about, does adhere to what today’s scientists know about how the universe actually function. Unfortunately, as it appears from the novel, the sheer strength of Butler’s prophetic powers, as an advocate of the new post-industrial religion, does not seem to correlate with her somewhat undermined insightfulness, as an individual who understands the qualitative essence of dynamics in just about every human society. Works Cited Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower, New York: Warner, 1995. Print. Miller, Jim. â€Å"Post-Apocalyptic Hoping: Octavia Butler’s Dystopian/Utopian Vision.†Ã‚  Science Fiction Studies 25.2 (1998): 336-360. Print. Phillipsï ¼Å'Jerry. â€Å"The Intuition of the Future: Utopia and Catastrophe in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.† Novel 35.2/3 (2002): 299-311. Print. Turing, Alan. â€Å"The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis.† Philosophical  Transactions of the Royal Society of London 237.641 (1952): 37-72. Print. This term paper on Religion in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower was written and submitted by user Hulkl1ng to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

3 Types of Unnecessary Hyphenation

3 Types of Unnecessary Hyphenation 3 Types of Unnecessary Hyphenation 3 Types of Unnecessary Hyphenation By Mark Nichol An extraneous instance of hyphenation occurs in each of the following sentences. Discussion after each example explains the error, and revisions illustrate correct treatment. 1. Those organizations that adapt will be able to excel in the long-term. Some pairs of words closely associated because they commonly appear together as phrasal adjectives are often unnecessarily hyphenated when they do not serve that grammatical function. Though long and term frequently serve together as a phrasal adjective, as in â€Å"long-term goals,† in this sentence, they are an adjective and a noun, respectively, and hyphenating them is an error: â€Å"Those organizations that adapt will be able to excel in the long term.† 2. NASA officials recommend viewing the eclipse through specially-made glasses to prevent eye damage. What is perhaps the most common type of error of intrusive hyphenation is as a result of confusion between phrasal adjectives and phrasal adverbs. When two or more words team up to modify a noun, the modifying terms are usually hyphenated to signal their teamwork, as in â€Å"four-legged animals.† (Otherwise, the implication is that the phrase refers to a quartet of animals with legs.) But when the first word is an adverb ending in -ly, that ending sends an obvious signal that the first word modifies not the noun but the accompanying modifying word, as in â€Å"NASA officials recommend viewing the eclipse through specially made glasses to prevent eye damage,† where specially modifies glasses (and, in turn, the two words provide additional information about the glasses.) However, for the sake of clarity, flat adverbs- those lacking the -ly ending- are hyphenated, as in â€Å"high-pitched voice.† 3. After two weeks, it turns out letting strangers in has been the least-troubling part of the experience. . . . There are certainly less-invasive ways to keep packages safe, like lockboxes or shipping to the office. Similarly, do not hyphenate modifying phrases that start with least or less (or most or more): â€Å"After two weeks, it turns out letting strangers in has been the least troubling part of the experience. . . . There are certainly less invasive ways to keep packages safe, like lockboxes or shipping to the office.† However, a phrase beginning with â€Å"less than† or â€Å"more than† is hyphenated when the string of words provides more information about a noun that follows the phrase: â€Å"Less-than-optimal terms can result in future costs that reduce the benefit of a lower purchase price.† But note that stand-alone phrases beginning with less and the like are sometimes mistakenly hyphenated, as in â€Å"Some people were less-than-thrilled to see the giraffe in the indoor pen.†Ã‚  Here, â€Å"less than thrilled† is merely describing a reaction, not modifying a noun, so omit the hyphens: â€Å"Some people were less than thrilled to see the giraffe in the indoor pen.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous"Wracking" or "Racking" Your Brain?

Organizational Change Interview Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizational Change Interview Paper - Essay Example Schuh (2000) has mentioned the needs of differentiation strategy for successful marketing. In his opinion, â€Å"using a common product, price, distribution and promotion program on a worldwide basis--does not seem adequate considering the differences in market conditions† (Schuh, 2000). In order to realize the extent of changes happening in the organizational world, I decided to interview a top official in Coca Cola Company. One of my friends is currently working in Coca Cola Company’s marketing department and he helped me in meeting, Jack Nicholas, one of the sales managers of Coca Cola Company. This paper is written based on my interview with Coke’s sales manager, jack Nicholas. My first question was about the mission, vision, and values of the Coca Cola Company at present and in past. Jack told me that the vision and mission of Coke has changed a lot over the past five years period. Earlier, Coke had a standardized vision and mission statement for the entire world. However, Coke realized that keeping same vision and mission for the entire world is meaningless since the requirements of different regions or countries are different. Focus on needs of our consumers, customers and franchise partners, Get out into the market and listen, observe and learn, Possess a world view, Focus on execution in the marketplace every day, Be insatiably curious etc are some of the values strictly kept in the market by Coke (Vision, Mission and Values, 2011) Jack explained the above point more in detail. He told me that most of the global countries and regions are different, politically, economically, culturally and socially. In other words, the requirements and the purchasing abilities of the people are different everywhere and it is illogical to keep same mission and vision for the extremely diverse population in the world. It was difficult for Coke to operate in communist countries earlier because of the strong opposition Coke faced in those countries bec ause of its origin in America. For example, China was reluctant in allowing American companies to enter its soil earlier. However, at present China is accepting foreign direct investments with both hands. The above changing foreign policies and economic policies of China cannot be neglected by Coke. In short, political and economic climate in the world are facing drastic changes at present which forced companies to change their vision and mission to cater the needs of the changing world. My second question was about the major determinants of change in Coca Cola Company. Globalization was the major cause of changes happening in Coke according to Jack. He has told me that the business principles changed a lot as a result of globalization. Currently Coke is trying to expand its territories with the help of modern business principles and merger and acquisition is accepted as the major mode of entry to foreign countries. For example, Coke acquired ThumsUp from India as part of their busi ness expansion in India. Coke realized that local knowledge is essential for conducting successful business in a foreign market. In order to acquire local knowledge, acquisition or merger is accepted as the best strategy by Coke. Political, economic and legal climate are other major determinants of change accepted by Coke to expand its business in different territories. Jack